Activity Report 2002
Activity Report 2002 (synthesis)
mCAT = uniCAT
Transilvania Business Center (CAT), a regional, non-profit, apolitical and decentralized association, organized for the promotion of the member companies and achieving the local and global development programs, continued to fulfill its objectives and functions in accordance with the By Law and Working Rules . The Activity Program approved by the General Assembly for 2002 was totally realized, scoring a new success for our business community, in the anniversary year.<<10 YEARS from creating CAT>>.The number of associated companies has grown in the YEAR e-Work/flexible work, with 3.3% from 1355 to 1399, as a result of the priority work for mobile business and promoting ICT- Information and Global Communication Technologies to the member firms. A number of 568 companies associated to CAT are connected to the Internet and have activity presentation sites.
24% developed interactive pages or electronic Shops. They were included in the FIRST TRANSYLVANIAN ELECTRONIC MARKET being improved the conditions of introducing of m/e-commerce. The main site for the virtual activities, CAT@CAT has over 370 interactive pages, tools and �on-line� date base, other facilities for a quick information for our members and for their potential clients, suppliers, investors or partners. The number of visitors had reached 39.000 for http://e-cat.ro and 23.000 visitors for http://e-bursa.ro; the frequency was 218 potential partners/day or 9.1 users/hour
The first Multicultural Cyber City www.ClujNapoca.ro, has now two �mirror � sites:www.Kolozsvar.ro and www.Klausenburg.ro . The virtual citadel is endowed with the most important information concerning the history and the present of our bimillenary city. The site has developed to 53 pages containing information and photos about: arts, culture, education, sport, tourism, public utilities, institutions, business etc. It has the first VIRTUAL MAYOR in the world, beside a Virtual Council, an electronic system of VOTING, a chat-FORUM, web cam for the weather in Cluj, and a lot of important links.
Our main objectives for 2002 concerning decentralization and virtualization of the activities, as well as creating conditions of affirmation of direct physical and virtual: �one-to-one�, �link-to-link� and �business-to-business� were touched. CAT Cluj had become one of the most used mechanisms, physical as well as virtual of the new economy, not only in our country but also in Europe in process of integration and sustainable extension.
CAT was invited to participate to the following projects of European Commission:
EWEN – East West Economic Network, which is a multidisciplinary network, created at the European Commission’s initiative, that identifies trans-border projects and will connect with the European co-operating within the process of integrating and extension of the European Union;
ViVa � A research project for new virtual mechanisms, ERP, CRM, HRM, e-Business, necessary for rapid economic growth of SMEs.The European Consortium has gathered companies and experts from France, England, Italy, Romania(CAT), html://e-cat.ro/viva.html.
ENERGIA – is a Consortium for Trans-European cooperation development in specific domains. CAT had organized in Cluj-Napoca in June 2002 an important international Colloquium for Textile and Clothing Design, togheter with The Visual Arts and Design University, Mikotronic-Show Master. After the Colloquium, took place the Transilvania Fashion Festival, that gave the students and companies the opportunity to present their creations. There have participated 120 firm representatives, local and central organisms, academicians, ministers, media, firm representatives and academicians from: France, Germany, Greece, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria, European Commission in Brussels, as well as numerous audience http://e-cat.ro/energia.html
TexMap - a project for designing the European map of textile industry, in which were included interested companies from Cluj and Transilvania, next to those from France,Germany, Greece, Spain and other countries from EU.
LIRIC - European Consortium formed by partners representing: Italy, England, France. Romania(CAT). Poland, Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, for developing the Territorial Marketing and creating Virtual Knowledge Warehouse http://e-cat.ro/liric.html.
The CATraining&Consulting Department had realized for our firms 48 missions with granted assistance from NMCP-Holland and 5 SES-Germany experts.
At the recommendation of the European Commission’s experts, was created a division for EU projects. There were made 21 projects for local and global development projects, which were presented for co-financing through ENERGIA to the European Commission, in the context of 6 Framework Programe(6FP).
There were given over 3 800 hours of consultancy to the associated firms but also to the potential Romanian or foreign partners. There have been organized promoting seminars for business links, from which benefited 90 SMEs.
Working sites: http://e-cat.ro/catconsulting.html, http://e-cat.ro/catraining.html, http://e-cat.ro/expert.html and http://e-cat.ro/catranslation.html.
The Relations Department http://e-cat.ro/catravel.html has intensified the efforts to identify markets and exhibitions, as well as foreign partners for CAT firms. There were organized 17 trade missions abroad where 20 companies and 24 businessmen participated to: USA (40%), Germany(15%), France(12%), Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Holland, Spain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Cyprus, Slovakia, Hungary, Brazil, Canada.
The main domains asked by CAT members for the participation to the international fairs and international exhibitions were: ICT, civil constructions, furniture, sports articles, automobiles and accessories, manufacture products, cosmetics, food products and gastronomy, tourism, investment and co-operation in production.
The Electronic Exchange http://e-bursa.ro and the 28 virtual rings were connected to the most important internal and external information sources.
It works on-line on products categories and sectors proposed by Transilvanian Trades, in accordance with the common rules elaborated by The Transilvanian Bursa and CAT.The Exchange Bulletin is weekly edited in the electronic form http://e-cat.ro/buletinbursier.html but also published, for the clients that hadn’t connected until now to the Internet.
Into the Electronic BURSA were introduced over 500 requests/offers of the SMEs. The E-BURSA links with other similar Romanian and foreign sites have opened a direct access of our companies to the Single Market and Global Market.The Electronic Magazine piat@zi it’s at http://e-cat.ro/e-bursa.html, and http://e-cat.ro/v-bursa.html.
The Development Department (R&D) sustained the vocational programs for the young Net Generation, in which participated 60 pupils and 120 students, within LBC-Lyceum Business Center and CAST program. CAT members encouraged the activity of the students and jobs were given to some of them. For example, at CAT were employed as collaborators 4 students and 6 pupils, for different programs.
Other 21 pupils found temporary jobs at firms. The students achieved practical activities at 12 trade fairs organized at Cluj-Napoca entering in direct contact with over 300 companies. The Business Links initiated by the students were appreciated by the companies and CAT.
There were sustained the activities initiated by the students associations ASEE, AISEEC, BEST, The Culture House of the Students, Job-Shop and others.
After the discussions with the European Commission, the R&D department initiated the first mBiz group in Europe, made from 18 Romanian firms http://e-cat.ro/gmb.html. CAT-EUnit team participated at designing the FP6 European projects mentioned before, and they concerned the organization of research-trading project for pupils and students.
There was created a course-lecture-seminary of mBIZ (mobile business/e-commerce) for the students at European Studies Faculty – European Institutions Management Department http://e-cat.ro/mknowledge.html, using the most advanced teaching methods of the new European concepts and technologies in business.In the same time, was developed the new technique of researching used in the high technologies area-IC&T, and on the other side the PECS model = Penetration – Eruption – Capture – Storage. This model will develop in the process of creating Knowledge Warehouse, part of LIRIC-EU project
An important focal point for part from research-documantation was created in collaboration with the University �Babes-Bolyai� from Cluj-Napoca and it was directly supported by the eCommerce Unit of the European Comision�Brussels. Through this CAT became �Innovation Support Organization�, being known and appreciated as partner institution in the research projects and Trans-European cooperation.
The research � documentation part is at our companies service, researchers, masters, doctors, media, but also at the interested public’s service.
The departments’ sites are: http://e-cat.ro/catresearch.html, http://e-cat.ro/lbcro.html,http://e-cat.ro/catshop.html, http://e-cat.ro/plicuriadacat.html, http://e-cat.ro/specat.html.
The CATransilvanian Date Base (http://e-cat.ro/addreseutile.html) was brought up-to-date with information about over 20.000 Transilvanian firms through the concern of LBC-Lyceum Business Center. It was created in web-format, for accessing directly via Internet. This application allows finding useful information about Transilvanian firms. They are grouped on: localities, domains and products; typing on envelopes the addresses and transmitting them automatically by e-mail.
The partnership with APM-Owners Association and the Romanian-French Business Center Cluj has lead to important business actions and to the development in the territory of CAT programs, especially for small cities and Transilvanian communes. It was created a permanent connection with Transilvanian Guilds established ten years ago by CAT.
In a traditional way CAT sustained the cultural-artistic events in the benefit of the community and for the Romanian Opera House, National Theater, Transilvanian Philharmonic, Military Circle, Art and Design University, The History Museum of Transilvania, Art Museum, The States Archieves-Archivists Association, �Babes-Bolyai� University, �Economic� High School, �Gheorghe Sincai� High School, and other institutions.
The collaboration continued with the local authorities, Romanian Government, Presidency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MAE-EU Department and Foreign Trade Department, Ministry of European Integration, Chambers of Commerce, Romanian Embassies from abroad and the Embassies from other countries in Bucharest. CAT representatives participated to the multilateral reunions organized by the World Bank, BERD, European Commission- IST 2002, ViVa-EU, ENERGIA, LIRIC, TexMap, BERD, ONUDI.
Monthly there were sent business information, leaflets, publications and offers/requests to CAT members not only throughout the classic �plicuriada – direct mail�, but also by e-mail. The monthly newsletters can be read on Internet at http://e-cat.ro/tbreview.html because they contain specific activities achieved in the past year. The relations between CAT and the written and virtual media were constantly developed. Beside the local and national newspapers, radio stations and televisions, associated to CAT, there have been remarked: the �e-WEEK� publication that sustained the IT programs of CAT and, the �Cluj-Napoca� magazine that supported the image and the local development projects.
The Administration Department (http://e-cat.ro/cinesuntem.html) finalized the Financial Report 2002, which was submitted to the Directors� Committee (http://e-cat.ro/catclub.html) and the Auditing Commission. The main indicators are:
A. Incomes from:
B. Expenses with:
C.Surplus/Deficit: Rol: +126.697.000 ; EURO: +4.057
The assets value had grown from last year with 305.913.000 ROL, 25.9% to 1.181.855.000 ROL, as a result of co-financing by the European Commission within the projects: ViVa-EU, ENERGIA, LIRIC and by some of the CAT members’contribuition for the LBC program.
We would like to express thanks to all our members, to the whole staff and the young collaborators. A worm thank to our Transilvanian Guilds� leaders, CAT resident directors in Transilvanian cities, and to our sponsors, donors. The support and the effort given to maintain our organization among the most preferment business centers, led CAT to be recognized now, not only on regional level but also at European and World wide as a smart, creative and sustainable organization. Also we thank the European Commission – Brussels for accepting CAT in ViVa, Energia, LIRIC, Tex-Map and to European Commission’s Delegation in Romania which co-financed an important project with effects during 2002.
The documents are at the disposal of the members at CAT headquarters Blvd. Nicolae Titulescu no. 4, room 1, tel/fax: 0264-433768, mobile: 0722-517223 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0722-517223 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, e-mail: cat@e-cat.ro. They can be examined on the Internet at http://e-cat.ro/raport02.html for preparing the debates for the General Assembly, on the 28th of May 2003, 3 pm, at Melody Restaurant, Unirii Sq.
PresidentMat.Mircea Fodoca Ec.Iulia Movileanu
General Manager Accountant
Cluj-Napoca, April 25, 2003