期刊名称：The Journal of International Trade and Diplomacy
印刷版ISSN：1306-1542
出版年度：2007
卷号：1
期号：2
页码：203-230
出版社：Ankara
摘要：Services have been playing an increasingly important role in the further
development of both developed and developing economies. They have
constituted the largest proportion of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in
both sets of countries, ranging from a low of 40 percent in some
developing countries to more than 70 percent in developed countries.
Moreover, they are the largest employer of labor. The increased attention
devoted to the role services play in present-day economies is attributed
to several factors, among which are: the technology revolution, which
enhanced trade liberalization; the continuous reduction in tariff barriers,
which affected the structure of costs giving more weight to services and
less weight to other inputs; and finally the phenomenon of outsourcing,
which can be viewed as a byproduct of the first two factors. Such
developments have been translated into the increased importance of
services in determining the competitiveness of firms where access to
efficient services implies reduction in transaction costs and hence, more
competitive firms. This study focuses on the role played by services in
enhancing competitiveness of firms in the Egyptian manufacturing
sector. It is based on analyzing field data of firms performing in the
Egyptian economy. The study tries to answer two major questions; the
first is related to the relative importance of services in determining the
competitiveness of firms whereas the second is concerned with
identifying the rank of different services in terms of hindering the
competitiveness of firms.
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