Delivery of a set of professional Business Support Services and Business Development Services for SMEs: "AGRIPOLE" needs to develop its own portfolio of services that specifically meets the needs of the Bekaa stakeholders.
Financial Support Services
To help access to capital
Seeking public and private financial support.
Providing assistance for the search of funds.
Help accessing loans from financial market.
To facilitate access to long-term financing and capital investment;
Providing information banks
Helping in the selection of sponsors.
Information on available financing schemes
Providing assistance for the elaboration of a business plan.
Assistance in loan preparation
Assistance in financial planning
Effective Financing Mechanisms,
Assistance in obtaining the financial resources needed to carry out the project;
Assistance in preparing and delivering projects presentations to investors and funding parties.
Export finance advice
Accounting & management Services
Accounting advice
Counseling
Help in the establishment of accounting and management tools.
Feasibility study support : Bringing the project from concept to reality
Business planning support: Assistance and guidance with developing an implementable and fundable business implementation program.
Innovation support: Assisting in new product and process development
Management support: marketing, production, legal, technical, strategic planning, personnel etc.
Business mentoring: providing direct access to day to day support either from internal managers or from a panel of external experts from the consortium members or others
Legal and fiscal Services
Advice on forming a company
Help in company establishment
Consultation in legal cases
regulatory compliance assistance
Patent and patent registration.
Legal advice and support
Providing studies and advice on the fiscal environment and the enterprise taxation system.
Insurance and certificating advice
Human Resources Services
Workforce development
Staff recruitment
Vocational Training & Coaching Services
Training courses will be tailored to the specific conditions and linked to the real needs of entrepreneurs.
Training, Seminars and conferences.
Third-party training provided through private companies and trainers to staff members or clients.
Learning by doing and learning by problem-solving
have proved more effective than formal education.
distance learning, e-learning
education-career plans, training and re-training
short programs leading to certificates,
Training entrepreneurs and their staff.
To offer training books to assist small enterprises.
Briefings will be regularly organized between professional people and academics. The topics cover the changing needs of the companies or the requests of instructors the students.
even perhaps English or foreign language instructions
Market Support & Marketing Assistance to SMEs
To offer entrepreneurs training courses on marketing, preparation of marketing plans, methods of costing and pricing, and techniques of promotion and sales.
To provide assistance and consultation in marketing, Marketing advice (distribution, branding, exporting, etc)
Develop and maintain a Marketing Information System (MIS) to collect statistics and providing SMEs with access to market information.
Market assistance includes supporting entrepreneurs in local and export markets.
To organize occasional awareness seminars on marketing, international regulations and procedures for exporting to the European and American markets, as well as the impact of WTO agreements and international standards (ISO 9000).
The “AGRIPOLE” will be functioning as an Export Promotion Centre or Export Development Centre. To provide support to exporters in the fields of market information and research, market study, trade statistics, product design, development and promotion, procedures and regulations in foreign countries, and information on international exhibitions and fairs.
To help the SMEs to be able to enter export markets
Selecting promotional and advertising tools.
Help for elaboration of advertisements.
Communication and Marketing Events
Shows.
Conferences.
Seminars.
Forum meetings: To share knowledge and experience relative to their common interest. Forums may focus on professional themes, such as technical matters
Organizing seminars, conferences, exhibitions, innovation displays, contests, breakfast gatherings, etc.
Holding meetings in the Incubator to enable company managers to discuss their activities and the challenges they are facing.
To keep members informed about fairs in the country and abroad,
To help SMEs display their products at fairs and exhibitions,
To regularly organize fairs and exhibitions of the products of borrowing firms; these firms can also display their products in the BDC showroom.
The “AGRIPOLE” will help the SMEs attend international fairs and establish links with local and international technical institutes. Growth of the export market for a specific product encourages small firms to cooperate to meet market needs and promotes specialization.
Market Information Services
The “AGRIPOLE” will be functioning as a Trade Information Centre in the country with useful databases on:
Market potential in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.
Companies registered in the Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture.
Exporters assigning the functions of Export Development Centre.
Provide information about rules and regulations, the experienced work force in market, the required technology of enterprise, market opportunities and the situation of competition in market as some of services this system should provide.
Access is possible through the Internet, or directly by phone, fax or visits.
To directly assist SMEs to export by providing them with information and helping them to establish links with agents and partners abroad.
Evenings sets of themes.
Exchanges/debates.
Information & Technology Services
Computer training (when needed)
Networking
Specialized software training
Specialized technical assistance
May offer services such as software packages to assist small enterprises
So far the Centre may reach agreements with Microsoft, Oracle and Cisco to offer training courses leading to certification by the 3 software giants.
Subcontracting of website design.
may focus on the Food Technology (technologies for the agri-food industry)