The aim of this report is to give a proper idea about the labor migration of Sri Lanka. Further it describes the nature of Labor Migration, the reasons which affect for Labor Migration, effects of Labor Migration for the development of local economy, social and cultural effects. Same as that it presents possible suggestions to overcome those issues.
COVID-19 Epidemics Economic Impact on Migrant Labour ForceVedat Akman
Kaoru İşikawa 4. Uluslararası İşletme Bilimleri ve Ekonomi Kongresi
14 Ekim 2020
Yeni Delhi HİNDİSTAN
“COVID-19 Epidemics Economic Impact on Migrant Labour Force”
https://www.kaoruishikawa.org/turkce
Subnational Governments Around the World: Parts I & IIOECD Governance
PART I - SYNTHESIS ANALYSIS & PART II - METHODOLOGY AND COUNTRY SAMPLE
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Policy Highlights from the publication Regional Outlook 2016, Productive Regions for Inclusive Societies. For more information see http://www.oecd.org/gov/oecd-regional-outlook-2016-9789264260245-en.htm
The aim of this report is to give a proper idea about the labor migration of Sri Lanka. Further it describes the nature of Labor Migration, the reasons which affect for Labor Migration, effects of Labor Migration for the development of local economy, social and cultural effects. Same as that it presents possible suggestions to overcome those issues.
COVID-19 Epidemics Economic Impact on Migrant Labour ForceVedat Akman
Kaoru İşikawa 4. Uluslararası İşletme Bilimleri ve Ekonomi Kongresi
14 Ekim 2020
Yeni Delhi HİNDİSTAN
“COVID-19 Epidemics Economic Impact on Migrant Labour Force”
https://www.kaoruishikawa.org/turkce
Subnational Governments Around the World: Parts I & IIOECD Governance
PART I - SYNTHESIS ANALYSIS & PART II - METHODOLOGY AND COUNTRY SAMPLE
Subnational Governments Around the World is a joint OECD/United Cities and Local Government (UCLG) study presenting presents the main organisational and financial indicators related to subnational governments in 101 federal and unitary countries worldwide.
Policy Highlights from the publication Regional Outlook 2016, Productive Regions for Inclusive Societies. For more information see http://www.oecd.org/gov/oecd-regional-outlook-2016-9789264260245-en.htm
The efforts to stabilize the Moldovan economy after the crisis of 1998 have been largely successful. The country avoided international default as current account position radically improved, cooperation with international financial institutions was re-established and a significant primary fiscal surplus was achieved. As a result, the exchange rate was stabilised and inflation substantially reduced. Moreover, several important structural reforms were implemented and privatisation of key-industries pursued with much more determination than previously. However, only economic growth would bring real solutions to the persistent problems of external and internal imbalances of the Moldovan economy and would allow the country to face its heavy debt burden in the future. Unfortunately, prospects for sustainable growth remain weak, as the most important issues that constrain private entrepreneurship and investments have not been effectively tackled. These issues include: lack of territorial integrity, ineffective legal system, widespread corruption and rent seeking. It is unlikely that these problems can be solved until the Moldovan parliament assumes full ownership of reform process.
Authored by: Larisa Lubarova, Oleg Petrushin, Artur Radziwill
Published in 2000
Presentation by Dóra Györffy at the OECD Workshop on “Joint Learning for an OECD Trust Strategy” on 14 October 2013. Ms. Györffy discusses trust in-depth including its relationship with decision-making, economic policy, popularity of government and its influence on the crisis.
Across the OECD, GDP per capita is converging. In contrast, regional disparities – or differences in GDP per capita across jurisdictions – are rising, mainly as a result of widening productivity differences. Fiscal decentralisation could help reduce them again.
The programme introduces the joint views of the two employee federations, SAK and STTK, on the basis of which Finland will be able to promote economic growth and create decent jobs. This will enhance the ability to finance the welfare state and to promote social cohesion in Finland.
Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK and Finnish Confederation of Professionals STTK.
8th January 2013
South Africa IFDI (Foreign Direct Investment Inflows) May 2013Dr Lendy Spires
Trends and developments Country-level developments Since the 1960s and through the early 1990s, South Africa had been an increasingly isolated economy due to sanctions imposed against its apartheid policies. Following the end of apartheid in 1994 and the country’s first democratic elections, expectations were that foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into South Africa would grow strongly.
This view gained traction based on the notion that South Africa was seen as the gateway to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with its potential consumer base of some 900 million people. Having a financial system more aligned to those in developed economies than to those in emerging markets, improved macro-economic fundamentals in several respects and a relatively extensive infrastructure also added to an expectation that South Africa’s economic reach could stretch beyond SSA, giving further impetus to inflows of FDI. South Africa’s attractiveness as a destination for FDI has, however, been mixed.
This is in part due to its prevailing “dual economy” which is comparable in several respects to an industrialized economy but in several others resembles a developing one. South Africa has a sound regulatory and legislative environment for investment, a sophisticated business sector and globally competitive financial markets, but it also has pervasive poverty, high income inequality, challenges in health care and education, and inefficient labor markets.
An inadequately educated workforce, restrictive labor regulations, poor labor-employer relations and low levels of productivity relative to the cost of labor constitute some of the most problematic challenges facing business in South Africa. Furthermore, South Africa, with a gross national savings rate of 16.5% of GDP, ranks 87th (out of 144 countries) in terms of the savings rate and compares poorly with its companion economies in the BRICS group. In Africa, fifteen countries have a higher gross national savings rate than South Africa.
IFDI is thus much needed to offset low domestic investment and to finance technological transformation. These differing conditions and the policy The existence of a “dual economy and society” in South Africa was first mooted by President Thabo Mbeki during his 2003 State of the Nation address, available at: http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2003/03021412521001.htm. South Africa’s auditing and reporting standards and the regulation of its securities exchange rank number one in the world and its banks have been ranked second in terms of their soundness. See World Economic Forum, The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 (Geneva: World Economic Forum, 2011). Half of South Africans live on less than R500 (approximately $60) per month.
This presentation was made at Chatham House on 14 October 2014 by Dr Emma Mawdsley. She presented evidence from the IDS Rising Powers in International Development programme work on how India engages in international development. More info available at: www.ids.ac.uk/risingpowers
Presentation from seminar on Popular Representations of Development: Insights from Novels, Films, Television and Social Media by Michael Woolcock, World Bank and John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
The efforts to stabilize the Moldovan economy after the crisis of 1998 have been largely successful. The country avoided international default as current account position radically improved, cooperation with international financial institutions was re-established and a significant primary fiscal surplus was achieved. As a result, the exchange rate was stabilised and inflation substantially reduced. Moreover, several important structural reforms were implemented and privatisation of key-industries pursued with much more determination than previously. However, only economic growth would bring real solutions to the persistent problems of external and internal imbalances of the Moldovan economy and would allow the country to face its heavy debt burden in the future. Unfortunately, prospects for sustainable growth remain weak, as the most important issues that constrain private entrepreneurship and investments have not been effectively tackled. These issues include: lack of territorial integrity, ineffective legal system, widespread corruption and rent seeking. It is unlikely that these problems can be solved until the Moldovan parliament assumes full ownership of reform process.
Authored by: Larisa Lubarova, Oleg Petrushin, Artur Radziwill
Published in 2000
Presentation by Dóra Györffy at the OECD Workshop on “Joint Learning for an OECD Trust Strategy” on 14 October 2013. Ms. Györffy discusses trust in-depth including its relationship with decision-making, economic policy, popularity of government and its influence on the crisis.
Across the OECD, GDP per capita is converging. In contrast, regional disparities – or differences in GDP per capita across jurisdictions – are rising, mainly as a result of widening productivity differences. Fiscal decentralisation could help reduce them again.
The programme introduces the joint views of the two employee federations, SAK and STTK, on the basis of which Finland will be able to promote economic growth and create decent jobs. This will enhance the ability to finance the welfare state and to promote social cohesion in Finland.
Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK and Finnish Confederation of Professionals STTK.
8th January 2013
South Africa IFDI (Foreign Direct Investment Inflows) May 2013Dr Lendy Spires
Trends and developments Country-level developments Since the 1960s and through the early 1990s, South Africa had been an increasingly isolated economy due to sanctions imposed against its apartheid policies. Following the end of apartheid in 1994 and the country’s first democratic elections, expectations were that foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into South Africa would grow strongly.
This view gained traction based on the notion that South Africa was seen as the gateway to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with its potential consumer base of some 900 million people. Having a financial system more aligned to those in developed economies than to those in emerging markets, improved macro-economic fundamentals in several respects and a relatively extensive infrastructure also added to an expectation that South Africa’s economic reach could stretch beyond SSA, giving further impetus to inflows of FDI. South Africa’s attractiveness as a destination for FDI has, however, been mixed.
This is in part due to its prevailing “dual economy” which is comparable in several respects to an industrialized economy but in several others resembles a developing one. South Africa has a sound regulatory and legislative environment for investment, a sophisticated business sector and globally competitive financial markets, but it also has pervasive poverty, high income inequality, challenges in health care and education, and inefficient labor markets.
An inadequately educated workforce, restrictive labor regulations, poor labor-employer relations and low levels of productivity relative to the cost of labor constitute some of the most problematic challenges facing business in South Africa. Furthermore, South Africa, with a gross national savings rate of 16.5% of GDP, ranks 87th (out of 144 countries) in terms of the savings rate and compares poorly with its companion economies in the BRICS group. In Africa, fifteen countries have a higher gross national savings rate than South Africa.
IFDI is thus much needed to offset low domestic investment and to finance technological transformation. These differing conditions and the policy The existence of a “dual economy and society” in South Africa was first mooted by President Thabo Mbeki during his 2003 State of the Nation address, available at: http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2003/03021412521001.htm. South Africa’s auditing and reporting standards and the regulation of its securities exchange rank number one in the world and its banks have been ranked second in terms of their soundness. See World Economic Forum, The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 (Geneva: World Economic Forum, 2011). Half of South Africans live on less than R500 (approximately $60) per month.
This presentation was made at Chatham House on 14 October 2014 by Dr Emma Mawdsley. She presented evidence from the IDS Rising Powers in International Development programme work on how India engages in international development. More info available at: www.ids.ac.uk/risingpowers
Presentation from seminar on Popular Representations of Development: Insights from Novels, Films, Television and Social Media by Michael Woolcock, World Bank and John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
This presentation was made at Chatham House on 14 October 2014 by Dr Alex Shankland. He presented evidence from the IDS Rising Powers in International Development programme work on how Brazil engages in international development. More info available at: www.ids.ac.uk/risingpowers
Presentation by Ana Pueyo, Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) prepared for COP21 (Paris) session on "Scaling-up investment in clean energy in developing countries". Presented on 9 December 2015
9th December 2015
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You can also listen to the seminar at: https://www.mixcloud.com/ids/professor-kirsten-sehnbruch-speaks-on-monitoring-the-quality-of-employment-february-2015/
In this Dudley Seers Memorial Lecture, IDS Director, Lawrence Haddad, examined the persistent challenge of malnutrition in India and assessed what more can be done to effectively tackle the challenge. The lecture was chaired by Prakash Shetty, Chief Executive of Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia.
This presentation was made at Chatham House on 14 October 2014 by Dr Jing Gu. She presented evidence from the IDS Rising Powers in International Development programme work on how China engages in international development. More info available at: www.ids.ac.uk/risingpowers
Donor agencies, governments and corporations are looking to mobilise businesses in the global campaign to reduce undernutrition. Involving the private sector in “nutrition sensitive” development is seen as key to sustaining progress in the long run. Food and agriculture are at the centre of these efforts. But how can food businesses contribute, and why aren’t they doing so already? Drawing on evidence from Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania, this seminar examines why food markets often fail to provide nutrient-rich foods to the people most in need. It looks at several policy responses to these problems and asks what has made these efforts succeed or fail. These experiences suggest that policy change and public action are key if businesses are to play a role in tackling undernutrition.
Ana Pueyo (IDS), Simon Bawakyillenuo (ISSER) and Helen Osiolo (KIPPRA) presentation for the International Energy Workshop, hosted by University College Cork, Ireland, 1-3 June 2016.
On 20 November 2012, the programme Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration (RCI) in Asia of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH convened a workshop on “Social Implications of Economic Integration” in Vientiane, Lao PDR. This document summarise thepurpose, main themes and results of this event.
The Balkan Barometer, published for the first time in 2015, surveys 7,000 citizens and 1,400 businesses in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, Montenegro, Serbia and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on a wide range of issues dealing with the political, socio-economic, business and investment climate, infrastructure, rule of law and other developments in the region.
De Facto Consultancy conducted survey in Montenegro.
Contribution of Remitteces to the Development of Small and Medium Enterpreses (Case studies).
Publication produced within the project "Remittances Developing Moldovan Communities" implemented by Hilfswerk Austria International in partnership with the National Assistance and Information Centre for NGOs in Moldova – CONTACT with financial support of European Union.
www.migratie.md
The views expressed in this publication belong exclusively to authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.
Report - The Prosperity Index In Africahamishbanks
Entrepreneurs play a key role in fostering wealth and wellbeing for ordinary Africans; entrepreneurs are "enablers of growth" who break down economic barriers and social constraints.
Ponieważ jesteśmy w okresie kampanii wyborczej podrzucam wszystkim dokument, który może służyć do oceny jakości programów wyborczych wszystkich aspirujących do swojej roli wybrańców narodu :)
ВИСВІТЛЕННЯ ТЕМАТИКИ КОНТРОЛЮ НАД ВИДАТКАМИ МІСЦЕВИХ БЮДЖЕТІВ, ФІНАНСУВАННЯ ШКІЛ, ЛІКАРЕНЬ, ТАРИФОУТВОРЕННЯ ТА РЕМОНТУ ДОРІГ
Київ-Чернівці-Харків-Львів-Суми-Рівне
2018
Концепція реформування НСТУ: подання на конкурс команди журналістів. Роман Вибрановський, Ігор Содатенко, Сергій Мамаєв, Андрій Богданович, Руслан Ткаченко, Вадим Пелех
Виконання Програми діяльності Кабінету Міністрів України, Коаліційної угоди та Стратегії сталого розвитку ”Україна-2020” за напрямом «Нова політика енергетичної незалежності»
Звіт для громадськості
What You're Going to Learn
- How These 4 Leaks Force You To Work Longer And Harder in order to grow your income… improve just one of these and the impact could be life changing.
- How to SHUT DOWN the revolving door of Income Stagnation… you know, where new sales come into your magazine while at the same time existing sponsors exit.
- How to transform your magazine business by fixing the 4 “DON’Ts”...
#1 LEADS Don’t Book
#2 PROSPECTS Don’t Show
#3 PROSPECTS Don’t Buy
#4 CLIENTS Don’t Stay
- How to identify which leak to fix first so you get the biggest bang for your income.
- Get actionable strategies you can use right away to improve your bookings, sales and retention.
Best Crypto Marketing Ideas to Lead Your Project to SuccessIntelisync
In this comprehensive slideshow presentation, we delve into the intricacies of crypto marketing, offering invaluable insights and strategies to propel your project to success in the dynamic cryptocurrency landscape. From understanding market trends to building a robust brand identity, engaging with influencers, and analyzing performance metrics, we cover all aspects essential for effective marketing in the crypto space.
Also Intelisync, our cutting-edge service designed to streamline and optimize your marketing efforts, leveraging data-driven insights and innovative strategies to drive growth and visibility for your project.
With a data-driven approach, transparent communication, and a commitment to excellence, InteliSync is your trusted partner for driving meaningful impact in the fast-paced world of Web3. Contact us today to learn more and embark on a journey to crypto marketing mastery!
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When listening about building new Ventures, Marketplaces ideas are something very frequent. On this session we will discuss reasons why you should stay away from it :P , by sharing real stories and misconceptions around them. If you still insist to go for it however, you will at least get an idea of the important and critical strategies to optimize for success like Product, Business Development & Marketing, Operations :)
Reflect Festival Limassol May 2024.
Michael Economou is an Entrepreneur, with Business & Technology foundations and a passion for Innovation. He is working with his team to launch a new venture – Exyde, an AI powered booking platform for Activities & Experiences, aspiring to revolutionize the way we travel and experience the world. Michael has extensive entrepreneurial experience as the co-founder of Ideas2life, AtYourService as well as Foody, an online delivery platform and one of the most prominent ventures in Cyprus’ digital landscape, acquired by Delivery Hero group in 2019. This journey & experience marks a vast expertise in building and scaling marketplaces, enhancing everyday life through technology and making meaningful impact on local communities, which is what Michael and his team are pursuing doing once more with Exyde www.goExyde.com
Salma Karina Hayat is Conscious Digital Transformation Leader at Kudos | Empowering SMEs via CRM & Digital Automation | Award-Winning Entrepreneur & Philanthropist | Education & Homelessness Advocate
Textile Chemical Brochure - Tradeasia (1).pdfjeffmilton96
Explore Tradeasia’s brochure for eco-friendly textile chemicals. Enhance your textile production with high-quality, sustainable solutions for superior fabric quality.
Small and medium enterprise in Ukraine: regional support
1. SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND REPLICATION
OF CENTERS OF SUPPORT OF SME
IN THE REGIONS OF UKRAINE
During the year of 2015 number of experts,
commissioned by United Nations Development
Programme in Ukraine (UNDP) with financial support
from the Polish Government and in cooperation with
the Polish Agency for Entrepreneurship Development
(PARP), have carried out a range of activities in
support of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in
the regions of Ukraine. These activities were
implemented within the framework of the project
'Improving local capacity to promote and sustain
entrepreneurship and SMEs development in
Chernobyl affected territories by transferring best
practices and experience of using smart instruments
for boosting business'.
This paper presents key findings and outlines
recommendations for continuing effective efforts in
support of SME in the regions of Ukraine. There are
no obvious answers as to what or who is in the best
position to dramatically improve the situation: state
policies, local administrations or western donors. The
report does not offer readytouse, onefitsall
answers. However, it does offer an analysis that may
be useful in the process of reaching conclusions and
designing strategic technical assistance plans.
The views, & findings and recommendations are those
of the authors and compilers of this publication and do
not necessarily represent the views of the UN.
Kyiv 2015
2. Purpose:
The purpose of this report is to directly and pragmatically address the question of how one can
best assist local and regional authorities to initially support entrepreneurship development and
help maintain favorable local business climate. After providing an initial orientation in the form of
a brief overview of the main issues and bottlenecks, the report provides a set of recommendations
based on practical experience and lessons learned during the project implementation and
replication activities. The focus of the report is on the peculiarities and directions of
communication and consultancy support to SMEs provided though Entrepreneurship
support/communication Centres.
I. Executive Summary
It is hard to overestimate the importance of the issue in question. More than half of Poland's
GDP is generated by SME, i.e. companies employing only few people, securing the wellbeing
of their families by themselves. There are no more than 10% of such companies in Ukraine.
More than ever it is important to understand how to help local communities in the regions of
Ukraine to work for themselves. This is especially true for internally displaced persons (IDPs),
who lost their jobs and real estate and are facing difficult choices in terms of providing their
families with steady income.
The growth of SME in the regions of Ukraine has been frustratingly low since Ukraine gained
independence. There were (and still are) relatively objective reason for such state of affairs.
General shape of Ukraine's economy, excessive centralization of government practices,
bureaucracy and corruption are 'usual suspects' in terms of what hindered proper development of
SME outside major cities of Ukraine. It seemed that little (if anything at all) could be done at the
grass root level.
These factors directly affected key challenge with regards to building up a favorable environment
for SMEs: lack of motivation on behalf of key stakeholders. As situation changes, namely certain
promising prospects of real decentralization are beginning to take shape, more regionspecific
causes for such lack of motivation are becoming more obvious.
Onsite 'needs analysis', as well as both informal and formal consultations with key stakeholders
under the project, discovered that lack of information and, importantly, communication between
stakeholders are key obstacles on the way to improve the situation.
While information gap seems to be technically fairly easy to deal with, realistically “technical”
work has virtually no chance of succeeding without addressing fundamental issue, upon which
the effectiveness of any support initiatives in this field depends: building the trust between
stakeholders. As this paper will argue, it calls for a particular methodology and style of potential
interventions. In its substance they should focus on educating rather only 'informing' and
establishing real dialogue rather than following the tradition of oneway communication practices.
Such methodology was envisioned by project's experts in establishing and enabling activities of
“Local entrepreneurship support/communication centres”, first of which was open in the town of
Korosten’, Zhytomyr oblast'. Similar initiatives were discussed in other relatively small towns near
Chernobyl area.
Project's experts have identified a great interest both in SMEs development issues in general and
establishing communication body to support it among key local stakeholders. There's equally a
very obvious lack of technical expertise and practical experience in the field to take on such tasks.
3. First months of Korosten' centre's operation uncovered factors and processes that will pose
significant challenges affecting technical assistance programs in developing SMEs in the regions.
They have also pointed to out some effective tools and activities, significantly contributing to
centre's main mission: building wellinformed trustworthy relationships between key stakeholders at local
level.
This set of recommendations will outline in some detail a number of communication activities
which with systemic approach have a reasonable chance of succeeding. It will also present a
general outline of key stakeholders that will definitely need to be involved in order for these
interventions to bring tangible results. Recommendations are based on lessons learned and
prospects discovered during practical implementation of onsite activities in the regions of
northern part of Ukraine.
II. Background
While small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the economy of EU countries, its
development in Ukraine in general is still really slow. Technically, numbers of registered
businesses have a tendency towards falling, future prospects seem unclear. Situation is especially
difficult in relatively small regional cities and towns of Ukraine.
Importantly, a significant amount of questions and doubts as to the future of small and medium
businesses are being raised both by the entrepreneurs and general public at the local level. This is
exacerbated by the lack of knowledge or even access to basic information on the nuances of
opening and running a successful SME. The establishment of the Centre in Korosten' within the
project came at the time when on the one hand there was an obvious need for a clearinghouse for
information, on the other it immediately had to deal with significant challenges.
1) Against the background, laid out above, a remarkable lack of 'twoways' communication lines
could be detected between various state institutions, whose direct or indirect responsibility is to
foster the development of small businesses at the local level. This is even more surprising to find in
the region, where local authorities are truly enthusiastic about contributing to making real
difference with regards to developing SME in their region. Until recently one of the key factors,
affecting local authorities' attitudes towards proactive work in this area was the fact that key
administrative decisions regarding SME were effectively being made in Kiev. There were no real
financial incentives as well, as growing business would not be contributing to local budgets as
income taxes were being collected centrally. In some regions, however, local authorities are more
optimistic, placing their hopes on administrative reform which in theory allows for substantial de
centralization.
2) Local actual and potential entrepreneurs are wary of dealing with local authorities and
regulating bodies. Unclear regulations, massive amount of paperwork, fears and perceived risks
(corruption in state institutions, leading to 'extortion' etc.) discourage local communities from
considering opening and developing their enterprises.
3) Despite its importance, the issue is not placed high enough on the public agenda. Its profile
would have to be raised to the point where enough public interest is generated in order to carry on
a sensible debate, point to key problems and discuss opportunities. That is especially important
given general skepticism as to the future of SMEs in the current circumstances which in turn raises
certain doubts about the effectiveness of the Centre itself.
4. 4) Local journalists are not skilled enough to provide much needed quality coverage of even
basic SME related news and issues, let alone initiate indepth public debate. Challenges, fears,
stereotypes and prospects of SME market at the local level are not being discussed in public
domain. Centre's personnel needed to acquire communication skills, which would be effective, up
todate and, importantly, relevant.
Most importantly, at the regional level there is no platform for meaningful, honest and often
'difficult' debate between these stakeholders. Already at the initial stage of project's
implementation it became obvious that every stakeholder has its questions, doubts, fears and
preconceived notions. Many of these were never addressed before with representatives of all the
stakeholders present in the same room. While somewhat 'heated' at times, such open discussions
under the project at the very least revealed most (if not all) of the needs and concerns. Realistically,
far from eliminating them, open dialogue has certainly brought about the understanding of the need
for particular information and particular type of communication. It made relevance a main focal
point of building Centre's methodology.
The Centre needed a very convincing, scientifically proved “base of evidence” to support its
mission statement: “local entrepreneurship has a future here”. That requires feasibility studies,
market opportunities analysis, “green books” of challenges and opportunities, facing local
businesses.
That also requires an ongoing support for Centre's communication efforts, both formal and
(perhaps, more importantly) informal in order to establish an environment, prepared to debate key
local business development issues in a constructive and systemic way.
Series of meetings focusing on practicalities of business development were needed in order to
promote the tradition of open discourse on the subject, which has notoriously been discussed in
either awkward, “officialised” or unprofessional way.
The “Local entrepreneurship support/communication Centre” had to become a proactive player
and a mediator, as opposed to a mere depository of technical information. That was its principal
challenge and main mission.
5. III. Recommendations
Project's implementation has shown that it is an establishment of the Communication Centre as a
hub for ongoing SME support activities that could and should be used as an 'entry point' into
working in this sphere. Whichever type of intervention a particular technical assistance
programme will decide upon: public awareness campaigns, expert support, small grants to local
entrepreneurs or internally displaced persons, Communication and Support Centres are likely
to be the most effective tools for a wellinformed and coordinated activities.
It is therefore recommended by the experts of the project to consider establishing and supporting
Communication and Support Centres in target regions. Based on project's experience, in order to
be most effective the Centres should be involved into:
а) targeted information/communication work
The information and analysis, presented by Communication and Support Centres, should not be
'generic', i.e. effectively irrelevant. At best, such approach will have no real effect on the situation.
At worst, it will further contribute to developing stereotypes and prejudices. The main initial goal
of any Centre’s activities is understanding of the target audience. A tailormade approach should
be adopted for a particular region, as its specificity may dictate different priorities. As project's
lessons show, in one region one of the key audiences may be farmers, in other – students or IDPs,
in yet another – state institutions, which may require adopting a particular approach.
Regular presentations, round tables or media campaigns should be focused on a particular target
audience rather than presenting 'onefitsall' format of information. As in every other domain,
understanding SMEs relevant audiences is more often than not a key factor upon the effectiveness
of further actions will ultimately depend.
There are various ways of drawing the map of target audiences – task force analysis, interviews, focus
groups – and it is highly recommended to conduct such regular 'needs analysis' in order to
formulate priorities for further interventions.
b) development of region specific recommendations based on expert market opportunities research
Responding to the challenge of promoting SMEs is not a straightforward matter for local and
regional authorities. The local authorities across Ukraine (as well as the huge number of local
authorities across Europe) face very diverse circumstances in terms of the natural, human, physical
and financial resources at their disposal and the particular (often urgent!) needs of their
communities. It is not possible or even advisable for each of them to adopt the very same approach
to support the SMEs development.
Based on the lessons learned during project's implementation the most important information key
stakeholders (and potential target audiences) need is a professional, regionspecific and evidence
based research on business opportunities availability. While sounding like an obvious kind of
information any entrepreneurtobe would gather, this kind of analysis is actually technically
unavailable or even unobtainable for many people in the regions, for example former state
enterprise workers or villagers.
Likewise, local authorities often require reliable information on the spheres of SME development
they should focus on. While sometimes having intimate knowledge of the situation in their 'region'
7. Obviously, many future entrepreneurs lack startup capital in order to embark on often tricky
process of establishing SME. At the same time, there are number of international technical
assistance programmes, providing either direct support or seed funding for small businesses. As a
rule, however, potential applicants are naturally illequipped to handle application, project
implementation and financial reporting processes. As a result, funding is being channeled through
service NGOs with substantial track record, which for understandable reasons are unfortunately
adopting universal, onefitsall approach.
This is especially true with regards to IDP's, who often receive seed funding that has little if
anything to do with their real needs or capabilities. There are examples of how such practice
results in contraproductive precedents. Centers, among other things, should be concerned with
motivating people to take up the opportunities to support their families, not inventing the ways of
dodging the problem.
It would be advisable for Centres' staff to have sufficient experience in dealing with international
donors and preparing grant proposal in order to enable local target audiences to have firsthand
access to much needed funding sources.
e) networking efforts with Centers from different regions
Project's activities which involved bringing together potential partners from other regions show
that networking between similar initiatives (especially at early stages) is extremely useful. It has a
positive effect on potential partners' motivation, it tells them about challenges ahead and explains
how lessons learned from other regions' mistakes could be transformed into useful advice.
'Comparing the notes' also provides a useful forum for presenting lucrative business opportunities
in partner regions. Naturally, fostering the growth of SMEs sector will require looking into
possibility of expanding markets. Such exchange of 'market opportunity suggestions' was
mentioned more than once at project's open events.
f) designing and conducting series of presentations in Kiev outlining business opportunities for
national and international companies at regional level
Business opportunities for Kiev based major companies in the regions of Ukraine will certainly
depend or particular region's proximity to the capital. However, it would certainly be useful for
just about any region to develop of strategy of presenting its attractiveness to major investors.
Some of the regions that project has worked with have already explored the possibility of setting
up 'industrial parks' which may lead to potentially beneficial negotiations.
It is important for the regional Centres to maintain their presence in the capital for a number of
reasons. First of all, it raises their profile in the capital city of Ukraine, where principal financial
and business opportunities are concentrated. Secondly, it provides them with the information,
often unavailable unless they have facetoface meetings with people who could be useful to them.
Thirdly, this allows them to embark on networking efforts, far exceeding what they could hope for
in their own towns. That includes donors, potential partners or investors.
***
One type of activities, which cuts across the typology outlined above is dealing with the media.
Or, to be more specific, with individual journalists as in the regions of Ukraine people tend to
know each other personally rather well. Predictably, there is no easy way to find a format of