In 2007, Bush administration began negotiations on ACTA particularly to contain several developing countries engaged in piracy acts, and to protect the interests of leading US firms which lost their price competitiveness on account of counterfeiting. Incidentally, the ACTA effect will not be restricted to internet activities alone but extends to counterfeit pharmaceuticals, designer merchandise, music, movies, etc.

Surprisingly, the final draft will not have the endorsement of China, one of the largest counterfeit producers. Hence, looking back to past events on taking action against China in regards to infringements, the trade pact is expected to encounter similar stalemate while implementing a likely ratified deal. Participants in the negotiations included Australia, Canada, the European Union, represented by the European Commission, the European Union Presidency (Spain) and EU Member States, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the US.

Many ACTA dissidents blame the secretive or undemocratic nature of reaching the agreement by not revealing the details for public discussion. On the other hand, WIPO provides scope for public scrutiny with an added advantage of the inclusion of major counterfeiting countries in negotiations.

Meanwhile, the tech firms are understood to be apprehensive about ACTA’s secondary liability clause, which recommends the responsibility of copyright infringement behaviour of the user on the online service provider. The clause will possibly affect social networking sites, video-sharing sites and several other user-generated content sites including the online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia.

Last month, a statement signed by senior trade-union officials from New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and the US raised the question of intellectual property rights becoming an element in the free-trade negotiations. However that fear is put to rest by officials at the eighth round of ACTA negotiations calling the deal as a ‘standalone’ one, and would not tinker with FTAs.

According to sources, the draft will leave out three-strikes provision that would require border agents to search the contents of electronic devices. Experts term three-strikes a preposterous idea as it would virtually bring every transit cell to a standstill.

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It is hard to find an exact definition for a B2B portal since it provides solution for advertising, finds valuable information to do business, allows businesses to interact with one another, provides database of international traders, etc. Since B2Bs are with multiple functions, it enables every trader irrespective of size or region to do business in a cost effective manner. Majority of the leading B2Bs provide free membership where one can post information about one’s company, which could be visible to members of that particular portal around the globe. The premium membership of these portals helps the trader to increase the visibility of one’s company and to use various other features included to enhance business.

As a matter of fact, the very concept of B2B is to encourage and empower small and medium businesses to conquer the areas they were not able to traverse hitherto. Besides, it helps to do so without investing a lot of money and time. Interestingly, even multi-national companies which have the global reach with offices or/and factories also begun to utilize the services of these portals extensively. In North America and Europe, B2Bs are the most sought after international trading tool for doing business regardless of size. In emerging economies like China and India, the idea of doing business using B2Bs is gradually catching up and most of the leading B2Bs are providing services that suit these economies. The interest shown by large business houses have boosted the morale of the B2Bs to bring out innovative features along with greater business opportunities.

Since every country has laid emphasis on hundred percent internet connectivity, any trader can do business from anywhere in the world through B2Bs. Prior to B2Bs, the small time traders were imprisoned to their markets since their presence was vital to their businesses. Unfortunately, even for leisure, these traders have to wait for off season or a lean patch. However, B2Bs empowered the small and medium enterprises to do business with consummate ease. The low cost and speed of doing business with anybody in the world has silently brought out a cultural revolution of sorts to the traders from different countries.

B2Bs have done, what any amount of advertisements could not do, by giving an opportunity to the traders to further be aware of products or/and services which could be suitable to their businesses. B2C (Business to Consumer) portals too were able to do the same but they were confined to regions and not able to do justice to far away places cost effectively. Nevertheless, B2Bs provided services cost effectively by overcoming international trade barriers and through economies of scale.

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1. As a rule of thumb, it is inevitable that one should become a free member of any B2B portal and should understand the features as well as the functionalities of these portals, before upgrading one’s membership.

2. B2Bs basically are based on ‘Trade Leads’. Trade Lead is an explanation of one’s product or service, perhaps with an image, extended to the market with an intention of buying or selling. Therefore, it is recommended to assure the relevant Trade Lead is available in the database of the portal, which one is desirous to be a premium member.

3. While signing up as a free member, one’s company profile should be with below details:

a) The criterion one selects should be correct. For example, if one is an exporter and selects an importer criterion, one’s profile will be in the importer section and therefore, when an importer searches for a related exporter, one’s profile cannot be seen by the importer since it is in not in the appropriate list. Hence, one cannot be contacted to do business.
b) Make sure that contact information provided is accurate.
c) The company description should be condensed and should have all the details pertaining to one’s business interest.
d) One should choose the appropriate sector/s painstakingly, to insure one’s company and Trade Lead to be listed in the relevant sector/s. Further same accuracy should be shown, if the portal has provided with sub-sectors.
e) Authenticity of the firm is enhanced by providing all the details including awards received, rating certification, etc.

4. It is ideal to ascertain the presence of related businesses in the database of the portal of your interest, to avoid any disappointment in generating business inquiries or even to make a contact. Suppose one wants to proceed even after not able to find related businesses, one should verify the business prospects by directly contacting the portal personnel.

5. Another important factor is one should make sure the portal is user-friendly. If it is not user-friendly, it is most unlikely to produce favorable results.

6. Insure the authenticity of contact address of the portal to avoid any fraud. Secured payment modes should be emphasized while making payments.

7. Top B2Bs will have interactive tools including Live Chat, Toll Free numbers, etc.; try to interact with these tools to guarantee that these functions are not mere decorations.

8. Check whether all the features are up to date.

9. Besides, the list of Trade Leads, Exporters, Importers; it would be ideal to go for a B2B which has lists of Transporters and International Services as well. Such a compilation can further minimize one’s endeavor in obtaining business.

10. It will be an added advantage if one looks for B2Bs which have collaborations with famous international organizations too.

In addition, it is highly recommended to utilize all the available features of the B2Bs to get best results.

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Even after the cognizance of the success of one’s competitor, still indecisively sitting on the fence and thinking whether one should induct the services of B2Bs in one’s business, would be suicidal for oneself or any trader. Traders’ outdated methods of depending on their own old networks will not only wipe out existing market share, perhaps even one’s company from the international markets.

Statistics show that business from B2Bs has seen significant growth in the past five years. Apart from the fact that e-commerce has changed the way international business is done, interest in online services also increased dramatically owing to ease of doing business.

Usually, a new user has a tendency to avoid adapting to new methods of doing things and more so to a thing which is related to technology that initially appears to be complicated, time consuming and expensive. This is just a misconception of the small businessman, but in reality, online based businesses reduce one’s cost and time considerably. Although large international traders are using B2B services effectively, these portals in totality have helped small and medium enterprises to a great extent.

If the reluctance to B2Bs is just related to its usage, it is suggested that it would not take more than two hours to learn the functions and utilities of any leading B2Bs even to a novice of internet. Still a trader finds it difficult to imbibe the concept by oneself; it is recommended to employ a relevant staffer who has basic knowledge of computers and internet.

A staffer with relevant qualification would not cost much either. Either one’s staffer or oneself can create a profile in leading B2Bs and get going with business, either as a free member or a premium one. In the premium membership, one can avail of all the fascinating features including description of one’s company, products and/or services, a mini website (sub-domain), etc. Such a company profile in any leading B2Bs can become a multi-pronged marketing tool of one’s business in no time.

If one is worried about the authenticity of the business from B2Bs, it is suggested that with proper planning and research into these portals, before joining any premium membership, could avoid any future disappointments. Though it is cost effective and fast in enhancing one’s business, it goes without saying that one has to employ all the parameters which one uses in one’s usual business to avoid any fraud.

Every business pattern will have its own merits and demerits, though B2Bs are with lower risks, it is highly recommended to take the services of the right portal to generate trade inquiries and thereafter profits through this process. To conclude, a trader would be familiar with other traders’ claims of doing business and instant success through B2Bs, but if it is not happening for oneself, one should be patient and should try to be active with one’s profile.

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Cost effectiveness of the concept was immediately felt by the traders who inducted B2B services to their businesses. Widely used products and services found buyers and sellers instantaneously while unique ones had to wait patiently to get noticed. As more and more traders began to use B2Bs, even these concerns of, ‘had to wait’ was also aptly answered.

A decade ago, B2Bs had to struggle in order to make the traders understand the concept and encourage them to radically depart from the conventional business model they were involved until then. It was even difficult for businesses to shift from traditional business practices to cyberspace. Everything seems to be impractical in the eyes of the trader, when one initially started using B2B. That is because the trader neither sees the client nor is personally able to be involved in negotiations, unless one tries to do so by spending time and money.

Managing one’s business thoroughly in electronic terms is understandably tedious for those who are accustomed to a more mechanical business models. But in the present business environment, if one keeps away from B2Bs, to match the prices offered by one’s B2B-friendly competitors in the same market will be an uphill task.

However, until a trader make use of the premium membership of any B2B portal, whatever business one gets is a bonus to one’s enterprise. If one has chanced upon such a bonus and the decision to go for premium membership is solely based on that, it would be a disappointment. The best way to decide is by checking the portals standing and visibility in e-commerce space to derive sustained business. To ensure business through these portals, one has to learn the functionalities of each portal and should use it as an interactive business tool rather than a one-sided informative tool. Top B2B portals have proven track record of giving valuable inputs to their premium members to increase business.

Still there are many traders who are averse to computer-based business applications; it is a natural tendency towards ‘change’. It is a fear about adopting the unknown. Such fearful traders can look at the modern day kids; they learn computers without even explaining them the nuances of it. Therefore, learning computers and related applications is a child’s play, once one shows interest in them.

The apprehensions on this aspect are nothing compare to one’s own fears which one had before starting one’s business. As a matter of fact, the business model provided by B2B portals have proved that, any single trader with an enterprise along with B2B setting, can easily do international business hitherto was only possible by huge business houses. Thousands of small and medium businesses around the world have benefited through B2Bs, and not to mention, several huge international players. Those who have not yet used the services should do so quickly to expedite one’s business opportunities.

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Globalization in its early years, in-fact, brought different cultures to converge at one point, but at the same time, disintegrated small communities due to greater opportunities away from their homes as well as their own communities. Unfortunately, though the opportunities gave them more material comforts, they were literally isolated from their loved ones in the name of better opportunities. The emergence of SNS gave these people a platform to share their feelings instantly. In no time, these sites became a major hang out for the young, and today even it is appealing to the older generation.

As it is common to any business to target those areas where people meet for fun and entertainment, the SNS too became a virtual battle ground for businesses to enhance their customer base. Especially, small and medium businesses extensively used this platform not only to increase the traffic to their sites but also as a cost-effective tool to market their products or services. The speed in which these SNS thrived gave birth to the fast emerging concept Business Networking Sites (BNS). And these sites have caught the imagination of most companies to utilize the services as part of their social media marketing.

Besides being a database of corporate contacts, BNS have served as essential tools for making a company known to the world with their workforce’s contacts. Nevertheless, most businesses have not so far directly included these media as part of their marketing strategy. Most companies have even denied access to SNS by their staff; the reason cited for this is, job allotted to them was largely neglected owing to increased straying into these areas. But some companies have tentatively allocated some stipulated time to access these sites for propagating their companies’ products or services.

There are plenty of websites mushrooming across World Wide Web besides BNS and SNS including Book-Marking Sites. Each one is vying with one another to integrate the popular features of each concept. And coming years will decide the future course of many popular such sites as to what entity they exist in the e-arena. In future, even terms to segregate these sites may become irrelevant. Industry observers as well as service providers believe, once winners among these sites are well defined, businesses would start extensively using this medium as the primary tool of their marketing strategy.

Instead of spending a large sum of money for advertising through other media, companies are bound to seek the services of Universal Networking Sites (UNS) with or without extra cost. Experts believe that these sites can deliver goods in minimum time with higher productivity. The UNS with comprehensive features of SNS, BNS, etc., will be the next big thing which would attract people from all walks of lives including students, home-makers, businessmen, etc.

Since online public is growing faster as expected, the sites with combined solutions such as socializing, book-marking, job-searching, etc. will soon become an advertising center for all businesses across the world. The UNS is likely to become a cost-effective tool for marketing one’s company’s products or/and services.

UNS also promise good revenue for the service providers through advertisements as compared to the independent services provided by them. Hence, online world could expect popular as well as new service providers to compete one another in adding mind-boggling features to their forthcoming UNS version of their respective service sites.

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. Register with an e-mail id one ‘often’ uses.

. Select the correct type of one’s business. For example: Exporter, Importer, etc.

. Contact address should have all the details including phone numbers with international codes, website, etc.

. Contact person’s name, preferably of the person who has signed up.

. Company description should be a well thought out one, and should have professional touch, to give added value to one’s company and its business activities.

. Choose appropriate sector- i.e. if one is in the agri-business sector and have various related businesses of the respective sector, then one can use the broad-based term agri-business as one’s company’s sector. But if one is in a specific sub-sector, one should choose that particular sector to get maximum business inquires from interested members.

. Mention time frame for dispatching one’s products or services.

. Mention minimum or maximum acceptable amount of one’s trade deal, according to one’s type of business.

. Acceptable time delay on payments also should be made available as added information.

. Choose incoterms which can give full protection against payment.

. Regions or countries one can be part of the trade.

If one is already a member and one’s company profile needs changes, the profile should be updated as and when required including contact information, company description, etc. And after creating or updating one’s profile, one should start looking for profiles of one’s business interest and should try to contact them through available tools; mostly it would be limited to the portal which one has been registered. But if one wishes to take one’s business communication beyond the topical portal, one may be prompted to become the premium member.

Yet within most portals, one could send message to other profiles; through this channel one should try to make contact. If one is a free member, one has to be satisfied with limited access. Most of the members whom one would have contacted, in all likelihood would desist from responding because one is with a free status and there are many crank users these days whom which misuse B2Bs. Therefore, recipients fear that even after prolonged negotiations, chances of striking a deal would be a distant one.

Even if one becomes a paid up member of these portals, instead of waiting for the promised inquiries by the portals, one should take pro-active measures to invite interest in one’s products or services by other related businesses in the database. Thus, one can improve one’s chances of doing business through B2Bs faster than one would have imagined. If one takes the services of top B2B portals and use it/them in the right manner researches show that businesses have immensely benefited not just by deriving few business opportunities, rather one was able to establish a long-term business relationship with their clients.

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