| dc.description.abstract | Purpose: This study analyses the export potentiality of the light engineering
sector in Bangladesh from two perspectives, including global positioning in
terms of product-specific comparative advantage and the experience of the
industry participants while trading globally.
Methodology: This study applied quantitative and qualitative research methods
to approach the current research objectives. The quantitative measure of
Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) –Balassa’s Index has been applied to
explore the positioning of Bangladeshi light engineering export items in the
global market. Later, a qualitative interview was conducted to validate the
opportunity sought in RCA outcomes and identify relevant problems and
prospects of the industry.
Findings: The results from quantitative data analysis are notably linked with
qualitative data analysis. Because Bangladesh scores low RCA in light
engineering export items and, thus, faces significant obstacles in the natural
trade environment. The observed challenges lie in infrastructure, technical
support, financial access, global market information, and promotion.
Practical Implication: This study will support relevant policymakers in
addressing the currently identified challenges to explore global opportunities for
the light engineering sector.
Value/Originality: Limited research on challenges and opportunities for the
light engineering sector in Bangladesh presents this research outcome as a
value-adding one.
Limitation: Since the research reliability depends on the quality of data from
industry respondents, the academic time frame for the dissertation and the
COVID-threatened pandemic limited the scope of the current study for
expanding the qualitative sample for data collection | en_US |
