6 AUGUST

• on an activity new to the business (eg a feasibility or viability study)
• produced in isolation, eg to secure funding from a financial institution, or support an application for a grant from another source (but see Note below)

Note: Assistance is available towards the preparation of a presentation to a financial institution aimed at securing funding, where the overall thrust of the project is to improve the applicant’s business planning processes - rather than simply to obtain a loan: the maximum grant component for this is 25% of the grant for preparation of a business plan up to a maximum of $2,000.

3 Marketing

Marketing assistance is available towards developing an overall marketing strategy which will help applicants to:

• clearly understand what they are offering and how this meets the market’s needs
• identify and secure effective channels of distribution to their markets
• know what buyers are willing to pay for the perceived value of the product or service being offered
• know how to effectively carry out their advertising and selling function.

Assistance is not available for aspects of marketing outside the context of an overall marketing strategy, eg:

• an advertising or public relations campaign
• a sales promotion
• market research or market development
• a pricing strategy.

Note:

• Under the terms of the Australia and New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (ANZCERTA), assistance cannot be provided under the scheme for export activities directed at the Australian market.

• Assistance is not available for activities directed at the South African market.

4 Product Design

Specialist help is available to help applicants develop an integrated design strategy. This should involve not only a product’s visual appeal but also its performance, ease of maintenance and efficiency of production. This requires the input of research and development, production and marketing. A qualifying project may involve:

• reducing manufacturing costs
• meeting changing market requirements
• improving product performance
• incorporating new techniques or technologies
• practical design work which contributes to the design of new products, or the redesign of existing products.

Assistance is not available for design work undertaken outside the context of a comprehensive design strategy. Examples are:

• graphic design, eg production of a logo, letterhead
• product packaging design
• promotional material.

Where practical design work forms a part of the design strategy qualifying costs under the scheme do not include costs:

• beyond the finished artwork stage (eg production or printing costs)
• associated with registering patents and trademarks.

5 Quality

Specialist assistance is available to review an applicant’s quality management strategy and systems, and assist them to improve their overall approach to quality. Specific areas of assistance might involve one of the following:

• bringing quality systems up to one of three NZS 9000 series Standards - 9001, 9002 and 9003 (which are equivalent to the international ISO 9000 and Australian AS 3900 series)

• the development of a strategy to introduce, for example, a total quality management (TQM) system into the organisation. This would address both the quality philosophy, and the techniques which translate this philosophy into practical, cost-efficient actions at both the management and worker level

• the NIES TQM “How To” approach. This involves a set of “navigation aids” to chart an applicant’s particular course of TQM development. Businesses which adopt the approach are guided through the process in a series of workshops, led by consultants licensed to deliver the programme.

Examples of costs which are not covered include:

• a “one-off” quality seminar, or other quality programmes
• staff training programmes
• preparing or revising operating manuals
• audit and registration fees associated with certification to a quality Standard. (Note, the EGDS provides assistance for such fees).

6 Operations Management

Specialist advice is available to assist applicants develop and implement an overall strategy for the operations management of their business aimed at improvements in:

• production methods, systems and techniques
• productivity improvement
• production planning and control
• inward and outward goods, including procurement, inventory management, material