How does the government encourage new ideas and new solutions to
problems?
Now it is a big turn-off. I have visited various government
agencies and emailed many ministries and MPs. None of them are able
to reply to my suggestions on how to help the SMEs and avoid
pro-foreign and high-cost policies of the past.
In particular, I have asked ministries to do something to help the
local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) but so far nobody bothers
to consider my suggestions.
SMEs are the feeders of a national economy. Suitably nurtured, SMEs
will play a critical role in augmenting the growth, resilience, and
vibrancy of the national economy.
However, EDB, only knows how to talk about the need to upgrade to
value-adding industries but has it consistently brought about new
technology start-ups as other Asian tigers or the Scandivian
european countries have been doing.
Hve the MOM and MTI possessed larger visions and gone on to promote
SMEs other than their own short-term pro-foreign investment
strategy neglecting their own indigenious entrepreneurship and
SMEs.
SMEs are vulnerable to turbulence, ups-and-downs due to their lack
of capital and other resources. It is in this area that EDB, MTI
and MOM should focus their attention. Do not let the SMEs die off
just because of temporary set-backs due to such turbulence.
SMEs need to be supported by the government in its procurement
policies so as to prmote their own indigeneous industries
especially in areas of technology start-ups.
I ever asked at one FU session why government departments insisted
so often on complete range of track records in their tendering and
procurement policies so much so that those smaller firms with
better ideas and services are often excluded from tenders.
The answer is a very protective and conservative one - they need
track records to establishe criteria and credentials. What if it is
a new company which has many good products and new ideas to launch.
Who will help such companies from silicon valleys of Singapore to
catch up. Don't we need more such entrepreneurs to come up to start
new technology applications?
Which ministers or civil servants are prepared to lend an
assistance in encouraging new technology applications from new
investors and peoiple and new graduates usually without track
records.
It makes sense for the government to support the SMEs in
procurement policy which will be accessible to SMEs in terms of
competitive sourcing of material, access to commodities,
advertising, promotion and market penetration.
TYPICAL PROBLEMS FACING SMEs.
SMEs constantly face the following problems:-
1. Higher start-up costs.
2. Fuzziness of management.
3. Lack of process management.
4. Lack of transparency and accountability.
5. Lack of capital and resources.
6. Lack of total management know-how.
DEVELOPING NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Yet, despite all the short-term imperatives of attracting
ready-made enterprises in the age of nano-technology, government
should recognise ideas and be prepared to lend a helping hand to
allow more citizens to start up businesses and compete head-on on
their own people's entrepreneurship, creativity and innovations.
SMEs are the fertile grounds for enriching national technological
and practical knowledge application and innovations.
SMEs are likely to come up with newer ideas, experimentations,
departmentalisation, standardization, specialization, objectivity,
coordination, integration and information management.
SMEs are more nimble and better able to explore management and
technical know-how and technology applications to promote new
growth potential and opportunities.
CURRENT BUSINESS MODELS
Unfortunately if we as citizens try to approach any government
ministers or agencies to help in a new start-up say e.g.
call-centre process management the answer is usually a negative
one.
They will give their reasons as not having any policy for promoting
individuals or private businesses.
They prefer to spend millions on foreigners' coming to Singapore to
give their talks about management or some other SOP or ISO
certification systems rather than nurturing the local ones.
Despite promoting foreign ISOs, in manufacturing or management or
production systems, these systems are mostly narrow technical
look-good presentations assembled as standards for advertising or
public relation objectives rather than truly cause-effect efficient
or productive processes.
Despite the prevalence of ISOs and certified work processes, many
enterprises with such records have fallen victims to general
business malpractices and failures during the Asian financial
crisis of 1997.
RE-INVENTION AND SETTING NEW DIRECTIONS
There is a critical need to reexamine the over-reliance on concepts
about leadership and talents and instead promote truly motivational
work processes which produce self-reliance, coordination,
integration to bring about widespread practical knowledge
applications as follows:-
EXPLORING EFFICIENCY THROUGH OBJECTIVITY
Efforts should be made to promote process management so that all
ministries will work at implementation efficiency to create jobs
and lower costs of living.
All ministries should set up their policies in processes which can
be executed easily e.g.
1. STEPS
2. CORE ACTIVITIES
3. INPUTS & OUTPUTS
4. PARAMETERS/ STANDARDS
5. QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENTS
6. INFORMATION FLOW
7. MANAGEMENT ROUTINES
8. DOCUMENTATION PROCESSING
9. STANDARDIZATION
If all the major policies can be implemented in component work
processes, all the ministries will realise immediate organizational
efficiency and productivity together with accountability and
transparency afforded by the processes.
SMEs should be encouraged to process their tasks to avoid
self-centred boss-centred practices and ad hoc or fire-fighting
approaches.
Is there any recognition of such process management
excellence?
DEPARTMENT REPORT (ACCOUNTS)
Why allow so many creative accounting practices to affect the whole
govenment services and systems of charging fees?
Process management can help to prevent such creative accounting in
reporting of incomes and expenditures, purchasing and contracts,
payments, receipts, and revenues to prevent any leakage or
malpractices.
Process management will lead to regular objective feedbacks on
works and services to ensure quality-time-cost control to head
office through 2-way communication task-lines as elaborated.
DEPARTMENT REPORT (SERVICE - TECHNOLOGY/R&D)
Process management will lead to SMEs competing on all knowledge
applications and technology start-ups.
Service Departments will be working with coordination and knowledge
application of the latest technologies, hardware and software
development.
DEPARTMENT REPORT (MARKETING)
Ministries will be able to focus on fulfilling customers'
needs/values, equipment/material/manpower changes, price/cost,
A&P - 4 P (product differentiations or technology excellence)
corresponding to your research and development ?
Finally Revenue Department will ensure that all monies of the
citizens are properly accounted for with core activities set up as
suggested by late President Ong Teng Cheong to oversee revenue
collection with corrective actions taken on any quantified
variances.