interior Planning It is true that education for export is valiantly carried out by such organizations as the Institute of Export, and export courses are being put on in increasing numbers by various training establishments. There may even be a strong case for the establishment of an Export Staff College. Recurrent pleas by harassed politicians to industry to look into export possibilities have a momentary effect, but the percentage of companies v response becomes an enduring one is derisory, and until the craft and management of export is seen as another cliche 1 a matter of life or death for the British economy the soughtfor expansion will just not happen. Export is so often regarded as a production overspill. 'We can't get rid of the stuff here at home so let's try and sell it abroad.' This is a fatal, a negative, attitude. The Scotch whisky approach, alas! will only solve a minute part of the problem. There are of course cases where a range tried and proved on the domestic market has a prompt acceptance in a number of markets abroad, but these are exceptional conditions. A host of design, colour, packaging, technical, and servicing considerations have to be measured and catered for, and while it is true that a great number of the bigger exporters have solved their problems by establishing production units abroad, there is still no reason why, with adroit production planning, the necessary adjustments to meet overseas requirements should not be incorporated into the manufacturing plan at home. The real difficulty lies in finding the best means of actual overseas distribution and selling. A prodigious job has been done over the decades by the merchant shipping and confirming houses, whose knowledge of export conditions is considerable and whose contribution to Britain's export should never be minimized. But the exporter should always be working towards controlling his own exports, and whether he does this through local selling companies, through agents whose enthusiasm and cooperation he is really prepared to encourage, or through eventual local B.M.5 manufacture, are questions of timing and of product. Timing is involved because importing conditions, duties, restrictions, and the like, imposed by so many governments in these uncertain political times, are often changing; the question of the product is involved because there are still many instances where 'Made in Britain' can be an invaluable trading asset. Even in the developing countries of the world, where spending power js limited, too much haste in producing goods locally can boomerang on an ambitious manufacturer. The previous chapter touched on the relationships between business management and the government. In this matter of export the government can do much and, in fact, through its Export Credits Guarantee Department, its network of officials abroad, and its energetic if somewhat amorphous Board of Trade, a good deal of help is available to present and potential exporters. Household