SME Diagnostic (Pty) Ltd is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy, which is part of our Terms and Conditions, describes the information we collect through the website we operate at www.smediagnosticreport.com (“Our Site”), how we use it, how we share it, and how you can make choices about our use of the information.
By using Our Site, you explicitly acknowledge and consent to our collection and use of information as described in this Privacy Policy.
We may be required to change the terms of this Privacy Policy and/or our Terms and Conditions, from time to time and will post an updated version on Our Site as appropriate. Your use of Our Site indicates that you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions posted on Our Site. If you do not agree, you may not use Our Site. Your use of Our Site implies that you understand that each time you access Our Site the then-current Privacy Policy will apply. Should we have amended the Privacy Policy, this amended version will supersede and replace all previous versions.
Our servers are located in the AWS Africa (Cape Town) Region. Please be aware that the information you provide to us will be transferred to the data centre located in Cape Town, South Africa.
We collect personally identifiable information (e.g. name, address, postal code, phone number, and email address i.e. “Personal Information”) only when you voluntarily provide it to us, such as through online registrations, small business assessments, contact forms and survey forms.
We use your Personal Information for the purposes for which you provide it (e.g. to respond to requests, to provide reports relevant to completed assessments, and to send email communications). We may also send you information from SME Diagnostic or third parties that we think may be of interest to you.
Should you use the SME Diagnostic small business assessment options, we collect the following information so that we can provide reports appropriate to the answers you provided to the small business assessments. The assessment areas detailed below are based on the Business Model Canvas tool created by Alexander Osterwalder, of Strategyzer.com:
Entrepreneur
The current state of key skills and business knowledge required to run a small business.
Customers/Markets
Your understanding of the customers and markets in which your business operates.
Customer Relationships
The types of relationships the small business has established with its customers.
Value Proposition
The components of the value proposition.
Channel
The different types of channels the small business deploys.
Key Partners
The value of the partners the small business has engaged with.
Key Resources
The key resources deployed by the small business.
Key Activities
The key activities performed by the small business.
Costs
The financial acumen of the small business.
Revenue
How the small business generates revenue.
SME Diagnostic uses the data you provide to provide you with relevant reports appropriate to the answers you provided when you completed assessments.
By submitting such Personal and Business Information, you consent to our processing of such information.
Your information will also be used for research purposes. However, only de-identified data (all data that would enable this information to be linked to either an owner or a specific business has been removed) is used for research purposes. The research will be used to provide policy makers with relevant information that can assist them in forming SMME policies and programmes that create an enabling environment for SMMEs in South Africa.
Should you have accessed SME Diagnostic via a partner website, your information may be shared with this partner. SME Diagnostic partners are obliged by contract to maintain the confidentiality and security of your Personal and Business Information in accordance with POPIA.
This means we may use your Personal and Business information in the following ways:
(a) communication with you as requested;
(b) providing requested services to you;
(c) authenticating you if required;
(d) providing you with access to restricted pages on the Website, if applicable;
(e) compiling non-personal statistical information about browsing habits, click patterns and access to the Website;
(f) providing non-personal statistical information about users' response to the assessments; and
(g) providing personal and business information to third parties as set out in this document.
To improve the operation and usability of Our Site, we also collect other information when you visit Our Site, such as IP address (i.e. the number assigned to a visitor’s computer to identify its location on the Internet), web pages viewed, time and date of visits to Our Site, the first page viewed upon arrival on Our Site, actions taken during a visit to Our Site (e.g. links clicked), the website that referred or linked you to Our Site, the device used to access Our Site and web browser used.
Parts of Our Site rely on cookies, which are small data files placed on your computer (or we may rely on other technology methods in the future). We use information collected by cookies to facilitate your use of Our Site. For example, cookies (or other methods) help make certain web-based forms work properly. You are not required to accept cookies from Our Site. You can disable the cookies function (or delete existing cookies) using your web browser’s options, although some functions of Our Site may not work properly if you do so.
We may share your Personal Information with our service providers, such as companies that help us operate Our Site or companies that provide support for SMMEs in South Africa.
We reserve the right to disclose and use Personal and Business Information and other information: to enforce this Privacy Policy or our Terms and Conditions, to take action regarding suspected illegal activities; to protect the rights, safety or property of anyone; to comply with legal process (e.g. a search warrant, subpoena, statute, or court order); to carry out a merger or consolidation with another entity or in connection with a sale or transfer of some or all of our assets or a similar transaction; or for other reasons we determine in good faith are necessary, appropriate, or required by law.
You may ask us to review your Personal and Business Information and, upon your instructions, to correct inaccuracies in your Personal and/or Business Information. If you wish to review or correct your Personal and/or Business Information, or if you would like to request how we use your Personal and/or Business Information in certain ways, please email us at popia@smediagnostic.co.za. If you no longer wish to receive communications from us, you can follow the opt-out or unsubscribe instructions in the materials you receive or email us at popia@smediagnostic.co.za.
We strive to keep your Personal Information secure and to safeguard it from unauthorised access. We take all reasonable steps to protect your Personal and Business Information from loss, misuse or unauthorised alteration. Your Personal and Business Information is stored in databases that have built-in security, backups and firewalls to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of this information.
Our Site is automated, and access to confidential information is strictly controlled. No confidential data can be stored on local drives and access to sensitive and confidential data is controlled via the use of user codes and security levels. All SME Diagnostic employees sign NDAs that confirm their compliance with our security and confidentiality policies. Our security systems meet industry standards.
However, no security measures can be guaranteed to be 100% effective, so you provide your Personal and Business Information at your own risk.
Our Site may contain links to third-party websites and content providers which may interest you. If you follow any link to a third-party site, you leave Our Site. You should review those sites’ privacy policies to find out how they treat your information.
Please email us at popia@smediagnostic.co.za if you have any questions about this Privacy Policy.
[Updated 9th August 2023]
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