SMEs Optimistic About HK's Business Environment: SurveyLocal small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are cautiously optimistic about Hong Kong's business operating environment, a recent survey by Hong Kong Productivity Council showed.The survey aimed to provide a useful reference for Hong Kong's SMEs on the areas of market opportunity, financial and investment situation, operating costs, human resources and risk assessment. The Hong Kong's business operating environment index in the coming months scored 9.6 percent, reflecting a 5 percent increase compared to the last survey conducted at the end of 2000, the findings of the survey showed. Operating cost index recorded a significant increase of 19 percent indicating an improvement in operating costs in the coming months in commercial rental and transportation, according to the survey. However, market opportunity index recorded a further decrease of 3 percent, reflecting an intensive competition and uncertainty about market demand in the future, and a drop of 9 percent in risk assessment index was also noted, showing that local SMEs are cautious towards the business operating environment for the second quarter of this year. It also showed that the budgets for the information technology investment of 40 percent of SMEs will remain unchanged in the year, and 48 percent SMEs expected a rise in business volume this year. The majority of the respondents claimed that the increase is mainly attributed to the competitiveness of their products and services and China's impending accession to the World Trade Organization. |
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