Terms of Service

1. Brand, registered entity and professional status

Baffoe Consulting Management Company Limited uses Baffoe and baffoes.com as public-facing names for its corporate management advisory activities. The registered operating entity identified for this website is Baffoe Consulting Management (Shanghai) Company Limited, Unified Social Credit Identifier / Registration Number 91310000MADYXLPLXY, registered in Lingang New Area Pilot Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, P.R. China.

Baffoe is an independent corporate management advisory firm. It is not a certified public accounting firm and does not hold itself out as authorised to practise law or provide regulated legal services in any jurisdiction. References to international activity, partners or offices do not imply a licence, permanent establishment, agency relationship or separate registered branch in every country.

Each proposal or engagement should identify the responsible contracting entity, scope, personnel, fees and responsibilities. Other branches or legal entities using the brand remain subject to their own registration, licensing and local obligations. No affiliate, director, founder or contributor becomes a contracting party solely because a name or photograph appears on the website.

2. Website information and professional judgement

Website content, articles, examples, case studies and tools provide general business information and decision support. They are not a substitute for an assessment of your specific facts by an appropriately qualified professional. They are not a legal opinion, audit opinion, tax ruling, investment recommendation, customs determination, engineering certification or assurance of regulatory compliance.

Information may contain errors, omissions, estimates or outdated material. Laws, market conditions, shipping schedules, tariffs, exchange rates and operational constraints can change. Before acting, verify material facts with current primary sources and the relevant competent authority, carrier, insurer, supplier or licensed adviser.

3. No automatic engagement or guaranteed result

Submitting an enquiry, using a tool, downloading a report or receiving an initial response does not create a consulting contract, fiduciary relationship, representation before an authority or obligation to undertake work. A professional engagement requires an express agreement on scope and terms.

Case studies describe particular assignments and circumstances. They do not promise identical future outcomes, independently audited savings or capacity for every proposed engagement. Baffoe assesses suitability, resources, conflicts, required expertise and local requirements before accepting work.

4. Responsible and lawful use

Use the website for lawful, ethical purposes and provide accurate information you are authorised to share. Do not submit malicious code, unsolicited bulk messages, unlawful or infringing material, misleading instructions or another person’s confidential data without authority. Do not impersonate Baffoe, fabricate endorsements, manipulate reports to mislead others, circumvent access controls, probe private accounts or disrupt the service.

Users are responsible for applicable trade controls, sanctions, export restrictions, customs requirements, licences, privacy obligations and professional standards relevant to their activities. A route being shown or an estimate being produced does not establish that a transaction, destination or commodity is lawful or operationally available.

5. Content, reports and third-party rights

Baffoe’s original text, branding, software and other materials are protected by applicable intellectual-property law. You may read the website and use public tools for lawful personal, professional, educational and internal business planning. You may share an unaltered tool report with colleagues or advisers for the relevant decision, provided its assumptions, source references, limitations and disclaimers remain attached.

This permission does not authorise resale of Baffoe-branded outputs as certified advice, redistribution of proprietary software, use of the logo to imply endorsement, or infringement of third-party rights. Separately licensed software, datasets and photographs remain subject to their own licences and attribution requirements. You retain your rights in your inputs; use does not transfer ownership of them to Baffoe.

6. External services and availability

Links to external sources are provided for convenience and attribution. Baffoe does not control their content, availability or later changes and does not endorse every statement they contain. External services have their own terms and privacy arrangements. The website and free tools may be corrected, changed, suspended or discontinued, including for maintenance or abuse prevention. We do not promise uninterrupted availability or permanent storage of your work.

7. Privacy and confidential enquiries

Our Privacy Policy explains personal-information handling. Do not place confidential documents, passwords, identity records or sensitive personal information in an initial enquiry. A general contact channel is not an agreed confidential data room. Where protected material is needed for a project, agree appropriate channels and obligations first. These terms do not authorise Baffoe to disregard privacy duties or use your information for unrelated purposes.

8. Complaints, applicable law and changes

For a concern, correction or dispute, write to [email protected] with the relevant page or report, the issue and your requested resolution. We favour a proportionate, good-faith attempt to resolve concerns. This does not limit a right to seek urgent relief, approach a regulator or use a competent court.

The law and forum for a paid engagement should be stated in its agreement. For website and free-tool matters, applicable mandatory law and the relevant conflict-of-law rules determine the governing law and competent forum; these terms do not impose a universal foreign forum or remove non-waivable consumer protections. If a provision is unenforceable, it applies only to the lawful extent, and the remaining provisions continue where possible. Updated terms apply prospectively as legally permitted; they do not retroactively remove accrued rights.

Software Disclaimer & Terms of Use

The following provisions apply to Baffoe’s public software, calculators, visualisations and generated reports, including the Global Trade & Logistics Planner. For these provisions, “Providers” refers to the responsible Baffoe entity and, to the extent relevant to their contribution and permitted by law, Dr. Benjamin O. K. Baffoe and other authors or contributors. Naming a contributor does not create a separate professional engagement with that person.

9. Intended purpose and limits of decision support

These tools support preliminary business planning, education, professional analysis and research. They can help structure questions, compare scenarios and identify information to obtain. They are not certified decision systems, live freight quotations, booking engines, navigational instruments, customs systems or substitutes for responsible human judgement. Use only the modules relevant to your decision; a blank field or an unselected module does not mean that the associated cost, risk or obligation is zero.

A generated action list or report is a planning aid. It does not approve a shipment, certify a product, establish insurance coverage or guarantee profit, delivery, safety, legality, environmental performance or access to finance. Obtain required approvals and binding quotations independently before committing resources.

10. Inputs, models and source verification

You are responsible for the information you enter, units, currency, cargo characteristics and scenario assumptions. Check dimensions, gross and chargeable weight, container requirements, rates, minimum charges, insurance, duties, taxes and ancillary costs against actual documents. A mathematically correct output can still be unsuitable if inputs, assumptions or model boundaries are wrong.

Where a source or methodology is identified, review its date, scope, units and exclusions. Inclusion of a port or airport does not guarantee current operations, cargo acceptance, commercial service or data completeness. Source attribution helps verification; it does not transfer responsibility for a business decision to the source provider.

11. Route distances and visualisations

Air distances are geographic baselines unless explicitly stated otherwise; actual flights can involve different routings, stops and operating constraints. Maritime routes are modelled through an available routing network and connectors. They may not reflect actual vessel tracks, hydrographic conditions, temporary closures, port access, security restrictions, canals, draught limits, weather or carrier schedules.

Two-dimensional and three-dimensional displays illustrate the model; visual precision is not evidence of navigational accuracy. Do not use them for vessel or aircraft navigation, safety-critical operations or confirmation that a route is open. Confirm practical routing and transit requirements with qualified operators.

Container-fit diagrams use rectangular packed outer dimensions and stated door, payload, rotation and stacking assumptions. They are preliminary arrangements, not certified loading instructions or proof of maximum capacity. Large uniform consignments may use grouped columns; mixed or irregular cargo needs a competent packer’s assessment. Confirm stacking strength, restraint, floor loading, load distribution, access and compatibility before dispatch. Packaging illustrations do not assign an HS code, UN number, dangerous-goods class, packing group or permitted label. Obtain the applicable classification, packing instructions, marks, documents and carrier acceptance from competent sources.

Arrival ranges use a supplied carrier schedule or explicitly entered travel-speed and handling assumptions. They are not live predictions. Conflict, weather, congestion, customs, transshipment and other events may cause delays beyond an entered allowance.

12. Environmental estimates and responsible sustainability claims

Environmental outputs are scenario estimates based on the available activity data, factors and stated assumptions. Results depend on distance, weight, transport mode, utilisation, allocation and the emissions boundary used. They do not identify the actual emissions of any specific cargo ship or aircraft without suitable vessel- or flight-specific data and an appropriate methodology.

Review whether the method includes fuel production, combustion, empty running, transshipment, port activities, packaging and other relevant stages before comparing options. Do not present an estimate as a verified inventory, carbon credit, offset, regulatory filing, carbon-neutral claim or proof of compliance with a named reporting standard unless the required independent work has been completed. Lower estimated emissions alone do not establish the best overall decision; consider safety, service, legality and the broader impacts.

13. Ethical research and human oversight

Use sound, proportionate analytical methods; verify material findings against primary sources; document uncertainty; and disclose relevant assumptions when sharing outputs. Do not invent observations, conceal unfavourable results or use the tool to misrepresent professional competence. Where research involves human participants, sensitive information or institutional requirements, obtain the approvals, consent and ethics or institutional review board review that actually apply. These requirements are context-dependent, not a claim that every commercial calculation requires an IRB.

Do not use unverified outputs as the sole basis for decisions with significant effects on people, public safety, substantial expenditure or regulated obligations. The person or organisation making the decision must retain appropriate oversight and obtain specialist advice where needed.

14. Online operation, local calculations and report security

The current public planner calculates scenarios and generates reports in your browser without a paid Google routing or search service. Its calculation code is designed not to transmit your scenario inputs or optional report personalisation to Baffoe. The website still requires online resources and normal hosting and security services. It is not represented as air-gapped, network-free or independently certified secure.

The planner does not automatically encrypt downloaded HTML or printed PDF reports. You are responsible for appropriate device access controls, secure storage, backups and lawful sharing. A locally saved file can be synchronised by your browser, operating system or cloud-storage settings. Do not assume that closing a page removes downloaded copies. Other software products or future BCOS services may operate differently and require their own specific documentation and privacy arrangements.

15. Warranty limitations

To the extent permitted by applicable law, free public tools and their outputs are provided “as is” and “as available”, with their documented limitations and possible faults. The Providers do not guarantee that they are error-free, complete, current, continuously available, secure against every threat, or suitable for a particular transaction or purpose. No implied warranty is excluded where doing so would be unlawful. General website statements do not replace an express warranty agreed in a separate contract.

16. Liability and rights that cannot be excluded

To the extent legally permitted, the Providers exclude liability for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive loss arising from use of, or inability to use, free public tools, including lost profit, business opportunity, data or anticipated savings. Responsibility for direct losses is determined by applicable law and any valid agreement; the fact that a tool is free does not automatically eliminate every legal duty.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury caused by negligence where applicable, or other non-waivable statutory, consumer or data-protection rights. These terms do not excuse deliberate misconduct or confer immunity from regulatory obligations. Any lawful limitation must be read in the context of the relevant jurisdiction and facts.

17. Sharing, corrections and future versions

Summary and detailed reports serve different reading needs; both retain applicable limitations and the disclaimer. Saving a PDF uses your browser’s print facility. The current planner does not offer a report-email delivery service; sending a downloaded report through your own email service is a separate action governed by that service’s privacy arrangements.

Keep the source date, assumptions, limitations and disclaimer with any report you share. A personalised “Prepared for” name or company logo is a presentation feature, not evidence of professional review, endorsement or certification. Recalculate when inputs or conditions change; do not rely on a report beyond the circumstances for which it was prepared.

Report a suspected error to [email protected] with non-sensitive reproduction steps and the tool version or report date where available. Avoid sending confidential cargo, customer or financial records. We may correct a tool or its documentation without undertaking to reissue every previously downloaded report. Product-specific terms for a future portal or other service must be provided before that service is used.