You Are Reading Vol. 01 Issue. 03 March 1, 2013 Edition
Back to Business! Congratulations to the Freundel Stuart Administration for retaining the Government.
In Focus Integrity in Public Life Legislation
facilitate payments, corporate staff training, and assisting ‘small businesses in meeting
Read more, pg 2
Once again Barbados has emerged from a National Election ready to get back to work. The fact that Barbados remains one of the few countries where ‘observers’ are not required speaks to the efficiency and transparency of our democratic system and the maturity of our people as a whole. Notwithstanding the challenges that lay ahead the SBA is keenly looking forward to several of the Government’s plans which are in perfect synchronicity with the focus of the SBA. These areas include, fostering entrepreneurship in primary and secondary schools, working on developing the renewable energy sector, the incentives to businesses to develop e-commerce, the upgrading on e-government to
international standards to facilitate growth in exports’. These are but a few of the critical areas which we feel will help to stimulate the SME sector and create that culture of
Be SME SMART
entrepreneurship that Barbados so desperately needs. The SBA encourages the new government to move swiftly to put these measures into place for the good of the economy and the future development of Barbados
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The SBA, through its SME SMART programme, is gearing to push its Small Business Fridays once again and all SMEs, particularly those that have not yet signed onto the programme are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. This national programme, which is focused on galvanising the support of the general public to patronise SMEs during Small Business Fridays in their weekly purchases of good and services, was launched in 2012 and is designed to benefit small firms to increase revenue growth, save jobs, enhance competitiveness and reduce the use of foreign exchange. The programme will be heavily promoted to the general public in the weeks ahead and all members are invited to participate. Further information on our activities will be cicrulated during the coming weeks IMPORTANT DATES
ARTISANS
ORIENTATION OF NEW MEMBERS MAR 5, 2013
ATTEND DESIGN CARIBBEAN 2013
EXCEL TIPS & TRICKS MAR 18- MAR 20 WALK THE TALK COMMENCES MON APR 1. DESIGN CARIBBEAN JUNE 20-23, 2013
To be held at Grand Lucayan, Freeport, Bahama, Bahamas June 20-23, 2013. Interested? Contact Ms. Cora Lowe Design Caribbean 2013 1ST Floor, Baobab Tower, Warrens, St. Michael, BB22026. Tel. +1(246) 436-057
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TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
BASICS IN WEBSITE MANAGEMENT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES .....................................MARCH 6 & 8, 2013 PINELANDS CREATIVE WORKSHOP/ YOUNG AMERICANS BUSINESS TRUST BUSINESS INCUBATOR LAB ......................MARCH 11 - MARCH 152013 (BEC) MANAGING CONFLICT .......................................... MARCH 12 2013
REACH THE SBA HEAD OFFICE
1 Pelican Industrial Park, Bridgetown, Barbados Phone:
(246) 228-0162
Fax:
(246) 228-0613
Email:
theoffice@sba.org.bb
Website:
www.sba.org.bb
Integrity in Public Life
“Legislation should go beyond politicians to include senior private sector executives and senior public servants” Well Governed Higher Level of Trust Barbados has long been regarded as a well-governed Public life legislation must go beyond politicians and society. The 2012 report from Transparency public servants to include private sector executives. International rated Barbados, as Particularly in publicly traded companies having the lowest perceived level of Corruption where a higher level of trust and transparency corruption in the Caribbean. The is needed to protect the interest of citizens. destroys lives and report, which gives countries higher communities, scores for lower levels of perceived It is essential that these private sector and undermines public sector corruption, also ranked executives exhibit, and are seen to exhibit, the Barbados at 15th in the world, an countries and highest ethical standards in carrying out their improvement from 16th in the prior duties. The recent discourse on ethics and institutions! year. integrity has therefore underscored the need for a more serious approach to issues of governance and transparency. The facts suggest that this must go beyond The recent debate in the Barbados’ Parliament on the politician to include those in leadership in our public Anti-Corruption Legislation is a step in the right and private sectors (Edited from the Barbados Business direction, there remains however three critical points Authority February 18, 2013) of consideration in this debate.
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Behavioural Change Public life legislation must have its foundation in appropriate behavioural change. Citizens will need to undergo the necessary training and education to ensure that the cultural changes are realised to support public life legislation. Workers in the public and private sectors should be acclimatized to understand and apply codes of conduct and to support conflict of interest declaration as a way of life. Public Sector Workers Public life legislation needs to go beyond politicians to include public sector workers. Transparency International suggests in its 2012 release “Corruption destroys lives and communities, and undermines countries and institutions. It generates popular anger that threatens to further destabilise societies and exacerbate violent conflicts.” Public officials are expected to act in the public’s interest and to demonstrate ethical behaviour in carrying out their official duties. This ethical behaviour is critical for democracy, particularly in an environment of greater choice and discretion in decision-making. Therefore, persons who assist in the stewardship of resources, perform policy-making functions, and interact with citizens must act above board. Their ethical conduct helps to guard against the abuse of power and the derogation of due process, while at the same time assist in maintaining confidence in the many offices of government.
SBA Outlook Newsletter
March 1, 2013
Sign Up For Walk the Talk
From left: David Neilands, Committe Chair, SBA CEO Lynette Holder, Lisa Gale, BCCI and Tony Walcott of the BEC
By now most companies would have signed on to Walk the Talk. The joint initiative of the BCCI, SBA and BEC was officially introduced to the public on Valentines Day and now all businesses are being urged to get on board. As sick leave from noncommunicable diseases eats into the bottom lines of both public and private sector entities, (by one estimate as much as $55,000 per month in one organisation), SBA CEO Lynette Holder urged SMEs to consider the benefits to improved
productivity if they could get their employees to be more health conscious. Ms. Holder noted that with the median age of entrepreneurs being 45, there is much to be gain health wise and wealth wise from taking part in such programmes. Companies that have not yet signed on can still do so by calling the SBA secretariat at 228-0162 to register their employees and order pedometers to be used to track the number of daily steps.
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SBA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT New SBA member JustLooking246.com (founded in 201) is an internet based company which is setup to help consumers find exactly what they want to buy in Barbados JustLooking246.com provides local merchants an online presence to showcase their wide range of items for Barbadians to easily discover. Customers now have no need to remember different websites or run around clueless during those times when time is limited. In addition, the website service is enabled to work on any modern internet enabled device. This means that customers on the hunt for products and services while on the move can use their mobile devices to get the information
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Canadians Exploring Trade Partnerships Fourteen (14) Canadian Barbadian Businesses meeting with Canadian Business companies recently got a chance Representatives at the Hilton Hotel last week. to show their goods at a Trade Show organised by the Canadian Trade Commisioner and Business High Commission through the Trade Development Officer Doreen Weekes Commission. said that the High Commission was
pleased with the response and were also optimistic about the possibility for partnerships.
SIAL Toronto, the #1 Canadian exhibition showcasing North American agrifood businesses, which in 2011 welcomed 12, 415 professional visitors and 697 exhibitors, would be held between April 30-May 02, 2013. She (l) Andrea Taylor, SBA Business Operations Manager making a encouraged local businesses to point to Doreen Weekes, Canadian Trade Commissioner sign up. (http://www.sialcanada.com) Included in the group were some firms who previously did business in Barbados while the majority were for the first time trying to penetrate the Barbadian Market. While recognising the high import duties and the stiff competition, they all remained positive that they would be able to pentrate the Barbadian and regional markets.
Barbados’ Unsophisticated e-Commerce I continue to be concerned at the slow development and the absence of incentives for the establishment of a strong e-commerce system in Barbados. My concern rests in the fact that while commercial banks have been painfully slow at setting up facilities for customers to complete personal transactions online, very little progress seems to have been made with the provision of an e-commerce platform to
allow businesses, particularly SMEs, to capitalise on consumer markets within Barbados and outside of the country.
LAST WORD FROM THE CEO
Sophisticated
The Global Competitiveness Index 2012– 2013 ranks Barbados’s level of sophistication at number 38 out of 144 countries and its Business Sophistication is ranked at 36. Yet surprisingly while our Financial Market Development and Technology Readiness are ranked higher (33 and 30 respectively) very little has changed since 2007 when the Minister of Commerce,
Consumer Affairs & Business Development expressed displeasure at the difficulty of small businesses in “accessing the e-commerce services banks say they provide”. Anti e-commerce? Yes there are concerns for security, and foreign exchange, but I would have believed that by now the financial institutions would have developed the infrastructure to enable local businesses to trade their goods and services on the internet. Barbadians are already e-commerce savvy, yet our SMEs have to seek third-party solutions to conduct e-commerce. Are our banks therefore anti e-commerce with respect to SMEs and thus creating the lag?
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The Small Business Association (SBA) is the island’s non-governmental, non-profit representative body for micro, small and medium enterprises. The SBA seeks to expand business opportunities for its members, provide educational and developmental services and lobby to ensure an enabling environment for the growth and sustainability of the SME sector. For more information on the work of the Small Business Association, please visit our website: http://www.sba.org.bb
SBA Outlook Newsletter
March 1, 2013