Internationalization

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April 26th, 2013

Are you an Indiana Jones or a circumspect Ulysses when doing business in emerging markets?

I know that as a seasoned decision-maker, you sometimes feel that your product is the answer to the world’s problems. Then you suddenly get that itch for adventure – think Indiana Jones – and feel the need to conquer a market more exciting than Montpelier or Buffalo.

But all it takes is a few minutes online to realize that Brazil is actually rife with protectionist traps and that you need to jump through more hoops than a circus dog just to get a visa for Algeria.

So what’s the real story? (more…)

April 19th, 2013

Panama-Canada Free Trade Agreement (CPAFTA) Comes into Force

The Canada Border Services Agency has announced that the Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement came into force on April 1, 2013.

“This customs notice is to inform you that the Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement (CPAFTA) will be implemented on April 1, 2013. With the exception of a few agricultural goods, the CPAFTA will essentially eliminate the customs duties on all imports from Panama, either immediately upon implementation of the agreement, or through a tariff phase-out.” (more…)

March 12th, 2013

Obama administration creates a new federal agency, SelectUSA

On February 13, Steven Olson, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Executive Director of SelectUSA, participated in a symposium organized by the U.S. Commercial Service office in Montreal.

SelectUSA, one of the Obama administration’s latest programs, was officially launched in June 2011. The program has a US$13 million budget for 2013.

SelectUSA works to promote foreign investment into the United States in order to create jobs, spur economic growth and strengthen American competitiveness.

This is the government’s stated objective. More concretely, what can SelectUSA do for Canadian companies? (more…)

February 25th, 2013

Are you ready to step onto the world stage?

On January 29, the LTIBC, in collaboration with the ministère des Finances et de l’Économie, held a seminar on best practices in determining export readiness. More specifically, it introduced the export readiness assessment (ERA), a simple concrete management tool that addresses all the elements required to take your company global. The exercise involves asking yourself a comprehensives set of questions about your readiness to embark on a specific project involving a new market and is equally useful for those entering their first or tenth foreign market. The goal is not to discourage business owners from venturing into new territory but to help them accurately assess their strengths, weakness and risks so they can develop an action plan that will make them more confident when exporting. (more…)

January 25th, 2013

Presenting an internationalization project to potential investors: An educational exercise

On November 14, 2012, the International Business Centre organized a special event, mimicking the concept of the popular television program “Dragon’s Den”, adapted to the quest for financing within the context of carrying out an internationalization plan. Three of the companies that took part in the training-coaching program entitled “Internationalisez votre PME, une approche terre à terre” [Internationalizing your SME: A down-to-earth approach], which was launched in February 2012, were given the opportunity to present their projects to a panel of representatives from various public and quasi-public agencies that provide financing or financial assistance for development projects. (more…)

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