The Business of Business is More Than Business

As regards State trading enterprises, it is generally agreed that no commercial activities of State trading enterprises should contain export subsidy elements.

Trade facilitation reduced barriers to the participation of SMEs in trade, increased employment and allowed entrepreneurs to become partners in the globalization and liberalization of trade.

67. Productive enterprises and the services that support their trading activities all depend on people.

Thus, among other things, policies which have a bearing on entrepreneurship and the development of enterprises, such as monetary, fiscal, trade and exchange rate policies, will need to be consistent with sectoral and firm level policies.

In addition, new trade opportunities are provided by emerging technologies which facilitate cross border trade and by new forms of business organization adept at penetrating foreign markets.

Linkages between foreign and local firms should be encouraged.

However, risks of outbreak of an all out trade war stuck the business prospects of enterprises, likely to threaten the business capital expenditure.

The ITC World Trade Net programme seeks to help business sectors better understand dynamic changes in legal and regulatory frameworks for international trade and implications for day to day business operations.

Modify the title of the subprogramme to read Trade, industry and enterprise development .

Most of the enterprises in the first category are either foreign owned or in the public sector.

A trade structure involving many enterprises, particularly SMEs, will require widely available and accessible trade related services and a closer integration of the services of key sectors, whereas a trading structure involving a few large enterprises will tend to have many of the trade related services in the enterprises themselves, with a low level of availability and accessibility to newcomers.

Foreign trade was being promoted within the framework of the second plan of the National Bank for Foreign Trade (BANCOMEXT), which this year was expected to provide financial services to more than 5,000 SMEs.

Stiffer price competition Faced by more price driven competition, firms from developing countries may choose to relocate some of their production facilities to lower cost developing countries.

(b) Businesses or business associations working in partnership with an in house or external training agency

The examples of B2B travel trade portals www.onecaribbean.org and www.thaitravelmart.com have been dealt with in some detail in the UNCTAD Information Economy Report 2005.

It further considers that the trade competitiveness of smaller firms in these countries is of central importance to their more active participation in international trade.

50 UNCTAD, Entrepreneurship and economic development the Empretec showcase (Geneva, 2004).

The latter function would permit the Trade Point to develop its activities in support of micro, small and medium size enterprises.

The beginning of joint ventures abroad by manufacturing SMEs can be traced back to two different time periods depending on the size of firms (medium sized versus small enterprises).

(c) Small and medium sized enterprise trade competitiveness the training of operational staff for Trade Points, as well as Trade Point managers and users

More than two thirds of the businesses are engaged in trade and 57 of these in the retail trade.

Many enterprises were making use of the services provided.

(d) Types of enterprises and trading partners by country

ASATRADE Association of African Trading Enterprises XXXIX(I)

1994 1995 Minister for Trade, Industry and State Enterprises, Republic of Sierra Leone

SMEs investing abroad can normally be found among the more growth oriented SMEs.

The International Trade Centre UNCTAD WTO offers one day training programmes for women entrepreneurs in the service sector that cover export preparedness, enterprise development, linkages and networking within the mainstream business community, the role of women entrepreneurs, creative leadership and economic empowerment.

Finally, the negative impact of trade liberalization as been felt more severely by SMEs than by larger firms.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry reckons that a network of FTAs can be designed to support the business community in moving up the value add ladder and knowledge chain.

(d) Types of enterprises and trading partners by country 7

Trade facilitation, business information and adequate human resource development in the field of enterprise management and trade support services will occupy a prominent position in the strategies of all Governments and enterprises involved in international trade.

Software SMEs contributed significantly to OFDI stock (47 per cent), whereas manufacturing OFDI by SMEs was small (table 6).

For this purpose, ITC pursues five corporate goals, namely (a) facilitating the integration of enterprises into the multilateral trading system (b) supporting the design of trade development strategies (c) strengthening key trade support services, both public and private (d) improving sector performance and (e) building enterprise competitiveness.

Dr. Yumkella is a former Minister of Trade, Industry and State Enterprises of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

In addition, efforts are being made to strengthen collaboration with ITC in other areas, including training and human resource development (associated in part with the UNCTAD TRAINFORTRADE programme), enterprise development, and capacity building for trade policy and trade promotion policy and implementation.

Not just large Chinese enterprises but SMEs too are investing abroad.

Further, the quality and quantity of firm specific assets owned are also different between SMEs, and larger enterprises.

23 UNCTAD, Entrepreneurship and economic development the Empretec showcase (Geneva, 2004).

Industrial Enterprises (MIEs) in the Eastern and Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern

(c) To supply information that would disclose any trade, business, industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information, the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy (ordre public).

A new department in the Ministry of Trade and Industry was given this responsibility, but it has been transformed into a Small Business Development Institute to monitor small business development.

In addition, coursework on entrepreneurship and business management should also be part of school curricula.

Case study on outward foreign direct investment by Singaporean firms

Enterprise competitiveness and development