International Trade & Shipping with E-Commerce

Introduction:

Today’s organization deals with ever-increasing levels of complexity when trading globally. Sourcing suppliers, managing quality, cost, and delivery through the supply chain requires managers to continually sharpen and update their skills to effectively provide measurable best value for their organization.

Targeted Groups:

• Procurement Management
• Purchasing Professionals
• Supply Chain Management
• Vendors Relationship Management
• Procurement Professionals
• International Trade Professionals
• Transportation Management

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course the participants will be able to:

• Develop cost-effective international vendor sourcing strategies
• Develop an awareness of shipping options and cost structures
• Construct effective global supply chain management strategies
• Develop appropriate risk mitigation and marine insurance strategies
• Ensure vendor compliance with international standards & CSR
• Take away specific action plans to further develop their role and organizational benefit
• Understand the key principles and tools for global supplier sourcing
• Learn about vendor auditing and compliance
• Recognize the shipping options, insurance and incoterms
• Develop cost-efficient supply chain logistics

Targeted Competencies:

• International trade
• E-Commerce to Access International Markets
• Foreign currency strategies
• Global industry standards
• Shipping Management
• Supply chain & logistics
• Vendor sourcing strategies
• Customs handling

Course Content:

Unit 1: International Trade - Challenges and Opportunities

• International trade – aligning strategy to organizational goals
• Overview of geographic opportunities by industry sector
• Common challenges faced by organizations trading internationally
• Vendor sourcing strategies
• Cross-cultural communication
• Foreign currency strategies (FX)
• Managing global supply chains

Unit 2: Vendor Sourcing & Management:

• Constructing effective specifications and vendor positioning statements
• Managing quality, cost and delivery
• Incoterms
• Additional value creation from sourcing
• Geographic risk analysis - macro and micro levels
• Compliance with global industry standards
• Managing Corporate Social responsibility. (CSR)
• Vendor auditing strategies and toolkit
• Service level agreements (SLA)
• International contractual and legal best practice

Unit 3: Shipping & Logistics Management:

• Overview of shipping cost drivers
• Shipping options and impacts - consolidation, part container
• Creating cost-effective & risk-mitigating shipping strategies
• Marine insurance:
• Establishing organizational cover levels
• Premium cost drivers and premium reduction strategies
• Use of emerging technologies - tracking, monitoring, security

Unit 4: Customs/Port of Entry:

• The role of customs
• Calculating import duty tariffs
• Establishing correct import duty tariffs
• Customs systems and process
• Use of bonded warehouse
• Duty deferment options
• Use of freight forwarding agents

Unit 5: Finance & Documentation:

• Establishing the organizational trade cycle
• Impacts of the trade cycle upon cash flows
• Advanced financial strategies for international trade
• International supply chain document roadmap
• Global best practice
• Action planning

Unit 6: E-Commerce: Accessing International Markets

• Understanding the Context of E-Commerce
• E-Commerce Environment 
• Unique Challenges to E-Commerce
• Establishing E-Commerce Operations 
• Identify E-Commerce Requirements
• Using an Integrated E-Commerce Model 
• Localizing Sites for International Markets 
• Assessing Organizational Readiness and Identifying Gaps
• Internal Versus Outsourced
• Setting Up an E-Commerce Operation
• Marketing with Digital Technology