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CAT PROJECT
"Strengthening the Transylvania
Business Centre (CAT) Activities in the Benefit of SMEs Development and
Internationalization"
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT:
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Strengthening the Transilvanian branches/guilds of the SMEs;
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Improving and modernizing the communication system of Transilvanian branches/guilds
and their collaboration with similar organizations/branches/gulids abroad;
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Developing CAT promotion activities.
ACTIONS:
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Developing of CAT branches’ services for SME-s;
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Editing and distributing a promotion catalogue of the SME-s;
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Editing and distributing a business review "Transylvania Business Review";
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Editing and distributing a monthly newsletter "Direct Mail" to the SME-s;
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Implementing an informational and communicational system through the Internet;
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Organizing an investment forum: "Transylvania Investment Forum";
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Extending the CAT network in Transylvanian towns;
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Reorganizing the activity of the International Relations Department;
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Implementing "The Common Market" as a facility for SME-s’ horizontal co-operation;
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Establishing a "Management Training Centre" for SME-s;
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Creating an exhibition centre/show room for SME-s "CAT Expo";
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Increasing the number of SME-s to be served by CAT.
The Transylvania Business Centre (CAT) is a non-profit, non-political and
non-governmental organization which respects the democracy principles in
carrying out its activities. CAT has more than 1000 member companies and
its main goal is the development of economic activities and the stimulation
of trade and foreign investment in the Transylvania area. CAT offers essential
business services, support and assistance for initiating and developing
direct economic contacts, provides consulting services, training programs
and organizes SME-s’ participation to international exhibitions and reunions.
At the end of 1997, CAT Cluj started establishing branches/guilds, gathering
the SMEs with the same field of activity.This would contribute to
identifying and solving the problems of the SME-s members. At this moment
there are 7 CAT branches/guilds:
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Transilvanian Transporters Branch;
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Transilvanian Constructors Branch;
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Transilvanian Media Branch;
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Transilvanian Stylism Branch;
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Transilvanian Tourism Branch;
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Transilvanian Industry Branch;
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Transilvanian Trade Branch.
Within the present project we intend to establish a co-ordination office
for each CAT branch. These offices will function as Secretariats able to
offer to the SME-s practical business information in their fields of activity,
consulting services, training courses and other specific support services.
The "Promotion Catalogue", 500-550 pages in English and Romanian, will
comprise company names, addresses, telephone numbers, E-mail addresses,
URL, contact persons, activity, etc. The target groups are CAT member companies
and other SME-s from the region. Approx. 6000 copies will be distributed.
The business review "Transylvania Business Review" will be edited and
distributed quarterly to the companies. It will contain the following
information:
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News about the activities organized and the development projects initiated
by the partners and companies;
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Business information: demands and offers concerning the products and services
of the companies, investment opportunities, legislation in the business
field;
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Comments and debates on various topics typical for this period of transition
to the market economy in Romania;
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Topics of interest for the business community, at the reader’s suggestion;
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Job offers and demands etc.
INFOCAT will be implemented providing a modern information and communication
system using the Internet. The partners will assist a minimum of 200 companies
to get connected to the Internet and use the E-mail service for communication.
Through this project, CAT will create a database with business opportunities
and promote their member companies through WEB pages.
The partners will edit a monthly newsletter "Direct mail" presenting
the activity and the programs they intend to initiate, offers and requests
of products and services, business opportunities, information regarding
the legislation and EU rules. Five thousand copies will be printed and
distributed to the companies in the country and abroad.
"Transylvania Investment Forum" will be a yearly investment meeting
with the participation of companies from the European countries. The participants
will be representatives of companies, banks, financial institutions, groups
of investors, entrepreneurs, officials from Romania and other EU countries.
The purpose of the meeting is to present investment opportunities within
the area, banking means and services, terms and conditions for loans from
the European market and more. Plenary and bilateral meetings will
be organized for face-to-face negotiations. The location of the forum will
be in Cluj-Napoca for a period of 3 days and the number of participants
is expected to be 300 persons. During the year, a permanent Secretariat
will be in charge with the partnership activities related to the Forum
and business links development.
CAT will extend its network by establishing offices in different Transylvanian
towns. CAT Cluj will take care for the elaboration of the establishment
documents and promotion materials necessary while opening the branch. CAT
Cluj will also organize seminars for the staff of the new offices. During
this time these offices will become independent centres which will collaborate
with CAT Cluj in organizing together different events, permanently exchanging
useful information for SME-s, etc.
Through this project the activity of the International Relations Department
will be reorganized at professional standards using the technical assistance
of EU senior experts. The team of this department will be trained by the
EU senior experts (theoretical part) and will practice 2 weeks in a similar
organisation abroad.
The partners will create a database "Common Market" for the SME-s which
will contain information about their products and services, the discounts
and facilities offered to each other, bilateral and multilateral possibilities
of co-operation.
The "Management Training Centre" will offer professional training services
needed in this transition period to the market economy. Within the centre
we will organize courses in the field of management, marketing, communications,
modern languages and computer operation. The courses will be targeted for
managers in order to help improve the efficiency in their activities.
The courses will also prepare students and young graduates facilitating
them finding a job.
The exhibition centre "CAT Expo" will be located in Cluj-Napoca. Exhibitions
will be organized quarterly: one for SME-s within any field of activity
and three for similar fields (e.g. clothes, agricultural products, plastics
etc). The participants could belong to the partner areas or to different
CEE countries. The number of participants is estimated to be around 60
SME-s for each exhibition. The duration will be of 15 days.
We will increase the number of CAT members through the affiliation of
new companies especially private SME-s. Thus the representativity and financial
support of CAT will be increased. The impact of the actions organized by
CAT Cluj upon the local economy will be bigger and will contribute to the
acceleration of the development of market economy mechanism and of the
SME-s activities. To attract more Transilvanian companies in our association,
CAT will organize a promotional campaign, conceive and multiply presentation
materials about CAT, spread them among 20 000 potential new member companies,
visit the interested SME-s, discuss the conditions for affiliation and
their problems and requirements.
RESULTS:
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Developing and internationalizing the SME-s of Transylvanian branches;
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Improving the communications of CAT member companies among them and with
potential partners from the country and abroad;
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Improving the management and financial viability of CAT in supporting the
SME-s;
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Acquisition of new management, know how and communication techniques;
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Improving the quality of public relations and promotional activities;
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Developing the international co-operation partnership activities, including
joint ventures and import-export operations, in the benefit of the SME-s;
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Preparing CAT Cluj to become a self-support regional organisation dedicated
to SME-s development.
BUDGET
Fees (1)EC staff - partners’ staff:
2 persons X 20 months X 2000 Euro |
80 000
|
| Subcontracted staff: 2 persons X 10 courses
X 18 hours X 300 Euro |
108 000
|
| Subcontracted staff: 2 persons X 5 seminars
X 6 hours X 300 Euro |
18 000
|
CEEC staff - partners’ staff:
Project Coordinator 20 months X 1000 Euro,
12 persons X 20 months X 500 Euro |
|
| Subcontracted staff: 2 persons X 40 hours X
300 Euro |
24 000
|
2. Allowances
| Experts’ allowance
(10 courses X 7 days X 210 Euro,
5 seminars X 3 days X 210 Euro) |
|
CAT trainees’ allowance
4 persons X 2 practice period X 14 days X 100 Euro |
11 200
|
3. Travel costs
- international travel
| 2 experts X 10 courses X 350 Euro |
7 000
|
| 2 experts X 5 seminars X 350 Euro |
3 500
|
| 4 trainees X 2 times X 350 Euro |
2 800
|
- local travel
| Local transport (20 months X 250 Euro) |
5 000
|
4. Training, meetings
- courses
| Organizing courses (10 courses X 3500) |
35 000
|
- seminars
| Organizing seminars (5 seminars X 1700) |
8 500
|
- meetings
| Organizing the investment forum |
71 000
|
Organizing the exhibitions within CAT Expo
(6 exhibitions X 15000 Euro) |
90 000
|
| Cocktail meetings (20 months X 500 Euro) |
10 000
|
5. Equipment
| Computers/Laptops (51 X 1800 Euro) |
91 800
|
| Server communication (UNIX machine) |
10 000
|
| Printers (18 X 1000 Euro) |
18 000
|
| Color printers (2 X 2200 Euro) |
4 400
|
| Copiers (3 X 5800 Euro) |
17 400
|
| Color copier |
10 500
|
| phone/fax (15 X 350 Euro) |
5 250
|
| Mobile phones (7 X 200 Euro) |
1 400
|
| TV sets (3 X 375 Euro) |
1 125
|
| Video recorders (3 X 520 Euro) |
1 560
|
| Overhead projectors (3 X 200 Euro) |
600
|
| Flipcharts (3 X 50 Euro) |
150
|
| Modems - Internet connection (7 X 350 Euro) |
2 450
|
| Main software |
3 000
|
| Office supplies (lamps, staplers, punchers) |
2 500
|
| Furniture
(40 tables X 220 Euro,
80 chairs X 75 Euro,
10 bookshelves X 230 Euro,
exhibitional furniture for CAT Expo |
|
| Carpet (1500 sqm X 10 Euro) |
15 000
|
| Van for transporting the samples ("CAT Expo") |
55 000
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6. Direct cost
| Space arranging (1500 sqm X 10 Euro) |
15 000
|
| Consumables (20 months X 1000 Euro) |
20 000
|
| Expenses with tel/fax/mail (20 months X 2000
Euro) |
40 000
|
| Creating specialized libraries and data base |
9 000
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| Market research and gathering information |
1 500
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| Editing and distributing the catalogue and CD-ROM |
56 000
|
| Editing and distributing the review |
35 000
|
| Editing and distributing the newsletter |
12 000
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| INTERNET subscription (20 months X 300 Euro) |
6 000
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| Subscriptions for reviews and newspapers (20
months X 50 Euro) |
1 000
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7.Other costs
| Advertising announcements |
2 500
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| Promotion booklet for center |
4 000
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| Promotion events for branches |
30 000
|
8. Administration
Expenses with electrical power, heat, cleanliness
etc.
(20 months X 800 Euro) |
16 000
|
| Space rent for offices (1500 sqm X 20 months
X 8 Euro) |
240 000
|
| Maintenance and service for hardware (20 months
X 100 Euro) |
2 000
|
| Unexpected expenses |
13 000
|
| CAT and Partners contribution (10 %) |
139 408.5
|
| Phare contribution (90 %) |
1 254 676.5
|
| TOTAL |
1 394 085
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Cluj-Napoca, 1 AUGUST 1999
INVITATION
We have designed 25 priority projects for SME-s' development and we
are looking for partnership support and assistance concerning their promotion
and implementation or to redesign together those who are appropriate to
your future developments .Their address is: http://e-cat.ro/projects.html.
We would appreciate very much if you guide us towards identification
of potential partner-donor organization. Please find more information concerning
our activities, results and ideas at http://e-cat.ro
Should you find of interest our proposal and you would like to develop
direct partnership relations with our organization, on a new potential
market offered by Transylvania, please reply at your convenience.
Thank you for your kind attention and interest.
Dr. Radu-Adrian Mlesnita
Mrs. Amalia Rus |
