They must learn how to play the international trade game, and a global network of women's business associations can help them do that. Information technology can help identify markets, provide industry information and spotlight trends about what the role of women in national economies can be. More information about women-owned business enterprises is sorely needed to force policymakers to realize that women are an economic force to be reckoned with. Part of this process is to document the economic significance of women-owned enterprises in order to establish a constructive dialogue. The importance of access to information technology cannot be underestimated.
Information technology can help identify markets.
It can provide businesswomen important industry information and spotlight trends and potential niches. Women's business organizations can also offer access to contacts for sources of credit, access to training in international trade issues, as well as access to the more basic skills of operations management and marketing. Access to mentoring is another service women's business organizations can offer. As women advance within the business community, they have to think seriously about coming together, identifying their interests and then advocating for them. This is true across the spectrum of economic development.