Electronics is a challenging sector in which to work. It's certainly a challenging sector when it comes to running a company.

The industry moves at a pretty fast clip; a rate of change which increases as you get closer to the consumer end of the market.

Keeping pace with technology is just one of the daily challenges, but it's not the only one which electronics designers and electronics companies face. What are the 'bumps in the road' which slow companies? What are the factors that affect the industry as a whole? New Electronics asked these questions in its latest Reader Survey and got a range of interesting answers. And the answers form the basis for this special issue of the magazine, addressing what can be termed 'critical issues' for companies and the industry alike.

We asked you about these critical issues in two ways. We offered you a 'tick the box' question, with a number of preselected topics, but also gave you the chance to outline exactly what you saw as the important issues through 'write in' options.