SMEStaff Box | ContentsPUBLISHER<strong>Planters</strong> <strong>Development</strong> <strong>Bank</strong>EDITORIAL ADVISERVictoria Tambunting-AlfonsoEDITOR-IN-CHIEFBobby F. BanaagEXECUTIVE EDITOROlive B. RamirezCIRCULATION MANAGERJoy C. Ursua03 Around <strong>the</strong> World04 Newsline06 Bizbe<strong>at</strong>18 Cover Story HBC, Inc.22 Fe<strong>at</strong>ure C&L Enterprises25 Fe<strong>at</strong>ure Ultim<strong>at</strong>e Visa Corpor<strong>at</strong>ion28 Save Mo<strong>the</strong>r Earth Green roofing29 Lifestyle Good, clean fun, literally30 Worth Reading31 Tax Calendar32 BillboardEDITORIAL CONSULTANTArt IlanoASSOCIATE PUBLISHERLurisa VillanuevaMANAGING EDITORMaita de JesusEDITORIAL ASSISTANTPam Brooke CasinJR. ART DIRECTORKimberly Claire Bernardo08 SME Focus:ManagementHuman ResourcesCase StudyTechnologyFinanceCommunic<strong>at</strong>ionTax<strong>at</strong>ionGRAPHIC ARTISTJihan Denise MallongaIllustr<strong>at</strong>ions by Jihan Denise MallongaWrite to us!Send us a line or two <strong>at</strong>info@plantersbank.com.ph and be<strong>the</strong> lucky feedback sender to WINthis exclusive “I love SMEs” mug.SME | 2
SMEAround <strong>the</strong>WorldAround <strong>the</strong> WorldBy Pam Brooke A. CasinUnited Kingdom:Digital identity ofSMEs has impact oncustomer's perceptionAn independent research commissionedby TalkTalk Business last month showsth<strong>at</strong> small changes to a company's digitalidentity, which includes e-mail and webaddresses or phone numbers, could result in more business opportunities for SMEs.The study also underscored <strong>the</strong> importance of SMEs being online with 80% of consumersexpecting smaller businesses to have a website. Nearly half of consumers said <strong>the</strong>y'dprefer to use a website as <strong>the</strong> first “point of call” to find out more inform<strong>at</strong>ion on a smallbusiness with <strong>the</strong> co.uk web suffix as <strong>the</strong> most reliable and professional.E-mail addresses likewise, are also crucial in cre<strong>at</strong>ing <strong>the</strong> right impression to consumers. Sixtythree percent of respondents said <strong>the</strong>y form an opinion about a company based on its e-mailaddress form<strong>at</strong> alone. The form<strong>at</strong> 'fiona.black@' garnered top scores and deemed <strong>the</strong> mostapproachable while generic 'info@'-type addresses were considered least approachable.Meanwhile, <strong>the</strong> most popular type of number was a local landline with 46% ofrespondents choosing it over freephone numbers. Six percent of consumers opt for amobile number, believing it would offer a quicker response.Charles Bligh, managing director of TalkTalk Business, said, “In <strong>the</strong> light of thisresearch, SMEs clearly need to give serious consider<strong>at</strong>ion to how <strong>the</strong>y are managing<strong>the</strong>ir digital identity... Those SMEs th<strong>at</strong> still have not taken <strong>the</strong> digital plunge need toconsider <strong>the</strong> huge business opportunity <strong>the</strong>y are missing.”India: Future of SMEs inHyderabad promisingThe future of SMEs in Hyderabad looks promisingaccording to represent<strong>at</strong>ives from differentindustries in <strong>the</strong> city, owing to <strong>the</strong> recentsp<strong>at</strong>e of policy changes in various levelsrecently implemented by Hyderabad's localgovernment.St<strong>at</strong>e government represent<strong>at</strong>ive M Srinivasulu said, “Despite some ups and downs in<strong>the</strong> market, SMEs in <strong>the</strong> st<strong>at</strong>e have managed to survive. We are working to provide<strong>the</strong>m with more support in <strong>the</strong> future. St<strong>at</strong>e government has already approved 179technologies under <strong>the</strong> ‘cluster development’ scheme for which loans will be providedwithout any coll<strong>at</strong>eral security. I hope it will boost <strong>the</strong> confidence of <strong>the</strong> youngbusinessmen.”They have also underscored <strong>the</strong>ir SMEs' readiness for an industrial leap <strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> ongoingEngineering Expo 2013 in <strong>the</strong> city. Y. Srinivas Rao, deputy director of Defence Researchand <strong>Development</strong> Organiz<strong>at</strong>ion, also said th<strong>at</strong> since SMEs are a vital sector in <strong>the</strong>ir area,<strong>the</strong>y should utilize <strong>the</strong>ir knowledge in developing innov<strong>at</strong>ive products for <strong>the</strong> st<strong>at</strong>e.Indonesia: Bali to buildcenter for SME productsTo facilit<strong>at</strong>e promotion and marketing,Bali's provincial administr<strong>at</strong>ion isgearing up to establish a center worthRp 4 billion where SMEs can showcase<strong>the</strong>ir products.Dewa P<strong>at</strong>ra, head of <strong>the</strong> provincialagency for cooper<strong>at</strong>ives and SMEs, saidth<strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> development of <strong>the</strong> center wasa central government program. “Weplan to build <strong>the</strong> center in Denpasarto make it more accessible for all,including tourists,” P<strong>at</strong>ra said, hopingth<strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> facility would start oper<strong>at</strong>ionby early 2014.The center is poised to display variousbest products from local SMEs suchas traditional fabrics and clo<strong>the</strong>s,handicrafts, and food. It will also housea facility to allow online marketing ore-commerce.In addition to funding and <strong>the</strong>applic<strong>at</strong>ion of technology in <strong>the</strong>iroper<strong>at</strong>ions, promotion and marketinghad always been <strong>the</strong> main problemshampering SME development,P<strong>at</strong>ra said.“This SME center will be one of <strong>the</strong>solutions. Any potential customerscoming to <strong>the</strong> center will be given <strong>the</strong>producers’ contact details,” he ended.SME | 3
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