A Joint project between
Netex Corporation & Singapore Management University
Business Study Missions (Israel)
Submission to: Prof Tan Wee Liang
By Group 5:
Sheryl Baey
Sarah Swee
Elizabeth Chua
Rachel Lam
Content Page
Page
1.
Executive Summary
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3
2.
Company Background
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5
3.
Netex Business Strategy
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5
4.
SWOT Model Analysis: Netex
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6
5.
PEST Model Analysis: Singapore
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7
6.
Trends in Internet Search Navigation
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8
7.
Case Study: South Korea
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9
8.
Recommendations
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12
9.
Conclusion
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14
10.
Additional Note: Singtel
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15
11.
Appendix
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16
12.
Bibliography
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26
Page | 2
1. Executive Summary
This report serves as a preliminary market research analysis on Netex Corporation (Netex).
Netex’s strengths are that solutions are easy to integrate as seen by the Russian ISP partnership with
Golden Telecom and partnership with Israel Google. Opportunities for Netex lies in two types of markets
– emerging markets without pre-existing search navigation leaders or developed markets and partnering
with ISPs.
In our analysis of Singapore, we identify that in line with moving towards a knowledge-based economy,
there is large support for high technology businesses. Moreover, infrastructure and skilled labour are
readily available. However, despite a healthy percentage of personal computer ownership with internet
at 75%, the country’s population size of 4.84 million implies that absolute figures remain small.
Consumer demands for greater efficiency are clearly reflected in the rising trends in internet search
navigation. Expanding ‘sneak peeks’ windows which avoid load time and direct searches which grew
35% between 2002 and 2006 are some of the trends Netex’s has incorporated into their solutions.
Moreover, Korea’s leading search engine: Naver’s case study provides us with a reference point as a
method of entering and dominating a local market.
In our recommendations, factors working in favour of Netex include Singaporean internet users
conducting an average of 164 million searches per month, higher than the average in the Asia Pacific
Region. Moreover, previous attempts to establish a localized search engine has been unsuccessful and
Netex could potentially capture this section.
However we identify hurdles that stand in Netex’s way. These include existing dominance of Google and
people’s resistance to change. Also, their service scalability is limited and dependent on the population
Page | 3
of the hosting country since search results are country-specific. Therefore transference of Netex
solutions from one country to another are usually always subject to initial steep learning curves.
Therefore, after careful consideration of the factors working for and against Netex, we conclude that the
Singapore market is small and not an attractive market to enter. However, if Netex were able to form
partnerships with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Singapore, such as Singtel, who has expressed
preliminary interest1 in Netex, they could potentially use Singapore and partner ISPs as a springboard to
enter other South East Asian emerging markets such as Vietnam.
1
Refer to Addition Note: Singtel, page 18 of this report.
Page | 4
2. Company Background
Founded by Aviv Refua, the current CEO, the company started with an idea of search the web without the use of
complex URL addresses. 10 years on and with a lean workforce of 50 employees, the company has seen itself grow
steadily from initial concept through technology development and to the launch and refinement of its solutions.
In 2005, the company went public on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange for 17.5 million Shekels in 2005. Through
multiple strategic partnerships with Israel Internet Service Providers (ISPs), they have captured over 50% of the
internet user market in Israel.
Netex’s success and significant growth2 can be attributed to their simple philosophy of keeping search results
simple yet relevant. Searches are site-based as opposed with the traditional content-based.
Their main source of revenue is through online advertisements, with the simple “pay per click” business model.
They also auction the top listing positions of their search engine directory to companies. Listing position shift
according to bid amounts or for an annually negotiated lump sum amount, companies can book their desired slot.
As a country-specific search engine, a step forward is to head abroad into larger, more lucrative foreign markets by
integrating their patented technologies with foreign ISP’s understanding of locals. Their aim is to be the search
choice for local-based search, targeted to the needs of the local user, redirecting them to the most relevant sites.
3. Netex Business Strategy
As online advertising requires substantial traffic, Netex’s revenue is heavily tied to the percentage of internet user
market that uses the Netex search solution. Therefore, there are strategic partnerships with multiple ISPs to
capture as much of the Israel population. However, with a considerably small population size of approximately 7
million in Israel, Netex identifies the limitations of growth in the local market.
2
1000 new users set Netex as their default homepage daily.
Page | 5
Thus they recognize the need to sell their technologies overseas. Ironically, Netex’s unique selling point about
being a country-specific search, acts as a hurdle as the company lacks knowledge about foreign markets. Therefore,
they seek partnerships with overseas ISPs, leveraging on their domain knowledge and existing customer base.
4. SWOT Model Analysis: Netex
Strengths
a)
Integrated redirect feature - Instant search results
b) Direct search enabled – Can enter searches into navigation bar directly
c)
Small but relevant results – daily monitoring to remove dead websites or bad links
d) Easily integrated Web User Interface - easy to adapt to a variety of media platforms
e)
Small headcount and simple business model – lean operations
f)
User data safety assurance – user data not kept therefore cannot be leaked
Weakness
a)
Success is limited to company’s knowledge of local search market behavior and language competency. E.g.
slangs, culture, local websites.
b) Limited scalability – search results catered specifically to locals.
c)
Lack of manpower to push into new markets and success in Israel may be due to the familiarity to their
own local market.
Opportunities
a)
Capture market share in emerging markets
b) Partner with foreign ISPs to capture market share
Threats
Page | 6
a)
Existing search engines
b) Proliferation of search technologies: Artificial Intelligence, Attractive Search Homepage, Clustering
Engines, Recommendation Engines, Meta-meta search engines, others.
c)
Local site-based search engine already in place.
5. PEST Model Analysis: Singapore
Political
Singapore has a stable political climate with a strong local government reinforced by an efficient public service,
which minimizes red-tape. The Singapore government invests substantially in business infrastructure and offers
favorable corporate taxation, especially in the early years of operation. It also offers funding for local business
ventures.
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) was set up to encourage foreign investment and
innovative technology deployment and usage in Singapore – in order to enhance the global economic
competitiveness in Singapore3. Through the IDA, the Singapore government helps to develop the nation into a
knowledge-based economy.
Economical
The economy is stable and highly developed. The proliferation of IT and the internet has made is highly accessible
to the population at large, creating an IT-savvy local population. Moreover, the cost of internet subscription is also
very low, which further encourages subscription. The annual inflation rate in Singapore reached a high of 6.5% in
20084 while GNI p.c. of the capital city is S$24,220 (2004).
3
4
iDA Singapore – http://www.ida.gov.sg
Singstat - http://www.singstat.gov.sg/stats/keyind.html#keyind
Page | 7
The Infocomm industry employs about 4.8% of the labour market, a percentage that has remained constant over
the past few years. In addition, IDA industry statistics of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) shows that while
72% have a computer and 66% use the Internet, only 31% have a website.
Social
Singapore has a total population at 4.84 million (as of June 2008 5). With a high emphasis on education and
qualifications, the population is well-educated with adult literacy rates standing at 96.0% in 2007. Personal
computer usage and the Internet are integral to the lives of Singaporeans today. This is apparent through the
marginal difference Singaporean consumers’ spending on info-communications and tech gadgets amidst the
current economic downturn.
Technological
Singapore’s telecommunications infrastructure is well-developed. As of 2007, household ownership of personal
computer with internet access reached 75% in 2007.
6. Trends in Internet Search Navigation
Universal Search: This allows users to view consolidated search results of related websites, videos, images,
maps and other online information on a single page. Google launched this search concept in May 2007 but overall
performance fell short. This was attributed to the radically different approach to search navigation compared with
existing search habits of users.
Expanding "Sneak Peeks": “Sneak peeks” enable users to quickly glance at webpage links by opening a small
screen shot to linked sites. Users save time and avoid loading time of new windows. This function is used by
Ask.com and Google.
5
Singstat - http://www.singstat.gov.sg/stats/themes/people/popinbrief2008.pdf
Page | 8
Structured Queries: Searches traditionally analyze words singularly. More complex algorithms are allowing for
syntax searches and search engines’ ability to answer such questions directly. This can be seen in
WolframAlpha.com, a ‘knowledge engine’ that screens and consolidates information from a variety of sources.
Direct Search: Direct search encompasses entering a search directly into the internet browser navigation bar
instead of the search bar, skipping the search engine to arrive at a desired site. Average direct search traffic grew
35%6 between 2002 and 2006.
Real-Time Searches: With increasing demand for real-time information7, real-time search could become the
norm in the near future. Tweetmeme.com and OneRiot.com are examples of search engines with real-time
information access capabilities.
7. Case Study on Local Search Engine: South Korea
As of May 2009, South Korea has a population of 49.39 million of which 37,259,000 are internet users (i.e. 75.4% of
population)8.
The Korean search market is quite saturated with a few major market players. The leading market player is
Naver.com which has a 76% market share. Google and Yahoo both have a local presence with minor shares of 3%
each9.
Local Search Engines
1.
6
Naver.com: Largest Search Engine (South Korea) and 5th most used search engine globally.10
Internet Commerce Association (ICA) Growth & Sustainability of Direct Search Traffic Report 2007.
7
Twitter grew 1328% between February 2008 and February 2009.
EIU statistics
9
The Economist: Business: Seeking Success; Google in Asia
10
http://www.naver.com
8
Page | 9
2.
Daum.com : Former leader in Korea, toppled by Naver.com in 2004.11
3.
Altavista, msn, Nate.com, Simmani and wisenut
Company Profile
Naver.com is owned by NHN Corporation, a public-listed company on the Korea Stock Exchange. The company has
a current market capitalization of 7.7 trillion won 12.
Testimonials (Refer to Appendix) from users illustrate how Naver was able to become the top search engine in
South Korea13 There is the convenience of everything relevant being easily accessible on the homepage of the
search engine, an engaging search interface, customizable pages. They were also won over by the specific results
of the search engine where they receive “all sorts of detailed information in very specific questions and answers”.
Presentation of Search Results
Naver’s interface is categorized by different types of information sources14 i.e. blogs, websites, news, photos and
etc. This information is culled from the web and their own internal database.
Naver’s Market Share of the Internet Search
According to newspaper reports, 35 million South Koreans use the internet each day. For online search enquiries,
Naver.com accounts for 76% of the searches. Yahoo! and Google account for 3% of the market share each.
Naver’s Similarity to Yahoo
Similar to Yahoo!, Naver.com is a portal. It has news, email, discussion groups, stock information, videos,
restaurant reviews etc. 17 million Koreans visit the homepage each day and more than 50% of all Koreans surveyed
have Naver.com as their default homepage15.
11
http://www.daum.net
ThomsonOne Banker Statistics
13 Financial Times: Goole left behind as Koreans Naver-gate web.
14
Business Week: The Little Search Engine that Could.
12
Page | 10
Naver’s Search Engine Innovations
Since January 2009, Naver launched a new service that allows users to customize the homepage to their
preferences. Naver.com is a pioneer in the area of internet search, having introduced the concept of
presenting search by categories which was later adopted by Google.
Another popular feature is Naver's "Knowledge Search" service16. It enables people to ask questions, the
answers to which are served up from a database provided by other users. If an answer is incomplete or
inaccurate, it can be easily changed, Wikipedia-style. A points system rewards users who submit
questions, provide answers or rate the answers provided by other people.
Problems Overcomed by Naver
As there was not enough Korean content to search when Naver started, so the owners decided to focus on the
content that the users had, digitize it, and make it available to other users. Ownership over such content is
retained by Naver and other search engines are not able to access it.
Expansion Strategy
Naver.com has plans to expand into the overseas markets by launching more culturally specific search engine in
other countries. Its first overseas expansion is scheduled for 2009 into the Japanese market, where Yahoo! Japan
is currently dominant. In preparation for its entry, Naver has spent the past 8 years collecting Japan-specific data17.
15
The Economist: Business: Seeking Success; Google in Asia
“Business: Seeking Success; Google in Asia” Anonymous The Economist, London, Feb 28, 2009, Vol 390, Issue
8620, pg 71
17
“Business: Seeking Success; Google in Asia” Anonymous The Economist, London, Feb 28, 2009, Vol 390, Issue
8620, pg 71
16
Page | 11
8. Recommendations
After extensive analysis of the Singapore market for Netex internet services, our recommendation for now is that
there are very limited viable market opportunities in Singapore in which Netex is able to effectively enter with
their internet solutions.
The three critical factors that led us to this conclusion are due to:
1. Singapore’s small population
Due to the small population, the market for Netex services would have limited potential for growth. This is in part
due to the unique position that Netex seeks to serve in being the top choice in local search engine as they have
done to their success in Israel. Therefore in terms of the long-term sustainability of such a localized search engine,
likely in the Asia Pacific region the effort needed to sieve out the extensive websites 18 that Singaporeans usually
visit may be too costly in comparison to the limited revenue growth for the long-term.
2. High barriers to entry
With majority of Singaporeans using Google as the dominant search engine (73.2%) we foresee that there is
significantly high barriers to entry for Netex in an already saturated market. In Israel, Netex had to tie up with
Google to fill in the gap in their search solution which does not include contextual search. In comparison to the
Korean Naver’s success, which is in itself a full-internet service portal, Netex service offerings are limited to its
unique search proposition and the ability for Netex to even penetrate the Singapore market would be heavily
dependent on finding a successful partnership with a local ISP or with an existing company with a collection of
relevant local database of websites to tap onto.
This places Netex at a disadvantage in terms of revenue sharing and the lack of control over the maintenance of
the local search database and quality of sites which would also determine the advertising revenue they receive.
Moreover, as mentioned by trend analysis, the radically different approach of Netex to search navigation
18
According to comScore, Asia Pacific region has the largest unique searchers and largest volume of search queries
in the world (out of 5 regions reported by comScore)
Page | 12
compared with existing search habits of Singapore users poses a psychological barrier that will take time and a
different approach to overcome.
3. Lack of Critical Resources
As mentioned by Netex, their focus is in keeping their company lean and flexible. While this has helped them tide
over the dot.com bubble burst and the recent economic recession, it also serves a major consideration of their
ability to expand their services into Singapore. Due to the highly specialized search solution they provide, the
scalability of their solution is highly dependent on external factors such as knowledge of the entire local website,
slangs, culture, etc. Moreover, as Netex is focused on penetrating the large American market, with Springo, the
only possible scenario that they would offer their search solution in Singapore is if they enter a partnership with a
Singapore company who will be the active partner while Netex takes the more passive side of mainly licensing to
them the DNS solutions, interface and the maintenance on the technical side. The upside of such a scenario may
not be beneficial if there are no Singapore companies that are actively interested in engaging and providing a new
search solution that seeks to capture the local market search.
Netex success in Israel in capturing the local search market was due to the long-term process of collecting a
relevant database of local sites as well as surviving the initial years of little revenue from advertisers due to low
numbers of search users. The likelihood of a Singapore company who is willing to invest in such an extensive effort
would limit the partnership to ISPs and even so the revenue that they receive may not validate the effort needed.
Four Factors that may prove to make Netex services viable
1. High Search Behavior
According to comScore, Singaporean internet users conduct on average 164 million searches per month (monthly
data of Apr, Jul and Sept 2008). Therefore, in terms of absolute number of searches that is conducted by other
search engines (excluding Google, Yahoo & Live search) chalks up to about 5.4 million searches per month, or
3.29%.
Page | 13
This high search behavior by Singapore users, if we divide it by the population shows that 100 searches per
searcher per month or at least 3 per day is higher than the average of 84.7 searches per person in the Asia Pacific
region. This could offset the small population factor and the potential for advertising revenue for Netex if they are
able to capture a larger market share in the search engine. However, as mentioned the potential growth in
absolute search numbers is limited in Singapore if we compare it to the search numbers in China which grew from
6, 233 to 12,758 between April to September (2008).
2. Lack of Reliable Localized and Customizable Search
Despite the attempt to create a local search engine by Rednano.sg, the search results of this search engine are not
reliable, inaccurate and often irrelevant. Trends in search engines show that these two features are coming into
play. Other search sites such as Streetdirectory.com and Hungrygowhere.com are very specialized.
3. Singapore as a Stepping stone in the South East Asian Region
Singapore has been said to be the Hub for many companies and industries to be the stepping stone towards larger
markets in Asia. It is reasonable to think that this can also be extended to Netex. However, due to the localized
nature of Netex’s solutions, it is difficult for them to transpose their solutions across countries easily. This makes it
improbable that Singapore can be any kind of stepping stone for Netex to expand further into the SEA Region.
9. Conclusion
Therefore it is in view of the long-term nature of gradually growing search users using the Netex solutions and the
possible lack in local ISPs19 in engaging this extensive effort to capture the local search market that the critical cost
factors outweighs the potential revenue benefits for both Netex and the local partner.
19
Refer to Additional Note about Singtel.
Page | 14
10. Additional Note: Singtel
After meeting with Netex and viewing a demonstration of their services, we felt that Singapore ISPs could benefit
from an integration of their services together with Netex solutions. As such, Singtel was contacted (refer to
Appendix for email correspondence) and after meeting with two Production Development representatives of
Singtel on 20 May 2009:
Jonathan Ye
Product Development Manager
Consumer Products – Broadband and Internet
Contact: 6838 2269
Email: jonathanya@singtel.com
Parry Huang
Product Development Executive
Consumer Products – Broadband and Internet
Contact: 6838 3479
Email: parryhuang@singtel.com
The outcome is that Singtel is keen to know more. At time of print, our group has just bridged contact, by email,
between Eitan Gissin (Netex) and Jonathan Ye and Parry Huang of Singtel and suggested that they schedule a
meeting to discuss potential partnerships.
If Netex is able to convince Singtel and enter into a partnership, Netex stands a higher chance of expansion into
the Singapore market as they can tap on Singtel’s customer base and company’s knowledge and familiarity with
Singapore tastes and preferences.
Page | 15
11. Appendix
Korean Case Study
Naver.com
Owned by
NHN Corporation
A public-listed company on the Korea Stock Exchange. The company has a current market
capitalization of 7.7 trillion won.
Testimonials from
“I love Naver because everything I need is conveniently shown on the first page. I get
users
everything from news, shopping advice, the latest entertainment gossip, interesting
pictures and hot search words. On Google you see nothing but a search box”
-
Hwang Ji-sun, 22 year-old college student in Korea
“I ask Naver for everything. Sometimes, I wonder whether there will be any answers to
peculiar questions, but so far it has never failed to deliver”
-
Kim Ji-won, 31 year-old housewife
“Naver is great because you get all sorts of detailed information in very specific questions
and answers”
-
Statistics
Song Han Sil, 25 year-old pianist
About 17 million unique users daily
More than 1 billion total page views
Presentation of search
Categorized by type:
results
i.e. blogs, websites, news, photos etc
information is culled from the web as well as their own internal database
R&D expenditure
10% of Annual revenue
Page | 16
R&D personnel account for 60% of workforce
Key financials
AY ending 2008
Total Assets: 1,212,753.53 million won
Total Liabilities: 480,305.50 million won
Net Sales: 1,380,102.21 million won
Net income available to common: 368,493.77 million won
Other activities that
Online game provider
the parent company is
involved in
According to newspaper reports, 35 million South Koreans use the internet each day. For online search enquiries,
Naver.com accounts for 76% of the searches. Yahoo! and Google account for 3% of the market share each.
Similar to Yahoo!, Naver.com is a portal. It has news, email, discussion groups, stock information, videos,
restaurant reviews etc. 17 million Koreans visit the homepage each day and more than 50% of all Koreans surveyed
have Naver.com as their start-up page. Since January 2009, Naver has launched a new service that allows the users
to customize the page to their preferences.
Naver.com is a pioneer in the area of internet search, having introduced the concept of presenting search by
categories (this was later adopted by Google).
Another popular feature is Naver's "Knowledge Search" service, launched in 2002. It enables people to ask
questions, the answers to which are served up from a database provided by other users. If an answer is incomplete
or inaccurate, it can be easily changed, Wikipedia-style. A points system rewards users who submit questions,
provide answers or rate the answers provided by other people. This feature was also adopted by Yahoo! as the
basis for Yahoo! Answers. This feature was introduced as when Naver was started, there was not enough Korean
Page | 17
content to search, so the owners decided to focus on the content that the users had and digitize it. Ownership
over such content is retained by Naver and other search engines are not able to access it.
On 4th February 2009, NHN (the parent company of Naver.com), announced record sales and profits for 2008. It
became the first South Korean internet company to record sales of more than 1 trillion won ($660m). Naver
commands as much as 70% of the South Korea’s online advertising market (valued at 779 billion won in 2007 or
US$850 million). Its income is projected to increase due to the emergence of keyword ads, previously unheard of
in Korea. This currently accounts for 50% of NHN’s sales and the market is projected to surpass 1 trillion won in
2010. In the South Korean market, Yahoo! and Google have just agreed to combine some of their services, for
greater clout against the local giant.
Naver.com has plans to expand into the overseas markets by launching more culturally specific search engine in
other countries. Its first overseas expansion is scheduled for 2009 into the Japanese market, where Yahoo! Japan
is currently dominant. In preparation for its entry, Naver has spent the past 8 years collecting Japan-specific data.
Sample Search on Naver.com
Page | 18
Sponsored
links
Suggested
keywords
Split into different categories
of material
Hitwise Singapore
Page | 19
comScore
Email Correspondence with Singtel:
From: Sarah Swee Ping Zhen
Sent: Thursday, 21 May 2009
To: Eitan Gissin <Netex>
Cc: jonathanye@singtel.com; parryhuang@singtel.com
Subject: Singtel and Netex
Shalom Eitan,
Yesterday I met with Jonathan and Parry from Singtel's Product Development Department, CC-ed in this email.
After conducting a short demonstration about Netex, they are keen to find out more!
Perhaps you would like arrange a date and time with them to discuss Netex is further detail.
I hope that discussions will go well and that we see a Netex presence in Singapore in the near future.
Page | 20
To Jonathan and Parry, I sincerely thank you for taking the time to meet with me.
Regards,
Swee Ping Zhen Sarah
Singapore Management University
From: Sarah Swee Ping Zhen
Sent: Tuesday, 19 May 2009
To: Jonathan Aaron Ye Fusheng
Subject: RE: Product Evaluation – netex
Hi Jonathan,
5.30pm tomorrow will be great! (:
I look forward to our meeting.
Regards,
Sarah Swee
From: Jonathan Aaron Ye Fusheng [mailto:jonathanye@singtel.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 4:55 PM
To: Sarah SWEE Ping Zhen
Subject: product evaluation - netex
hi Sarah,
I only can make it tomorrow at 530 for an hour. Thursday is not likely. We're located on the 28th floor, give me a
call when you're here and I'll let you in.
Cheers,
Jonathan
From: Sarah SWEE Ping Zhen [mailto:sarah.swee.2007@business.smu.edu.sg]
Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 3:48 PM
Page | 21
To: Jonathan Aaron Ye Fusheng
Subject: RE: RE: Feedback Form [T2009042400CPS040Z291241]
Hi Jonathan,
Would you be available anytime on either Wednesday or Thursday afternoon for me to present Netex’s solutions
to you?
Ideally, I would like to meet face to face to clearly illustrate how Netex solutions work. Moreover, my team is on a
tight deadline, so I would like to meet you soon. I hope you are understanding and look forward to a positive
response.
Feel free to contact me by my mobile, 92320726.
Regards,
Sarah Swee
From: Jonathan Aaron Ye Fusheng [mailto:jonathanye@singtel.com]
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 2:09 PM
To: Sarah SWEE Ping Zhen
Subject: FW: RE: Feedback Form [T2009042400CPS040Z291241]
Hi Sarah,
I'd be open to learn more about Netex's solutions and evaluate if a good fit exists.
Feel free to contact me to and I can arrange a suitable time for you to drop by.
Warm regards,
Jonathan Aaron Ye Fusheng
Product Development Manager
Consumer Products - Broadband & Integrated Services
Singapore Telecommunications Limited
31 Exeter Road, #28-00, Comcentre
Singapore 239732
Page | 22
T: +65 6838 2269
F: +65 6733 6884
Email to jonathanye@singtel.com
www.singtel.com
From: Sarah Swee Ping Zhen
Sent: Tuesday, 12 May 2009
To: g-snsales@singtel.com
Subject: RE: Feedback Form [T2009042400CPS010Z272292]
Hi Subari,
I am writing to follow up on the email I have sent earlier.
We have liaised with Netex over the past few days and would like to provide you with some information on Netex
and its services as requested.
In introduction, Netex is an Israeli-based search engine that focuses on providing quality results to its consumers.
Instead of a redirection to an extensive list of websites or links, it relies on local knowledge to streamline these
results into a few sites relevant to the consumer’s search. Where there is a high probability of overlap, sites are
segregated according to the different topics which consumers can choose from. For example, if a consumer types
“travel” in the search bar, results will be given segregated into the different categories of travel information sites,
travel agencies, airlines etc.
Another feature much loved by its existing consumers in Israel and Russia is the ability for direct redirection to the
desired site. For example, if a consumer types BBC into the search navigation bar, he will be immediately
redirected to the BBC website without having to go through an additional page of listed results. This feature is
found both on the online search website as well as through the address bar of Israelis using various web browsers.
The latter comes about through Netex’s collaborations with the Israeli ISPs to integrate their patented software
into the ISPs DNS system. Hence, once the consumer types in his search, there can be immediate redirection. For
consumers subscribed to ISPs that do not have collaborations with Netex, the solution can be provided through
downloading their plug-in.
To date, Netex has expanded into Russia and is interested in expanding into other countries to provide its unique
software for the local markets. Having partnered with ISPs in the local Israeli market and MSPs in Russia, it is
Page | 23
exploring the possibility of collaboration with Singtel or one of its subsidiaries. If Singtel is interested in this
possibility, kindly redirect us to the relevant departments so that further talks could be carried out.
Thank you for your time and we hope to hear from you soon.
Regards,
Elizabeth Chua, Rachel Lam, Sarah Swee and Sheryl Baey
From: g-snsales@singtel.com [mailto:g-snsales@singtel.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2009 3:26 PM
To: Sarah SWEE Ping Zhen
Subject: RE: Feedback Form [T2009042400CPS010Z272292]
25 April 2009
Dear Ms Swee
Thank you for your email.
We have forwarded your request to the relevant department for their necessary follow up and action. Please be
rest assured that we will be getting in touch with you, if the management is keen.
Should you require any clarification, you may write to us online at
http://home.singtel.com/customer_service/cust_serv_emailus.asp
Thank you and regards.
Yours sincerely
Shuhaiza Subari
Customer Care Officer
SingNet Pte Ltd
Company Registration Number 199802130W
Customer Service Hotline : 1610 [Mon-Sat 8am-6pm. Closed on Sun/PH]
SingNet 56k Dialup Helpdesk : 1800 7334133 [Mon-Sat 9am-6pm. Closed on Sun/PH]
SingNet Broadband Helpdesk : 1800 8486933 [8am - 12 midnight daily]
JetPack Technical Helpdesk* : 1900 9152829 [8am - 12 midnight daily]
*(Calls are charged at 30 cents per minute)
Website: http://www.singnet.com.sg
Page | 24
From:sarah.swee.2007@business.smu.edu.sg
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 3:29:07 PM
To:g-snsales@singtel.com
Subject:Feedback Form
Feedback
------------------------------------------------Your Comments: Dear Senior Corporate Strategy n Development Manager,
Re: Business Opportunities with Netex Corporation
I am a Singapore Management University undergraduate working on a project for Netex Corporation
(http://www.netexcorp.com), an Israeli company providing smart navigation services for Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) and Mobile Service Providers (MSPs).
On behalf of Netex, my team is looking for businesses in Asia who are keen to explore future business
opportunities and collaborations with Netex Corporation. We feel that Netex’s unique and patented multilanguage navigation technology would value-add to Singtel customers’ search experience and would give Singtel a
competitive advantage over competitors.
We would like to exchange business contacts between Singtel and Netex.
Regards,
Sarah Swee
Singapore Management University
Page | 25
12. Bibliography
Anonymous. (2009). AOL search data scandal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL_search_data_scandal. Accessed:
April 23, 2009.
Buresh S. (2007). Current and Future Search Trends: What the Top Internet Search Engines are Doing.
http://www.searchengineguide.com/scott-buresh/current-and-future-search-trends-what-th.php.
Accessed: April 23, 2009.
Dawn K., Elinor M. (2006). AOL Apologizes for Release of User Search Data. http://news.cnet.com/2100-1030_36102793.html. Accessed: April 23, 2009.
Internet Commerce Association. (2007). ICA Growth & Sustainability of Direct Search Traffic.
http://www.internetreit.com/ica_growth_4.pdf. Accessed: April 23, 2009.
John. D. S. (2009). New Search Engines aspire to supplement Google.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/12/future.search.engine/index.html. Accessed: 17 May 2009
Caroline M. (2009). Nielsen:Twitter’s Growing Really, Really, Really, Really Fast. http://news.cnet.com/830113577_3-10200161-36.html. Accessed: 19 May 2009.
Business: Seeking success; Google in Asia
Anonymous. The Economist. London: Feb 28, 2009. Vol. 390, Iss. 8620; pg. 71
THE NEW MEDIA PLAN IN KOREA.
Michael Hoare. Media. Hong Kong: Aug 10, 2007. pg. 24, 2 pgs
Google left behind as Koreans Naver-gate web. Anna Fifield. FT.com. London: Jan 2, 2008. pg. 1
'My Naver never fails to deliver' AROUND THE WORLD: South Korea's people-created database taps into users'
knowledge, says Song Jung- a; [SURVEYS EDITION] JUNG-A SONG. Financial Times. London (UK): Jan 24,
2007. pg. 6
FT.com site : AROUND THE WORLD: 'My Naver never fails to deliver'
Song Jung-a. FT.com. London: Jan 24, 2007. pg. 1
Planning to work via the internet Woo Jae-yeon hears a Korean student's high expectations for his future
workplace IT; [SURVEYS EDITION] WOO JAE-YEON. Financial Times. London (UK): Sep 20, 2006. pg. 3
INTERNATIONAL SEARCH: Naver harnesses social search in Korea. New Media Age. London: Jun 1, 2006. pg. 22
The Little Search Engine That Could. Moon Ihlwan, with Elizabeth Woyke in New York and Ben Elgin in San Mateo,
Calif.. Business Week. New York: Jan 30, 2006. , Iss. 3969; pg. 44
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