A unique survey of each country in the region. It includes an extensive collection of facts, statistics, analysis and directory information in one accessible volume.

This book represents the seventh edition of what has become an established reference work, MAJOR COMPANIES OF THE FAR EAST & AUSTRALASIA. This volume has been carefully researched and updated since publication of the sixth edition, and provides more company data on the most important companies in the region. The information in the book was submitted mostly by the companies themselves, completely free of charge. For the first time, a third volume has been added to the series, covering major companies in Australia and New Zealand. The companies listed have been selected on the grounds of the size of their sales volume or balance sheet or their importance to the business environment of the country in which they are based. The book will be updated and published every year. Any company that considers it is eligible for inclusion in the next edition of MAJOR COMPANIES OF THE FAR EAST & AUSTRALASIA, should write to the publishers. No charge whatsoever is made for publishing details about a principal Asian company. Whilst the publishers have taken every care to ensure accurate reporting of the company information contained in this book, no liability can be accepted by either the publishers, their editorial staff, or their distributors for any errors or omissions, nor for the consequences thereof . . Graham & Trotman Ltd is a member of the Kluwer Academic Publishers Group and publishes over 450 business and technology books. A catalogue is available on request.

measure of the rate of innovation --research-and-development (R&D) expenditure per employee compared to new patents received per employee -- does not adequately capture a unique feature of SMEs, namely that owners and managers are often themselves innovators. For example, in Japan 52 per cent of SMEs' innovations reported in 1986 were created by employers, whereas in large firms 72 per cent of innovations were created by research technicians. Nevertheless, patchy evidence from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States indicates that SMEs at least hold their own in terms of innovation compared to large firms. Perhaps most significantly, a recent study indicates that, while the total number of innovations is positively related to R&D expenditures, skilled labour and the degree to which large firms comprise the industry, in innovative industries innovative activity tends to emanate more from SMEs than large firms. This is probably because in industries where large firms dominate, SMEs need to be innovative to survive. There is much information to suggest that in technologies such as micro-electronics, new materials and biotechnology SMEs tend to be in the vanguard of innovation. Small and medium-sized enterprises as exporters. The contribution of SMEs to a national economy from exporting is generally small; for example, in Japan SMEs accounted for only 13 per cent of merchandise exports in 1990.

First published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book represents the seventh edition of what has become an established reference work, MAJOR COMPANIES OF THE FAR EAST & AUSTRALASIA. This volume has been carefully researched and updated since publication of the sixth edition, and provides more company data on the most important companies in the region. The information in the book was submitted mostly by the companies themselves, completely free of charge. For the first time, a third volume has been added to the series, covering major companies in Australia and New Zealand. The companies listed have been selected on the grounds of the size of their sales volume or balance sheet or their importance to the business environment of the country in which they are based. The book will be updated and published every year. Any company that considers it is eligible for inclusion in the next edition of MAJOR COMPANIES OF THE FAR EAST & AUSTRALASIA, should write to the publishers. No charge whatsoever is made for publishing details about a principal Asian company. Whilst the publishers have taken every care to ensure accurate reporting of the company information contained in this book, no liability can be accepted by either the publishers, their editorial staff, or their distributors for any errors or omissions, nor for the consequences thereof. Graham & Trotman Ltd is a member of the Kluwer Academic Publishers Group and publishes over 450 business and technology books. A catalogue is available on request.