|
The business community – a force for social cohesion
in Northern Greece
The leading article in this newsletter is of particular importance to
me. Since this is the first newsletter of the new year, I have decided
to write a profile of the Northern Greek businessman – the businessman
who struggles daily in adverse conditions against the state and its
bureaucracy. The businessman who often struggles not necessarily even to
make a profit, but simply to ensure that his business survives. The
businessman who – although he could easily relocate part or all of his
production to low-cost neighbouring countries – still patriotically
insists on operating here in Greece. The businessman whose attitudes and
decisions, like it or not, are – at the end of the day – a force for
social cohesion in the four regions of Northern Greece.
Within this context I wish to declare loud and clear that the State has
never been a major player in supporting entrepreneurship in Northern
Greece. This is why Northern Greek businessmen are outward-looking in
their business attitudes; this is also why they are regarded as better
‘housekeepers’. Unfortunately those who live nearer to the nation’s
capital and its government look to the State for much of their work. But
in Northern Greece, since this kind of attitude has never been
developed, the time required for dealing with Ministries, public
departments and various other organizations, and the services they may
provide, is spent instead on looking farther afield – to the Balkans for
example, where most companies operating in Balkan countries are from
Northern Greece.
The result of this attitude is that businesses in Northern Greece are in
a much healthier state than in the south of the country, since they do
not rely on occasional government actions. Moreover, they show
significant awareness regarding social issues for which they are often
not given credit. For example, the business community here is interested
in various environmental issues such as the progress of biological
waste-processing projects in industrial zones, and it wants to know what
is happening with the disposal of solid wastes. These are subjects
which, although they are of great importance, are regarded by some as
being of little significance.
On the other hand, the businessmen of Northern Greece tend to focus on
their own immediate environment. They do not take ambitious initiatives,
and they do not take big risks. They are hard-working and never rest.
The difference between them and their counterparts in the south is that
they do not suffer from the same stress and anxiety, which may in fact
be of added creative value, however this can also at times prove
disastrous. What is more they do not spend so much time networking,
looking around them and trying to generate business through ‘contacts’.
If our main customer was the State, then such behaviour would make
sense, but things are different here.
Another feature of the Northern Greek businessman, compared with those
in other parts of the country, is that he is less bound to the banking
system. He prefers to rely on his own resources, to develop his business
more gradually, to avoid “exposure”, to avoid serious risks and to avoid
always having to get the bank manager’s permission for whatever he does.
And the result is that the growth of his business is less dramatic – but
perhaps more secure.
Despite all this the Northern Greek businessman has one fundamental
weakness: he doesn’t appreciate the importance of joining forces with
his neighbours to make demands on the State. He believes either that
this is the job of one of the business organizations, like FING, or that
the effort required is so enormous that in the end it isn’t worth the
trouble.
If we Northerners were more active and more united, we would secure a
great deal more for ourselves. If we can manage to simply change some of
our negative attitudes, while at the same time retaining the positive
features of our personalities, then we can look forward to the future
with real optimism.
And so I call on all the members of FING to become more active and to
involve themselves, if possible, on an everyday basis in the
interventions planned and implemented by our Federation.
Previous President's Messages
Zero profits for processing industries in Northern Greece in 2010, with one in three businesses reporting losses
Only daring decisions will take the country out of this impasse
The Federation’s Proposals for development
The need to take measures to immediately bolster the economy and improve business competitiveness
A new year – new expectations for growth and development
Developmental measures to offset unemployment benefits with job subsidies
Enhancing "Greek Value" by resolving problems that drag on
Greece’s rise in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook ranking is encouraging news amidst the crisis
The Federation of Industries of Northern Greece making a decisive contribution to manufacturing strategy up to 2020
The government's immediate priorities in 2010 to develop the infrastructure in Thessaloniki and boost the competitiveness of manufacturing enterprises
Expectations from the new government: the manufacturing sector should be the new government’s focus
Industry should be among the Government’s policy priorities
Industry centre stage again
Proposals for avoiding the financial crisis
Bold decision-making for avoiding the financial crisis
Prospects for growth in Northern Greece in an environment of international crisis
Investment Law and Northern Greece
The market of izmir: the next goal for outward-looking enterprises of
northern greece
The
new government’s aspirations for thessaloniki and northern greece:
fing’s proposals for development
Thessaloniki and Northern Greece in International Markets
Regional
development policy as an engine for local industrial development
Global
orientation, productivity and realistic management of the National
Strategic Development Plan (NSDP). The challenges for 2007
Investment Law and Northern Greece
The new
legislative framework for research and technology in Greece: a
government nod of approval for the proposals made by the Federation of
Industries of Northern Greece (FING)
Thessaloniki has the potential to become the second pole of development
for Greece and the headquarters for development organizations nationwide
Changing
attitudes to combat unemployment – Proposals for creating closer links
between education and production
Support
for the Regions: From now on, policy actions and not just policy
announcements
The
business community – a force for social cohesion in Northern Greece
|
