Report On

REPORT ON

ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE 2008 ON

A COMPETITIVE EXPORT BUSINESS IN A GLOBALIZATION ERA AT

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BANGKOK – THAILAND FROM

MARCH 10-19, 2008

MR. M.M. BIBULEWELA BUSINESS INFORMATION ASSISTANT ECOMMERCE CENTER PROVINCIAL OFFICE GALLE

INTRODUCTION A Training Course on “ a Competitive Export Business in a Globalization Era” organized by The Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency ( TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with The university of The Thai Chamber of Commerce ( UTCC) was held at the university of The Thai Chamber of Commerce, Bangkok, Thailand from March 10-19, 2008. The training course was participated by 20 Asian countries.

BACKGROUND Business has gone global bringing unprecedented changes and results. industries/businesses the world over

Countries and

today need to understand the international market

conditions and developments and change their way of doing things accordingly. Knowledge is the most crucial factor in managing a business today. Knowledge based businesses are growing in size, importance and dominance irrespective of their geographical locations. The world marketplace is open all day and every day, unrestricted by distance, technological barriers or country of origin. The entire world is within our reach in ways that weren’t possible before. Like any business venture, of course, entering the arena of global trade presents both opportunities and challengers. And a global economic expansion unprecedented in modern economic history is occurring as the move toward efficiency, productivity output, and open unregulated markets sweeps every corner of the world. Rapid developments and changes are taking place at the export market in an era where we talk of the knowledge based economy, markets and society. These developments and changes are mainly due to the increased globalization and market liberalization.

In this backdrop no

country/industry could confine its activities to the geographical boundaries if it is to be developed and survived. Therefore it is crucial gaining access to export markets so as to ensure business growth and productivity. It is seen that in developing countries industrialists/exporters face many difficulties/problems in their effect to compete in the international market effectively. That is because they often lack the necessary knowledge and financing, may not meet foreign regulating requirements or may produce products in quantities and of a quality that are not adequate for foreign buyers.

In the light of this situation entrepreneurs/exporters in developing countries need to undergo comprehensive training on Managing a competitive export business in globalization era. Through this programme they can educate themselves on various aspects that are crucial for export business. These programmes may help a country for developing and designing export programmes which improve the export readiness of companies. Further, they can improve their export potential and reduce the costs and risks involved in penetrating foreign markets. In view of this situation it is the responsibility of the Govt.agencies, trades, chambers and other relevant bodies of the developing counties to arrange educational programmes, seminars and workshops for state officials to make aware on the fast changing global environment and to adjust their business strategies accordingly.

OBJECTIVES

− Understand the process of putting company on the international stage − Understand and be able to manage or to train the exporters to manage country’s export business in a competitive way − Understand the essence of export business, its roles in international business − Understand the legal aspects involved in international transactions − Increase awareness of the important role trade plays in fostering prosperity − Provide practitioners in the field of export promotion with the necessary knowledge and skills to promote export companies

COURSE CONTENTS “How to do and increase competitiveness of export business?”

1. Getting started Exporting: What is in it for you? Are you ready? (Expectations, Human resources, Financial and legal resources, Competitiveness) Evaluating your export potential

2. Developing your export plan Why plan? The foundation: Business plan Building on the foundation: Export plan The elements of export plan 3. Identifying your target market Understanding international marketing research Understanding market types The kinds of market research Profiling potential markets 4. Developing your export marketing strategy (Understanding export

marketing plans) Understanding export marketing plan The many P`s of international marketing Building your export marketing plan Setting prices Promotion Marketing tools

5. Entering your target market Understanding entry strategies Working out entry strategy Methods of market entry Intermediaries Choosing an Intermediary

6. Identifying shippers and shipping Export declarations Export permits Delivering products Freight forwarders and brokers Packing goods Marks and labels Transportation insurance Delivering services: How it’s different

7. Planning your export financing Understanding the risks of export financing Planning export finances Where to get finances help Payday (cash in advance, Letter of credit, Documentary credit, Documentary Collection, Open account) Insuring against non-payment

8. Understanding the legal side of international trade Understanding international contacts Understanding the “proper law” Resolving disputes Meeting international standards Contract for the sale of goods Protecting intellectual property rights

9. E-Business for exports Understanding e-business E-business applications and benefits Assessing e- business potential Investigating the return on investment for e-business Web site suitability The technical issues of e-business Finding e-leads Checking e-leads Shipping and Documentation Getting paid Providing customer support

10.Company and factory visit / Field trip To get experience about export and logistics infrastructure of Thailand and to understand the overall processes of doing export business.We visited Srithai Superware Co. Ltd., Map Ta Pud Port, and Furniture Fair on March 15, 2008. This was organized by the Department of Export Promotion, Ministry of commerce under the training course.

RECOMMENDATIONS Since this training course was Comprehensive and extremely successful in giving and discussing issues, challenges, opportunities, and new ways and means related a competitive export business, I strongly recommend that this type of training programs be made available to the stuff of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board for improving their knowledge and capabilities for delivering a better service.

CONCLUSION The training program on “ a Competitive Export Business in a Globalization Era” was a source of knowledge with experience and an opportunity to understand the new Export marketing strategy and also it had the opportunity to share experience with the other officials from participated countries. I sincerely thank the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency and The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce for organizing this training programme and providing me with the opportunity to participate in the programme

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