INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS & TRADE

STUDY AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT                                                                                                               

Export activities need to be conducted by trained and knowledgeable personnel and managers, so a person trained in matters of international business and trade can expect to achieve a good job, security and respect. This study and training also provides routes into a wide range of marketing, product development, logistics and many other fields and career areas.

SUMMARY OF MAJOR TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE:

• The reasons for conducting overseas business and trade.
• Defining import and export; the aims and risks.
• International sales; production and make or buy decisions.
• International trade for smaller and medium sized companies; acquisitions and mergers.
• Economic development, international companies and strategy, global markets.
• Marketing: the marketing mix, marketing planning, market segmentation.
• Considerations of product fit, product promotions.
• Strategy: SMART, SWOT.
• Market research, social, political, legal and economic factors; competition analysis.
• Macro factors, communication and cultural factors.
• Barriers to entry, import controls, licenses; quality and safety; packaging and labelling.
• Routes to market; direct and indirect marketing: trading houses, agents, joint ventures, partners, mergers and acquisitions.
• Business finance; fixed and variable costs, economies of scale.
• Budgets, break-even analysis, accounting and financial checks and ratios.
• Export costing, pricing and global sales, incoterms.
• Contracts, the offer, terms and conditions, acceptance, breaches of contracts.
• Transport and logistics: the role of freight forwarders; containerization, insurance, customs brokers.
• Customs documentation and procedures, tariffs and bonded warehousing.
• The bill of lading; types, variations and features.
• Methods of payment, bills of exchange, currency and exchange rates, letters of credit, pricing.
• Awareness of and care against fraud.
• Financing international trade; short, medium, long term options; forfait, factoring, leasing, premiums.
• Suppliers, partners, support organisations, export management companies, chambers of commerce.
• The export marketing plan, format and content, its importance.