PricewaterhouseCoopers Clever Companies Survey

Friday 21 September 2007

Third Annual PricewaterhouseCoopers Clever Companies Survey Released

The PricewaterhouseCoopers Clever Companies survey provides a snapshot of what owners, managers and executives are thinking and doing in workshops and offices around New Zealand right now. This years Survey elicited responses from over 700 organisations across the country, primarily in the SME sector, and from a wide range of industries. Key findings include:

Business confidence is robust and profit expectations are moderate.

Productivity – almost three quarters of respondents said it is important to measure, and 41% said it was ‘extremely important’ – but they’re not certain how to measure it, with many focusing on assessing volume/scale, rather than productivity.

People – finding, and keeping, skilled people is singled out as the major challenge in the staffing arena. Managing poor performers loomed as the next largest challenge.

Design – good news in that 73% of respondents saw design as being about meeting clients’ needs, with half identifying design as important in solving the elusive problem of ‘anticipating what the client wants’.

Sustainability – until recently seen as the exclusive domain of tree-huggers and sandal-wearers. The climate change debate has now come of age. Sustainability has shifted into the mainstream and is now “front and centre” for kiwi businesses.

Manufacturing and Exporting – Three-quarters of respondents said they were not considering moving their manufacturing operations overseas. Two-thirds agreed that manufacturing their products in New Zealand was important, Survey results indicate that larger manufacturers were more likely to adopt a ‘hard nosed’ approach to manufacturing offshore.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. About the Survey

The questionnaire content was developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Private Client Services team and the EMA (Northern) in conjunction with The University of Auckland Business School. It was distributed to businesses throughout New Zealand – diverse in terms of revenue, geography, staff numbers, business strategy and ownership model. More than 700 responses were received from owner/managers, general managers and senior executives on the membership lists of the EMA (Northern), EMA Central, the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and the Otago Southland Employers’ Association.. Independent research house, Research Solutions, then subjected the data to rigorous analysis and presented the Survey’s findings.

2. For media enquiries please contact:
Paul Ford, Communications Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Ph 04 462 7602 or 021 363 854
Email: paul.s.ford@nz.pwc.com

3. Graphs
The graphs appearing in the Survey are available from Paul Ford on request.

4. About PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 130,000 people in 148 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. “PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.

ENDS

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