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B-172255 1 (1973-06-22)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaadyj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 
..D S_.                                             III IIII III I II II I IIN
                             r094102

      7:           UNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE

                           WASHINGTON, D.C. 20548

  INTRNATIONAL DIVISION


      B-172255                                                2 97,



      The Honorable Thomas S. Kleppe
      Administrator, Small Business Administration

      Dear Mr. Kleppe:

           The enclosure to this letter summarizes our review of
      (1) the services needed to assist small businesses to export
      and (2) the Government's responsiveness to these needs.

           We held discussions with officials of 48 small businesses,
      10 export management companies (EMCs),l an EMC association, the
      Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration
      (SBA), and the New York State Division of International Com-
      merce. We interviewed SBA field office officials in Boston,
      Seattle, and San Francisco. We reviewed records at Commerce's
      Boston field office and SBA's Boston regional office. We also
      reviewed a number of studies on small business exports.

           Although many small firms2 manufacture products suitable
      for export, they do not do so, largely because they are unable
      to cope with export details and/or are unaware of overseas
      sales opportunities. Both Commerce and SBA have a number of
      programs designed to stimulate small firms' exporting, but
      these have had limited success. As of June 1972, 147 profes-
      sional staff members, 67 of whom were international trade
      specialists, were assigned to Commerce's 42 field offices.

           Commerce and GAO found that these specialists were re-
      peatedly visiting certain companies but not reaching hard-core

      1EMCs handle a number of U.S. firms' foreign business, usually
      on a minimum-retainer-plus-commission basis. Their know-how
      and services particularly aid small companies not yet ready
      to set up their own export departments.
      2SBA defines a small manufacturing firm according to the num-
      ber of employees. Depending on the type of product produced,
      the maximum number of employees varies from 250 to 1,500.

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