the asean economic community (AEC) is the realisation of the end goal of regional economic intergration by 2015 of the ten (10) economies of the ASEAN Member States,namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodai, Lao PDR, indonesia, Myanmar, the philippines, Singapore Thailand and Viet Nam. the AEC will bring benefits to the peopleof ASEAN by creating a more conducive environment through transparency, predictability and consistency for businesses to flourish. this will in turn benefit consumers whowill have access to a cheaper and wider range of goods and servies and enjoy more extensive consumer protection. the newer ASEAN member states of cambodia, Lao PDR, myanmar and viet nam stand to also gain through the many opportunities of production networks created by an AEC and the productivity enhancing effects of AEC's emphasis on best practices.