Take a company that everyone would like to emulate, add a hefty dose of innovation, but more importantly offer high-quality products and service, and you have a winning formula. Companies like Sony of Japan, Singapore Airlines and Australia's Qantas are recognized for a long track record of quality and innovation. Pushing aside the hubris of the digital era and peeking behind the numbers, the survey offers a ranking of companies based on a basket of carefully calibrated perceptions. The most important weighting is given to the high quality of services and products. 1999 has been a year of startling recovery for Asia.
Growth is on the rebound and consumption is creeping back up to precrisis levels.
But Asia's consumers have become more discerning. They want better value for money and more attention paid to the quality of service. Just two years ago, everyone thought of the mobile phone as a simple communications tool. Today, mobile phones are at the cutting edge of the new technology driving electronic commerce. Mobile phones can now deliver e-mail and help conduct financial transactions.