Global Competitiveness Survey Curacao 2013-2014

Around the world competitiveness and innovation are increasingly important terms. As the world becomes more global, everyone in every country is competing against each other. In Curacao the awareness is also growing.  There have been several events about competitiveness and innovation. The flagship measurement of a country’s competitiveness is the World Economic Forum’s Global Competiveness Index. 

MarkStra Caribbean received permission to do the Global Competitiveness Survey in Curacao. While the results are practical for investors and policy makers, the questions also offer individual companies insight into competitiveness of their own firm and which areas to invest in for the future.

The process

The methodology asks for 90 participants. At this moment 70 professionals have participated. MarkStra is looking to recruit 20 more participants, especially among Manufacturing, Wholesale and Retail. If you are interested in the economy, globalism, competitiveness, innovation and strategy, please visit the Facebook page of  Global Competitiveness Survey Curacao 2013 and follow the link to the online survey. You can also contact Tamira La Cruz at 767-3085, tlacruz@markstra.com for a personal interview

. Participants do not have to be the company owner or director. The focus is to get the opinion of professionals in each country regarding the factors that contribute to competitiveness in their country. 

MarkStra started the project in August with the help of UNA intern Yverna Hu-A-Ng. Says Ms. Hu –A-Ng: “The first thing we did was use data from CBS and Chamber of Commerce to get a good overview of the different sectors and number of businesses in each sector, so that we could draw a sample that is representative of the Curacaoan business landscape. We have received good cooperation from the Chamber of Commerce, CHATA and ADECK who posted the link on their  website or sent the request to their mailing list.  We also used MarkStra’s own database of more than 1,000 professionals. Of course, a 35 minute survey that asks questions one does not usually think of, can be daunting. That’s why we included an option where participants can save their work online and continue later. We know it takes a lot of time, so MarkStra will raffle a gift check of ANG 250 at Boolchand’s ComputerWorld as a sign of gratitude.’  

What’s in the survey

The survey covers areas such as: Innovation and Technology, Infrastructure, Financial Environment, Natural Environment, International Business and Investment, Education and Human Capital, General Company Strategy on a local scale, Corruption, Ethics and Social Responsibility, Tourism and Health. It is anonymous. The questions are thought-provoking and indicate what the factors for competitiveness are for companies and countries. For more information visit the Facebook page. Global Competitiveness Survey Curacao 2013.

Why this survey?

Says Tamira La Cruz, MBA, CEO of MarkStra  www.markstra.com : “My interest in the survey is trifold: professional, academic and nationalistic. MarkStra’s core business is to help companies grow their profit, revenue or following in an increasingly competitive global economy. We would like to know where the challenges are. In addition, I have written several academic articles on competitiveness and innovation in small states for local and regional publications. However, while the survey has been done for over 30 years, my country Curacao, was never included. That bothered me.  I was pleasantly surprised that, upon showing our credentials, the WEF immediately gave us permission to use their methodology and offered their support. We do it on our own cost, because WEF does not fund the survey in economies as small as ours. An initial round of fundraising locally did not yield enough support.”