Student Future Day at Zagreb School of Economics and Management

One of the most successful activities organized by the ZSEM Career Center and the school itself is Student Future Day (SFD). The purpose of this project is to present ZSEM programs and students to the Croatian business community. SFD is a traditional one-day event that brings together a leading companies in Croatia and our graduating students, which will soon become valuable capital in the labor market. Also, SFD gives opportunity to our undergraduate students to find their obligatory internship or part-time job. This year the 5th SFD is going to be held at ZSEM on 8th of March 2010.
It is important to say that every year over 20 companies throughout Croatia represent themselves to ZSEM students. Only eight months after graduation, 95% of ZSEM students are already employed. Some of the companies that have presented themselves at the 4th SFD held in 2009 were: Agrokor, AutoZubak, Belupo, Coca-Cola HBC Hrvatska, Ernst & Young, Erste & Steiermärkische Bank, Getro, Hewlett Packard, Hrvatska poštanska banka, Jadranski naftovod, Kvarner Vienna Insurance Group, Lidl Hrvatska, L'Oreal Adria, Luminus Creative, MEGGLE Hrvatska, Omega software, Platinum Invest, Podravka, Premisa, Privredna banka Zagreb, RTL Hrvatska, Vipnet, Zagrebačka banka. Each year, the project is supported by many media sponsors and, in 2009, they were RTL television, Poslovni savjetnik, Poslovni dnevnik, Lider and Business.hr.

Moj Posao: 2nd Virtual Career and Education Day

After organizing the 1st Virtual Career Day in November 2009, MojPosao continues to improve this project. The 2nd Virtual Career and Education Day will be held from 5th to 12th May 2010. This time, the virtual fair will not only enable visitors to get information on the most successful companies in Croatia, but they will also have the opportunity to check out the professional education offer. The 2nd Virtual Career and Education Day will be set up as a 3D application at www.DanKarijera.com where visitors will be able to chat with company leaders and professional trainers, apply for open job posts or even enroll various educational programs.

MojPosao Expands International Reach

In order to ensure a larger job offer to its users and to provide them with an overall regional job market view, MojPosao expanded its international cooperation with leading job sites in the region. As of today, MojPosao increased the job offer for jobs outside Croatia by transferring job posts from leading jobsites in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Posao.ba) and Serbia (Infostud.com). Hence, MojPosao and its partners achiev an overall regional market share of over 85%.
MojPosao also became a member of the Broadbean Network, which allows companies outside Croatia to post jobs directly to MojPosao.
Regional cooperation and international networking represent MojPosao’s strategy to increase its international reach.

MojPosao: Best employers & Best Human Resources practices for 2010

After successfully conducting the Best employers research for four years in a row, MojPosao (www.MojPosao.net) continues to search for companies which apply best practices in human resources management by continuously taking care of their employees and their development.
This year the Best employers research has been improved and now the companies which chose to conduct the research among their employees will not only receive feedback on working conditions, organizational climate and comparison with other employers, but the three best employers in two categories (small & medium and large companies) will also have an opportunity to use a special trade mark, “2010 Best Employer”.
Besides the Best employers research, this year, MojPosao will also grant the Best Human Resources practice award. MojPosao will select the best HR projects conducted in companies in Croatia which have significantly contributed to companies’ success.

Croatia's First Electric Vehicle Goes to Geneva Auto Show

Croatian DOK-ING will present its concept electric vehicle at the Geneva Auto Show March 4-14. The XD has a small length (2.8 meters), comfortable interior (width 1. 7 meters, height 1.6 meters), and performance of a compact sports vehicle.
The XD is a concept vehicle that seats three adults and has a powerful electric engine that is capable of acheiving 0-100 km/hr in 7.7 seconds. Such performance is typically only found in compact sport cars with 200 KS. The breathtaking design is the work of Igor Jurić, a veteran in the auto industry. Employing the latest technology, the design team completed the work on the XD in three months – a figure sure to surprise many in Geneva.
The XD has a number of impressive safety features on the vehicle and electrical system. These technologies were developed by DOK-ING, a global leader in manufacturing specialty vehicles, for demining, underground mining, and fire fighting vehicles. DOK-ING is known for building vehicles that protect human life and use hybrid and electric engines. This same philosophy was employed in building the XD.

Ivan Vidaković - New Microsoft Croatia CEO, Venesa Schütz - New Head of Entertainment & Devices department in Germany

Ivan Vidaković has been appointed new Microsoft Croatia CEO as of January 1st 2010. Prior to obtaining the position, Mr. Vidaković was IBM's Chief Business Supervisor for projects in eastern and middle Europe. He spent most of his career in IBM. For eight years (2001-2008), Mr Vidaković was IBM Croatia General Manager and five years prior to that he held CEO positions for IBM operations in Oman and Yemen – wherefrom he covered the complete Persian Gulf territory. Mr. Vidaković graduated in mathematics and informatics at the Zagreb Faculty of Science and continued upgrading his education through various courses in ICT, computers and management. Microsoft’s goal in Croatia remains the same – to strengthen its market position and make contributions to the economy as a whole (recent IDC research on Microsoft Croatia ecosystem states that it will create 6000 new jobs by the year 2013).
Venesa Schütz held the Microsoft Croatia CEO position since August 2008. She returned to Germany as the new Head of Entertainment & Devices department. She is the Sales Director responsible for all Microsoft retail products and six business lines: Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Office for Macs, Xbox 360, PC games and hardware components. Under the management of Ms. Schütz, the Microsoft Croatia team realized successful business results in the fiscal year 2009, which ended July 1st 2009. Considering market turmoil and the economic recession, the fiscal year finished on the same level as the year before with slight market share increase.

National Technology Programme for Non-Profit Organisations launched

On January 22, National Technology Programme for Non-Profit Organisations launched in Zagreb, Croatia. The programme, run by the TechSoup organization with help from local NGOs, Foundation “Partneri u dobru” and Association for independent media culture “H-alter”, is supported by Microsoft and will provide every qualifying non-profit organization with access to technology donations from participating technology companies. The goal of the programme is to help close the digital divide by enabling non-profit organisations to gain the same benefits of efficiency and effectiveness from IT as businesses have in recent decades. TechSoup Programme enables eligible organisations to gain access to donated technology, allowing them to choose from a wide range of products from Microsoft and other technology vendors. Microsoft has actively been involved in making technology donations for non-profits in the US and in other parts of the world through their involvement with TechSoup.
Feedback from the non-profit sector to the donations programme has already been strong. Having the access to standard technology is vital for every non-profit organisation in order to offer their services at the high standard people deserve. However, budgets are often under too much pressure to allow the necessary investment in ICT – and that is where the TechSoup donation programme helps. For any organisation seeking to secure a donation they should log on to
www.techsoupglobal.org/countries/croatia
for details.

Avon Commits $1 Million to Support Relief Efforts in Haiti

New York/Zagreb, January 28th 2010 – Following the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, Avon announced that it has made a $1 million donation through the Avon Foundation for Women to assist in relief efforts throughout the country.
The Foundation plans to distribute the donation equally to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, humanitarian organization that provides relief to victims of disasters, and to Doctors Without Borders, the international medical humanitarian organization that has already assisted more than 1,000 people on the ground in Haiti and has committed to continuing to provide critically-needed medical services. The funds will be used to provide for immediate and basic human needs such as water, food and medical help. Both organizations are deeply involved in the relief efforts to aid those impacted by this tragic disaster.
According to news reports and international aid groups, the earthquake has affected an estimated three million Haitians, with the death toll expected in the tens of thousands.
In the spirit of Avon philanthropy and responding quickly to national and international disasters and emergencies, the company is launching a comprehensive program to help with relief efforts in the aftermath of this devastating earthquake.
To contact Avon dial 01 6650 010 or visit www.avon.hr
Avon press office: http://www.avon.hr/PRSuite/aboutus_landing.page

Amway Officially Announced their New General Manager for Amway Slovenia and Croatia- Hedi Kovacs Resnik

Hedi Kovacs Resnik, born Hungarian, started her career as country manager for Rothmans of Pall Mall Hungary and for past 15 years is working for Amway. She started her career as Amway Sales Manager for Hungary and soon she became the Sales Manager Eastern Europe responsible for European sales communications and distributor recognitions. Since 1 April 2009, she became the General Manager for Amway Slovenia and Croatia.

Beginning of January 2010 she was also elected as the new president of Croatian Direct Selling Association (DSA).
The former President of the DSA, Ms. Adriana Giurissa (AVON Country Manager) commented on the occasion"2009 was especially successful for DSA, among other things DSA has organized a press conference to present direct selling as a job opportunity in recession time with the presence of Mr. Anders Berglund, FEDSA Vice Chairman and I actively worked with AmCham on their “New&Views” issue dedicated to direct selling. It has been a pleasure and an honor to be the chair of the Association for 3 years and I wish a lot of success to the Association".

AmCham Participated at the Euromoney Conference in Vienna

AmCham joined it's member Zagreb School of Economy and Management (ZŠEM) at the Euromoney Conference „The Central & Eastern European Forum" in Vienna on January 19 & 20, 2010.The event was attended by the President of AmCham, Mr. Don Markušić (Partner/Barrister & Solicitor, Law firm Borić and Partners) and Executive director, Mr. Damir Vucić.
The conference was a good platform for AmCham to widen our already extensive business network in the region and promote business cooperation in the region.
The conference was attended by more than 900 people, among which were also other AmCham members such as PBZ Bank, Atlantic Group, HBOR, and Aucris. This was also an opportunity to further develop AmCham Croatia's relations with Croatian institutions that were attending through informal and constructive discusions, including discussions with Mr. Josip Špoljarić, Deputy Head of Mission, Croatian Embassy Vienna, Mr. Kovačev, HBOR, Mr. Zdravko Maric, State Secretary, Ministry of Finance.

Euromoney Vienna was really the place to be for anyone doing business in Central and Eastern Europe. Government ministers, central bank governors, leading businessmen, investors, IFI’s and key commentators on the region took to the stage to discuss the key topics affecting all areas of business and finance for the year ahead. The day and a half event included panel discussions, sponsored workshops and country focussed roundtables covering a wide variety of topics. Euromoney also welcomed distinguished opening keynote speakers who set an exciting tone for the rest of the days’ discussions. The audience heard keynote speeches from (in order of appearance): H.E. Vaclav Klaus, President, Czech Republic; H.E. Gordon Bajnai, Prime Minister, Hungary; H.E. Ewald Nowotny, Governor, Oesterreichische Nationalbank; and H.E. Grigoriy Aleksandrovich Marchenko, Governor, National Bank of Kazakhstan".

Allow us to express our appreciation to our Patron member, ZŠEM, and the Dean of ZŠEM, Mr. Đuro Njavro, for inviting us to this conference and supporting AmCham Croatia's efforts in expanding our regional reach and exposure. We would like to think that we were also successful in supporting the activities of ZŠEM.

‘New’ Grayling launches and becomes world’s second largest independent communications firm

Grayling, the global Public Relations, Public Affairs, Investor Relations and Events consultancy, launched in January as the world’s second largest independent communications firm. Grayling has 900 staff in 70 offices in 40 countries across Europe, the US, the Middle East and Asia Pacific and is owned by Huntsworth plc.

Grayling is the coming together of three major successful companies - Grayling, Trimedia, Mmd - as one global consultancy which now competes on the world stage offering integrated communications whilst maintaining a strong heritage and local client base in each individual market. In addition, Momentum in the Middle East joins Grayling becoming Grayling Momentum and technology PR experts Connecting Point Communications in San Francisco also join, becoming Grayling Connecting Point

Commenting on the launch, CEO Michael Murphy said: “Grayling today represents a different kind of thinking in a different kind of world. In today’s fast-moving and constantly changing markets, clients are looking for a new kind of company to help them navigate these challenges and take advantage of the opportunities. We can offer this fresh approach because we ourselves have come together from a variety of backgrounds giving us a rich forum for creativity and collective intelligence.”

To coincide with the launch, Grayling has unveiled a new identity which represents the new company and its positioning.

www.grayling-go-live.com

President of Croatia honored Candan Corbacioglu (Amway) with Order of Duke Branimir

Zagreb, January 14th 2010 - the President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesić at yesterday’s reception in Predsjednički dvori, honored Candan Corbacioglu, Amway Europe Corporate Affairs Area Manager and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Croatia in Turkey with the Oder of Duke Red Branimir with Ribbon. President Mesić honored Mrs. Corbacioglu for her exceptional and enduring contribution and active work on establishing and maintaining diplomatic relations between Croatia and Turkey and expansion of these relations to business, cultural and academic field.

"I feel very strong connection with Croatia from the first time I came here. I appreciate its culture, customs and history and I am a true friend of Croatia. The honor I have been given by president of Croatia fulfills me with pride and it is a motivation for me to continue my dedicated work on connection of our countries", said Mrs. Corbacioglu on this occasion.

Candan Corbacioglu, born in Izmir, Turkey, is working for Amway Corporation for last 15 years. She is Amway Europe Corporate Affairs Area Manager for 10 years. She has been working with Amway Croatia d.o.o. since the start of the Amway business in Croatia in 2001. Since 2003 Ms.Corbacioglu has been a member of the Turkish-Croatian Business Council and is working to promote Croatian business interests in her home city of Izmir through her contacts in the local business community. In 2005 she has been appointed as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Croatia in Izmir, Turkey and has been actively involved in working to bring to countries closer in economic, cultural and educational levels. The President of the Republic Croatia Stjepan Mesić officially opened Croatian Consulate in Izmir in 2006. Since 2007 Candan Corbacioglu is an active member of the Board of the Croatian Direct selling association.

The Order of Duke Branimir with Ribbon is an order of the Republic of Croatia awarded to employees of the state administration, heads of diplomatic missions or consular posts and representations of international organizations in the Republic of Croatia, for special merit in the development of the international status and reputation of the Republic of Croatia and its relations with other countries. The Order was established on 10 March 1995.

American College of Management and Technology (ACMT) Financial Aid Quality education affordable to all

The Financial Aid fund has been increased to over 250.000,00 Euro. Applications are available to all potential students regardless of their residency. (We encourage applications from students outside of Croatia).
With so many things to consider as one prepares for college, we want to help make the inancial aid experience as smooth as possible. More than 25% of the freshman 2009/2010 class received financial aid from ACMT and we are continuing this support by assisting the same number of students for the
2010/2011 academic year.
Due to the introduction of Državna Matura in the school year 2009/2010, ACMT will no longer administer entrance exams, and there will be no application fee.
As an American university, ACMT attracts a diverse student body from all over the world with different backgrounds, experiences and interests. All of our applicants are considered on an individual basis through our personalized
admissions process.
For more information contact ACMT, 020 433 000, american.college@acmt.hr

International Home + Housewares Show 2010

March 14 - 16, 2010 - Chicago

Join us at the International Home and Housewares Show (www.housewares.org), March 14-16, 2010 which will take place at the McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.

With 2,000 exhibitors, the International Home and Housewares Show is the most comprehensive in the industry. With 2009’s turnout of more than 20,000 attendees coming from more than 120 countries, it is one of the best grounds for networking.

It is an opportunity to see any of the thousands of new products showcased by the exhibiting companies in the close to 750,000 square feet area. Seminars and free counseling will be offered, to give insightful and pertinent educational opportunities on subjects such as colors, trends, sustainability, visual merchandise, branding, global retailing and consumer preferences.

The Show offers you the opportunity to see first-hand consumer lifestyle and product trends for all areas of the home, both inside and out, under one roof. Products are categorized into four show-within-a-show expos:

Clean and Contain Expo – dealing with bath & shower accessories, cleaning products & supplies, closeouts, closets & closets care, furniture, general merchandise, hardware supplies, home improvement & diy, home organization, impulse products, outdoor living, pet supplies, seasonal products, and showing promotion in motion: retail promotions & continuities.

Dine & Design Expo – showing cook & bakeware, tabletop, kitchen essentials & accecnts, goho – gourmet home & food district, an industry service provider’s pavilion, and an inventor’s corner.

Wired & Well Expo – showing electrics & home healthcare.

Global Crossroads Expo is where the international pavilions will be located.

At the same time, this is an excellent opportunity to explore one of the most vibrant U.S. cities. For more information, please see:
www.explorechicago.org and www.navypier.com

If you are interested in attending the show, contact the U.S. Commercial Services office in Zagreb: Zagreb.Office.Box@mail.doc.gov