Director Of Finance SPRING 2017 | Page 14

NEWS | World Trade Movement of goods, people and services has never been easier, which in turn is bringing more questions about the need to trade and how to govern its growth IS GLOBALISATION REALLY SO BAD? Can we afford to start worrying about the impacts of globalisation at this stage? Are we not just part of a moving system of civilisation that sees cultures, empires and regimes ebb and fall? The fact is, along with boosting our country’s economic resilience and addressing global challenges such as climate change, promoting economic integration is one of our three strategic priorities. Surely, economic integration can promote efficient markets and reform? We have seen that globalisation increases competition in product markets, it widens the range of financing sources available for investment, it allows countries to opt into institutional arrangements of a higher standard and it imposes strict discipline on governance, legal, regulatory and other institutions. Openness to international markets, globalisation if you will, also spurs investment and innovation within businesses and economies as a whole. Economic integration, and through it globalisation, empowers entrepreneurs and consumers alike. So let’s support integration through cross-border financial flows and investment, trade finance, infrastructure, improved skills and standards in SMEs, policy dialogue and partnerships with institutional investors. This may not be the best time to change the plan. Q 14 DIRECTOR OF FINANCE dofonline.co.uk