MSME Competitiveness

We offer, mainly to Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (MSMEs), Cluster Advisory, Implementation and Management Services. The Company leads the identification, supports the establishment and development of clusters, working with them to implement action plans that allow participating firms to realise cost efficiencies, identify and serve new and more profitable customer segments, and so grow higher margin sales.

These services include, but are not limited to:

  • Market research and international market penetration initiatives, with support and recommendations for serving demanding customers
  • Cluster and value chain design and implementation
  • Recommendations for technology upgrades and initiatives for enhanced productivity
  • Business plan development
  • Firm- and sector- level diagnostics
  • Firm-level upgrading
  • Public-Private dialogue

 

Opportunity Scoping, Strategic and Business Planning

Good strategy is about informed choice and timely action.  We work to help managers become better strategists. Whether the strategic challenge relates to entering new markets, developing a new product, or the development of a new marketing plan, our advisors work with our clients to jointly:

  1. Identify the strategic options available
  2. Formulate decision criteria that define the best options
  3. Obtain the data needed to inform the choices to be made

Ultimately firms not only have a set of recommendations based on world class market research, they have developed lasting capabilities to undertake this set of critical activities on their own.    Firms’ ability to remain competitive requires them to have up-to-date information on developments in the major markets.   We undertake targeted market research and fact-finding missions for and with firms and groups of firms that expand the range of their choices and identify new opportunities.

  • Non-traditional market identification
  • Market segmentation and exploration
  • Product and market diversification
  • New opportunities for investment and expansion
  • Fact-Finding and Trade Missions

 

Training

The changes in the international trading environment that MSMEs face and the current Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) all signal a new day, especially for the Caribbean.  These changed trading circumstances, made more urgent by the higher hurdles created by requirements such as product certification and other more demanding technical standards make it imperative that firms raise the level of their game.  Based on strong domain knowledge and an emphasis on training-the-trainers to achieve multiplier effects, we have a suite of training programmes that improve the capacity and confidence of participants.  We have delivered many of these training programmes throughout the Caribbean.  Among our suite are:

  • Programmes in the Domains of Competitiveness, Value Chains and Clusters
  • Proposal Preparation
  • Intellectual Property Rights – implementation of Regulations, Procedures, Trademarks and Logos
  • Brand Development for MSMEs
  • International Buyer Relationships
  • Packaging and Labelling
  • Compliance: support to producers/exporters for systems that comply with international market standards (legislative and regulatory or deriving from private standards), with a view to certification and including tools to ensure compliance
  • Validation/Certification which allows firms to remain in the EU market (relating, for example, to retail sector requirements);enter niche markets (for example, organic production or ‘fair trade’ labels)

 

Intellectual Property Management

The persistent infringement of their Intellectual Property of has a significant negative impact on the profit potential of MSMEs and the growth in sales of authentic products. We offer a programme to improve the returns to the firms, managed in their collective interest and supportive of their international competitiveness. These initiatives are linked to penetrating new international markets with branded products for which firms are licensed to use registered Intellectual Property Marks.

These services include:

  • IP audits, preparation of audit reports; securing and protecting IP Identifying for MSMEs potentially harmful IPRs owned by their competitors
  • Providing draft contracts for employees and contractors which protect the IP of firms
  •  Supporting dispute settlement and enforcement through MOUs with IP lawyers
  •  Recommendations for integrating IP strategies into the business strategy of the enterprise
  •  Coaching firms on IP matters in developing or penetrating export markets
  • Issuing Cease and Desist Notices through our IP attorneys
  •  Access to a family of Certification and Collective Marks and Certificates of Authenticity, backed by internationally compliant standards, monitored internationally, available for licensing to authorised MSMEs

 

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Competitiveness Company performs Monitoring and Evaluation for each project it implements for local and international donors. The Competitiveness Company won a tender from UNDP and successfully evaluated a project in the area of ‘Violence Prevention, Peace and Sustainable Development’. The Company offers its expertise in performing evaluations of projects implemented in areas of Community Development; Clusters and Value Chains; and Agribusiness Development.

 

The Company is equipped to:

  • Design Monitoring and Evaluation Plans
  • Design, administer, analyse and report on surveys
  • Track unforeseen outcomes and impacts
  • Assess the appropriateness and cost- effectiveness of interventions
  • Highlight factors which contributed to the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of projects and make recommendations
  • Assess the social implications (including gender analysis) of interventions
  • Assess the sustainability of project impacts