Hong Kong SMEs Remain Optimistic About Business Operating EnvironmentLocal small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are optimistic about Hong Kong's business operating environment, according to the latest findings of a survey conducted by the Best Management Practices Institute (BMPI) of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) in December 2000.The survey on "Business Operating Environment Index for SMEs," conducted quarterly by the SME Center of the BMPI, covers the areas of market opportunity, financial and investment situation, operating costs, human resources and risk assessment for SMEs. According to Vincent Li, general manager of HKPC, a total of 1, 024 SMEs were interviewed, of which 575 came from the services sector and 449 from the manufacturing sector. "Local SMEs, in general, are optimistic about Hong Kong's business operating environment in the first quarter of the year," he said. "An increase of 4 percent in the risk assessment index was noted. The increase could be attributed to the expectation of a downward adjustment of interests rate and the surge of the euro dollar," he said. "Market opportunity index recorded a further decrease of 4 percent, an indication that SMEs are still cautiously optimistic towards the market situation. "A further increase of 3 percent in the operating cost was recorded, an indication that SMEs in general believe a stable business environment will lead to better operation cost control," he added. |
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