Demystifying the Duty of a Company Secretary in Hong Kong

17 June 2020

The Hong Kong Companies Ordinance, Chapter 622, makes it mandatory for every company to be registered in Hong Kong to have a company secretary. So important is the company secretary that indeed, your company will not be registered without one. In this post, we will look at the duties of a company secretary in a Hong Kong company.

What is a Company Secretary?

First, it is important to appreciate that a company secretary is completely different from common clerks who do clerical work. According to the Companies Ordinance, a company secretary is a senior officer in a company who is responsible for efficient administration, especially with respect to ensuring compliance with statutory requirements. So, you need to ensure that only the most qualified and committed person gets the job.

The Main Duties of Company Secretary

From the definition of a company secretary, there is no doubt that the roles he does and how he does them will greatly impact the company’s success. So, let us start by understanding the duties of a company secretary.

Fulfilling the Company’s Tax Obligation

When opening a company in Hong Kong, it is important to understand that the administration runs a business economy because the registered enterprises serve as the primary source of revenue. Therefore, the administration takes tax matters very seriously. Your company secretary is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the company meets all its tax obligations. Some of these obligations include:

Overseeing the filing of the tax returns correctly and on time.
Seeking additional approval or clarifications on tax-related matters.
Registering the company with IRD (Inland Revenue Department).

Keeping Statutory Books

The Hong Kong Companies Ordinance also designates the company secretary as the custodian of the statutory books. This implies that the secretary should have every document that the government might need to inspect. In addition to keeping these books of account, the company secretary is also responsible for:

Updating the details on statutory books.
Producing and distributing company accounts and reports.

Planning and Attending Company Meetings

As we indicated earlier, the company secretary is involved with top-level management, and one of that roles is planning the company’s meetings. This is considered an important role because it is in these meetings that actions to be taken on different areas, such as books of accounts and employment, are made. Here is a breakdown of these duties:

Organize board meetings.
Participate in board meetings.
Prepare the agenda of the company meetings.
Implement the decisions made during meetings in compliance with laws.
Advise the company on compliance with the law.

Other Duties of a Company Secretary

While the roles we have outlined above are considered the core for a company secretary, they are not the only ones. Other administrative duties include:

Communicating with shareholders, the Stock Exchange, and regulatory bodies on behalf of the company.
Observing the company developments and giving advice to the board of directors.
Guiding the company through the process of liquidation.

If you are planning to incorporate a company in Hong Kong, the position of a company secretary is very important and should only be entrusted to a qualified and experienced person. With the best company secretary, you can rest assured that the business will make the best decisions and grow into the multinational of your dreams.

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Mashum Mollah

Mashum Mollah is the feature writer of Search Engine Magazine and an SEO Analyst at Real Wealth Business. Over the last 3 years, He has successfully developed and implemented online marketing, SEO, and conversion campaigns for 50+ businesses of all sizes. He is the co-founder of Social Media Magazine.

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7 Best Employment Law Tips For Businesses In Dubai

Are you planning to do business in Dubai? If yes, you must know the rules and regulations of employment laws in Dubai to settle there comfortably, especially the employment law, to start your job or business there. If you want to excel in your business field, you must know the country’s laws in the best possible manner. You cannot consider things for granted here. You must make your plans in the right direction to achieve your objective in the best possible way. As per the report of the Gulfnews, the labor laws are well protected in Dubai, and you cannot make any mess with it there. Best Employment Law Tips For Business In Dubai in 2021 Several employment law tips you can follow in Dubai to carry on your business successfully there. Therefore, let’s explore some of the essential facts in light of this matter. 1. Your Employees Have The Right To Take Annual Leaves The employees in Dubai have the full right to take annual leaves on several occasions; being an organization’s employer, you cannot ignore this fact. There are several kinds of leaves that you can enjoy there. For instances: Your employees can enjoy one day’s leave for new Year’s day. Your employees can enjoy the Islamic new year for one day. Your employees can enjoy Eid al Fitr for two days. Employees can also enjoy Eid Al Adha for Four days. Employees can also enjoy National Day for two days and Commemoration Day for one day. These are the leaves you must give to your employees if you are working in Dubai. You cannot bypass these leaves being an employer of an organization. The worker is entitled to annual leave for one year. Understanding the various national holidays and addressing any possible disputes that may or may not arise requires you to seek the assistance of the best uae law firms. They have an idea about the nature of society and will be able to guide you in the best possible manner. 2. Your Employers Must Pay The Wages Regularly Your employees are entitled to receive the wages regularly in terms of the national currency of the state. Workers who are employed for monthly or annual wage must be paid once per month. An employer cannot force their employees to purchase their products from their stores. It will be considered an offense if the employer does so in Dubai. If you have accidentally breached the law, then you can consult the best law firm in Dubai. It is not necessary that your employees must buy the food or any goods from the owner’s shop in Dubai. You need to understand the law of the land before developing your business plan in Dubai. 3. You Cannot Deny The Maternity Leave Of Your Employees You are not supposed to deny your employees maternity leave, even in the case of your immense work pressure. As per the labor law of the country Labour Law No eight and Article Number 30. A female worker is entitled to maternity leave for 45 days. Being an employer of the organization, you cannot evade out this law. 4. Your Employer Is Not Allowed To Keep Your Passport Your employer is not allowed to keep your passport in their custody. You are not entitled to keep your employees’ access; it is actually against the law of the land. Furthermore, no employer can terminate the employee for not surrendering the passport. Your basics must be cleared regarding the employment rules in Dubai. Without the right knowledge, you cannot excel in your field. Ensure that you have not committed such mistakes in Dubai while running your business there. Your policies must be correct enough to deal with this matter efficiently. 5. Your Employees Must Not Bear The Cost Of Residency Visa Your employer must bear the cost of the residency visa in the UAE. The company must take the responsibility of the employee in this regard UAE. The Visa cost and sponsorship costs are the sole responsibility of the employer. If you want to grow your organization in the UAE, you must know this rule in detail. You cannot afford to make a mess with the law of the land. The only thing you must be aware of is that you must not violate the nation’s rules while operating your business in Dubai. 6. You Cannot Force Your Employee To Work For More Than 8-9 Hours A Day You cannot force your employee to work for more than 8-9 hours a day in the UAE. It is a criminal offense and against the labor law of the land. You must know this fact in advance before setting your organization’s rules in the best possible manner. The total working hours for an adult in Dubai are 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week. You need not exceed that landmark in your case. The more vigilant you will be in this regard, the better it will be for you. 7. Employers Consent Is Not Required For Resignation The employer’s consent is not required if your employee wants to resign from your organization. It is solely the discretion of the employee to do the job for you. You cannot force your employee to stay and work for your organization. It is your employee’s sole individual decision and being an employer, you cannot force your employee to stay in your organization without their wish. It is wrong from the endpoints of the employer. Ensure that you know the rules and the regulation of the state in the best possible manner. Conclusion Hence, if you want to run your business in Dubai successfully, you must know the land rules in the best possible manner. You cannot ignore these facts while you are opening your organization in Dubai. Ensure that you have followed the laws of the nation in the best possible manner. Make sure that you have followed the rules of the country in the best possible way. Ensure that being a leader of your organization; you have not violated the rules of the nation. Make sure that you have followed the rules in the best possible way. The more precise you are in adopting your business policy with the nation’s laws’ alignment, the better it will be for your organization. Try to maintain the employment law properly to run your organization successfully. Read Also: Can an Employee Claim for a Personal Injury When Working From Home? Picking the Right Law Firm for You and Your Family Understanding How Employee Recognition Can Aid Your Consulting Firm Why Do Businesses Need Lawyer’s Advice?

Trading Contracts for Differences

The capital markets present several opportunities to potentially make money every day. There are a plethora of instruments to use when expressing your view of future movements regarding specific assets. One of the most efficient ways to accomplish this is to use Contracts for Differences (CFDs). A contract for difference is a security that tracks the changes in another security. The benefits of using these tools far outweigh the costs, depending on your financial goals. What are CFDs: A contract for difference is a security that pays you the difference between the purchase price and the sales price. It is geared to track specific capital market instruments which include currency pairs, commodities, indices, ETFs and company shares. A CFD does not have value like a stock and does not pay dividends like a stock, but it will provide you with the opportunity to purchase the CFD shares as well as sell them without having to post the large capital required by most stock brokers. You also do not have to worry about the borrowing costs that you will incur if you attempt to short a stock via a stock broker. What are the Benefits of CFDs: CFD trading uses leverage instruments. Your broker views your risk as the maximum loss you could be expected to incur daily. They will provide you with leverage that allows you to significantly increase the capital you control. Many CFDs have leverage of up to 20:1. This means that for every dollar you hold in your account; your broker will lend you $20 to trade. CFDs are traded on margin. This means that you need to continue to post capital if the equity in your account falls below a minimum level. For example, your broker might require that you always have 33% equity in your account and when it drops below that level, a margin call is generated. A margin call is a request for immediate funds. If the request is not met, your broker will have the right to liquidate your positions to cover future losses. When to Use CFDs: CFDs are geared to investors who are looking to generate capital gains. This means that you are positioned to benefit if the price of the instrument you are trading moves in the direction that you have speculated on. If you are attempting to generate passive income from stocks, ETFs, currencies or commodities, then CFDs are instruments that do not specifically help your cause. Dividend-producing stocks generally require a large capital layout. Trading CFDs: There are several strategies that you can use to generate revenue from CFD trading. You can develop a technical strategy that provides signals. This can be generated by you. Or, you can purchase an automated process of signal generating from a third party. Before you risk your capital, make sure you implement risk management and due diligence. You can also have a fundamental strategy that is driven by monetary policy, supply, and demand for commodities or an earnings-driven stock strategy. However, if you decide to trade, CFDs will provide you with an efficient instrument to speculate on the capital markets. Read Also: How To Boost The Size Of Your Stock Portfolio Top 9 Forex Trading Tips For Beginners That Save You Money

Why Your Business Needs Call Center Tracking

Customer service is the cornerstone of your business's success. It's also the key to keeping the customers you already have. In fact, companies with a thought-out customer service approach enjoy a 92% retention rate. If the bulk of your customer service efforts is in the hands of a call center, it's important you make this operation as efficient as possible. To do this, you need detailed information about what's going on behind the scenes. Utilizing call center tracking is the best way to get this data. Implementing call center tracking software will help show you where improvements need to be made. The result is a better customer experience. Monitoring your call center can help your business in a number of ways. Read on to learn more! 1. Understand Your Revenue and ROI: Knowing what products and services are driving revenue is important for any business. It allows you to make decisions about future products and improve ones that aren't doing so well. By tracking your call center, you know what customers are more excited about and what they find troublesome about your products. You'll be able to see the source of each call to get a better grasp on exactly where most of your profit is coming from. This data will also help you understand what your return on investment is for the marketing campaigns you're creating for each product. Where your calls are coming from clues you into which advertising channels are working. Tracking call center metrics makes all this very easy. Detailed reports from your tracking software will lay all this out in an easy-to-read manner. 2. Measure Adherence to Scheduling: A huge benefit of tracking your call center is a better understanding of the KPI (key performance indicator) of your customer service reps. This information will help you streamline your call center scheduling. You may be asking yourself how this works. Well, you can monitor inbound and outbound calls, the average length of calls, and the location of inbound callers. All this helps you improve in-house scheduling and reduce the chance of calls going unattended. You'll also be able to measure the productivity of each rep. You'll then know if your call center isn't robust enough and if certain employees are causing bottlenecks. All this information helps call center managers create a more well-oiled, effective operation. It also greatly helps with optimal shift scheduling so customers are more efficiently serviced. 3. Refine Marketing Strategies: Detailed call monitoring provides invaluable information about your customers you wouldn't otherwise have access to. Such information includes customer loyalty, purchasing trends, and who your potential customers are. Think of call center tracking as a way of becoming more familiar with your target audience. All this information allows you to make changes and strategize future marketing efforts. It can also give you some insight into which strategies you should do away with. Your marketing team can use this information to focus their efforts on the right channels. They'll also be able to better understand the strengths of your products and services and emphasize them in advertising campaigns. All this will have a positive effect on your overall revenue and help maximize your ROI. 4. Recording and Routing Calls: Call center tracking software provides the capability to record calls between your reps and customers. This feature can help in a number of ways. First, you'll be able to get a firsthand account of what problems customers are having with your products and services. You'll also be able to tell which products consumers like the best and what elements of your product are the most desirable. This data will allow you to refine your product and make more informed decisions on future designs. Recording calls will also help you determine which employees need further training and which have the potential for promotion. Tracking software will also help in figuring out kinks in your routing procedures. This is important, as misrouted customer service calls can lead to a loss of existing customers. 5. Improve Your Quality of Service: One of the biggest benefits of tracking calls is the effect it can have on the quality of customer service you're providing. You'll be able to pinpoint exactly where setbacks occur in your current operation and remediate them. Find out how easy it is for callers to reach a solution to their problems. If the process is difficult, you'll need to take means to streamline it. You can also see what the average wait time is for callers. If you notice customers abandoning the call because of long delays, you know you have a problem. This is where you can use caller id reputation to filter out the callers whom you must prioritize to make the most out of the conversion. Are you seeing missed calls or routing issues? You may need to beef up your staff or reposition certain employees. You may even find that a virtual receptionist service would benefit your operation. Whatever solution is right for you, call tracking services can expose areas that need improvement. 6. Cut Down on Employee Turnover: A high turnover rate causes a loss of time and money. When you track your call center, you're able to fully understand the skill level of each employee and the overall morale of your department. You can then make changes to your training protocol. It also provides an opportunity to appropriately place employees in roles more suited to their strengths. All of this makes for a much healthier work environment. It also creates a more rewarding experience for each employee. These things are key to keeping your turnover rates low. Boost Your Customer Service with Call Center Tracking: Knowing what's working and what's not is the first step in creating the best possible customer experience for your business. Implementing call center tracking can allow you to undercover information about your operation so you can make educated improvements. Call tracking software has come a long way and now offers many features that can help you streamline your customer service process. Look into implementing it for your call center and let your customer experience evolve. For more articles that will expand your knowledge in the business world, check out our blog. Read Also: Top 4 Creative Team Building Ideas For A Call Center Industry This 2016

Demystifying the Duty of a Company Secretary in Hong Kong

What is a Company Secretary?