Mauritius’ small, medium and large enterprises witnessed the sixth edition of the Mauritius Business Excellence Award (MBEA) Competition 2013 on Friday, October 10, 2014 at the Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts, Balaclava.
Organised by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection in conjunction with the Ministry of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives, the awards ceremony welcomed some two hundred people, including the nominees and enterprises that won last year.
There were two overarching winners declared across three separate categories of firms – small enterprises, medium enterprises and large enterprises. Besides, special mention was given to firms in each category that had excelled in spheres like leadership, sales & marketing as well as operations management.
In the small enterprise category, the two winners were: Topress Ltd and Napco Reconditioning Centre Ltd. Besides, MT Uniform Ltd and English Bay Co. Ltd were recognised for their sense of Leadership, and excellence in Sales & Marketing, respectively.
From the ranks of medium enterprises, the two winners were Integrity Metal Works Ltd and Ravior Co Ltd, while VESL Technologies Ltd and Business Solutions Professionals Ltd were mentioned for their quality of Operations Management and Leadership respectively.
And, finally, the winners for the category of large enterprises were Ceridian Mauritius Ltd and MC Easy Freight Co Ltd. Three enterprises, namely Mauritius Ports Authority, RHT Bus Services Ltd and The New India Assurance Co Ltd had special mention in Operations Management, Leadership and Sales & Marketing respectively.
The aim of the MBEA is to foster a culture of excellence among Mauritian economic operators, as the government wishes that excellence permeates all businesses and impregnates the entire ecosystem in Mauritius.
The award was open to businesses in all sectors such as manufacturing, agricultural, tourism, financial and other services.
In his keynote address, Mauritius business minister Jangbahadoorsing Seetaram stated that business best practices encompass the best working methods to achieve business objectives.
He said that the best way of comparing with market leaders is by using benchmarking, which allows businesses to compare their vital statistics with the key highlights of other businesses to know where they must improve.
Minister Seetaram added that great firms believe in improvement, hence change and excellence should be a habit and a way of life adopted by businesses, stressing that excellence is the only path to growth.
Also, Minister Seetaram announced that the government has embarked on another journey of business excellence which is about rewarding inclusive businesss, via the launch of the National Inclusive Business Awards to be held in December 2014.
According to him, entrepreneurs must commit to excellence that is never ending, as they make a habit of outperforming on their set targets.
Two institutions achieved excellence, namely Mauritius Business Growth Scheme (MBGS), which has funded 293 projects to the tune of some Rs 200 million, and the Small & Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA), which is accompanying businesses that are at the lower of the ladder to improve slowly but surely.
Minister Seetaram ended on the note: “Excellence is a journey, not necessarily a destination.”
For his part, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection, Cader Sayed-Hossen, mentioned that this initiative has triggered the quest for excellence among a larger number of businesses and has generated awareness that one should always strive for superior performance to remain competitive in a market place where supply invariably exceeds demand.
As the changing environment is marked by an uneven global economic recovery with continued weakness in the Eurozone, he called upon Mauritius’ enterprises to display excellence at all level of operation to navigate and forge ahead through this difficult time.
“The government is fully committed to support enterprises to remain competitive and accelerate the process of development for helping Mauritius graduate to a high income economy,” he said.
To enable enterprises to consolidate and grow, the government has put up a series of support measures such as the MBGS, Leasing Equipment Modernisation Scheme, Export Credit Insurance Scheme, RWG Credit Financing Scheme, as well as market development assistance through Enterprise Mauritius and National Resilience Fund.
Finally, Arnaud Dalais, Chairman of the Manufacturing Excellence Award and the CIEL group, who was the chief guest at the occasion, said that good decisions are always fundamental to a successful organisation.
He highlighted that CIEL believes in a culture of champions, and this is why it empowers and encourages its managers to act as entrepreneurs in their work environment.
He concluded on the note that the government has the duty to nurture the spirit of excellence, which must inspire respect and go beyond routine work.
Image (Cecilia Samoisi): Mauritius business minister Jangbahadoorsing Seetaram stated that great firms believe in improvement, hence change and excellence should be a habit and a way of life adopted by businesses, whilst stressing that excellence is the only path to growth.
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