ISSUE 4/2005

A long-term export policy of the Republic of Korea combines national and corporate branding.In 2000, the Korean Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy announced that to be globally competitive and boost exports, Koreans needed to shift from supplying generic products to developing their own brands. The Ministry's strategic policy was to support branding at the national level. As a start, it reorganized and renamed the "Quality and Design Division" to the "Design and Brand Policy Division".

How can a developing country firm compete in this capital-intensive, highly specialized business where the company may need to educate the client about the issues before making the sale, where procurement rules may be hard to fathom and competition from big firms is fierce?

Business process outsourcing can be a win-win deal, even for small firms in developing countries.

During the 5th World Conference of Trade Promotion Organizations in 2004, the Jamaica Promotions Corporation, under the leadership of Ms Francis, was one of six TPOs to receive an international award for its achievements in raising exports. JAMPRO received the Best TPO from a Small Country award. As part of the country's public sector modernization programme, a streamlined JAMPRO focused on increasing export competitiveness.

Service exporters face many obstacles. Austrade is finding ways to help businesses overcome them.

Get Connected: E-applications in the textile and clothing sector166 pages. Study focusing on how developing country producers could successfully apply new e-applications and secure post-quota exports in light of changing nature of textile and clothing business after January 2005 (when quotas were phased out). Elaborates principles to guide exporters in adopting e-applications so as to develop fruitful long-term relationships with major buyers; deals with e-applications in the European Union and the United States; presents examples of exporters in developing countries that have successfully found approaches to integrate their systems with those of customers/suppliers; includes case studies from Hong Kong (China) buying, sourcing and trading offices, and e-applications used by Singapore trading houses and manufacturers. To order online, visit ITC's e-shop at http://www.intracen.org/eshop

© International Trade Centre, International Trade Forum - Issue 4/2005 From 1 January 2006, the cost of a yearly subscription to Trade Forum will be US$ 45. The new price brings the magazine in line with similar publications. ITC will continue its efforts to keep the price as low as possible in

Interview with Simon Anholt, Earthspeak A country's "brand" can help or hinder its exports. Plugging into the essence of its people, institutions, geography, history and culture, a nation can create a brand strategy that shows its true, distinctive self.

Simply building a web site won't bring visitors. It takes careful strategy and targeted marketing to lure visitors to the site once, and even more work to bring them back

WTO head Pascal Lamy urges developing countries to invest in service talks.If the Doha Development Agenda is to be completed in December 2006, there will need to be basic movement on several issues to match the ambitions expressed in the title and goals adopted for the round in 2001. Among these issues are services.

Communications plays a key role in every organization that wants results. A strategic approach can help them use resources effectively to achieve their goals.

This collection of articles covers legal aspects of international trade, informs you on the use of model contracts and provides advice on avoiding and managing commercial disputes.

This table shows the state of ratification by UN member countries, as of 1 January 2005, of 205 major multilateral trade treaties covering contracts, customs, dispute resolution, environment and products, finance, illicit trade, intellectual property, investment, transport, treaty law and WTO agreements.