5 Tips for Going Global (Import - Export Business)

5 Tips for Going Global (Import - Export Business) Import, Export, Global Markets...the buzz words of International Trade are getting small business owners very excited. The reason? In the past it would be too costly for a small business to survive global markets, but as various technologies, professional website design, and the internet become more affordable, it's becoming easier and easier for the little guy to compete. As the trend towards 'going global' grows, so does my business. I have the pleasure of guiding these enthusiastic new players through the global game procedures. As The Import Export Coach, during my training workshops I'm often asked "How can I test my new product or market idea before deciding to fully commit my resources and finances to the project?" Of course, I always recommend thorough research before jumping into any international agreement - there are no small deals when "Going Global" - players are ready to buy and sell in bulk. The more research you do, the more you minimize the risks. It's like a see-saw; when your planning and research increase, your risks go down, and when your planning and research fall, your risk rises, as seen in this diagram: However, it's not going to hurt your business to start making some contacts and begin the communication process with key players in that market. Below are some tips on how to quickly find valuable global prospects. Tip #1 For exporting products and services to other countries, contact your country's consulate or embassy in the foreign market that you're trying to enter. Trade Commissioners are placed in those foreign countries specifically to help companies like yours export products there. They collect market data and have access to directories of potential buyers for specific industries. Embassies are placed in the capital of a country, while consulates are placed in strategic economic areas. The only trick is getting them to respond to your inquiry. Keep in mind that they need some kind of "hard-copy" of your request to place in their files. While many will accept inquiries via email, some still require a faxed letter. It must be on your company letterhead and specific information is required. Whether by fax or email, I suggest you include the following: - Company contact information. - Product Description - Be as specific as possible, for example do not generalize by saying giftware, instead say: decorative, hand painted, carved wood Christmas ornaments. Request a list of potential buyers. Request recommendations for market entry strategies. This will make a big difference in how you approach the foreign market. For example, will you use a major distributor, individual agent, or trading house, what tradeshows and promotional events should you attend, etc. If you follow the suggested guidelines and have a professional approach, you should have no problem getting a response. Tip #2 Similarly, for importing products and services from other countries, contact foreign consulates and embassies located in your city. Just like our country has trade offices around the world, foreign countries have placed their embassies and consulates here to study our markets. The foreign Trade Commissioners in these offices are placed here to help manufacturers from their own country. They offer Export Directories of their homeland's products and suppliers. (In some cases, they may offer lists of buyers for certain industries.) Again, proper communication is essential for gaining their assistance. Tip #3 Go Online - There are thousands of trade lead sites on the internet. Use sites that offer quick access and easy maneuvering. Make contact only with companies with whom you're truly interested in their products. If you're just starting out, trade items that are "easy" with minimal trade barriers, for example gift and consumer items. And most of all be careful that you don't get caught up in a wild goose chase... You may have been mislead that large commodity items will bring in the most profit and multitudes of money. If you're just starting, think again. The companies involved in the international distribution of large commodities, in most industries, are all aware of each other. In other words they already know who the major buyers and sellers are, and quite frankly, don't need our help. In addition, if someone is getting you to do a lot of leg work without paying you, perhaps they are just tying to find out information about a competitor, or using you to make a trade with a well known buyer/seller in your country who will not deal with them directly for some reason, and you will end up with nothing. Or perhaps there are regulations and quotas involved that they want someone else to take the heat for when the goods are shipped into their country. If you don't know what you're doing, international trade can be a very costly venture. But you can do it! Just start with products that have less risk attached to them. Look on trade lead sites for unique products offered at competitive prices that are in demand in your market (import) or desired destination market (export). Reputable suppliers should offer samples of smaller items and full color info on others. Tip #4 Contact other non-competing companies from your region that have attempted to "Go Global". Perhaps you sell custom designed windows and you've heard that a door manufacturer in your town has secured a contract with an Asian buyer. Go ahead - give them a call. They'll probably be glad to share their stories with you. Tip #5 Go on Government subsidized trade missions. Check with your government for programs and subsidized missions to foreign markets that meet the needs of your company. Article Source By : Jennifer Henczel www.ImportExportCoach.com

6 (SIX) Step - Get Starting Success Export and Import Business

6 (SIX) Step - Get Starting Success Export and Import Business 1. RECOGNIZING YOUR PRODUCT 2. THINKING YOUR BEST PLANNING 3. INCREASE YOUR MANAGEMENT SKILLS 4. MAKE A COMMITMENT INTO YOUR SELF 5. ESTABLISING your GOOD BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP 6. PATIENT AND GET YOUR SUCCESS! 1. RECOGNIZING YOUR PRODUCT More companies around the the world producing like your goods with best performance, best quality and very attractive appearance and most important with competitive price. Soo, if you cannot offer something more than the others.... you will failed in this competition. 2. THINKING YOUR BEST PLANNING When you in first time offering some product or service into the market, many peoples will be not trust it and thinking you are a lier. Why? because that is nature of human base. Soo, what you can do to change situation? Ex : Make your best product with warranty (if Possible of course!), The key sections of your business plan should include an overview of your company, marketing components, financials and implementation schedule, mission statement and more references you will be well in your way to having a well documented plan. And PLEASE REMEMBER, your business plan must be written. Keep into your mind is not enough. 3. INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE - Payment mechanisms - Payment options including advance payment, open account, consignment, documentary collection and letter of credit - Commercial document - Invoices, pro forma invoices, sales contracts. - Transportation documents - Bills of lading, airway bills, certificates of inspection, carrier certificates and packing lists. - Shipping - Containers, weights, intermodals, carriers and less than container loads. - Government documents - Certificates of Origin, Consular Invoices, license requirements. - Customs requirements - Valuation, classification using the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, Schedule B (U.S. only), marking, other agency requirements, Custom House brokers. - Insurance requirements - Insured value, all risk, free of a particular average, claims. - Distribution channels - Agents, distributors, export management companies, direct and indirect channel, trading companies, wholesalers and retailers. - Pricing product - Landed costs, hidden costs, incremental, discounts and allowances, price cuts and increases. - Promotion and Advertising - Types of advertising, sale promotion events, public relations, direct marketing, personal selling, media options. - Financing options - Trade finance, short/medium/long term financing, government loan, guarantee program, private lenders, angel financing. - International Commercial Terms (Incoterms 2000) - Identify the responsibilities of buyer and seller. - Counter Trade - Barter, counterpurchase, offset, switch trading, compensation or buybacks. 4. MAKE COMMITMENT INTO YOUR MIND It is very unfortunate that many small businesses consider import-export when their business slows in the domestic markets, or when they have access production capacity to sell to cover their domestic losses. The same companies, when domestic demands for their product increases, often forget their export and import business. Such an approach has no place in today's competitive markets. As with any type of business, long-term commitment is required to remain competitive and successful in foreign trade. Abandoning your import-export business prematurely because of increased domestic results reflects a lack of commitment. 5. ESTABLISING YOUR GOOD BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP In domestic business, your buyer or supplier most likely speaks the same language, has similar culture and does business by the rules that are familiar to you. In the international markets, however, your buyer or supplier might be operating in a different legal, political, cultural and economic environment, including different businesses practices and languages. Simply put, you will have to work hard to understand and gain your buyer or seller's trust. 6. PATIENT AND GET YOUR SUCCESS! If your companies always to remain competitive and profitable in foreign trade careful planning, long-term business commitment, in-depth knowledge, good relationships and keep trying your best idea or your business implementation are key considerations to reap the rewards from a successful import-export business.

Only Suggestion : When you import from Foreign Suppliers

Only Suggestion : When you import from Foreign Suppliers 1. You should pay attention more to find a really and credible seller. 2. Pay attention to the kind of business of your supplier; are they manufacturers, or 3rd party suppliers? compare the advantage and disadvantage. manufacturers may have a faster response in the process of product development, while 3rd-party suppliers have broader channels that can satisfy your other needs in the future. working with 4th-party suppliers is not recommended. 3. Establishing healthy personal relationship with the key employees of your supplier is very important when doing business with foreign people. 4. You need to have a good estimate of the landing cost before you make your order. Landing cost = Cost of the goods fob + Transport costs by forwarder + Import duties (if any) + Local transport costs + Cost of service providers (inspections, agents, etc.). There may be many hidden costs and you can consult an import management company, but the best way to avoid bad surprises is by making a first order of a small quantity, and collect all costs and fine tune your landing cost estimate. 5. Pay attention to import duties. import duties depend on hs code of the goods you import, the countries of origin and destination. if your supplier has some export experience, he shall know what is the HS code for your product. but do your homework and check the product description of the hs code corresponds to the product you import. Definitions are sometime vague. a wrong hs code may delay the custom clearance of your shipment. 6. Letter of credit is commonly used in trade with Supplier. go to your bank to get detail formality and cost. 7. Export agents are very commonly hired by exporters. some of these export agents are also 3rd-party suppliers, others just provide export services. 8. Neglecting compliance can be very costly. this may force you to pay expensive and unexpected customs duty, such as anti-dumping duty, as well as risk delaying your customs clearance. this will cost you expensive storage fees at a railway station or container yard. 9. If solid wood packaging material is used, talk to your broker. Sometimes pallet packing is necessary to reduce the transportation cost during the process of loading and unloading. talk to your forwarder for details. All wooden packaging for export must follow the nimp15 treated wood specifications. if your supplier is using wooden packaging, make sure he delivers a nimp15 certificate with other export documentation

The Top 10 Countries With Which America Trades

The Top 10 Countries With Which America Trades According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the top 10 countries with which America trades (in order of largest import and export dollars to smallest) are: 1. Canada 2. Mexico 3. Japan 4. China 5. Germany 6. United Kingdom 7. France 8. Republic of Korea (South Korea) 9. Taiwan 10. Singapore

Investors' Roundtable / International - Ireland (FAQs)

Q:What is this? A: It is version 1 of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the Ireland discussion board. Q: So what is it for? A: If you are proto-Fool, or even a fully fledged Fool with gold stars, you may find that your question has been asked before. So to save you time we thought it would be a good idea make things easy and package the answers to some of the questions that come up regularly. Q: How do I know whether this FAQ is up to date? A: If you got here via the FAQ link at the top of the message view screen then this is as up to date as it gets. However do check for replies. If you just happened across this message while working through every message on the board then it may have been superseded. Q: What if I know better, or have another question which should be in here? A: Post a reply here and it will be included in the next version. Thank You. Q: What are the best sites for Irish Financial Issues BULLETIN BOARDS: Askaboutmoney www.askaboutmoney.com deals with Irish Finance. It covers such areas as mortgages, taxation, savings and investment and general stockmarket issues. However, it does not discuss individual shares. It's a community site which accepts no advertising and there are a number of very good people actively contributing their expertise. The Motley Fool Ireland Board ( you are here !) discusses general Irish issues. See the end of this document for a complete list of Irish shares with their own discussion boards. Irish Sharetalk www.irisharetalk.com deals mainly with shares and hasn't much on general finance issues. Every day it publishes articles from the business pages relating to Irish issues Sharewatch www.sharewatch.com is similar but not as good - bizarrely it's more popular . TAX AND SOCIAL WELFARE The Revenue Commissioners www.revenue.ie is an excellent site Finfacts http://www.finfacts.com/taxfacts.htm have all the basic tax rates The Department of Social Welfare www.welfare.ie IRISH BUSINESS PAPERS The Irish Times www.irish-times.ie The Irish Independent/Sunday Independent www.independent.ie Irish Business Sunday Business Post www.sbpost.ie Business and Finance The Sunday Tribune is probably the best business paper but doesn't have an online presence ! FINFACTS Finfacts www.finfacts.ie is the most comprehensive listing of Irish sites, but all the best ones are shown above. INDEX TRACKING Q: What tracker funds are available in Ireland ? A: Two Irish companies do tracker funds: Irish Life Scope Funds and Quinn Life. See: http://212.67.199.31/askabout/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000015.html for a detailed comparison of these. Ulster Bank markets a Scottish Provident Iseq tracker but it only tracks the capital value of the ISEQ. In other words it keeps the dividends for themselves !!!!! This is the equivalent of an annual charge of about 3%. Q: What is the difference between a tracker fund and a tracker bond ? A: Tracker Bonds are dreadful products which are very popular because of the sales push behind them. They are for a fixed period and offer some guarantee but a limited participation in the growth of the stockmarket which they track. Avoid them. Tracker Funds actually buy the shares in the index they track - you are exposed to the volatility and the risk of the stockmarket. If the index falls over the period of your investment, the value of your investment will fall. However, you will gain almost the full value of any increase in the index. Q: Can I buy an overseas tracker ? A: Yes, but you will be taxed at 40% on any gain or income. Irish trackers pay tax at 24% within the fund. The proceeds in your hands are tax free. Q: Is there a a Beat the ISEQ scheme, similar to Beat the Footsie ? A: No - The Beat the FTSE depends on having a large population of high yielding blue-chip companies to select the Top 5 from. We hardly have 5 blue chip companies in Ireland. TAX Q: How do I calculate the CGT on my sale of Irish shares ? A: If you make a gain on the sale of Irish shares you pay capital gains tax at 20% of the gain. The cost is indexed up to allow for inflation. The first £1000 per person is exempt every year. Q: Do I have to pay Income Tax on dividends of Irish shares A: The effective rate of income tax on Irish Dividends is your marginal tax rate. Irish companies withhold Dividend Withholding Tax on all dividends at the standard income tax rate of 22%. You should declare your gross dividend on your income tax form and you claim a credit for the DWT. Q: Is there any tax exempt scheme in Ireland like ISAs in the UK ? A: No. There is something called a Special Investment Account but the tax advantage is only 2%, and the costs far outweigh this. They are no longer promoted. MORTGAGES Q: Where can I get the cheapest mortgage ? A: Over the long term, the cheapest are the EBS www.ebs.ie and Bank of Scotland ( 1800 556 577, no Irish website)From time to time, other mortgage providers will be temporarily cheaper, but don't forget a mortgage is usually for 25 years and what you want is the mortgage which will be cheaper over the long term. The EBS has a long history of being the cheapest and will probably continue to be so. However, in common with all other Irish banks they were charging mortgage interest rates 1% higher than they needed to. The Bank of Scotland came in to Ireland in 1999 and did us all a favour. All the other institutions cut mortgage interest rates by 1% for both new and existing customers. If I was getting a mortgage I would go to Bank of Scotland. If they ever leave the country we will see Irish rates creep up again. They deserve your support. Q: Where can I get a 95% mortgage ? A: The EBS and Bank of Scotland are very conservative in their lending policies. If they won't lend to you, shop around the other institutions. Currently the First Active and Irish Life seem to be most "flexible". If you can't find what you want, try a mortgage broker. While you I am wary of brokers, Rea Mortgage Services (www.rea.ie) seems to be different from the rest in that they seem to be genuinely customer oriented. Q: Where can I get the BEST SAVINGS RATES A: Unlike mortgage rates, you need to shop around for the best rate. The Nortern Rock is often the highest. Finfacts provides a list of deposit rates but it omits Northern Rock so I don't know how complete it is http://www.finfacts.com/Private/dip_rate/rates.htm Q: What carpet-bagging opportunities are available in Ireland ? A: The EBS is committed to its mutual status and is very unlikely to demutualise in the near future. The Irish Nationwide is open to change. The minimum deposit is £5000 but the payoff would be quite high as it has very high reserves and very few carpetbaggers. Friends Provident in Ireland is not a mutual company so Irish policyholders will not participate in any demutualisation. Standard Life with-profits policyholders will participate in any demutualisation. See the Standard Life board on the Fool http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2240075000010000&sort=collapsed There is nothing to stop Irish residents having deposits or policies with UK institutions. See www.carpetbagger.com for full details. Q: Where do I sell an endowment ? A: You are the best person to get value out of your endowment policy, so if at all possible, keep it. If you must sell it , try : The Endowment Purchasing Company (1850 595959) or Endowment Policy Exchanges Ltd ( 077 68132) Q: Where is the best place to get data on Irish shares and to monitor my portfolio ? A: ( Suggestions welcome as I don't use these sites ) The Irish Stock Exchange www.ise.ie NCB www.ncb.ie Sharewatch www.sharewatch.com BROKERS Q: Which is the best Irish broker for the small shareholder to deal with ? A: The most commonly recommended is Morroghs in Cork http://www.morrogh.com/ Campbell O'Connor are also recommended from time to time : http://www.camocon.ie/ The cheapest was Fexco, but they are not taking on any new business by order of the Central Bank. My Experience as a customer is accurately reflected by many frustrating posts on the discussion boards and there is no way that the savings is worth the ulcers from dealing with them. I use BCP but they have also been told by the Central Bank to stop taking new business. Q: Can I deal online with an Irish broker ? A: There are no online brokers in Ireland yet, but there probably will be by the end of 2000. Use an online broker in the UK for the larger Irish shares and US shares but watch out for the currency conversion costs ! For details see the Fool board on brokers http://boards.fool.co.uk/messages.asp?id=2040007000993000 Stocktrade http://www.stocktrade.co.uk/ seem interested in Irish business. Q: How can I participate in Irish IPO'S from the start. ? A: They are generally only open to people in the know. If you are a big customer of the sponsoring stockbroker, you may be invited to participate. However, I know people who claim to be big customers of the bigger stockbrokers and they were told they were not big enough. INVESTMENT CLUBS Q: Is there an equivalent to ProShare in Ireland ? A: No. But the Fool Book is still useful in Ireland Buy it at : (Where is the link to the Fool shop ???? ) Q: Which brokers are interested in investment clubs ? A: Morroghs in Cork http://www.morrogh.com/ are frequently recommended. I have no personal experience of them. Q: What is the tax position ? A: You should declare your share of gains and dividends on your tax return. Q: Where can I join an Investment Club A: Post a message on the Investment Clubs forums on Askaboutmoney, The Fool, Irishsharewatch or Sharetalk or the Irish Board on the Fool APPENDIX Irish Company Discussion Boards at the Fool Quotes for Irish companies are only available if they also have a listing on the London Stock Exchange. Most of the companies with quotes also have their own discussion boards. Allied Irish Bank (ALBK) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2060029000000000 Anglo Irish Bank (AIB) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2060008000000000 Baltimore Technologies (BLM) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2070038000000000 Bank of Ireland (BKIR) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2070046000000000 Eircom (EIR) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2100025000000000 First Active (FTA) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2110004000000000 Fyffes (FFY) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2110011000000000 Galen Holdings (GAL) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2120017000000000 Horizon Technology Group (HOR) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2130017000000000 Parthus Technologies (PRH) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2210033000000000 Ryanair Holdings (RYA) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2230026000000000 Tullow Oil (TLW) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2250044000000000 Viridian Group (VRD) http://boards.fool.co.uk/Messages.asp?id=2270008000000000 Source: http://boards.fool.co.uk/Message.asp?mid=6011237

mortgage endowment complaints about post-'A Day' sales

We recently published on this website a briefing note on post-'A Day' mortgage endowment complaints. A post-'A Day' sale is one that took place after 29 April 1988 – when the provision of investment advice became regulated under the Financial Services Act 1986. There is nothing new in the approach set out in the briefing note; the principles were established many years ago. But we hope the note will prove useful in drawing together some of the available information on the way in which we handle these complaints. Here, we provide a short extract from the briefing note, together with some recent case studies. 'In general terms, since 'A Day', firms should: obtain sufficient personal and financial information relevant to the service to be performed for the customer to 'know the customer' and (based on that information) give recommendations that are suitable to the customer's circumstances. We consider the regulatory requirements that applied to the firm at the time of the sale when deciding whether a recommendation was suitable for the particular customer. There may have been something about the customer's circumstances, or about the policy itself, which meant that the firm should not have recommended the policy to that customer – irrespective of the customer's understanding of the risks involved. Examples could include situations where it was clear that the customer required a level of flexibility that was inconsistent with a long-term commitment or where affordability over the full term was likely to be an issue. But in the vast majority of cases the underlying issue, when considering whether or not a policy is 'suitable', is whether the policy exposed the customer to a risk (or level of risk) that they were unwilling, or unable, to take with the repayment of their mortgage. One of the main differences with post-'A Day' (as opposed to pre-'A Day') cases is that there is likely to be more documentary evidence available from the time of the sale. With post-'A Day' complaints there may be a 'fact find', illustration, brochure or 'key features' document and (after 1995) a 'reason why' letter. Where these are available, we consider them carefully, along with the customer's circumstances, to help us decide whether the policy was suitable.' The following case studies illustrate some of the wide range of complaints we deal with involving post-'A Day' mortgage endowment sales. case studies mortgage endowments: complaints about post-'A Day' sales 58/6 In 1997, on the firm's recommendation, Mr and Mrs V took out a £30,000 interest-only mortgage and an endowment policy. The policy – invested in the firm's managed fund – had a 25-year term. The 'fact find' which Mr and Mrs V signed records that, at the time: Mr V was 20 and employed as a factory worker, earning £13,000 a year Mrs V was 19 and employed as a cleaner, earning £6,000 a year and they had a young child and were expecting another baby in five months' time. There was a question on the 'fact find' about 'attitude to risk in regards to using an investment vehicle to repay your mortgage'. Customers answered this by selecting a number on a scale from 1 (signifying 'cautious') to 10 (signifying 'speculative'). The couple had answered with a '3'. The firm told us it believed Mr and Mrs V had knowingly accepted the risk associated with the policy. It said the couple's answer to the question about attitude to risk suggested they had a 'balanced' attitude, consistent with the policy it had recommended. The firm said it had given the couple: (at the time of the sale) an illustration which stated: 'These figures are only examples and are not guaranteed – they are not minimum or maximum amounts. What you will get back depends on how your investments grow' (after the sale) a 'key features' document and a 'reason why' letter, which summarised why it had sold the endowment policy. Mr and Mrs V told us: they remembered the 'attitude to risk' question – they had ticked '3' because the adviser said '3 was average and normal' and they didn't understand the illustrations but had trusted the adviser, who said their mortgage would be repaid in full and they would receive 'at least £10,000 on top'. complaint upheld Mr and Mrs V took out the policy in 1997, so the regulatory requirements and standards introduced by the Financial Services Act 1986 applied to the sale. We considered whether the policy sold to Mr and Mrs V had been suitable for them. Mr and Mrs V's jobs at the time of the sale do not suggest there was scope for significant salary increases. They were struggling financially and found it difficult to save. It seemed likely to us, from their circumstances, that they would expect it to be difficult to cope with a shortfall on their mortgage. It was unlikely they would knowingly have risked having to do this. Mr and Mrs V's explanation of why they had answered the question about attitude to risk with a '3' appeared to us to be plausible. And we didn't think the record necessarily reflected their actual attitude to risk. We thought the illustration and 'key features' document were likely to have been of secondary importance in the sales process to the information provided by the firm's representative. Mr and Mrs V's occupations did not suggest they would have been familiar with documents of this type, and we thought the couple would have relied heavily on the representative's advice. The 'reason why' letter referred to the fact that the policy would be reviewed to ensure it remained on track to repay the mortgage. However, we were not persuaded that this would have alerted Mr and Mrs V to the extent of the risk presented by the policy, bearing in mind that the representative had already advised them that the policy was suitable for them. After considering the detail of Mr and Mrs V's testimony, we were satisfied that they had not appreciated the risk posed by the managed fund policy. We did not consider the policy to have been a suitable recommendation and we upheld the complaint. 58/7 In 1993, acting on the firm's recommendation, Dr D took out a £63,360 interest-only mortgage and a with-profits endowment policy. The mortgage application form that he signed stated that he: was working as a hospital doctor earning £40,000 a year was aged 30 and divorced with no dependants held approximately £20,000 on deposit in bank and building society accounts was looking to move house and already had a £30,000 interest-only mortgage supported by a with-profits endowment policy. The firm's records showed that it had prepared an illustration the day before Dr D met the firm's adviser. The firm was not able to produce any other point-of-sale documentation. The firm said: it had advised Dr D on his general finances in 1990 and, as a result, he had taken a Personal Equity Plan (PEP) and a unit trust with-profit funds are considered a low area of investment risk and were 'within the attitude to investment risk' demonstrated by Dr D's existing equity investments the illustration it provided had clearly shown that a shortfall was possible and Dr D had understood and accepted the risk that the endowment might not produce enough to pay off his mortgage. Dr D told us: the adviser had said the endowment policy would cover his mortgage, provide surplus cash and work out cheaper than a repayment mortgage he had not received the firm's illustration – possibly because the firm sometimes sent documents to his work address and they didn't always reach him and his attitude to risk is extremely cautious; he would have taken a repayment mortgage if he had known the endowment policy carried any element of risk. complaint rejected Dr D took out the policy in 1993, so the regulatory requirements and standards introduced by the Financial Services Act 1986 applied to the sale. We considered whether the endowment policy was suitable for him. At the time of the sale, Dr D had savings in a building society account. Every month he paid £70 into a personal equity plan (PEP) invested in a UK fund and £80 into a unit trust invested in a family of funds. We acknowledged that Dr D's attitude to risk might differ when it came to his mortgage rather than his savings. However, it seemed possible to us that Dr D had some knowledge of financial matters and might have been prepared to take some risk. He could expect a rising income from his occupation and the endowment policy was due to mature ten years before he reached retirement age. We thought it plausible that, in his circumstances, Dr D might have decided to accept a risk in return for the prospect of receiving a surplus over and above the amount needed to repay his mortgage. The illustrations the firm had provided were clear. And since they had been prepared in advance of the meeting with Dr D, it seemed likely to us that they had formed part of the sales process. Of course, we couldn't be sure Dr D had seen the illustrations. However, we thought it likely that if he had done so, he would have understood them. After considering the detail of Dr D's representations, we decided it was more likely than not that he had understood and accepted the risk of an endowment policy. We rejected the complaint. 58/8 In 1998, on the firm's recommendation, Mr and Mrs T took out a £40,000 interest-only mortgage and endowment policy. The policy was invested in a with-profits fund and had a 25-year term. At the time of the sale, the adviser noted down his recommendations in a 'Customer Needs Analysis' form which Mr and Mrs T had both signed. This form records that: Mr T was 38, working as a taxi driver, earning £10,000 a year and expecting to retire when he was 65 Mrs T was 35, working as manager of a car rental shop earning £11,000 a year and expecting to retire when she was 60 the couple had no savings or investments apart from the £3,000 they were using as a deposit for the house they did not expect to be in a position to save or invest in the future and they were buying their first home together and required a mortgage for £40,000. The adviser's notes from the point-of-sale documents show that he recommended a with-profits endowment mortgage because it has a 'secure build-up of funds which matches clients' low tolerance to risk concerning the repayment of their mortgage' and because the couple 'anticipated moving home in the future'. The adviser also noted that Mr and Mrs T were aware that '... although the idea of an endowment is to repay the mortgage sum at the end of its term, there is the potential to accumulate an additional lump sum, however this is not guaranteed.' The firm told us: the adviser obtained sufficient information from Mr and Mrs T to make a suitable recommendation and he carefully documented their attitude to risk Mr and Mrs T had a low tolerance to risk, which matched the fund recommended. Mr and Mrs T told us: the adviser assured them the policy was risk-free and would pay out a cash surplus at the end of the term, but a repayment mortgage would cost more and be less flexible they relied on what the adviser told them – but if they had known about the risk they would not have taken an endowment mortgage they told the adviser they didn't expect to be able to save in the future and if the adviser had discussed a shortfall, they would have expected him also to document how he expected them to fund it. complaint upheld Mr and Mrs T took out the policy in 1998, so the regulatory requirements and standards introduced by the Financial Services Act 1986 applied to the sale. We considered whether the policy was suitable for the couple. The adviser's notes stated that Mr and Mrs T had a 'low tolerance to risk concerning the repayment of their mortgage'. We thought about this statement carefully. It seemed to us that it could mean more than one thing. A consumer – unused to the terminology of the investment industry – might think that having a 'low tolerance to risk' meant they would not want to take a risk, not that they would be happy to accept a low risk. And it was not clear from the adviser's notes whether the couple appreciated that it was the repayment of the mortgage that was 'not guaranteed', or just the additional lump sum. We thought it likely that there had been at least some sort of discussion about Mr and Mrs T's attitude to risk. But the notes and 'fact find' from the time of sale were not decisive in this case. After considering the couple's circumstances and their detailed submissions, we decided that, on balance, the firm's recommendation had been unsuitable. It exposed the couple to a level of risk they were not prepared to take with the repayment of their mortgage. We upheld the complaint. source : ombudsman news issue 58 http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/58/58-mortgage_endowment_complaints.htm

Endowment Policy Sales - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) How difficult is it to sell an endowment? In short, it's easy. We help you sell your endowment policy by making the process as simple as possible - you can start now using our secure online quotation form. Most of the paperwork merely requires your name, address and signature. How do I find out if my endowment policy can be sold? After receiving a quotation enquiry, we submit basic policy details to all of the market makers that buy "with profits" policies. As long-established specialists in selling endowments we have business links with all of the major endowment buyers and make your life easier as you only have to submit the details once using our online quotation form. We aim to get you the highest possible price for your endowment by finding and negotiating with policy buyers. Please note that if any of the market makers have seen the policy details via another source (you directly, or another broker), most will not deal with second or subsequent enquiries. If you receive a higher purchase offer than ours, the most likely reason is that our enquiry was not dealt with first by the market maker that has made it. What increase over my endowment surrender value is possible? We do not (and never will) advertise that you could get 30%, 40% or even 50% more for your policy. In 2005, the highest increase that we have achieved for a policy is more than 70% over the surrender value - but this is highly unusual. The average gain on an endowment sold rather than "cashed in" is usually between 5% and 15% over the surrender value. Is there a fee for getting a quotation for my endowment? No. As one of the UK's leading endowment brokers we contact all of the market makers to try to get the best price for your policy. This service is free and if you then proceed to sell your endowment we will be paid by the purchaser and not you. The offer that you receive will always be "what you see is what you get". How long does it take to be paid for a policy? This depends on who the purchaser is and which insurance company your endowment is with. Many sales are completed in about a week, but the average is 3 to 4 weeks. Is selling my endowment policy safe? Until you have been paid for your policy, it will remain your property. Even though the purchaser or their solicitors will ask for the policy document prior to completion, until you have been paid, it will belong to you. Additionally, when you use Endowment Policy First you are dealing with an Independent Financial Adviser. Endowment Policy First is an online trading name of Lewkay Financial Services, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). There are several layers of security when using our company and we will be happy to explain these in detail at any point. Our online quotation form uses high security encryption which ensures that your personal details cannot be intercepted by a third party after submission. What does the sale process involve? This is explained in detail on our "selling endowment info" page. What happens to my endowment policy when sold? As soon as you receive payment, the buyer will own the endowment and one of two things will happen to it. The purchaser will either hold on to the policy for their own portfolio, or will sell it on to a fund or private investor. In either case, any rights or responsibilities connected with the plan become the liability of the new owner. Which types of endowment policy are tradable Only traditional With Profits endowment policies can be sold and not unit-linked plans. You will be able to determine whether your policy is a traditional With Profits endowment or unit-linked by the annual notification sent to you. If this shows a basic sum assured (also referred to as "basic benefit", "With Profits sum assured", "With Profits benefit", or "amount to which bonuses are added") and bonuses, it is probably a traditional With Profits plan. If your statement shows units in either a With Profits or any other type of fund (e.g. "managed", "balanced", or "equity"), then it is unit-linked and you will not be able to sell it. Why can't I sell my unit-linked endowment policy? Unit-linked policies almost have a "face value". This is calculated by multiplying the number of units held, by the value of each unit. In very simplistic terms, a unit-linked endowment policy containing 100 units with a price of £1 per unit would be worth £100, less any early encashment penalties that are applied by the insurance company. Why have I received a higher offer for my policy than your offer? As stated above, when we receive an enquiry, we submit basic policy details to all of the market makers that purchase With Profits policies. If they have already seen the policy details from another source, most market makers will not deal with second or subsequent enquiries. If you have received a higher offer than the one from us, the most likely reason is that our enquiry was not dealt with first by the market maker. One final point to note is that there are two types of "offer" that you might receive. We only deal with firm cash offers to purchase policies, but there are companies that may give you an "indicative sale price". An indicative sale price is only an indication of how much a company feels that you may get if you give them sole marketing rights to the policy for a period of time. During this time they will try to find a purchaser for the policy at the indicated price. An indicative sale price is therefore not a guaranteed amount that you will receive and this is why we do not deal with these companies. Please be aware that some written "offers" are not firm offers and the wording may not be very clear as to which type of offer they are. If in doubt, we will usually be able to tell you about the offer you have over the phone (without obligation), if you know the company that you are dealing with. Is selling or surrendering the policy the only option? Endowment policies are designed to be long term commitments and cashing one in early may mean you receive less than the premiums you have paid. You may be able to get a loan on the policy or make it "paid up". The Association of British Insurers web site has more information here. What will I need to sell my endowment? You will need to have the original policy document, some proof of identity, address and age. If I surrender or sell my policy can I still claim compensation for endowment mis-selling? A claim for mis-selling is still possible providing you can supply evidence that you were the policyholder. Which? (tm) has an active campaign for mis-sold endowment mortgages or you can find more information about endowment mortgage shortfalls at the BBC web site.

AT&T and ADT Sign Co-Marketing Agreement; ADT Sales Force To Market AT&T Long Distance

BASKING RIDGE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 1997--AT&T and ADT (NYSE: ADT) today announced a joint marketing agreement in which ADT, the nation's largest provider of electronic security services, will market AT&T long distance services to ADT's current and new customers. This move is another step by AT&T to build alternative channels to expand and deepen its customer base. Under the agreement: - Consumers who sign up for AT&T residential long distance service under the AT&T/ADT program will get from ADT special offers and discounts on installations, upgrades, and monthly monitoring fees for security services. - AT&T's current residential customers will be eligible for special offers and discounts on ADT security services just because they are AT&T customers. These offers will be conveyed in targeted communications that AT&T sends directly to its customers, for example, the "True Rewards" member newsletter. - ADT will extend special offers and discounts to its business customers who are AT&T customers. In a reciprocal arrangement, AT&T salespeople will be able to refer their AT&T business customers to ADT for special ADT offers and discounts on security services. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "This joint marketing agreement enables AT&T to make it even more attractive for new residential customers to choose AT&T, and also gives our current customers more value and benefits," said Gail McGovern, Executive Vice President, Consumer Markets Division, AT&T. "When people purchase a security system, they want to deal with a company they can trust and have confidence in -- qualities we know they'll have with ADT," said McGovern. "This is another important initiative to bring our AT&T residential services to a consumer's doorstep. This agreement brings together two important home services -- communications and home protection -- for the convenience and benefit of consumers." This arrangement also represents a significant step in expanding ADT's channels of distribution. "The agreement combines two strong brand names and promises to be a highly efficient and very cost effective method of adding new customers for us," said Michael A. Ashcroft, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ADT. "We know the strength of the AT&T brand will help us bring unparalleled opportunities to our existing and future customers," said Ashcroft. ADT, through its subsidiaries, is the largest provider of electronic security services in North America and the United Kingdom, providing continuous monitoring of commercial and residential security systems to over 1.8 million customers in North America and Europe. With the most powerful network in the world, AT&T offers consumers communications and information services including long distance, wireless, online, home entertainment, and local, that can make their personal lives richer. For AT&T, today's announcement is the latest in a series of initiatives the company is undertaking to broaden its reach into the consumer market. Last November, AT&T and Shaklee Corporation, a leading direct marketing company, reached an agreement allowing potentially all of Shaklee's 500,000 independent distributors to market AT&T residential long distance services. Independent distributors began marketing services in January. CONTACT: AT&T Karyn Vaughn-Fritz, 908/221-7974 (office) kvaughn@attmail.com or ADT Angela Entwistle, 561/988-3600 COPYRIGHT 1997 Business Wire COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

US and South Korea Start Final Stage of International Trade Talks

The United States and South Korea struggled to resolve differences over certain international trade issues last Monday as they started the final phase of their negotiations concerning a proposed free trade agreement (FTA). Although the two countries completed the final round of their FTA talks, they still decided to hold further discussions in order to settle their disputes regarding some international trade issues. US Deputy Trade Representative Wendy Cutler and her South Korean trade negotiator Kim John-hoon recently met in Washington in order to talk about sensitive issues like textiles, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and automobiles. Top officials in the agricultural sector also met in Seoul recently in order to focus on farm issues that have been blocking the progress of the FTA talks between the US and South Korea. It must be noted that many South Koreans oppose the proposed international trade deal due to fears that it may seriously affect the country's agricultural industry. Stephen Norton, who is the spokesman of the US Trade Representative, told reporters that the two parties would be doing a lot of hard work towards the end of this month. Meanwhile, Mr. Jong-hoon said that the two sides have already achieved a significant breakthrough since the international trade negotiations were launched ten months ago. He stated that he would do what he could in order to resolve remaining issues in the proposed FTA. According to the South Korean trade negotiator, the two countries would discuss such issues in Seoul next week. It must be noted that the US and South Korea are aiming to complete the talks before the end of this month. According to reports, Ms. Schwab and Mr. Jong-hoon are due to meet next week in South Korea in order to settle remaining hurdles to the proposed FTA. If the international trade agreement materialized, it would be the largest free trade agreement to be signed by the US since the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). It must be noted that the US is pushing to close an international trade agreement with South Korea before the trade promotion authority (TPA) of President George W. Bush ends in July this year. But the two parties need to wrap up a deal by the end of this month since the proposed deal must be submitted to the US Congress 90 days before the expiration of the TPA. At present, Washington is negotiating for the extension of the trade authority. Source : http://www.tbc-world.com/

New International Trade Pacts Enslave Poor Nations

Oxfam stated that new international trade deals signed between wealthy and poor nations proved to be damaging rather than helpful to the economic improvement of poor nations. Emily Jones, who is the author of the Oxfam report called "Signing Away the Future," said that poor nations were being forced to make deep cuts in their import tariffs. She added that these duties were often reduced to zero under some free trade pacts that were signed between industrialized and poor nations. Under such international trade agreements, developing countries are forced to open up their markets to subsidized farm goods. According to the Oxfam report, there are currently over 250 bilateral and regional trade agreements. In fact, the report said that more international trade deals were being negotiated. The organization said that about 25 nations have inked free trade deals with wealthy countries. At present, bilateral and regional trade pacts account for 30% of world trade. The Oxfam report said that some of these trade pacts often affected the economic development of poor nations. Ms. Jones said that many developing countries were forced to sign these trade agreements due to fears that they would lose a preferential treatment. According to Ms. Jones, many developing countries were asked to cut their import duties in exchange for export preferences. She said that the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) has resulted in the loss of around 1.3 million jobs in Mexico during the last ten years. She added that increased exports to the US have failed to fuel development. The Oxfam report said that the policies of service liberalization threatened to reduce competition and end small-scale local businesses. According to the Oxfam, developing nations were pressured to sign international trade agreements with richer countries. In its report, the Oxfam made several demands regarding international trade deals. First, they should recognize the need of developing countries for differential or special treatment in order to boost their economy. Second, they should help poor nations in adopting more flexible policies concerning the protection of intellectual property rights. Such move would help poor countries gain more access to cheaper services such as health care. Third, they should exclude public services like health, education, sanitation, and water. Fourth, they should recognize the right of countries to regulate foreign investors. They should also include commitments regarding the enforcement of core labor policies. Fifth, international trade agreements should make sure that all parties concerned would take part in the negotiating process. Source : http://www.tbc-world.com/

US Reveals Plan to Cut Fishing Subsidies in Global Trade Talks

The United States recently initiated a plan to cut fishing subsidies by more than 50% in the Doha Development Round of Trade Talks. According to US officials, the plan to reduce almost all government subsidies to fishing industries was handed to the World Trade Organization (WTO). US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said that the global trade organization faced a great and historic chance to resolve a serious issue that could distort world trade and destroy the environment. It must be noted that the WTO is currently pushing for the successful conclusion of the global trade talks. The 14-page document is the first comprehensive proposal regarding the fishing industry that was offered by the United States in the negotiating table. The plan seeks to ban all state subsidies to "wild-capture fishing" that is considered to encourage excessive fishing. According to reports, the subsidies that would be banned include payments for fuel, ships, and fishing equipment. But the plan also seeks to exempt some subsidies like boat safety, boat buybacks, research programs, stock improvement, and policies governing such operations. The plan is the broadest offer regarding the fishing industry that was placed by the US in the on-going global trade talks. Oceania, which is an international environmental organization, stated that subsidies encouraged excessive fishing. It must be noted that overfishing is among the major environmental issues faced by the United Nations. In fact the UN estimates that about 52% of fish stocks are close to the maximum sustainable level. Meanwhile, 20% of such stocks are being over-exploited. Scientists and marine experts said that if overfishing continued, it would destroy seafood and fish population by 2048. Courtney Sakai, who is the campaign director of Oceania, said that removing fishing subsidies in the global trade talks was a good move to protect marine life, as well as the ocean. The removal of fishing subsidies is just one of the key issues being discussed in the on-going Doha Development Round of Trade Talks. If the plan materialized, it would reduce fishing subsidies by $20 billion. It must be noted that the members of the WTO are currently pushing for the completion of the global trade talks before the trade promotion authority of President George W. Bush ends in July this year. The TPA, which is vital to the Doha Round, enables the Bush administration to negotiate free trade agreements that must be approved or opposed by the US Congress without making any change. Source : http://www.tbc-world.com/

Oil Prices Rise as Exporters Consider Output Cuts

The prices of petroleum rebounded after they had plunged to their lowest point this year due to the OPEC proposal to reduce its production. But the rise was further supported by a US government report regarding the decline of heating fuel inventories and the decision of Norway to shut its operations at 2 offshore oil blocks thus disrupting supplies from the third biggest oil producer and exporter in the world. Crude oil, then, settled at $58.19 per barrel in the US after it had previously dropped to $57.22, which was its lowest point since December 2005. Although the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided earlier to maintain their 28 million barrel daily quota, the group of exporters is now considering to lower its production. In fact, the OPEC members have proposed to cut daily supplies by one million barrels. The group of exporters though is yet to decide over the matter. Meanwhile, Norwegian safety officials ordered last Thursday a shutdown in the operations at 2 offshore oil blocks. But according to reports, state-owned Statoil ASA and the Norwegian unit of Royal Dutch Shell, both of which share the operations in the two sites, were likely to continue with their production until they meet and negotiate with concerned authorities. A representative of Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority said that the agency had already sent letters to the two operators informing them that it did not approve the lifeboat standards at Norske Shell ASA's 140,000 barrel a day Draugen field and Statoil's 110,000 barrel a day Snorre A platform. According to Inger Anda, the shutdown order would result to a 9% fall in Norway's daily oil output, which is around 2.7 million barrels of light oil, crude oil, and natural gas liquids. The disruption of Norway's production would then affect global supplies considering its position as one of the biggest petroleum producers and exporters in the world. Meanwhile, the US Energy Information Administration stated last Thursday that domestic stocks of distillates that include diesel and heating fuel dropped by 1.6 million barrels thus settling to 149.9 million barrels. According to the EIA, the decrease was due to the decline of operations in fuel refineries. Heating fuel accounted for the larger percentage of the fall in distillate inventories considering that heating oil plunged to its lowest level since March 24. The current distillate inventories though are still above the average level for this season of the year. Meanwhile, crude oil inventories increased by 2.4 million barrels thus settling to 330.5 million, while gasoline stocks rose by 300,000 barrels to 215.4 million barrels. It must be noted that the cost of petroleum is hovering around its lowest point this year amidst reports that major exporters might soon cut their production. Recently, exporters have proposed a one million cut in the OPEC output. Particularly, Iran and Algeria have openly expressed their support to the proposal. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which is the biggest oil producer worldwide, is yet to issue its final decision concerning the issue. Its move would be crucial in determining the future of oil prices in the global market. Since the middle of July, the cost of petroleum has decreased by more than 20% thus rousing serious concerns among the world's biggest exporters. Source : http://www.tbc-world.com

US-South Korea International Trade Deal Faces Hurdles in Congress

The United States and South Korea finally reached a free trade agreement (FTA) after months of negotiations. It must be noted that the two countries struggled to settle their differences and come up with an international trade deal before the deadline, which is the expiration of President George W. Bush's trade promotion authority (TPA). Although the TPA is due to end in July, the two countries needed to close an international trade pact 90 days before the expiration. But despite the success of trade negotiators from both sides, the proposed FTA is expected to face certain hurdles in the US Congress. There are doubts whether the new international trade agreement would be approved by the US Congress, which is currently controlled by the Democrats. According to analysts, South Korea's existing trade policies, as well as criticisms against current US trade rules, are among the major factors that would affect the decision of the Congress regarding the proposed FTA. It must be noted that some legislators have already threatened to block the FTA unless South Korea resolves its beef dispute with the US. Although beef does not form part of the international trade agreement, it has been one of the key issues that affected negotiations between South Korea and the US. It must be noted that South Korea used to be among the biggest markets for US beef products. However, the Asian nation imposed a ban on US beef imports in 2003 due to the incidence of mad cow disease. South Korea has already lifted the ban last year. Needles to say, the country remains strict in accepting beef shipments from the US. In fact, South Korea rejected initial beef shipments from the US due to their failure to comply with safety standards. The exclusion of rice from the international trade deal is also expected to affect the decision of the US Congress over the proposed FTA. It must be noted that the US initially wanted to gain a greater access into South Korea's agricultural market. But the Asian nation has insisted to exclude rice from the FTA in order to protect its farmers. Until now, the US-South Korea international trade pact continues to face the opposition of many South Korean farmers, who fear that the FTA may gravely impact their country's farm industry. The newly signed trade deal is the biggest FTA to be signed by the US since the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) in 1993. Source : http://www.tbc-world.com/

Malaysia Threatens to Stop Global Trade Talks with US

Malaysia has recently threatened to stop its FTA (free trade agreement) talks with the United States due to the latter's call for the former to end its development agreement on energy with Iran. It must be noted that a US lawmaker has raised some concerns regarding the energy deal between Malaysia and Iran. Under the global trade pact, Malaysia will develop a number of gas fields in Iran. It will also construct LNG (liquefied natural gas) plants in the Middle East nation. The global trade agreement on energy between the two countries is estimated to be worth $16 billion. The US has discouraged Malaysia from pursuing the global trade deal due to the resistance of Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program despite the calls from the United Nations Security Council. Western nations, particularly the US, have raised serious concerns regarding Iran's nuclear ambition. They have been worried that the Middle East nation might use its nuclear technology to build weapons of mass destruction. In response to the call from the international community to stop its nuclear project, the Iranian government insisted that it had the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. According to Iran, it would be using its nuclear technology to boost its energy resources and meet its rising energy needs. It must be noted that the US is currently the largest partner of Malaysia in global trade. The two countries launched their free trade negotiations last June 2006. But Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said that his country would not bow down to pressure from the US. Tom Lantos, the current Chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, raised some concerns regarding global trade between Iran and Malaysia. It must be noted that both the US and Malaysia are scheduled to hold the fifth round of their free trade negotiations before the end of this month. But Malaysian officials threatened that they would not allow their country's economic ties with Iran to impede the progress of its trade talks with the US. According to the Malaysian prime minister, his country rejected the pressure inflicted by the US. He added that political issues should not be mixed with global trade matters. It must be noted that both Malaysia and the US are currently under pressure to close a global trade pact since the fast-tract trade authority of President George W. Bush is due to end in July. Source : http://www.tbc-world.com

US and South Korea Try to Finish International Trade Talks before Deadline

The United States and South Korea are currently in the last round of their FTA (free trade agreement) talks. Both parties are trying to cut an international trade pact before the Bush administration loses its authority to negotiate fast-track trade agreements with other countries. The final round of the FTA negotiations began on Thursday last week. Since the international trade discussions started, the US and South Korea have agreed to improve their anti-trust and customs policies. Needless to say, automobiles and agriculture remain as major issues affecting the progress of the FTA talks between the two countries. Not all South Koreans are in favor of the proposed international trade agreement. Since the two countries started the first round of their FTA talks, many South Koreans have protested against the trade deal. South Koreas, particularly farmers, have feared that the proposed free trade pact might seriously affect their country's agricultural industry. Under the proposed FTA, South Korea wants the United States to immediately remove duties, which are imposed on the former's car exports. It must be noted that automobile industry represented a large percentage of the two-way international trade between the two countries in 2005. At that time, South Korea exported around 709,000 automobiles, while it imported 5,500 cars from the US. Meanwhile, the United States wants South Korea to lift or ease restrictions on the former's beef exports. It must be noted that South Korea used to be one of the biggest markets for US beef products. But the Asian nation imposed a ban on US beef in 2003 due fears on mad cow disease. Although South Korea has already lifted the ban last year, the country remains strict in receiving beef shipments from the US. It must be noted that South Korea rejected initial beef shipments from the US due to their failure to comply with health and safety rules. But the US warned that the Congress might not approve the proposed international trade agreement if South Korea failed to resolve the issue. The TPA (trade promotion authority) of President George W. Bush is due to expire in July this year. But the two countries must reach an international trade pact by the end of this month since the Bush administration must close any trade pact 90 days before the expiration of the TPA. At present, Washington is negotiating with the Congress for the renewal of the TPA, which is also vital to the on-going Doha Development Round of Talks under the World Trade Organization (WTO). International trade between the US and South Korea reached up to $72 billion in 2005. Source : http://www.tbc-world.com

International Trade Issues

The United States and South Korea struggled to resolve differences over certain international trade issues last Monday as they started the final phase of their negotiations concerning a proposed free trade agreement (FTA). Although the two countries completed the final round of their FTA talks, they still decided to hold further discussions in order to settle their disputes regarding some international trade issues. US Deputy Trade Representative Wendy Cutler and her South Korean trade negotiator Kim John-hoon recently met in Washington in order to talk about sensitive issues like textiles, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and automobiles. Top officials in the agricultural sector also met in Seoul recently in order to focus on farm issues that have been blocking the progress of the FTA talks between the US and South Korea. It must be noted that many South Koreans oppose the proposed international trade deal due to fears that it may seriously affect the country's agricultural industry. Stephen Norton, who is the spokesman of the US Trade Representative, told reporters that the two parties would be doing a lot of hard work towards the end of this month. Meanwhile, Mr. Jong-hoon said that the two sides have already achieved a significant breakthrough since the international trade negotiations were launched ten months ago. He stated that he would do what he could in order to resolve remaining issues in the proposed FTA. According to the South Korean trade negotiator, the two countries would discuss such issues in Seoul next week. It must be noted that the US and South Korea are aiming to complete the talks before the end of this month. According to reports, Ms. Schwab and Mr. Jong-hoon are due to meet next week in South Korea in order to settle remaining hurdles to the proposed FTA. If the international trade agreement materialized, it would be the largest free trade agreement to be signed by the US since the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). It must be noted that the US is pushing to close an international trade agreement with South Korea before the trade promotion authority (TPA) of President George W. Bush ends in July this year. But the two parties need to wrap up a deal by the end of this month since the proposed deal must be submitted to the US Congress 90 days before the expiration of the TPA. At present, Washington is negotiating for the extension of the trade authority. Source : http://www.tbc-world.com

How to Market Research

Market Research This article may be help you to found how to incrase your sales advantage. You can start to make a list, what you want to do in-depth research into area, example : 1. What kinds Product or service you will sell? 2. Whose are your competitors? 3. what is product or service excess they have and how about your product or service? 4. what is product or service weakness they have and how about your product or service? 5. Who are your costumers? (example : Industry, government,personal business, hotel, trading company etc) 6. Where (your aim countries) do you want to export or import? 7. what trade channel you will use? (example : public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, commission agent, Online marketing, representative, distributor, whosesale, retail, or others) 8. Did you opened your business opportunities? (example : advertising, direct sales, etc)

Country and Regional Market Information List

Country and Regional Market Information China China Business Guide Japan Standards and Regulations Market Reports Korea Statistical Information System The following section provides trade information covering each country in the regions. You will find information such as: Hot News and Events General Marketing Information Customs Information & Import Documentation Sectoral & Product Specific Information Laws & Procedures for Licensing & Investing General Economic Information Key Contacts & Websites Business Travel & Etiquette U.S. Government Regulations Restrictions Asia/Pacific Asia & the Pacific NAFTA Canada & Mexico Middle East and North Africa Middle East and North Africa Europe Western Europe Central and Eastern Europe Czech Business and Trade Journal Statistics Netherlands Latin American and the Caribbean Latin American and the Caribbean Africa Africa Russia & the NIS Russia & the NIS SOURCE : foreign-trade.com

PUBLICATIONS/INFORMATION SOURCES U.S. GOVERNMENT HOTLINES

The following publications and information sources are of interest to small business exporters. The publications and information sources are organized by chapter as they are referred to in Breaking Into The Trade Game. Other publications and information sources not referred to directly, but of relevance to each chapter heading, are also included. CHAPTER 1: MAKING THE EXPORT DECISION EXPORTER'S GUIDE TO FEDERAL RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESS U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents Washington, D.C. 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the Government Printing Office in your area. Publication number 045-000-00263-2 Price: $4.75 Identifies major federal programs designed to assist small business owners export. U.S. Small Business Administration International Trade Assistance SBA FACT SHEET #42 Available through your nearest SBA District Office. Information on SBA's financial and business development assistance programs for the small business exporter. PERIODICALS AGEXPORTER United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service Information Division, Room 4638-S Washington, D.C. 20520-1000 Phone: 202/720-3329 Price: $17.00 per year (domestic delivery) $21.00 per year (international delivery) Magazine on international trade and trade opportunities overseas. Published by the Department of Agriculture. BUSINESS AMERICA U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents Washington, DC 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the Government Printing Office in your area. Price: $61.00 per year; $2.50 each issue Magazine on international trade issues and business opportunities overseas. Published bi-weekly by the U.S. Department of Commerce. EXPORT TODAY 733 15th Street, N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: 202/737-1060 FAX: 202/783-5966 Price: $49.00 per year The "how to" international business magazine for U.S. exporters. Published ten times a year. THE EXPORTER 34 West 37th Street New York, NY 10018 Phone: 212/563-2772 FAX: 212/563-2798 Price: $144.00 per year Monthly reports on the business of exporting. FOREIGN TRADE MAGAZINE 6849 Old Dominion Drive, #200 McLean, VA 22101 Phone: 703/448-1338 FAX: 703/448-1841 Price: $45.00 per year (10 editions) Features trade briefs, information on financing, shipping, air cargo, trucks and rails, and current legislation. GLOBAL TRADE MAGAZINE North American Publishing Company 401 North Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19108 Phone: 215/238-5300 Price: $45.00 per year Information on international finance, transportation and commerce. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MAGAZINE American International Publishing Corporation 500 Mamaroneck Avenue, Suite 314 Harrison, NY 10528 Phone: 914/381-7700 FAX: 914/381-7713 Price: $48.00 per year Reports on overseas market opportunities, global corporate strategies, trade and political developments to assess their impact on U.S. imports, exports, joint ventures and acquisitions. JOURNAL OF COMMERCE Two World Trade Center, 27th Floor New York, NY 10048 Phone: 212/837-7000 Price: $295.00 per year Information on domestic and foreign economic developments plus export opportunities, agricultural trade leads, shipyards, export ABCs and trade fair information. Feature articles on tariff and non-tariff barriers, licensing controls, joint ventures and trade legislation in foreign countries. WORLD TRADE MAGAZINE Taipan Press, Inc. 500 Newport Center Drive Newport Beach, CA 92660 Phone: 714/640-7070 FAX: 714/640-7770 Price: $24.00 per year Profiles of successful exporters and reports on international trade developments. BOOKS A BASIC GUIDE TO EXPORTING U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents Washington, D.C. 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the Government Printing Office in your area. Publication number: 003-009-00487-0 Price: $9.50 The steps involved in exporting and sources of assistance. EXPORT SALES AND MARKETING MANUAL by John Jagoe Export USA Publications 4141 Parklawn Avenue South, Suite 110 Minneapolis, MN 55435 Phone: 612/893-0624 FAX: 612/903-1626 Price:$295.00 for manual $175.00 for quarterly updates Step-by-step procedural manual for marketing U.S. products worldwide. The manual contains illustrations, flow charts, worksheets and samples of export contracts, shipping documents and effective international correspondence. Order from the National Association of Manufacturers, P.O. Box 2000, Kearneysville, WV 25430-2000 or call 1-800-445-6285. EXPORTISE The Small Business Foundation of America 1155 15th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: 202/223-1103 Price: $49.50 Instructional manual on conducting international business, with detailed information on the process of exporting. WORLD BUSINESS DIRECTORY The World Trade Centers Association Gale Research Inc. Attn: David Hoagg 835 Penobscot Building Detroit, MI 48226 Phone: 313/961-2242 FAX: 313/961-6241 Price: $395.00 Directory of trade-oriented businesses. Included is coverage of emerging trade regions. Four volumes. A GUIDE TO EXPANDING IN THE GLOBAL MARKET by Ernst & Young John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 605 Third Avenue New York, NY 10158 Phone: 1-800-225-5945 Price: $39.95 hardcover ISBN: 0-471-528-307 Handbook providing practical information and instructions for global expansion. BUILDING AN IMPORT/EXPORT BUSINESS - REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION by Kenneth D. Weiss John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 605 Third Avenue New York, NY 10158 Phone: 1-800-225-5945 Price: $14.95 ISBN: 0-471-536-27X A handbook designed to guide the novice through complexities of foreign trade. Discussion includes source and outlet management, suppliers and distributors, goods and currencies. EXPANDING MARKETS INTERNATIONALLY Instrument Society of America P.O. Box 3561Durham, NC 27702 Phone: 919/549-8411 FAX: 919/549-8288 Price: $24.00 ISA members, $30.00 non-members Includes export market sales techniques, international field support needs, international business transactions and international sales and marketing plans. PROFITABLE EXPORTING: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO MARKETING YOUR PRODUCTS ABROAD by John S. Gordon and J.R. Arnold John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 605 Third Avenue New York, NY 10158 Phone: 1-800-225-5945 Price: $60.00 ISBN: 0-471-61334-7 A step-by-step guide on how to enter and succeed in the export marketplace. Topics include markets, strategies, organizational management, risk analysis and controls. OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES Export Hotline: 1-800-USA-XPORT Presented by AT&T and the Hotline Referral Network in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Export Hotline is a corporate sponsored, nationwide fax retrieval system providing international trade information for U.S. business. Its purpose is to help find new markets for U.S. products and services. The Export Opportunity Hotline The Small Business Foundation of America 1155 15th Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: 1-800-243-7232 In Washington, D.C. 202/223-1104 Answers questions about getting started in exporting. Advice on product distribution; documentation; licensing and insurance; export financing; analyzing distribution options, export management firms; customs; currency exchange systems and travel requirements. DEVELOPING YOUR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PLAN Lake Michigan College International Business Center Small Business Development Center 2755 East Napier Avenue Benton Harbor, MI 49022-1899 Phone: 616/927-8100, extension 5116 Fax: 616/927-8103 fax Price: $20.00 disk, $20.00 hard copy CHAPTER 2: IDENTIFYING INTERNATIONAL MARKETS FOREIGN ECONOMIC TRENDS U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents Washington, D.C. 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the Government Printing Office in your area. Price: $67.00 per year Commercial and economic data on a country-by-country basis. Consists of material issues published irregularly for approximately one year. Prepared in cooperation Department of State. FOREIGN TRADE REPORT FTR925 United States Merchandise Trade: Exports, General Imports, and Imports for Consumption U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents Washington, D.C. 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the Government Printing Office in your area. Price: $136.00 per year. A monthly country-specific breakdown of imports and exports by Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) number. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ECONOMIC BULLETIN BOARD (EBB) U.S. Department of Commerce 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230 Phone: 202/482-1986 FAX: 202/482-2164 or try EBB as a guest user by dialing 202/482-3870 with PC and modem (2400 baud, 8 bit words, no parity, 1 stop bit) EBB is a personal computer-based electronic bulletin board providing trade leads and up-to-date statistical releases from the Bureau of Census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Reserve Board and other federal agencies. NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK (NTDB) U.S. Department of Commerce 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230 Phone: 202/482-1986 FAX: 202/482-2164 Price: $35.00 per disk or $360.00 for one year The NTDB is an international trade data bank compiled by 15 U.S. government agencies. It contains the latest census data on U.S. imports and exports by commodity and country, the complete CIA World Factbook, current market research, the Foreign Traders Index and many other data series. The NTDB is available at over 800 federal depository libraries, or can be purchased on CD-ROM for personal PC use. Offices of Africa, Near East and South Asia 202/482-1064. Categories include general and country information (Nigeria and South Africa). For the Office of the Near East, categories include general and country information (Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen). Categories for the Office of South Asia include general and country information (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). WORLD FACTBOOK U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents Washington, D.C. 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the Government Printing Office in your area. Price: $23.00 Produced by Central Intelligence Agency, this book gives geographic and demographic information about each country around the globe. WORLD BANK ATLAS The World Bank Publication Department, 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 Phone: 202/473-2209 Price: $7.95 plus $3.50 shipping and handling Gives population, gross domestic product and average growth rates for every country. U.N. STATISTICAL YEARBOOK, 37th Edition United Nations Publications Room DC 2-0853 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212/963-8302 Price: $100.00 Economic and demographic data for 220 countries. Most recent statistics through 1989. INTERNATIONAL TRADE STATISTICS YEARBOOK United Nations Publications, Room DC2-0853 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212/963-8302 Price: $125.00 Statistical analysis of overall foreign trade by regions and countries, as well as world exports by origin, destination and product category. DEMOGRAPHIC YEARBOOK United Nations Publications Two UN Plaza, Room DC2-0853 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212/963-8302, 1-800-253-9646 Price: $125.00 Demographics for 220 countries. Most recent statistics through 1989. UNESCO STATISTICAL YEARBOOK Unipub 4611-F Assembly Drive Lanham, MD 20706 Phone: 1-800-274-4888 Price: $95.00 Economic and demographic data for 200 countries. INTERNATIONAL MARKETING HANDBOOK Gale Research Incorporated Penobscot Building Detroit, MI 48226 Phone: 313/961-2242 FAX: 313/961-6241 Price: $235.00 Detailed marketing profiles for 141 nations. Includes country reports averaging 31 pages in length. 4,400 pages in three volumes. WORLDCASTS Predicasts North America 11001 Cedar Avenue Cleveland, OH 44106 Phone: 1-800-321-6388 FAX: 216/229-9944 Price: $1,300.00 for entire set; regional and product editions, $900.00 each; single editions $450.00 Abstracts over 60,000 forecasts for products and markets in countries outside the United States. Published annually. EXPORTER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA Dun's Marketing Services Three Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054-3896 Phone: 1-800-526-0651 Price: $530.00 per year An annual handbook covering more than 220 world markets. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS FOREIGN TRADE REPORT: ANNUALU.S.EXPORTERS, HARMONIZED SCHEDULE B COMMODITY BY COUNTRY U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents Washington, D.C. 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the GovernmentPrinting Office in your area. Price: $39.00 OVERSEAS BUSINESS REPORTS U.S. Department of Commerce Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the Government Printing Office in your area. Price: Varies depending on country. Reports provide background statistics and economic information on specific countries. Published annually. (These reports are also available on the National Trade Data Bank.) ECONOMIC OUTLOOK Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development Publication 2001 L Street N.W., Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20036 Phone: 202/785-6323 FAX: 202/785-0345 Price: $18.00 per issue or $225.00 per year. Provides economic summaries of OECD's 24 member countries. Published semi-annually. TRADE PAGES INTERNATIONAL 1730 K Street, N.W. Suite 304 Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone: 1-800-366-5968 FAX: 202/331-3759 Price: $59.95 per country Country-specific directories of key government and private sector contacts. Seventeen sections of invaluable information. DOING BUSINESS IN....SERIES Matthew Bender and Company 1275 Broadway Albany, NY 12204 Phone: 1-800-424-4200 Cost range: $160.00 to $835.00 A series of multiple-volume manuals on doing business in a number of foreign countries. Information includes legal environments, product liability, foreign investment, tax considerations, local forms of business incorporation, foreign investment and intellectual property. WORLD TRADE RESOURCES GUIDE Gale Research Incorporated Penobscot Building Detroit, MI 48226 Phone: 313/961-2242 FAX: 313/961-6241 Price: $169.00 Eighty of the world's largest trading nations as well as many smaller countries. Includes country profiles, vital statistics on population, currency exchange rates, GNP/GDP, import/export/trade balance figures, major trading partners, principal commodities and imported and exported. FLASH FACTS -- TO GET EXPORT INFORMATION INSTANTLY For several areas of the world, the information is at your fingertips from the U.S. Department of Commerce, if you have a touch-tone telephone and a fax. Dial the number, follow instructions and the requested information will automatically be faxed to you. The Automated Fax Delivery System Flash Facts are available 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week, free of charge. Flash Facts are available for the following regions: Eastern Europe Business Information Center (EEBIC) 202/482-5745. Information is available on specific Eastern European countries including Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithunia, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic and Slovenia. Doing Business in Mexico 202/482-4464. Current trade-related documents concerning Mexico are available. Information is also available on the North American Free Trade Agreement; tariffs, permits and customs regulations; marketing, distribution and finance; investment; statistics and demographics. The same type of information is available for Canada by calling 202/482-3101. Office of the Pacific Basin 202/482-3875 or 202/482-3646. Categories include general export information, regional and country information (Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam). Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS) 202/482-3145. Categories include U.S.-Newly Independent States trade statistics, current export and investment opportunities and upcoming trade events, general investment and defense conversion opportunities, World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) opportunities, export and trade opportunities and BISNIS publications. CHAPTER 3: FOREIGN MARKET ENTRY EXPORT TRADING COMPANY GUIDEBOOK U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents Washington, D.C. 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the Government Printing Office in your area. Price: $8.50 Produced by the Department of Commerce Office of Export Trading Company Affairs. Provides essential information on the functions and advantages of establishing or using export trading companies. DIRECTORY OF LEADING EXPORT MANAGEMENT COMPANIES Third Edition Bergano Book Co. P.O. Box 190 Fairfield, CT 06430 Phone: 203/254-2054 FAX: 203/255-3817 Price: $49.50 Lists export management and trading companies, their product areas and their foreign language capabilities. BERGANO'S REGISTER OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTERS Bergano Book Co. P.O. Box 190 Fairfield, CT 06430 Phone: 203/254-2054 FAX: 203/255-3817 Price: $95.00 Contains thousands of entries of importing firms and major distributors in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America. MANUFACTURERS' AGENTS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION European Distributors P.O. Box 3467 Laguna Hills, CA 92654 Phone: 714/859-4040 Price: $37.50 Maintains a data bank of European distributors. COMMERCIAL NEWS USA U.S. Department of Commerce 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230 Phone: 202/482-4918 For a small fee, U.S. companies can list a photo and description of their product in Commercial News USA, which is distributed to more than 100,000 companies and government officials overseas. EXPORT MAGAZINE Johnston International Publications 950 Lee Street Des Plaines, IL 60016 Phone: 708/296-0770 Price: $50.00 for 6 issues Lists products of U.S. firms. Distributed worldwide. AMERICAN LITERATURE REVIEW Thomas International Publication Five Penn Plaza New York, NY 10001 FAX: 212/629-1140 Sent to businesses around the world, ALR is a catalog of the product catalogs of hundreds of U.S. exporters. AMERICAN EXPORT REGISTER Thomas International Publication Five Penn Plaza New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212/290-7213 FAX: 212/629-1140 Price: $120.00 A two volume, 3,000 page guide featuring names of U.S. exporters, their product listings in more than 4,200 categories, and where they export, by region. THE WORLD TRADE SYSTEM: A COMPREHENSIVE REFERENCE GUIDE Gales Research, Inc. Penobscot Building Detroit, MI 48226 Phone: 313/961-2242 FAX: 313/961-6241 Price: $165.00 Provides trade activity for every country of the world. Information on principal exports, principal imports, principal trading partners, international economic relationships, membership in regional trading organizations and political data. TRADE SHOWS WORLDWIDE Gale Research, Inc. Penobscot Building Detroit, MI 48226 Phone: 313/961-2242 FAX: 313/937-6241 Price: $195.00 Seventh Edition Over 5,700 scheduled exhibitions, trade shows, association conventions, and similar events around the world are listed. CHAPTER 4: THE EXPORT TRANSACTION THE EXPORT OPERATION: PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER Unz & Company 190 Baldwin Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07306 Phone: 1-800-631-3098 Price: $55.00 Arranged as a series of recommendations from an industry expert to an imaginary shipper. Provides the guidance needed to avoid many of the pitfalls of foreign trade. EXPORT DOCUMENTATION International Trade Institute, Inc. 5055 North Main Street Dayton, OH 45415 Phone: 1-800-543-2453 Price: $67.50 Examines steps that must be taken to process any international order. EXPORT DOCUMENTATION AND PROCEDURES Unz & Company 190 Baldwin Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07306 Phone: 1-800-631-3098 Price: $55.00 Leads the new exporter through every element of the export process and introduces the experienced exporter to ways of doing things perhaps not yet considered. INCOTERMS 1990 ICC Publishing, Inc. 156 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010 Phone: 212/206-1150 Price: $24.95 Defines the thirteen 1990 trading terms and specifies the respective rights and obligations of buyer and seller in an international transaction. TREATIES AND INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS USED IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW ICC Publishing, Inc. 156 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010 Phone: 212/206-1150 Price: $75.00 Complete text of the most useful instruments in international trade. Contains documents concerning contractual relations and documents related to the regulation of international litigations. INTERNATIONAL EXPORTING AGREEMENTS Matthew Bender & Company International Division 1275 Broadway Albany, NY 12204 Phone: 1-800-424-4200 Price: $95.00 Guide to the negotiation and the drafting of contracts for export sales. CHAPTER 5: FINANCING EXPORT SALES AN INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL BANKING SERVICES Marine Midland Bank 2 World Trade Center, 24th Floor New York, NY 10048 Phone: 212/912-2222 Price: $10.00 INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT & BANKING REPORT Business International 215 Park Avenue, South New York, NY 10003 Phone: 212/460-0600 FAX: 212/995-8837 Price: $590.00 per year Methods, management structures and motivations of market players of all sizes. Examines markets as they respond to changes in the financial climate, and provides a monthly round up of the latest events, appointments and personnel moves. INTERNATIONAL FINANCE LIBRARY Unz & Company 190 Baldwin Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07306 Phone: 1-800-631-3098 Price: $189.95 for 7 titles; individual title prices range from $39.95 to $99.95 Package includes seven titles that offer practical information about issues involved in financing international trade, getting paid by overseas customers and accounting for international ventures. DICTIONARY OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCE John Wiley & Sons 605 Third Avenue New York, NY 10158 Phone: 1-800-225-5945 ISBN: 1-471-836-540 Price: $55.00 Definitions of over 300 trade-related terms. FINANCING AND INSURING EXPORTS: A USER'S GUIDE TO EXIMBANK PROGRAMS Eximbank Public Affairs Office 811 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20571 Phone: 1-800-424-5401 THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL HANDBOOK Business International 215 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10003 Phone: 212/460-0600 FAX: 212/995-8837 Price: $195.00 A reference manual including rules on remitting dividends and profits, repatriation of capital, trade financing, borrowing and investing instruments, tax rates, risk management tools and import and export controls. GUIDE TO DOCUMENTARY CREDIT OPERATIONS ICC Publishing Corporation 156 Fifth Avenue, Suite 820 New York, NY 10010 Phone: 212/206-1150 Publication 415 Price: $18.95 EXPORT LETTERS OF CREDIT AND DRAFTS International Trade Institute, Inc. 5055 North Main Street Dayton, OH 45415 Phone: 1-800-543-2453 Price: $67.00 Explanation of letters of credit (LCs) transactions. Includes information on how to read LCs, examples of various types of LCs, and what to do when you cannot collect or comply. UNIFORM RULES FOR COLLECTIONS ICC Publishing Corporation 156 Fifth Avenue, Suite 820 New York, NY 10010 Phone: 212/206-1150 Lists international guidelines for collections. CHAPTER 6: TRANSPORTING GOODS INTERNATIONALLY DICTIONARY OF SHIPPING TERMS Unz & Company 190 Baldwin Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07306 Phone: 1-800-631-3098 Price: $49.95 Lists all terms and abbreviations used in the movement of goods by water. EXPORT ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents Washington, DC 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the Government Printing Office in your area. Price: Subscription $87.00 with updates Provides in-depth information on export licenses, restrictive trade practices or boycotts, import regulations, documentation requirements and related information. EXPORT AND IMPORT PROCEDURES AND DOCUMENTATION SERIES Unz & Company 190 Baldwin Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07306 Phone: 1-800-631-3098 Price: $55.00 for each document book Series of document reference books for the most commonly used import/export and hazardous goods forms, includes, but not limited to, Shipper's Export Declaration, Shipper's letter of instructions, pro forma invoice, commercial invoice and Certificate of Origin. EXPORT SHIPPING MANUAL Bureau of National Affairs Distribution Center 9435 Key West Avenue Rockville, MD 20850 Phone: 1-800-372-1033 Price: Three manuals $572.00 for one year subscription. Update every week as information changes. EXPORT SHIPPING International Trade Institute 5055 North Main Street Dayton, OH 45415 Phone: 1-800-543-2453 Price: $67.50 Guide to understanding ocean/air tariffs, usage of ocean/air containers, how to obtain an international freight quotation, port marks on international cargo, international ocean/air shipping documents, basic trade terms and service organization. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING Unz & Company 190 Baldwin Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07306 Phone: 1-800-631-3098 Price: $75.00 Comprehensive exploration of the shipping industry. SCHEDULE B STATISTICAL CLASSIFICATION OF DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN COMMODITIES EXPORTED FROM THE UNITED STATES U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents Washington, D.C. 20402 Phone: 202/783-3238 or contact the Government Printing Office in your area. Price: Subscription $77.00 with updates and supplements (2 volumes) PERIODICALS JOURNAL OF COMMERCE SHIPYARDS Two World Trade Center, 27th Floor New York, NY 10048 Phone: 212/837-7000 Price: $295.00 Shipyards is a supplement to the Journal of Commerce. It lists scheduled sailings of vessels worldwide. SHIPPING DIGEST Geyer-McAllister Publications 51 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10010 Phone: 212/689-4411 Price: $42.00 per year Explores current topics related to international transportation. CHAPTER 7: STRATEGIC ALLIANCES AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES LICENSING LAW HANDBOOK-EUROPE Clark Boardman, Ltd. 435 Hudson Street New York, NY 10014 Phone: 212/929-7500 Price: $90.00 General information on European licensing law. INVESTING, LCENSING AND TRADING CONDITIONS ABROAD Business International 215 Park Avenue, South New York, NY 10003 Phone: 212/460-0600 FAX: 212/995-8837 Price: $1,765.00 Includes information on operating conditions and practices for 57 countries. INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND THE U.S. ANTITRUST LAW Clark Boardman, Ltd. 435 Hudson Street New York, NY 10014 Phone: 212/929-7500 Price: $115.00 Looseleaf binder covering federal international trade regulations as they pertain to antitrust law. WORLDWIDE GOVERNMENT DIRECTORY Belmont Publications 1454 Belmont Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009 Phone: 1-800-332-3535 or 202/232-6334 FAX: 202/462-5478 Price: $297.00 A 1,200 page reference guide to virtually every key elected and appointed government official in 188 nations including all former Soviet Republics. WORLDWIDE GOVERNMENT REPORT Belmont Publications 1454 Belmont Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009 Phone: 1-800-332-3535 or 202/232-6334 FAX: 202/462-5478 Price: $395.00 for 26 issues Provides analysis of ongoing changes in governmental structures and personnel around the world plus biographical information on the people involved. Bi-weekly. HOTLINE NUMBERS U.S. Small Business Administration Answer Desk Dial 1-800-8-ASK-SBA SBA ONLINE Electronic Bulletin Board From Washington, D.C. -- 202/401-9600 Toll free -- 1-800-697-4636 for a 9600 baud modem. Set communications software protocol for N (no parity), 8 (data bits), and 1 (stop bit). This is a 24-hour-a-day service with information on SBA export and financial assistance, speakers, SBA's women's mentor program, minority programs and a mail box for electronic conversations. -- 1-900-463-4636 for expanded service. U.S. Agency for International Development Center for Trade and Investment Services (CTIS). Tailored country-specific information. 9:00-5:30 EST Monday through Friday 202/663-2660; 1-800-USAID-4-U FAX 202/663-2670 U.S. Department of Agriculture Trade Information: 202/720-7420 U.S. Customs Customs will help you identify your product's code under the Harmonized System (HS). Call 202/927-0370 for the phone number of the Customs office nearest you. U.S. Customs has a NAFTA hotline, too. Call 202/927-0066. U.S. Department of Commerce Trade Information Center 1-800-872-8723 TDD 1-800-833-8723 National Trade Data Bank Help # 202/482-1986 8:30-4:30 Monday-Friday EST Economic Bulletin Board (EBB) - 202/482-3870. This is a 24-hour service with information on trade leads and statistics. Compatible with 300, 1200, 2400 or 9600 bps using standard communications software. With 9600 bps service, call 202/482-1986. Staff available Monday-Friday 8:30 to 4:30; 202/482-1986. Subscribe through the Office of Business Analysis 202/482-1986. U.S. Center for Standards and Certification Information Information on product standards, testing and certification. 301/975-4040 Export-Import Bank of the United States 1-800-424-5201 Overseas Private Investment Corporation 1-800-336-8799. EXPORT HOTLINE: 1-800-USA-XPORT Presented by AT&T and the Hotline Referral Network in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Export Hotline, a corporate-sponsored, nationwide fax retrieval system providing international trade information for U.S. business. Its purpose is to help find new markets for U.S. products and services. THE EXPORT OPPORTUNITY HOTLINE The Small Business Foundation of America 1155 15th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: 1-800-243-7232 In Washington, DC: 202/223-1104 Answers questions about getting started in exporting. Advice on product distribution; documentation; licensing and insurance; export financing; analyzing distribution options; export management firms; customs; currency exchange systems and travel requirements. SOURCE : foreign-trade.com