Powering mSME growth through e-business

For many micro enterprises and small- and medium-sized enterprises (mSMEs), business IT is a resource they don’t have access to.

Not anymore. The day before Independence Day, the Development Bank of the Philippines opened the m+SME Internet Cafe at its head office in Makati. This physical facility, which mSMEs can use for free, houses 11 computer units with 15-inch TFT flat screen monitors, headphones and microphones. The CPU runs on Pentium 4 and at 1.7 gigahertz. A minimum fee is charged for the use of the laser printer and fax machine.

To help clueless mSMEs, the Internet Cafe has a system administrator cum customers service officer.

"DBP is leveling the playing field in terms of access to IT resources," said bank president and chief executive officer Simon Paterno.

Bridging gap

The m+SME Internet Cafe is a project of the bank’s e-business development center – www.dbp4sme.ph. – a one-stop database that is open 24 hours, seven days a week and that addresses the information and development needs of mSMEs. Some of its services are:

• business matching that connects buyer to seller, subcontractor to assembler or manufacturer, franchisee to franchisor, and, generally, business to business in all forms of strategic partnerships;

• business information and applications from which inputs and tools for sound decision making can be drawn;

• helping mSMES get in touch with individuals, businesses and institutions anywhere in the world who might help then in terms of their marketing, procurement, network and development needs;

• helping mSMEs open their own e-stalls in an e-marketplace that permit them to display their products and services, advertise competitive features, give pricing information, and consummate sales on-line; and

• helping mSMEs create their own e-workplaces that provide them with a personalized virtual office with access to all information, applications and services required for the completion of business tasks.

"DBP anticipates the e-business center will evolve into an e-marketplace where thousands of IT-savvy mSMEs will set up virtual shops and transact business with the rest of the world," Paterno said.

Concept

The e-business center is a result of an internal information exchange system that was started two years ago by the bank’s industrial restructuring and research (IRR) unit.

Last March, IRR decided to expand IES by coming up with a web-paged database.

"Since we already have an existing information system, we decided to make it web-based so that mSMEs can use it," said assistant vice-president Mario Pagaragan, Jr., who heads the IRR project team. "The concept of reaching out to the mSME sector to catalyze its growth is a pioneer initiative among government agencies and among financial institutions in the country."

To fund the project, IRR initially used technical assistance contributions from the bank’s lending programs which sought to enhance the global competitiveness of Philippine SMEs.

To sustain the project, however, alliances outside the bank have had to be forged. For one, the ALFOX Group has agreed to create e-stores for mSMEs. For another, several IT schools have agreed to "lend out" their students.

"We will tap IT students to create interactive websites for mSMEs that are interested to upgrade the web pages that the e-business center has provided for them for free," said Pagaragan. "This project promotes IT education while establishing an IT knowledge center where mSMEs, IT companies and IT students meet for their information and development needs."

The program is also linking up with the Export Processing Zone Authority as well as with various non-government organizations, micro-financing institutions and big companies to intensify and widen the data base for mSMEs.

In the medium term, DBP will bring the e-business center to all its branches nationwide.

In doing so, the bank creates synergies for the Philippine entrepreneurs to create wealth.