1、 CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 10TH ANNUAL REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS ISSUES AND SENTIMENT ACROSS TEN ECONOMIES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC 2|CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 Legal notice 2019 CPA Australia Ltd(ABN 64 008 392 452).All rights reserved.The reproducti
2、on,adaptation,display,communication or sale of this CPA Australia Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey 2018(the Materials)is strictly prohibited unless expressly permitted under Division 3 of the Copyright Act 1968(Cth).For permission to reproduce any part of the Materials,please contact the CPA Austr
3、alia Legal Business Unit .au.These Materials have been created for academic purposes only and are not intended to constitute legal or professional advice.CPA Australia does not warrant or make representations as to the accuracy,completeness,suitability or fitness for purpose of the Materials and acc
4、epts no liability or responsibility for any acts or omissions made in reliance of the Materials.Where any law prohibits the exclusion of such liability,CPA Australia limits its liability to the resupply of the information.3|CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 CONTENTS OVERVIEW.4 EX
5、ECUTIVE SUMMARY.5 MAJOR FINDINGS.8 MAJOR FINDING 1.8 MAJOR FINDING 2.9 MAJOR FINDING 3.10 MAJOR FINDING 4.13 MAJOR FINDING 5.16 MAJOR FINDING 6.18 MAJOR FINDING 7.20 SURVEY RESULTS.22 WHAT DO GROWING BUSINESSES DO DIFFERENTLY?.22 SEVEN LESSONS FROM SMALL BUSINESSES GROWING STRONGLY.28 SMALL BUSINESS
6、 AND TECHNOLOGY.29 SMALL BUSINESS CONDITIONS IN 2018.41 SMALL BUSINESS EXPECTATIONS FOR 2019.46 SMALL BUSINESS AND INNOVATION.51 SMALL BUSINESS AND EXPORTING.53 ACCESS TO FINANCE.55 OTHER SURVEY FINDINGS.62 APPENDICES.65 AUSTRALIA MARKET SUMMARY.65 MAINLAND CHINA MARKET SUMMARY.69 HONG KONG MARKET S
7、UMMSRY.78 INDONESIA MARKET SUMMARY.84 MALAYSIA MARKET SUMMARY.90 NEW ZEALAND MARKET SUMMARY.96 PHILIPPINES MARKET SUMMARY.102 SINGAPORE MARKET SUMMARY.106 TAIWAN MARKET SUMMARY.112 VIETNAM MARKET SUMMARY.116 ABOUT THE SURVEY.122 4|CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 OVERVIEW CPA Au
8、stralia Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey 2018 is the tenth in a series of annual surveys conducted by CPA Australia measuring:small business conditions in the preceding 12 months small business confidence in the coming 12 months the drivers of small business growth technology uptake innovation acc
9、ess to finance.The data presented in this report is compared across the ten markets included in the survey and over time.In total,3607 small businesses completed the survey,including:505 from Australia 764 from Mainland China 279 from Hong Kong 305 from Indonesia 304 from Malaysia 310 from New Zeala
10、nd 225 from the Philippines 303 from Singapore 303 from Taiwan 309 from Vietnam.For this survey,the results for Mainland China exclude Hong Kong and Taiwan,which are shown separately.Of the 764 participants from Mainland China:152 were from Beijing 151 were from Chongqing 153 were from Guangzhou 156
11、 were from Shanghai 152 were from Shenzhen.The online survey was conducted with a random sample of small business owners and managers between 16 November and 11 December 2018.The sample was obtained through panel providers.To qualify for the survey,participants were required to be an owner,a senior
12、manager(defined as a Director,Principal,CEO,Managing Director,CFO or a Senior Manager)or a qualified accountant of a business with fewer than 20 employees.Care was also taken to ensure that the survey sample for each market broadly represents the industry profile for that market.5|CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA
13、-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CPA Australias tenth annual Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey1 found that overall,small business conditions were slightly weaker in 2018 than in 2017.These conditions are likely to continue into 2019,with small business confidence also being sli
14、ghtly weaker in 2019.Global trade tensions appear to be the primary reason for the weakening in confidence.The survey finds that businesses that are growing strongly are much more likely to have the following features:a strong focus on technology a focus on improving customer satisfaction rather tha
15、n just relying on customer loyalty innovation through new products,processes and services seeking to enter new markets social media being used to better engage with and understand customers online sales are an important part of their business a focus on improving business strategy and management.Oth
16、er key highlights of the survey:Small businesses from Vietnam,Indonesia and the Philippines were the most likely to have reported growing in 2018,while Australian and Hong Kong small businesses were the least likely.Small businesses from Australia and Hong Kong recorded a relatively large fall in th
17、e number of businesses that reported growing in 2018 from 2017,while small business from Singapore recorded a relatively large increase.Small business confidence in their own growth prospect in 2019 is also strongest in the Philippines,Vietnam and Indonesia and weakest in Australia and Hong Kong.Fal
18、ls in confidence were largest in Hong Kong,while confidence was up strongly in Malaysia.Small business confidence in the growth prospects of their local economy in 2019 is strongest in Vietnam,the Philippines and Indonesia and weakest in Hong Kong and Australia.Small business confidence in Malaysias
19、 economy in 2019 is up strongly from 2018,while Hong Kong recorded a large fall.It appears that global trade tensions are behind the less positive results for 2019,with many small businesses concerned that a global trade war will have a negative impact on their business in 2019,especially in Hong Ko
20、ng.This helps to explain why small business confidence in that market is down for 2019.Interestingly,Indonesian small businesses are more likely to expect that global trade tensions will have a positive impact on their business in 2019 than a negative impact.1 The survey was of 3607 businesses with
21、fewer than 20 employees from Australia,Mainland China,Hong Kong,Indonesia,Malaysia,New Zealand,the Philippines,Singapore,Taiwan and Vietnam.For the purpose of this survey,the results for Hong Kong and Taiwan are shown separately from Mainland China.The survey was conducted online from 16 November to
22、 11 December 2018.6|CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 The survey results show a strong link between the utilisation of technology in a small business and strong business growth.Further,small businesses from Asia are far more likely to be using technologies such as online sales,ne
23、w payment technologies and social media than small businesses from Australia and New Zealand.Major reasons for this include:o businesses from Asia are far more likely to find that their investment in technology will be profitable sooner o the age profile of small businesses in Asia are far younger t
24、han Australia and New Zealand,with the survey showing that younger respondents are significantly more likely to be utilising technology than older respondents Small businesses from Mainland China remain the leaders in the use of ecommerce and the adoption of new payment technologies,such as Alipay,A
25、pple Pay and WeChat Pay.In fact,it would be difficult to find a business from Mainland China that is not selling online or offering digital payment options.There is a fall in the percentage of businesses that believe it is likely they will be cyberattacked in 2019 compared to 2018,especially in Viet
26、nam and Indonesia.Despite this,nearly half of businesses reviewed their cyber security measures in the past six months,especially in Vietnam and Mainland China.Small businesses from the Philippines,Indonesia,Vietnam,Malaysia and Mainland China are the most likely to state that they will innovate in
27、2019 through the introduction of a totally new product,process or service to their market or the world.Small businesses in Vietnam and Indonesia continue to be strong creators of jobs,with most respondents in both markets reporting that they increased staff numbers in 2018 and expect to increase sta
28、ff numbers in 2019.Improved customer satisfaction and improved business strategy were much more likely to be positive influences on businesses that grew strongly than businesses that did not grow.Meanwhile,customer loyalty is most likely to have had a positive influence on business in 2018 regardles
29、s of whether the business grew or not.Increased costs and increasing competition were the factors respondents were most likely to select as having a detrimental impact on their business in 2018,regardless of market.Staff costs(especially in Mainland China),materials(especially in the Philippines)and
30、 rent(especially in Hong Kong)were chosen as the costs most detrimental to business in 2018.As in previous years,small businesses from Australia and New Zealand are much less likely to have required external finance in 2018 than businesses from Asia.However,Australian and New Zealand small businesse
31、s that required finance were the most likely to report easy or very easy financing conditions.Given robust growth and a focus on technology,it is not surprising that small businesses from Mainland China,Vietnam and Indonesia were the most likely to have accessed external finance in 2018.These market
32、s are also the most likely to expect to access external finance in 2019.7|CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 The demographics of the respondents seem to have considerable influence on the survey results.For example:Respondents aged under 40 are more likely to have reported their b
33、usiness grew in 2018,and expect their business to grow in 2019,than respondents aged 50 or over.Respondents aged under 40 are more likely to expect their local economy to grow in 2019 than respondents aged 50 or over.Respondents aged under 40 are significantly more likely to use social media for bus
34、iness purposes and earn any revenue from online sales than those aged 50 or over.Likewise,respondents aged under 40 are much more likely to state that they will innovate in 2019 and much more likely to expect that they will sell in overseas markets than those aged 50 or over.8|CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PAC
35、IFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 MAJOR FINDINGS MAJOR FINDING 1 Small business conditions in 2018 were down in most markets Small businesses from Vietnam,Indonesia,the Philippines and Mainland China were the most likely to have grown in 2018,while businesses from Australia,Hong Kong,New Zealand and T
36、aiwan were the least likely.The number of businesses that reported growing in 2018 from 2017 was up strongly in Singapore and up slightly in Malaysia.All other markets reported a fall,especially Hong Kong and Australia.Small businesses that reported growing in the previous 12 months a comparison ove
37、r time and by market Philippines84%Taiwan 57%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%20142015201620172018AustraliaMainland ChinaHong KongIndonesiaMalaysiaNew ZealandSingaporeVietnamPhilippinesTaiwan9|CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 MAJOR FINDING 2 Small business confidence declines in most ma
38、rkets in 2019 Small business confidence in their expected performance in 2019 is highest in the Philippines,Vietnam and Indonesia and lowest in Australia,Hong Kong and Singapore.The percentage of small businesses that expect to grow in 2018 has risen the most in Malaysia followed by Singapore,while
39、growth expectations for Hong Kong have fallen considerably,as well as being down in Australia and Mainland China.Small businesses that expect to grow in the next 12 months a comparison by market and over time Philippines94%Taiwan63%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%2010201120122013201420152016201720182019Aus
40、traliaMainland ChinaHong KongIndonesiaMalaysiaNew ZealandSingaporeVietnamPhilippinesTaiwan10|CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 MAJOR FINDING 3 There is a significant link between undertaking certain activities and strong business growth Small businesses that grew strongly in 2018
41、 and expect to grow strongly in 2019 are significantly more likely to be leveraging digital technologies to increase sales and improve customer experience,innovating,exporting,improving business strategy and management,and improving customer satisfaction.Further,small businesses that have been estab
42、lished for less than 10 years,are based in developing economies and where the respondent is aged under 40 are also significantly more likely to be growing strongly or expecting to grow strongly.Businesses that are growing strongly or expect to grow strongly are also more concerned about a possible c
43、yber-attack and therefore are more likely to have reviewed their cybersecurity measures in the past six months.Small businesses that are growing strongly are significantly more confident in the growth prospects of their local economy,expect easy access to finance and are creating jobs.Drivers of gro
44、wth businesses that grew strongly in 2018 are much more likely to have experienced the following:Grew strongly in 2018 Unchanged or shrank in 2018 Found their investment in technology in 2018 was already profitable 75.2%21.8%Earned 11 per cent or more of their revenue from online sales 67.0%34.0%Rec
45、eived 11 per cent or more of their sales through new payment technologies such as Alipay,Apple Pay and WeChat Pay 66.5%42.1%Found technology was one of the most positive influences on their business 33.2%13.3%Improving business strategy was one of the most positive influences on their business 43.9%
46、14.3%Improving business management was one of the most positive influences on their business 38.3%10.7%Introducing a new product or service was one of the most positive influences on their business 37.1%13.7%Improving customer satisfaction was one of the most positive influences on their business 49
47、.0%18.2%11|CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2018 Found accessing external finance easy or very easy in the prior 12 months 48.6%22.0%Increased employee numbers in the prior 12 months 66.1%6.9%Business uses social media to sell products or services 52.4%27.5%Business uses social media
48、 to learn about the behaviours of customers and potential customers 45.2%17.9%Business uses social media to receive/monitor customer feedback 46.4%19.7%Business last reviewed its cybersecurity protections in the past six months 57.8%37.9%Business has 10 to 19 staff 46.0%22.2%Business has been establ
49、ished for 10 years or less 71.0%51.2%The respondent was aged under 40 67.7%34.0%Business is based in a developing economy(Mainland China,Indonesia,Malaysia,Philippines and Vietnam)69.4%33.4%Drivers of growth businesses that expect to grow strongly in 2019 are much more likely to expect the following
50、:Expect to grow strongly in 2019 Expect to remain unchanged or shrink in 2019 Will innovate through the introduction of a product,process or service totally new to their local market or the world in 2019 50.1%5.3%Expect revenue from overseas sales to grow strongly in 2019 39.9%3.8%Believe a cyberatt