THE CPA AUSTRALIA
ASIA-PACIFIC
SMALL BUSINESS
SURVEY 2015
CHONGQING REPORT
2 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
LEGAL NOTICE
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ISBN: 978-1-921742-78-1
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First published 2016
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3 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
OVERVIEW
CPA Australia Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey 2015 is the sixth in a series of annual reports measuring small
business confidence, the drivers of confidence, technology uptake and access to finance by small businesses. The
data is compared across the eight economies included in this survey and over time.
In total, 2932 participants completed the survey, including 510 from Australia, 610 from the mainland of China, 265
from Hong Kong, 306 from Indonesia, 310 from Malaysia, 311 from New Zealand, 310 from Singapore and 310
from Vietnam.
Of the 610 participants from the mainland of China, 155 were from Beijing, 152 were from Chongqing, 147 were
from Guangzhou and 156 were from Shanghai.
The online survey was conducted with a random sample of small business owners/managers between 24
September and 14 October 2015. The sample was obtained through panel providers. To qualify for the survey,
participants were required to be an owner, a senior manager (defined as being a director, a principal, a CEO, a
CFO, a senior manager or a managing director) or a qualified accountant of a business with fewer than 20
employees.
4 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
SUMMARY OF CHONGQING RESULTS
Small businesses in Chongqing are positive, innovating, growing their e-commerce
presence and outcompeting many businesses from elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific.
CPA Australia’s Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey reveals that Chongqing’s small businesses are positive about
their business and China’s economy and they have a strong focus on innovation, e-commerce and business
management.
The focus on innovation, e-commerce and improving business management is flowing through to business growth,
with the number of small businesses from Chongqing that grew in the past 12 months rising 11.1 percentage points
(to 78.3 per cent) in this survey from the last. This strong sentiment is expected to continue in 2016, with 77.0 per
cent expecting to grow in the next 12 months, which is above the survey average of 70.7 per cent, Hong Kong’s
reading of 63.8 per cent and Singapore’s reading of 58.7 per cent.
This strong growth is translating through to the sector being a large creator of jobs in Chongqing, with 45.4 per cent
of Chongqing’s small business respondents increasing employee numbers in the past 12 months, higher than the
number of small businesses from Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore that created jobs over that period (39.7 per
cent, 32.5 per cent and 19.7 per cent respectively).
With China’s economy being impacted by a variety of factors, including slowing domestic growth (which, however,
remains very strong) and weak recoveries in the economies of the US, Japan and the euro area, the increase in
the number of small businesses that reported growing in the past 12 months shows the resilience of Chongqing’s
and China’s small business sector.
Such resilience and their strong focus on innovation, e-commerce, social media and improving business
management should mean that Chongqing’s small businesses are well placed to take advantage of opportunities
emerging from government policies, including the Belt and Road initiative.
The survey results demonstrate that there are good reasons to be confident in Chongqing’s small business sector
with nearly three in ten of Chongqing’s small businesses definitely expecting to undertake innovation through the
introduction of a new product, service or process that is unique to their local market or the world in the next 12
months. When it comes to innovation, Chongqing’s small businesses (with 32.0 per cent definitely expecting to
undertake innovation) are ahead of their competitors from Shanghai (25.0 per cent), Hong Kong (17.7 per cent)
and Singapore (15.2 per cent), but behind Beijing (41.3 per cent).
Innovation is not the only strong focus for Chongqing’s small businesses, which are also likely to focus on:
 growing their e-commerce presence to a large extent over the next 12 months (38.2 per cent of Chongqing’s
small businesses expect to grow their e-commerce presence strongly in the next 12 months, compared with
34.0 per cent of Guangzhou’s small businesses, 29.5 per cent of Shanghai’s small businesses, 19.4 per cent of
Singapore’s small businesses, 43.9 per cent of Beijing’s small businesses and 42.6 per cent of Hong Kong’s
small businesses)
 improved business management (31.6 per cent of Chongqing’s small businesses stated that improved business
management had a major positive impact on their business in the past 12 months compared with 20.4 per cent
of Hong Kong’s small businesses and 20.3 per cent on Singaporean small businesses).
This strong focus on innovation, e-commerce and improving business management means that Chongqing’s small
businesses are in a good position to outcompete their less nimble and tech-savvy competitors and remain
competitive with small business from Singapore, Hong Kong and other parts of China.
5 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
Chongqing’s small businesses are also facing challenges. Like their counterparts in Beijing and Hong Kong, many
of Chongqing’s small businesses stated that increasing costs had a major detrimental impact on their business in
the past 12 months.
It seems, however, that Chongqing’s small businesses are responding well to this challenge. The focus on ecommerce can reduce business costs such as rent while maintaining their ability to reach out to customers. The
focus on improving business management should also provide many of Chongqing’s small businesses with the
know-how to better manage cost pressures.
The range of initiatives China’s government has implemented or is implementing to encourage innovation, such as
the guidelines to promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation and the ‘Made in China 2025’ plan should further
inculcate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship amongst Chongqing’s small businesses. Such a culture
should help Chongqing’s small businesses compete and help drive the next phase of China’s astonishing economic
growth story.
Chongqing’s small businesses are not only growing strongly, creating jobs and preparing for the future, but they are
well placed to compete with small businesses from other parts of the Asia-Pacific, including Shanghai, Hong Kong
and Singapore.
Other results from the survey:
Demographics
 Respondents from Chongqing are typically below 40 (50.0 per cent)and the business was established less than
10 years ago (75.7 per cent).
 There is a strong correlation between younger business owners and those businesses that expect to grow, sell
online, use social media for business purposes, and innovate through the introduction of new products,
processes or services.
Access to finance
 Small businesses from Chongqing that sought finance in the past 12 months were significantly more likely to
find the experience easier than in 2014 (54.3 per cent found access to finance easy or very easy in this survey
compared with 28.9 per cent from the last survey).
 While government policies to encourage more lending to the sector by the nation’s banks would have influenced
this easing of finance conditions, small businesses in Chongqing remain almost as likely to seek finance outside
of the banking sector.
 Funding business growth remains the most important reason for accessing external finance.
6 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
MAJOR FINDINGS FOR CHONGQING
Chongqing’s small businesses, with their focus on innovation, are well placed to
grow, create jobs and export in 2016 and beyond.
With small businesses with an e-commerce presence being more likely to
be growing and creating jobs, Chongqing’s strong focus on e-commerce
is a competitive advantage for its businesses and the economy.
With small businesses that expect to grow revenue from exporting
being more likely to be growing and creating jobs, more small
businesses from Chongqing should consider having a stronger
focus on exporting.
With the survey results showing a strong connection between
social media use and business growth, the very strong uptake of
social media by Chongqing’s small businesses is a competitive
advantage.
Reflecting strong business conditions, over three in five of
Chongqing’s small businesses plan to increase their headcount in
2016.
Chongqing’s small businesses are more likely to expect their business
and China’s economy to grow in 2016.
Access to finance became easier for a significant number of small businesses
from Chongqing.
7 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
KEY SURVEY FINDINGS FOR CHONGQING
INNOVATION
Chongqing’s small businesses, with their focus on innovation1, are well placed to grow,
create jobs and export in 2016 and beyond.
Small businesses that will definitely introduce a new product, service or process in the next 12
months that is unique to their market or the world in the next 12 months
Beijing
41.3%
Guangzhou
32.0%
28.3%
Chongqing
Shanghai
25.0%
Survey average
Hong Kong
Singapore
1
22.0%
17.7%
15.2%
Innovation, for the purpose of the survey, is taken to be the introduction of a new product, service or process that is unique to a market or the
world.
8 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
The relationship between innovation and jobs creation, business growth and exporting
Percentage that expect to
definitely introduce a
product, service or
process that is new to
their market or the world
EMPLOYEE NUMBERS
Expecting to increase employee numbers in the next 12 months
NOT expecting to increase employee numbers in the next 12 months
BUSINESS GROWTH
Expecting to grow their business in the next 12 months
NOT expecting to grow their business in the next 12 months
EXPORTING
Expecting revenue from overseas sales to grow strongly in the next 12 months
NOT expecting to grow their revenue from overseas sales in the next 12 months
9 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
Chongqing’s small businesses, with their strong focus on innovation, are well placed to grow and compete against
their rivals from elsewhere in China, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. This focus on innovation is a
competitive advantage for business and the economy.
With the survey results showing innovative businesses are significantly more likely to be growing, exporting and
creating jobs, it is easy to see why China’s government is focused on encouraging mass entrepreneurship and
innovation, and improving manufacturing innovation through the ‘Made in China 2025’ national plan. As a recent
OECD paper on innovation stated, ‘in the long run, it is difficult to imagine growth without innovation’.
Businesses are also more likely to definitely expect to undertake innovation through the introduction of a new
product, service or process that is unique to their market or the world in the next 12 months if they:
 have a business owner/manager under age 40
 have between 5 and 19 staff
 are from the banking, finance and insurance sector, or the manufacturing sector.
KEY FINDING
Chongqing’s small businesses, with their focus on innovation, are well placed to grow, create jobs and export in
2016 and beyond. We suggest that those small businesses that are not innovating should consider incorporating
innovation into how they run their business.
10 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
E-COMMERCE
With small businesses with an e-commerce presence being more likely to be growing
and creating jobs, Chongqing’s strong focus on e-commerce is a competitive advantage
for its businesses and the economy.
Small businesses that generated revenue from online sales
Shanghai
92.3%
Guangzhou
91.8%
Beijing
91.0%
Chongqing
85.5%
Hong Kong
80.4%
Survey average
68.9%
Singapore
63.6%
Small businesses that intend to grow their e-commerce presence to a large extent in next 12
months
Beijing
43.9%
Hong Kong
42.6%
Chongqing
38.2%
Guangzhou
34.0%
Survey average
32.2%
Shanghai
Singapore
29.5%
19.4%
11 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
The relationship between e-commerce and business growth, jobs creation and exporting
Percentage that expect to
grow their e-commerce
presence to a large
extent
BUSINESS GROWTH
Expecting to grow their business in the next 12 months
NOT expecting to grow their business in the next 12 months
EMPLOYEE NUMBERS
Expecting to increase employee numbers in the next 12 months
NOT expecting to increase employee numbers in the next 12 months
EXPORTING
Expecting revenue from overseas sales to grow strongly over the next 12 months
NOT expecting to sell into overseas markets in the next 12 months
Small businesses from Chongqing are among the leaders from the region in generating revenue from online sales.
This advantage is likely to be maintained in 2016, with 38.2 per cent of small businesses from Chongqing expecting
to grow their e-commerce presence strongly in the next 12 months.
12 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
With the survey results showing that small businesses selling online and seeking to grow their e-commerce
presence are significantly more likely to be growing and creating jobs, it is easy to see why so many small
businesses in Chongqing have an e-commerce presence.
The focus on e-commerce should also assist small businesses from Chongqing to better manage rental costs. Ecommerce allows some businesses to take up less floor space, particularly in high rental locations, while still giving
them access to customers, many of whom are becoming increasingly familiar with purchasing goods and services
online.
Small businesses are also more likely to earn income from online sales where:




they have between 5 and 19 staff
the business has been established for less than 21 years
the respondent is aged under 40
the business is from the manufacturing sector.
KEY FINDING
The strong focus on e-commerce by Chongqing’s small businesses is a key competitive advantage for those
businesses and the economy. It should allow small businesses to better control rental costs and improve their
connection with customers.
13 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
SMALL BUSINESS AND EXPORTING
With small businesses that expect to grow revenue from exporting being more likely to
be growing and creating jobs, more small businesses from Chongqing should consider
having a stronger focus on exporting.
Small businesses expecting revenue from overseas sales to grow in the next 12 months
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Beijing
Hong Kong
Chongqing
Singapore
Survey average
19.7%
50.3%
10.9%
55.1%
18.7%
41.3%
22.3%
13.8%
17.7%
19.1%
32.8%
37.5%
31.3%
29.7%
Grow strongly
Grow a little
14 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
The relationship between exporting, and jobs creation and business growth
Percentage that expect
their revenue from
exporting to grow
strongly
EMPLOYEE NUMBERS
Expecting to increase employee numbers in the next 12 months
NOT expecting to increase employee numbers in the next 12 months
BUSINESS GROWTH
Expecting to grow their business in the next 12 months
NOT expecting to grow their business in the next 12 months
With just over half (51.3 per cent) of Chongqing’s small businesses expecting to grow their revenue from overseas
sales in the next 12 months, Chongqing is the least likely of the cities from the mainland of China included in this
survey to focus on exports. Given this, there is scope for small businesses from the city to build a stronger focus on
exports, particularly when major export markets improve.
With the survey results showing that small businesses that are exporting are more likely to be growing and creating
jobs, a stronger focus on exports by more of Chongqing’s small businesses would be good for business, jobs and
the economy.
While such an export focus does come with risks, including foreign exchange risks and the potential for downturns
in key markets, the advantages of exporting over focusing on the domestic market are significant. A focus on the
domestic market limits growth potential and increases the business’s risk exposure should the local economy slow.
It also means the business may be less exposed to competitive pressures, which the survey results show may
15 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
have a negative impact on innovation and growth. Further, the business may be less exposed to new ideas from
new markets, which may also negatively impact innovation.
With the survey results showing a strong link between increasing revenue from exporting and business growth and
jobs creation, it is easy to see why governments across the region are taking action to support and encourage
international trade with initiatives such as the Belt and Road initiative and China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Small businesses are also more likely to expect strong growth in their earnings from overseas in the next 12
markets if:




the business is from the manufacturing sector
the businesses has between 5 and 19 employees
the respondent is aged under 50
the business has been established for less than 21 years.
KEY FINDING
With a strong connection between exporting and growth and jobs, more of Chongqing’s small businesses should
consider a greater focus on exporting as part of their business strategy.
16 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
SOCIAL MEDIA
With the survey results showing a strong connection between social media use and
business growth, the very strong uptake of social media by Chongqing’s small
businesses is a competitive advantage.
Small businesses that used social media in their business
100%
Chongqing
Hong Kong
Shanghai
Guangzhou
90%
80%
Singapore
70%
60%
With the survey results showing a connection between social media use for business purposes and business
growth, the very strong uptake of social media amongst Chongqing’s small businesses and small businesses
across China is a competitive advantage, particularly over businesses from Australia and New Zealand where the
number of small businesses using social media is significantly lower.
With customers being increasingly likely to seek to communicate and transact with businesses via social media, a
robust social media presence should enhance a small business’s ability to attract, retain and transact with
customers. It may also enhance their brand reputation and assist them to grow their business.
Those that use social media use it for a variety of purposes including communicating with existing customers,
promoting their business to potential customers, and selling their products or services.
Small businesses are significantly less likely to be using social media for business purposes where:
 the respondent is aged 50 or over
 the business has been established for over 20 years
 the business has four or fewer staff.
KEY FINDING
With small businesses using social media being more likely to grow, the large-scale adoption of social media by
Chongqing’s small businesses is a competitive advantage that should help with future growth.
17 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESSES
Reflecting strong business conditions, over three in five of Chongqing’s small
businesses plan to increase their headcount in 2016.
Small businesses that expect to increase employee numbers in the next 12 months
Chongqing
60.8%
Beijing
58.1%
Guangzhou
57.1%
Shanghai
45.5%
Survey average
Hong Kong
Singapore
41.8%
32.8%
27.7%
18 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
Relationship between jobs creation and business growth, innovation, exporting and e-commerce
Percentage that expect to
increase employee
numbers in the next 12
months
BUSINESS GROWTH
Expecting to grow in the coming 12 months
NOT expecting to grow in the coming 12 months
INNOVATION
Definitely expecting to introduce a new product, service or process unique to their
country or the world
NOT expecting to introduce a new product, service or process unique to their country
or the world
EXPORTING
Expect to grow export revenue strongly
NOT expecting to sell into overseas markets
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E-COMMERCE
Expect to grow their e-commerce presence to a large extent
NOT expecting to grow their e-commerce presence
The increase in the number of small businesses from Chongqing that are expecting their business to grow in 2016
from 2015 is flowing through to job creation, with 60.5 per cent of Chongqing’s small businesses planning to
increase employee numbers in the next 12 months. This reading is the highest of the cities from the mainland of
China included in this survey and most of the other markets surveyed.
Other factors contributing to this very healthy jobs growth projection are the strong focuses on innovation, ecommerce and social media by Chongqing’s small businesses.
Over the next 12 months, businesses that expect to increase employee numbers are also significantly more likely
to:
 intend to significantly increase their e-commerce presence
 strongly grow their revenue from overseas sales
 innovate through definitely introducing a new product, service or process.
Small businesses are also more likely to expect to increase employee numbers over the next 12 months if:
 the business is in the manufacturing, accommodation or food services industry
 the business has between 5 and 19 staff
 the respondent is aged under 40.
KEY FINDING
A stronger focus on exporting by more small businesses in Chongqing could lead to further jobs creation by the
sector.
20 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
Chongqing’s small businesses are more likely to expect their business and China’s
economy to grow in 2016.
Small businesses that grew over the past 12 months
90%
80%
Chongqing
Shanghai
Guangzhou
70%
Hong Kong
60%
Singapore
50%
Small businesses that expect their business to grow in the coming 12 months
80%
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Chongqing
70%
60%
Hong Kong
50%
40%
Singapore
21 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
Small businesses that expect their local economy to grow over the next 12 months
90%
80%
Guangzhou
70%
Shanghai
Chongqing
60%
50%
Hong Kong
Singapore
40%
Over three-quarters of small businesses from Chongqing expect their business to grow in 2016, a 5.9 percentage
point increase from the 2015 forecast. This is significantly higher than the percentage of Australian, New Zealand,
Hong Kong and Singaporean small businesses that expect to grow in 2016. The reading is, however, largely in line
with the percentage of small businesses that expect to grow in the other cities from the mainland of China included
in this survey.
Just over seven in ten of small businesses from Chongqing expect China’s economy to grow in 2016. This strong
level of small business confidence in China’s economy comes at a time when China is under a range of pressures
including slowing domestic growth (although growth remains very robust), uncertainty over US interest rates and
weaker than expected recoveries in the economies of the US, Japan and the euro area.
Small businesses that expect to innovate, grow their e-commerce presence to a large extent and strongly grow
revenue from exports are significantly more likely to expect their business to grow in the next 12 months. In
addition, small businesses are more likely to expect to grow if:
 they have between 5 and 19 employees
 the respondent is aged under 50
 the business reported growing in the past 12 months.
Further, small businesses are more likely to expect their local economy to grow if:
 they have between 5 and 19 employees
 they are from the manufacturing, property or construction sector
 the respondent is aged under 40.
KEY FINDING
A stronger focus on exporting could lead to more small businesses from Chongqing experiencing growth.
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ACCESSING FINANCE
Access to finance became easier for a significant number of small businesses from
Chongqing
Access to finance – the percentage that experienced easy to very easy financing conditions in
the previous 12 months
70%
Guangzhou
60%
Shanghai
Chongqing
50%
Hong Kong
40%
30%
Singapore
20%
Access to finance became easy to very easy for a significantly larger number of small businesses from Chongqing
in the past 12 months. These significantly easier financing conditions are being experienced throughout China, with
small businesses in Guangzhou having the easiest access to finance across all the markets included in this survey.
These easier financing conditions do not appear to be having an impact on the demand for finance in the past 12
months, with the number of small businesses from Chongqing seeking external finance falling 18.5 percentage
points to 76.3 per cent. The Australian and New Zealand results also demonstrate that relatively easy access to
finance does not necessarily translate into increased demand for finance.
While government policies to encourage more lending by the nation’s banks to the sector would have contributed to
an easing of finance conditions, small businesses in Chongqing, like the other cities from the mainland of China
included in this survey, remain highly likely to seek finance outside of the banking sector, particularly from investors
and venture capitalists.
Chongqing’s small businesses were most likely to have sought external finance to assist with business growth. The
number of small businesses from Chongqing that sought external finance for growth jumped from 30.2 per cent in
2014 to 68.1 per cent in 2015.
KEY FINDING
Accessing finance became significantly easier for many of Chongqing’s small businesses in 2015.
23 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
APPENDICES
CHONGQING DATA SNAPSHOT – COMPARISON TO
GUANGZHOU, HONG KONG AND SHANGHAI
Business and economic growth
Small businesses that expect their business to
grow - Chongqing against survey average
Chongqing small businesses that expect their
business to grow against small business growth
expectations for China's economy
80%
80%
70%
70%
60%
60%
50%
50%
40%
40%
2014
Chongqing
2014
2015
Survey average
Businesses that grew in the last 12 months
Businesses that expect to grow in the next 12 months
Businesses that expect the local economy to grow in the next
12 months
Expect their business to grow
2015
Expect local economy to grow
Chongqing
78.3%
77.0%
Guangzhou
75.6%
74.8%
Shanghai
79.5%
76.9%
Hong Kong
63.8%
55.1%
71.0%
74.1%
71.1%
52.1%
Chongqing
45.4%
Guangzhou
39.5%
Shanghai
39.7%
Hong Kong
32.5%
60.5%
57.1%
45.5%
32.8%
Chongqing
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Hong Kong
41.3%
32.0%
25.0%
17.7%
Jobs creation
Increased employee numbers over the past 12 months
Plan to increase employee numbers over the next 12 months
Innovation
Definitely expect to introduce a new product, service or
process unique to their country or the world
24 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
Online sales and social media
Earned revenue from online sales
Expect to grow their e-commerce presence to a large extent
in the next 12 months
Used social media for business purposes
Chongqing
85.5%
Guangzhou
91.8%
Shanghai
92.3%
Hong Kong
80.4%
38.2%
34.0%
29.5%
42.6%
97.4%
98.6%
96.2%
93.2%
Exporting
Expect revenue from overseas markets to grow strongly over
the next 12 months
Chongqing
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Hong Kong
13.8%
19.7%
10.9%
22.3%
Chongqing
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Hong Kong
31.6%
34.0%
32.1%
20.4%
Chongqing
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Hong Kong
37.5%
34.0%
39.1%
41.9%
40.8%
37.4%
41.7%
41.9%
Chongqing
42.8%
54.3%
Guangzhou
41.5%
65.6%
Shanghai
36.5%
57.1%
Hong Kong
31.3%
43.5%
Chongqing
75.7%
50.0%
Guangzhou
64.6%
62.6%
Shanghai
66.7%
64.8%
Hong Kong
58.9%
63.4%
Improved business management
Improved business management had a major positive impact
on their business
Costs
Increasing costs had a major negative impact on their
business
Rent was the cost increase most detrimental to their
business
Access to finance
Definitely will seek external funds over the next 12 months
Found it easy or very easy to access finance
Demographics
Business is 10 years old or younger
Respondent is aged 39 or younger
25 | THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY 2015 – CHONGQING REPORT
ABOUT THE SURVEY
The CPA Australia Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey 2015 is part of a longitudinal annual study of small business
conducted by CPA Australia since 2009. This report presents a cross-market comparison between the eight
markets surveyed and, where applicable, a comparison of results from 2009 onwards. The survey was conducted
between 24 September and 14 October 2015.
The mainland of China and Vietnam were included in the survey for the first time in 2014. Indonesia and New
Zealand were included in 2011.
The survey in the mainland of China was conducted in Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. All data for
China excludes Hong Kong, which is shown separately.
Interview method
In each market, the online survey was conducted amongst a random sample of small business owners/managers.
The sample was obtained through online panel provider Research Now and their Asian panel partner iPanelonline.
To qualify for the survey, participants were required to be an owner, a senior manager (defined as being a director,
a principal, a CEO, a CFO, a senior manager or a managing director) or a qualified accountant of a business with
fewer than 20 employees.
Sample
In total, 2932 participants completed the survey, including 510 from Australia, 610 from the mainland of China, 265
from Hong Kong, 306 from Indonesia, 310 from Malaysia, 311 from New Zealand, 310 from Singapore and 310
from Vietnam.
Of the 610 participants from the mainland of China, 155 were from Beijing, 152 were from Chongqing, 147 were
from Guangzhou and 156 were from Shanghai.
Questioning
Questions on small business confidence, employment, social media, costs and access to finance were drawn from
previous surveys. Some slight modifications to question wording were made to a number of those repeated
questions. Questions on innovation, major influences on the business environment, e-commerce, spending on
marketing and assets and exporting are new in this survey.
Questionnaires in Australia, Singapore and New Zealand were administered in English. The Hong Kong
questionnaire was administered in traditional Chinese, the questionnaire for Malaysia was administered in both
English and Bahasa Malaysia, Indonesia’s questionnaire was administered in Bahasa Indonesia, China’s
questionnaire was administered in simplified Chinese, and Vietnam’s questionnaire was administered in
Vietnamese.
Rounding
All percentage results shown in this report have been rounded.
29
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