The company can demonstrate how:

• It has serviced international clients in South Africa or abroad.
• Products or services impacted clients?
• They have contributed to employment in South Africa?
• The company’s ability to create employment for the youth in South Africa.
• They have contributed to the country’s export revenue.

This is about how companies can plan and transition from being an entirely domestic company into an international one. For service companies, like outsource contact centres, this includes the ability to support language, mirror culture, address IT systems, meet another country’s regulatory requirements, and manage risks such as changing foreign exchange rates and political developments.

Companies that plan to supply products/services internationally will need to factor in other considerations, such as shipping, customer and duty charges, foreign exchange rates, and legal requirements that may attach to the type of product they sell.

The Purpose of this Standard

The purpose is for a company to engage in the process of becoming ready for trading on the international stage or, if already on that stage, to become more mature, through focus on several key categories including:

• Suitability
• Competence of management
• Readiness
• Available subsidies/support
• Business model licensing
• Knowledge of international target market(s)
• International law (trading, protection of intellectual property, copyright etc.)
• Duties, taxes, and customs (as appropriate)
• Infrastructure
• Business offer (strengths, weaknesses, assets, adaptability, competition etc.)

The Criteria of this Standard

Broadly, this criteria talks to the competencies of the leadership and management, the overall health of the business, the appetite (motivation) to enter new markets, any lessons learned from previous experience (with evidence of improvements and change made as a result of these lessons) and evidence of appropriate research into the target market (including competition, legislation, infrastructure, relationships, overall SWOT etc.)

The assessment process for uploading information and documentation for review:

• How long has your company been in business:
• How long has your Holding Company been in business
• Please outline your products or services that are being deployed to support international companies locally or overseas.
• Current income derived from internationally outsourced business creating jobs in South Africa
  • 0 – 1M per year
  • Over 1 M – 5M per year
  • Over 5 M – 10M per year
  • Over 10M per year
• How does this compare to the products or services being delivered in SA
• What is the duration of these outsourced projects?

• How many FTE’s are currently employed in your company
• providing services to international companies.
• What type of visa’s are you using for your foreign nationals?