The recently concluded 37th Philippine Business Conference and Expo held at the Manila Hotel gathered hundreds of businessmen and business groups across the country to jointly promote One. Global. Filipino.The event was organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the objective of “Driving Partnerships, Shapening our Competitive Edge”. Highlight of the conference include the attendance and participation of key personalities in both the private and government sectors.
President Benigno S. Aquino III, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay and DOTC Secretary Mar A. Roxas II, among others, graced the event and addressed the nation’s business leaders.
This year’s conference tackled one new and exciting topic of Social Media as part of business transformation and invited Mel Velarde, President and CEO of PSE-listed company Now Corporation(Now Corporation), to share his views as speaker to the general assembly. He was invited to talk on the topic “New Channels for Business Growth: Increasing Revenue thru the Free Use of Social Media.”
With fresh findings from his research done at Harvard Business School, Mr. Velarde differentiated social from digital strategy and claimed that what we have at the moment are mostly “tradigital” websites which are traditional content shown in digital formats.
Mr. Velarde pointed out that “what the public needs is a social media platform where true engagement with citizens and consumers on one hand, with government and business on the other, can be achieved.” He then announced the forthcoming launch of his company’s central campaign titled “Software as a Public Service or SWAAPS.” Initially targeting PCCI members and Local Government Units to benefit from software tools such as SMI(social media integration), SePUB (self electronic publishing) and C2RM (customer/citizen relationship management).
Mr. Velarde cited statistics from various sources that challenge local businessmen. The statistics show that there are at least two (2) billion online users of the internet with Social Media as top application surpassing email and pornography. Revealing data was that ninety percent(90%) of the global consumer are highly influenced by online peers when purchasing a product or service compared to website (65%) and TV (45%).
“Businessmen now realize it’s no longer a choice… you must embrace social media or else at least three things will happen: your customer will go to your social media-enabled competitors, your business will become extinct and since your children and grandchildren can’t talk to you, you will be extinct as well.
Social media also down aging and accelerates social intelligence and strengthens social integration.”
Now Corporation is currently serving major clients worldwide with converged Telecommunications, Media and Technology (TMT) solutions. Key Now Corporation executives include DR. Thomas Aquino, Board Chairman and Head of Global Strategic Markets and Angelo Timoteo Diaz de Rivera, formerly CICT Commissioner, is the current President of Collaborative Division of Now Corporation and Head of Product Development.
SANTA ANA, CA—The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County (FACCOC) becomes one of the first recipients in the United States of an advanced digital media portal, Nowplanet, developed by Now Corporation, a listed Philippine-based company engaged in the development and distribution of diversified technology services. In his most recent travel to the U.S., President and CEO of Now Corporation, Mel Velarde signed a memorandum of understanding with FACCOC President Para Anderson, to provide FACCOC members free and unlimited use of NowPlanet that can be customized to their own business and individual interests.
Having a dedicated community channel, FACCOC will be able to communicate its advocacy and programs to its members across all forms of devices, from the Internet-connected computers, tablets and other mobile devices. Similarly, FACCOC members will have the ability to easily create their own NowPlanet Channel and use it as a tool to promote their business beyond the desktop and into the mobile and tablet devices. The Channel will enable them to feature their business’ marketing collaterals, photos and videos that are optimized to be viewed on the devices mentioned above.
The new strategic partnership between FACCOC and Now Corporation is the first major phase to reinforce FACCOC’s commitment to implement member-centric programs along the lines of “Think OC, Act Globally” theme. “We will align the Chamber with organizations that can help provide a platform for our members to gain maximum exposure in the local and global arena” FACCOC President, Para Anderson expressed, as she unveiled the theme recently at the 17th Annual Awards and Gala on October 22, 2011.
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This exciting partnership is an initiative that will surely promote not only the advocacies of FACCOC but more importantly empower its members as well.” Mel Velarde quoted as saying, “Now Corporation is proud to provide this innovative service to FACCOC members, a new marketing channel to expand their customer base and grow their business.”
The launch of Nowplanet will be in conjunction with FACCOC’s first workshop of the year, “Improving Your Personal and Business Relationships” on February 16, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort, 12021 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, CA. The event is open to entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals and students. Register now at http://faccocevent2.eventbrite.com or www.faccoc.org.
Publicly listed Now Corporation and the prestigious Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) have partnered to launch iCollege, a much-needed academe-industry partnership that seeks to offer cutting edge professional certificate courses that push the boundaries in media and ICT education.
Having engaged in knowledge process outsourcing and business process outsourcing with offices in Silicon Valley and Tokyo, Now Corporation recognizes the need to continuously upgrade Filipino knowledge and expertise to match global standards. As such, Now Corporation developed this Knowledge Hub in collaboration with AIJC to empower Filipino knowledge professionals with the latest technologies in digital media and ICT.
iCollege is not just like any other technology education institution. It provides professionals in the business, media and public sectors the know-how in adapting to current technology trends, particularly the fast-paced shift towards being social, mobile and global.
Participants of iCollege’s professional certificate courses in media, information and communications technology and various Internet-enabled disciplines will not only learn the essentials of the innovation but also gain valuable insight on how these can be applied in a real setting, wherein social networks dominate the computing landscape and mobile Internet usage has grown exponentially. This translates to better, high-earning career opportunities for these Filipino knowledge workers.
iCollege will initially offer professional certificate programs under four tracks, namely: Media and ICT, Management and ICT, Public Sector and ICT, and Information Technology. Courses under each track include programs like: Powerful Presentation Skills, 2D/3D Animation, Practical Applications in the Use of Human Resource Systems, Social Mobile Customer Relationships Management for Enterprises, Global Marketing using Traditional and Digital Media, Use of Social Media and Mobile Technology for Advocacy and Campaigns, and Web Content Management, to name a few. Each track has a varied listing of offerings and will continue to expand as new topics are introduced.
Participants to the available programs are given hands-on workshops and assignments for more effective instruction.
In addition, credits gained from the certificate courses can be used to complete a Master’s Degree in either Journalism or Communications Management in the future.
“We are seeing several new trends emerging in ICT-enabled operations as well as in digital media,” Now Corporation President for Collaborative ICT Services Timoteo Diaz de Rivera shares. “We feel that iCollege is now ready to serve the public at a time where there is a strong interest in many of these topics and programs. We are in fact sharing the expertise and resources of the accumulated human capital in each of our partner organizations to provide comprehensive, informative and timely courses for our program participants. For stellar students who show a keen proficiency in their courses, there may even be consulting and employment possibilities to look forward to.”
For quickly growing online communities across Metropolitan Manila, iCollege’s new ICT Essentials courses couldn’t come at a more appropriate time. With campuses and classrooms located in Makati, Greenhills, and Manila, students can find a convenient venue and appropriate program that suits their professional needs.
For interested parties outside of Metro Manila, many of the courses will also be available through scheduled online webinars.
Expected to spark interest among participants in these courses are innovations that enable more effective interactions with target audiences or constituents anytime, anywhere, and quite interestingly on any device that accesses the Internet. This is because mobility and flexibility have become high priority enablers for building stronger business and social relationships, and the skills that can be learned from these new iCollege Knowledge Essentials programs can be vital in the personal and professional success of the course attendees.
iCollege programs and classes begin as early as November 15, 2012. You may check out the full listing of their programs and other details at: www.ictvglobal.com/iCollege.