93% of business leaders in Hong Kong look to emerging markets for growth
HONG KONG, March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/-- Tata Communications, a leading provider of The New World of Communications, today revealed the findings of a unique research study into emerging markets and their impact on the global economy. The report, conducted by independent research company Vanson Bourne, surveyed 1,600 business leaders from ten emerging and developed markets, and reveals that 93% of companies in Hong Kong have looked to emerging markets for growth opportunities, highlighting the growing influence of developing markets in the global economy. According to the survey, companies in Hong Kong expect to increase their investment in emerging markets by 36% in the next year.
87% of business leaders from both developed and emerging markets (mainland China, India, South Africa, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Middle East, the USA and the UK) are actively engaging in emerging markets, despite 56% acknowledging that they associate emerging markets with political instability. 55% of Singaporean respondents, 45% of Middle Eastern and 40% of South African businesses have already set up operations in emerging markets, the only markets in the survey to have a higher figure with an established presence than those considering such a move (e.g. India, China).
51% of all respondents (including respondents from mainland China, India, South Africa, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Middle East, the USA and the UK) stated that their organisation is looking at expanding into China, with 39% selecting India and 33 % Brazil. 82% of companies in Hong Kong are looking to mainland China for growth with 35% selecting India, and 33% considering Taiwan as a potential market. 16% are also considering expansion into the Philippines.
The opportunities
The main driver for moving to emerging markets is the potential to capitalise on growth opportunities with 63% of survey respondents, and 57% of Hong Kong respondents, selecting this as a reason. In line with the focus on growth, competitive activity is also a factor with 22% of Hong Kong companies selecting this as their main reason for moving into emerging markets. The survey reveals that on average respondents who are looking into, or are already operating in emerging markets; expect to increase investment in emerging markets by 36% over the next year.
Respondents in Hong Kong mostly associated emerging markets with significant opportunities for growth (52%) and cost effectiveness (39%). One-quarter of Hong Kong business leaders also cite a culture of innovation as being characteristic of an emerging market.
Vinod Kumar, MD and CEO, Tata Communications, says, "For companies to capitalise on that potential we need to see greater levels of investment in the infrastructure that is essential to support it. That will inevitably require more focus on developing talent and innovative thinking in markets that can have less educational investment in those areas. It is clear that businesses are prioritising communications and digital infrastructure as a critical part of their operations. The ability to manage those communications and to ensure reliability and security requires a level of global, and in particular, emerging market experience."
The challenges
There are significant challenges ahead of those looking to operate in emerging markets. When asked to select their single most critical challenge for organisations moving to an emerging market respondents were almost evenly split with 18% citing government regulation, 16% established competition, 14% finding skilled staff and 11% communications and digital infrastructure. Respondents in Hong Kong identified government regulation and established competition as their most critical challenges in moving into new markets.
57% of Hong Kong respondents stated that political instability would prevent them entering an emerging market. 35% of the Hong Kong business leaders surveyed also cited economic uncertainty within that market as a blocking factor.
Talent
Talent was identified as a critical challenge by 37% of all those surveyed, with 44% of emerging market respondents stating that availability of talent is a reason they would call a market progressive. However, the kind of talent valued varies market to market with 78% of Indian respondents citing software development skills and 69% rating communications technology experience as key factors, while 52% of Middle East based respondents focus on business management and 63% of Chinese business leaders look for general education levels as an indicator.
Communications
Respondents were also asked what one factor they felt was most crucial to successfully running a global organisation. Having reliable communications amongst all branches/territories and a flexible business strategy emerged as the most important with 28% of respondents selecting them. Reliable communications is the most important factor according to business leaders in Hong Kong with 59% of respondents selecting this option.
Communications infrastructure is the fourth most selected critical challenge for companies looking to move to emerging markets and four in ten people also stated that a lack of a reliable communications infrastructure would prevent them entering a market. This emphasises the importance of telecommunications in an increasingly connected world and demonstrates that reliable communications continue to be seen as a must-have part of any market that wishes to compete internationally.
As part of the survey, Tata Communications also asked respondents what characteristics they felt most important in a telecommunications supplier. 54% selected reliability and 34% security, with a third also choosing experience across multiple markets (both emerging and developed) as essential.
Vinod Kumar, concludes, "There is a different approach to developing and maintaining communications infrastructures depending on the individual characteristics of the market in question. In my mind reliability and security are must-haves but where a telecommunications supplier can add real value is in the experience of working in different environments, across multiple geographies and the innovation that a global mindset can bring to bear."
About the survey
Tata Communications commissioned leading business research company, Vanson Bourne, to conduct an online study of business leaders in the Middle East, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, mainland China, France, Germany, the USA and the UK. In total, 1,600 business leaders were interviewed from the C-suite to manager level, across 10 sectors (financial services, manufacturing, business and professional services, IT/technology, healthcare, retail, transport/travel, telecommunications, utilities, media and entertainment). The survey was conducted in January and February 2012.
About Tata Communications
Tata Communications is a leading global provider of a new world of communications. With a leadership position in emerging markets, Tata Communications leverages its advanced solutions capabilities and domain expertise across its global and pan-India network to deliver managed solutions to multi-national enterprises, service providers and Indian consumers.
The Tata Global Network includes one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a Tier-1 IP network, with connectivity to more than 200 countries across 400 PoPs, and nearly 1 million square feet of data centre and collocation space worldwide.
Tata Communications' depth and breadth of reach in emerging markets includes leadership in Indian enterprise data services, leadership in global international voice, and strategic investments in South Africa (Neotel), Sri Lanka (Tata Communications Lanka Limited) and Nepal (United Telecom Limited).
Tata Communications Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India and its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: TCL).
Forward-looking and cautionary statements
Certain words and statements in this release concerning Tata Communications and its prospects, and other statements, including those relating to Tata Communications’ expected financial position, business strategy, the future development of Tata Communications’ operations, and the general economy in India, are forward-looking statements. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including financial, regulatory and environmental, as well as those relating to industry growth and trend projections, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Tata Communications, or industry results, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, among others, failure to increase the volume of traffic on Tata Communications’ network; failure to develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; failure to successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services, including voice transmission services; failure to stabilise or reduce the rate of price compression on certain of the company’s communications services; failure to integrate strategic acquisitions and changes in government policies or regulations of India and, in particular, changes relating to the administration of Tata Communications’ industry; and, in general, the economic, business and credit conditions in India. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements, many of which are not in Tata Communications’ control, include, but are not limited to, those risk factors discussed in Tata Communications’ various filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Tata Communications is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements.
