75 project sheets

The Center for Studies and Industrial Prospects (CEPI) has identified more than 75 project ideas, on the basis of 26 strategic positioning studies. A list of 41 ‘professional sheets’ has been issued.

41 ‘professional’ (pre-feasibility) sheets

These documents develop the project ideas identified in strategic positioning studies commissioned by CEPI, in a detailed guide for carrying out the profitability study. It includes basic data on market components, project financial aspects, and the tangible and intangible needs for carrying out the project. There is also a list of foreign partners who can be contacted, various relevant trade events to be visited, support institutions and structures that can help in bringing the initiative to fruition, and a bibliography to be consulted.

30 strategic positioning studies

These studies give the status of industrial branches, in Tunisia and world-wide. They use international comparisons (benchmarking tables) to highlight Tunisia’s comparative advantages and end up with strategies and scenarios for development as well as action plans.
 

9 sectoral monographies

These documents present the overall characteristics of Tunisia’s industrial sectors and show trends in the main economic indicators over the past five years, highlighting investment opportunities in promising areas.

A project idea can also emerge from a number of other sources, including:

businessmen, who may come up with an idea linked to his or her profession that modifies, adds to, substitutes or otherwise improves the management processes currently used;
consumers;
economic data and contracts with structures supporting new businesses;
recourse to the ideas of others: partnership, purchase of a patent or license, use of a brand name, signing of a franchise agreement;
innovation, by putting a new product or process on the market

Selected links to relevant, useful websites:

The project initiator then needs to think about the obstacles involved in starting up the business under consideration. Analysis of these problems early on will allow for timely solutions.

Problems innate to the product or service
Market constraints (new market to be created, crowded market, dominated by large groups)
Legal constraints (regulated activity, area being liberalized …)

Review of the project will serve to confirm its feasibility and profitability, once the idea is sufficiently detailed. An analysis of client expectations and of the competition will determine price levels that are acceptable to future clients. Targets for turnover can then be set and the means needed to reach them determined.

This study will usually go through the following steps:

Commercial study
This is a key component in mapping out the undertaking. Setting up of the new company will be based on the conclusions of this stage, which will lead to:

solid knowledge and understanding of the market;
definition of the strategy to be adopted; and
deciding on commercial options.

Technical study
The goal of the technical study is to provide specific, practical answers to the following questions:

What does the product involve?
How will it be produced?
What means are necessary to make a competitive product in terms of quality and production costs?

 

Financial study

This study consists of costing all the components that make up the market and technical studies and to verify the practicability of the undertaking.
To avoid leaving something out, there must be a clear vision for the future company and of how it will function. For each function (purchasing, inventory, manufacture, sales…), there should be answers to the following questions: How? With what? With whom? Then a table can be drawn up, including costs for each entry.