Basic Needs and Appropriate Technology in the Malaysian Bicycle Industry

Abstract

This study on the bicycle, the simplest technique of personal transport other than walking, and therefore a basic need in many developing countries, is based on two sets of data. The first concerns consumers’ perception of the bicycle as a product (i.e. its basic and non-basic characteristics) collected in a survey of consumers. The second set of data concerns the production techniques applied by bicycle manufacturers. These data were obtained in interviews with various firms. To collect the first set of data it was necessary to conduct a mini-household survey of about 200 households stratified along the urban-rural strata in the ratio 40:60. The information gathered from each household included data on average household expenditure and the ownership of household assets, and on consumer perceptions of the brand attributes of bicycles and their purchasing behaviour vis-à-vis bicycles.

Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.