Please note this in-person workshop is co-hosted by Leeds University Business School and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority with funding from the Research England Policy Support Fund.
In November 2021, the Department for International Trade published the new export strategy, setting out the ‘Race to a Trillion’ ambition by the mid-2030s . Although the area covered by West Yorkshire Combined Authority is the largest contributor to UK GDP in the Northern Powerhouse and the largest regional economy outside London, its overall export performance is behind many UK regions.
Research findings by Leeds University Business School will be presented. This includes an in-depth analysis based on a survey of exporting and non-exporting West Yorkshire companies. This will form the basis for discussion to identify key export drivers against the backdrop of recent challenges and opportunities in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war, EU exit and the growing application of digital technologies.
Leeds University Business School (LUBS) and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) will co-host a workshop on 4 July 2023 with the following objectives:
- Developing our understanding of enablers & barriers to exporting by West Yorkshire companies, especially in terms of differences in the goods and services sectors, use of digital technologies, international stance of firms, and size of firms.
- Understanding major obstacles to promoting inclusivity in the region connected to exporting, in terms of geographical location, skills, and supporting physical and social infrastructures.
- Exploring policy developments to help to create and sustain exporting in the region.
The workshop will also explore how export promotion can help to encourage greater participation by people in the region and discuss export policy issues.
The workshop will bring together policymakers, practitioners, academics and business people who will outline key issues for export creation and promotion.
Workshop Agenda:
12:00 - Arrival and networking lunch
13:00 - Welcome: Frank McDonald, Professor of International Business at Leeds University Business School
13:05 - Plenary session
Chaired by Annie Wei, Professor of International Business at Leeds University Business School
Keynote address:
Amanda Potter, Trade and Investment Manager at West Yorkshire Combined Authority
How exports fit into the regional development strategy
Jun Du, Director of Centre for Business Prosperity and Professor of Economics at Aston Business School
Export's contribution to regional development
13:30 - Roundtable discussions
Led by Annie Wei, Leeds University Business School
- Promoting exporting as key for regional development
- Developing policies to include more firms in all parts of the region to export
14:30 - Annie Wei, Han Jin and Frank McDonald, Leeds University Business School
Presentation of new research findings: from a survey of 102 West Yorkshire companies and from analysis of data from FAME
Q&A
15:10 - Tea/Coffee break
15:25 - Roundtable discussions
Led by Frank McDonald, Leeds University Business School
- Overcoming major economic, social, infrastructure and technological barriers to exporting
- Stimulating greater participation in exporting in all areas in the region
- Key policy issues - what do policymakers need to do?
16:30 - Workshop close
For questions related to logistics, please contact Grace Carter (G.M.Carter@leeds.ac.uk), Research Impact and Engagement Officer, Leeds University Business School.
For questions related to the purpose and/or content of the programme, please contact one of the workshop organisers, Frank McDonald (F.E.Mcdonald@leeds.ac.uk) or Yingqi Wei (Y.Wei@leeds.ac.uk) in the first instance.
