Why a GTIM Network?

The World TradeOrganization (WTO) is currently undergoing a new round of discussions (the DohaRound) which will govern world trade and investment well into the foreseeablefuture. Whatever might be the final set of rules to emerge from thosediscussions onetrend is unmistakably clear:  trade and investment barriers will continueto be lessened if not altogether removed.  Many “Local” markets onceregulated by national authorities will increasingly blend into one “global”market governed by the same set of international regulations.

To compete successfullyin a far larger “global” marketplace, “local” business entrepreneurs must enhance their managementskills; they must transform themselves into “global” entrepreneurs.The Global Trade and Investment Management (GTIM) Network was created to develop these management skillsthrough an offering of training units and facilitating services.

The Competition

To date, no marketleaders have emerged to provide similar services via a Web Portal in Vietnamor any other emerging/transitional economies, thereby creating substantialmarket opportunities for the GTIM Network. There are a number of “matchingservices” which address the making of “market contacts” but none that assistaspiring entrepreneurs to manage  all of the  four “processes” andtheir “activity areas”.

GTIM Network, BasicConcepts

 
Tradeand Investment Processes

To be successfulas a “global” entrepreneur means managing profitably one or more of four trade and investmentprocesses.Viewed in the simplest of terms, each of these processes is nothing more thanthe exchange of products orinvestment capital ---- between entrepreneurs in different countries ---- for afinancial consideration. There are two trade processes, (1) exporting and (2) investment, and twoinvestment processes, (1) inward investment and (2) outward investment. 

Process Activities

Generally speakingevery trade and investment process has the same four activity areas requiringmanagement:

MarketIntelligence 

Gathering andanalyzing information to determine if a particular product or service has salespotential in a givenmarket.           

Market Promotion

Activities to encourage the purchase ofproducts or services or recruit an agent/distributor.

Market Contacts      

Identifyingpersons or firms who might directly buy a product or service or would becomelocal agent/ distributors supporting such sales.

Transaction Management

Delivering, andreceiving payment, for a product or service as agreed at the time of purchase.       

The first threeactivity areas should lead entrepreneurs to the fourth where a commercialtransaction takes place. Each of the activity areas has a subset of specifictasks that require specific management attention. With small variationsthese tasks will be generally be the same for activities found in all four ofthe processes.Below, the example is for tasksassociated with activityareas withinthe ExportProcess.

Training andFacilitating Services

Management of anyof the trade and investment processes requires competence in four areas ofactivity, each with task subsets. Unaided, a local entrepreneur could easily bediscouraged from “going global”. Fortunately, the GTIM Network hasbeen created to enable aspiring global entrepreneurs to deal with all thismanagerial complexity. The Network provides:

1)           Training on the managementof all process activities, specifically the “task” subsets.

2)           Facilitatingservicesto entrepreneurs who have come to understand what needs to be done but do nothave the time to do it themselves. 

 TheGTIM Network, 

As discussed above, the GTIMNetwork is fundamentally a knowledge management system which assists localentrepreneurs to become global entrepreneurs by providing training and tradefacilitating services. By making judicious use of these two offerings an entrepreneurshould be able to conduct profitable business transactions in global markets.

To deliver training and tradefacilitating services, the GTIM Network has designed a three-part “knowledgemanagement system” with: 1) a Database at its core; 2) a Web Portal as itsprincipal delivery “vehicle”; and,  3) Business Service Centers, physicalvenues providing assisted access to the Web Portal .

Database

The GTIM NetworkDatabase archives all the Network material used for training purposes as wellas the facilitatingserviceswhich complement the training. The Database Section staff designs the trainingcontent as well as the various facilitating services. Content is procured froma number of sources: primary and secondary research as  well as contractedsourcing

Aspiring “global” entrepreneurs mayhave access to an extensive offering of training units but may not have the time to master them all or not have the time to apply effectively whathas been leaned.For this reason, the GTIM Network designed facilitating servicesbringing together aspiring global entrepreneurs with select professionalservice providers. Both sides benefit: entrepreneurs arebetter able to master trade and investment processes with support from seasonedprofessionals and professionalservice providers havefacilitated access to an attentive, fee-paying client base.

Web Portal  

The GTIM Network“delivers” archived training and facilitating services to the aspiring globalentrepreneur.

TheWeb Portal is divided into two major “zones”, one designed to accommodate theuser wanting to know “everything there is to know”, the Highway option, and theuser who wants to move long as quickly as possible with the most basic exposureto the essentials, the ExpressLane option.  In either case , theNetwork  Web Portal training in a number of  key areas and supportservices for those requiring assistance in implementing what they have learned.

The GTIM Networkis built around the access that aspiring “global” entrepreneurs may have totraining and facilitating services that will enable them to navigate to successin the global marketplace.  Although heavily weighted to electronic meansof access, the GTIM Network recognizes that not everyone has equal access tocomputersmuch less the Internet. And even with such access, necessary training may belacking tomake good use of them.

For this reason BusinessService Centers are a logical third piece to the structure of the GTIMNetwork.  It is here where individuals may be assisted in maximizing theutility of all GTIM-related information. A BSC would be equipped with Internet-connectedcomputers loadedwith software providing essential business applications, such as the MicrosoftOffice suite, and “off-line” hard-copy text, instructional videos, etc

Business ServiceProviders

Aspiring “global” entrepreneurs attendingto the everyday demands of managing an enterprise may leave littletime, or energy, to develop managerial skills to a higher…and moreprofitable…level of proficiency.

Fortunately, for business to be conducted ever more profitably,entrepreneurs  can turn for assistance to professional service providerssuch as export management companies, shipping agents, management consultants,etc., who can perform tasks an entrepreneur cannot attend to directly. Withinthe GTIM Network organization they are major contributors to the content on theDatabase, be it training material or facilitating services.