European Chamber Begins Sixth Annual Survey of European Businesses in China Go back »

2009-03-25 | All chapters

Message to the members of the European Chamber:

Please kindly note that we have sent an email to you for your participation in the online questionnaire. Should you have any questions about this process, please do not hesitate to contact Vicky Dong, email: vdong@euccc.com.cn. The deadline for submitting completed questionnaires is 15th April 2009.

European Chamber Begins Sixth Annual Survey of European Businesses in China

This week the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China began its sixth annual Business Confidence Survey to gather the views and opinions of the Chamber’s member companies on the current business environment in China.

Once again this year, the Chamber is working with Roland Berger Strategy Consultants to develop and produce this survey. But in a break with past tradition, this year’s data gathering is being conducted the first half of the year in response to the dramatic changes in the business environment as a result of the worldwide economic downturn.

Joerg Wuttke, President of the European Chamber, noted, “This year we are moving the survey from September to March because we feel that in the six months since our last questionnaire the unprecedented economic conditions have created new challenges for our members - across every industry - that we need to understand. This survey will provide us with insights on how European businesses have been affected by the crisis and how they are responding. This information will have important implications for our members as a whole and for policy-makers in China and Europe.”

The Business Confidence Survey has been developed to provide information and analysis about the current business environment for European companies in China, as well as to identify in-depth reasons behind the business strategies that European companies have adopted here and the challenges of their operations in China.

In addition to the implications of the economic crisis, this year’s survey will also address:

Charles-Edouard Bouée, President & Managing Partner of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants Greater China, said, "We’ve been working with our Chinese and European clients on the unique challenges they face in China and some smart ways of overcoming them for many years now. The economic turmoil has brought new challenges as well as opportunities that require new ways of thinking. We have used our experience to enhance the design and the content of this year's survey to ensure that the analysis will support European companies in developing strategies and tactics that will help them thrive during these turbulent times."

The online questionnaire has been distributed to all current members of the European Chamber requesting their input. Using the results of the survey, analysts at the Chamber and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants will develop a comprehensive summary of the operating environment for European companies in China, and the findings will made public in a bilingual print publication that will be launched in June 2009.