In the spirit of the traditionally excellent cooperation between the Chamber of Economy of FBiH and the Association of Entrepreneurs “Biznis centar” Jelah-Tešanj as the organizer of the Fair, the Chamber organized a conference panel last week as part of the 17th Tešanj Fair on the topic “Consumer ethnocentrism in BiH”.
The main purpose of the panel was to bring together representatives of the most successful companies, the academic community and representatives of policymakers in one place, all with the aim of establishing dialogue to build best practices for encouraging the purchase of domestic products in BiH. The panel featured top managers from practice, Ms. Jadranka Penava, President of the Management Board of Meggle BH, and Mr. Ethem Numić, Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Development of the AS Group, who emphasized that high quality is now considered a prerequisite for the success of any products, including domestic ones. Along with quality, there is also the building of a brand in which consumers will have trust. Jadranka Penava particularly emphasized the local community and the importance of respecting the principles of fair trade because trust in brands comes from the local community in which a fair relationship is built with everyone from farmers to the various companies with which cooperation is established. Prof. Dr. Beriz Čivić from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Tuzla believes that the academic community should cooperate with the business community in disseminating the results of its research in order to achieve synergistic effects.
At the end of the panel, the President of the Chamber, Mr. Marko Šantić, described the previous activities of the Chamber of Economy of the Federation related to communication campaigns and the development of a labeling system with the aim of encouraging recognition and purchase of domestic products. The President took the opportunity, precisely in the environment of the business community, to announce the second phase of the campaign to encourage the purchase of domestic products under the slogan “Ja BiH naše”. The panel was moderated by Prof. Dr. Marija Čutura from the Faculty of Economics, University of Mostar.
