The New Nation - Internet Edition

HSBC’s effort to find out young entrepreneurs

BUSINESS REPORT

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Ltd in Bangladesh held a workshop for the 30 winning teams of the first round of the regional Young Entrepreneur Awards (YEA) 2008 at Brac Center Inn on March 10.

YEA allows talented students to showcase their creativity and aptitude for entrepreneurship. Through the workshop HSBC seeks to provide the students with guidance on how to turn their ideas into a coherent business plan that is capable of receiving bank financing.

The 30 winning teams that were invited to the workshop were selected from over 330 teams that submitted their ideas in the first round. At the workshop, the teams received presentations and guidance from Dr Arif Dowla, Managing Director of ACI Ltd, Syed Munir Khasru of IBA and a variety of HSBC's senior management team including Steve Banner, Mustafa Aolad, Glenn Ashbrooke, Mustafizur R Khan and Sami Hafiz.

The three winning teams from Bangladesh will be sent to Hong Kong where the Gold winner will compete in the regional competition with winners from other competitions held by HSBC in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei and Philippines. In addition, the three teams will also be going on a study trip courtesy of HSBC.

Last year, Bangladesh participated in this competition for the first time and the Gold winning team from IBA created history by winning the "Best of the Best" award and a cash prize of Tk 10 lakhs.

'Dohatec, Microsoft can achieve much together' : Chris Atkinson, President, Microsoft South East Asia

Chris Atkinson, President of Microsoft South East Asia, and Stephen Cadisch, Director Partner Development, Asia Pacific Region of Microsoft came to visit Dohatec New Media on March 10 last.

Dohatec is a software development company in Dhaka which has a made applications for highly recognised international names among its clients. Luna Shamsuddoha, Chairman of Dohatec is the first women entrepreneur being supported by Microsoft worldwide.

Chris Atkinson made an assessment of the different applications and what potential they had for prospects overseas. The visitors re-iterated their support to Dohatec and decided to engage their Country Offices to help Dohatec introduce its applications. The Public Procurement Management Information System forms a critical component in the procurement reforms ongoing as a part of the anti-corruption regime in many developing countries.

The Acrobook software has many prestigious users and can be used for a variety of clientele. World Development Reports, World Development Indicators, PAHO Health Statistics are published on this software. The 'Messaging Tee' has a unique space in the mailing/marketing industry sending different media content to target markets which can be exploited with Microsoft. Education and Training Management software of Dohatec is used by leading institutions and has potential in most markets.

At the visit Chris Atkinson made the following comment "Microsoft treasures its partnership with Dohatec. Through the magic of Software Dohatec and Microsoft can achieve much together. Thanks for your great support in helping many customers realise their potential. We look forward to our continued partnership.'

Feroz Mahmud, Managing Director, KM Imran Al-Amin and Mohammad Moshiur Rahman of Microsoft Bangladesh were present.

Int'l Tourism Fair begins

BUSINESS REPORT

A three-day International Tourism Fair under the style of Aktel Dhaka Travel Mart 2008 began at Winter Garden of Dhaka Sheraton Hotel yesterday.

Syed Mohammad Zobaer, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism formally inaugurated the exhibition at the Ball Room of Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.

The Bangladesh Monitor, travel and tourism publication of the country is hosting the fifth edition of the international tourism fair.

Leading Cell phone operator Aktel is playing host as the Title Sponsor of the event, while Biman Bangladesh Airlines, GMG Airlines, Eastern Bank Ltd, Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) and Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB) are acting as Premium Partners.

A total of forty four organisations from twelve different countries including host Bangladesh are taking part in Aktel Dhaka Travel Mart-2008, which includes National Tourism Organisations (NTOs), Airlines, Tour Operators, Hotels, Resorts, Travel Trade bodies, Financial and Educational Institutions.

Participating organisations during the three-day exhibition are offering special discounted airfares, tour packages and a host of other offers to the visitors.

Visitors will be able to go around the fair from 10:00am to 8:00pm on all the three days paying an entry fee of Tk 20. Travel trade partners will be able to hold one to one parleys from 10:00am to 12:00pm. A raffle draw on the entry coupons will be held on the concluding day on March 15, 2008, at 7.30pm at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel. Prizes will include airline tickets to various destinations home and abroad and other exciting tour packages, hotel stays and meal vouchers.

A Seminar on the 'Eco' and the Newest trend 'Geo' should be the mainstay of Bangladesh Tourism will be held on the side line of the Exhibition on Friday, March 14, which will be organised jointly by The Bangladesh Minitor and Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Dhaka University.

Banglalink subscriber base, revenues doubled in 2007

BUSINESS REPORT

Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH), the holding company of Banglalink recently announced its 2007 financial results. 2007 was a remarkable year for Banglalink.

Banglalink ended the year with almost 71 lakh customers thereby more than doubling its subscriber base that stood at 33 lakh at the end of 2006. Banglalink ended the year with 20.6 per cent market share while also capturing the No.2 position based on the numbers reported by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). This was a remarkable achievement considering the company has been in operation for less than three years.

Banglalink maintained its position as the fastest growing mobile operator in the country. In addition to doubling the subscriber base, Banglalink also more than doubled its revenue compared to the previous year. While revenues of other major operators remained stagnant, Banglalink's revenue rose from Tk 655 crore during 2006 to over Tk 1,340 crore during 2007. Q4 of 2007 saw Banglalink achieving positive EBITDA despite aggressive acquisition that has a high cost associated with it because of the upfront SIM tax. This was achieved with the continuous enhancement and expansion of the network in terms of coverage and quality, product innovation and segmentation, enhancement of customer care services and aggressive brand building strategies.

Banglalink focused heavily on enhancing service quality throughout 2007-these enhancements were done both in terms of network quality and customer service.

There was much emphasis on improving indoor coverage, and wherever necessary, special inbuilding solutions, especially in the case of enterprise customers. Heavy investment of over Tk 2,450 crore was made to ensure the high network quality to its fast growing subscriber base.

Banglalink also rolled out almost 500 Banglalink Service Points nationwide-these customer booths have been set up at the regional level to provide easier access to customer services.

Commenting on the growth potential of the market, Banglalink CEO and Managing Director, Rashid Khan said, 'The market is expected to grow to over 5 crore mobile connections by the end of 2008. We appreciate the support from BTRC that is taking steps to help the industry to realise this potential. We will continue to invest heavily in infrastructure to ensure the best quality service for our customers.'

The country was unfortunately hit by natural calamities including cyclone Sidr and floods during 2007. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, Banglalink took the lead to lend a helping hand.

A series of concerts were arranged under the umbrella of 'banglalink desh music fests" to raise funds for flood and cyclone victims. These events were amongst the most memorable events of the year that offered a unique opportunity to people from all walks of life to contribute towards a noble cause.

Dhaka Travel Mart 2008 Emirates unveils special offers

BUSINESS REPORT

Dubai-based airline, Emirates has introduced a special discount on its fares to select destinations in Asia and Africa. Passengers travelling on Emirates will receive a 15 per cent discount if they make their bookings at the Emirates Pavilion at the AKTEL Dhaka Travel Mart 2008 and tickets purchased through Emirates offices by March 25 for travel on or before March 30. Emirates made the announcement ahead of the ensuing AKTEL Dhaka Travel Mart 2008, in which it is taking part.

Hanif Zakaria, Emirates' Area Manager Bangladesh said, "From time to time Emirates introduces exclusive fares and packages for its valued customers. For this campaign we have ensured that the five cities considered for the special fares represent some of the most favoured holiday destinations for Bangladeshi travellers.

Emirates Holidays, the tour operating arm of Emirates Airline has launched its offers to Dubai, Egypt, Mauritius, Seychelles and South Africa. The packages to these destinations offer customers a wide variety of hotel options in various price brackets.

Cosmopolitan Dubai is unquestionably the entertainment, shopping, sports and culinary capital of the Middle East. Dubai's hotels rank amongst the world's finest, and sporting facilities, from golf to game fishing, sand-skiing to scuba diving, are available in abundance. Entertainment ranges from traditional celebrations to trendy discotheques and the shopping features the best of the world's goods at low duty free prices. Holiday packages to Dubai start from US$ 917 per person.

Four days three nights at One-bedroom Deluxe Suite at six-star Bury Al Arab and Bedouin Suite at six-star Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa are also available.

Holiday seekers of peace and tranquillity can opt for the white sands and dazzling blue waters of Mauritius and Seychelles. Holiday packages to these sunny islands start from US $ 1 ,703 and US$ 1,759 per person respectively.

The packages include return air ticket on Economy Class, twin accommodation with breakfast, service charge and room taxes, and transfers.

Visitors to South Africa can avail of packages starting from US$ 1700. The packages include three nights' accommodation on twin-sharing basis, American breakfasts, meet and assist at Johannesburg and Cape Town International Airport., airport-hotel-airport transfers on seat-incoach basis, room tax, service charge and Dhaka-Dubai-Cape Town-Dubai-Dhaka on Emirates.

All clients purchasing three nights Emirates Holidays packages to their favourite destinations during the premier travel event of Bangladesh will obtain an early bird advantage of 5 per cent on the packages on land portion as well as receive 20 per cent extra Skywards miles. The offers are applicable for departures from 1st April until 31st August 2008.

Emirates operates double daily services from Dhaka to Dubai, and onwards to 99 gateways in 62 countries.

Bookings can be made at Emirates Holidays, S. A. Tower, Plot No I, Road No 134, Gulshan South Avenue, Dhaka (+8802 9885574/75 of ekhdac@ecmiratcs.com) or through preferred travel agents.

Orion holds seminar on role of oral zinc on preterm babies

Bangladesh Institute of Child Health and Dhaka Shishu Hospital jointly arranged a scientific seminar on 'Role of Oral Zinc Supplementation on Growth of Preterm Babies' on March 11 at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.

National Professor Dr MR Khan was present as the chief guest at the seminar. Professor Md Ruhul Amin, Secretery, Academic Council welcomed everyone at the seminar. The keynote speech was delivered by Md Nazrul Islam.

The speaker highlighted the result of oral zinc supplementation on preterm babies from a randomised controlled trial carried out in neonatal ward of Dhaka Shishu Hospital, in collaboration with Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka from January 2006 to May 2007. The study revealed a distinct beneficial role of oral zinc supplementation along with multivitamins on preterm babies. The study showed zinc supplementation with multivitamin helps in promoting their growth. Professor MAK Azad Chowdhury, Professor of Pediatrics and Head of Neonatology, Professor Md. Salim Shakur, Director, Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Dr SK Roy, Senior Scientist, ICDDR, B, Tracey Lynn Perez Koehlmoos, Health System Research Scientist, ICDDR,B and Dr Shamashad Begum Quraishi, Senior Scientific Officer, Chemistry Division, Atomic Energy Centre expressed their expert opinions on the topic as discussants.

The seminar was concluded with the closing speech delivered by Chairperson Professor Mohammed Hanif, Academic Director, BICH. The seminar was sponsored by Orion Laboratories Ltd. Tapan Kumar Roy, Senior Vice president, Marketing, Orion Laboratories Ltd was present on the occasion.

DCCI president opens second branch of NIIL

President of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hussein Khaled opened the second branch of the National Islamic Investment Limited in the capital recently.

In his welcome speech the Chairman of the National Islamic Investment Ltd Hossain A Sikdar informed that the NIIL is an Islamic Shariah based microcredit institution.

He said small and medium entrepreneurs comprise 93.6 per cent of the total entrepreneurs of the country.

He further said four million workers are now engaged in these small and medium enterprises. The main aim of NIIL is to assist the small and medium entrepreneurs.

Among others, former minister Dr Mizanur Rahman Shelly was present as special guest on the occasion.

Asiatic MindShare names Mukul Roy Chy as new GM

Asiatic MindShare Limited, the largest media management agency in Bangladesh, has named Mukul Roy Chaudhuri as General Manager, responsible for continuing the growth of the company.

Mukul Roy Chaudhuri began his carrier as a Research Assistant in Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) in 1979. During his 29 years of distinguished career in media and advertisement endeavor, he served J Walter & Thompson (JWT), Kolkata, Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata and was a Director in Airtime Marketing Ltd.Prior to moving to Asiatic MindShare Limited, Mukul Roy Chaudhuri severed Ogilvy & Mather Bangladesh as the first ever Country Head, where he established the setup of world's famous Ogilvy agency in Bangladesh. Apart from advertising, Mukul Roy has made significant contribution in establishing and popularizing satellite channels such as ETV and Zee TV in India. He is the first person who started advertising TV programs in the form of a fair in the district level to increase the viewer ship of the channel.