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Some International Companies Investing Turkey

Some International Companies Investing Turkey

Turkey has seemed as management headquarters for the region due to its geographical location.

International firms choose Istanbul – like many subjects - to govern their operations in the region including many countries from the Mediterranean, Turkish countries, Balkans, Africa, Middle East, Middle Asia, Eurasia, and South-Eastern Europe. There are also many Turkish managers who are in charge of the management level of international companies in the region.

Coca-Cola
90 countries associated with Coca-Cola Eurasia and Africa Group are leaded by the chair of Ahmet C. Bozer in Istanbul. That means 70.000 people! They are governed by the center in Istanbul. He says ‘’the city has a central logistics network thanks to the numerous airline services to Middle Asia, Middle East, and Africa and adding that Turkey is a powerful country with its young population and dynamic economy besides being in ‘’perfect’’ location linking to Africa, Europe, Middle East, and Asia.

He also made a statement by saying ‘’ Wherever our headquarter is, we have collaborated and had new corporations. Relationship managements from different countries require constructive dialogue on each level, each day among the institutions. For this purpose, our group managers often visit the countries. Managers in these countries take action in the same way on meeting expectation, understanding to the demands and expectation of our all partners, customers and consumers in their own countries.’’

Pepsi
PepsiCo Turkey has been the center for 14 countries including Greece, Israel, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Kosova, Bosnia Herseq, Serbia, Cyprus since 2008. Turkey, where is the center of southeastern Europe, is one of the five management centers –which are England, France, Spain, Russia – in Europe.

Unilever
The chairman of Unilever in Turkey, Izzet Karaca is responsible for 12 countries in the region.

MasterCard
MasterCard ruled the Southeastern European Region (10 countries)

Microsoft
Microsoft MEA (the Middle East and Africa), located in Istanbul, runs 79 countries from the management office since 2000.

Vice President of Microsoft International, the responsible for the operations of business strategies and development in Middle East and Africa, Ala Faramawy states that there are many reasons for leading operations of Microsoft in the Middle East and Africa adding ‘’ Istanbul is geographically close to the important business centers in the region, located in a strategic point and offers you easy access to every direction. Besides, it also shines by offering business opportunities, social development, high manpower and well infrastructure for foreign employees. It is entertaining to lead the region from Istanbul due to dynamism, variety and high-quality manpower.’’

For instance, Turkey is 4th place on the list worldwide showing Windows Live Messenger with 28,4 million users. Within the active usage of technologies, Turkey also has the potential to provide software and service. That’s why Microsoft is ready to give a hand about everything that is needed on economic growth and creating capacity in Turkey.

Microsoft Turkey was also selected as ‘’the country of the year’’ passing to the league of developing countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China thanks to the achievement in corporate and marketing performance.

Faramawy claims that the Middle East and Africa Regions offers a structurally various market and numerous different cultures, communication types, handling style on work, the need of different structure of management approaches, the necessities to listen before taking an action for adaptation to a local business environment.

BSH
10 countries have been managed from Turkey since 1999. BSH coordinates its distribution of developing markets such as NCTR, Irak, Tajikistan, Kırgyzistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhistan, Azarbaijan from Turkey and BHS representative office of Houseware Stuff in Almati.

BSH Houseware Stuff Executive President Norbert Klein states that the reason why Turkey meets easily the requirements in its own hinterland and one of the superior countries in marketing, sales, service, logistics, production.

Klein claims that they export their product - %60 of them to European countries - to the whole world adding ‘’We are proud of being highly demanded to the product, produced and developed in Turkey, on abroad.’’

Visa
The office of Benetton Turkey has controlled its market in Georgia, Uzbekistan, Krıghisiztan, Turkmenia, Tajikistan, and NCTR. Visa leads Israel and Romania markets from Turkey.
Berna Ulman has been the general manager of the Visa Europe Region since 2007.
Berna says the countries that she is responsible for the management are almost similar to using card habits and the types of consumer behaviors, the usage of credit cards is more common according to total card usage than Europe where debit card usage is more, Turkey experiences many projects in advance, especially at innovation and within this experience, leading to developing strategies in similar markets.

She claims that cultural, social, economical differences show themselves while leading more than one market, you need to get information about recognizing and understanding the different market structures, dominating different dynamics in the market, being informed by legislation and regulations. She also says ‘’When you honored with regional management, you undoubtedly travel more. Dominating to Turkish market dynamics as the same importance as dominating Romanian and Israel markets’’

Benetton
Benetton was the ‘’first’’ international brand among ready-to-wear companies. The chairman of Benetton Group Luciano Benetton had gotten into the Turkish market by choosing Boyner as a distributor in July 1985.

Benetton Turkey founded the dealership network fast while it had already started to produce in the factory of Altınyıldız, Turkey.
Benetton Group and Boyner Holding signed a ‘’partnership’’ agreement for the management and development of activities in Turkey when the time was April 2005. Benetton Turkey Office has coordinated Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kırgyzistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and NCTR markets.

Zeynep Selgur, who is the general manager of Benetton Turkey points out their advantages economically and logistics and says that there have been other worldwide brands tries to penetrate the markets in Turkish Republics for five years while they have already increased their penetrations in these markets for 12 years.

BP
Two managers from BP LPG and BP-Castrol runs many countries, including also Turkey.

Ömer Dormen has ruled to the director of sales of mineral oil in Nordic countries, Russia and Turkey since December 2010.

Organizational changing has been made in LPG activities of BP in Europe since January 2011. The organization of Europe LPG was divided into two units which are Northern Europe and Turkey performance Units, and Western Europe and Southern Africa Performance Units. Hakan Turker became the leader of LPG Northern Europe and Turkey Performance Units, including Austria, Turkey, Poland, Holland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany.

Director of Foreign Relationships and Corporate Communication of BP, Murat Lecompte points out that Turkey is seen as ‘’one of the rarest countries’’, found the segments of both ‘’searching and production’’ and ‘’refining and marketing’’ besides Turkey takes place in five countries that BP wants to expand its growing purpose in refining and marketing area.

By claiming that the management model from Turkey provides great advantages to companies, Lecompte says ‘’ The country is close to both East and West due to the location so that we find an opportunity to experience a vast mosaic in the area.
The teams that we work with have an important dynamism in this direction.''

CEVA
CEVA Logistics in Turkey governs the Balkan countries including Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia. The company started to rule much bigger geography together with the attendance of Egypt and Middle Asia.

Within the ‘’success’’ of CEVA Logistics Turkey, which gives a service to the sectors and different markets in automotive, electronic, technology, petrochemistry, industrial goods, fast consumed products, publisher and more, the management of Balkan countries including Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece was added at the beginning of 2008.

General Manager of CEVA Turkey and Balkans Aslan Uzun says ‘’ Despite the economical conditions in Greece; getting profits in crisis, supported infrastructure from Turkey, the most successful logistics company was founded again in consequence of managing the operations with success.

On the other hand, the rate of growth gets double in Turkey. As a result of all these achievements, CEVA was organized from the beginning and we became the leader in the location around us when Egypt, Middle Asia and more were attended in 2011.’’

He also says people need to divide categories into two different parts as leading the countries in Europe and the other neighbor countries and adding ‘’ the most outstanding thing is the cultural difference on employees while operating in Europe. We have a culture caring much about emotions, overreacting at sharing achievement and mistakes. However, as you go up north in Europe, reactions are based on logic and mathematic more than emotions. That’s why it prevents adapted for both teams at the beginnings. We – the Turks – are really flexible. Adapting ourselves to different cultures is easier in a short time. So that we can quickly come over this problem. The secret of being successful is to have a culture that manages a crisis all the time, decides with fewer data, and does numerous business at the same time. It brings achievement in developed countries.’’

Intel
The Middle East and Africa Region of Intel have been ruled from Turkey since 2004.
67 countries take place in this region. The company has been leaded from Turkey since Aysegul Ildeniz was appointed as Regional Director of Africa and the Middle East in 2004. Ildeniz is responsible for the whole employees from distributor to sales in Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa. There are 67 countries including Egypt, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. When we have a look from the view of market size, the computer market with 19 million stuff is coordinated from Turkey.

Intel Turkey Group Manager of Business Development Burak Aydın states that Turkish managers are appointed in various departments such as sales, finance, marketing, and retail all the time. Being prior to be chosen Turkish managers in Intel adding ‘’Turkish managers are able to understand western business ethics and discipline besides strong communication skills like eastern people and empathize with African and Middle Eastern people.’’

They are preferred to get rational decisions, have strong relationships and take action out of time independently. Due to the crisis in 2001 and the other experiences of them, they can struggle easier with the tough conditions. They can perform true measures quicker that the managers who face with crisis for the first time. Crisis experience also helps Turkish managers in changeable conditions. It is also an important reason.

Turkey shines as an example in today’s world. We have a fast-growing market and strong retail networks. Besides, the government invests in every field. Intel preferred to found its center to Turkey because our country is interested in technology and growth potential in the informatics industry. Turkey has one of the youngest populations between 67 countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Adobe
Istanbul Office of IT company Adobe is responsible for Mediterranian countries including Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Israel, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey.

Pierre Cardin - Cacharel - U.S. Polo Assn.
Aydınlı Group Turkey was promoted as licencer of Pierre Cardin in Iran, Irak, Syria, Kazakhistan, and Azarbaijan; the licencer of Cacharel in 28 different countries and 30 countries including Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Turkish Republics, Middle East and Northern Africa for U.S. Polo Assn.

Ahmet Said Kavurmacı says that they have been doing business as the main licencer with Pierre Cardin in 1993, 1995 for Cacharel and 1997 for U.S. Polo Assn. He says that they are one of the most superior companies with approximately 170 retail sale stores, 3 shopping centers, and more than 500 sales points

Companies Use As a Headquarters for Different Purposes

About the benefits of running management from Turkey to international companies, Piraye Antika says that the country is seen local qualified manpower and easy accessibility as the most important advantages. The companies are divided into two ideas which are ‘’investment center’’ and ‘’production center’’.

Antika also points out Turkey is an important balancing element for the vast and dynamic domestic market and adding ‘’There are companies which are either management headquarters or logistics basements. Now, we are trying to become an r&d center. The idea is financially supported. The country is going to be one of the r&d centers in the future.’’


The Importance Between Logistics and Geographical Location
The Chairman of International Investors Institution (YASED) Piraye Antika makes a statement ‘’Some international companies manage some countries in the region from Turkey and it provides to access an extensive area when the other countries around it are attended besides the domestic market. I think the logistical location of the country, investment growth rate when compared to the countries in the region and political stability are effective in this situation. The intense factor is geographical position and logistical advantages, supported by it. Air traffic is highly important.’’

In her speech, ‘’I think that our manpower is more qualifier than the countries around us. I mean qualified, experienced and adapting flexible working hours white-collar manpower who can lead other countries, especially the Middle East and Middle Asia. You can also count Balkans in this category. We mention management skills, manpower which has good communication with cultures. Of course, cultural approaches between Turkey and these countries are highly important. Additionally, being close to Europe is a substantial element at the same time.