Helping SMEs internationalise through trade facilitation

Abstract

This paper is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and the arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD countries.The publication of this paper has been authorised by Ken Ash, Director of the Trade and Agriculture Directorate. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.This document has been declassified on the responsibility of the Working Party of the Trade Committee under the OECD reference number TAD/TC/WP(2018)24/FINAL.

Industry 4.0 as the Driving Force of SME Internationalisation: A Case of Lithuania

“…Internal expertise and competences include knowledge and experience of owners and employees, organisational structure, procedures, culture, tolerance to change, motivation, ability to work remotely and training. Internal challenges refer to the issues, such as a lack of scale or experience, low productivity and lagging adoption of technology (López González & Sorescu, 2019). The firms sustain competitive _______________________________________________________________ 2019 / 33 196 advantage because of their own know-how: rare non-substitutable, and difficult to imitate resources (Wong, 2011).…”

Electronic transmissions and international trade - shedding new light on the moratorium debate

“…Although there is no WTO definition of "electronic transmissions" referred to in the various ministerial decisions, in a trade context, they are generally understood to cover cross-border digital delivery, a key element of the evolving digital trade landscape (López González and Jouanjean, 2017 [4]). 2 Issues around duties on electronic transmissions have been the subject of debate since WTO discussions on e-commerce began in 1998.…”

“…This means that it would not apply to other forms of digital trade or e-commerce such as physically delivered trade that has been digitally ordered (Wunsch-Vincent, 2006, p. 21[6]). 4 At the same time, the Moratorium states only that it covers customs duties and, therefore, not domestic and internal taxes.…”

“…Electronic transmissions refer to the digital element of the delivery, not the ordering 3. The Moratorium was not explicitly extended at the Ministerial Conference in Seattle (1999) and so its status was uncertain for two years until Ministers renewed it at the 2001 Ministerial Conference in Doha until the next Ministerial in Cancún (Wunsch-Vincent, 2006, p. 41[6]) 4. Panagariya (2000, p. 960[67]) notes that "at the outset […] there is no ambiguity at present regarding the status of the goods ordered and paid for on Internet but delivered physically in the conventional manner.…”

SMEs’ competitiveness and international trade in the era of Global Value Chains (GVCs) in Tanzania: An assessment and future challenges

“…Participation in international trade allows SMEs to learn by doing, get exposed to quality standards, superior technology and stiff competition (ITC, 2015). Moreover, the current changes in a global trading landscape via globalization and the resulting emergence of Global Value Chains (GVCs) and digital economy provide another avenue through which SMEs can effectively participate in international trade (López González & Sorescu, 2019). Global value chain entails locating different stages of production processes across varied countries.…”