Payment method in Japan

During our visit of IBM Banking Centre, we could learn a lot from the latest technology and business solutions for banks. In near future, sooner than you think, you will be able to use your finger to withdraw money from ATM :>

The payment system and technology used really depends on background and needs of each country. In Japan, biometric technology has been implemented for ATM since 2004. However, the penetration rate is still about 3% in 2008, Financial Services Agency said. The two reasons given by the agency were:

1. Not many ATM can accept biometric card

2. People might feel lazy to change their ATM cards to biometric cards.


The problem is that the importance of security of ATM card is not recognized by people.

Actually, Japan is still a cash-based society and credit cards are not widely used.
According to survey conducted by JCB(Japan Credit Bureau) in 2007, 84.9% of people (the age range from 20 to 60 years old) hold credit cards in Japan. The average number of credit card usage per month is only 4.5 times. 40% of them answered that they use credit cards "for emergency purposes" only.


For other payment methods such as cheque, it is almost impossible for individuals to use personal cheques in Japan due to strict checking. You may need to use bank cheque if you really need to issue the cheque.

So, what is a more popular payment method in Japan now? The handphone.

The Japanese use handphone more than just for communication purpose but they use it as a mode of payment.

You can look at the TV commercial below and see how payments are settled at a cashier just by flashing your handphone.


Mobile Wallet
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=LeNZ344AAws

What if you lost your hand phone? No worries. Japanese handphone has biometric authentication feature.

It might be interesting if you can do some research on different payment methods in other countries.

Posted by Ms.Nami

My overseas attachment in Vietnam

My overseas attachment in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam has been a very fulfilling and remarkable one. In the past, I’ve always linked Vietnam to rural, poor developed country. However, after being in Vietnam for 4 months, it changed my views. Vietnam is a growing city with more and more investors coming in to invest.

The company that I worked for during my internship is Ngan Giang. Ngan Giang is an authorized dealer in Vietnam distributing barcode scanners and printers. My job scope ranges from creating databases to preparing monthly payroll for the staffs. It was very rewarding as I’ve learnt many valuable skills and grow to be independent.





Ngan Giang’s Sign Board

Outside Office

Needless to say, although Vietnam is a growing country, there will be times when a blackout happens in the office and everyone is left stranded in the dark.

Blackout in Office


After having working for 3 months in the company, we will realize that a working environment is very different from school. In school, our studying hours are not always fixed; there are times we can go to school in the afternoon and sometimes in the morning. However in a working environment, the hours are fixed. My working hours in Vietnam starts from 8 in the morning and ends at 5 in the evening. Also, unlike in school where our lecturers would sometimes help us in our projects whenever we have difficulties, a working environment doesn’t entitle you that privilege. Many times we had to work independently. I was glad that when I was still studying, we were given PBL for out projects. It had physically mentally trained me and I was really for the challenge.

Vietnam is a country full of delicacies. The most well-known dishes among the world are the Vietnamese Spring Rolls and the Vietnam Beef Noodles, are simply Pho. Vietnamese loves to eat vegetables and it is a common sight to see Vietnamese people adding plenty of raw vegetables into their food.






Pho, Beef Noodles








Vietnamese Spring Roll


There are many places of interest that we can go in Vietnam and I have explored almost all of them within these 4 months. Vietnam is a country full of war history where there are several museums showing the war remains and the story of the war. The places that I’ve visited include War Remnants Museum, Cu Chi Tunnel, Revolutionary Museum, Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon Post Office, People’s Community Hall, Mekong Delta, Cao Dai Temple, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Mui Ne and Phu Quoc.







Cu Chi Tunnel. Pronounced as Gu Chi Tunnel.








Ho Chi Minh outside People’s Community Hall, City Hall







Temasek Polytechnic Students
outside Notre Dame Cathedral








Temasek Polytechnic Students in Da Lat








Beautiful Sunset in Vietnam


I would definitely recommend students to go for an Overseas Internship as it is not only a good working experience but also an experience of living in another country away from Singapore.

Posted by Chuan Liang, C155

FBI Immersion Crystal Reports Challenge

The Participants

Group photo

On 25th November 2008, it was the FBI Immersion Programme. Being the overall in charge for this programme, I was filled with excitement and eagerness. The feeling of being able to lead the students to bring the best to other students was simply great beyond words.

On the day itself, there were 11 helpers alongside with me and 3 lecturers who were hosting this programme. On the first one hour of the programme, I could see anxiousness appearing on each of their faces. I myself, was filled with emotions as well.

At the second hour, the secondary 4 Immersion students started to make their way in. I could clearly sense a bond with them at first sight. Seeing them made my heart rekindle with a spirit of youth, how I wish I had an equal chance like them to be able to come for such an Immersion programme.

On to the first activity of the day, we had a great start with a Business Intelligence lecture for the students and it could be seen that most of them expressed interest towards the subject. Thereafter, they proceeded onto the hands-on session of the Business Intelligence software, Crystal Reports. They were very attentive and they tried their best in solving most of the questions. However, there were times when they could not solve it and the helpers like me came in to help out.

When the hands-on session ended, the highlight of the programme came- the Crystal Reports Challenge. The students were given ample time to complete a set of questions and create their reports. Next, they were brought to a room where they started playing the Auction Game: Build The Bridge! They had lots of fun and we helpers were more than happy to see the smiles reflected upon their faces.

Lastly, there was the award ceremony for the Competition of Crystal Reports. The results were out for the top 3 and we had the honour of having our Deputy Director, Mr Ng Koon Seng to present the awards.

With that, it marked the end of the immersion programme. Tired we were, but the degree of satisfaction we got was simply beyond words. To sum it up, it was an unforgettable experience.

Posted by Alex Goh, President of FBI Bonds AY08/09