Leveraging Itc Skills For Sme Export Success
Leveraging Itc Skills For Sme Export Success
EXPORT IMPACT
FOR GOOD
CREATING
COMPETITIVE
EXPORTERS
Businesses trade, not countries. Making trade work for development and poverty reduction means creating
an enabling business environment and helping companies access the resources they need to become
internationally competitive. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the engines of export growth for
developing countries. Harnessing the untapped potential of these enterprises is a key policy objective for
governments and the mission of the International Trade Centre (ITC).
UNDERSTANDING
CLIENT NEEDS
The external evaluation of ITC conducted in 2006 recommended that ITC conduct more systematic needs
assessments, scale-up activities to achieve greater impact at country level, and provide relevant services
through strategic marketing. The study also invited ITC to work more closely with institutional partners to
establish management systems to measure results and impact. In response, ITC launched a major research
and consultation exercise in 2007. The aim of this exercise was to establish the export development needs of
SMEs, the needs of national and regional institutional partners and to position ITC’s service offer with respect
to other international agencies and technical assistance providers.
Consultation
This consultation exercise involved:
• An online survey of more than 1500 SMEs, government partners and private sector institutions1;
• Focus groups with partners at the World Export Development Forum in Montreux, 8-11 October 2007;
• Three regional consultations on Aid for Trade;
• Numerous consultations with regional groupings in Geneva and in countries.
We asked our clients what works and what doesn’t. We asked them to tell us how to improve our services
and what other agencies are doing to meet their needs.
Recommendations
As a result, we came away with these key recommendations:
• Export development is an integral part of enterprise development. Services must be designed to sat-
isfy the needs of businesses along the continuum from start-up to exporter to international business.
• Product Development – To meet the challenge of the supply side constraints faced by our clients,
services must be aligned to new product development, product innovation and value addition.
• Trade Support Networks – Enterprises want a coherent, co-ordinated service offering from national
and regional trade support networks.
• Capacity Building – Training needs to move towards knowledge development and sustainable capac-
ity building.
• Measurement is critical to assessing impact. We will have to join forces with partners to achieve this.
1 For the results of the Globescan-Dahlberg Client Perceptions Survey 2007 contact the Office of the Executive Director, International Trade Centre.
ITC Core Competencies ITC Clients ITC Beneficiaries ITC Development Outcomes
KEY PRINCIPLES
The cornerstone of the business lines redeployment rests on the following principles:
• Alignment with ITC’s strategic objectives – engineering the future business lines so that the goals,
objectives, and results provide measurable outcomes and outputs that enable ITC to reach its objec-
tives.
• Focus on ITC’s core competencies – making sure that the new business lines reflect our intent to
concentrate delivery where we can best achieve our mission.
• Integration and scale – ensuring that ITC’s activities are better integrated to provide solutions to our
clients, not just products and services.
• Relevance and impact – become more client oriented at the policy-maker, TSI and enterprise levels.
Immediate Objective:
Enabled policy makers to integrate business priorities
in national trade policies and negotiations, and effective
collaboration between public and private sectors
achieved
Result 1: Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) mechanisms established at 1.1 Number of activities on Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) undertaken
national level per year at the national level
1.2 Number of support / advisory services asked for
Result 2: Policy makers and business community empowered 2.1 Number of workshops and trainings conducted
to effectively reflect the business dimension in trade policy and 2.2 Demand for publications / analytical papers
negotiations fora 2.3 Number and quality of business oriented policy analysis papers
produced
Result 3: Support the establishment of conducive environment for 3.1 Number of best practices advocated to government and private
public-private cooperation and partnerships in implementation of trade sector
development policies and programmes. 3.2 Number of networking opportunities provided
Result 1: Formalized strategy process agreed upon by stakeholders 1.1 Number of new institutional mechanisms formalised and established
1.2 Number of existing institutional mechanisms adapted to
accommodate inclusive stakeholder representation
Result 2: Comprehensive needs assessment undertaken & scope of 2.1 Number of comprehensive, accurate and timely tasks (requisite
strategy defined for design stage analytical inputs) completed and signed off by the owners of the
strategy
Result 3: Strategy designed to address the priorities of the needs 3.1 Number of strategies launched by the 3 target-groups
assessment
Result 4: Strategy implemented and monitored according to the 4.1 Number of initiatives underway according to specified time-lines and
specified plan of action assigned responsibilities
Result 1: Trade Intelligence provided 1.1 Number and quality of publications and customized reports on
specific products, markets, functions and geographical areas
1.2 Number of CD-ROMS and DVDs with trade intelligence
Result 2: ITC portfolio of Trade Intelligence services and products 2.1 Number of improvements of existing trade intelligence services
improved and integrated 2.2 Number of newly created trade intelligence services
2.3 Trade Intelligence platforms integrated (Y/N)
Result 3: Capacity building supported 3.1 Number and quality of training events conducted for policy makers,
TSIs and enterprises and number of participants
3.2 Number of online training courses
3.3 Number of advisory services in support of trade information
management
3.4 Number of training materials for trade information management
Result 1: TSI service capacities supported 1.1 Number of TSI strategic plans supported
1.2 Number of client management systems supported
1.3 Number of service development and delivery initiatives supported
1.4 Number of performance measurement systems supported
Result 2: National/regional TSI networks created or supported 2.1 Number of trade support network maps completed and published
2.2 Number of fora and advocacy mechanisms created, sustained and/or
strengthened
Result 3: International TSI knowledge networks created or supported 3.1 Number of TSI networks created or supported
3.2 Number of actionable requests received by TSIs from international
TSI networks
3.3 Number of international TSI networks that recognize ITC as a valued
knowledge partner (e.g. visibility)
Result 1: ITC certified experts equipped with methodologies and 1.1 Number of certified experts available
tools to provide training and counselling services for building exporter 1.2 Number of enterprises being served with ITC products and services
competitiveness
Result 2: Exporter capacities created & strengthened to strategize and 2.1 Number of enterprises that received management training and/or
effectively and efficiently plan, acquire, allocate and control resources tailored business advisory services
Result 3: Exporter capacities created & strengthened to design, 3.1 Number of enterprises that received production training and/or
produce and supply competitive products and services tailored business advisory services
Result 4: Exporter capacities created & strengthened to market and 4.1 Number of enterprises that received marketing and sales training
sell products and services and/or tailored business advisory services
LINE
EC Implementation of technical assistance to develop enterprise
competencies and capacities (including specific purposes/audiences)
ES Facilitation on agreement of vision and objectives
INTERVENTION
3.1
ES Facilitation on formulation of detailed strategies
3.2
LOGIC
ES Facilitation on finalisation of Implementation Management and
3.3 Monitoring Framework
ES Facilitation and provision of advice for transfer in of know-how for ES Feedback from the strategy implementation phase on the
Colour Business Line 4.1 implementation management and monitoring usefulness of trade intelligence provided during the strategy
design phase.
ES Facilitation and provision of advice on resource mobilisation
Business in Trade Policy
4.2
ES Monitoring of quality of inputs from and outputs to other BLs
Exporter Competitiveness
4.3
ES Provision of advice on programme design
Trade Intelligence
4.4
ES Monitoring of performance of strategy implementation
TSI Strengthening
4.5
ES Facilitation of process of periodic review
Export Strategy
4.6
TSI Foster the development of network architectures and network guidelines EC Design and development of management programs for exporter
2.1 2.1 competitiveness (including specific purposes/audiences)
TSI Assist TSIs in the mapping of enterprises development services TSI Programmes to create potentially competitive enterprises and
2.2 strengthen the competitiveness of existing enterprises
TSI Identify and promote good practices among TSIs EC Training and advisory services diagnosing of managerial strengths and
2.3 2.2 weaknesses
TSI Support the development of a global TSI network platform EC Training and advisory services on strategies for competitiveness
2.4 2.3
TSI Assess and stimulate the further development of knowledge networks EC Training and advisory services on management of all enterprise
3.1 2.4 resources
TSI Identify and promote good practices within the international TSI EC Design and development of production programs for exporter
3.2 knowledge networks 3.1 competitiveness (including specific purposes/audiences)
TSI Develop and host a series of flagship events to promote knowledge TSI Programmes to create potentially competitive enterprises and
3.3 transfer and learning by doing strengthen the competitiveness of existing enterprises
TSI Respond to actionable requests for learning resources from TSIs EC Training and advisory services diagnosing of production strengths and
3.4 3.2 weaknesses
EC Training and advisory services on production inputs, processes and
3.3 fulfilment of orders
• For Developing Country Governments – A multi-disciplinary approach addressing trade and private
sector development in the context of the wider development agenda.
• For Technical Partners – Engagement with other development agencies and more active participation
in the design of integrated trade development programmes at the regional and national levels.
• For Donors – A strong intervention logic, showing the desired outcomes and the linkages between what
we do and the development effect created in the countries where we work.
ITC will continue to build upon its reputation as a practical international agency that can speak the language
of business, building upon its unique “honest broker” role and relationship with the World Trade Organization
and the United Nations. We invite you to get to know us better and to find out how you can partner with us to
create export impact for good.