With the support of the Business Environmental Council (BEC) and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS), the HSBC Living Business Awards 2008 is open to all SMEs in Hong Kong.

The Awards recognise lcoal SMEs who have made outstanding contribution to the environment and community in Hong Kong to sustain long-term business success.

Topics:

• Award categories and recognition


• Eligibility


• Judging criteria


• Judging process


• Awards timeline


• Application form


• Enquiries


• Frequently asked questions

Award categories

1. Diamond award - one cash prize of HK$80,000


2. Emerald award - three cash prizes of HK$50,000 each


3. Ruby award - three cash prizes of HK$10,000 each


4. Sapphire award - up to three cash prizes of HK$10,000 each which will be presented to the winners of the SME Community Participation Award under the HKCSS's Caring Company Scheme.


5. Outstanding Community Project Award - one cash prize of HK$10,000 (NEW)


6. Outstanding Green Project Award - one cash prize of HK$10,000 (NEW)


7. Certificate of excellence - unlimited


8. Certificate of merit - unlimited

In addition, winners of the Diamond, Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire awards will be entitled to display the official HSBC Living Business Awards logo for three years and enjoy publicity and advertising in the media.

Recipients of the certificates of merit and certificates of excellence will be entitled to display the HSBC Living Business Awards logo for one year.

Eligibility

The HSBC Living Business Awards 2008 is open to all SMEs who have started their businesses in Hong Kong no later than January 2007. An SME is defined as: "A manufacturing enterprise with fewer than 100 employees or a non-manufacturing enterprise with fewer than 50 employees in Hong Kong."

An 'employee' refers to a full-time employee who is working in Hong Kong.

Judging criteria

All applications will be judged based on the following four criteria:

1. Commitment to environmental protection


2. Excellence in employee management


3. Achievements in community development


4. Overall management quality and effectiveness

Judging process

The judging process covers the applicant's company performance and legal compliance after 1 January 2007. There are five steps in the judging process:

1. Eligibility review
   All applicants will be screened for their eligibility, according to their number of employees and date of incorporation.


2. First stage preliminary assessment
   All eligible applicants will be assessed based on the number of criteria met in the application form.


3. Second stage assessment
   Short-listed SMEs will be requested to fill in an additional checklist (click here to download a sample additional checklist) to provide more information on their CR performance. When being compared with other submissions, the applicant's company size and business nature will also be taken into account.


4. Detailed assessment
   SMEs who are short-listed may be asked to provide further information and/or host a half-day observational visit from which a detailed analysis will be prepared.


5. Final round judging
   An independent judging panel will evaluate the results of the previous assessment stages. SMEs may be asked to make a presentation in support of their application.

The eligibility review, preliminary assessments and detailed assessment will be conducted by BEC.
Note: All information supplied for the judging process will be used solely for the purpose of the Awards.

Awards timeline

Application deadline:	25 April 2008
Eligibility review:	April - May 2008
Preliminary and second stage assessment:	May 2008
Detailed assessment:	June - July 2008
Final judging:	July 2008
Award presentation:	September 2008

Application form

• The HSBC Living Business Awards 2008 Application Form (in PDF format)


• The HSBC Living Business Awards 2008 Application Form (in word format)

Enquiries
Please email to livingbusiness@bec.org.hk or by phone to our hotline (852) 2784 3936. The hotline operates during business hours: 9:00am - 1:00pm and 2:00pm - 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

Frequently asked questions

• FAQ