Poor performance of country’s overall competitiveness in the global context has continued in 2005. In view of this, pragmatic actions need to be taken in order to improve the competitiveness of the country’s business environment. One significant aspect, derived from the CPD survey, was that the threat of terrorism imposes significant cost on business and if it is not checked, it would create a real problem for the country.
The Executive Opinion Survey identified a number of areas where Bangladesh needs to improve in order to become competitive globally and within the country itself. Based on the finding reported here and focusing on the present condition of business competitiveness in Bangladesh, a set of policy recommendations has been formulated and presented below.
V.1 Government and the Public Sector and Public Institutions
The overall perception in terms of administrative inefficiency and ineffectiveness of national parliament continued to remain overwhelmingly negative. Overall composition of public spending is wasteful. The situation as regards grafts has further deteriorated, so has been the case with illegal payments to influence government policies, laws, regulations, and diversion of public funds to favoured companies. It is, therefore, imperative that the government ensures effective operationalisation of the Anti- Corruption Commission, sets up an ombudsman agency and implements and monitors governance-related indicators mentioned in the poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP).
There was a tangible improvement in terms of incidence of common crime and violence. The reliability of police service, although still at a very low level, moderately improved in 2005. This, to an extent, has happened due to the introduction of the Rapid Action
Battalion (RAB). However, the events that occurred in the months following the survey might worsen the negative perception about overall security situation. It is found that judicial system in the country is heavily influenced by political interference. It is recommended that the government immediately separates the judiciary from the executive, simplifies procedures, and introduces effective mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability of the judiciary.
V.2 Infrastructure and Technology
Country’s technological readiness and infrastructure lag behind most other countries. Rail, road, port facilities and inland water ways are still highly underdeveloped. The electricity supply is of poor quality. Air transport system is inefficient and further deteriorated in 2005. It is suggested that public investment in infrastructure development should be of highest priority. Development of domestic infrastructure of the country should be properly linked with regional transport network in order to reap the benefit of enhanced intra-regional investment and trade. Public-private partnership would also facilitate establishment of improved transport network in the country.
Lack of vision and mission are major stumbling blocks for ICT development in the country (e.g. poor ICT laws, poor use of ICT in government offices and other public services). There is very limited access to internet in schools. However, some sporadic improvements have been observed due to competition among ISPs and service of mobile telecommunication system. Increasing competition in internet service ensured some improvement in quality of services, infrequent interruptions and low prices. Mobile or cellular telephones are accessible and affordable as in the world’s most technologically advanced countries. In this case, government should immediately enact ICT laws and implement it at all levels. Government should promote the use of ICT starting from the school level to the higher administrative level. The use of on-line procedures for government services can reduce bureaucratic delays and discretion, as well as increase speed and consistency of service. By facilitating automation in public institutions, the discretionary exercise of authority by government officials and potential for unofficial costs can be reduced significantly.
V.3 Human Resources
The quality of public schools is very poor and these fail to meet the needs of competitiveness of the economy. Mathematics and science education lag behind most of the countries, although some marginal improvement was observed in 2005, presumably due to introduction of Math Olympiad and other initiatives in the country. On the other
needs to be thoroughly revised in line with country’s future needs, emphasising more on science, business studies and other potential areas.
Labour–employer relation has improved in 2005. Gender discrimination in the context of wages in the workplace, and arbitrary determination of wages by individual companies are still continuing. Human resources management and compensation practices in the public sector should be modernised. Wages of public sector workers are extremely low and every effort should be made to enhance wages, but should also be based on performance.
V.4 Finance and Openness
Money laundering situation has improved perhaps due to strict monitoring mechanism followed by the central bank. There are some positive changes in the practice of corporate governance, but needs further strengthening. Positive changes have been observed in the case of the interest of minority shareholders, but poor performance was seen in auditing and reporting. For effectiveness of financial services and its openness, the government needs to streamline regulations, accelerate service delivery, and reduce the scope of informal payments. Procedures for the entry of new firms could be simplified, for example, by reducing unnecessary costs and delays and encouraging informal firms to enhance their legal status and, thus, improving their access to finance.
V.5 Domestic Competition
An increasing number of businessmen were apprehensive as regards lax and ineffective anti-monopoly policy which negatively impacts on the business environment. Corporate activity seems to be dominated by a handful of large firms. Although standards of products service were found to be very poor, some significant changes were observed in perception perhaps due to increasing awareness about the quality of products/services. The number of local suppliers is increasing and their quality is improving, which indicates sophistication of producers and consumers. Clusters are few but developing. Government should take appropriate policies and budgetary measures to develop clusters, and ensure technical support to improve quality of products to be competitive in the international market.
V.6 Company Operations and Strategy
Major factors that contribute to competitiveness in the international markets are low cost labour and natural resources. Production processes primarily use labour intensive methods, but a significant improvement has been observed in 2005. Ownership and
control is slowly but increasingly shifting from foreign companies towards local companies. In terms of corporate governance, there is a lack of accountability of management to the investors and Boards of Directors. Recruitment process has improved, instead of recruiting relatives, senior management positions are being filled up by qualified personnel. Companies are gradually becoming responsive to customers and the need for customer retention. In order to improve the corporate governance, Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) needs to set new regulations for all listed companies and regularly monitor the practices followed by these companies.
V.7 Environmental and Social Responsibility
There is a strong negative perception as regards environmental regulations of the country. Environmental regulations are lax, confusing and enforced erratically, although there are some signs of improvement. Corporate codes and social responsibility are rare or non- existent. Businessmen considered that complying with environmental standards significantly reduced competitiveness in the country. Companies were increasingly considering cleaner production, material flow management, waste reduction, recycling and life cycle management as important factors. These would have positive impact on business competitiveness in the global market.
There is no denying that implementation of reform measures and/or amendments to existing policies depend, to a great extent, on the government’s positive attitude towards improvement of business environment in the country. If the government seriously considers the current situation of business competitiveness in the country and adopts appropriate measures, the state of business competitiveness is sure to see some significant positive changes in the medium to long run
ANNEX
RESPONSE SCENARIO FOR VARIOUS INDICATORS
Cumulative Percentage Average Weighted Response
Factors
2004 2005 2004 2005 GOVERNMENT AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR
The parliament is very ineffective as a lawmaking and oversight institution 79.8 73.9 -1.46 -1.34
Public trust in the financial honesty of politicians is very low 98.0 95.6 -2.68 -2.47
The composition of public spending is wasteful 78.1 72.7 -1.30 -1.31
Complying with administrative requirements issued by the government is burdensome 87.6 80.7 -1.76 -1.59
The level of taxes significantly limits the incentives to work or invest 56.6 53.8 -0.46 -0.42
The tax system is highly complex 73.7 74.2 -1.13 -1.22
Agriculture policy is excessively burdensome for the economy 41.7 42.0 0.27 -0.19
When deciding upon policies and contracts, government officials usually favour well-connected firms and
individuals 91.0 90.3 -1.85 -1.99
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
The judiciary is heavily influenced by political influences of members of the government, citizens or firms 78.6 76.0 -1.42 -1.34
The legal framework for private business to settle disputes and challenge the legality of government
actions/regulations is inefficient and subject to manipulation 86.9 77.4 -1.55 -1.30
Intellectual property protection is weak or non-existent 87.8 88.9 -1.90 -1.87
Property rights, including financial assets and wealth are poorly delineated and not protected by law 62.2 50.0 -0.54 -0.37
Economic policy-making is centralised 90.9 92.4 -2.35 -2.28
The media can publish/broadcast stories of their choosing without fear of censorship 69.7 65.6 1.1 0.84
Police services cannot be relied upon to protect businesses from criminals 93.9 87.1 -2.21 -1.75
The incidence of common crime and violence imposes significant costs on businesses 88.9 75.0 -1.68 -1.27
Organised crime (mafia-oriented racketeering, extortion) imposes significant costs on businesses 78.6 68.5 -1.36 -0.91
Diversion of public funds to companies, individual or group as corruption is common 88.4 88.2 -1.68 -1.77
Undocumented payments in the awarding of import & export permits are common 79.4 83.7 -1.53 -1.64
Undocumented payments in connection to public utilities (e.g. telephone or electricity) are common 91.8 89.1 -2.05 -1.93
Cumulative Percentage Average Weighted Response Factors
2004 2005 2004 2005
Undocumented payments in the awarding of public contracts (investment projects) are common 93.5 86.2 -2.15 -1.94
Undocumented payments in getting favourable judicial decisions are common 61.2 61.3 -0.81 -0.63
Other firms' illegal payments to influence government policies, laws or regulations have large impact in distorting
competition 58.9 73.9 -0.68 -1.22
INFRASTRUCTURE
General infrastructure is poorly developed and inefficient 83.7 80.6 -1.58 -1.37
Railroads are underdeveloped 86.7 86.0 -1.54 -1.48
Port facilities and inland water way are underdeveloped 82.7 84.9 -1.53 -1.39
Passenger air transport is inefficient and infrequent 64.3 72.1 -0.83 -0.95
The quality of electricity supply is worse than most other countries 94.8 88.1 -2.05 -1.74
New telephone lines for business are scarce and difficult to obtain 86.7 87.2 -1.63 -1.58
Mobile or cellular telephones for business are widely available 91.8 91.4 1.85 1.85
Internet access in schools is very limited 91.8 90.3 -2.26 -2.10
TECHNOLOGY
The level of technological readiness generally lags behind most other countries 85.9 86.0 -1.59 -1.48
Companies are not able to absorb new technology 45.5 33.3 -0.24 -0.49
Licensing of foreign technology is uncommon 51.0 46.2 -0.41 -0.19
Foreign direct investment in the country is an important source for new technology 55.6 51.6 0.20 0.43
Scientific research institutions are non-existent 66.7 59.7 -0.96 -0.73
Companies do not spend money on research and development 88.8 82.8 -1.80 -1.47
In its R&D activity, business collaboration with local universities is minimal or non-existent 86.6 83.8 -1.81 -1.90
Government purchase decisions for the procurement of advanced technology products are based solely on price 69.8 57.9 -1.13 -0.89
ICT is an overall priority for the government 54.5 57.0 0.43 0.44
Government programmes promoting the use of ICT are not very successful 64.6 68.5 -0.88 -0.90
Online government services such as personal tax, car registration, passport, business permit and e-procurement are
Cumulative Percentage Average Weighted Response Factors
2004 2005 2004 2005 ICT is an important part of the government's vision of the future of the country and the government communicates
its vision to citizens actively 41.5 -0.07
The presence of ICT (computers, PCs, networks, etc.) in government offices is very rare 79.6 -1.58
Laws relating to the use of information technology (e-commerce, digital signature) are not-existent 84.5 83.6 -1.76 -2.00
There is lack of sufficient competition among ISPs to ensure high quality, infrequent interruptions and low prices 46.9 47.3 -0.02 0.05
Internet use by businesses to buy and/or sell products and services is very low 79.6 -1.58
HUMAN RESOURCES
The public (free) schools are of poor quality 93.9 90.3 -1.99 -1.84
The hiring and firing of workers is flexibly determined by employers 42.4 40.9 -0.01 0.03
Labour-employer relations in the country is usually cooperative 43.0 49.5 0.13 0.22
Wages are set up to each individual companies 80.6 74.2 1.43 1.14
Pay is not related to worker productivity 60.6 61.3 -0.82 -0.77
The educational system does not meet the needs of a competitive economy 86.7 84.9 -1.88 -1.57
Math and science education in the school lags far behind most other countries 68.4 67.7 -1.20 -0.96
Scientists and engineers in your country are widely available 62.2 52.2 0.63 0.54
Labour regulation prevents companies from employing foreign labour 50.0 55.0 0.04 -0.34
Talented people normally leave to pursue opportunities in other countries 89.8 90.4 -1.81 -1.82
Private sector employment of women is limited and usually takes place in less important jobs 70.4 59.1 -0.80 -0.56
For similar work, wages for women are below than that of men 57.1 57.0 -0.27 -0.48
Maternity laws are not a hindrance for hiring women 53.7 52.8 0.65 0.69
Government provided childcare is very limited 92.8 92.5 -2.16 -2.13
The future impact of malaria is not considered as a problem for the company in the next 5 years 79.6 81.7 1.78 1.58
The future impact of tuberculosis is not considered as a problem for the company in the next 5 years 75.0 75.0 1.52 1.39
The future impact of HIV/AIDS is not considered as a problem for the company in the next 5 years 86.7 68.8 2.02 1.01
Considering companies businesses in the next five years, their current policies and programmes will not be sufficient
and/or effective to manage the impact of HIV/AIDS 45.5 46.8 -0.51 -0.43
Cumulative Percentage Average Weighted Response Factors
2004 2005 2004 2005
The level of sophistication of financial markets is lower than international norms 83.5 80.5 -1.58 -1.33
Banks are generally healthy with sound balance sheets 58.8 70.0 0.49 0.89
It is impossible to obtain a bank loan with a good business plan and no collateral 78.4 78.6 -1.56 -1.48
Entrepreneurs with innovative but risky projects do not generally find venture capital 81.3 81.4 -1.71 -1.74
During the past year, obtaining credit for the company has become easier 53.4 49.4 0.57 0.52
Raising money by issuing shares on local stock market is quite possible for a good company 68.0 78.3 1.09 1.55
Financial auditing and reporting standards regarding company financial performance are extremely weak 56.4 44.5 -0.53 -0.30
Money laundering through the banking system is rare 47.7 44.8 -0.17 0.34
Tariff and non-tariff barriers significantly reduce the ability of imported goods to compete in the domestic market 56.1 0.54
Interests of minority shareholders are not protected by law and seldom recognised by majority shareholders 48.4 46.7 -0.18 0.03
Foreign ownership of companies is prevalent and encouraged 69.1 74.8 1.04 1.38
Rules governing foreign direct investment are damaging and discouraging foreign direct investment 64.5 80.5 0.91 1.66
DOMESTIC COMPETITION
Competition in the local market is intense in most industries 59.8 54.4 0.50 0.40
Buyers are unsophisticated and make choices based on the lowest price 68.0 63.1 -0.90 -0.76
Local suppliers are numerous and include the most important materials, components, equipment and services 39.6 60.0 -0.03 0.59
The quality of local suppliers is poor 53.6 43.5 -0.52 -0.13
Standards on product/service quality, energy and other regulations (outside environmental regulations) are lax or
non existent 75.8 71.2 -1.09 -0.92
Anti-monopoly policy is lax and not effective at promoting competition 54.9 64.7 -0.86 -1.02
Corporate activity is dominated by a few business groups 80.4 83.7 -1.32 -1.42
Strong and deep clusters are widespread throughout the economy 57.1 55.9 -0.47 0.51
Specialised process equipment and machinery are almost always imported 93.2 90.7 -2.24 -2.18
Cumulative Percentage Average Weighted Response Factors
2004 2005 2004 2005
Competitiveness of companies in international markets is primarily due to low cost or local natural resources 93.6 91.1 -1.99 -1.90
Exporting companies are primarily involved in resource extraction or production 72.6 65.6 -1.22 -0.92
Companies obtain technology by licensing or imitating foreign companies 92.6 79.9 -1.98 -1.46
Production processes use labour intensive methods or previous generations of process technology 86.2 85.9 -1.69 -1.48
The extent of marketing is limited and primitive 72.9 68.5 -0.93 -0.67
Firms in the country are highly responsive to customers and customer retention 45.3 58.7 0.14 0.43
International distribution and marketing from the country is owned and controlled by local companies 71.3 51.1 -1.07 -0.38
Exports to neighbouring countries are limited 86.3 80.4 -1.65 -1.46
Exporting companies sell primarily in a small number of foreign markets 73.7 73.7 -1.05 -1.00
The general approach of companies towards human resources is to invest little in training and employee
development 90.5 85.8 -1.62 -1.54
Willingness to delegate authority to subordinates is low -- top management controls all important decisions 88.5 80.5 -1.74 -1.46
Cash compensation of management is based exclusively on salary 78.7 68.2 -1.43 -0.95
Senior management positions are usually held by relatives 50.0 50.0 -0.39 -0.33
Corporate governance by investors and boards directors is characterised by management has little accountability 45.7 43.9 -0.17 -0.28
Management and business schools are limited or poor quality 67.4 63.0 -1.03 -0.74
The corporate ethics of firms in the industry is relatively good 68.4 57.2 -1.09 2.31
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The country's overall environmental regulation is lax compared to most countries 70.8 65.6 -1.16 -1.01
Environmental regulations in the country are confusing and enforced erratically 77.1 72.1 -1.39 -1.17
Government-mandated disclosures of environmental performance are non-existent 70.5 69.3 -1.11 -1.07
Complying with environmental standards reduce competitiveness 42.4 41.2 -0.29 -0.28
Privatisation of major sectors improves long-term competitiveness and efficient use of energy and materials 71.9 1.10
Energy efficiency and the transition to new and renewable sources of energy are a low priority 65.3 57.6 -0.96 -0.61
Business and project planning now consider long-term factors 54.3 53.3 -0.65 -0.50
Cumulative Percentage Average Weighted Response Factors
2004 2005 2004 2005 Lack of clean water or clean air significantly impacts company's operations or decisions on expanding local
business activities 39.2 0.01
Companies that harvest or process natural resources such as food, forest or fishery products, are rarely concern
themselves with the degradation of ecosystems 68.6 -1.17
Corporate codes of conduct and other aspects of corporate social responsibility are non-existent 63.2 63.0 -0.93 -0.77
Corporate environmental reporting in your country is non-existent 86.2 89.1 -1.71 -1.60
Companies routinely conduct environmental and social risk assessments as a part of overall business risk assessment 64.9 -1.05
The possible financial impacts of non-compliance with environmental and social standards are rarely considered 60.1 -0.66
Companies view environmental management systems purely as part of regulatory compliance 54.6 -0.56
Companies in the economy consider cleaner production, material flow management, waste reduction and recycling
to be important 56.3 48.3 -0.57 0.25
Development projects that have the potential to impact specific communities rarely consult or gain support from
those communities 50.6 -0.56
Multi Developmental Banks’ environmental and social standards do not apply to all parts of company's operations 52.9 -0.60
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
Country's economy will have strong growth in the next 12 months 56.5 44.0 0.42 0.20
The threat of terrorism in the country imposes significant cost on business 64.6 54.4 -0.69 -0.39
Organised effort to increase competitiveness in the country on the national, regional or industry/ cluster level is non-