A freight forwarder is an architect of transport according to FIATA. A freight forwarder will be consulted on many topics related to global transport by their customer and as such a forwarder must, besides possessing a knowledge of their daily services to be performed, also have a substantial knowledge of global trade, bank instruments, contracts, currency movements, political developments, weather and the like. As such this module gives the insight into various of these global criteria that have an impact to global trade, compliances, and successful delivery of shipments.
We thus commence this Module with a brief introduction to the scope of international trade and will provide the reader with a mere high level overview of the key areas that you should be aware of, when acting in the capacity of a global freight forwarder servicing the traders doing business internationally.
The aspects to be considered and understood include these below but are not limited thereto:

• Understanding the risks and challenges of International Trade and how to mitigate them.
• Outlining the steps involved in reaching an effective sales agreement and the legal framework that supports it.
• Examining key provisions of international contracts and different business structures available.
• Describing key issues and the documentation required for transportation, customs, payment, and financing.
• Examining payment risk mitigation.
• Understanding the obligations and responsibilities of importers and exporters under international trade terms.
• Handling trade transaction disputes and dispute resolution clauses.

The content further provides a detailed guide to International Trade for both exporters and importers, looks at the additional risks and challenges faced by them when expanding into international markets, and how to address them. Naturally as freight forwarders we service these global traders and as such we must know as much of their business as they do themselves.

A short synopsis follows on how to effectively draft an effective sales agreement that meets the needs of all parties and the legal framework supporting it, documentation required and key issues around transportation, customs, payment, and finance structures, and then briefly looks at dispute resolution, e-commerce, and intellectual property.