International Trade

In international trade, those who buy are importing goods or services from foreign sources; those who sell are exporting products to customers abroad.

The main difference between domestic trade and international trade is the use of foreign currencies to pay for the goods and services crossing international borders. Whenever a country imports or exports goods and services. there is a resulting flow of funds: money returns to the exporting nation, and money flows out of the importing nation. In an interlinked global economy, consumers are given the opportunity to buy the best products at the best prices. By opening up markets, a government allows its citizens to produce and export those things they are best at and to import the rest, choosing from whatever the world has to offer.

Some trade barriers will always exist as long as any two countries have different sets of law. However, when a country decides to protect its economy by erecting artificial trade barriers, the result is often damaging to everyone.

The balance of trade is determined by the relationship between import and export. In years when we export more than we import, we have a favourable balance of trade. People in other countries buy more from us than we buy from them, and money flows into our economy. In years, when imports exceed exports, the balance of trade is infavourable. Money flows out of our country into the pockets of our foreign suppliers.

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Marketing

Marketing includes all the business activities connected with the movement of goods and services from producers to consumers. On the one hand, marketing is made up of such activities as transporting, storing and selling goods and, on the other hand, a series of decisions you make during the process of moving goods from producer to user. Marketing operations include product planning, buying, storage, pricing, promotion, selling, credit, etc.

The marketing concept is “ we must produce what people want, not what we want to produce”. This means that we put the customer first. We carry out market research. We must supply what the customer wants. We can do this by offering the right Marketing Mix: “The Four P’s – the right Product at the right Price, available at the right Place and presented in the right way – Promotion”.

For marketing to occur, at least four factors are required: 1) two or more parties (individuals or organizations) with unsatisfied needs; 2) desire and ability on their part to be satisfied; 3 a way for the parties to communicate, and 4) something to exchange.

The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself. Ideally, marketing should result in a customer who is ready to buy. Marketing is the creation of long-term demand while sale is the execution of marketing strategies.

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Motor transport, building branch and insurance activity of consumer cooperatives

Transportation of goods in the system of consumer cooperatives is carried out mainly by cooperatively owned motor transport. It numbers 10,000 automobiles of various carrying capacity. The automobiles belongs to 114 auto fleets which possess equipment and staff necessary for servicing and exploitation of vehicles. In motor branch more than 10,000 people.

The main task of the building branch is the development of a material and technical basis of cooperatives – building, reconstruction, technical modernization, maintaining of constructions in proper technical state.

Building branch include 12 building enterprises, 5 special building enterprises, concrete product plant, 2 industrial complexes producing building materials, 6 repair-assembly industrial complexes, design enterprise "Belcoopproject", which possesses design departments in each district of the Republic. More over in each district consumer society there are building sections, each one 20-40 people in number.In the building branch of consumer cooperative more than 4,500 people work.

Stock insurance company "Belcoopstrakh" realizes insurance activities in the insurance market of Belarus since 1992. The company has the licenses for insurance of property, transport facilities, animals, cargoes, insurance of house property, buildings, citizens against accidents. Insurance is realized on a voluntary basis.

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