Business good alternative to employment-Davao Chamber

The Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) is encouraging new graduates and job seekers to consider business as a good alternative to employment.

“Many Dabawenyos are not very much aware of the opportunities of small businesses and this is something which they should seriously consider,” DCCCII President Architect Daniel Lim said during the opening of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Week at Abreeza Mall Monday.

The MSME Week will be an ideal venue for small and medium entrepreneurs to showcase their products. More importantly, he said, it will also provide them with additional entrepreneurship knowledge in the areas of Business Management, Franchising and Marketing among others through the series of seminars that will be held in different venues throughout the week.

Lim said being and entrepreneur means being able to have full control of your time and your own future. He said food remains a good prospect for future entrepreneurs as there is always demand.

“Budding entrepreneurs can also look at the possibility of events organizing and franchising,” he said. With franchising, he said, everything is provided and already comes with the complete package, you only have to follow the procedures.

He said the Chamber has 300 to 400 members, many of which are members of associations. We have many members who are small and medium entrepreneurs, he added.

Since the Chamber is promoting franchising as the easiest way to get into business, they invited AFFI Mindanao Chapter Director Voltaire Magpayo to speak on “Franchising As a Business Venture: Success and Pitfalls” yesterday. They also had presentations from Pork’s Best President and CEO Alice del Mundo and King Siomai owner Billy Guevarra.

Obama's Victory To Increase Investor Confidence

The Davao City Chamber of Commerce, Inc. is optimistic that the victory of United States President Barack Obama will increase investor confidence not only in the US but in other countries as well.

"We are optimistic but also realistic---we do not expect that a solution to the US recession will happen in the next 6 to 9 months but investor confidence will definitely increase," DCCCI president
Simeon Marfori said . The increase in investor confidence may not be to the previous level, he added, but it will increase with his victory.

Marfori sees a resurgence of the country's Business Process Outsourcing or BPO sector even with the slowing down of the US economy. With the American companies gearing towards cost-cutting measures, he said, they will then outsource their non-core activities to other countries like the Philippines.

It is good business sense to outsource non-core jobs since it will cost less than employing over-qualified personnel in the US who ask for higher salaries. Filipinos can look forward to more outsourced jobs in the following sectors: graphic design, content development, transcription and call centers.

However, those in the BPO sector are still worried about Obama's stance against outsourcing since he has declared his intention to end tax breaks for companies outsourcing their services outside the US. Some Americans consider the outsourcing trend as the reason why many of them are jobless.