Verification of a decision support model for export opportunities in the South African hardwood industries at The Company

Entering a global market competitively, whilst ensuring profitability and sustainability of the organisation, requires a clear understanding of all factors impacting on such a strategic endeavour. Optimising global market opportunities and ensuring appropriate responsiveness to its dynamic and competitive nature, guidance and support of strategic decision making and concomitant decision support models seem to be inevitable. The indicators of trade and export competitiveness have not only multiplied, but became obscured, sometimes by seasonal global headlines, the fact that the global value chain proved to be erratic at times and not conclusively researched, as well as the reality that the sources of competitiveness on the supply side of international trade remain vague and the list incomplete. Therefore, the decision making process have become a complex process and procedure, which must, in the interest of consistency, responsiveness and inclusiveness, preferably manifest through a decision support model to clearly present prevailing business opportunities.