A Survey of Development Enviroment and Status of Private-run Enterprises in Guangzhou

    The survey was conducted in Guangzhou between February and March of 2003. 557 private-run enterprises of diverse scale engaged in different businesses were interviewed by questionnaires. Over 60% private-run enterprisers had confidence both in the development of their own business and the business in general. And 51% were optimistic of their development opportunities, but rather unwilling to give the same comment on the general development environment. The interviewees, a percentage as high as 73%, criticized the unnecessary and miscellaneous working procedures in governmental departments, and 36% complained of their constant encounter with unreasonable charges imposed by some departments and a similar 40% came to an agreement that the function departments are lack of service awareness.Opinions collected focused on the four barriers against the private-run business, heavy taxes, intense competition, difficult financing and increasing cost.The improvement of governmental initiation in protecting legal rights of private-run enterprises, more realistic efforts of the government, regulation of the market order,and fair taxes are most wished.

A telephone survey, conducted on 18th and 19th, April, 2003, with the simple of 2033 permanent residents in ten cities in Guangdong province, namely, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Zhanjiang, Shantou, Shaoguan, Jieyang, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing. The interviewees were town dwellers of different economic condition, age and gender. 82% of them showed their intense attention to SARS and 78% considered precaution against SARS a priority issue in their life. Though most interviewees have no more panic mood, more than half of the interviewees were still highly concerned that they or their family would catch the disease. 83% thought that a decline in economy due to SARS was predictable. More than half of the residents mentioned their cancelled trips or dining out, and a similar 40% complained of their affected shopping and business. Percentage as high as 92% said that they had done active precautious actions at home.The actions against SARS include ventilation, handwashing and disinfection. As to the actions in public places,effective jobs done against SARS in schools were most postively commented,and communities, buses and entertainment facilities were commented to be in great need of improvement. 84% interviewees showed their varying confidence in winning the battle against SARS.