Staff of the School of Economics today participated in the first planning session of the new TraDE research niche.  The new entity will promote research and post graduate study in export promotion and development under the leadership of our new research Professor, Wilma Viviers.

The initiative grew out of the Export Promotion Research Group and the work that they did on the Decision Support Model for export promotion. Over time the group grew in membership and diversity of research interests and outputs, to the point where TraDE is now an official research niche in the NWU structures.

Learn all about the DSM

In today’s first planning session we discussed the process that has lead to the establishment of the niche, the opportunities and challenges ahead. The heart of the unit is the DSM model, but topics and projects that were mentioned included having a closer look at the exports of services, forecasting of export opportunities, export promotion strategies for specific regions, barriers to internationalisation, the competitiveness of sectors and of exporting firms. A second session for more detailed conceptualisation of themes and projects is already being planned.

The first meeting of the TraDE also coincided with a book launch. In 2011 Proff Ludo Cuyvers and Wilma Viviers edited a book entitled: Export promotion: A Decision Support Model approach. The book presents the DSM model and some of its applications to a wider audience and draws together a number of years’ work done by Prof Ludo in Belgium and Prof Wilma and her team at the NWU. Our advice is: buy the e-book here