Team name: One Step Ahead
Selected EE countries: Slovenia, the Czech Republic
Team members: Josephine Kittner (team
leader), Bogdan Andrei
Nationality of
team members: Germany, Romania
THE FUTURE OF WORK
General situation
EE countries are characterized by having different levels of
development, therefore they have high level of inequality
The Russian Federation, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia,
Hungary, Turkey & Ukraine are the most developed states, having
mostly positive growth rates which are characterized as high
developed countries by World Bank
Developed EE countries are mainly concentrated in the textile industry,
automobile production, agriculture and generally in manufacturing
In some EE countries energy has an important place on the agenda,
especially due to the environmental challenges (ex: Ukraine)–
opportunity for future industry vs. threat for population and economy
through high costs
In genera, EE countries are heading towards greater division between
the emerging economies and those which are developing much slower
THE EE MARKET AND ITS PERSPECTIVES
Exper t ise
Wi l l ingness to
learn
High
educat ional
level
Good soc ia l
s t ructures
High
understanding
of CSR
H igh potent ia l
WHY
CHOOSE SL
AND CZ?
The chosen countries:
Slovenia and the Czech Republic
Most companies small to medium-sized, / Major role of SME sector in the economy
Most important industries: Services, IT, automobile manufacturing, telecommunications
Slovenia and the Czech Republic have very high number of mean years of schooling academic elite/high performance potential
Slovenia‘s gross domestic expenditure on R&D is above EU average (ranks 4th of EU in 2010, OECD ranking) high will ingness to advance and innovate
Ex: Slovenia won Most Innovative Brand 2012 award for high quality and design
Both countries could recover quickly from the economic crisis, Czech Republic ( -0,3% GDP growth rate in Q3 2012) could recover slightly better than Slovenia ( -0,6% in Q3 2012)
Online survey via Stellar Survey
Participation of 70 persons from all over Europe (Bachelor and Master students, Graduates)
Focus of questions: general trends of EE countries, potential industries, classification of most important EE countries with regards to expected development
The majority of the interviewees (37%) think that the IT industry wil l be the most important in 2022
50% think that EE could become more competitive than Western Europe and East Asia
40% consider “engineer” to be the most wanted profession in 2022
The online survey confirmed our assumption of concentrating on the IT sector in the Czech Republic
It equally reflects the high importance of the energy industry which we mentioned before and considered too vague
3 countr ies wi th
h ighest
expectat ions to
grow:
Czech Republ ic ,
Croat ia & S lovenia
3 most impor tant
pi l lars :
Proper ty r ights ,
f reedom f rom
corrupt ion & f iscal
f reedom
3 most compet i t ive
industr ies in EE :
Ser v ices & IT,
Energy, Tour ism
KEY
POINTS
AND
RESULTS
Why choose the IT industry?
1. Gain export strength and a competitive advantage compared to
other European countries through knowledge and expertise;
through higher exports foreign currencies flows into the economy
2. Facilitates job creation and the reduction of the unemployment
rate, especially for young people;
3. Builds itself on an already developed industry, through the
exploitation of the high educational level in both countries
prevention of emigration of valuable human capital
4. Promotes Foreign Direct Investment which is the key to success
as it facil itates growth and expansion, makes firms more
competitive, and equally enhances the whole economy
5. High focus on services and markets outside EU
THE CHOSEN INDUSTRY: IT
Via the realization of the new industry (IT branch) in Slovenia
and the Czech Republic, the two countries will get closer
structure wise
idea of following the same management style in the two
countries, having the same corporate structure and language
(English)
Promote growth easily by creating a pool of ideas and talents
whilst fol lowing equal structures
Strong cooperation as a cluster concept between them, that will
give the opportunity to share services in weaker regions and
enhance regional competitiveness high working together in
R&D department as being essential
CLUSTER BUILDING
General features:
Size: medium-sized company with up to 250 employees in both
countries
Company type: Slovenian Limited Liability Company (due to lower
corporate income taxes in Slovenia)
Means of financing: venture capital and foreign investors (minimum
needed 7.500€ due to company type)
Products: services and IT products such as software, electronic
hardware, service and planning systems, electronic offices
Most important department: Finance due to constant need for
investments in innovation, research, technology, logistics and
marketing
COMPANY PROFILE
Other company features:
Use expertise and investment in R&D to develop new products and
attract new clients, the CR and SL working closely together having
the same long-term goals
English as corporate language to simplify access for foreign
employees (integration programs for employees, language courses)
Strong CSR policy regime
Application of Scandinavian management style:
flat hierarchy and high transparency
high employee motivation via paid vacations, secure contracts,
creation of long-term relationships with employees, special work
incentives and workshops, promotion options even on small
levels, integration of every employee in the working process
A QUESTION OF STYLE AND THE KEY TO
SUCCESS
1. phase: Creation of unified company image and understanding;
internal network between Slovenia and the Czech
Republic – overcome language barriers by special
teaching systems, deepen cluster
2. phase: high corporation with EU countries as soon as possible,
attracts EU companies to co-operate closely, intend to
attract foreign graduates by social management style
and English as corporate language, focus on export of
high quality IT products
3. phase: open up to international markets, create a brandmark
and customer awareness in a global sense
(INTERNATIONAL) NETWORK CREATION