The data analysis is a simple weighted average of the scores (ratings) obtained during
interview. The respondents rated the barriers on a scale of 1-6 (1 ¼ not significant to
6 ¼ critically significant). The ratings indicate how critical a particular barrier is to free
trade. The countries were also similarly rated on a scale of 1-6 (1 ¼ not significant to
6 ¼ critically significant) that indicated whether the barrier rated is significant in a
particular country or not. For example, if documentation is a critical barrier to free trade
it may be rated as 6. But if it does not exist in Singapore then country will be rated as 1.
The combined rating would be a multiplication of country rating and the barrier rating.
The barriers are then sorted in the order of total ratings and thus ranked.
Based on the results of the interview, we identified the critical barriers. As discussed,
these barriers to logistics services can be categorized as customs related, foreign
investment related, and mode-specific (maritime, aviation and land transportation).
We now discuss the major barriers to logistics services in ASEAN.