“Over the past two years, the use of SNA has extended beyond the telecommunications industry,” says Frost & Sullivan Senior Industry Analyst, Saverio Romeo. “In fact, major SNA solution providers have expanded their SNA customer portfolios into vertical markets.  SNA applications such as customer churn management, product marketing and fraud detection are becoming common in retail, online gaming, finance and banking.”

Frost & Sullivan’s survey covered eight SNA solution providers. A detailed questionnaire ranked the level of adoption from a score of 1 (low adoption) to 4 (very high adoption). As expected, SNA penetration in the telecommunications industry was medium-high – at least one point above all the other industries. Interviewees also suggested other sectors such as insurance, online advertising, and public administration as strong potential markets for SNA.

Frost & Sullivan predicts that during 2012-2014, the use of SNA in the telecommunications industry will grow rapidly, followed by the online gaming industry which will demonstrate a similarly high pace of growth. The retail, and finance and banking verticals are expected to experience medium-high growth in terms of SNA.

In Frost & Sullivan’s survey, SNA solution providers were asked to rank applications of SNA from 1 (never used) to 5 (always used) for different industries. In the telecommunications industry, churn management emerged as the top application of SNA, followed by product marketing and customer acquisition. Among other applications mentioned were identifying influencers, rotational churn, multi-SIM identification, and customer base segmentation.

In the retail industry, SNA was primarily used for optimising product marketing campaigns, concentrated on customer segmentation and product recommendation. Other applications mentioned in the survey were loyalty programme management and the use of SNA as a social media analytics tool.

Banking and finance market players used SNA for fraud detection. However, the low usage scores reveal that SNA adoption is still at an embryonic stage in this vertical. Other SNA applications adopted by this sector were customer acquisition, credit risk analysis and loyalty programme management.

Fraud detection was also the most used application in the online gaming industry. In this case, the usage scores were just above the medium threshold. Considering the use of SNA in the online gaming sector is a recent phenomenon, these scores show that SNA adoption is expanding rapidly. Other applications of SNA in online gaming included improving customer experience and increasing average spending.

“SNA is able to scan customer communities and interpret customers’ social roles and behaviours.  In combination with predictive analytics, it can foresee trends and spot business opportunities,” summarises Saverio Romeo. “The telecommunications sector has shown that this functionality is valuable for several core activities including churn management and product marketing. Industries such as online gaming, retail, and banking and finance are starting to have a similar experience. This evolution will continue during the next two to three years, making SNA an important analytical tool.”

About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company’s Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO’s Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 40 offices on six continents. For more information visit www.frost.com.

Orange Different Business Competition

At one time or another many of us will have daydreamt about how nice it would be to give up our day jobs and work for ourselves. But to start and run a successful business, you need to be creative, innovative and fearless. For those that have tried, it doesn’t take long to realise setting up your own company can be a very stressful time; and to make it a success often needs more than hard work and good luck.

Facebook wasn’t the first social network on the interweb. But the idea behind the hard work was original, and that’s what made the difference. So, if you were to stop and think of a good business idea, what would it be? It’s not that easy is it? But if you do think of one, Orange would like to hear from you.

Orange already support and sponsor businesses all over the UK and right now they are looking to support a new inspiring business idea – something different, something fresh and exciting.

When Orange launched into a competitive mobile market in 1994 part of their success was due to standing out from the competition and doing things in a different way. Leading the field, they were first to charge calls by the second; and they were the first mobile company to offer their customers 2 for 1 cinema tickets and pizza deals. Since their launch, Orange has continued to be a market leader, and now they are looking to offer support, legal and business planning advice, mentoring, investment capital and marketing consultancy to one lucky winner.

But to win this amazing prize a panel of judges, which includes some of the UK’s most successful business leaders, will need to be convinced that your innovative new business idea is good enough to become the UK’s next different business.

By entering the Orange Different Business Competition you can win your business £200,000 worth of business advice and help including:

• business planning advice and mentoring from Kingston Smith

• mobile communications devices and plans from Orange

• marketing consultancy from Publicis Chemistry

• legal advice from Lewis Silkin

• investment capital

So if you have something up your sleeve, here’s a heads up. Orange and the panel of judges are particularly looking for something different. They are looking for innovation, different approaches, clear strategies – above all, something that is worth funding. The prize is worth up to £200,000. So what are you waiting for?

For more information visit Win Your Business and find out how to enter Orange’s Different Business Competition.

Sponsored Post

Correct positioning of the body when lifting or lowering heavy objects, as well as safety awareness, are important to avoid injury. Following appropriate safety measures can reduce the risk of injury from improper lifting, but how can you be sure your employees are aware of the correct way of lifting heavy objects?

Health and safety training courses are an important tool for employers. When performing improper handling injures employees, they often take valuable time away from work for treatment and recovery. This of course has a cost to the business.

It is the responsibility of management in a workplace to create an environment where employees can safely carry out their duties. Keeping walkways clear, keeping equipment in good repair, and making sure individuals are aware of health and safety practices are all important in maintaining a safe and secure workplace. Neglecting safety training can mean expensive accidents. A negligent employer can face fines, a court case and the resultant damage to their reputations.

Bosses should never assume their employees understand the basics of proper manual lifting. Whilst everyone has heard “lift with the legs, not the back”, not everyone knows how to implement that advice, or how to handle moving awkward loads. Often, employees don’t take the time to use proper lifting equipment because they may not realize the danger or don’t understand the company’s safety policy. Having lifting aids available to employees is of no use if the employees don’t know how to use them or aren’t aware of how important it is to use the aids.

Up to 18% of employees are not trained at all in the use of manual handling aids, leaving them at serious risk of injury. There is no point in having lifting aids if they’re not used, or if they’re not used properly, so training is as important as having the aids available.

Posting up notices within the workplace to remind employees about safety procedures is essential; employees are more likely to take the time to use proper equipment and practices when they are reminded.

Risk assessments must be conducted in the workplace. By understanding how jobs are preformed and by whom, employers can reduce manual handling by employees as much as possible, reducing the risk of injuries. When lifting of heavy objects is a necessary part of the job, training will help employees avoid injuries, and saves employers both time and money.

SMEs are often better placed than larger organisations to respond and adapt to the challenges that a fiscal crisis creates. This paper offers a “Toolbox for success” that outlines key action points to help SMEs increase their market presence and sales during these challenging times.   The paper covers a range of topics for consideration, such as discovering new work practices and employee engagement.

“How to Win Business in a Recession” is free to download, but network members ask anyone downloading it if they would be interested in making a voluntary contribution to UNICEF.  The paper was put together by a number of leading experts from Australia, Greece and the UK, providing excellent insight on how to manage business during a recession.

Maurizio Fantato, Network Co-ordinator, explains,

“With this paper, we also wanted to extend our efforts beyond the business sphere and show our support for the excellent work carried out by UNICEF and so we ask anyone downloading it to consider donating to this organisation through the link provided.”

The report analyses a number of cities, in terms of ‘smart development’, across ten high-growth markets in Asia; Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

It also provides detailed analysis of more than 100 current and future projects aimed at improving some of the most dynamic and fast-growing cities in Asia; and ranks each of the smart initiatives according to timescale, scope and technological requirements.

Significant business opportunities for UK companies are highlighted across a number of sectors including; buildings and the environment, education, energy, health, digital media, and transport – taking into account how British expertise could be deployed to meet each opportunity.

Some of the most significant projects identified in the report, carried out by Frost & Sullivan with input from UK Trade & Investment’s Asian representatives, include:

• A major extension of the railway network in Hong Kong, offering opportunities to deliver a rail management system, IT infrastructure within stations and trains, journey planner for passengers & transport interchange infrastructure and sustainable railway design including signalling, main control systems, environmental control system and traction energy system.

• Mobile Telemedicine System in Indonesia, with opportunities forcompanies with technology around patient monitoring, telehealth, telemedicine and smartphone applications.

• 3G Network deployment in Thailand, providing immediate opportunities for companies that can deliver grid applications, remote monitoring, telehealth, telecommuting, and connected homes.

• Renewable energy development project in Vietnam, with the generation of electricity through sources such as small hydro, biomass, solar and wind with opportunities for investors, technology suppliers, EPC contractors to partner in project development.

To help UK businesses to capitalise on these projects and understand the challenges and opportunities they present, UK Trade & Investment will be hosting a half-day ‘Smart Cities in Asia’ seminar on Tuesday 14 February at MediaCityUK, Salford Quays.

A panel of UK Trade & Investment and industry experts will provide in-depth analysis of the projects in Salford, where delegates will be able to talk to experts from the research team as well as UK Trade & Investment representatives from the ten markets in the research.

Steve O’Leary, UK Trade & Investment Director, Infrastructure and Low Carbon, who will be speaking at the Salford seminar, said:

“It is forecast that by 2020, forty cities on a global basis will be defined as ‘smart’, with the next wave stemming from Asia.  As our report shows this represents concrete opportunities for innovative UK businesses with products and solutions demanded by these cities.  We want to ensure that UK companies and British expertise play a significant role in the development of Smart Cities in Asia, and this report and our events are the first step in this process.”

Frost & Sullivan Director of Strategic Partnerships Iain Jawad, who will be presenting the findings of the report at Explore Asia, said:

“Across Asia, the capital cities and other urban centres of developed and emerging markets are facing a broad range of challenges to which smart solutions provide concrete and tangible solutions. From insufficient energy resources to substandard infrastructure the challenges are pressing and fundamental, which means that for UK businesses able to successfully penetrate these markets, the opportunity is both immediate and sustainable.”

A downloadable version of the final report is now available from www.ukti.gov.uk.

Will the 2012 snow season be the same with thousands of businesses sending staff home early because of the weather? Companies who employ remote workers and home workers are always relieved and pleased that there will be no disruption to their normal business day.

At least 5.5 million Brits who are home based or work flexibly and remotely will not have to clear a snowed-in drive and battle cold non-starting engines. They will not be affected by delayed or cancelled public transport; instead, they will be able to throw a few snowballs with ‘home-bound’ kids before ambling into their home office and getting down to business as usual.
iHubbub a new social community for business start-ups and freelancers as well as remote, virtual and home workers, highlights how remote and home working benefits the environment, business production and an employee’s quality work life.

The winter of 2009 saw periods of extremely heavy snow combined with strong winds, followed by a big freeze. The treacherous conditions and snowdrifts of more than three metres high crippled road and rail networks and disrupted an economy already in recession.

Millions of people had to stay at home and do very little or suffer the stress, discomfort and danger of getting into work because there was no alternative. With the huge advances in technology millions of people hit by the recession have started up their own home business. Likewise, more and more ‘bang on trend’ companies have been implementing remote and home working solutions to enable their team to be mobile for all sorts of business advantages, including extreme weather conditions.

Founders Ken Sheridan and Paula Wynne are proud that iHubbub will champion the vibrant home business community via a range of social tools, helpful business resources and a growing online platform. They believe iHubbub’s social networking community is welcoming, encouraging, unassuming and above all supportive.

Ken said: “Thanks to the penetration of technologies in the home that enable home based working, the weather may stop transport systems, but it should not hit many SMEs and home businesses in the same way that it did in 1991 and 2009, particularly those that have already enabled staff to access the same information and systems from home that they have in their workplace.”

iHubbub enables its members to get in touch with other home workers and businesses within the community to get ideas, advice and support to make home working a pleasurable and successful way of working. So more than 5m home workers across the UK will not be effected by the 2012 snows.

According to the latest statistics from Ofcom spending on domestic telecoms has actually decreased on average, even though demand is increasing. People’s habits are changing, with data usage in particular going through the roof. Therefore, users are looking for a combination of value for money along with quality, high speed performance.

The average monthly telecom spend is £63.10 per household. This is made up of £31.34 on mobile; £22.27 on fixed voice; and £9.48 on internet and broadband. The vast majority of customers confirm that price is the overriding factor when they are choosing their telecom company.

This is the major reason behind Direct Save Telecom’s phone and broadband challenge. Direct Save is urging all UK households to take their telecoms challenge to see how much they could save. The firm’s simple and compelling promise is that any telecom user can send them a copy of their bill, and they will tell you how much that bill would have been if they were with Direct Save Telecom.

Stavros Tsolakis, CEO of Direct Save Telecom, says that the Direct Save challenge has been set-up to show everyone just how much money they will save if they change to Direct Save for their telecom and high speed broadband needs.

Stavros Tsolakis explains:

“We are committed to providing low cost, high quality telecoms and support. Our promise is a fantastic service at a great price, and we have the track record that proves this is the case. We put the needs of our customers first and provide a 24/7 UK-based, skilled, customer support team that are equipped to answer any query. We also aim to build up a good relationship with all our customers through our great service, fulfilled promises and trust – and this is why we can point to such a positive customer retention rate.

“This is not a marketing ploy, there are no hidden tricks, and the cost of your bill will not suddenly soar. We know we can save the average British family hundreds of pounds on their telecom needs, and we are quite willing to prove this before anybody signs up. Other companies will try and entice customers with special offers, but when the time-period elapses their bill will suddenly rise. Our prices remain constant.”

Direct Save Telecom (Direct Save) is an independent telephone service provider. Direct Save was created in 2003, and was born out of Utilities UK Ltd, which was one of the UK’s largest energy agencies at that time. Direct Save was formed when Utilities UK Ltd made telecoms its core activity. Since its creation, Direct Save has seen a steady growth built on a reputation for providing both savings and quality.

The clear message from Direct Save is if you want to reduce your phone and broadband costs then you should look away from the old fashioned telecom companies with their huge pension deficits and crippling debt burdens and look to the new generation companies.

How Companies Really Grow

For some people, setting up as a self-employed business person is for personal reasons; a preference to be at home, work around family-life or simply not be a slave to commuting and a big boss.

To others the idea is to start a business that will in turn grow into something bigger.

Growing pains can be one of the hardest things a company can suffer.  If all is going well and business is good, the way in which a business manages its growth can make or break a company.

I’ve seen this at first hand, where an entrepreneur starts a business, the company excels and grows at an exponential rate without being managed correctly; and the walls come tumbling down.

In such cases this is because the warning signs are not heeded or growth explodes before profit allows for sustainability.

In his book, How Companies Really Grow, Ciaran Walsh explains how to grow a successful business.  By recounting various real life client scenarios he breaks down the process in six easy to follow phases:

• The Creative Phase – when and how you devise an idea for your business

• The Analysis Phase – researching and collecting information to ensure your business idea will work

• The Reactive Phase – where you start to sell your products or services and react to customer feedback

• The Processes Phase – when you are achieving enough sales to make a profit

• The Empowerment Phase – when your business achieves enough growth that you need to delegate to others

• The Divisions Phase – when you create and separate divisions that differ from your main business

One of the main problems that small businesses have as they begin to see growth, according to Walsh, is to carry out inappropriate activities while in the wrong phase of growth. Whether it be writing long term business plans while still in the “Analysis Phase” or launching too many new products at once while in the “Reactive Phase” that causes confusing results.

Others small business owners do not calculate the right time to delegate to others; doing so too early or too late leads to dire consequences.  Again, I have seen this myself in several companies I have worked with where a manager wants to step away from the day-to-day management duties and another whereby his ‘closeness’ turned from a leadership quality to one of interference that stopped others doing their jobs.

Each phase of this enlightening and very easy to read book follows on from the last in a linear fashion and needs to be read from cover to cover rather than be used as a point of reference to drop in and out of.  This book is a valuable source for any start-up or small business owner who is looking to grow their business.

In this book Ciaran Walsh draws on his own experience of running a successful business for 13 years and the knowledge he has of over 200 entrepreneur-led businesses with which he has help to grow.  He has also been a director of many privately owned and Plc companies based both in the UK and overseas.

How Companies Really Grow by Ciaran Walsh is published by Matador priced £19.95

Efficiency is key to success in business, but it is an area that many employers ignore because they find the prospect of reorganising when everyone is familiar with the current way of working a daunting one. However, workers are more adaptable than many bosses realise and will often appreciate management attempts to streamline ungainly work processes, while also appreciating that adaptability is one the best routes to ongoing employment in the current climate.

If you want to streamline your business practices and make you operation more efficient here are some starting points to consider.

Employee Delegation

Are your middle managers weighed down by undemanding administrative tasks? Are they finding themselves dealing with problems that they have no working knowledge of? Often the employees in the field are the most au fait with the workings of their department, and the best equipped to suggest ways of addressing issues. Bosses who are serious about streamlining may wish to consider delegating limited responsibilities to lower level workers in order to lighten the load on management. If handled correctly delegation to employees can be a positive process – allowing them to feel like a trusted member of the team and helping to prepare them for potential moves up the career ladder, while liberating managers from the minutiae of office operations to focus on improving business performance.

Software Consolidation

If your workers are using a number of separate programmes for different work functions, you may be missing a trick. Time spent entering and re-entering data in multiple systems could be better used for building business and meeting orders. Consider consolidating the software you use for areas such as ordering, accounting and invoicing. Using a single programme, or creating your own bespoke white label software using a facility such as Google Apps is a great way to reduce unnecessary repetition of tasks – leaving works free to spend their time on other areas such as client relations or building new leads. Consolidating old software to incorporate more modern methods of communication – such as input from mobile devices used by employees on the go can also help to make your commercial interests more competitive.

Outsourcing

Ok, it may go against the grain in the current climate to pay outside operators to perform tasks on your company’s behalf, but if a task lies outside of your own workforce’s area of expertise, then outsourcing may be the answer. Weight up the costs of outsourcing a certain task or project against the time freed up for employees to perform the jobs that they are best at and earn money for your business and you may find that there  is actually a saving to be made in approaching a necessary task from this angle.

Microsoft's Windows: Your PC Mate with Rufus Hound

This month TV funnyman, Rufus Hound has been on a UK tour with a difference.  He has been visiting UK cities as part of Microsoft’s Windows: Your PC Mate national campaign, continuing Microsoft’s ‘I’m a PC’ theme.

Windows 7 Ultimate

Throughout the month, Windows have been giving away PCs to the most deserving cases via Facebook and Twitter. Rufus Hound and the Windows team have been replacing unsuspecting owners out-of-date, old computers with shiny, new laptops from The Collection complete with Windows 7 and Office 2010.

Rufus’ mission has taken him up and down the country where he will play ‘PC cupid’ and ambush PC owners with a free upgrade and tech makeover using the best and most innovative PCs available today in The Collection from Windows – 22 best-in-class of the season PCs running Windows 7 across five categories, to suit the wide-ranging passions and demands of modern living.

After visiting London, Bristol & Manchester earlier this month, along with thw Windows Team, Rufus will be appearing in Birmingham on 22 November & Southampton on 29 November.

For those who know someone too embarrassed to upgrade their PC or who themselves have a PC so old  it’s not worth stealing, then get in contact with Rufus and the Your PC Mate team via the WindowsUK Facebook and Twitter sites #YourPCMate.

Leila Martine, Head of Windows UK, said:

“By tackling the anxieties and apprehensions real people have, we feel that we’re reigniting the excitement people feel for their PC.  Our research shows that for many their PC has become a style statement. Many even felt their PC says more about them than their clothes and makes a bigger fashion statement than a designer handbag or piece of jewellery.”

Comedian Rufus Hound commented:

“When Windows offered me the chance to follow in the footsteps of F9 and a paperclip I jumped at the chance. Half of the people I know have got PCs so rubbish they make Noddy’s Plod look like Inspector Morse. The fact that they want me to hand out a bunch of free super whizzy machines to the great unwashed is the cherry on the cake. But people have got to sign up on the Facebook page otherwise I have no way of knowing they need a shiny new PC. I’m not Santa Claus although, granted, we share a very similar silhouette.”

Win a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate operating system

As part of the Windows: Your PC Mate national campaign, Buzzin Media has teamed up with Microsoft to offer a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.

Free  Competition

Please Note: this competition has now closed

To enter the competition, just answer the following simple question:

Which comedian is helping Microsoft with the Windows: Your PC Mate national campaign?

Submit your entries to comps@buzzinmedia.co.uk with the subject line: ‘Windows 7’ (other subject lines will not be entered) with your full name, address & contact number.

This Buzzin Media Competition ends on 18th December, 2011.

The editor will randomly choose one winner from the correct answers. The editor’s choice is final.