The three projects presented by the finalists were all premium quality studies and reflected the high standards achieved through participation in the International Trade Specialist Accreditation Programme. 

Mr. Peter Murray, Head of the International Trade Division at Anglo Irish Bank, our hosts for the evening, kicked off the evening with an introductory speech to welcome the guests and dignitaries attending the important evening.   Peter  wished the finalists the best of luck before handing over to Vincent O'Brien, First Director of eBSI to direct the proceedings.

The Finalists The finalists for the China Systems Best ITS Project for 2003 were as follows:  Mr. Aiden Byrne - MD, Blackstairs Technology Project Topic: Electronic Document Processing Ms. Helen Naughton - Student Co-Ordinator, CIMA                (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) Project Topic - Case Study on Intercultural Management Mr. Tom Grace - Compliance Officer, Magna Donnelly Project Topic: Cutting Costs in Trade and Customs                           Procedures The three competitors each had 15 minutes to present the Industry Trade Study projects they had developed as part of their International Trade Specialist Accreditation Programme to a panel of eminent judges and invited guests from international trade sectors and government agencies. Mr. Aidan Byrne, CEO of "Blackstairs Technology" outlined his industry trade study on the use of electronic documents to facilitate secure and cost effective international trade. Ms. Helen Naughton, of CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) presented a highly engaging case study on the application of intercultural management techniques to increase critical success factors as part of an Export Market Entry Strategy. Mr. Tom Grace, Compliance Officer at "Magna Donnelly" in Naas, demonstrated how the correct application of international trade rules, procedures and customs and logistical planning can achieve significant savings and advance corporate international competitiveness in the global market.

The Panel of Judges Mr. Alan Capleton Managing Director, China Systems Europe Mr. Colum MacDonnell, Chairman, The electronic Business School International Mr. John Jameson,  Head of the School of Management Studies, Dublin Institute of Technology The panel of judges was under the chairmanship of Mr. Colum MacDonnell, former Chief Executive of the Irish Exporters Association. Mr. MacDonnell is also the lead writer of the recently published book "International Trade, Policy and Practice" which has a commending forward by Mr. Peter Sutherland, former Director General of GATT/WTO. The judging panel also comprised of Mr. Alan Capleton, Managing Director of China Systems Europe and Mr. John Jameson, Head of the School of Management Studies at the Dublin Institute of Technology.    .

The Project Presentations
	The first project presentation of the evening was by Mr. Aiden Byrne, ITS, Blackstairs Technologies, who  developed a project on the feasibility of an electronic document management system for international traders that would facilitate secure document transfer between issuers, certifying authorities and the various electronic payment systems currently under development.  He outlined both the technology and process he believed should be implemented in order for such a system to meet the needs of exporters, banks, chambers of commerce, carriers, insurers and certifying authorities alike.
	The second finalist of the evening was Helen Naughton, ITS, Student Co-Ordinator with CIMA, who presented her Industry Trade Study on a case study of Guinness' entry into the Japanese market and the intercultural management and distribution issues and challenges it has faced since its launch.  She outlined the initial market entry strategy employed by Guinness, the challenges and the corrections made, and why she believed a focused market intercultural management  strategy would achieve success for Guinness in the fiercely competitive and difficult market of Japan.
	Finally it was the turn of Mr. Tom Grace, ITS, of Magna Donnelly, who  presented a summary of his Industry Trade Study which had as its objective to identify areas in the trade, customs and VAT procedures in place in their manufacturing unit in Naas which could be tightened in order to yield cost savings.  The resulting project plan was adopted and implemented within Magna's Naas operation and resulted in substantial savings within that individual business unit and will now be implemented throughout Magna Donnelly's EU based business units!

A Close Race
The judging panel faced a challenging task, as outlined by the chairman of the judging panel, Mr. MacDonnell “despite the projects being quite diverse and each tackling serious international trade issues, there was very little between them on final evaluation”. 

Photo Reportage

Finally, the winner of the China Systems Trophy was announced as Mr. Tom Grace of Magna Donnelly in Naas. According to Colum MacDonnell, “Tom Grace first identified the issues, developed an implementation plan as part of his industry trade study and then implemented the plan which led to tangible and measurable increases in efficiency and international competitiveness – demonstrable results and decisive return on investment is always hard to beat".

Mr. Peter Tseng, Chairman of China Systems, who specially traveled from Taiwan to present the China Systems Trophy to the winner, shared his insight on the projects of the finalists and also emphasised the importance of programmes such as the ITS which provide a structured network driven environment to facilitate  international trade specialist expertise within large and small companies alike.

Mr. Tseng congratulated the participants on their excellent presentation and added that each theme was close to his heart. He maintained that China Systems has evolved as the leading trade finance service provider in the world for many reasons but core to the success has been a tight focus on knowledge-based e-business solutions as elaborated by Mr. Aidan Byrne.

Mr. Tseng said that cultural awareness, respect and integration are central values within China Systems and congratulated Ms. Helen Naughton on her understanding of these issues and her "exceptional presentation skills".

Finally, Mr. Tseng congratulated Mr. Tom Grace on his achievements in international trade process re-engineering leading to factual increases in competitiveness.  It was Mr. Tseng’s first visit to Ireland and he commented that he greatly enjoyed the "friendly competition" and poise of the Irish finalists, cultural factors which hold the Irish in high esteem in Asian countries.

About China Systems
China Systems is the largest trade finance system vendor in the world with offices throughout Europe, USA, mainland China, Asia and the Middle East.  With more than 200 customers worldwide, China Systems has a growing and loyal international customer base. 

Established in 1983, China Systems has gained extensive experience in international banking systems by exploiting the functional adaptability and development capabilities of Eximbills, it's renowned toolkit for Trade Services within the banking industry.

The product range has been significantly extended to include a suite of Internet based transaction processing solutions (CS Customer Access), a leading edge document management system (CS PrExim Imaging), a comprehensive workflow management system (CS PrExim Workflow) and an integration factory (CS Integration). All their products are multi tiered, object orientated and database independent.

Apart from their rich technical heritage they also offer true global product implementation as well as support and maintenance services.  They have worked with banks to implement their products throughout client banks global branch networks and have clients in 68 countries around the world.
More info can be found at: 
http://www.chinasystems-eu.com 

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