Competitive Alternatives – Highlights
KPMG's Guide to International Business Location Costs
Executive Highlights
(A PDF brochure version of the study highlights is also available for download.)
Competitive Alternatives is KPMG’s guide to comparing international business locations in mature and high growth markets.
Competitive Alternatives 2012 is the most thorough comparison of international business locations ever undertaken by KPMG. This study contains valuable information for any company considering their international business location options.
Competitive Alternatives 2012 compares business costs and other competitiveness factors in more than 110 cities in 14 countries. For the first time, the 2012 study features four major high growth countries—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—frequently referred to as the “BRIC Countries”. The study also updates the comparison of 10 other countries included in the 2010 edition—Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The primary focus of Competitive Alternatives is international business costs. The study measures the combined impact of 26 significant cost components that vary by location, over a 10-year analysis horizon commencing in 2012. The study compares 19 different business operations, including three operations that are new in 2012—advanced battery/fuel cell manufacturing, video game production, and international financial services.
Competitive Alternatives also provides important information on non-cost factors that influence the business attractiveness of different locations. Aspects addressed by the study include labor availability and skills, economic conditions, innovation, infrastructure, regulatory environment, cost of living, and personal quality of life factors.
