XN000022-1982-08-23 — Page 5

MONDAY, AUGUST 23, 1982

IN THE WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE BUSINESS, PARTICIPATING FIRMS CONSIDERED HIGH INTEREST RATES, PRICE COMPETITION AND

INSUFFICIENT BUSINESS AS THE MAJOR PROBLEMS BOTH FOR THE SECOND AND THE THIRD QUARTERS.

AS FOR THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS, INSUFFICIENT BUSINESS, PRICE COMPETITION AND HIGH STAFF TURNOVER WERE THE PROBLEMS INDICATED BY A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF THE PARTICIPATING FIRMS.

THE HOTELS AND TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRIES ALSO EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS OF INSUFFICIENT BUSINESS AND PRICE COMPETITION,

HIGH STAFF COSTS WAS CITED AS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN THE SECOND AND THIRD QUARTERS FOR THE HOTELS BUSINESS.

THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE SURVEY RESULTS, OBTAINED WITH A MINIMUM TIME LAG, WERE BASICALLY INTENDED TO PROVIDE ONE SOURCE OF REFERENCE FOR MAKING A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION OF HONG KONG.

PARTICIPATING FIRMS WERE ASKED TO INDICATE WHETHER IN THE IR OPINIONS, THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION AND LEVEL OF CAPACITY UTILISATION HAD + IMPROVED+, +REMAINED THE SAME OR DETER FORATED+ IN THE IMMEDIATELY PAST QUARTER, AS COMPARED WITH THE QUARTER BEFORE.

FOR THE FORTHCOMING QUARTER, THEY WERE ASKED TO INDICATE WHETHER THE SITUATION WOULD IMPROVE+, +REMAIN THE SAME+, OR +DETERIORATE+.

THE BALANCE OF OPINIONS OF RESPONDENTS WERE TABULATED AND ANALYSED.

THE SURVEY REPORT ALSO CONTAINS A SECTION ON BUSINESS PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED AND EXPECTED BY FIRMS IN DIFFERENT ECONOMIC SECTORS AND A BREAKDOWN OF VIEWS OF FIRMS BY SIZE GROUPS.

THE DEPARTMENT CAUTIONED THAT FOR A SURVEY OF THIS NATURE, THE RESULTS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CARE AS IT WAS DIFFICULT TO ESTABLISH PRECISELY THE EXTENT TO WHICH RESPONDENTS' PERCEPTION OF THE PAST AND THE FUTURE ACCORDS WITH THE UNDERLYING TRENDS.

COPIES OF THE REPORT, CONTAINING AN ANALYSIS OF THE SURVEY FINDINGS AND STATISTICAL TABLES, HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO FIRMS TAKING PART IN THE SURVEY AND TO OTHER BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY OBTAIN COPIES FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING, AT $3 PER COPY.

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