Interest in India has never been greater. Here CP Balachandran, one of the subcontinent’s most respected trade finance bankers, offers precious insights into this complex, multifaceted land, which despite its dazzling diversity of languages, customs, and cultures remains more than 60 years after its founding the world’s largest democracy. He describes the vast changes that have transformed this once sleeping giant into a world leader in science and technology, a nation once poverty stricken that now boasts a middle class of over 300 million people, as large as the entire population of the United States!
Decades ago, with that scream a group of small farmers claimed to the UNCTAD congress that the international community should open her eyes and perceive the damage caused by its policy of aid to developing countries. Such policy was based on granting loans on favourable terms to support raw materials supply from those countries to the first world companies. Actually, such funding was hardly refundable by the weak economies and stockpiled unpaid until it reached a level where the debt was either forgiven by countries or renegotiated to very long terms, becoming in fact a modern way of colonization.
Choosing the right freight forwarder to support your export efforts never has been more critical than during the current crippling recession — despite the fact that it may be abating. Even Icelandic Volcanoes can be overcome!
Nigeria, with its natural resources, is a nation with high growth potential. Scattered across the country are several solid mineral deposits. Her climate and weather conditions are ideal for cultivating exportable commodities that have high international demand. Ayemibo Bamidele is an avid blogger covering the great opportunities for export in Nigeria, in this issue he covers exportable commodities in Nigeria. Next issue he will explore Financing options for Exporters.
Long time ago, when I was very young, I learnt to fly in a little airfield in Minorca, an island in the Mediterranean Sea. While in summer the weather was always resplendent and you could enjoy flying from dawn to sunset, the situation was quite different in the short winter afternoons when dark clouds and a local strong wind, called the “Tramontana”, shattered our young illusions about getting behind the controls of our small plane and watching from a few hundred feet above, the daily life of our fellow countrymen. I remember that when student pilots gathered together in the hangar cursing the dark cloud layer, our flying instructor, a man with thousands of hours of flight experience, looked at us and said with a smile:“Cheer up! Above the dark clouds, there is a bright blue sky…”
Last Issue, Thomas Smith’s article covering the career opportunities as an Export Sales Representative, touched on an area I am particularly passionate about.
As such I have prepared this article building on his but giving the perspective of an exporter or manufacturer who seeks to hire such an export sales representative and to explore the criteria I have used in the past when dealing with this important area. Hiring a Sales Agent or Export Representative, like any other HR decision, is not something to be taken lightly as your chosen candidate will essentially be the face of your company in your target market.
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