Most companies doubt that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the US and the EU will lead to positive effects on employment and financial performance. That is one of the results of the recent study by software provider AEB and the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) in Stuttgart, Germany. Furthermore, the study analyses the key global trade priorities for 2015 and the importance of preferential agreements in supply chains. The study “Global Trade Management Agenda 2015” is available free of charge at www.aeb.com/gtm-study.
Only about a third of the 177 participating global trade and logistics experts across various industries believe that their companies will benefit financially from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Expectations are even more restrained when it comes to the effects on employment, with 82% of respondents expressing doubt that TTIP will lead to positive developments in this area. Looking at expected positive effects, most participants cite the elimination of non-tariff barriers (62.5% of respondents) and easier access to markets (57% of respondents) as main advantages. Regardless of how the respondents feel about TTIP – 54% of all participating industry experts believe that the agreement will be “very relevant” for their companies, while only 10% feel that the topic bears no relevance for them.
Respondents’ assessment: TTIP will not be implemented before 2017 Participants in the research study expect that it will take some time until TTIP is implemented. “A large majority of participants does not expect TTIP to take effect within the next two years,” explained Prof. Dr. Dirk H. Hartel, head of the Department of Business Administration Service Management at DHBW Stuttgart. “This shows that respondents have entirely realistic expectations – likely influenced by the experience of the CETA agreement with Canada, which is considered a blueprint for TTIP. The CETA negotiations have been ongoing for about five years, and the agreement is not expected to take effect until 2016.”
78% of the surveyed companies use preferential agreements Generally, businesses regard free trade agreements as part of their everyday operations. International business activities without the use of available preferential agreements are rather the exception. The primary motivation for using preferential agreements is lowering customs duties. The overwhelming majority of respondents report that customers expect to receive preferential documents for their goods. Due to the high cost of administration and IT, the cost-benefit ratio is often viewed quite critically.
Key GTM Priorities for 2015
In addition to questions about trade agreements, this year’s study also asked about companies’ key global trade management (GTM) priorities in 2015. Participants consider compliance with embargo regulations their most important task. Second and third place go to ensuring legal certainty and implementing changes to customs regulations. In addition, the importance of minimising supply chain risks has increased significantly – this topic climbed from eighth place in last year’s study to fourth place this year. “Lowering overall GTM costs” only ranks tenth in the list of key 2015 GTM priorities.
“These findings must be viewed in the overall context of numerous current crisis situations around the globe, which certainly influence subjective perceptions of global trade risks.” explains Dr. Ulrich Lison, co-author of the study and global trade expert at AEB. “In particular, developments in Russia and Ukraine are omnipresent, of course. Today, businesses are facing the challenge of adapting their processes to comply with continuously changing regulations.”
About the Global Trade Management Agenda 2015
The “Global Trade Management Agenda” studies are a collaborative project carried out by AEB and the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (Department of Business Administration Service Management) in Stuttgart, Germany. The studies examine the global trade and logistics trends of the coming year, and each study focuses on analysing another key topic. The Global Trade Management Agenda 2015, conducted in the summer of 2014, is based on the results of an online survey of 177 participants from different industries mainly from Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom. Most of the participants are involved in international business activities on a daily basis. Some 80% of participants work in the areas of global trade, exports, imports, or logistics – typically in a leadership position within expert departments or relevant business divisions.
The authors of the study, Prof. Dr. Dirk H. Hartel, Head of the Department of Business Administration Service Management at DHBW Stuttgart and Dr. Ulrich Lison, Member of the Executive Board at AEB and expert in the area of global trade, preferences and international customs processes, are available for questions and interviews.
