WILL AMERICAN EXPORT TRADING COMPANIES REPLACE TRADITIONAL EXPORT MANAGEMENT COMPANIES?

This article examines the American Export Trading Company (AETC) as authorised under the Export Trading Company Act of 1982. It reviews the three critical elements necessary for AETCs to become a significant force in world markets — capital, product/production skills, and international marketing skills. Specifically, this article investigates an important potential source of international marketing skills, the Export Management Company, to determine their interest in participating in an AETC.