HKPC and PolyU Launch HK’s 1st SME Business Sustainability Index

To strengthen the knowledge and performance of SMEs in business sustainability, the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) jointly launch Hong Kong’s first benchmarking index on the business sustainability performance of local SMEs.

Launching the “Hong Kong SME Business Sustainability Index” today (21 February 2012), Mrs Agnes Mak, Executive Director of HKPC, said, “By practicing corporate social responsibility (CSR), SMEs can achieve the most important goal of business sustainability, namely enhanced competitiveness through better resource utilization, building up good relations with stakeholders, adding value to products and services, strengthening corporate image, and raising the confidence of banks and investors.”

“Compiled from data collected from 40 local SMEs with outstanding CSR performance, the Index aims to provide a performance indicator on business sustainability for SMEs, setting up a benchmark for enterprises in CSR implementation,” she added.

The Index is derived from assessing the awareness and effectiveness of the 40 SMEs in business sustainability from six perspectives, including employees, customers, investors, suppliers, community and the environment. The survey found that the mean score of the Index was 58 (maximum being 100), indicating that local SMEs were at the initial stage of business sustainability. Among industry sectors, manufacturing received the highest score (65), reflecting that the sector has implemented some business sustainability practices, whereas service (56) was at the beginner level.

Other officiating guests at the launch today included Prof. Timothy Tong, President of PolyU; Ms Christine Fang, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service; Mr Joseph Wong, founding chairman of Hong Kong SME Forum; and Ms Patricia Lui, Principal Trade Officer of Trade and Industry Department of the HKSAR Government. Representatives from the Index’s top three scoring SMEs also shared their insights on achieving business sustainability.

For more information about the Index, please contact Prof. Carlos Lo, Department of Management and Marketing, Faculty of Business, PolyU, at tel.: (852) 2766 7385 or email: mscarlos@polyu.edu.hk, or Irene Kan of HKPC’s Mainland and Business Management Division at tel.: (852) 2788 5798 or email: irenekan@hkpc.org.

For other media enquires, please contact Mr Felix Chan of HKPC’s Corporate Communications Division at tel.: (852) 2788 5036 or email: felixchan@hkpc.org.

*            *            *

Mr Jonathan Ho
General Manager
Corporate Communications
Tel: (852) 2788 6390
Fax: (852) 2788 5056
Email: jonathanho@hkpc.org
Website: www.hkpc.org


21 February 2012

(Right to left): Prof. Timothy Tong, President of PolyU; Ms Patricia Lui, Principal Trade Officer of Trade and Industry Department; Mrs Agnes Mak, Executive Director of HKPC; Ms Christine Fang, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service; and Mr Joseph Wong, founding chairman of Hong Kong SME Forum, officiated the launch of the inaugural “Hong Kong SME Business Sustainability Index”.