The business enabling environment in the Greater Mekong Subregion must be improved in order to continue to attract the investment needed for growth and development. Furthermore, the capabilities of firms must be enhanced in order to compete in the region and globally. In working towards sustainable competitiveness, K.I.Asia Institute Asia believes that private sector development conducted in a sustainable manner is the best approach to improving the quality of life in developing economies. In order to achieve this goal, K.I.Asia works to improve the business environment through the promotion of clear and transparent laws and reasonable regulations and standards for doing business that provide a supportive environment for business. K.I.Asia also helps develop capable human resources that can drive improvements in the enabling environment and in the management of the firms. It supports the design and development of physical infrastructure attractive for both foreign and domestic investment; and facilitates effective collaboration between the government, the private sector and other stakeholders. Since 1999, K.I.Asia's economic programs have received significant support from USAID, Thai government agencies and private sector participants. The Institute is working with its partners to improve business cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to support the process of integrating the ASEAN economies.
Services – K.I.Asia helps build capacities and facilitate the interaction of private sector, government, and university players to improve business competitiveness though technical assistance, facilitating partnerships, training, and communications services in the following areas:
Value chain competitiveness – K.I.Asia works to promote the competitiveness and sustainability of selected value chains to enable firms and the organizations in their value chains to respond to market demands. K.I.Asia takes a holistic approach and provides assistance that includes value chain evaluation and selection, assessment of constraints and opportunities, identification of strategies for competing in the end markets, development of strategies for sustaining competitiveness, design of appropriate intervention activities and implementation of those activities to achieve lasting impact. Cluster competitiveness – K.I.Asia helps clusters of related companies and organizations improve their joint competitiveness. Services include an array of diagnostic tools that assist in forming and implementing cluster-based strategies, such as Porter's country-diamond model; leadership mapping; competitive positioning; industry structure analysis; benchmarking; gap analysis; and trend and value chain analyses.
Economic governance – K.I.Asia has developed more than 25 mutually beneficial, sustainable partnerships between U.S. and Asian business support organizations in order to strengthen the regulatory and competitive environment, business standards, and good governance practices for the private sector.
