StarHub extends mobile phone aftersales care to SIM-only customers

StarHub has launched SmartSupport Lite, billed as the market’s simplest mobile phone aftersales care service. With this new service, no-contract SIM Only customers can get back on their feet quickly should their phones not operate as expected.

Source: StarHub SmartSupport Lite offers mobile phone aftersales care to SIM Only customers.

Customers can enrol existing phones digitally through the My StarHub app – no supporting documents and no activation fee are required.

"The mobile phone has become the centre of our customers’ everyday life, and we know any form of downtime is a major inconvenience. Offering excellent aftersales support is therefore key to improved customer experience and retention,” said Johan Buse, Chief of Consumer Business Group, StarHub.

“Through the launch of SmartSupport Lite, we want our customers to enjoy the best aftersales experience on Singapore’s fastest mobile network. It is part of our continuing #HelloChange journey commitment – delivering better and different experiences to our customers.”

For S$8 monthly, customers on StarHub’s #HelloChange SIM Only plans can be assured of device care even if they had purchased their phones from other local authorised dealers. For any reason and at any time, customers on SmartSupport Lite can raise a swap request through a dedicated hotline, which operates round the clock.

Customers will be able to get their phones swapped in as soon as four hours within Singapore for an additional nominal swap fee, which is based on the retail price of the phones. Doorstep delivery is free-of-charge for all local swap requests. The swap service is also available for customers travelling in 21 major cities.


SmartSupport is Singapore’s first mobile phone after-sales service and has become a popular add-on among customers. It was introduced in 2013 by StarHub in collaboration with Asurion, a technology protection services provider. The new SmartSupport Lite service is an extension of SmartSupport.

Details:

Available from today, SIM Only customers can enrol their phones through the My StarHub app in less than 10 minutes – no paperwork is needed. Customers will be guided to verify that the phones qualify for SmartSupport Lite. Confirmation on service activation is sent within seven days.

Upon successful activation of SmartSupport Lite, customers can swap their enrolled devices twice in 12 months for any reason, no-questions-asked. All they need to do is to submit a service request through the SmartSupport hotline. For successfully processed service requests before 2 pm from Monday to Saturday, customers will be able to get their device swapped in as soon as four hours within Singapore.

Customers on SmartSupport Lite can also gain access to screen repairs for a flat fee of S$99 with free door-to-door service. The phones are couriered to and from authorised services centres free-of-charge and repaired using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. This service, which is currently available for selected Apple and Samsung phone models, can be used once in a 12-month rolling period. The screen repair service is also available for customers on SmartSupport.

See swap fees and scope of overseas delivery coverage
 Hashtag: #HelloChange

IMDA partners telcos, financial institutions to support SMEs

Seven memoranda of intent (MoIs) have been announced between the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), telecommunications and financial institutions. These partnerships will help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) accelerate the adoption of pre-
approved robust, secured and interoperable digital technology solutions, particularly in the
areas of cybersecurity and data analytics.

Launched in April 2017, the SMEs Go Digital programme helps advise SMEs on the
adoption of digital technologies at each stage of their growth as well as to boost productivity.
SMEs contribute to almost 50% of Singapore’s gross domestic product and employ
two out of three workers in Singapore. Digital technologies have the ability to transform the
way SMEs function and help businesses improve revenue in the long term by managing
operating costs, improve compliance and financing*.

Telcos M1, Singtel and StarHub will provide SMEs with a one-stop service
through digital technology-bundled packages. These packages offer broadband or Wi-Fi
connectivity bundled with IMDA’s pre-approved digital technology solutions, cybersecurity
and data analytics tools and services.

Through the partnerships with the DBS Bank, Hong Leong Finance, Oversea-Chinese
Banking Corporation (OCBC Bank) and United Overseas Bank (UOB), SMEs will have
access to financial instruments such as bridging loans to help defray costs when investing in building new capabilities. The banks will also work with business leaders to kickstart innovative solutions with SMEs and industry partners.

The collaborative efforts were announced by Minister for Communications and Information, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, at the Singapore Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (SCCCI) Annual SMEs Conference and Infocomm Commerce Conference.

“We believe our SMEs need to embrace technology to thrive in a Digital Economy. Through collaborations between IMDA and key industry partners, SMEs can more easily assess digital technologies and financing support to embark on their digitalisation efforts. We welcome more partners to join us in supporting our SMEs in their digital journey,” said Tan Kiat How, Chief Executive, Infocomm Media Development Authority.

IMDA will continue to work with trade association and chambers such as SCCCI, and government agencies in reaching out to SMEs to provide assistance to help them scale efficiently and enhance their business value. As of end July, close to 200 SMEs have adopted over 30 out of the 56 IMDA’s pre-approved digital solutions through the SMEs Go Digital programme.

DBS aims to leverage various SME initiatives like DBS TechMatch, where SMEs are matchmade with tech partners for more efficient technology adoption, and DBS BusinessClass, an engagement program/app platform to connect SMEs with business mentors from around the world. In addition, the DBS SME banking team will continue to support SMEs with working capital products and technology adoption bridging loans.

“As we look towards transforming Singapore to a digital economy, local businesses must evolve along in this momentum. We continue to focus our efforts to help SMEs build their digital capabilities to seize new growth opportunities.” said Joyce Tee, Group Head of DBS SME Banking.

As an established SME financier, Hong Leong Finance intends to influence customers who are industry leaders to seek and pilot emerging technology solutions to help uplift productivity and competitiveness for their sectors. Furthermore, Hong Leong Finance will reach out to hundreds of SMEs to introduce the SMEs Go Digital programme through its different platforms including events and collaborative clinics with SME Digital Tech Hub Specialists. Hong Leong Finance’s SME Relationship Managers will all be trained by IMDA to enable them to introduce the SMEs Go Digital programme to SMEs.

Under its enhanced SME Capability Ready (CARE) Programme, SMEs keen to go digital will be guided by the Relationship Managers to make the right contact. They will also be introduced to government capabilities grants that can help them defray costs in their capabilities building investments and to bridging loans for them to wait out for grants. “Faced with rising operating costs, increasing competition from the digital economy and changing consumer behaviour, many SMEs are keen to use digital capabilities to improve their efficiency and competitiveness. But they do not know how. With the partnership with IMDA, Hong Leong Finance will be that connector between these SMEs and digital advisers to help them find suitable solutions and provide them financing,” commented Ang Tang Chor, President, Hong Leong Finance.

M1 Solutions that have already identified and are now commercially available include smart fleet management and retail analytics. More solutions will be added progressively. "Our strategic partnership with IMDA will enable us to better serve SMEs through our one-stop smart digital services platform, enhancing their productivity and business value add. We look forward to engaging SMEs and help them tap on M1's selection of carefully curated smart digital services in areas such as fleet management and retail analytics," said Willis Sim, Chief Corporate Sales and Solutions Officer, M1.

OCBC Bank’s collaboration with IMDA on the SMEs Go Digital programme underscores OCBC Bank’s commitment to helping SMEs digitalise, the bank said. OCBC Bank will continue to reach out to their customers and for those who wish to integrate certain digital programmes into their business, OCBC Bank will provide them the necessary financial support via bridging financing, invoice financing and other forms of financial assistance. Activities such as industry sharing sessions and focus group sessions that allow SMEs to hear from experts and learn from each other’s experiences will also be organised.

“Going digital is no longer an option for SMEs today. Companies that embrace digitalisation both in the way they engage and serve their customers and in the way they manage their operations, develop a competitive edge and a more sustainable foundation for their business growth. As banker to one in every two SMEs in Singapore, we are committed to working with our SME customers to deliver digital solutions in cash management, trade finance and working capital management, and to support their transition towards a more digitally-enabled business under IMDA’s SMEs Go Digital programme,” said Linus Goh, Head, Global Commercial Banking, OCBC Bank.

Singtel’s suite of solutions are designed to increase SMEs’ revenue growth, raise their productivity and reduce their operational costs, the company said. The 99%SME e-marketplace allows SMEs to market themselves online for free and tap on a wider online customer base, for example. SMEs participating in the e-marketplace can access digital marketing tools, mobile payment and cyber security services.

Singtel solutions also include a Connected Restaurant that enables food and beverage (F&B) owners to overcome the challenge of operating different devices with an all-in-one interoperable solution that integrates online reservations and ordering; self-serve kiosks; eMenus; payment solutions; staff scheduling; payroll management and accounting systems, and a Connected Workforce solution that enhances business communication and productivity of SMEs in the logistics and security business.

“The IMDA’s SMEs Go Digital programme augments our initiatives to help SMEs progress and advance in their digital journeys. With our end-to-end solutions, from connectivity to cyber security, we are well placed to curate solutions catering to the needs of SMEs in various sectors, easing their adoption of digital technology,” said Andrew Lim, MD, Business Group, Group Enterprise at Singtel.

StarHub is supporting IMDA’s SMEs Go Digital programme with Smart Retail, an integrated offering that makes it convenient and cost-effective for SMEs to get the connectivity services, business transformation solutions and technical support needed to optimise their business operations and enhance customer service. StarHub will help to ease ICT adoption for SMEs by enabling Wi-Fi connectivity as well as sourcing and integrating business transformation solutions such as retail analytics, customer relationship management, point-of-sale, digital ordering, e-commerce and digital signage as a single subscription service. StarHub will also drive awareness programmes, government grant application and claiming, training and support services.

“SMEs play a significant role in sustaining the economic growth of Singapore. To survive and thrive in today’s manpower-lean and competitive economy, SMEs must exploit digital technologies to transform their businesses. In line with IMDA’s SMEs Go Digital programme, StarHub is pleased to launch our Smart Retail initiative to help SMEs accelerate digitalisation by reducing the complexity and cost of IT adoption. With Smart Retail, SMEs will get easy and affordable access to a suite of business applications, broadband and Wi-Fi connectivity and technical support as a single subscription service," stated Dr Chong Yoke Sin, Chief of Enterprise Business Group, StarHub.

As part of UOB’s collaboration with IMDA, the bank will conduct industry-specific workshops where its customers can learn more about how they can tap IMDA’s pre-approved digital solutions to overcome challenges, to enhance their capabilities and to seize opportunities in the digital economy. UOB has been working with its partners to provide SMEs with solutions that help improve productivity, competitiveness and profitability.

Mervyn Koh, MD and Head of Business Banking, Singapore, UOB, cited BizSmart as an example of how UOB's Business Banking customers can achieve cost savings of up to 60% by automating their back office processes. BizSmart is an integrated cloud-based business solution with 5 digital applications to help SME retailers increase business efficiency. For organisations in industry sectors such as property management and education, UOB introduced a mobile payment function on the hiLife and snaapp apps, which enables the electronic collection of monthly fees and in turn reduces the manpower needed for administrative and payment functions.

“As the banking partner to one in every two small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore, UOB understands the challenges business leaders face and how digital technology can help them address their concerns. Our partnership with IMDA will extend the support we provide to our business and commercial banking customers by connecting them to IMDA-approved digital solutions based on their business needs. These solutions can help SMEs sustain and grow their businesses as they seize opportunities in the digital economy,” said Choo Kee Siong, MD and Head of Enterprise Banking, UOB.

“As an SME, it is important that our business processes are efficient and lean. We have already adopted UOB’s BizSmart solution to integrate and streamline our key processes such as point of sale (POS), accounting and HR/payroll matters. These solutions have also provided insights that help us to make smart, data-driven decisions for the business. Having experienced the benefits of using digital solutions, I look forward to finding out more about other solutions that can help my business become more competitive,” said Angeline Ong, DishTheFish, a new-age fishmonger transforming their business with digital solutions.

*National Business Survey 2016/2017 report

Parallels rolls out Parallels Toolbox for Mac version 1.5

Parallels has launched version 1.5 of Parallels Toolbox for Mac, a suite of software tools designed to simplify essential everyday tasks.

Parallels Toolbox makes working smoother through providing easy access to useful activities such as capturing a video of screen actions, archiving files to save storage space, or preventing the Mac from going to sleep.

The new Parallels Toolbox 1.5 adds several refinements and enhancements to the stable of tools.

For example, it is now easier for users to get to any one of their favourite tools as they can now drag their icons to the Desktop, to the Dock, to the Mac menu bar, or to a new “Favorite Tools” area in the Toolbox menu.

Parallels has also added the option to capture system audio - audio generated by the Mac or a Mac app - to its Record Screen tools.

Interested?

 

Parallels Toolbox 1.5 is a free update for existing Parallels Toolbox subscribers, and costs US$9.99 per year for new customers. 

Watch a video demonstrating what's new in the Parallels Toolbox 1.5 update

SPRING Singapore takes stock of 2016 achievements

SPRING Singapore, the agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry charged with helping Singapore enterprises grow, has reported that over 16,000 companies boosted their capabilities in 2016 despite a slowing economy.

The projects were supported through the Singapore government's Capability Development Grant (CDG) and Innovation & Capability Voucher (ICV) schemes, SPRING said, and anticipated to generate S$7.8 billion in value plus about 21,400 skilled jobs when they are completed. These figures represent increases of 13% and 43% over 2015 respectively.

A total of 16,300 enterprises began some 16,700 projects of which 2,400 were supported through CDG. This is almost twice the number of projects supported through CDG in 2015 and is the highest number of CDG projects supported over the last five years.

Other initiatives that SPRING worked on in 2016 included Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) for the retail, food services and food manufacturing sectors, as well as for logistics and precision engineering. ITMs foster innovation and productivity, help to drive business growth, and support internationalisation. The ITMs also address the reskilling and upskilling of workers to take on the skilled jobs that are created.

"Our businesses are committed to this as well as upgrading their overall HR capabilities, with about 270 small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) having used the HR Diagnostic Tool to diagnose gaps in their HR policies and practices," SPRING shared in a statement. Singapore SMEs started on 920 human capital-related projects, including to strengthen core HR functions like compensation and benefits, performance management, as well as recruitment and selection.

SPRING is also investing in building a vibrant and conducive ecosystem to enable startups to grow. In May 2016, seven sector-specific accelerators were appointed to incubate and/or co-invest in high-potential startups in the advanced manufacturing and engineering (AME) and clean technology (cleantech) sectors.

Financing, a key concern for local high-growth enterprises and startups, saw a new alternative option to support expansion with the Venture Debt Programme (VDP) in April 2016. Launched by SPRING in collaboration with participating financial institutions (PFIs), the programme has hosted 13 companies from emerging sectors such as AME, cleantech and biomedicine.

In 2016, the SME Working Capital Loan was also launched to provide debt financing support for SMEs through PFIs to support their growth and restructuring needs. So far, 4,300 companies have had their applications for the loan approved. 

SPRING further supported 42 more startups in getting third-party financing. SPRING SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of SPRING, co-invested S$10.2 million in 16 early-stage companies, catalysing private investments of S$26 million.

On the quality & standards (Q&S) front, SPRING launched two world’s-first standards in 2016, for remote vital signs monitoring, for smart health, and for bunker mass flow metering, which facilitates marine fuel oil deliveries. A last mile delivery standard was also introduced to support e-commerce retailers and logistics players.

Another key development was SPRING's appointment as the administering agency of the amended Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. The amendments provide SPRING with investigative and enforcement powers to take timely action against errant retailers, with the aim of better safeguarding consumers’ interests and ensuring Singapore remains an attractive retail and business destination. 

SPRING continually invests in efforts to deepen collaborations with industry partners. Last year, the agency introduced the Local Enterprise and Association (LEAD)+ Programme, aimed at raising the competencies of trade associations and chambers (TACs) to enable them to play a bigger role in driving sector transformation. To date, five TACs are on board with LEAD+ and are receiving support in areas such as strengthening leadership and secretariat capabilities, developing knowledge management systems, and driving the adoption of business solutions.

In 2017, SPRING shared that it will focus on the implementation of ITM strategies. At the same time, the organisation will scale up promising SMEs, strengthen Singapore’s position as a startup hub and enhance the business ecosystem to support enterprise growth. Chief Executive of SPRING Poon Hong Yuen said, “The success of local enterprises is critical to Singapore’s economy. Together with our partners, SPRING is committed to supporting enterprises to grow and to upgrade their capabilities.”

Twitter launches new customer support features for businesses

Source: Twitter. New customer support features.

Twitter is introducing enhanced customer support features to help businesses globally provide even better customer service. Businesses can now indicate that they provide support, and that information now appears in suggestions when people search for a business, mention a business in a Tweet, or find a business in Direct Messages. Additionally, businesses can display hours of availability on their profile to help set people’s expectations for when they are likely to reply.

These businesses’ profiles will also display a more prominent button to start a Direct Message so people know the business offers support privately. Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and SMART Philippines are among the first in Southeast Asia to leverage the new support features for better customer service.

The latest enhancements complement previously announced improvements for customer service, including Direct Message links and Customer Feedback cards to help businesses provide better service on Twitter.

“Customer service is an important part of BNI. Being active on Twitter through our @BNI and @BNICustomerCare accounts every day enables us to communicate with our customers, wherever they are. With the Message Button and Support Indicator in our Twitter account profile, it becomes easier for customers to contact us via Direct Message and they will also know when we can respond to their tweets,” said Grace Pong Samma, GM, Marketing Communication Division, BNI.

“Our followers used to go through multiple stages just to reach out to us, but Twitter’s Customer Service has allowed us to streamline our process and consequently increase our engagement with our beloved customers. Over the trial period alone, we saw a 32% increase in direct messages, which allow us to handle the concerns of our customers efficiently and get their feedback so we can continuously improve our service,” said Raymund Rivadelo, VP and Head of Customer Care, SMART Philippines.

Interested?

The features can be activated on a new Customer support settings page on the Twitter Dashboard website. Businesses are required to first enable the setting to receive Direct Messages from anyone. This allows users a choice to communicate about support issues via tweets or Direct Messages, since support issues may require sharing personal information or longer descriptions of issues.

To learn more about how Twitter can help businesses with customer service, businesses can visit Twitter’s Help Center or contact their Twitter account team. Alternatively, they can reach out to one of the Official Partners directly to learn more about getting started with Customer Feedback.

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posted from Bloggeroid

Microsoft expands Office 365 support for SMBs

Microsoft is making it easier for small to midsized businesses (SMBs) to move to Office 365. In a blog post, the company is allowing customers with 50 to 149 seats of Office 365 Enterprise and small business plans to take advantage of Microsoft FastTrack, a service that provides resources and dedicated engineers to can assist the company or the Microsoft Partner that company works with, to implement Office 365. FastTrack was previously only available to customers with 150 seats or more.

Source: Microsoft. Office 365 can be used desktops, laptops
and mobile devices.

In Asia Pacific, Microsoft FastTrack is available in Australia, India, mainland China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Bangladesh and Nepal. Local language FastTrack managers will also be available in Korea, Thailand and Vietnam in the first quarter of 2016.

Microsoft is also expanding the FY16 Adoption Offer to include Office 365 small business plans and adding payouts for customer deployments of 50 to 149 seats. This now makes Microsoft Partners eligible for a payout of US$25 per seat for 50 to 149 seats, in addition to the existing payouts for 150 seats and above.

Helping businesses grow

According to Gartner, which analysed cloud email usage among public companies of different sizes, industries and geographies, more companies use Microsoft Office 365 than Google Apps for Work. 

Microsoft notes that 60 million people use Office 365 at work and 50,000 SMBs become Office 365 customers every month. 

Interested?

Sign up for a free trial 

Take advantage of FastTrack through contacting a Microsoft Partner or signing up directly

QIB signs up for Al-Dhameen SME funding programme

Source: QIB. Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al-Khalifa, CEO of Qatar Development Bank (QDB), and Bassel Gamal, Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) Group Chief Executive Officer, signed the Al-Dhameen agreement. The ceremony was attended by QDB officials Khalid Abdulla Al Mana, Executive Director of Business Finance and Jawaher Al Noaimi, Al Dhameen Programme Manager. QIB was represented by Tarek Fawzi, General Manager, Wholesale Banking Group, Mazen Al Thalathini, Assistant General Manager-Corporate Banking, and Basem Shahrouri, Head of Business Banking Division. 

Qatar Development Bank (QDB) has signed a new Al-Dhameen Programme Portfolio Agreement with Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) for small and medium enterprise (SME) financing in Qatar.

Al-Dhameen, which is sponsored by QDB, helps startups and existing companies with lack of collateral to obtain funds for growing their businesses. All main sector business activities are eligible for support under Al-Dhameen except the agriculture, fishing and livestock; non-oil mining and quarrying; wholesale and retail trade; financial and insurance, and real estate industries.

The programme does not provide direct finance to SMEs, instead offering the business owner access to the required finance from a partner bank in the form of guarantees in favour of the bank. Al-Dhameen guarantees 85% of the finance value not exceeding QR15 million). 

The Al-Dhameen programme was enhanced after feedback from partner banks and related parties, primarily to expand the base of beneficiaries, allow partner banks to determine which SMEs receive financing, and to fund them more flexibly. A record QR846 million in guarantees have been disbursed to over 348 SMEs since the beginning of the programme in 2010. 

The new QR100 million Al Dhameen portfolio aims to speed up approvals to guarantee the value of the funding provided by the partner bank to small and medium enterprises lacking sufficient guarantees. QDB has prepared a special portfolio guide that describes the terms, conditions, and international standards, due diligence, credit monitoring, applications and guidelines development, to help QIB to take the necessary decisions without referring to QDB.

Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al-Khalifa, CEO of QDB said: "The Al Dhameen programme primarily facilitates financing to some of the most important sectors of industry, such as education, healthcare, and value-added services. The programme targets mainly companies and startups. We are delighted with this partnership with QIB, which (reinforces the priority) that all banks operating in Qatar have to support and develop the SME sector, diversifying the private sector and building a knowledge-based economy.” 

Bassel Gamal, QIB Group Chief Executive Officer said: “This agreement underscores QIB’s commitment towards supporting the country’s economy, by enhancing the role of the private sector and contributing to a suitable economic diversification as part of the Qatar National Vision 2030. It enables our existing and potential customers to get what they need swiftly and seamlessly, thus supporting the establishment of new SMEs and helping operating companies with their business expansion plans.

“We are proud of our strong ties with QDB, and we are committed to further enhance the mutual cooperation to achieve the agreement’s objectives which will contribute significantly in speeding up the process to provide financing solutions for SMEs. Supporting the SME sector is one of our top priorities, and for that reason, we have a dedicated programme, Aamaly, designed to cater for all the financial needs of SMEs in Qatar.”

Commercial Bank and Doha Bank are also partner banks for Al-Dhameen, having signed agreements with QDB in July 2015.

Interested?

SMEs can enquire about applications at the nearest QIB branch.

Maybank, MaGIC to boost startups across ASEAN

Maybank became the first bank to officially formalise its partnership with Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) in efforts to further boost startups across the ASEAN region.

Maybank will leverage on MaGIC‘s expertise, regional reach and resources to nurture upcoming local and regional startups. One of the key roles for Maybank is to be the financial services partner for MaGIC’s ASEAN Centre of Entrepreneurship (ACE), which is a startup support services platform offering services such as legal advice, IP consultations, visa applications and company secretarial services through its partners. This platform will support Malaysian startups looking to expand into ASEAN countries and for ASEAN startups to expand into Malaysia.

MaGIC Chief Executive Officer Cheryl Yeoh said that this partnership will help in boosting the development of startups and social enterprise (SE) initiatives not only in Malaysia, but in the region. “We are pleased at this collaboration with Maybank – both as a main partner for our startup support services platform as well as providing the opportunities for fintech startups to grow locally and regionally. We are encouraged by the support we are seeing from the private sector and Maybank as one of the early driver for private sector opportunities,” she said.

In return, Maybank will act as an advisory partner to MaGIC’s Accelerator Programs and Academy, especially in building viable propositions in the context of regional opportunities in the financial services industry, help facilitate market validation and identify potential “go-to-market” partners.

Maybank's Amran Hassan, Head Corporate Development & Innovation said that Maybank has always placed importance in innovation as a key organisational competency that will help identify and shape new sources of competitive advantages. “The collaboration with MaGIC will allow Maybank to play a more prominent role in the supporting the start-up ecosystem regionally,” he said. "We have taken the market lead in the high-growth startup ecosystem as part of our efforts to support promising technology startups across the markets where we operate. We will continue to work with strategic industry partners in providing competitive platforms in our efforts to help build ASEAN into a global centre for innovation.”

DBS receives NTUC Women's Development Secretariat SG50 Special Award

DBS has received the NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat (WDS) SG50 Special Award in recognition of its dedicated flexible working programme and employee support schemes designed to help staff better manage their time and balance their professional and personal needs. 

Said Cheong Meng Foong, Managing Director, Group Human Resources – Reward: “We adopt a holistic approach in creating a workplace where employees feel empowered, connected and valued. As a company that has a diverse workforce, we understand that our employees will have different needs at various phases of their lives and have put in place a number of initiatives to encourage staff to take charge of their career progression and to promote greater work life integration.”

Instead of adopting a one-size-fits-all policy, DBS offers staff benefits that meet different needs. These include:

- Flexible work arrangements

- Staff loans that generally offer better terms than commercial loans, helping staff who are looking to set up their homes make their first home in the early years of their careers

- Re-employment at 62 on terms that are better than tripartite guidelines and industry norms in Singapore

- Free health screenings for all our employees, which at the same time helps DBS understand any possible health issues of its population for more targeted intervention

- Being the first to pioneer the “Shield Companion” Plan - a medical plan that complements employees’ portable enhanced MediShield plan, reducing duplication of medical coverage. The bank also pays a certain amount into their MediSave accounts to subsidise their portable medical plans premium.

Joyce Chua, DBS Assistant Vice President, Corporate Trust & Fund Services, has benefitted from the bank’s flexi-work arrangements. “DBS’ flexi-work scheme has given me the opportunity to spend more quality time with my three teenage children. I was a full-time stay-at-home mother for about three years before deciding to join the workforce again. Under the bank’s part-time work arrangement, I managed to work out an arrangement that would allow me to work four full days a week instead of the standard five-day working week. This made the transition back to work easier for me," she said. 

"Now that I have a day off during the week, I am able to have a longer meal with my children on a weekday, and they will in turn share with me what is happening in their schools and the different problems they face – something that I think would not be possible if I had less time. Through this, I also get to know their friends better. What makes this all possible are my supportive managers and colleagues, who understand the situation I’m in, and whom I know will step up to help me in a heartbeat.”

One of DBS' flexi-work arrangements is Flexi-Time. While official working hours are from 8.30am to 6.00pm, full-time employees may choose their starting and finishing work hours  provided they complete a stipulated number of hours. For example, staff can commence work an hour earlier at 7.30am and end the day at 5.00pm, or commence work an hour later at 9.30am and end the day at 7.00pm. Line managers are encouraged to schedule meetings during the core working hours between 9:30am and 4:30pm.

Employees may also consider part-time work - fewer fixed hours per day or fewer full days per week - or to take unpaid leave beyond their earned annual leave entitlement period. This arrangement is highly valued by employees, especially in cases where they wish to follow their spouses on overseas assignments or do overseas volunteer work for a few months.

Two DBS employees also won awards in the Most Supportive Colleague category: Samantha Lau, Assistant Vice President, T&O-SG-Customer Centre, and Delia Tan, Analyst, T&O-SG-Customer Centre.

Lenovo posts worldwide Thinkpad battery recall

Lenovo is expanding a battery recall announced March 27, 2014 to all affected lithium-ion batteries worldwide. In late April 2015 the company announced that the batteries were manufactured for use with ThinkPad notebook computers that shipped between February, 2010 and June, 2012. 

"In the interest of public safety, Lenovo will offer customers free-of-charge replacement batteries for all recalled batteries," the company said in a statement.

Lenovo sold the batteries with new notebook computers or as optional or replacement batteries for the:

Edge 11, Edge 13, Edge 14, Edge 15, Edge 120, Edge 125, Edge 320, Edge 325, Edge 420, Edge 425, Edge 430, Edge 520, Edge 525, Edge 530;
X200, X201, X200S, X201S, X220, X220T, X100E, X120E, X121E, X130E;
T410, T420, T510, T520;
W510, W520;
L412, L420/421, L512, L520;
T430 (China and Europe only) and
X131E (Australia only)

Lenovo advises owners to turn off the system, remove the battery, and only power your ThinkPad by plugging in the AC adapter and power cord until the replacement battery arrives.

Next steps?

View the battery recall FAQs.

Determine if your battery is being recalled. This solution works with a ThinkPad notebook PC. 

Learn how to remove the battery.

World Bank to help Indian, Kazakhstani SMEs grow

The World Bank has approved a US$500 million loan for the MSME Growth Innovation and Inclusive Finance Project to improve access to finance for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the manufacturing and services sector in India. This includes MSMEs from early to growth stage, including those which provide innovative financial products.

In India, MSMEs account for more than 80% of total industrial enterprises, produce over 8, 000 value-added products and employ an estimated 60 million people. It contributes around 45% to manufacturing output and about 40% to exports, both directly and indirectly. In addition, over 50% percent of MSMEs are rural enterprises and widely distributed across low-income states, making them an important sector for promoting economic growth and poverty reduction.

However, lack of adequate finance is one of the biggest challenges facing the MSME sector. Financial institutions have limited their exposure to the sector due to a higher risk perception, information asymmetry, high transaction costs and the lack of collateral. The MSME census of 2006-07 estimated that about 87 % of MSMEs did not have any access to finance and were self-financed. Credit towards micro and small enterprises represent only 13 to 15% of formal financial institutions portfolios.

The project will support MSMEs through direct financing by the Small Industries Development Bank of India or SIDBI, an apex financial institution for promotion, financing and development of MSMEs in India, and also through participating financial institutions across three components. These include support to startup debt financing and risk capital as well as support to service and manufacturing sector financing models.

“With 8 million people entering the labour force every year, MSMEs have the potential to be an important source of wage employment and entrepreneurship in India, foster innovations as well as be the cradle for the government’s `Make in India’ vision formulated recently. For these ideas to take shape, addressing the key constraints that inhibit MSMEs from accessing finance is of utmost importance. This project will work with the government in developing innovative products that address the current constraints of MSMEs, respond to the changing needs of the Indian economy and also catalyse private sector financing,” said Onno Ruhl,World Bank Country Director in India.

The project's first component will support SIDBI in developing, innovating and scaling up its startup debt financing programme as well as encourage participation of potential financing institutions in the development of this missing financial market segment. The India’s startup ecosystem is currently one of the fastest growing in the world and the third largest startup base with 3,100 startups (after the US with 41,500 start-ups and the UK with 4,000). While there has been incredible growth in equity financing in the Indian ecosystem, debt financing is non-existent for the majority of the vast growing startup enterprises which severely constrains the necessary rapid growth startups need to survive. The project will seek to address this gap to demonstrate financial products that both align with a fast growth economy and address missing financial markets that can unlock the incredible potential of India’s startup and early stage ecosystem.

Its second component supports service sector firms’ financing. Although the structure of the Indian economy is shifting towards services, now 65% of Indian GDP, enterprises in this sector continue to face challenges in accessing formal finance mainly due to lack of physical assets to provide as collateral. Financial depth (credit to GDP) for this sector is 25%*. In an attempt to address this issue SIDBI has introduced new products and considering their potential to grow, this project will support scale up of innovative products which are better tailored for MSMEs in the service sector such as use of movable and intangible assets, including light assets and franchise financing. Information asymmetry and credit risk will be mitigated by using information from alternative/multiple sources (such as franchisors for franchisee financing).

The project will also support manufacturing MSMEs through innovative financial products including loan extension services and cluster financing - including women-led clusters. Particular focus will be to expand manufacturing activity in financially underserved areas, including low income states especially through refinancing, as banks and other public financial institutions have a deeper network in these states.

“Addressing financial constraints of MSMEs and start-ups should generate multiplier effects across the economy by unlocking their inherent growth potential, fostering entrepreneurship and creating employment opportunities,” said Gloria Grandolini, Senior Director of the World Bank Group Finance and Markets Global Practice.

The loan, from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a five-year grace period and a maturity of 10 years.

The World Bank earlier approved a US$40 million loan to help enhance the competitiveness and management capacity of small and medium sized enterprises in Kazakhstan as well.

“Small and medium sized enterprises are widely identified as important sources of economic growth and employment and, therefore, an essential foundation for shared prosperity,” said Ludmilla Butenko, World Bank Country Manager for Kazakhstan. “The project is expected to increase the competitiveness of Kazakhstani SMEs to contribute to diversification of the economy by reducing its reliance on extractive industries.”

Lack of professional and management skills as well as limited market connections are some of the key obstacles for Kazakhstan’s private sector. The SME Competitiveness Project is aimed at strengthening the management capacity of SMEs to grow and create more and better jobs. Existing SME advisory programmes will be enhanced in terms of quality and methodology in line with international standards. Several hundred business consultants will be trained and certified to deliver in turn professional consulting to several thousand entrepreneurs and SMEs.

The project will also focus on increasing market linkages for SMEs in non-extractive sectors with a market-based growth potential. The new linkages between SMEs and large buyers will provide entrepreneurs with an increased access to markets. To facilitate the process, the project aims at piloting a supplier development programme and enhancing the capacity of policy making authorities in developing competitive sectors in emerging areas of the economy. The evidence-based policy making will be strengthened through improved existing monitoring and evaluation frameworks and public-private dialogue.

All these activities will result in increased firm productivity and revenues as well as overall contribution of SMEs to the country economy.

The implementation of the five-year project (2015-2020) will start after the country approval process is completed. The SME Competitiveness Project will be financed through a US$40 million IBRD loan, with a 15-year maturity period and a five-year grace period, with US$6 million in co-financing from the government of Kazakhstan.
*Reserve Bank of India figures.

posted from Bloggeroid

Corporates can participate in For a Golden Home charity campaign

Design portal and social media platform Cromly.com's For a Golden Home online charity campaign includes a platform which allows organisations to create their own fundraising projects towards the same cause: a better Chinese New Year for the needy elderly in Singapore this year.

Source: Cromly.com. Companies can pledge a project to help raise funds for the charity campaign. Eunice Olsen and Paul Foster are For a Golden Home ambassadors.

The website will go live on 3 February, a Tuesday, in support of the Giving Tuesday movement, and will close two months later in March. Funds raised will be fully channelled towards restoring basic living conditions for the occupants of approximately 30 one-room flats through Project HomeWorks by Habitat for Humanity. 

Through an invitation to pledge, an organisation can take ownership of its own fundraising project, with its own goals and means to do so. Suggested pledges include pledging corporate fundraising efforts towards a particular target, or pledging a percentage of corporate profits, for a certain period.

Corporate sponsorships are also available, through matching donations dollar-for-dollar to a specific maximum amount, or sponsorship-in-kind of meaningful incentives to encourage donors.

Email alexa@cromly.com for more information about corporate partnerships.

Singapore SMEs, startups get government boost for R&D&C

Help for SMEs and startups from the Singapore government for R&D&C continues to grow. The term comes from extending research and development (R&D) all the way to commercialisation (C).

Today, that help includes cash grants, business incubator schemes, and tax incentives, said Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), speaking as the guest of honour at Developer and Global Entrepreneur Day during IBM's XCite event in Singapore.

"At A*STAR, our commercialisation arm, ETPL, supports budding technopreneurs from A*STAR's research institutes who desire to spin off their inventions. In March this year, we also introduced Headstart, a programme which grants royalty-free and exclusive intellectual property licenses for the first 18 months to SMEs that collaborate with A*STAR," he said.

Over the past five years, more than 700 SMEs have undertaken close to 2,200 projects with A*STAR, Lim disclosed, adding that the organisation's licensing policies and terms have been enhanced and simplified to allow more SMEs and startups to benefit from A*STAR's research. 

Besides providing IP to enable the development of new products and services, the government also helps SMEs and start-ups harness technology for business 
improvement. 

"At A*STAR, we facilitate technology adoption and upgrading through a variety of initiatives. For example, our Growing Enterprises through Technology Upgrade or GET-Up Programme includes a scheme that seconds researchers to SMEs to work on innovation projects leading to new products and services. 
In addition, A*STAR’s Technology Adoption Programme (TAP) offers technology 
consultancy to SMEs and subsequently matches them with solution providers," said Lim. 

Lim shared that A*STAR’s TAP team has engaged more than 4,600 
companies and helped more than 650 companies adopt new technologies since 2013. SPRING has invested S$40 million in 2011 to launch sector-specific accelerators to identify, invest and grow startups in areas like medical and clean technology as well.