Can Energy Competitiveness Drive Europe’s Future Growth?

This was the main theme of a Policy Dialogue event organized in January 2014 at the European Parliament (Brussels) that I was invited to give a presentation, focusing on two of the main pillars of Europe’s industrial competitiveness. European companies’ competitiveness is under pressure due to higher energy costs and costs related to the adaptation to increasingly demanding environmental challenges and regulations. The proper mix of an industrial policy to tackle these challenges is of great importance for every country and also for Europe as a whole. This MEP Policy Dialogue is providing a platform where policy issues related to energy and environment affecting industrial competitiveness in the EU, can be openly discussed and debated with decision makers and all stakeholders. For the presentation, click here .

Twitter enters the boardroom?

As social media spreads around the globe, one enclave has proven stubbornly resistant, according to FastCompany: the boardroom. Perceptions remain that social media is at best a soft PR tool and at worst a time sink for already distracted employees. A new report from McKinsey Global Institute, however, makes the business case for social media a little easier to sell. According to an analysis of 4,200 companies by the business consulting firm, social technologies stand to unlock from $900 billion to $1.3 trillion in value. At the high end, that approaches Australia’s annual GDP.  While 72 percent of companies use social technologies in some way, very few are anywhere near to achieving the full potential benefit, according to the survey of the consulting firm. In fact, the most powerful applications of social technologies in the global economy are largely untapped. Companies will go on developing ways to reach consumers through social technologies and gathering insights for product development, marketing, and customer service. Yet the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) finds that twice as much potential value lies in using social tools to enhance communications, knowledge sharing, and collaboration within and across enterprises. MGI’s estimates suggest that by fully implementing social technologies, companies have an opportunity to raise the productivity of interaction workers—high-skill knowledge workers, including managers and professionals—by 20 to 25 percent.

Σε αφανισμό οδηγούνται οι μεγάλες ελληνικές βιομηχανίες από τις εξοντωτικές τιμές του φυσικού αερίου

Με Ειδικό Φόρο Κατανάλωσης (ΕΦΚ) δεκαπλάσιο από άλλες χώρες, έλλειψη ανταγωνισμού, μονοπωλιακές πρακτικές, άκαμπτο ρυθμιστικό πλαίσιο και εξοντωτικά τιμολόγια που είναι 100% ακριβότερα από ότι σε γειτονικές χώρες και σε χώρες της ΕΕ, το φυσικό αέριο βάζει τη ταφόπλακα στην χαμένη ανταγωνιστικότητα των Ελληνικών προϊόντων και γίνεται η αιτία να οδηγηθούν χιλιάδες ακόμη εργαζόμενοι στην ανεργία. Διαβάστε περισσότερα εδω.

Towards the customer obsessed brand?

Welcome to the Age of the Customer and invest accordingly says Josh Bernoff  of Forrester Research , author of a new report titled "Competitive Strategy In The Age Of The Customer". According to the report, previous sources of dominance (ie  manufacturing, distribution, even information mastery ) are now just table stakes. This is the age of continuous disruption. Your relationship with customers is the only thing that enable you to survive that disruption. Companies must be more than customer focused, they must be customer obsessed. A customer obsessed company focuses its strategy, its energy, and its budget on processes that enhance knowledge of an engagement with customers, and prioritizes these over maintaining traditional competitive barriers. An interesting piece of work. Find more here.

A CSR Toolbox for European Companies

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is of crucial importance for competitiveness in Europe, says the latest European Competitiveness Report published by the European Commission. The annual report analyses productivity and competitiveness issues in the EU. In that context the so called CSR Toolbox was launched. CSR Europe's Toolbox includes information, ideas and advice designed to help companies and their stakeholders address socio-economic and environmental challenges and integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) into mainstream business practice. The Toolbox is based on the first results of the CSR Laboratories, cross-sectoral business-stakeholder cooperation projects under the umbrella of the European Alliance for CSR. (Photo:Günter Verheugen, Vice-President of the European Commission )

The “Nice Way” business advantage, now in a series of lectures

A number of new research findings, recently published bestseller books (ie The Brand Bubble, John Gertzema, Chief Insights Officer, Young & Rubicam / WPP Group, November 2008 and The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, 2009) and the winning business strategies of a new species of Nice Brands / Corporations that is now emerging (ie Patagonia ) as predicted in the book Nice Capitalism by Costas Kataras , are all confirming the advantage of the Nice Way strategy and Costas’ unique foresight ability to foresee the shape of things to come in the new corporate world. The Nice Way initiative of The Costas Kataras Organization includes information, ideas and advice equipping organizations for a competitive advantage in times of turbulence, delivered through a number of tools, including: lectures, presentations, seminars, workshops, strategic foresight, scenario planning, studies, market intelligence, consulting, counselling, networking tools and others, based on Costas Kataras’ fascinating book Nice Capitalism. Lecture topics include: A New Paradigm: The Application of “Chaos Thinking” to Strategy, The European Effect: Is Corporate Europe Beginning to Surpass America? , Restoring Confidence in the Corporation: Rethinking the Business of...Business, The Uncertain Future of Brands: The Next Colossal Corporate Challenge?, The Economics of Happiness: Mastering the New Competitive Advantage ,The Revenge of the Psych: Is Consumers’ Dominance Over Corporations Near?, Rethinking Marketing: Surviving in a New, Polarized, World. More info and a short description of the Nice Way series of lectures, is now availiable.

"Πράσινη" Ουτοπία

21/01/2010, Μια ομάδα «άκαπνων» διαμορφωτών πολιτικής πλασάρει το νέο, και ίσως τελευταίο μας, όραμα για ανάπτυξη: την «πράσινη οικονομία».
Μας λένε όμως, από άγνοια ή σκοπιμότητα, τη μισή φράση. Γιατί η φράση ολόκληρη, όπως διατυπώνεται και στη στρατηγική της Ευρώπης, έχει ως εξής: «οικονομική ανάπτυξη μέσα από τον μετασχηματισμό σε μια “πράσινη οικονομία” που βασίζεται στη γνώση». Με απλά λόγια, για να πετύχει μια χώρα στη νέα εποχή της «πράσινης οικονομίας», πρέπει να έχει ή να δημιουργήσει υπεροχή και ανταγωνιστικό πλεονέκτημα στο ονομαζόμενο «τρίγωνο της γνώσης», δηλαδή Παιδεία, έρευνα και καινοτομία.
Ομως οι επιδόσεις της χώρας στο τρίγωνο αυτό είναι απελπιστικές. Μια απλή ανάγνωση των σχετικών κριτηρίων της Λισαβόνας δείχνει ότι είμαστε ουραγοί....
Ολόκληρο το άρθρο (21/04/2010) με τίτλο ¨Πράσινη Ουτοπία ¨ , σε αναλυτική μορφή, μπορείτε να το βρείτε εδώ. Το άρθρο οπως δημοσιεύτηκε στο ΒΗΜΑ, μπορείτε να το βρείτε εδώ. Ολα τα άρθρα του Κ.Κατάρα για ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ, μπορείτε να τα βρείτε στην σελίδα συντάκτη της εφημερίδας, εδώ.