SMART Community Review (SCR) 2017 SMART PROGRAM | Page 13
Measurable, Affordable, Resilient, Technology)
Trade and Investment program, is hosting 5th
more information, or contact SCE global by email:
[email protected]
S.M.A.R.T World Tour 2017-20
Trade Missions - Business Roundtables - Summits
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Access to Finance
In most cases, capital is a critical issue for participants.
Therefore, we must address this issue by providing access
to sources of finance. Some banks and financial institutions
are risk averse and unwilling to provide venture capital or
loans. SCE, therefore, need to serve as the link between
participants and potential sources of capital. Given the
difficulty that participants may face in trying to secure
funding, SCE may reach out to our sources to locate and
secure appropriate funding for participants. SCE may
facilitate access to finance for participants.
Business Support
SCE Preferred Service Providers (PSP) provide key
business support services to participants, which help the
participants to focus their efforts on developing a
competitive advantage within the market. The support
services we offer may go beyond generic business support
services towards specialty services and access to industry
specific networks. Efficient and effective delivery of business
support services enhances the chances of participants’
success. This is the rationale for our existence. Therefore,
we will tailor our services to fit the participants’ needs,
offering the services at below market rates to reduce the
cost of the soft-landing program for participants. If we
cannot offer all the services participants may require at a
given time, then we will develop relationships and
partnerships with regional and local service providers that
are able to meet these needs. SCE regional management
teams in Your Region and USA continuously assess and
meet the individual needs of participants, as this is crucial to
the success of the SMART soft-landing process.
An Enabling Environment
SMART Community Exchange (SCE) serves as a business
enabling environment within the international business
community by helping participants overcome obstacles and
become successful, as well as by positively influencing
stakeholder groups and policy makers who can bring about
appropriate changes to the business environment.
The following are some of the ways the SCE can establish
an enabling environment that assists participants as well as
relevant stakeholder groups and policy makers: Helping to
change the local culture, increasing entrepreneurial and
economic growth by promoting local business growth
and producing successful role models. We can bring a
new SMART way of thinking to communities by providing
role models for entrepreneurial success in the form of
successful businesses and entrepreneurs. The SCE also
offers businesses/entrepreneurs the tools they need to
succeed. Improving social capital, trust and fostering
innovation and entrepreneurship, by creating cross sector
linkages and Public-Private Partnership arrangements. The
SCE brings companies and individuals together through
networking. Connecting professionals from different sectors
and regions can establish trust between different firms and
create innovative thinking by exploring fresh perspectives.
The SCE also facilitates cooperation between participants
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SMART Soft-Landing Program Brief
and public entities, with the aim of securing public funds as
well as support for the participants. Participants whose work
is closely aligned with the government’s priorities, such as
those in Positive Development (PD) and S.M.A.R.T
(Sustainable, Measurable, Achievable, Resilient,
Technology) based companies, are usually in a better
position to receive support. Providing a dynamic learning
environment to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and
technology transfer. The SCE has the flexibility and
opportunities to position participants at the forefront of
innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer. From
our experience and that of our participants, we can apply the
lessons learned to become even better enabling
environments. Reducing costs by joint procurement. We
are able to aggregate orders and hence procure goods and
services at a lower cost for participants. Discounts will help
companies who have limited financial resources to support
their early phases of product or service development.
Assisting our clients to navigate through regulatory
environments, thereby reducing their compliance costs and
the lengthy time requirement. The SCE can provide
information to participants on achieving regulatory
compliance. In this regard, we can help participants develop
good relationships with government officials, ensuring that
all administrative and bureaucratic requirements are met
and hence freeing up time for participants to concentrate on
developing their SMART businesses, communities, projects,
and initiatives.
Stakeholder Groups
Serving as a test bed for stakeholders and policymakers
interested in new ways of growing, regulating and/or
supporting businesses. In this capacity, we provide
policymakers with the chance to experiment with new ideas
and incentives. Successfully tested programs can later be
du