© International
Trade Centre, International Trade Forum - Issue 1/2002
The ITC's three Executive Forums to date have
dealt with the need to redefine trade promotion strategy, the
challenge of the digital economy and how to ensure trade support
networks are working. The logical question now is, "What do we need
to tackle next at the strategy-making level?"
The goal of the Executive Forums on National Export Strategies
is to make a substantive contribution to export growth in
developing and transition economies. Through the Executive Forum
network, ITC seeks to:
- expose national export strategy-makers to best practice in the
strategy management process;
- promote dialogue and consolidate the partnership between public
sector strategy-makers and leaders of the business community;
and
- facilitate the exchange of best-practice experience among
strategy-makers and managers of trade support institutions.
Our plan is to extend our outreach in the immediate future by
complementing our annual debate on best practice in Montreux with
Regional Executive Forums, such as the one organized in November
2001 during the Africa Trade Week in Nairobi (see page 34). We also
intend to establish an Executive Forum presence at the national
level, an objective shared by ITC's Executive Forum partner, the
Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco) which places an
emphasis on practical follow-up.
Reflecting the views of our network, the theme selected for the
2002 Montreux debate from 25 to 28 September is "The Values of
National Strategy" - during which we will analyse strategy from
five value perspectives:
- Creating Value: Moving from Comparative to Competitive
Advantage.
- Adding Value: Building Value-Addition Alliances.
- Projecting Value: Is there a Case for National Branding?
- Capturing Value: The National Value Chain Approach to Export
Strategy Development.
- Confirming Value: Export Strategy Performance Measurement.
We are determined to maintain the mix of public and private
sector representatives in all Executive Forum consultations
(Montreux, regional and national). We will continue to experiment
with new formats with a view to maximizing experience exchange and
developing practical best-practice scenarios for assessment by
national export strategy-makers.
We will also continue to support the network through the
Executive Forum web site (http://www.intracen.org/execforum)
and work towards enhancing its interactivity capabilities.
E-discussions will again be a key feature of the Executive Forum
process. Most important of all, all contributions to the Executive
Forum's ongoing programme of applied research are welcome. Our
primary interest is in the practical analysis of best practice in
strategy formulation and management. Interested parties can contact
us by e-mail at execforum@intracen.org or
through the Executive Forum web site.
Brian Barclay is Coordinator of the ITC Executive Forum on
National Export Strategies. Contact: barclay@intracen.org