Product details

This case is part of the Trade and Industry Department SME (Small to medium enterprise) case series funded by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Trade and Industry Department SME Development Fund. The import-export trading industry had long been one of the leading industries in Hong Kong. The sector, with about 500,000 people working for 100,000 companies, accounted for roughly 20 per cent of Hong Kong''s employment and GDP (gross domestic product) in 2002. However, in the early 2000s, the industry was under challenge as there were signs that the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions of Mainland China might eventually threaten Hong Kong''s position as a major trading centre. Could Hong Kong''s multitude of small trading companies continue to thrive? What were their major competitive advantages? And how substantial would these advantages be? This case serves as an overview of an important industry sector in Hong Kong that is dominated by SMEs (small and medium enterprises), and presents important strategic issues at a time of economic changes.