It is important to emphasize that all companies face international competition; not only in export markets, but in domestic markets as well. Becoming internationally competitive is therefore not only an essential requirement for Successful exporting contributes positively to a country’s economy not only on the macro level, but on the micro level as well. Exporting offers companies many additional opportunities that they cannot obtain from domestic markets. These include the following: increased sales and opportunities; added sales volume may lower the production cost; lower production cost may improve overall profitability; competing in foreign markets should contribute to increasing the company’s overall competitiveness; improving the status of the company by competing in foreign markets; reducing risks by selling to diverse markets; taking advantage of economies of scale by enlarging the sales base in order to spread fixed costs; compensating for seasonal fluctuations in domestic sales; finding new markets for products with declining domestic sales potential, thereby extending the product’s life cycle; exploiting opportunities in untapped markets; taking advantage of high-volume purchases in large markets overseas such as the US, Europe and Asia; learning about advanced technical methods used abroad; following domestic competitors who are already selling overseas; testing opportunities for overseas licensing, franchising or production; contributing to the company’s general expansion; improving the company’s overall return on investment; research and development costs can be set off against a large sales base; new markets might yield ideas for further innovations; fluctuations in business cycles can be leveled out by selling in different markets; declining sales in one market might be offset by a boom in another market.