Bangkok--4 Apr--KASIKORNBANK
KASIKORNBANK, to speed up the engine of K SME Care project, joins hands with ISMED (Institute for Small and Medium Enterprises Development) organized ‘Business Competitiveness Diagnosis SMEs Program’ to analyze business operation of Thai SMEs , point out strengths and weaknesses, and provide solutions. The bank will select first 10 companies to undergo diagnosis and then apply the works to SMEs across the country.
Mr. Pakorn Partanapat, First Senior Vice President of KASIKORNBANK revealed that apart from being one of the leading commercial banks that supports loans to SMEs, KBank also has a policy of creating sustainable strength for Thai SMEs via the K SME Care program by helping them with funding capital, advice, knowledge, and information.
And recently, KBank has joined hands with ISMED to organize this ‘Business Competitiveness Diagnosis SMEs Program’ to help entrepreneurs in business analysis, gauge operational practicality and bring out the performance of SMEs to identify strengths and weaknesses, including rendering advice to adjust their operations based on the information obtained which will be used to develop them and lead to a sustainable growth of their businesses.
Initially, the Bank will start with 10 Thai SMEs with sales not more than THB400 million per annum to undergo diagnosis. Both executives and operational staff will be interviewed, where data processing will be compiled from questionnaires. Then the ISMED will take that information and find conclusive solutions, comparing their strengths and weaknesses with those of rivals to come up with a clearer vision in the form of graphs and charts after evaluation over around 2 months. After that, outcomes from these analyzes will be offered for business application among other Thai entrepreneurs across the country via seminars, training and on-the-job seminars.
Mr. Pakorn added that SMEs can be compared to an important artery that nourishes the Thai economy. Nonetheless, SMEs are quite sensitive to changes in the economic or political situation, particularly when the country is faced with problems in a sluggish domestic economy, the Baht’ s appreciation, tough competition from rivals, etc. As a result, KBank is placing importance on ways to sustain SMEs.
Business Competitiveness Diagnosis for SMEs is a part of the K SME Care project in the ‘A’ section, referring to “Advice.” In that project, the Bank will provide suggestions to SMEs in order to develop their long-term economic operations. Previously, KBank cooperated with the SMEs Incubation Center of Chulalongkorn University in order to arrange a project to promote sustainable management at SMEs where they presented a course to develop various knowledge for SMEs nationwide, at no charge.