Agatha Aspin
Montserrat is benefiting from an initiative by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Export Development Unit who is conducting a series of e-business and e-commerce workshops.
The OECS began conducting the workshops in the member states using video conference from one island involving other nearby islands. The idea was changed because of initial poor participation and the workshops moved to individual islands.
On Tuesday, August 26 this week, the workshop moved to the Tropical Mansion Suites hotel where Montserrat had the opportunity to inform the overall OECS e-business strategy with a focused approach to e-commerce. Such workshop was conducted in e-business and incorporated an e-commerce diagnostic assessment of participating firms from around the OECS member states.
The process involved an audit of the firms’ knowledge and use of e-commerce and other e-business tools by using a questionnaire to collect data from the firms. This activity also involved a basic introduction to e-business and e-commerce.
The objective of the workshops is to introduce the businesses to available opportunities to utilize e-business and conduct an e-commerce assessment of these businesses, which will inform an overall OECS e-business strategy with a focused approach to e-commerce. It will draw upon the data collected from the questionnaire and actual e-commerce work by firms participating in the exercise. This will allow the OECS to review existing use of e-commerce, determine the scope for industry-based business-to-business networking and collaborative technological sharing solutions as part of a market-based, market-driven approach to ensure practical, implementable solutions in this area of business development.
The introduction to e-business and e-commerce focussed on topics such as:
● Online branding (domain name)
● Website development and hosting
● Marketing and advertising – advertising, direct marketing, search engines optimization (SEO)
● E-transactions including digital signature, terms of service, payment technology, e-payment
● Consumer privacy (data protection);
According to a spokesperson from the OECS EDU, given the small size of most Caribbean firms, and the very limited capital base, e-commerce provides opportunities for reaching customers in distant markets without the cost of establishment or the use of intermediaries. It is therefore necessary to develop this platform to enable enterprises within the OECS to become more competitive and cost-effective in the global marketplace.
An earlier release on the workshop said: “As a key strategy to enhancing the competitiveness of firms, the OECS-Export Development Unit has developed this comprehensive programme over the period of the 10th EDF to place e-commerce as a key cornerstone to facilitating trade and increasing the profitability of firms in the region.”
In the meantime, Business Development Manager at the Montserrat Development Corporation (MDC) Agtha Aspin speaking at the workshop says, she believes it is time for businesses on Montserrat to see their market beyond the island’s shores.
The workshop will also be conducted in all OECS islands and once completed, the assessment will inform an overall OECS e-business strategy with a focused approach to e-commerce.
