Activity Report 2003
Activity Report 2003 (synthesis)
“TmCAT=Total mobilitate Confort-Autonomie-Transparanta”
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 2003 was totally realized, scoring a new success for our business community in generating sustainable activities � durable in local and regional plan, based on our principle: TAM-Total Autonomic Mobility of integration in the Enlarged EU structures and global economy.
Our main objectives 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. In 2003 our organization, which is also the first virtual business centers on the continent, was advancing from the virtual comfort status mCAT=uniCAT to TOTALmCAT=Mobility-Comfort-Autonomy-Transparency.
CAT recommended and advised firms as concerning : (1) m2m technologies (mobile-to-mobile) using our concept mk-4-mBE (mobile knowledge-for-mobile business and entertainment), (2) the flexible-teleworking – m/e-working style.
The number of associated companies has grown in the YEAR of SUSTAINABILITY with 4.7% from 1399 to 1467, 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 978 companies associated to CAT are connected to Internet and have activity presentation sites. 38% 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 their potential clients, suppliers, investors or partners. The number of visitors had reached 48.400 for http://e-cat.ro and 31.300 visitors for http://e-bursa.ro. The total visitors of CAT sites passed over 260.560. In 2003 there were 64.127 visitors with the frequency of 176 potential partners/day or 7.3 users/hour
The first Multicultural Cyber City www.ClujNapoca.ro, was redesigned and secure with 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 bi-millenary municipium. The site has developed to 57 pages containing information and photos about: arts, culture, education, sport, tourism, public utilities, institutions, business and more. It has the first VIRTUAL MAYOR in the world, beside a Virtual Council, an electronic system of eVOTING, a chat-FORUM, web cam for the weather in Cluj, and a lot of important links.
CAT continued to participate to the following projects of the European Commission:
EWEN – East West Economic Network, is a multidisciplinary network, created at the European Commission’s initiative, that identifies trans-border projects and will connect the European co-operation activities within the process of integration and extension of the European Union;
ViVa � was 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), http://e-cat.ro/viva.html.
ENERGIA – is a Consortium for Trans-European co-operation development with firm representatives and academicians from: France, Germany, Greece, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania (CAT) 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. CAT experienced its own new concept of mKM-Mobile Knowledge Management.
The Development Department (R&D) sustained the vocational programs for the young NetGeneration, in which participated 40 pupils and 140 students, within LBC-Lyceum Business Center-Eco Junior and CAsT-FSE 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 2 students and 3 pupils, for different programs. Other 21 pupils found temporary jobs at firms. The students achieved practical activities at 8 trade fairs organized at Cluj-Napoca entering in direct contact with over 200 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 Students� Culture House, Students� Job-Shop and others.
It continued the delivery of the course-lecture-seminary of mBIZ (mobile business/e-commerce) for the students at European Studies Facultyhttp://idd.euro.ubbcluj.ro/interactiv/cursuri.html – European Institutions Management Department http://e-cat.ro/mknowledge.html, using the most advanced teaching-and-learning 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 our : PECS = Penetration-Eruption-Capture- Storage. This model will be develop in the process of creating mKW – Mobile Knowledge Warehouse, part of LIRIC-EU project.
The Focal Point for research-documentation created in collaboration with the University “Babes-Bolyai” from Cluj-Napoca was directly supported by the eCommerce Unit of the European Commission�Brussels. Through this, CAT became “Innovation Support Organization”, being known and appreciated as partner institution in the research projects and trans-european co-operation. Our academic research � documentation Focal Point is used by our companies, researchers, masters, doctors, media, as well the interested public.
R&D Department maintained the direct relation with European Commission, supplying with documentation and information the first mBIZ Group of Europe, created in 2000 by 18 Cluj companies http://e-cat.ro/gmb.html. CAT-EUnit Team continued to promote FP6 of European Commission. The collaboration with CRIMM Foundation from Bucharest was concluded by the design of the IRC � Innovation Relay Center, sustained by “Universitatea de Stiinte Agricole si Medicina Veterinara”http://www.usamv.ro and important companies from Cluj-Napoca.
CAT participated as sponsor and co-organizor of the International Seminar on “Competitiveness of the National Economies and the Efficient Integration into the European Union” (Cluj-Napoca, 19-21 September 2003), together with Faculty of European Studies � University “Babes-Bolyai” http://www.ubbcluj.ro and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Cluj http://www.ccic.ro. During the reunion, Prof.Dr. Radu-Adrian Mlesnita, Miss. Bianca Muntean � Director of R&D Department and Mr. Sandu Hotima � Director of Relations Department presented e-CAT�s new and advanced technologies concerning mBIZ � Mobile Business, mKM-Mobile Knowledge Management and the Business Virtual Platformshttp://www.euro.ubbcluj.ro/conference/progr.html.
The R&D Department’s sites are: http://e-cat.ro/catresearch.html, http://lbc.e-cat.ro,http://e-cat.ro/catshop.html, http://e-cat.ro/plicuriadacat.html, http://e-cat.ro/specat.html.
The CATraining&Consulting Department had realized 41 consulting missions granted by NMCP-Netherlands and 6 projects supported by SES-Germany experts. The division for EU projects made 4 projects for local development; unfortunately were not approved our original ideas, such as RuralNET “Digital Peasant”, InfoCentersNetwork for Citizens, n2n �networking the networks http://e-cat.ro/n2n.html.
There were realized over 3200 hours of free consultancy to the associated firms but also to the potential Romanian or foreign partners. There have been organized promotion seminars for business links, from which benefited over 60 SMEs.
During the SMEs Trade Fair “Made in Cluj-Napoca”, (ExpoTransilvania, 7-9 November 2003), CAT participated and organized a workshop where prof.dr. Radu-Adrian Mlesnita presented the lecture concerning “eBusiness: eMarketing-Management, based on the advanced concepts developed in the context of LIRIC-EU project of European Commission http://e-cat.ro/liric.html.
CAT continued to support the Transilvania Fashion Programme, created 10 year ago by its Sylism and Tailors� Guild. On the 25th of October was organized and co-financed the 2nd edition of the National Festival for Swim and Underwear, together with Mikotronic-Show Master and ASTRAL, CREMA, Hotel Napoca, PrinArt, Editura Napoca, Antena1, CD Radio, Monitorul� The ” �04 Collections” were presented by: ARGOS, DUNKLER, DANIELLE, EST, CATALIN BOTEZATU�
The working sites of the department are: 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 14 trade missions abroad where 12 companies and 16 businessmen participated to: USA and Canada (60%), Germany (10%), France (8%), Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Slovakia, Hungary, Egypt, Maldives, Martinique.
The main domains asked by CAT members for the participation to the international fairs and international exhibitions were: IC&T, 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. eBursa works on-line on products categories and sectors proposed by Transilvanian Guilds, in accordance with the common rules elaborated by Bursa Transilvana and CAT. Transilvania Commodities Exchange Bulletin was weekly edited in the electronic form http://e-cat.ro/buletinbursier.html but also published and circulated on paper, for the clients who hadn’t connected yet to the Internet.
By the Electronic BURSA were introduced over 320 requests/offers of the SMEs. The eBURSA 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 is available at http://e-cat.ro/e-bursa.html, and http://e-cat.ro/v-bursa.html.
The CATransilvanian Date Base (http://e-cat.ro/addreseutile.html) was brought up-to-date with information about over 20.000 Transilvanian firms with the assistance of the LBC-Lyceum Business Center http://lbc.e-cat.ro. It was developed in web-form and allows finding useful information about Transilvanian companies. The data are grouped on: localities, domains, products and is typing on envelopes the addresses and transmitting them automatically by e-mail.
The partnership with APM-Owners Association, UGIR 1903 � General Union of Industrialist from Romania 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 towns and Transilvanian communes. It was created a permanent connection with Transilvanian Guilds established ten years ago by CAT.
In a traditional way, starting 10 years ago from the establishment, 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 State�s Achieves-Archivists Association, “Babes-Bolyai” University, “Economic” and “Gheorghe Sincai” High Schools, other public institutions.
The collaboration continued with the local authorities, Romanian Government, Presidency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MAE-EU Department, Department and Foreign Trade Department, Ministry of European Integration, Chambers of Commerce, Romanian Embassies from abroad and the Embassies from other countries in Bucharest. Our representatives participated to the multilateral reunions organized by the UNIDO, World Bank, BERD, European Commission and its trans-european consortiums: ViVa-EU, ENERGIA, LIRIC, TexMap.
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-audio-visual 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, the “TRIBUNA AFACERILOR” edited by Owners Association 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, 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: RoLei: +1.406.000; EURO: + 37 (Rate: 1 euro= 37.555 lei)
The total assets value had grown from last year with 486 million RoLei, respectively 29.2%, attending on 31.12.03 the amount of 1.669 million RoLei as a result of the co-financing/grants received from the European Commission within the projects: ViVa-EU, ENERGIA, LIRIC and by some of the CAT members’ contribution for the LBC-Lyceum Business Center Program.
In 2003, CAT was awarded with: Diploma of Excellence by the Asociatia Patronilor si Meseriasilor, Diploma of Honour-Topul of the Companies 2003 by the Chamber of Trade and Industry, Diploma Jubiliary X-a edition of the Opera Ball by Opera Romana from Cluj-Napoca. CAT became member of UGIR 1903 and Consortium Academicum.
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 towns, and to our sponsors and donors. Their support and the effort was given to maintain our self-supported organization among the most performing and competitive 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 you the European Commission – Brussels for accepting CAT in ViVa, Energia, LIRIC, Tex-Map trans-european consortiums and to European Commission’s Delegation in Romania which co-financed three years ago our Business Links project with effects till now.
The documents are at the disposal of the members at the CAT�s 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://www.e-cat.ro/raport03.html for preparing the debates of the General Assembly, on the 9th of March 2004, 3 pm, at UniversT Restaurant as well on Internet – Yahoo Messenger: raduadrianm.
PresidentMat.Mircea Fodoca Ec.Iulia Movileanu
General Manager Accountant
Cluj-Napoca, February 15, 2004