Car Insurance. Online. Direct. Hellas Direct.

Transcription

BUSINESS
bponline.amcham.gr
MARCH-APRIL 2013
Vol. XII | No. 65
Thought Leaders
Ideas
for a Better
Tomorrow
The WorkPlace
Leading in the
Human Age
▼
The World of Work
Women in
Leadership
▼
EU-U.S.
Free Trade for
Global Growth
▼
Chamber Launches
Breakthrough
Greece
▼
Plus
Biz Buzz
Names & Faces
Trends & Trade Makers
AMERICAN-HELLENIC
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.amcham.gr
Car Insurance. Online.
Direct. Hellas Direct.
Emilios Markou & Alexis Pantazis
Founders, Hellas Direct
A dynamic Chamber website, Breakthrough Greece
promotes innovative and successful Greek companies and
entrepreneurs to a global audience.
The site is a window to the world
showcasing the best Greece has to offer.
Visit us at
www.breakthroughgreece.gr
Like us on Facebook
An initiative of the
American-Hellenic
Chamber of Commerce
AMERICAN-HELLENIC
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Volume XII | Number 65
CHAMBER.PRESS
ISSN 1109-4990 CODE:
6526
CHAMBER.PRESS
contents
AMERICAN-HELLENIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
bponline.amcham.gr
AMERICAN-HELLENIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
4 THE BOARD
6 Chamber News
1 0 In Profile
Chamber Companies on the Move
1 2 Start-Up 24
Starting a Business—Vitalizing Your Startup
by Anastasia Anastasopoulou
Alexis Pantazis and Emilios
Markou, founders of
Hellas Direct, on selling car
insurance online.
1 3 Collaboration@Work
Failure and Innovation Are Close Cousins
by Stavros Messinis
1 4 Names & Faces in the News
1 6 MarketPlaces
Going Digital, Staying True, at Ianos
1 8 BIZ BUZZ
12
Currents in Today’s Business Environment
2 0 Connect America
Greece@USA
Anastasia Anastasopoulou,
Recruiter at Accenture S.A.,
gives advice on one of the
most important tasks in a new
company—bringing on talent.
2 1 TRAVEL USA
Discover America—Maine
2 2 Techno Logia
Fast Stories in the Internet Age
2 4 The Interview
Alexis Pantazis and Emilios Markou,
founders of Hellas Direct
40
2 6 Thought Leaders
Ideas for a Better Tomorrow
Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou,
Member of the European
Parliament discusses
implications of a new trade pact
between the EU and the U.S.
3 6The WorkPlace
Leading in the Human Age
3 8 The World of Work
Randstad Workmonitor: Women in Leadership
Busi n e ss Pa rt n e rs is the bi monthly maga z ine of t h e Ame r i ca n -H e lleni c Chamber of Co mm erce
DIRECTOR
Elias Spirtounias
[email protected]
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
Raymond Matera
[email protected]
Please Recycle
ADVERTISING
Raymond Matera
[email protected]
OWNER
American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce
Politia Business Center
109-111 Messoghion Avenue
115 26 Athens
Tel: +30 210 699.3559
Fax: +30 210 698.5686-7
E-mail: [email protected]
BRANCH OFFICE
47 Vassileos Irakleiou Street
DESIGN
546 23 Thessaloniki
snack•
Tel: +30 2310 286.453, 239.337
Fax: +30 2310 225.162
PRINTING & BINDING
Northern Greece Publishing S.A. E-mail: [email protected]
4 0 Leadership Tales From Ancient Greece
An Apple for Sparta
by Artemios Miropoulos
4 2 TradeMakers
EU-U.S.: Free Trade for Global Growth
by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou
4 4 Trends & TrAdE Makers
4 6 Business2Business
A B2B Toolbox
4 8 Viewpoint
Embracing Big Data
MARCH-APRIL 2013 | BUSINESS PARTNERS | DIRECTOR’S DESK
The recent agreements by Hewlett Packard and Philip Morris in Greece, in addition to other recent
initiatives such as the launching of the new innovation center—the second in Europe—by Procter &
Gamble, indicate a growing and promising investor interest toward Greece. They are important since
they help in developing and promoting greater confidence in the Greek economy and create jobs at a
time when unemployment has reached unacceptable levels—with dangerous social consequences.
Many investment funds have been eyeing Greece recently and examine and evaluate those parameters
relative to investment. Such parameters are not only tax rates and labor costs, which are not the most
important prerequisites for stable and sustainable investment, but include those that promote a stable,
friendly, and transparent investment environment. These, coupled with the undeniable advantages of
our country in key sectors such as agriculture, energy, tourism, transportation, and health, combined
with our strategic geographical location, highly skilled labor and cultural heritage, should make Greece
one of the top investment destinations in the world.
But even at this juncture, where good, long-term investors are seeking countries with an attractive and
propitious investment environment, there are still many unsolved problems, seemingly held in mid-air,
that undermine this great prospect. One of these issues is the unexcused delay of the repayment of debts
the state owes its suppliers, many of whom are foreign multinational businesses. In a period where liquidity is lacking in the market, this policy of late payment of debts is doubly harmful. This is especially
unacceptable since there is a provision in the Memorandum for the repayment of these debts through
the loan payments. In addition, since March 15 of this year, the European Directive requiring EU Member States to pay their debts to their suppliers within 30 to 60 days is in force. This problem has created
deep concern and frustration for both large and small businesses, many of which are foreign, and which
are the ambassadors of investment in this country.
Other negative issues are the special levies imposed on businesses and the unstable fiscal framework that
prevents investors and businesses to properly budget expenditures. This has been problem for years yet
the State and political parties in general fail to agree on a framework that will create stability and reliability. This, coupled with the huge delays in trial proceedings of business disputes, is a main constraint
to investment initiatives.
The Chamber has advocated repeatedly for these issues to be resolved. We will continue to do so, since
sustainable growth depends on stability, credibility, and reliability.
Elias Spirtounias
Executive Director
The American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce
A Dynamic, Proactive Chamber
The American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce was established
in 1932 and is one of the largest, most active, and dynamic American Chambers in Europe. Virtually all American companies that
do business in Greece and Greek companies that engage in trade
with the United States are members of the Chamber.
The Chamber's membership is comprised of more than 1,000
proactive companies that seek to expand business horizons, create new business partnerships, and take advantage of trade and
investment opportunities in today's global economy.
The American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce is an active mem-
| BUSINESS PARTNERS | MARCH-APRIL 2013
ber of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. and the
European Council of American Chambers of Commerce (ECACC).
Mission Statement
The American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce strives for continuous improvement of American-Hellenic commercial and
financial relations, through increased membership and through
the organization of top-quality events, exhibitions, fora, seminars,
and congresses on both sides of the Atlantic.
American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce
Executive Committee
Committees
Gramatidis Yanos President | BAHAS, GRAMATIDIS & PARTNERS
Auditors Committee
Kyriacou Marios T. Vice President | KPMG CERTIFIED AUDITORS A.E.
Bakatselos Nikolaos Vice President | PYRAMIS METALLOURGIA A.E.
Karayannis Angelos Secretary General | KARAYANNIS K. GROUP OF COMPANIES
Panayotopoulos Litsa Treasurer | BOSTON HAMILTON LTD.
Anastassopoulos Simos Counselor | PETSIAVAS N. S.A.
Bacacos George Counselor | BACACOS P. CHEMICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL
PRODUCTS CO. S.A.
Charalambous Odysseas Counselor | CISCO SYSTEMS HELLAS S.A.
Papadopoulos Thanos Counselor | CHEVELLAS S.A.
Spirtounias Elias Executive Director
Board of Directors
Ahmed Pervaiz | BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB A.E.
Alexopoulos George | HELLENIC PETROLEUM S.A.
Antoniades Vassilis | THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP
Antonopoulos Constantinos | INTRALOT S.A. - INTEGRATED LOTTERY
SYSTEMS AND SERVICES
Canellopoulos Paul | AIG Greece S.A.
Members: Felonis Athanassios, Papakosmas Dimitrios, Sabatakakis Kyriacos |
Coordinator: Andriana Chadjianagnostou
Corporate Governance Committee
Chair: Papacostopoulos Constantinos | Members: Charalambous Yiangos, Dimou
Ioannis, Petalas Apostolis, Siamishis Andreas, Hadjisotiriou Paula, Theodoulidou
Maria | Coordinator: Daphne Constantinidou
Corporate Social Responsibility Committee
Chair: Stavridis Stelios | Members: Alexiou Maria, Constantelis George, Lolas Vassilis, Vrachatis Ioannis | Coordinator: Angela Boyatzis
Greek Economy Conference Committee
Chair: Kyriacou Marios | Members: Anastassopoulos Simos, Antoniades Vassilis,
Bacacos George | Coordinator: Angeliki Dikeoulia
Innovation, Education & Entrepreneurship Committee
Chair: Panayotopoulos Litsa | Members: Darda Dimitra, Farmaki Teresa, Lelakis
George, Makios Vassilios, Makridakis Spyros, Papadakis Georgios, Patakiouti
Maria, Pateraki Evangelia, Persidis Andreas, Pilitsis Loukas, Printzos Michael, Raptopoulos Manos, Rizopoulos Yannis, Tsangos Christos, Tsiboukis Antonis, Tsigos
Dimitris, Tsoukalis Alexandros | Coordinator: Katerina Tzagaroulaki
Insurance, Social Security & Labour Matters Committee
Chair: Kremalis Konstantinos | Members: Andriopoulos Stavros, Canellopoulos
Paul, Christidou Agni, Kollas John, Koussia Venetia, Lisseos Panayotis, Lysimachou Triantafyllos, Mihos Stathis, Oikonomopoulou Antouaneta, Panagiotou
Andreas, Pelidis Manos, Sarantopoulos Dimitris, Tzotzos Apostolos, Vlassopoulos
George | Coordinator: Voula Tseritzoglou
IPR Committee
Chair: Katerina Galanopoulou | Members: John Kyriakides, Antonis Makris, Dora
Zachou, Xenophon Paparrigopoulos | Coordinator: Daphne Constantinidou
Leadership Committee
Costopoulos Alexandros | FORESIGHT Strategy & Communications
Chair: Miropoulos Artemis | Members: John Kalligeros, Pavlos Katsivelis, Antonis
Kerastaris, Kyriakos Kofinas, Michael Mavropoulos, Spyros Olympios, Aristotelis
Panteliadis, Vassilis Rabbat, Emmanuel Raptopoulos, Michalis Roussos, Alexandros Saracakis | Coordinator: Ritana Xidou
David George | COCA-COLA HELLENIC BOTTLING COMPANY S.A.
Medical Devices & Diagnostics Committee
Costas Stavros | Economist
Filiotis Dionysios | PHARMASERVE-LILLY SACI
Frangou Angeliki | NAVIOS MARITIME HOLDINGS INC.
Kartsanis Georgia | CEO CLUBS GREECE
Kokorotsikos Paris | EUROCONSULTANTS S.A.
Kosmatos Makis | JOHNSON & JOHNSON HELLAS S.A.
Chair: Liakopoulos Theodore | Members: Anagnostopoulos Stefanos, Andria
Magdalini, Baracos Christos, Boulougouris George, Deligiannis Konstantinos,
Derkos Kalogridis, Kartalis Christos, Krinos Gregory, Lindholm Mangnus,
Maroutsis George, Nikas Dimitris, Papazoglou Konstantinos, Strouzos Anastasios |
Coordinator: Voula Tseritzoglou
Northern Greece Committee
Koutsoureli Eftychia | QUEST HOLDINGS S.A.
Chair: Bakatselos Nikolas | Members: Accas Ioannis, Alexopoulos Charis, Gigilinis
Alexandros, Kafatos Vassilis, Katsaros George, Kokorotsikos Paris, Kouides
Antonis, Kouimtzis Thanasis, Koukountzos Konstantinos, Mavroudis Theodoros,
Pylarinos Othon, Symeonides Dimitris | Coordinator: Nikos Tsavdaroglou
Kyriakides John | KYRIAKIDES GEORGOPOULOS & DANIOLOS ISSAIAS
Pharmaceutical Committee
Kouides Antonis | B.E.R.M.A. A.E.
LAW FIRM
Mamidaki Eleftheria | MAMIDOIL JETOIL PETROLEUM COMPANY S.A.
Manos Alexandros | PIRAEUS BANK S.A.
Meintassis Harry | HAY GROUP S.A.
Nordkamp Hendrikus Hermannus | PFIZER HELLAS S.A.
Papalexopoulos Dimitri | TITAN CEMENT COMPANY S.A.
Chair: Pascal Apostolides | Vice Chairman: Filiotis Dionysios | Members: Frouzis
Konstantinos, Gerassopoulos Marcos, Charalampidis Savas, Karokis Antonis,
Greco Roberto, Kefalas Nikos, Lakatos Matyas, Nordkamp Hendrikus Hermannus
(Erik), Pervaiz Ahmed, Tsoutsias Spyros | Coordinator: Voula Tseritzoglou
Public Affairs Committee
Members: Anastassopoulos Simos, Kyriacou Marios, Papadopoulos Thanos |
Coordinator: Xidou Ritana
Taxation Committee
Stavridis Stelios | PISCINES IDEALES A.E.
Chair Costas Stavros | Members: Altiparmakis Christos, Ampeliotis Evangelos,
Anastasiadis Harris, Antoniou Vassilis, Desipris Antonis, Doucas Spyros, Gigantes
Stavros, Goulakos Panos, Govaris Vassilis, Kanellatou Athena, Kerameus George,
Kyriakides Stelios, Laskaratos Panagiotis, Mavraganis George, Mitsios George,
Nasiopoulou Maria, Panagiotidis George, Papadatos Eugene, Papandreou Cristina,
Samothrakis George, Sarafoglou Gerasimos, Savvaidou Katerina, Sfakakis Konstantinos, Spyriouni Litsa, Stavropoulos Ioannis, Stavrides Vassilis, Theophilides
George, Trakadi Maria, Tsakonas Yannis | Coordinator: Katerina Tzagaroulaki
Symeonides Dimitris | KEPA (BUSINESS & CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Tourism Committee
Passaris Despina | PROCTER & GAMBLE HELLAS LTD.
Plessas Dennys | LOCKHEED MARTIN (INTERNATIONAL) S.A.
Priamou John | U.S. Commercial Counselor (ret.)
Saracakis John D | SARACAKIS BROTHERS S.A.
CENTER)
Synghelides Polychronis | LANCIA - JEEP HELLAS S.A.
Tourkolias Alexandros | NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE S.A.
Yiannopoulos Emil | PRICEWATERHOUSE COOPERS BUSINESS
SOLUTIONS S.A.
Zeritis Panos | THRACE PAPER MILL S.A.
Chair: Stylianopoulos Andreas | Members: Ananiadis Tim, Anglos John, Argiri Byron, Marriott Carol, Panayotopoulos Panos, Papadopoulou Catherine, Peressiadis
Costas, Van de Winkel Bart | Coordinator: Angeliki Dikeoulia
Women in Business (WIB) Committee
Chair Kartsanis Georgia | Members: Adamopoulou Efi, Anagnostopoulou Popi,
Athanassoulas Elena, Dimou Maria, Katsou Nelly, Kazakopoulou Betty, Labrou
Marica, Milona Martha, Panagopoulou Varvara, Papakonstantinou Ioanna, Sideri
Anastasia, Tarou Iphigenia, Thomas Marielle, Tzimea Deppie, Velliotou Peggy |
Coordinator: Angela Boyatzis
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www.amway.gr
YO U R B U S I N E S S
BEAUT Y
HOME
NUTRITION
CHAMBER
NEWS
New Year’s Reception—Athens
More than 1000 guests attended the Chamber’s annual New Year’s Reception on January
31, 2013 at the Athenaeum InterContinental Hotel in Athens. Chamber members, leading
government officials, members of Parliament, Ambassadors, organization presidents, media and other prominent executives of the business community attended the event. Welcome remarks were made by US Ambassador Daniel Bennett Smith and Kostis Hatzidakis, Minister of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks.
The Chamber’s Committee’s were presented with a special award for their continued contribution to the efforts of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce. The Presidents of the
following committees received recognition for their committee’s work: Public Affairs Committee, Northern Greece Committee, Innovation, Education & Entrepreneurship Committee, Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, Taxation Committee, Women in Business
Committee, Pharmaceutical Committee, Tourism Committee, Insurance, Social Security
& Labor Affairs Committee, Corporate Governance Committee, Leadership Committee,
Intellectual Property Rights Committee, Medical Devices & Diagnostics Committee.
Chamber Committees Honored
Cutting the Pita
Yanos Gramatidis
Kostis Hatzidakis
Daniel Bennett Smith
U.S. Tax Seminar
For Americans
Living Abroad
The U.S. Embassy Athens and American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce
held a tax seminar for American living
in Greece on March 15 at the University of Indianapolis Cultural Center.
Attendees were able to learn about the
unique tax filing obligations regarding
U.S. taxpayers working abroad and
the latest developments affecting U.S.
citizens residing overseas.
Topics included:
• Eligibility for the Foreign Earned
Income Exclusion (FEIE) under
I.R.C. Section 911
• Reporting requirements for individuals under the Foreign Bank
Account Reporting Act (FBAR)
• Compliance with Foreign Account
Tax Compliance Act by individuals (FATCA) and the new amnesty
program that is in effect for the
2012 tax year
• The future of the FEIE and FBAR
and new FATCA regulations
The seminar presenter was Stephen
P. Flott, Esquire of Flott & Company.
Stephen Flott has more than thirtyfive years’ experience advising businesses, individuals and non-profits on
a wide range of international business
and tax matters, specializes in U.S.
regulation of international shipping,
trucking, bus and freight forwarding
operations, U.S. citizenship issues,
including expatriation and associated
tax issues, and the special compliance challenges associated with long
term non-filing of U.S. tax returns and
financial reports by U.S. citizens who
live outside the United States.
Stephen P. Flott
New Year’s Reception—Thessaloniki
The Chamber held its annual New Year’s Reception in Thessaloniki on February 11,
2013 at The Met Hotel Thessaloniki.
The event brought together Chamber members, leading government officials, members
of Parliament, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, organization presidents, media and other
prominent executives of the business community, who enjoyed a pleasant and rewarding
networking event. Welcome remarks were made by Theodoros Karaoglou, Minister of
Macedonia and Thrace and Robert P. Sanders, Consul of the United States in Thessaloniki.
Theodoros Karaoglou, Robert P. Sanders,
Yanos Gramatidis, Nikolas Bakatselos
Nikolas Bakatselos, Demetrios Lakasas,
Robert P. Sanders, Yanos Gramatidis
Yanos Gramatidis, Theodoros Karaoglou
Nikolas Bakatselos, Robert P. Sanders,
Efstratios Simopoulos, Yanos Gramatidis
MIW Forum at Agricultural University
The Innovation, Education and Entrepreneurship Committee of the Chamber, in
cooperation with the Agricultural University of Athens, held the 2nd MIW (Make
Innovation Work) Forum on March 12,
2013. This forum is part of a series of MIW
events to promote business growth and innovation in Greece.
The Forum addressed three primary topics: the Development of Innovation, Entrepreneurship from Theory to Practice, and
the Importance of the Right Business Plan.
Development of Innovation. Speakers
examined how easy it is to develop innovative ideas and produce results on univer-
sity campuses. Attendees asked questions
regarding problems, best practices, and
intellectual property. The panelists raised
the issue of liaison offices, that are so common abroad, and how they could create a
bridge between the market and university
research in Greece by making clear the position of each institution in the market and
opportunities for cooperation.
Entrepreneurship from Theory to Practice. In this section, speakers discussed
funding and explained what a financing
source might be looking for to fund an innovative idea. Panelists also spoke about
the difficulties an entrepreneur faces,
Leadership Committee members with John Camp
(fifth from left)
Guided Tour
of Stoa tou Attalos
John Camp, of the American School of
Classical Studies at Athens, Director of
the Agora Excavations, led members
and guests of the Chamber’s Leadership Committee on a guided tour of the
Stoa tou Attalos in the Ancient Agora of
Athens on March 1. Professor Camp, a
world-renowned archeologist, pointed
out the many similarities of Ancient
Greek commerce with that of today,
especially underlining how the concepts
of branding and proprietary design
have been employed for thousands of
years. Guests had the opportunity to
visit the storage and study areas of the
Agora and were briefed by American
scholar Bruce Hartzler on how digital
technology is aiding and assisting archaeologists today in recording, comparing and analyzing data.
Discussing Agricultural Entrepreneurship
“smart money,” the importance of proper
mentoring, and incubation. The section
concluded with representative of Greek
businesses presenting best practices.
The Importance of the Right Business
Plan. Speakers and audience joined in an
inter-active discussion on the benefits of
understanding strategy and proper business execution.
MARCH-APRIL 2013 | BUSINESS PARTNERS | CHAMBER
NEWS
Leadership Forum 2013
North Greece
Luncheon
Yanos Gramatidis
Artemios Miropoulos
Discussing Talent Mobility
Discussing Talent Mobility
Panel Discussion on Talent Mobility
Panel Discussion on Talent Mobility
The Chamber hosted a closed luncheon on February 21, 2013 at the
Met Hotel, Thessaloniki, with guest
speaker Dr. Takis Athanasopoulos,
former President of the Hellenic
Republic Asset Development Fund.
Dr. Athanasopoulos clarified the
Fund’s mission and analyzed its
company and infrastructure portfolios, with particular reference to
projects in Northern Greece. He
reiterated the benefits of privatizations and informed guests of the
Fund’s progress to-date as well as
the schedule for 2013.
Mr. Andreas Taprantzis, Executive
Director of the Fund, analyzed the
strategic plan for the development
of public real estate units within
the Thessaloniki area and made a
comprehensive presentation of the
Fund’s local real estate projects. The
event was attended by key members
of the local business community.
Chamber Calendar
April 3-4 Athens, Athenaeum Intercontinental Hotel, DEWO-Exposec Conference
April 17 Athens, 9th Athens Tax Forum
April Athens, Launching the 2nd MIW
Competition
The Leadership Forum 2013 - Talent & Mobility: Redefining Leadership in Greece, took
place on January 24, 2013 at the American School of Classical Studies.
More than 250 guests attended the conference, who had the opportunity to be part
of a dynamic discussion and propose new initiatives toward redefining leadership
development.
Chamber President Yanos Gramatidis welcomes the delegates, and noted that the rapidly
changing business and social environment requires a change in approach to the concept
of mobility.
Leadership Committee Artemios Miroploulos moderated the event, at which the
results of the latest Leadership Committee Survey on Talent and Mobility were presented. Panelists held an animated interactive discussion with delegates and American
School of Classical Studies Director Jim Wright discussed talent, leadership and mobility today in relation to the environment in Ancient Athens—drawing parallels with
Aristotle and Thucydides.
May 16 Hilton Hotel, WIB Luncheon with
Elizabeth Filippouli, Founder & CEO, Global
Thinkers & Global Thinkers Forum
May Athens, 12th HealthWorld Conference
May Athens, Intellectual Property Rights
Conference
May Athens, WIB Forum: Gender Diversity
June 7 Athens, WIB luncheon, guest speaker
Marigo Bos, President, ETWN
June 13 Athens, WIB Seminar: Networking
for Success
Chamber Launches Breakthrough Greece
Elias Spirtounias, Yanos Gramatidis
President Yanos Gramatidis and Executive
Director Elias Spirtounias presented the
newest initiative of the Chamber to the media on February 26 at the Chamber offices.
Breakthrough Greece is a campaign
that brings Greek innovation and entrepreneurship to the surface, showcasing
healthy, extroverted Greek companies and
entrepreneurs with a global vision.
Breakthrough Greece is a site designed
to reverse the negative image that has
been created abroad in recent years, underlining that Greece is increasingly more
dynamic and innovative economy, and one
that produces, develops, creates jobs, and
most important, exports.
Its aim is to promote best practices, highlighting the emerging culture of applied
innovation in the Greek economy and to
strengthen the image of entrepreneurship
in our country.
At the same time, the web portal acts as
a B2B tool for Greek companies to find
business partners and resources around
the world.
President Gramatidis said: “We continue
to provide essential services to the Greek
economy, contributing to the cause of
development, specifically and effectively,
while enhancing entrepreneurship. Growth
is not just a term, it is a daily practice and
struggle to revive production and trade
with realism and a defined methodology.”
Breakthrough Greece Presented to Deputy Minister Mitarachis
The Chamber, led by President Yanos
Gramatidis, presented Breakthrough
Greece, its initiative to promote Greek innovation, entrepreneurship, and private
sector success, to the Deputy Minister of
Development Notis Mitarachis and his the
advisory team at the offices of the Development Ministry on March 19. Executive Director Elias Spirtounias demonstrated how
the Breakthrough Greece site is designed to
showcase Greek companies to the world.
After the meeting Mr. Mitarachi said: “We
welcome this initiative by the AmericanHellenic Chamber of Commerce, which
contributes to our efforts to project Greece
as a healthy, entrepreneurial, innovative
and outward-looking country. We look
forward to continuing to work together
with the Chamber in this direction.”
Chamber President Yanos Gramatidis
said: “It is with great satisfaction that we
receive such a warm welcome of our ini-
tiative by the government. We continue to
provide essential services to the economy,
by contributing to the cause of development with specific and effective tools,
while boosting entrepreneurship. We
hope that today’s meeting will establihs
grounds for an effective collaboration.”
Also attending were Katerina Tzagaroulaki John Moisoglou, Spyros Kouroupis,
and Raymond Matera.
 http://www.breakthroughgreece.gr/
MARCH-APRIL 2013 | BUSINESS PARTNERS | In Profile
Members
on the Move
Chamber members are active in a wide
variety of sectors and countries. Business
Partners profiles companies that have
recently joined the Chamber.
IONIOS SCHOOL S.A.
Ionios is a renowned private school offering students from kindergarten through high school a world-class education and the
International Baccalaureate curriculum from its Filothei campus.
KYVERNITIS TRAVEL
With over 40 years of experience in the travel industry, Kyvernitis
is one of Greece’s leading corporate and leisure travel agencies.
Its clients include shipping companies, multinational corporations,
as well as high net worth individuals from Greece and abroad.
MAGISTER ARTIUM GROUP
ABBVIE PHARMACEUTICALS S.A.
Active in more than 170 countries, AbbVie is a new biopharmaceutical company composed of Abbott’s former proprietary pharmaceutical business. AbbVie combines the strength and stability
of an established pharmaceutical company with the focus and
innovative spirit of a biotech.
AUDIT SERVICES S.A.
Audit Services provides clients with regular and special audits in
accordance with the international or Greek auditing standards,
as well as audits for M&A, liquidations, transition to IFRS, and tax
certificates.
BERNARD SIDMAN
Bernard Sidman is an accomplished lawyer who has been dedicated to the practice of U.S. Immigration Law since he opened
his Los Angeles law firm in 1983. Bernard handles all types of
immigration cases, including business and family immigration
matters.
Magister Artium Group is a holding company that serves as a
trusted business partner and a unique learning resource for a
broad range of industries. The group currently operates two business units, The Management Lab and The Learning Lab.
METRO S.A.
Founded in 1976 from the association of eight grocers, Metro is
one of the most active companies throughout Greece in retail and
wholesale food sales.
PRAXIS S.A.
Founded in 2008, Praxis is a dynamic forwarding and logistics
firm, with transportation and storage facilities based in Kalochori
and Aspropyrgos.
PROJECT LTD.
Project LTD provides business consulting services concerning tax,
accounting, business administration, marketing, and international
trading issues to companies, self-employed professionals, as
well as public agencies.
ENERGEAN OIL & GAS S.A.
SJM HELLAS LTD.
Energean is an international oil and gas exploration and production company, currently focusing on the Mediterranean and North
African region. It operates oil and gas assets in Greece and Egypt.
St. Jude Medical develops medical technology and services that
focus on putting more control into the hands of those who treat
cardiac, neurological and chronic pain patients worldwide.
FOOD STANDARD S.A.
TSIBANOULIS & PARTNERS LAW FIRM
Foodstandard provides quality, organization and marketing
services, as well as relevant studies to food chain enterprises,
agrofood industries and non-governmental organizations within
Greece.
10 | BUSINESS PARTNERS | MARCH-APRIL 2013
Tsibanoulis & Partners is a leading Greek law firm in financial
services, capital markets and banking law, and offers a full service capability in all other practice areas. Its lawyers are multilingual and internationally trained.
AMERICAN-HELLENIC
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Just Like You, We Mean Business
Join the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce today and let our many membership benefits take your business to the next level.
Peer-to-Peer Networking
World-Class Events
High-Level Discussions
Advocacy For Your Sector
Market Knowledge, Business Intelligence
Athens, Thessaloniki
AMERICAN-HELLENIC
CHAMBER
For information about how your company
can OF COMMERCE
American - Hellenic Chamber of Commerce
benefit from being a member of
Head Office
Politia Business Center, 109-111 Messoghion Avenue, 115 26 Athens
contact Katerina Tzagaroulaki, Executive Officer
Tel: 210 699.3559 | Fax: 210 698.5686, 210 698.5687
E-Mail: [email protected] | www.amcham.gr
New Memberships & Events
[email protected]
210 699 3559 ext. 22
Branch Office
47 Vasileos Irakleiou Street, 546 23 Thessaloniki
Tel: 2310 286.453, 239.337 | Fax: 2310 225.162
MARCH-APRIL 2013 | BUSINESS PARTNERS | 11
Start-Up
Vitalizing Your Startup
Anastasia Anastasopoulou discusses one of the most
important tasks in a new company—bringing on talent.
by Anastasia Anastasopoulou
Recruiter, Accenture S.A.
Dear Entrepreneur,
What is the biggest challenge of your startup company? Is it raising money or coming up with a competitive business plan? Do you
consider the importance of attracting, recruiting and hiring among
the most vital parts for the success of your plans?
2013 demands the acknowledgement that resources can make a difference and you cannot afford to not take this into serious consideration. Research shows that giving life to a startup is demanding
and failing to take advantage of the power given by talent is not to
be forgiven in business.
In fact, onboarding the best fit takes more than a good job description and well-organized procedures. Invest time and energy putting
a rigorous sourcing process in place since it is about putting you in
a position to attract the best. A dynamic—if not aggressive—recruiting plan will boost your market presence.
Onboarding the best fit
takes more than a good job description and well-organized
procedures
Once you have the first talents joining, activate the referrals’ tool.
It will grant you access to more matching profiles and, at the same
time, enable you to endorse the culture of your startup.
Moving on, you should pay attention to a few technicalities as well,
such as concrete role requirements that avoid overlapping, goal setting, team bonding activities and, of course, training and best practice/knowledge transfer.
Leadership should strengthen its presence daily, whether it is
about sharing the vision, exchanging views and experiences, or
just inspiring.
This same inspiration counts for each hire at your startup. Each hire
is added value and even one single bad hire can cause incredible
damage. This is why you should be extra cautious when it comes to
identifying your future executives.
Let’s drill down to some characteristics of your future executives.
• First, drive and vision, along with innovation, are not just good to
have. Should you proceed with any hire that does not meet these
criteria you need to admit that something is missing from the beginning.
• Technical expertise and previous experience (especially not only at
large corporations) are important but you have to balance knowhow with learning agility. You need people who are dedicated to
trying new things, getting out of their comfort zone, and showing
interest in working at a startup.
• Furthermore, willingness and hard work are huge assets whereas
personal/open-source projects are indicators of people not afraid
to take risks. Needless to say, teamwork is a must. International
experience adds a different dimension to people’s mindset that
can also be valuable for your startup.
• Last, but not least, do not be afraid of ambition. Ambition is a
well-appreciated component to your startup hire since people
with lofty ambitions (who genuinely want to run their own startups) are proven good in decision making and client facing.
If you now consider that there is a checklist you can go through and
you are done, think again. There is definitely a good reason why
recruiting for a startup is broadly recognized as challenging. Each
individual is unique and, as such, it requires more than a quick
resume screening or a recruiting campaign to succeed.
Vitalizing your startup requires creativity.
After all, who is better in creativity than you?
Best,
Anastasia
Collaboration@Work
by Stavros Messinis
Failure and
Innovation
Are Close Cousins
B
ut failure is imperative because
most of the non theoretical
things that we learn, we learn
through making mistakes. In
startups, failing is celebrated.
Understanding the Fear of
Failure
We should be encouraged to take chances
and understand that failure is necessary as we
move along the path toward success. We hesitate taking risks because of the fear of losing
time, money and reputation. We fear discomfort and the lack of control, yet creativity only
happens on the fringe, when we’re out of our
comfort zone. Innovators naturally work in a
Each organization
needs to have a
skunkworks team.
A special team that breaks away from the larger
organization to work
autonomously on an
advanced or secret
project.
risky environment. If we are to be innovators
we need to get comfortable with the idea of
not being comfortable and that failure, even
ultimate failure (for instance, bankruptcy) is
very much a possible outcome. But it is still
not the end of the world.
If we’re going to encourage risk taking
which will inevitably lead to some failures,
we need to make room for failure and accept that it is part of our learning process.
The Cycle of
Experimentation and
Experience
There is one story of a manager who made
some bad judgement calls and chose the
wrong strategy for a business unit he was
running. This error cost the company a
hundred thousand dollars. The manager
entered the CEO’s office, his head hanging
low, full of disappointment and said “Sir,
my actions have cost us a lot of money. My
resignation is at your disposal.” The CEO
responded, “I don’t want your resignation.
We’ve just invested a hundred thousand for
your education.”
Making a mistake is not a catastrophic failure. Making the same mistake continuously is. We need to work in a cyclic process
of continuous planning, experimentation,
measurement and corrective action and
this makes succeeding easier and failing al-
Nobody likes failing.
Failure is considered
extremely expensive and
often thought of as fatal for
a new businessperson’s
entrepreneurial career.
ways acceptable, but not always desirable.
Or at least desirable while on the route
to a successful outcome. Growth happens
between stages of execution of the experiment and measurement, while fear exists
between planning and experimentation.
Skunkworks Teams
Each organization needs to have a skunkworks team. A special team that breaks away
from the larger organization to work autonomously on an advanced or secret project.
Traditionally, skunkworks have been assembled by nations in the face of imminent
and exceptional threat from other nations.
Startups work under constant threat of
death. Whether you are a startup or not,
don’t wait till the threats are overwhelming.
Create a team now. Staffed by complementary skills and cross section of disciplines, if
they are empowered and given the room to
experiment these teams will bring innovation to your company. Identify persons that
go against the grain and embrace failure as
a learning outcome.
Failing and creating go hand in hand. As
long as the failures are learned from in a
controlled fashion, the creations or innovations will be spectacular.
Stavros Messinis is the co-founder of
coLab Workspace. He is also a member
of the Startup Weekend global facilitators
group powered by the Kaufmann foundation. Since selling his stake in coLab, he is
currently planning his next entrepreneurial collaboration workspace to be launched
in Athens in the coming months.
NAMES & FACES
...in the news
 ONEX Supports Sport
Within the framework of its strong belief in supporting athleticism,
ONEX is a proud sponsor of Christos Volikakis, the Greek track
cyclist who attained significant success at the UCI Track World Cup,
held January 17-19, 2013 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. In addition,
ONEX supports long distance runner Popi Astropekaki, who is set to
compete in the Paris Marathon on April 7, 2013.
 Endeavor Global Adds Two Greek Companies
Endeavor Global’s 47th International Selection Panel – ISP Endeavor
Global hosted more than 100 businessmen and representatives of their
international network in Athens. Thirteen companies were added,
including two Greek from Greece, Obrela Security Industries (www.
obrela.com) and Out There Media (www.out-there-media.com).
Obrela Security Industries provides services to assess and manage
information risk for complex enterprise environments and major domestic and 500 global corporations. Out There Media operates in mobile advertising, and works with brands, advertising agencies, small
businesses and e-commerce companies around the world to increase
their visibility and interaction with consumers.
 Dance of Zalongo
Dance of Zalongo, by Greek-American author Christos Papoutsy,
offers the perfect introduction to the Hellenic struggle for freedom.
The book offers in-depth coverage of this critical moment in Western
history. Dance of Zalongo explains the significance of the Souliot sacrifice for Greece and its place in the struggle for freedom. This pivotal
moment has been preserved for posterity through art, film, music and
dance. The bravery of the Souliot women who jumped to their death
rather than become Muslim slaves left an indelible mark on the West.
“Liberty or Death!” has been their rallying cry, echoing throughout
history. Available at Amazon.
Speaker’s
Corner
Economic Counselor
David Lippeatt, the new Economic Counselor
at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, is a career
economic officer in the U.S. Foreign Service.
He has 18 years of policy analysis experience
in the areas of energy, environment, macroeconomics, ICT and innovation. Recently,
David served as special assistant on EuroDavid Lippeatt
pean and environmental issues to the State
Department. He was Economic Policy Unit Chief at the U.S.
Mission to the EU in Brussels from 2007-2010. David also led
engagement with host governments on key economic issues
at overseas postings in Poland (1995-97), Colombia (1997-99)
and Peru (2002-05). He has earned major State Department
awards including the Assistant Secretary’s Award for Environment, Science and Technology (2003), Superior Honor Award
(2007) and Meritorious Honor Awards (1999, 1997). He holds
degrees from Stanford University and the University of Texas
at Austin. He is married with two children, and is originally
from Southern California. He enjoys classical history and outdoor activities, and so is delighted to be posted in Greece.
SBC—Expanding Financial TV
Anthony Tantoulos
SBC TV is the only financial news TV network
in Greece that broadcasts its program around
the clock, through DIGEA in Attica, OTE TV, as
well as online via www.sbctv.gr. Director Anthony Tantoulos and his team promise to put
SBC TV on the Greek TV map with more segments, news, analysis of international developments and stock exchange coverage.
Stelios Stavridis Heads TAIPED Stelios Stavridis
The Ministry of Finance has appointed Stelios
Stavridis to be the new president of TAIPED,
the Hellenic Republic Asset Development
Fund, replacing Takis Athanasopoulos. Mr.
Stavridis was managing director and president of EYDAP and has been a long standing
member of the American-Hellenic Chamber
of Commerce for many years.
A Chance Affair
It’s Not The Failure...
—Jim Rohn
—Michael Jordan
Your life does not get better by chance,
it gets better by change.
I can accept failure, everyone fails at
something. But I can’t accept not trying.
Aris Kefalogiannis
CEO, Gaea Products S.A.
reinspire greece
What is reinspire Greece?
To inspire, motivate and encourage Greek youth at a
time of high unemployment, Gaea and Celebrity GreekAmerican chef Cat Cora launched a charitable initiative—Re-Inspire Greece.
Through the online sale of Cat Cora’s Kitchen by Gaea
“Antiparos Agrilia Estate” Organic Extra Virgin Olive
Oil” exclusively for the U.S. market, young Greeks
will be able to propose their business ideas and to
win the chance of funding their own business with a
grant of 25,000 Euros ($30,000). You can contribute
via www.ReInspireGreece.com
Why is this so important for Greece today?
The unemployment rate in Greece, especially among
youth, is higher than ever. At Gaea we consider our
community an essential part of our success and cannot
stay untouched by this situation. It is of great importance to help young Greeks becoming an active part of
society. Given that more and more Greeks are leaving
the country in search of a better life abroad, this is our
way tp help them stay in touch with the land of their
forefathers, their heritage, and their history.
Tell us a few words about Gaea
Gaea was founded in 1995 with a vision to become the
leader in the category of Mediterranean Greek cuisinemeze, synonymous for quality, tradition, authenticity and
innovative Greek specialty foods. In the U.S. we teamed
up with Cat Cora to create a line of the finest all-natural
products, inspired by the flavors of the Greek heritage.
The Energy Equation
In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive
than energy devoted to patching leaks.
 Club Hotel Casino Loutraki invests in Culture
Club Hotel Casino Loutraki sponsored the illumination of the Temple of Apollo in the archaeological
site of Ancient Corinth. The illumination ceremony was held January
26. The preservation and promotion
of the Temple of Apollo began in
1886 by the German archaeologist
Wilhelm Dörpfeld. Since the previous century until today the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, in cooperation with the
Ephorate Classical and Prehistoric Antiquities Corinth, continue the
efforts to preserve the monument.
 Ioannina Researchers Win MIT’s First Prize for
Innovation
Greek researchers won first prize for innovation and better resource
management in an MIT contest for innovation in health and well-being this past January. Priority was given to the development of a prototype that would allow patients to be in control of their health. The
Greek team, comprised of A. Tzallas and M. Tsipouras from Ioannina, among others, constructed a system which consists of two smart
devices, a glove and a cup. The system, and software, monitors and
assesses bradykinesia and rest tremor symptoms in patients suffering
from Parkinson’s, and the optimal adjustment of their medication.
 EuroCharity Yearbook
EuroCharity chose for its 6th Yearbook the theme
Innovation for Excellence, since local and global
challenges call for innovative solutions.The 6th
EuroCharity Yearbook will profile leading CEOs,
corporations and organizations leading the way
with innovation. It will also future leading decision-makers, entrepreneurs, Nobel Laureates,
professors, scientists, gurus and others to share
their views. The album is scheduled for release in June and is to be
presented to a global audience in Athens and in Brussels.
 AIA—New Services
Athens International Airport has introduced a number of new services and facilities. The new additions include: Arrivals Central Info,
Renovation of Bus Gates, Virtual Assistants, an Internet Island,
Time-to-Gate monitor, Branded Video Walls, and World Tracer Kiosks in the event of lost luggage. Kalo Taxidi!
The Blame Game
Destiny’s Child
—Douglas Noel Adams
—Lao Tzu
When you blame others, you
give up your power to change.
If you do not change direction, you may end up
where you are heading.
—Warren Buffett
MarketPlaces
Going Digital, Staying True
Please tell us a little about the Ianos
brand—what it is, what it represents,
where it operates.
Ianos Culture Chain was founded in 1984,
in Thessaloniki. The first store is a cultural
center that hosts many activities, including a bookstore, an art gallery and cultural
events venue. Since then, the company has
added another six branches, with the latest
being Ianos Artshop in Athens. Furthermore, it continued developing a range of
new activities (Ianos Digital, Ianos Radio,
Ianos Art), and today is established as one
of the most innovative and successful businesses of the Greek book and culture industry. Distinct identity, innovation and highquality standards of service are the three
pillars underpinning the high recognition
and powerful business profile of Ianos.
So, the physical space of Ianos is pretty
dynamic. What about virtual spaces?
Our e-shop (www.ianos.gr) began operating in 1998. It was the first e-bookstore in
Greece and since then it has been a dynamic virtual space that serves the needs
of all parts of the country and Greek people living abroad. We have alsolaunched a
series of versatile digital activities such as
Internet Radio, Web TV, and Ianos Digital,
a new business initiative focusing on digital
publishing, mobile media projects development, interactive social web platforms, and
a series of digital culture activities.
How does Ianos Radio and Ianos TV, for
instance, support your business model?
They both give us the opportunity to transfer
the in-store experience of our dynamic events
venues online. They both support our business model in other ways as well, acting as autonomous activities to generate independent
revenue streams or promoting our brand.
Now you have launched Ianos Digital.
What is this platform?
Ianos Digital integrates all Ianos digital
activities, co-developed with Nondas Syrrakos, who is Digital Brand Director. Our
goal is to develop a digital social hub that
will host all digital activities empowered by
Kostis Karatzas, Executive
Vice President at Ianos,
discusses the the evolution
of a brand and the
business of culture.
Ianos. Objective are:
• Development of a social web platform
that enables users to view, comment, discuss, provide feedback and rate all Ianos
activities, services and products.
• Holistic Digital media culture projects on
a cross platform approach, both web and
mobile media.
• Initiatives within Ianos activities that could
be considered as start-up projects.
• Development of an internal full structured
and dynamic social media squad, providing
added value, dialogue-oriented content.
And you have two new applications. Tell
us about these innovative apps.
The first, based on the book “You speak
Greek, you just don’t know it” by Annie
Stefanides, is a selection of more than 6.000
Greek words that one finds in the English
language. On the iPhone screen, this journey through the Greek language becomes
an interactive experience; the user “plays,”
trying to find the Greek word that is the
origin of the English word on the screen or
vice versa. This innovative app is the outcome of a creative process restructuring
original content (dictionary oriented) into
a new gamified environment.
iTunes URL - http://goo.gl/vwdQO
Our latest app is the ‘Global Music Timeline,’ a collection of 80.000 composers, guitarists, manufacturers, singers and more,
by Notis Mavroudis. Timeline philosophy
and structure allow immediate usability
upon first data reference. It guides you in
a charming musical journey, through ages,
genres, aesthetic trends, and forgotten information sources.
iTunes URL - http://goo.gl/h6ox4
Both apps, are powered by Ianos Digital
and they will be followed by a series of mobile media projects.
BIZ BUZZ
Six Trends
Reshaping Small Businesses in 2013
1. Resilience as the New Norm This year, businesses will be focused on “resilience”—in everything to crises to natural disasters.
2. Changing Demographics and Regional Growth Patterns Business owners should start looking at how cities and regions are being reborn: Wind
turbines and biotech clusters are now just as important to Rust Belt cities as automotive and steel factories once were.
3. The Rise of the Freelancer Employers can now farm out the work that’s
needed instead of committing to longer-term contracts and maintaining unnecessary
overhead.
4. Gamification From training and e-learning to simple sales challenges, gaming is
adding value in unsuspected areas.
5. Crowdfunding Watch for an uptick in industry-specific innovation marketplaces
that take a few pages from the KickStarters and add some twists of their own.
6. Data in Everything Big data is transforming how businesses improve the
customer experience and uncovering valuable information buried in supply chains
 Source: Forbes
everywhere.
Ambassador Smith Hails
HP-Cosco-Trainose Agreement
U.S. Ambassador Daniel Bennett Smith joined Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, company executives, and other dignitaries in Piraeus on Friday, March 1 at a ceremony marking Hewlett Packard’s decision to use the Piraeus Port as
a key distribution hub for Central Europe, the Middle East,
North Africa and the Mediterranean.
In his remarks, the Ambassador saluted HP’s cooperation
with port operator COSCO and Greek rail operator TrainOSE, terming it “an important sign that Greece’s effort to
create an environment that will attract new foreign investment is bearing fruit.”
Commenting on the Port of Piraeus’ strategic advantages, Ambassador Smith said that
the deal underscores that international companies are increasingly recognizing Greece’s
potential to become a key hub for international trade, transportation, and services.”
Scientists at
Aristotle
University of
Thessaloniki
Synthesize Silver
Nanoparticles
A team of researchers from Greece
and Spain have managed to synthesize
silver nanoparticles, which are of great
interest thanks to their application in
biotechnology, by using strawberry tree
leaf extract. The new technology is ecological, simple, cheap and very fast.
Silver nanoparticles are used in advanced technologies from compounds
for distributing medicines through to
electronic devices, catalysts, contaminant solvents.
The technique has been developed by
scientists at the Aristotle University
of Thessaloniki and Madrid’s Carlos
III University and consists of adding
an extract of the leaf to a silver nitrate
aqueous solution. Silver nanoparticles
form immediately after stirring the
mixture for some minutes.
“There are other methods for producing
them but this process is the most simple, low cost and easy to implement,”
outlines Sophia Tsipas, researcher and
coauthor of the study.
Charles Leadbeater
on Consumer-Driven Innovation
“All of our patents, our entire approach to patents and invention, is based on the idea that the
inventor knows what the invention is for; we can say what it’s for. More and more, the inventors of things will not be able to say that in advance. It will be worked out in use, in collaboration with users. We like to think that invention is a sort of moment of creation: there is a
moment of birth when someone comes up with an idea. The truth is that most creativity is
cumulative and collaborative, like Wikipedia, it develops over a long period of time.”
Authentic
Greek Products
Go Global
As the global demand for the “Mediterranean diet” increases, more and more
Greek food and beverage companies
are finding their way onto foreign supermarket shelves.
The latest Greek products to reach
British shores come from Freshline
Gourmet (a division of I.C.B. Services
Ltd), a company which aims to provide
an extensive line of the highest quality, great tasting and all natural foods
Greece has to offer.
“We are very excited to bring health and
longevity to family tables across the
world, by providing them with some of
the highest quality foods Greece has
to offer. We feel confident that our new
venture will prove to be an overwhelming success and that we will contribute
considerably in increasing Greece’s food
export activity,” said Andri Andreou,
Managing Director of I.C.B. Services Ltd.
The company plans to expand distribution of its yoghurts, cheeses, olive oils
and other products to more international markets shortly, as well as expand
its range of products into new tastes.
Louis Group Celebrates
Re-launch of Greek Island Hotel
“Mykonos Theoxenia”
Designed by the famous Greek architect Aris Kostantinides and recently refurbished befitting the retro sixties theme by the renowned interior designer Angelos Angelopoulos,
the Greek Island hotel Mykonos Theoxenia is now a Louis Group hotel and a member of
the trendy Design Hotels of the World group.
To celebrate, Louis Group is pleased to re-launch Mykonos Theoxenia – the favorite
Mykonos hotel of iconic First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as well as Grace Kelly
and other stars.
Restored to its former glory with its distinct stone and whitewashed corners, the Theoxenia reintroduces 60s glam to its guests. ‘The plate’, the hotel’s restaurant provides the
most breathtaking view on the island with balconies opening on the water and a whitewashed chapel right below whose belfry hides the melting colors of sunset as sumptuous Greek cuisine is served.
Intrasoft Wins $6.2 Million Contract in Qatar
to Support Tax Transformation Process
Following an open international procurement process, the consortium that includes
Intrasoft International as the strategic partner for large-scale IT Systems in the business
domain of taxation, has been selected by Qatar’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, for
the supply and implementation of a Tax Administration System (TAS). The other members of the consortium include Qatar-based Mannai Corporation and Oracle Consulting.
The project, which will run for eighteen months with a maintenance period of additional five years, is the second similar project in the region for the company, reflecting
Intrasoft’s rising global expertise in the implementation of large-scale information
systems in the field of taxation.
Under the deal, Intrasoft will provide services related to the parameterization, adaptation,
integration, training and technical support of the Turn-key Integrated Commercial-off-theshelf (COTS) Software Solution for the implementation of the Tax Administration System.
Upon completion of the project, the Qatar’s Ministry of Economy and Finance will
possess a modern system with the means to proactively automate and manage their
workload and direct resources to service and compliance activities as required.
Connect AMERICA
GR@USA
News and developments from across the
Greek-American bridge
USA: Congressional Hellenic-Israel Alliance
The Eastern Mediterranean is transforming,
and partnerships are
being formed to reflect
the changing geopolitical reality. The United
States should support and recognize the
region’s blossoming Hellenic-Israeli partnership, which could be transformative for
the respective nations and the international community of democratic stakeholders.
Together, Cyprus, Greece and Israel will
help strengthen our shared democratic
values in the region. The countries’ strategic location, natural resources and intellectual capital bring issues, such as economic development, energy production
and counterterrorism, to the forefront.
Therefore, it is no accident the HellenicIsraeli region has seen a flurry of bilateral diplomatic activity surrounding the
enhanced alliance. Optimistic agendas
around issues, including strategic defense, energy and knowledge transfer,
have emerged that will, with U.S. involvement, strengthen political, military and
Greek Yogurt—
Boosting Health and the
U.S. Economy
New York officials want the state to be part of a pilot program to
test the cost-effectiveness of serving Greek yogurt in school meal
programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is starting a pilot
program that could lead to more Greek yogurt in schools as early as
April. New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine
has written the USDA urging that New York be chosen for that program. The Greek yogurt business has been booming nationwide and
in New York. Two of the largest Greek yogurt producers, Chobani
and Fage, have production facilities in upstate New York and buy
tons of milk from dairy farmers in the region (Chobani is not Greek
owned). Sen. Charles Schumer says New York’s participation would
boost nutrition for students and help the state’s dairy farmers.
energy security – not just in the Eastern
Mediterranean, but across the globe.
They will also provide a buffer against
internal and external threats in Israel,
Cyprus and Greece.
The increasing threat of a nuclear Iran, the
implications of the Arab Spring, the potential for natural gas pipelines in Cyprus and
Israel, and the hope of mutually beneficial
economic activities have initiated new cooperation between these nations.
It is for this reason we have founded the
Congressional Hellenic-Israel Alliance.
RePower Greece
ReVisits the United States
In February, RePower Greece convened an academic discussion
series at 14 universities in the United States, including Harvard,
MIT and Columbia. The discussions were designed to exchange
ideas and inform participants of the constructive, result-oriented forces shaping positive change in Greece—with the goal to
restore Greece’s credibility with a critically important audience.
Students and professors presented specific proposals on how to
move forward based on their own knowledge and experience of
Greece, either in the form of a presentation (8 at each event), or
through roundtable discussions. These proposals offered practical
and realistic solutions, based on optimizing Greece’s best features.
The result was a wide-ranging set of ideas, notable for their insight and innovative qualities, that seek to leverage the advantages
of Greece toward a constructive, positive, and productive future.
 An overview of the discussion series may be found at
http://www.repowergreece.com/
Travel USA
On the occasion of
Greece’s entry into the Visa
Waiver Program, the U.S.
Commercial Service of
the American Embassy in
Athens is showcasing all 50
states and five territories in
Business Partners.
Discover America—Maine
★
K
nown for its lovely scenery and rocky coastline, the state of Maine is an excellent choice for vacationers looking for outdoor recreation and authentic New
England experiences. It’s the least populated of the New England states, and
boasts a dramatic coastline of more than 3,500 miles, plus bold mountains,
clear lakes, sandy beaches, fascinating wildlife and huge tracts of forested
wilderness. It also offers bustling cities, quaint fishing villages, fantastic outlet shopping,
unique accommodation and some of the finest restaurants in New England, where you
can feast on lobster and other fresh local produce. Maine’s rich history of shipbuilding,
seafaring, fishing and lumbering is preserved today in the stately homes of former sea
captains and lumber barons, and in cultural history and art museums.
Along the coast, Acadia National Park offers 45,000 acres of spectacular mountain and
ocean panoramas. Thousands of islands, some inhabited, others not, are accessible by
car ferry, pleasure boat, or sea kayak. Going to the beach, whale watching, and fishing are
popular coastal activities. Inland, the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers feature some of the
best whitewater rafting on the east coast, while over 200,000 acres in ‘forever wild’ Baxter
State Park are home to Mt. Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak, and many species of wildlife.
In winter, family resorts in the western part of the state, such as Sugarloaf and Sunday
River, are meccas for downhill and Nordic skiers and snow boarders.
Mount Katahdin
THE PINE TREE
STATE
Land Area 33,215 square miles
Population 1,321,505
State Capital Augusta
Largest City Portland
Local Time EST - 7 hrs behind Greece
Climate Maine’s four seasons offer a
healthy, invigorating environment. The
average daytime summer temperature is
about 70°F (21°C), while average winter
temperature is about 20°F (7°C)
National Parks There is 1 National
Park, 1 National Forest and 51 State Parks
and Public Reserved Lands
 For more information:
Maine Office of Tourism
Tel: 00 1 877-624-6331
Web: http://www.visitmaine.com
Techno Logia
Meet Pebble
Amidst growing anticipation for rumored Apple and Samsung smart watches, Pebble, the
crowdfunded smart watch, began shipping units to backers in late January. With a modest
funding goal of $100,000, the project raised a jaw-dropping $10 million on kickstarter.com in
just one month.
Pebble claims to be the first watch built for the 21st century. It is infinitely customizable, with
beautiful downloadable watchfaces and useful internet-connected apps. Pebble connects to
iPhone and Android smartphones using Bluetooth, alerting you with a silent vibration to incoming calls, emails and messages.
Pebble’s design is minimalist yet fashionable and seamlessly blends into everyday life. It’s even
water-resistant, letting you take your world with you wherever you go! It is an exciting start to
a year that will likely redefine the concept of a watch.
Soundtrack to Your Life
The increasing portability of music has given fans all over the world the ability to listen to any
song, anywhere. One Australian company has taken it one step farther. Moodlstr, a new music
player for IOS, designed to compete with the native Music app, allows users to create custom
playlists based on “moods”, then, blend mood profiles into the perfect soundtrack for any
given moment.
Whether it’s “workout” music, a list of your best “driving” tunes or simple “songs for sitting
on the beach and staring at the stars”, Moodlstr lets you create the perfect audio profile for
whatever mood you’re in—or for what ever situation arises. Full social media integration lets
you then share your musical mood with the world.
Fast St
Sony Unveils Next Chapter
in Video Game History
On February 20, Sony announced the PlayStation®4 (PS4)
console, its next generation console that redefines rich and immersive gameplay with powerful graphics and speed, intelligent personalization, and deeply integrated social capabilities.
Social interaction is key to the PS4. For the first time ever,
gamers can share their epic triumphs with the press of a button. PS4 also enhances social spectating by enabling gamers
to broadcast their gameplay in real-time to friends. During
live broadcasts, friends can make comments on the streamed
gameplay and, if a gamer gets stuck on a challenging level,
friends can also help!
The console will also feature an all-new wireless controller and
two wide-angle cameras which allow for advanced body and
face recognition software in gameplay.
One Giant Leap Forward
Raise your hands and wave hello to the future. The Leap Motion controller senses your individual hand and finger movements so you can interact directly with your computer. Just
connect the device and instantly get 8 cubic feet of awesome,
intuitive, 3D interaction space.
The possibilities are endless. Want to create rich 3D models
with flicks of your hand? Done. Securely sign a digital document with a pen? Easy. Immerse yourself in games like never
before? Bring it on.
This isn’t a game system that roughly maps your hand movements. The Leap Motion controller is 200 times more accurate
than anything else on the market. At just about the size of a
flash drive, it can track your individual finger movements to
1/100th of a millimeter.
The two best details? It’s only $79.99 and it ships in May!
d
App
iTunes U Content Tops One
Billion Downloads
In February, Apple announced that iTunes U content downloads have topped one billion. iTunes U features the world’s
largest online catalog of free educational content from top
schools and prominent libraries, museums and organizations
helping educators create courses including lectures, assignments, books, quizzes and more for iOS users around the world.
“It’s inspiring to see what educators and students of all types
are doing with iTunes U,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice
president of Internet Software and Services. “With the incredible content offered on iTunes U, students can learn like
never before there are now iTunes U courses with more than
250,000 students enrolled in them, which is a phenomenal
shift in the way we teach and learn.”
ure
Feat
Major Milestone in Online Ed
Air Login Brings Your Mac
to Your iOS Device
We’re a month into 2013. You’ve resolved to amp up your
productivity and work smarter this year. So how’s that
going?
Fear not, Avatron Software’s newest remote login app, Air
Login 1.0.2, is here to help—making sure that wherever
you go, you have everything you need. Air Login is essentially a zip-line between the iOS device in your hand
and your Mac. You can quickly edit files—even Photoshop
or Flash—on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, using your
familiar Mac applications as if they were right there.
Realize you forgot to update your client logo on the PowerPoint while waiting in their lobby to present? Air Login
allows you to access the file from your Mac at home or office and update the presentation from your iPad. Need to
edit the brochure in Photoshop before going to print? Air
Login brings the Photoshop app to your fingers.
The Air Login download is free on the iTunes app store,
and allows full login access to shared computers on a
local network, but users must purchase a subscription to
the service to use it from remote networks.
tories
New Firefox OS
Coming Soon
During the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona,
Mozilla previewed the first commercial build of its Firefox OS
open mobile ecosystem and announced new operator rollout.
The first wave of Firefox OS devices will be available to consumers in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro,
Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela. Additional markets will
be announced soon.
Firefox OS smartphones are the first built entirely to open
Web standards, enabling every feature to be developed as
an HTML5 application. Web apps access every underlying
capability of the device, bypassing the typical hindrances of
HTML5 on mobile to deliver substantial performance. The
platform’s flexibility allows carriers to easily tailor the interface and develop localized services that match the unique
needs of their customer base.
Sound You Can Touch
Sound is everywhere, blasting from your computer, cellphone, and car radio. At first, sound
existed in invisible waves, and more recently, in iconic visualizations. Now you can hold now
it in your hand.
Shapeways, an industry leader in 3D printing technology, recently launched The Vibe, an
iPhone case you can fully customize with your favorite sound from SoundCloud, the social
sound platform.
The Vibe is incredibly easy to customize: you connect to SoundCloud, select your favorite
sound, and the waveform will integrate into the very structure of the iPhone case. The result is
a beautiful, unique protective case, available in top-quality white or black 3D printed plastic.
You can mold any sound into your case, from your favorite song to your child’s first words.
The Interview
Car Insurance.
Online. Direct.
Hellas Direct.
Alexis Pantazis
and Emilios
Markou, founders
of Hellas Direct,
speak to Business
Partners about
their streamlined
approach to selling
car insurance.
How did the idea for Hellas Direct come about?
We first looked into launching our own venture in 2008. We were both working
in London at the time and we had invested in a number of start-ups together,
which got us thinking what it would be like to set up our own thing. The financial crisis had already hit New York and London and we could see that it was
just a matter of time before it spread to the East. Scanning across the broader
Southeast Europe area, we were surprised to see that there were no pure directto-consumer insurance companies around, leaving the consumer overcharged
and underserved by a series of middlemen and lethargic providers. We had always admired the simplicity of Geico’s business model—by June 2009 we had
both left our jobs and starting working on a business plan to build a next-generation car insurance company in the region.
What is Hellas Direct’s competitive advantage?
We are quick: it takes our average customer 4’42’’ to purchase a policy, with all
documents being delivered directly to their inbox.
We make things simple: we speak in plain language and we have removed all
small print from our policies. Our site is easy to use and we are fully online (we
see no need for random documents being faxed here and there). We offer comprehensive covers, with services we know our consumers need.
We save consumers money: we use no middlemen, eliminating all commissions
and hidden costs. We deal directly with our clients and we are proud to say
that we are not for everyone—we focus on safe drivers and we can offer them
competitive rates.
Still, what we would identify as our long-term competitive advantage is the ability to listen and react with services that our customers truly need. We hire intelligent and passionate people who are driven to change things for the better—
you’d be surprised how this comes through in our conversations with clients.
How has the reaction been by the consumer to your new business model?
Being a new company and competing against established brands, we never ex-
Alexis Pantazis and Emilios Markou
pected to attract huge interest during out first year of operation. Still, it seems
that the Greek consumer is currently re-evaluating all relationships and is open to
change. Fed up with the old, the Greeks seem willing to give new ideas a chance.
We have been overwhelmed by the level of support we received during our first
five months of operation and we have given more than 23,000 quotes to date!
The expat community has been particularly welcoming to us. Being one of the
few—if not the only—insurance sites available in English (including our policy
terms and all documentation), we are able to cater to foreigners living in Greece.
How did you convince big name global capital to back this initiative during a
very uncertain period for Greece?
We have been fortunate enough to have an impressive group of Greek and international investors backing us, people who have built successful businesses
around the world. Among them are British venture capitalist Jon Moulton, the
Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management Jim O’Neill, and Trifon Natsis,
one of the founding partners of Brevan Howard LLC.
Raising capital for a Greek investment was not easy. During our fundraising,
Greece received the first Euro-area bailout, it was plagued by strikes and political unrest and it changed no less than five prime ministers. The investors who
resonated with our message were mostly contrarian thinkers, who were of the
view that you cannot wipe out a country and people will always need basic
financial services. During our journey, we approached 2,500 targeted investors
in 14 different countries and we met with 300 of them.
Equally important to finding equity investors was the strategic partnership we
implemented with Munich Re, the world’s largest reinsurance company. This is
an exclusive, multi-year agreement, whereby Munich Re shares our risk, essentially guaranteeing that our clients get paid in time and in full. It is the first time
that one of the world’s leading reinsurers signs on such an exposure in Greece.
How is technology changing the global insurance market?
The global insurance industry will go through the largest transformation of its
history in the next 5-10 years. Traditional players who do not adapt to change
will be forced out of business and companies which have not yet been formed
will rise to dominate the sector. Technology has already changed the way consumers interact with financial services companies (smartphones, social media).
With the commercialization of cloud computing (faster
processing capacity, unlimited memory), one would
expect insurance companies to be able to better analyze
risk and offer fairer pricing to consumers. At Hellas Direct, we are big believers in innovation and we see the
emergence of big data as the trend of the decade. We
are already using social media in our underwriting and
we use thousands of online factors in our pricing algorithms. More importantly, we are currently exploring a
series of telematics and pay as you drive solutions.
How do you see the future of the industry and Hellas
Direct?
The Greek insurance market has been plagued by bad
conduct at all levels over the past few decades. The absence of a competent regulator at the end of the century
fostered a series of oligopolistic practices and encouraged mis-selling across all distribution channels. The
consumer is the person who ultimately paid the bill for
this, through obscene commissions (more than 25%),
company closures and insurance companies refusing to
pay claims. We hope that the economic turmoil we are
currently going through will force people to become
more accountable and that the regulator will take on the
challenge of cleaning up the industry. We would not be
surprised if more than a third of the insurance companies currently operating in Greece were shut down. In a
fast consolidating market, we wish to be recognized for
our professionalism, high quality of service and (for the
safe drivers out there) the most competitive prices.
Thought Leaders
Business Partners presents
four thought leaders on
how Greece may evolve,
with a better use of public
space, a more enlightened
sense of talent, mobility,
and leadership, a sound
approach to energy
exploration, and a more
comprehensive policy for the
development of tourism.
Raymond Matera
Ideas
for a Better
Tomorrow
Thought Leaders
Sustainable Mobility
for Athens City Center
W
Stratos Papadimitriou
Professor of Transportation
Systems at the University of
Piraeus
hat do cities like Zurich, Munich, Vienna, Copenhagen,
Amsterdam, Paris have in
common? They are richer;
they have a higher quality of
life, and have implemented Sustainable Urban
Mobility Plans (SUMPS). One facet of these plans
is the creation of extensive pedestrian zones and
public spaces in the city center which, along with
improvements in the public transport system,
have made these cities exceptionally attractive to
millions of tourists, thus boosting substantially
the local economy.
New York
In May 2009, New York City implemented the
Broadway Boulevard project, which included new
pedestrian zones in Times Square and other areas. Back in July of 2012, the Mayor of New York,
Michael Bloomberg, when cutting the ribbon on a
new 20-mph ‘slow zone’ was quoted saying: “Our
roads are not here for automobiles. Our roads are
here for people to get around.” Earlier on he told
delegates at the Designing Cities Conference “The
streets were there to transport people. They are
not for cars…Cyclists and pedestrians and bus
riders are as important, if not, I would argue more
important, than automobile riders.”
Paris
In July 2007, many Parisians were surprised
when their mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, announced
the creation of a public bicycle sharing system
(Vélib’), a car-hire scheme and the expansion of
bicycle routes, aimed at reducing traffic in the
French capital. “All of these measures—said Vélib’,
the bus lanes, the tramway—are aimed at revolutionizing urban transportation and reducing private motor vehicle traffic, to curb carbon dioxide
emissions and purify the air.” He added, “The fact
is that automobiles no longer have a place in the
big cities of our times.” Having succeeded with
his initial plan, currently he is proceeding with
his plan to break up the two-lane urban motorway that has run along the edge of the Seine since
the 1960s and return Paris’s riverside world heritage sites to walkers and cyclists.
Athens
This discussion inevitably brings to our minds the
case of Athens central business district. Where do
we stand? What is our policy? What actions shall
we take? The fact is that our city center is suffering after years of neglect. Residents are leaving as
quality of life deteriorates, tourists find it unattractive, hotels and shops are closing. This economic,
social, and environmental degradation needs to
be reversed. If there is an urgent time to act and
act decisively in implementing actions aimed at
transforming the city center, this is the time. In
a period of deep economic recession, Athens is
called to find a different way to solve its problems
and claim a place among today’s major European metropolises. Its streets, like Panepistimiou,
have to be transformed from mere driveways of
through traffic to lively streets which can be enjoyed by residents, employees and tourists. All of
us, either as individuals or as members of associations, chambers of commerce, or citizen groups,
must become engaged as concerned citizens and
participate as stakeholders in actively supporting
change in reviving the heart of our city.
Rethinking Athens
An initiative in this direction is the so-called
“Rethink Athens” project. It is a multifaceted
intervention centered on Panepistimiou Street,
extending from Amalias Avenue to Patission
Street, and it includes a brand new Omonoia
Square. Pursuing a sustainable mobility strategy,
the backbone of the project is the extension of
the tram line from Syntagma Square and allows
for the roadside circulation of private cars and
public means of transportation, while the center becomes exceptionally pedestrian and bicycle friendly. The aim is for the city to reclaim its
public space and to evolve into a unique place,
where citizens from every corner of Athens can
meet, both in commercial and leisure activities.
Furthermore, Panepistimiou Street will become
part of an urban and architectural ‘ring’ that
links the pedestrian zone of the archaeological
sites with the most significant archaeological
museums of the city as well as with the most
significant focal points of cultural and commercial activity in the city. As all studies are sponsored and funded by the Onassis Foundation,
this project is being realized under a unique and
unprecedented public private partnership and
collaboration setting.
Moving Forward
Up to now the project is proceeding smoothly
through the phases of architectural design and
all relevant technical studies. As it will be moving forward to the detailed design and implementation phases, there are a number of issues that
should be carefully planned and examined to ensure its success as this is a very complex project
which will make fundamental changes to the way
we approach the city center. Mitigation measures,
such as changes in signal time in the surrounding
streets, reallocation of street space and the enforcement of parking restrictions will minimize
possible negative impacts. Delivery issues, taxi
pick up and drop off points as well as taxi stands
should being considered. While bus lanes are
being planned for both Stadiou and Akadimias
streets, they have to be enforced in order for them
to be fully utilized by public transport. Minimizing disruption during the construction phase is
another challenge.
A New Model
I am confident that this project will act as a catalyst in revitalizing the city center. It goes without
saying that it has to be complemented by other
actions in the social and economic domain. There
will always be skeptics and there will always be
resistance to change by some who will claim that
the project will disturb the “proper functioning
of city life” and see a problem in every solution.
However, as previous successful interventions
like Ermou and Dionysiou Aeropagitou street
have shown us, after an initial adjustment period, almost everyone is happy with the project
and no one wants to revert to the old system.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Great cities
round the world have demonstrated that they do
not depend on the private car to bring people to
the city center. We must follow these good case
studies and adjust them to our own environment
and setting. And, as Albert Einstein said, “You
cannot solve a problem with the same thinking
that created it.”
As Albert
Einstein
said, “You
cannot solve
a problem
with the same
thinking that
created it”
Thought Leaders
Talent & Mobility: Redefining
Leadership.
What do Thucydides and Aristotle Have to Tell Us?
T
Prof. James C. Wright
Director, American School of
Classical Studies at Athens
o answer this question, let’s start by
considering talent—a disposition or
aptitude toward something. Clearly
in this definition talent is related also
to skill and desire. There is no point
in attaining skill if one cannot use it and therefore the desire to do something skillfully will be
stronger if there is a likelihood of fulfillment. No
one would dispute that mobility, geographic and
social, meaning the freedom to move about and
to travel, and the freedom to realize one’s potential within a society, is fundamentally important
for the cultivation of talent.
What is the environment that fosters talent and
mobility? This is pertinent, since where talent
and mobility flourish, leadership will too. This is
because leadership, though related to charisma,
to personality, is tested and achieved in settings
where talent and mobility flourish. In this sense
I refer to an environment that permits success to
be measured by merit, or at least where merit has
some role in advancing highly qualified persons.
This may not sound very much like an archaeologist speaking, and may also seem somewhat idealistic. Let’s consider some archaeological examples.
Mobility is powerful in examining how societies
succeeded and developed in antiquity. Recent evidence shows that Crete was inhabited by hominids as early as 150,000 years ago, which could only
have happened if these early humans were able
to travel across the sea to reach the island. We
also have strong evidence to assert that Crete was
settled about 6,000 B.C. These settlers probably
came from Anatolia and ferried domesticated animals and plants. This “colonization” of Crete by
early agriculturalists required a group effort and
considerable logistics to organize seafaring vessels and a sufficiently large population of animals
and humans so that the community would take
root. It’s impossible to conceive of such an effort
without skill, talent, mobility, and leadership.
Mobility is essential for the island settlements of
the Aegean, and one of the most striking developments of the Early Bronze Age during the 3rd
millennium BC is the establishment of a network
of settlements throughout the mainland and the
islands that linked up with communities along
the Adriatic and Anatolia. We call this the “emergence of civilization” in the Aegean. It is accompanied especially by the rise of copper and bronze
metallurgy and commerce in raw materials. In
this example mobility, talent, and skill combine
in the emergence of craftsmanship and entrepreneurship. Leaders certainly took charge of managing the complex relationships of this milieu.
The Aegean and the mainland of Greece encourage these human characteristics and the forms of
social, political and economic organization that
follow. A particularly apt demonstration of this
is the ‘colonization’ movement of Greeks during
the 8th-5th centuries BC, when they established
settlements over much of the Mediterranean and
Black Sea. This great diaspora of Greek-speakers
happened in a specific socio-political context: the
settlers are known as apoikists (from the Greek
αποικία) who were led by an οικιστής, a founderleader, who was often later worshipped as a hero.
The leader of the Corinthians who settled Syracuse
in Sicily was Archias, a name that implies leadership. Members of these communities were citizens
and enjoyed equal rights (ισοπολιτεία) in the community, including equal distribution of land. As a
signal of the economic and entrepreneurial basis
of these efforts, some of these cities were originally
merchant outposts, known as εμπόρια.
Thinking about Greek colonization entails taking
into account the important notion of citizenship.
The fundamental importance of citizenship and
its relationship to leadership is one of the lessons
of Thucydides in his History of the Peloponnesian War. In Thucydides’ recounting of the funeral oration that Perikles delivers, the core values
of citizenship are laid out. Perikles speaks of the
equality of citizens in a democracy. He says democracy encourages men to exercise their talents
and strive for positions of leadership. He argues
that the place of democracy is the city (πὀλις)
where “…we employ wealth more for use than for
show, and place the real disgrace of poverty not
in owning to the fact but in declining to struggle
against it. Our public men have, besides politics,
their private affairs to attend to, and our ordinary
citizens, though occupied with the pursuits of industry, are still fair judges of public matters; for,
unlike any other nation, we regard him who takes
no part in the duties of the state not as unambitious but as useless.” (Thucydides II, 40). In this
phrase Thucydides emphasizes the responsibility
of the citizen to participate in the affairs of the
state, including political deliberations, defense,
industry, and cultivation of arts and leisure. In
short, talent is fostered by the mobility of the
citizen; their combination produces leaders, who
should inspire their fellow citizens to do their part
to advance the affairs of the city. In the development of democracy in Athens there was a tension
between the claims of the family and the clan on
a person’s loyalty and the claims of democracy
to give allegiance to the city. It is to this question
that Thucydides has Perikles speak. This tension
is mirrored in the comedies of Aristophanes and
the tragedies of Euripides and Sophokles—and
reverberates today in the struggle to reform the
economic, political, social, and religious institutions of modern Hellas.
Aristotle considers these matters in his Politics.
He lays out his claim that humans are political animals (Ὁ ἄνθρωπος φύσει πολιτικὸν ζῶον) and argues that since it is self-evident that the individual
cannot exist without being a member of a community, it is essential that each cultivates the other:
“Επιπλέον όμως και το κοινό συμφέρον κάνει τους
Thucydides emphasizes the
responsibility of the citizen to
participate in the affairs of the
state, and these include political
deliberations, defense, industry, and
cultivation of the arts and leisure.
ανθρόπους να ζουν μαζί, αφού τούτο συμβάλλει
στο να ζουν καλά. Και τούτος είναι ο μοναδικός
σκοπός, κοινός για όλους. Συγκεντρώνονται υια
ναζήσουν κι απαρτίζουν πολιτική κοινωνία” [edition KAKTOS, Εκδότης Οδυσσέας Χατζόπουλος]
(“Moreover as the common interest leads persons
to live together, since this contributes to good
living. For this is the sole purpose, the common
[good] for everyone. They come together so as to
constitute a political community.”) He argues that
the state (the πὀλις) is not merely constituted by
people living together in houses, by not harming each other, or by engaging in commerce with
each other—although such things are necessary,
but they are not sufficient unless there is common
participation in the goal of good living among
families, among generations, and in aiming at a
completely self-sufficient life. Aristotle acknowledges the tension between family, clan, and state,
but he emphasizes the need for them to come
together and support each other for the state to
function and to flourish.
These examples are very near—Aristotle’s Lyceum lies just above the National Gardens and the
Kallimarmaro; Thucydides places Perikles in the
Kerameikos Cemetery. Modern Athens and all of
Greece is hallowed ground for the institutions of
democracy. As business leaders it is good to consider what critically important practical roles talent
and mobility play in the cultivation of leadership.
Times of crisis are breeding grounds for leadership. The lesson for us is to recognize, as Aristotle
and Thucydides argue, that talent and mobility,
and the leadership which emerges, are grounded
in the cultivation of civic virtues that make life better for all members of the community and for all its
institutions, since the combination of these is the
sign of a healthy and dynamic state.
Thought Leaders
The Hydrocarbons of Greece
I
n the European Commission’s long-term study
of energy strategy, only two new sources of energy are identified to cover the ever increasing
needs of hydrocarbons in Europe: The North
Pole and Eastern Mediterranean.
Europe will face a gap of 100 bcm (billion cubic
meters) of gas a year, for a total consumption of
500 bcm per year at present, by the year 2018.
Between 2020–2025 oil also will reach its peak,
becoming rarer and significantly more expensive
from then on.
The European need for significant new sources of
hydrocarbons is well established.
In this environment the recent Cyprus and Israel
Dimitrios Vasileios Kokkinos
Dipl. Naval Architect, Ingenieur
Civil du Genie Maritime, Ingenieur
ENSTA, D. Eng (H.C.) Kingston
University/U.K., Managing Partner
INDEURCOG, Member of I.E.N.E.
in
Ap
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es
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Moesia
Balcanides
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Anatolia
.B.
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labrian A
rc
lle
Ca
N.
N.A.F.
Ta u r i d e s
s
H
Ionian
Basin
Ε
as
Sirt
Basin
Area likely with
NG deposits
Cyprus
el
tM
le
Cretan Basin
ni
edit
e
s
D
c Trench
erranean Rid
ge
Eratosthenes
Seamount
Levantine
Basin
Cyrenaica
Sinai
Africa
Area with significant
NG deposits
discoveries of hydrocarbons in the Levantine Basin, the area enclosed between Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Cyprus, are very encouraging for
hydrocarbon discoveries in Greece.
It is not wise to estimate the oil and gas potential
of a country prior to exhaustive collection and
analysis of data. The experience to date is that
there is a strong possibility of significant reserves,
but this, up to now, was not substantiated by exhaustive research leading to proof.
Non-industry readers may be surprised to learn
that hydrocarbon research, up to and including
the drilling of the exploratory well, may cost up
to 100 million dollars and only one in seven such
drillings is economically viable. For oil companies to undertake this risk a wealth of analytical
data is mandatory.
Internationally reputable scientists such as Foskolos, Samaras, Konofagos and Zelelides underline
the existence of significant hydrocarbons deposits in Greece
Advanced 3D type seismic data in a dense grid,
the result of the recent work of the specially
equipped vessel Nordic Explorer, are just now
available for the Ionian Sea and the south side of
Crete. This data will be processed and, within six
months to a year, will be given to the Greek State
and interested companies.
Subsequently, the sea area around Greece, with
an emphasis on the Ionian Sea and Crete, will be
split in blocks and each block will be auctioned
to prospective oil companies. We expect by 20162017 to have the first results.
From what we know now there are strong indications that hydrocarbon deposits are in existence in the Ionian Sea where there are two expected big blocks, called “Achilles” and “Pyrrus,”
west of Corfu.
These deposits are in line with existing opera-
tional deposits in Albania and the Adriatic and
belong to the same geological composition area.
Further down the map, in the Patras Gulf area,
we know that there are deposits in Zakinthos, in
the Keri area where oil trickles to the surface in
small quantities, and in Katakolo, where bubbles
of methane gas rise to the surface.
Some of these facts have been known since the
time of Herodotus. The strong possibility of significant hydrocarbon deposits in the Patras area
has been recently confirmed and enhanced by the
Nordic Explorer.
Initial drilling 30 years ago in Katakolo has found
quantities of gas which, with the prices of gas
then, was not economic to exploit.
There are even more suspected deposits south of
Crete, as reputable geologists have indicated, and
where intense advanced seismic research now
provides enough data to confirm the increased
scientific possibility of hydrocarbons to be worthy of exploratory drilling, after further research
and data evaluation.
There is also a strong possibility of a field southwest of Crete near the Libyan A.O.Z.
There are also strong indications of hydrocarbons
in other areas of Greece, such as Ioannina, Thessaloniki, Agrinio and of course in the Kavala–
Thassos area, to mention a few.
To date there has not been a lack of hydrocarbon
existence indications but a lack of the systematic
continuous research work required to optimize
the areas which are more worthy of further exploration and so leading to eventual discovery.
In a remarkable continuation of research for
Greece, spanning more than one government
and a number of years, the spasmodic and ad hoc
research of the past has been replaced by a methodical building-up of trustworthy data and a
modern, relevant law covering these issues.
For the first time following the work of the Nordic
Explorer, the Greek State will have a sound base
of facts to establish the blocks to be auctioned to
the oil prospecting companies.
It cannot be emphasized enough that oil companies undertake drilling only after the methodical
collection of data of every form, from satellite and
aerial surveys to seismic data and geological composition and ground analysis, because of the high
cost of drilling.
This is increasingly an expensive operation as the
data search focuses more and more on smaller areas, which have a higher percentage probability
of hydrocarbon existence. When the data are sufficiently positive, exploratory drilling starts.
Once reserves are proven, it remains for the oil
company to negotiate the Production Sharing
Agreement (P.S.A.) with the state for the drilling
to start. It is useful to note that the Greek State
has very weak knowledge of P.S.A. negotiations.
It is hoped that blocks will be defined by 2014–
2015 and drilling will start by 2015–2016.
Without cries of enthusiasm, but with an optimistic attitude, we can reasonably expect some
significant hydrocarbon discoveries in the near
future. The size of the economic benefit for the
country and the State is subject to the size of the
discoveries, their location, and the degree of extraction difficulties. However, experts expect a
benefit for the State of between 1 to 4 billion Euros per year and thousands of new jobs.
There is no doubt among specialists that oil and
gas will be found in Greece. How soon and how
much are not only subject to mother nature but
also depend on the Greek State continuing to
work with the spirit shown in recent years.
Zones of high economic and energy-related
interest for Greece-Cyprus
Discovered hydrocarbon
deposits
Gas pipeline
(proposed by the Prime
Minister of Israel)
Corfu
Italy
Greek territory
Greece
Turkey
Peloponnese
Kastelorizo
Cyprus
Crete
Syria
Lebanon
Israel
Herodotus
Basin
Libya
Areas of high
energy-related interest
for Greece-Cyprus
Egypt
Internationally reputable scientists such as Foskolos, Samaras, Konofagos and Zelelides
underline the existence of significant hydrocarbons deposits in Greece
Thought Leaders
Redirecting Greek Tourism
A
Andreas A. Stylianopoulos
President & CEO, Navigator
Travel & Tourist Services Ltd.;
Chair of the Chamber’s Tourism
Committee
lthough Greece is a veteran tourist destination, certain aspects of
its product are a bit like the human
brain that only uses a small percentage of its true potential. Clearly, a
number of things that concern the Greek tourism
product need to be reviewed and reconsidered,
because this country has many attributes yet to
be exploited with product enrichment in mind.
Tourism markets have changed remarkably in the
last two decades. People at all market levels are
more traveled and savvy these days, so every established destination needs to refresh its offering
in order to remain a strong player in this game.
Beyond Sun and Sea
In the old days it only took sunshine, a sandy
beach and perhaps a photogenic row of ancient
columns to seduce everyone’s heart and satisfy
their expectations. Those were innocent times, but
today’s Greece is a member of the Eurozone—no
matter how tenuously of late—and can no longer
compete as a cheap flip flop holiday destination.
Surely it is still a place that captures people’s imagination, but when they come here and see the
price of coffee, they start to look for the value that
justifies it.
Plus Greece must rise above the all-inclusive entrapment that has turned its mainstream tourism
into a head to head with countries it cannot viably compete with in terms of cost. Times have
changed, but the value is there if creativity and
effort are put into it.
Redirecting the Greek tourism product has been
a heated debate here for over a decade, but the
focus has been erratically subjective and often
contradictory, particularly where national policy
is concerned. The truth is that Greece cannot
abandon its sea and sun angle, but what it has to
do is enrich its value by investing in new niche
angles that will open up new and multi-seasonal
markets. Certainly there are places in Greece that
are still almost virginal and could go either way.
The emerging Southwest Peloponnese is a good
example, but there’s also a multitude of other destinations that are just being discovered, like Epirus, with infinite potential for premium alternative tourism.
New, Niche Areas
In the last few years more alternative tourism options have become available and some superbly
organized agro-tourism, naturalist, sportive and
action related holiday products are now on offer,
particularly in certain rather more obscure destinations of rare beauty.
As inbound tour operators and cruise specialists,
we are constantly looking for new ways to enhance passenger experience in Greek ports and
islands.
Gastronomy is in the early stages of being tapped
effectively for tourism. There is great potential
there, particularly since traditional Greek fare
has become world famous for being the healthiest of diets. More and more Greek destinations
are becoming aware of the value their superb local products could potentially wield, particularly
where gastronomical tourism is concerned. A
very interesting effort is Aegean Cuisine, (www.
aegeancuisine.gr), which started to brand island
gastronomy and is in the process of developing a
structured product out of it. This and other similar efforts will go a long way toward organizing all
the islands, so as to provide a consistent tourism
attraction throughout the Aegean. It is still early
days, but it is moving on the right track…
Greece is unique in that it has the only archipelago in the Mediterranean, an endless coastline and
a multitude of mainland ports to access unique
destinations. A lot of work is in progress to promote some lesser-known aspects of this multifaceted country, because Greece is not just the
Acropolis, Olympia, Santorini and Mykonos…
One could spend a lifetime exploring the Greek
islands and never cease to be amazed. Each has its
very own character and secret charm and when
one thinks that at best cruise lines only call at
5 or 6 of the 200 inhabited islands (out of more
than 3,000), one can imagine the potential. In
any case, contemporary cruising can only access
a small percentage of them, because of logistics
and ship sizes. I’m not going to be original if I
say that you cannot build a huge port infrastructure in every small island just to accommodate
today’s juggernauts, and even if it were possible,
it would most probably destroy any tourist value
that comes from authenticity and character. Cement and huge harbor piers tend to overshadow
the subtle quality and atmosphere of traditional
settlements and small fishing ports.
cruise lines have been very successfully selling
sea excursions in the Bahamas and Caribbean for
decades. Presently, Greece’s day cruise industry is
somewhat behind the times, but a serious venture
that will effectively upgrade it would revolutionize the sector’s popularity and also alleviate any
insurance related misgivings tour and cruise operators may have in selling sea excursions as part
of their programs.
Along the same lines Greece must capitalize on
a recent favorable legislative reform with regard
to diving. Obviously, with an archipelago full of
superb diving spots, there is great potential for
A New Network of Transit Hubs
Greece has a wealth of untouched
nature, dramatic landscapes, rare
flora & fauna, astonishing traditional
settlements and amazing historic
monuments tucked in the nooks and
crannies of its grand mountain ranges.
A creative idea for Greece’s overall future in tourism—and certainly for cruising—is to encourage
the development of a contemporary sea excursion industry that will operate modern catamaran or single hull vessels around Greece’s strategic
destinations in the Ionian and Aegean Seas. What
I mean is utilize larger island and mainland ports
with adequate infrastructure, (or strategically develop such to serve a cluster area where a nearby
access port is lacking), and thus create a network
of transit hubs where large cruise ships can be
accommodated alongside. From there, sea excursion vessels will enable passengers to experience
the true authenticity of smaller islands and other
attractive places that are only accessible to yachtsmen. It will also facilitate access to certain popular islands that are presently being approached
at anchor, with all the inconvenience of crowded
tender disembarkations. This way cruise lines will
be able to truly deliver Greece as a destination
and create original programs that will allow them
to sell more East Mediterranean itineraries that
will attract higher numbers of repeaters.
Sea Excursions—The Future?
Between Greece and Turkey, I believe sea excursions are the inevitable future. As far as cruising
is concerned, this idea is certainly not new, since
developing this niche holiday product at a very
high standard.
Finally, Greece is not just about the sea, because
the country has some of the most beautiful mountain destinations in the Mediterranean. Apart
from excellent ski resorts and other classic alpine
holiday products, Greece has a wealth of untouched nature, dramatic landscapes, rare flora &
fauna, astonishing traditional settlements and
amazing historic monuments tucked in the nook
and crannies of its grand mountain ranges. This
aspect of Greece probably allows the most room
for developing multi-seasonal tourism offerings
of great quality and value.
Redefinition of the
segmentation of markets
The WorkPlace
Leading
in the Human Age
M
anpowerGroup, the world
leader in innovative workforce solutions, announced
at the 2013 World Economic Forum in Davos its annual analysis of the macro-economic forces
evolving the world of work.
The paper “Leading in the Human Age: Why
An Era of Certain Uncertainty Requires New
Approaches to the World of Work”1 outlines
how companies can reinvent themselves as
flexible and adaptable Human Age Corporations in response to chronic unpredictability.
Since ManpowerGroup’s announcement of
the Human Age — a complex era where talent, as capital once was, is a key driver of
economic growth — at the 2011 WEF Annual Meeting, the macro-economic forces
conspiring to rewrite the rules that govern
our societies, economies and even our interpersonal interactions are growing not
only stronger, but more inextricably intertwined. These forces are pushing and pull-
ing in different directions, acting upon one
another, and changing their impact on the
world, until it becomes impossible to separate their effects-like a Gordian Knot.
As the Gordian Knot of uncertainty continues to grow and tighten, agility and the ability to innovate will come to define success.
Change must come to be an accepted and
expected part of everyday life for individuals, companies and governments. Time for
planning will continue to shrink and companies will need to focus on strategic agility
in the face of uncertain headwinds.
As the forces conspiring to drive the Human
Age continue to grow in strength, the traditional lines of bifurcation of our world and
societies begin to shift, with new divisions
and cracks appearing all the time just as new
connections are also forged. These new segmentations, not just of our political and economic structures, but of our social spheres,
require dramatic reinterpretation and redefinitions as shown in the picture below:
2012 Adjusting to a New Ecosystem
The Human Age
• Bifurcated World: The Reversal Growth Model
• Human Dynamics: The Scarcity and Abundance Inversion
• Riding the Wave: The Continuous Technology Evolution
• The Human Age: Transforming the Ecosystem
Today’s intertwining macro-economic forces
have blurred the lines of economic bifurcation. As economic power shifts between labor
markets, new divisions and cracks are surfacing. As new connections are forged, new subsets of political, economic and societal forces
emerge. How these forces will redistribute
power is difficult to gauge. New inequalities
and instabilities drive political and social unrest-fundamentally shifting the power and
dynamics between countries, social classes,
governments and their citizens.
Economic Evolution:
Materialization of Great
Inversions
Shifting populations within labor markets
are impacting both the scarcity and abundance of talent, natural resources, and jobs.
In turn, the rapidly changing nature of the
skills required in the workplace is driving
a disturbing and disruptive mismatch between the skills employers need and the
skills the workforce can offer. Another supply-demand conundrum that continues to
impact the world’s employment ecosystem
is the abundance of low-skilled workers.
The world’s skills mismatch has fostered evolutions, including the emergence of a second
economy. This concept is grounded in the
idea that more jobs have been lost due to
technological progress than delocalization,
and that overall productivity gains have reduced the number of workers needed to
perform those jobs. As productivity gains resulting from technology reduce the number
of jobs in some sectors, talent resources are
freed up for use elsewhere in the economy.
2013 Leading in the Human Age
Why an area of certain uncertainty requires
new approaches to the World of Work.
• Redefinition of the Segmentation of Markets
• Economic Evolution: Materialization of Great Inversions
• Technological Evolution: Shifting Sands Accelerate
• Certain Uncertainty
Accelerated
Technological R&D
Technology continues to significantly boost
productivity and accelerate innovation, if
used right. Wide-spread adoption of recently
emerging technologies, including geo-localization, Big Data and mobile platforms and
apps, have altered the shape of the world of
work. Companies must not only understand
the potential of technology, they must also
be able to harness it effectively. Although
Big Data has the potential to better identify
resources, including talent, businesses need
to understand how to unlock and sort Big
Data, so they can clearly connect its benefits
with developing innovative workforce solutions. The continued evolution of technology presents the world of work with opportunities to transform the shape and scope of
current work models.
Certain Uncertainty
In the Human Age, it is not the case that
just one small change is occurring at a time,
but each element of the system is dramatically transforming. Economic, political
and social turmoil are creating an era of
unpredictability, complexity, tension and
reduced flexibility. That is why the Human
Age continues to be so complex and chaotic and why the pace of change continues
to accelerate. This is what defines the era-a
sense of chaos where the only certainty is
that nothing can be certain.
Redefining systems and values can help encourage greater flexibility and a willingness
to embrace change that will help business
leaders maximize the power of human potential. The lack of a focused response can
have negative consequences for the workforce-and lead to declines in employee engagement and productivity. Engagement
remains a major dimension of retention,
motivation, and productivity.
Conclusion: Building a
Human Age Corporation
By establishing a foundation of core business
goals, companies can develop a strategy to respond to unpredictable situations that strikes
the right balance between the need for built
-in flexibility of plan and results. Work needs
to be reinvented so that it fits into both capitalism and talentism. In the Human Age, tal-
entism has unequivocally replaced capitalism
as the dominant world system, but capitalism
has not disappeared-rather the systems of
capitalism and talentism are now operating
side-by-side. Indeed, the two concepts must
work together. Talentism is probably the best
path to reinventing a more acceptable and
equitable form of capitalism.
The challenge facing us today is not to understand exactly how and why this is happening, but rather to begin to build the
frameworks, structures, strategies and systems that will allow us to evolve with the
Human Age, finding the fixed points within
a sea of uncertainty, even if the only certainty is that the world will continue to change.
ManpowerGroup’s 10-Step Plan can help
companies position themselves as Human
Age Corporations, with the ability to respond
quickly to fluctuating world and market forces to successfully execute business goals.
1
“ Leading in the Human Age: Why An Era of Certain
Uncertainty Requires New Approaches to the
World of Work,” is available for download at: http://
manpowergroup.com/research/research.cfm
Principles for Building the Human Age Corporation
WHAT WE USED TO DO…
WHAT WE SHOULD NOW DO…
Rigid, long-term business models, strategies, plans
Create a set of core principle of execution which are flexible and
adaptable to uncertainty
Siloed business and workforce strategies
Align workforce strategy to business goals
Segmentation of markets by geography
Segmentation of markets based on similarities, despite
geography
Technology to help processes
Technology to drive growth and productivity
Society based vertical hierarchy structure
Develop a “community” based horizontal hierarchy system
Manage teams based on business goals alone
Develop augmented managers to play a wider role in
developing growth, coaching teams and individuals
Leaders direct from the top in isolation
Leaders should work collaboratively to drive performance
Train individuals for the role they are currently in
Train individuals for the role they will likely take in the future
Find talent where the work is
Take work to where the talent is
Capitalism directs the company
Use Talentism to direct the company
The World of Work
Randstad Workmonitor
Women
in Leadership
Randstad Hellas is a leading HR
services company in Greece and
each quarter, since 2010, conducts
the Workmonitor survey to capture
labour market trends locally.
T
he Randstad Workmonitor
survey for 1st Quarter 2013,
explored women in leadership,
quarterly mobility, confidence
and job satisfaction.
In Greece, according to the latest findings
of the Randstad Workmonitor at the majority of Greek employers, senior management is more often male rather than female
(64%). Other countries that have more
male rather than female managers include
China (90%), India (80%), Japan (78%) and
Turkey (75%).
Gender Quotas
42% of those surveyed in Greece stated that
they believe men are far better suited to lead
a company. Only 29% of those surveyed locally believe that women are better suited
to lead a company. Interestingly, those
surveyed in Spain (56%), Chile (57%) and
Mexico (50%) share a higher preference for
female leadership.
While 70% agreed that they believe in diverse
and balanced male/female leadership teams,
52% of those surveyed agreed that personally they would prefer to have a male manager
rather than a woman. Only 26% agreed with
the statement ‘I would much rather have female manager than a male manager.’
When asked if gender quotas would work
as a lever to promote more women in leadership positions, 50% agreed with this in
Greece as opposed to 57% globally.
Leadership Opportunities
and Earnings
The survey found that in Greece 50% of
employers encourage women to pursue
leadership positions. However, 62% lo-
cally agreed that it is harder for women to
be promoted for leadership positions over
men. In Greece, 69% of those surveyed aspire to a leadership position. Three in four
(76%) employees in Greece state that men
and women are rewarded equally in similar
positions by their current employer.
Part-time Work
Working part-time in a managerial role is
rarely accepted by employers in Greece.
Only 25% stated that it is accepted locally.
Other countries where it is less accepted
include Japan (20%), Hungary (24%) and
Turkey (23%). 68% agreed that by working part-time employees hinder their career in Greece.
Mobility Index Decreases
The Randstad labor market “mobility index”
assesses employee’s readiness to change jobs
within the next six months. This is based
on people’s current job satisfaction, their
fear of being fired, their need to find new
personal challenges and confidence in finding a job elsewhere. The mobility index for
Greece decreased from 100 for Q4 2012, to
97.8 in Q1 2013. This result indicates that
fewer employees expect to be employed
elsewhere in the coming 6 months than
they did last quarter.
Of those surveyed in Greece in Q1, 17.4%
stated that they changed jobs in the last six
months, an increase of 1.3% since Q4 2012.
36% of those surveyed indicated that the
changed jobs in the last six months for better employment conditions and 31% had
personal desire for change.
Confidence in Finding a New
Job in Greece
Of those surveyed locally 38.6% expect that
they would be able to find a comparable job
within the next six months which is a slight
increase from the Q4 2012 result of 37%.
Fear of job loss increased slightly increased
slightly in Greece from 44% in Q4 2012 to
45.5% in Q1 2013.
% of employees by country who believe men are better suited to lead a company
52%
42%
51%
50%
41%
27%
23%
CHILE
22%
FRANCE
GREECE
HUNGARY
JAPAN
SINGAPORE
23%
SPAIN
SWEDEN
TURKEY
69%
69%
67%
ITALY
SPAIN
GERMANY
Job Satisfaction
While employees in countries like Norway (81%) and Denmark (79%) have the
highest job satisfaction levels, the latest
Workmonitor survey reveals employees in
Greece (52%) and Hungary (41%) are the
least satisfied. The job satisfaction rate in
Greece remains the same as in Q4 2012.
Job Satisfaction by Country
81%
79%
65%
63%
The Randstad
Workmonitor
52%
The quantitative study is conducted via an
online questionnaire among a population
aged 18-65, working a minimum of 24
hours a week in a paid job (not self-employed). The minimal sample size is 400
interviews per country, using Survey Sampling International. The sample size in
Greece was 405 interviews. Research for the
first wave in 2013 was conducted during 18
to 31 January 2013.
41%
HUNGARY
NORWAY
DENMARK
TURKEY
UK
GREECE
Shaping the World of Work
Randstad specializes in solutions in the field of flexible work and
human resources services. Our services range from regular
temporary staffing and permanent placement (professionals), HR
Solutions – Outplacement and Outsource Payrolling.
The Randstad Group is one of the leading HR services providers in
the world with top three positions in Argentina, Belgium & Luxembourg, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Greece, India, Mexico, the
Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United
States as well as major positions in Australia, Japan and the UK.
In 2012 Randstad had approximately 29,300 corporate employees
and around 4,500 branches and inhouse locations in 39 countries
around the world. Randstad generated revenue of 17.1 billion euro
in 2012. Randstad was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands. Randstad Holding nv is listed on the NYSE
Euronext Amsterdam, where options for stocks in Randstad are
also traded. For more information see www.randstad.gr
Leadership Tales
From Ancient Greece
An Apple
for Sparta
by Artemios Miropoulos
In his history novels ‘Gates of Fire’ and ‘Tides of War’
Steven Pressfield creates powerful images that stick
in our mind.
T
wo armies face each other; another one of the endless battles
between Greek City States of
classical times is about to begin.
Soldiers are resting their long
spears, heads pointing upwards. The forest of
spearheads of one of the armies is trembling
with unease. The tips of the other are steady
and relaxed. Heavy infantrymen, hoplites,
on both sides, same type of armor, round
shields; one side has them decorated with
elaborate scenes from the Greek mythology
aiming to intimidate the opponent. Heads of
the Medusa, Daemons, Gorgons, Nemesis.
They are the uneasy ones. The other side has
no fancy decorations, just their initials, the
Greek Lambda, ‘Λ’ from Lacedaemon; Spartans. That was enough to cause fear.
I was watching one of Walter Isaacson’s
presentations recently on Steve Jobs biography when the powerful simplicity of both
insignia, the Spartan Lambda and Steve
Jobs’ Apple, struck me as obvious. Both are
a choice of purity—focused, lean, powerful,
and stylish.
Isaacson describes Jobs’ ability to focus
with intensity, filtering out distractions, re-
lentlessly pointing his laser-like attention to
whatever priorities engaged him.
In classical times, where battles were fought
shoulder to shoulder, the shield of each soldier covered the exposed right part of his
companion to the left, but protection was
never enough. The last soldier on the right
had no such cover and pulled his shield a
bit more than his mate to the left would
have liked. All hoplites of the line pushed
for safety to their right. The same happened
on the other side and so, during battles, the
opponent formations unwillingly kept sliding away from each other. Soldiers struck
the opposite shield and then the next and
the next, hoping it would pass, subconsciously resisting to the madness of slaughter. All except the Spartans. There was no
sliding when Spartans were involved; they
had been trained to focus and struck to
their counterpart until he was down.
The Purity Ethos
Both Apple and Sparta also made a choice of
purity. Jobs, in his obsession for perfectionism, sacrificed the hacker ethos, which calls for
multiple interfaces and compatibility with all
sorts of devices and systems. Apple software
operates almost exclusively in Apple hardware. Jobs was allergic to the thought of unapproved apps or content polluting the perfection of an Apple device according to Isaacson.
Myth says Spartans threw their dysmorphic
infants in a cave called Ceadas, striving for
genetic perfection and blood purity, choices
that were additionally secured by their immense introversion. They had virtually minimum exposure to other civilizations through
trade, no sailing fleet, their allies inhabited in
geographical proximity and whenever they
exited Peloponnese it was for the purposes of
a military campaign.
Like the founder of Apple, they too had
their dark side. Although slavery was a
world-wide accepted practice at the time,
it was unheard of for Greeks to enslave
Greeks. Except for the Spartans. According
to tradition, the highly religious Spartans,
who marched to battle with their long hair
chanting religious hymns, had the Messinians, a neighboring Greek race of the same
ancestral blood trace, under the most ruthless oppression. A whole enslaved society
living and working under dreadful condi-
The Spartan Approach
Apparently there is limited room for extensive comparison. However, the most
intriguing and fascinating commonality is
that both Apple and Sparta turned simplicity into art. One connected the beauty of
leanness to power, the other to technology.
According to Isaacson, Steve Jobs had an
instinct to zero in on the essence of a thing
and eliminate unnecessary components.
Fewer buttons, fewer led lights and port
holes, all well hidden to preserve the elegant
austerity of the main form. And Apple’s
packaging counters all marketing rules. No
instruction strips, no price discount flashes
or bold colorful headlines, just white with
the thin profile of what’s inside, creating a
sense of pleasant impatience.
In a city state where the wooden roof beams
were by law deprived of the carpenter’s finish-
Drawing by Vasilis Evdokias
tions, men forced to wear dog skins on their
heads as a sign of inferiority and submission
while young Spartans assassinated Messinians who exhibited traits of leadership in
night raids as part of their graduation from
the Agoge, the Spartan school of war.
When king Demetrius I of Macedon was
informed that the Spartans requested an
audition, he expected a group of ambassadors; instead he was visited by a single
envoy. When he exclaimed angrily that the
Lacedaemonians had sent only one ambassador to his court, the Spartan answered:
Aye, one ambassador to one king.
Simplicity Into Art—
Steve Jobs
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”
was on Apple’s first marketing brochure.
Simplicity that comes from conquering,
not ignoring, complexity. Isaacson says
that Jobs was striving to understand the
There are times when leaders must
sense they are alone, take their risks and
accept the consequences as Jobs did
ing touch for the purpose of austerity, straight
lines and minimalistic Doric architecture
created unique distinct forms in temples and
public buildings, all in human proportions,
unlike the later grandiose Roman style.
There was a time Jobs and his staff were
struggling to decide on product line strategy. Jobs made a two-by-two matrix: “home,
office, desktops, laptops”; four products.
exact function of each component so that
he could eliminate it. Herodotus describes
the scene when a group of political refugees
from the island of Samos addressed the
Spartan ephors, requesting aid. They made
a long elaborate speech by the end of which
the Spartans answered they had forgotten
the first half and they couldn’t make much
of the second half. The Samians were given
Artemios Miropoulos ([email protected]) is the Managing Director of
Linkage in Greece and the Chairman of the AmCham Leadership Committee Vision 2020
a second chance the following day. By then
they had probably learned the trick, as this
time they simply showed an empty bag and
said ‘the bag needs flour’. The magistrates
consented to provide aid, but noted they
did not need to have said “the bag.”
Business leaders are called upon making
their own decisions and choose what not to
do, reducing the mediocre that is the result
of compromise and consensus, sometimes
even resisting the holiness of concepts such
as empowerment and ownership. There
are times when leaders must sense they are
alone, take their risks and accept the consequences as Jobs did. Apple was not always
strong. There were times of doubt, with all
odds against Jobs, but he took his risks with a
daring defiance and did not give up on style.
“If”
It was 338 BC and Fillip II, father of Alexander the Great, had conquered Greece after
beating the allied forces of all major Greek
City States led by Athens and Thebes at Chaeronia. All except Sparta again, only this time
it was probably out of respect to the heritage
and the contribution of the city during the
Persian wars. Sparta was at the twilight of its
history, in deep decay and demographically
old. Its deterrent capacity had diminished
as the men capable of battle were less than
5,000 and their battle techniques were outdated. The army of Thebes, which was led by
brilliant leaders and was fighting in innovative formations, had reached the outskirts of
Sparta and missed ravaging it by a turn of
luck. The Spartans wouldn’t submit to this
new reality though. They kept challenging
the power of the rising Macedonian empire;
they were even plotting against them with
the great Persian king. Still, no one really
wanted to see Sparta on its knees. It is like
the reverent figure of a beloved grandmother who has lost it—you may be annoyed but
you are kind and tolerant.
Myth says the Macedonian king send a
messenger, with a warning of his diminishing patience. “If the king enters the Peloponnese he will raze the city of Sparta.”
When the envoy requested the answer to
King Philip, the ephors of Sparta replied
with one word only: “If.”
TradeMakers
EU-U.S.
by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou
Member of the European Parliament
EP Vice-President (2007-2012)
Free Trade for
Global Growth
The EU as the world’s biggest trader, accounting for
20% of global imports and exports, has a significant
role to play in promoting free and fair trade by
engaging in greater cooperation with its major
strategic partners, particularly with the U.S., to
boost growth and jobs.
T
he EU-US negotiations on a comprehensive EU-US Free Trade
and Investment Agreement is
an area of great strategic importance. According to European
Commission estimates, a deal could increase
output by 122 billion € annually for Europe
alone, and in the long-term, increase EU
GDP by 0.52%, benefiting industries ranging
from chemicals to automakers and services.
Recent President Obama’s statements are
very encouraging towards this direction
The transatlantic economy generates
close to $5 trillion in total commercial
sales a year and employs up to 15 million
workers; it represents over 50% of world
GDP in terms of value and 41% of GDP in
terms of purchasing power
and significant progress has been achieved
during the last few months in the negotiations between the two sides. The final report from the EU-US High-Level Working
Group on Jobs and Growth have paved the
way for launching negotiations on a comprehensive and promising transatlantic
trade and investment agreement with the
aim of concluding the negotiations in the
next two years. The EU and the US share
common values; they have sophisticated
legal systems in place, respect intellectual
property rights and advocate free trade.
No other commercial artery in the world
is as integrated. The transatlantic economy
generates close to $5 trillion in total commercial sales a year and employs up to 15
million workers; it represents over 50% of
world GDP in terms of value and 41% of
GDP in terms of purchasing power. The
United States and the European Union are
the world’s largest sources and destinations for foreign investment and remain
each other’s most important markets.
However, the global crisis has affected our
bilateral economic relations. We now need
to make ambitious decisions; hence boosting transatlantic investment and commercial exchanges further will benefit companies and workers by creating high-paying
jobs, increasing exports, and spurring innovation in both the United States and the
European Union.
Furthermore, trade negotiations should seriously take into account the specific needs
and interests of SMEs, by defining their
priority markets, simplifying their access
to markets of third countries and ensuring
transparency of the regulatory framework
and equal access to public procurement for
companies from both sides. There are sensitive points on both sides which hinder the
negotiations such as agricultural products,
intellectual property rights, the airline sector but we need to address them to reach a
win-win and viable agreement.
Deeper cooperation between economic
partners will lead to further convergence
in areas such as financial regulation, taxation and budgetary and structural reforms
as well as climate change, will build the
foundations for a real transatlantic com-
munity and will contribute to international stability.
These dynamics will create positive tensions that would also mobilize other key
developing economies to open their markets, liberalize trade within the WTO
framework or at least give a dynamic push
to bilateral agreements. Towards this direction, the EU is currently negotiating a
free trade agreement with the Mercosur
countries which would encompass 750
million people and $130 billion of annual
trade. The trade agreement reached with
South Korea and the one with Singapore
are among the most comprehensive the
EU has ever negotiated and will create new
opportunities for companies from Europe
fully involved in the EU common trade
policy and our experience indicates that
tariff but also non-tariff measures and behind-the-border measures are identified as
the most important obstacles to opening
markets further. We need to ensure protecting the sensitive interests of producers
from both sides as well as tackle technical
trade barriers in order to minimize unnecessary impediments which are often
used as an excuse for protectionism (e.g.
differences in regulations, standards, testing and certification procedures). Regarding public procurement, an estimated €12
billion of further EU exports remain unrealised due to restrictions. Nowadays 90%
of the EU procurement market is open to
Boosting transatlantic investment
further will benefit companies and
workers by creating high-paying jobs,
increasing exports, and spurring
innovation in both the United States and
the European Union
and Asia to do business together. The Irish
Presidency of the Council of European
Union will also seek to advance Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) negotiations with Japan,
India and other partners, and to advance
the EU-China relationship with a focus on
investment protection and market access.
Moreover, the EU is interested in negotiating a free trade agreement with the Gulf
Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United
Arab Emirates, Jordan and Morocco). The
European Parliament ,as co-legislator, is
third countries, while the respective percentage is 32% in the USA, 28% in Japan
and 16% in Canada.
Today it is generally accepted that the free
trade agreement between EU and USA can
create new promising conditions for growth
and exiting the global economic crisis, create sustainable perspectives for business
opportunities and jobs. We need to continue working, on both sides, towards this direction through willingness, commitment
and shared responsibility for a better common future.
TRENDS &
TRADE MAKERS
Should Grandma Join Facebook?
For older adults looking to sharpen their mental abilities,
it might be time to log on to Facebook.
Preliminary research findings from the University of Arizona suggest that men and women older than 65 who learn
to use Facebook could see a boost in cognitive function.
Janelle Wohltmann, a graduate student in the UA department of psychology, set out to see whether teaching older
adults to use the popular social networking site could help
improve their cognitive performance and make them feel more socially connected.
Her preliminary findings, which she shared this month at the International Neuropsychological Society Annual Meeting in Hawaii, show that older adults, after learning to
use Facebook, performed about 25 percent better on tasks designed to measure their
ability to continuously monitor and to quickly add or delete the contents of their working memory—a function known in the psychology world as “updating.”
Health and Wellness —Center Stage
in Food and Ingredient Market
Health and wellness are twin pillars driving developments across the food industry in
2013, according to “Food Formulation and Ingredient Trends: Health & Wellness,” a justreleased study from market research firm Packaged Facts.
According to the report, growing consumer interest in more healthful food will propel additional development of food and beverage products that deliver health-related benefits,
especially in the following areas:
• Better Breakfasts The report sees the rise of products that combine two better-for-you
breakfast elements: whole grains and low-fat dairy.
• Healthier Snacking Packaged Facts expects portion controlled, single serve snacks of
all types will be hugely popular in the coming year.
• Alternative Proteins High protein ancient grains, including amaranth and quinoa, will
be incorporated in more foods promoted and consumed for their protein content.
Call for Smart, Sustainable and
Inclusive Growth
Capital cities from around the EU, including Athens, have adopted a louder voice in discussions for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 and other EU programs.
According to a declaration signed by 28 mayors, Europe’s capital cities are not only a major part of the EU’s image abroad, its cultural identity and attractiveness, but powerful
motors for competitiveness, employment and innovation.
Capital cities are indispensable to sustainable growth since their transport, energy and
environmental policies have a decisive impact on EU policies.
EU capital cities are also at the heart of efforts for inclusive growth: as centers of social,
cultural and ethnic diversity. At the same time they have a concentration of Europe’s problems, including increasing social and economic disparities. Capital cities are therefore the
laboratories where solutions to the EU’s social and economic problems must be found.
Dr. Kostas Axarloglou,
Associate Dean for
Executive Education,
ALBA Graduate Business
School
Fulbright Scholar 1986-87
Tell us about your Fulbright project in the
United States.
I received a Fulbright Scholarship to study
economics towards my Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Did studying at a U.S. institution make a
difference for you?
I feel that it is redundant to elaborate on
the quality of the scientific community at
Michigan and the academic excellence of
the Economics Department, virtues that
also characterize most U.S. universities
and colleges. However, what was really
a revelation to me was the meritocratic
system at the University of Michigan (and
in U.S. higher education in general) that
is based on four dimensions: incentives,
performance monitoring, assessment
and, finally, implementation of rules
and processes. Specifically, a set of
clear incentives and close monitoring
of individual performance helps graduate students to excel in science, while
performance assessment allows them
to develop precious capabilities such as
self-awareness, modesty and drive for
higher achievement. Finally, the implementation of rules and processes results
in a sense of fairness of the academic
institution.
How do you think the experience impacts
your career path?
Besides scientific advancement, my
studies at Michigan, due to the Fulbright
Scholarship, helped me to develop a
meritocratic culture that is so pivotal and
important for the advancement of science (through research) and the dissemination of scientific knowledge (through
teaching).
.
W
W
W
Best Sites to Watch
Free Documentaries
Online
www.freedocumentaries.org—streams
full-length, thought-provoking, educational,
and entertaining documentary films for free,
with no registration required
Skilled Workers Back in Demand
in 2013
PayScale, Inc., the leader in compensation data and software, recently unveiled the results of its annual survey of employers in 13 countries on compensation best practices.
“The results of the 2013 Compensation Best Practices Report show more optimism
amongst small and large businesses than in past years,” said Katie Bardaro, Lead
Economist and Director of Analytics at PayScale.
Highlights from the report:
• A whopping 70% of small businesses -- and 61% of large companies -- expect their
business performance to improve in 2013.
• Companies are planning to invest in new talent to grow their business with 15% more
companies planning to hire in 2013 than in 2012.
• The number of organizations hiring employees has consistently risen, with 2012
growth exceeding original expectations by 12%.
• In 2012, small business wage growth increased significantly, demonstrating the little
guy is competing with large companies for skilled employees.
• As more companies look to hire in 2013, skilled labor is in demand. In the survey,
59% of respondents cited retention as a main concern.
www.topdocumentaryfilms.com—full documentaries and information on documentaries by quoting reviews from trusted sources
www.documentaryheaven.com—offers a
vast collection of documentaries spanning
many genres
www.documentarywire.com—offers a large
collection of free, interesting, and educational documentaries
www.opendocumentaries.com—maintains
a documentary database with a lot of documentaries for you to view for
www.documentary.net—offers a large catalog of full length, free documentaries on a
wide range of topics, such as nature, politics,
science, and history
www.science-documentaries.com—informative, revealing, interesting, and mind-boggling scientific documentaries and lectures
about such subjects as astronomy, biology,
mathematics, physics, IT, and technology
 source: howtogeek.com
EI B to increase lending
for growth and jobs
E.U.
T
C
E
R
I
D
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group will significantly step up its lending activities for the 2013 to 2015 period to support the recovery of growth in Europe. The EU Bank
will lend an additional EUR 60 billion over the next three years to promote sustainable
growth and jobs, bringing annual lending volumes to EUR 65-70 billion.
Werner Hoyer, EIB President commented: “Last year the EIB has delivered on changing its
course fundamentally from a programmed cyclical to a countercyclical course. We are now
prepared to deliver on boosting our lending activities by 40% per year from 2013-2015.”
It is expected that the additional EIB lending will initiate projects worth up to EUR 180
billion including private and public investments, focusing on innovation, SME’s access
to finance, resource efficiency and strategic infrastructure. “Investing in innovation and
skills is crucial for Europe’s productivity and will help secure competitiveness and jobs
in the future,” President Hoyer said.
Umano
Bringing Radio Back
While radio was the first medium used for
broadcast journalism, its appeal has diminished with the arrival of the Internet. News
reported on the radio simply cuts to the facts
without providing much insight. Whereas
on the Internet, thoughtful, well-written
journalism is being produced every day.
Great journalists work hard to provide a
compelling story that strikes emotion; a
feeling rarely evoked by modern radio.
Umano, the mobile application taking the
world by storm, wants to change that.
Umano takes insightful content found online and has professional voice actors tell
the story. The amalgamation of high-quality
journalism and convenient delivery is what
sets Umano apart from traditional radio.
@
fo
in
B2B
ch
am
In information technology, “big data” is a
collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process
using on-hand database management
tools or traditional data processing applications. The trend to larger data sets
is due to the additional information derivable from analysis of a single large set
of related data, as compared to separate
smaller sets with the same total amount of
data, allowing correlations to be found to
spot business trends, determine quality of
research, prevent diseases, link legal citations, combat crime, and determine realtime roadway traffic conditions.
What is considered “big data” varies depending on the capabilities of the organization managing the set, and on the capabilities of the applications that are traditionally used to process and analyze the data set
in its domain.
Data sets grow in size in part because they
are increasingly being gathered by ubiquitous information-sensing mobile devices,
aerial sensory technologies (remote sensing), software logs, cameras, microphones,
am
The Rise of Big Data
radio-frequency identification readers,
and wireless sensor networks.
In fact, “big data” sets about our behaviors
as individuals and as consumers are being constantly generated from our daily
activities. For example,
• RFID (radio frequency ID) systems generate up to 1,000 times the data of conventional bar code systems.
• 10,000 payment card transactions are
made every second around the world.
• Walmart handles more than 1 million
customer transactions an hour.
• 3 40 million tweets are sent per day.
That’s nearly 4,000 tweets per second.
• Facebook has more than 901 million active users generating social interaction
data.
• More than 5 billion people are calling,
texting, tweeting and browsing websites
on mobile phones.
Dining: For Business and Pleasure
Funky Gourmet
Founded as Funky Gourmet, Private Cheffing in 2007, chefs Georgianna Hiliadaki
and Nikos Roussous, together with Argyro
Hiliadaki, came together with the idea of
radically transforming catering into an
haute cuisine experience. In 2008, they
established their premises in a charming neoclassical building at the corner
of Paramythias 13 and Salaminos, in the
bustling neighborhood of Keramikos. In
2009, the owners launched a meticulous
restoration of the building, resulting in
a stunning, minimalist dining environment—and the birth of the Funky Gourmet restaurant.
Since then, Funky Gourmet has been dazzling local and international diners alike
with a carefully designed menu of modern
creative cuisine based on advanced culinary
techniques and top quality seasonal ingredients. But don’t take our word for it—in
2012, Funky Gourmet was awarded its first
Michelin star—one of just four restaurants
in Athens to hold the coveted prize.
Each of the restaurant’s three degustation
menus let diners sample the incredible
depth and range of the Funky Gourmet
kitchen, including Lamb Giouvetsi with
Warm Parmesan Foam, Truffled Foie
Gras, and Beef Cheeks. An optional wine
pairing provides the perfect match of
Greek and foreign varietals.
Adorned in contemporary art and sculpture, the restaurant’s main dining area is
a chic, glass-enclosed room that comfortably seats 30. Downstairs, Funky Gourmet
sports an elegant wood-paneled bar and
art deco lounge, along with a private dining room that can accommodate up to 14
guests (which the proprietors can outfit
with a projector, for a discreet-yet-delicious
business meetings). The restaurant can also be booked for private events on Sundays
and Mondays. Reservations recommended.
Funky Gourmet
13 Paramythias St. and Salaminos, 10435 Athens
T: +30 210 5242727
The Business Bookshelf
Hidden Champions of the
Twenty-First Century
The Success Stories of Unknown World Market Leaders
Hermann Simon
What do Tetra aquarium supplies, Elector-Nite sensors,
and Nissha touch panels have in common? They are typical “hidden champions,” medium-sized, unknown companies that have quietly, under the radar, become world
market leaders in their respective industries.
Hermann Simon has been studying these hidden champions for over 20 years, and in this sequel to his worldwide
bestseller, Hidden Champions, he explores the dramatic
impact of globalization on these companies and their outstanding international success. Going deep inside more
than a thousand hidden champions around the world,
Simon reveals the common patterns, behaviors, and approaches that make these
companies successful, and, in many cases, able to sustain world market leadership for generations, despite intense competition, financial pressures, and constantly evolving market dynamics.
Hidden champions teach us that good management means doing many small
things better than the competition—quietly, with determination, commitment,
and never-ending stamina. And in turbulent economic times, the hidden champions represent an antidote to the short-sighted and excessive practices that have
brought many corporate giants crashing down.
Jargonaut
Authortisement
Slang for the name of a book, pamphlet, or
seminar written by a person who did it just
to get hired as a consultant in that field.
Belly-Button
The online world counts eyeballs. The insurance and managed care industries count
“belly-buttons.” One belly-button is the
equivalent of one person. “That insurance
policy covers five belly buttons.”
Earn Out
A phrase used by venture capital investors (and private equity firms) to describe
a formula in which the management of a
company earns a share of the company’s
capital by achieving results at or above predetermined levels.
Flame
To send nasty or insulting messages via
e-mail or to post them on a newsgroup or
a blog.
Huge Pipes
THE LIST
by Travelogue
Slang for a high-bandwidth Internet connection.
The Top 10—Rafting in Greece
By Andreas Stylianopoulos
President, Navigator Travel & Tourist Services Ltd
Mail Bomb
Arachthos River—Tzoumerka
An e-mail message with huge binary files attached to it, sent to crash the recipient’s mail
server (the server that houses e-mail) or
mail reader (a software program for e-mail).
Megdovas River—Evritania
Pefko River—Western Macedonia
Pinios River—Thessaly
Arachthos River
Evinos River—Nafpaktos
Loussios River—Karytaina
Alfios River—Arcadia
Tavropos River
An expression used for prosperous, middleaged married couples living child-focused
lives in affluent suburbs.
Voidomatis River—Zagori
Tavropos River—Karpenisi
Voidomatis River
Kids and Cabernet
Vishing
Derived from the terms “voice” and “phishing,” vishing is the online scam of stealing
personal information or money from individuals using the telephone network, specifically VoIP telephony services.
Reproduced by Permission
© 1994-2010 NetLingo®
The Internet Dictionary at
http://www.netlingo.com
Aos River—Konitsa
ViewPoint
The average tenure of a
Fortune Global 500 CMO
has been compared to the
lifespan of a fruit fly. Why is
the position so precarious?
Embracing Big Data Can Add
Years to a CMO’s Tenure
I
n a recent article for Chief Marketer, Wilson Raj, SAS Global Customer Intelligence Director, tackles this question and
offers a solution: Evolve. Become a new
breed of CMO—one who recognizes big
data as the fundamental consequence of our
new market landscape, and takes advantage
of it with high-performance analytics.
Raj makes a strong case that CMOs who
adopt an integrated marketing management strategy with big data can make a substantial impact in these four key areas:
1. Customer experience
In the past, marketers analyzed customer
feedback with minimal consideration of
operational and financial data. Big data offers rich insight unachievable by examining
customer feedback data alone.
For instance, CMOs can use operational data
in call centers (for example, wait times or
time to resolution) to improve the customer
experience across channels. Operational data
can also reveal training opportunities to enable front line staff to deliver better service.
to keep valuable customers loyal in a brandfickle world. Further, big data analytics can
help CMOs allocate resources to drive revenue through successful loyalty initiatives.
2. Customer engagement
4. Marketing optimization/
performance
To engage your customers successfully, you
must know who they are, where they are, what
they want and when they want it—across all
channels.
This is a huge challenge for marketers, but
with big data analytics CMOs can exert
tremendous influence on customer engagement. They can find out what needs to change
to achieve positive customer engagements,
and, better still, what customers want.
3. Customer retention and
loyalty
Big data lets marketers augment existing customer touch points and anticipate new ones
As marketers shift budgets from traditional
to digital marketing channels (email, social
media, search engine optimization, display
advertising and mobile), CMOs need to
know the optimal marketing spend across
multiple channels. With big data, CMOs
can continuously optimize marketing programs through testing, measurement and
analysis. With a test-and-learn approach,
CMOs can deliver on the key determinant
of longevity: return on investment.
The bottom line: CMOs who capitalize on
big data will reap big rewards, both personally and professionally.
BUSINESS
Become a Member
bponline.amcham.gr
To become a member of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, one of Greece’s
most preeminent and proactive business organizations, apply on the Chamber website at
www.amcham.gr, send an e-mail to [email protected], call the Chamber at 210-699-3559,
or fax the Chamber at 210-698-5687-7 and request an application form.
To subscribe to Business Partners,
send an e-mail to [email protected],
call the Chamber at 210-699-3559, or
fax the Chamber at 210-698-5687-7.
Pay just €1.09 a day to get the International
Herald Tribune and Kathimerini English Edition
and enjoy daily morning delivery to your home
or office.
Call 210 480 8222 today.
r
fe
of am
ial h s
ec mC ber
Sp r A em
fo m
For business thinking
that stands out from the crowd.
on
!
http://bponline.amcham.gr

Car Insurance. Online. Direct. Hellas Direct.

Transcription

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