The ABC's of International Trade Program

Location

Olin Hall, 225

$130

The ABCs of International Trade program is a series of workshops designed especially for business students who have an interest, or emphasis, in international business and trade. Students attend five distinct workshops to earn the certification. These "hands-on" workshops are designed to supplement your academic coursework in international business. The program fee is $130, which includes materials and a light dinner nightly.

The 2015 ABC's of International Trade program schedule will consist of five Thursday evenings during the Spring semester from 7 - 10 p.m. The series will include the following workshops:

Export and Import Operations and Documentation
This workshop will provide participants with an overview of the procedures, terminology, documentation, and regulations for the export and import of goods from/to the United States. Participants will be introduced to international trade concepts like merchandise valuation, origin, non-tariff barriers, harmonized tariff schedule as well as the classification process. Participants will also review export and import regulations and compliance, transportation, free trade agreements, special permits, entry procedures, the Automated Export System to support export transactions and the preparation and use of all related documents.

Financing and Payment of International Transactions
Particpants will learn the advantages and disadvantages of prepayment, and will delve into various other methods of payment including documentary collections, commercial letters of credit (including confirmed and unconfirmed), open account credit terms and standby letters of credit. Several programs will be discussed in detail including the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), pre-export financing options and foreign buyer financing options. A variety of additional terms and resources will be presented, including the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (“OPIC”), the U.S. Trade Development Agency, the Private Export Funding Corporation (“PEFCO”), the Foreign Receivable Insurance from the private sector, export trading companies, forfaiting and factoring.

NAFTA Business and Market Entry Strategies
This workshop will provide an overview of the NAFTA, it's significance to Mexico- and US-based companies, and opportunities for both trade and investment in the NAFTA region. The workshop leader will discuss strategies for taking advantage of the NAFTA to remain globally competitive and will present business and consumer market trends, market-entry evaluations, and logistical and tariff considerations. In addition, strategies for how businesses use rules of origin and multinational sourcing will be addressed, along with several specific examples of operational cost and tariff modeling in company market entry strategies.

Identifying International Marketing Opportunities and Resources
This workshop will identify the advantage of exporting and discuss the different objectives involved in the process. Participants will learn the value of market research in evaluating and selecting markets and entry strategies. In addition, the workshop will highlight the influence of politics, laws, regulations and cultures on international marketing. The workshop will also discuss the various export strategies, approaches and methods of marketing and distribution, and the local and international sources of information for conducting market research, getting export advice and finding buyers worldwide.

The Seven Deadly Supply Chain Wastes
Most resources used in a global supply chain add value - some do not. The resources consumed (such as people, time or equipment) that do not add value add cost and should be eliminated. This is the essence of the Toyota Production System, or Lean. This will be an interactive workshop that will introduce principles that can be easily understood and applied in the workplace.