On February 4 and 5, the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School hosted the fifth two-day training module for heads of member business associations within the second phase of the UNDP Project "Strengthening Member Business Associations of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Ukraine" In cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and with the support of Switzerland. This project aims to accelerate the development of the IHR sector by strengthening the capacity of member business associations (BUs).

"If you want to understand how competitiveness works, you first need to understand business clusters," said Victor Oksenyuk, a kmbs lecturer. He started the UNDP Project participants' conversation about business clusters.

Victor Oksenyuk also told the audience about the world's "anomalous" business valleys, actually clusters. Together with the expert, the leaders understood the economic phenomenon of such valleys on the example of the wine valley Napa Valley, which competes with Las Vegas, New York, and Paris.

"If you are not the President of the Ministry of Defense, first identify natural clusters," said the professor. "And only then can you artificially stimulate them." He also stressed that the cluster is formed by three mandatory characteristics: specialization, relationships, and geographical concentration.

"Marketing is focused on offering value to the customer," said Olena Maltseva, a kmbs lecturer, during a lecture on BA marketing. — It must be dynamic. And we need this offer of value to realize your vision. "

The expert spoke about the root supply of values, which is transformed and implemented depending on the four levels of customer needs. Olena Maltseva also explained the concept of underserved and overserved markets and how they function.

The second day of the training module for business leaders in kmbs began with Olena Maltseva on BA marketing. "It's easier to create an offer that your customers are happy to accept than to make customers love the offer you create," she said.

In addition, the group leaders developed a map of the client's experience at all stages: brand awareness, first consideration, purchase, retention management, advocacy management, and exit. "It is important that a new member of the organization is happy that he became your member and not joined," — said Olena Maltseva.

The audience also listened to a lecture by Veronica Verba on the financial aspects of the operation and development of BA. "The main task of finance is to harmonize the spiritual and expenditure parts," said the teacher. Veronica Verba focused her attention, in particular, on the key documents of the financial bloc, which are necessary to ensure the financial stability of the BA. The leaders immediately put the knowledge into practice by developing budget regulations for the project.

At the end of the first and second two-day training days, the BA leaders had two evening events within the framework of the Ukrainian-Swiss UNDP Project. On February 4, Olga Sagaidak, co-founder of the Dofa Fund Charitable Foundation and the Coalition of Cultural Figures, visited the school as part of a series of evening events "My business is my country."

"Cultural policy is a part of state policy integrated with other spheres (health care, education, economy, security, etc.)," said Olga Sagaidak. Together with the expert, the audience discussed the possibility of cultural projects as an original business that can create added value for customers.

On Saturday, February 5, the Project participants had the opportunity to talk with Bohdan Borukhovsky, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine, PMBA-5, as part of a series of evening events, "State and Business."

"We have a dream to turn Feofania into a university hospital," Bohdan Borukhovsky announced at the end of the second school day. He told the leaders about state investment projects, large-scale construction projects, projects financed by the Ministry of Health, and more during the lecture. In particular, he announced the creation of a university hospital (a hospital with the highest quality medical services and safety for patients, high-tech methods of diagnosis and treatment based on the principles of evidence-based medicine), and a biocluster in Ukraine.

"Strengthening membership business associations of micro, small and medium enterprises in Ukraine":