Category: Business

  • Turkish Fashion Designers Make Muslim Style Chic

    Turkish Fashion Designers Make Muslim Style Chic

    In Istanbul on a recent Friday, it was time to send the page proofs of Ala magazine to the printer. Ala, which means “the most beautiful of the beautiful,” is the world’s first fashion publication for conservative Muslim women. Its office doesn’t feel like a bastion of traditional Islam: The talk is of models, photo shoots, deadlines, and accessories.

    Zeynep Hasoğlu, Ala’s new editor in chief, sits behind a giant desk, her brown eyes amplified with dark eyeliner and mascara. She wears a black blazer with matching pants, her tiny frame weighted by a massive tiered rhinestone collar necklace. Stiletto shoes complete her outfit—a look that many of her readers want. “We are trying to convey international fashion to ladies without infringing on our values,” says Hasoğlu. She flicks through her iPad as she describes an unfulfilled need of affluent women who have money to burn but little understanding of how to spend it. They don’t know about Islamic designers because Muslim fashion has been a word of mouth industry.

    Ala, launched in 2011, is the primer these women want. It features models in head scarves with well-crafted outfits in the latest colors. One recent article, titled “Looooooong skirts!” gives tips on skirt designs and mixing and matching. A recurring section visits Istiklal Street, the central retail promenade on the European side of Istanbul, to photograph fashionable but conservative women. Like many of Ala’s readers, they sport sleeves that fall at least to the middle of the forearm and no bare leg is revealed. Yet with their head scarves they wear jeans and boots or skirts and form-fitting jackets.

    Taha Yasin Toraman launched Etesettür.com 15 months ago. That’s Turkish for hijab, the veil worn by observant Muslim women. The site sells black cloaks that cover the whole body as well as tight pea coats that hug the waistline. “There are many online shopping websites in Turkey, but there were none for conservative women,” Toraman says. He is launching an English-language site by August for the rest of the Muslim world.

    Turkey’s fashion industry has its detractors, who condemn the idea that conservative women can wear flattering modern apparel. Women should instead avoid drawing attention to themselves, as Islam calls for. Female attire has long been a contentious subject. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the secular founder of modern Turkey in the 1920s, urged Turkish women not to cover their hair. After a military coup in 1980 momentarily checked the rise of the Islamic parties, the government banned head scarves for university students and public servants. The ban was partially lifted in 2010.

    Under Sunni Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey has enjoyed a decade of prosperity, which has given rise to an Islamic middle class. It is widely reported in the media that around 60 percent of Turkish women now wear a head covering. Mehmet Dursun, chief executive officer of Armine, Turkey’s top retailer of Islamic fashion, cornered the local head scarf market nine years ago before becoming a one-stop brand for middle-class Muslims. The retailer has a house line of apparel, shoes, and soon handbags, to be made in the same factory that makes Michael Kors bags. Armine apparel and accessories are sold in 1,400 stores, including in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Britain. Gross revenue in 2012 was $56 million. “I would like to be the conservative Hermès further down the line,” Dursun says.

    The one thing absent from Turkey’s fashion scene is name-brand designers: Most work in relative obscurity for retailers like Armine. One exception is Filiz Yetim, maker of bridal gowns for the modest. Yetim, who on an April day was wearing a beige head scarf, a black blouse tucked into a long beige pencil skirt featuring floral appliqués, and gold and silver bracelets, designs gowns that feature a head scarf, full sleeves, and a floor-length hemline. The going price averages $4,000 to $5,000—not much for a handmade item. Yetim says she’ll charge more in time. “In two years, this vision of personal fashion will be more established, and we will ask what is due,” she says.

    The bottom line: Turkey’s fashion designers are reinterpreting traditional dress for Muslim women, creating a new industry in the process.

    Topol is a Bloomberg Businessweek contributor.

    via Turkish Fashion Designers Make Muslim Style Chic – Businessweek.

  • Intelligent Hospital Systems Expands into Europe with New Operations in Izmir, Turkey – WSJ.com

    Intelligent Hospital Systems Expands into Europe with New Operations in Izmir, Turkey – WSJ.com

    New unit will leverage IH Systems’ pharmacy practice expertise to work with regional healthcare providers on developing comprehensive dose solutions

    WINNIPEG, Manitoba–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 18, 2013–

    Intelligent Hospital Systems (IH Systems), developer of the RIVA automated IV compounding system, announced that it is expanding its global footprint with new operations in Izmir, Turkey. IH Systems Turkey will focus on creating a platform for delivering end-to-end pharmacy solutions for hospitals that include drug inventory and supply, medication ordering, processing and workflow, pharmacy hardware and software technologies, and much more.

    The new office began providing services in Turkey last fall in a collaborative venture with Dokuz Eylül University Hospital in Izmir. The partnership is believed to be the first time a pharmacy technology provider such as IH Systems has teamed with a hospital to develop a comprehensive pharmacy solution.

    “The hospital pharmacy is central to patient care. There is not a department or patient that the pharmacy does not touch — so it is imperative that pharmacy operations are safe, efficient and cost-effective,” said Dr. Niels Erik Hansen, president and CEO of IH Systems. “We are using our expertise in pharmacy practice to expand our global service offering and help pharmacies increase safety and operational efficiency, and reduce costs.”

    Mr. Hilmi Sunay will serve as CEO of IH Systems’ Turkey unit. A recognized expert in pharmacy technology, automation and cytotoxic preparation, Mr. Sunay served as CEO of healthcare technology company Rivosem in Istanbul for five years before joining IH Systems last April. He has consulted with such well-known healthcare companies as Johnson & Johnson, Beckton Dickinson and Boehringer Ingelheim Delta Pharma, and led the development of more than 50 pharmacy compounding centers in Turkey.

    “We are very excited to have a respected expert such as Hilmi leading the expansion of IH Systems in Europe and being a catalyst for continued growth,” said Dr. Hansen. “Not only does he have decades of experience in the market, more importantly, he has tremendous knowledge of all aspects of pharmacy practice and healthcare technology.”

    As part of its aggressive effort to expand into new markets, IH Systems earlier this year announced it has entered into a manufacturing partnership with Cambridge, Ontario-based ATS Automation. ATS will become the global manufacturer of the RIVA system. The hi-tech manufacturer has 20 production facilities around the world, including several in Western Europe, as well as India, China, Malaysia and Singapore.

    About Intelligent Hospital Systems

    Founded in 2006, Intelligent Hospital Systems (IH Systems) is a medical device company focused on the design and development of automated solutions for the hospital environment. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, IH Systems manufactures RIVA, a fully automated IV compounding system that prepares medications for syringes and IV bags in an aseptic environment. Using RIVA, hospitals enhance patient safety, lower the cost-per-dose of medications, reduce their vulnerability to medication shortages and cut waste. For more information, visit .

    CONTACT: For Intelligent Hospital Systems

    Cookerly Public Relations

    Cory Stewart, 404-816-2037

    [email protected]

    SOURCE: Intelligent Hospital Systems

    via Intelligent Hospital Systems Expands into Europe with New Operations in Izmir, Turkey – WSJ.com.

  • Turkey to finalise payments to Egypt in two months

    Turkey to finalise payments to Egypt in two months

    Türkiye Amerikan usulü emperyalizmi öğreniyor, Mısır’a 2 milyar dolar borç veriyor!

    bank-of-egypt

    Turkey will transfer the remaining US$1 billion of a $2 billion loan to Egypt in two months, according to sources

    Turkey will transfer the remaining US$1 billion of a $2 billion budget support package agreed for Egypt last year within the next two months, Turkish economy officials and banking sources said on Wednesday.

    The loan will be a shot in the arm for Egypt, which on Tuesday failed to agree with the International Monetary Fund on a $4.8 billion loan that could ease a worsening economic crisis in the Arab world’s most populous nation.

    Under the Turkish agreement, announced last September during a visit to Ankara by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy, Turkey’s Treasury loaned Egypt the first $1 billion.

    Turkey’s Eximbank will now supply the second tranche in the next two months, the sources said, although the interest rate on the loan had not yet been settled.

    “The Egyptians are completing the deal’s conditions at the moment. We expect them to get it done by the end of the month and the deal to come into effect afterwards,” one of the sources close to the transaction said.

    “The deal will include capital goods and pre-determined projects. Egypt will soon have a short list of these projects.”

    Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has presided over Turkey’s emergence as a power in the Middle East over the past decade and championed the pro-democracy uprisings of the “Arab Spring”, which saw dictatorships unseated in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.

    His government is keen to position Turkey, whose construction sector is heavily engaged in frontier and emerging markets in Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as a key player in rebuilding the region’s post-conflict economies.

    Turkish trade with Egypt rose to $5 billion in 2012, consisting mostly of Turkish exports to the Arab nation, from around $3 billion the previous year.

    Egypt has been rapidly burning through the hard currency reserves it needs to import food to feed its 84 million people. It is grappling with falling tourism, a soaring budget deficit and an atmosphere of political confrontation that has led to waves of violent street protests.

    It secured $5 billion in stopgap finance from Qatar and Libya last week, which, together with the Turkish loan, will buy it time as it seeks to avert social unrest over fuel shortages and food price increases in the run-up to parliamentary elections expected in October.

    Before the Qatari and Libyan loans, its foreign currency reserves had dwindled to a low of $13.4 billion in March, less than needed to cover three months’ imports.

    via Turkey to finalise payments to Egypt in two months | Al Bawaba.

  • Airbus CEO says may increase production in Turkey

    Airbus CEO says may increase production in Turkey

    (Reuters) – EADS (EAD.PA) unit Airbus is considering increasing production in Turkey and plans to double its spending in the country from last year’s $74 million “very soon”, its chief executive Fabrice Bregier said on Wednesday.

    Fabrice Bregier, Airbus President and CEO speaks at a ground breaking ceremony for Airbus assembly plant in Mobile

    “We expect by 2025 we will reach spending of $2.4 billion … this will make Airbus the biggest partner for Turkish aerospace,” Bregier told a news conference in Istanbul.

    Airbus Military, which is headquartered in Madrid, produces parts for its A400M military airlifter in Turkey, according to the company’s website.

    Speaking at a joint press conference to mark the signing of Turkish Airlines’ (THYAO.IS) recent order of 117 narrow-body Airbus passenger planes, Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said he was waiting for Airbus to take a step towards producing planes in Turkey.

    “We want an extensive agreement from you on producing planes in Turkey and we have the capacity to give you every support and incentive for that,” Yildirim said.

    (Reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley; Writing by Nick Tattersall)

    via Airbus CEO says may increase production in Turkey | Reuters.

  • Turkey’s first local solar tower built in southern city

    Turkey’s first local solar tower built in southern city

    Turkish energy company Greenway has completed the construction of Turkey’s first “concentrated solar power tower plant” (CSP) in the southern province of Mersin, which is located on one of the world’s major Sun Belt areas.

    The first local concentrated solar power tower plant built in Turkish southern province of Mersin has a 5 MW of thermal power capacity. Company photo
    The first local concentrated solar power tower plant built in Turkish southern province of Mersin has a 5 MW of thermal power capacity. Company photo

    The plant, which has been built with an investment of $50 million by Greenway with the support of Turkey’s science watchdog TÜBİTAK and the Technology Development Foundation of Turkey (TTGV), generates 5 MW of thermal power, equivalent to the energy requirement of 1,500 houses.

    “Turkey is located on a major sun belt and is lucky compared to many countries that develop technology in this field,” Co-founder of Greenway and Project Management Director Serdar Erturan said in a statement.

    Erturan noted that major world powers had been placing a special focus on solar power plants as a substantial power generation source in response to the increasing energy demand due to rising technological needs.The plant is used as one of the most efficient methods to convert solar power to electricity across the world. While it’s one of its kind in Turkey, it also marks many firsts in the world.

    There are similar tower type plants in Spain, Israel and the U.S., and the Greenway Mersin CSP stands out for its wireless communication system as well as its lego type design, which enables easy transfer, installation and easy access to the site.

    Competetive price gain

    The plant utilizes only water and solar light, and by focusing solar energy over the tower, it enables reaching high temperatures. Reflective panels consist of unique glass mirrors and system components and energy production processes contain only environment friendly materials. The only output of the system is the high pressure steam.

    “Thanks to hybrid and compact systems that lower costs to competitive levels and are not dependent on external sources in technological terms, it is possible to generate energy from renewable energy sources, at high outputs and competitive prices,” Erturan said.

  • PMI(R) Global Congress 2013–EMEA in Istanbul Preview

    PMI(R) Global Congress 2013–EMEA in Istanbul Preview

    Features include Role of the Practitioner in Explosive Growth of the Profession, Project Management in Emerging Markets

    NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. & ISTANBUL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 2013--

    PMI’s 2013 Pulse of the Profession(TM) In-Depth Report: Talent Management found that although consistent, continuous training and development for project managers significantly reduces financial risk, half of organisations have scaled back their training programs due to economic conditions. This deficit leaves organisations and practitioners alike unprepared to fill the 15.7 million new project management roles expected to be created between now and 2020–nearly two million of which will be in the EMEA region.

    At the upcoming PMI(R) Global Congress 2013–EMEA in Istanbul, project and program managers will learn what it takes to fill these roles as leaders of the profession’s next generation: agile, innovative individuals who can skillfully navigate change, manage risk and build and nurture teams that drive organizational success in international and emerging markets.

    Keynote speakers and events at PMI(R) Global Congress 2013–EMEA include:

       -- An opening presentation from Project Management Institute President and 
          CEO Mark A. Langley, "Are You Ready to Be a Project Executive?" 
    
       -- "Leadership in Times of Global Turmoil" presented by featured keynote 
          speaker Nader Mousavizadeh, CEO of Oxford Analytica and columnist 
          for Reuters. 
    
       -- "The Crossroads of Culture" presented by Avinash Chandarana, Group 
          Learning and Development Director, MCI Group. 
    
       -- "Networking Across the Globe", sponsored booths in the Exhibit Hall. 
    
       -- "Project Management in Emerging Economies" panel discussion, highlighting 
          the opportunities and challenges faced by project management 
          practitioners working in new and developing markets. 
    
       -- Celebration of Children's Day, with events and performances in 
          observation of Turkey's annual Holiday of National Sovereignty and 
          Children. 
    
       -- A keynote by Murad Bayar, Undersecretary for Defense Industry, SSM, 
          titled "Project Management in the Turkish Defense Industry." 
    
       -- Closing presentation entitled "Reach for the Heights: Team Dynamics and 
          Leadership on the Slopes of the World's Highest Mountain" presented by 
          author and adventurer Cathy O'Dowd, the first woman to climb Mount 
          Everest from both sides.

    About PMI(R) Global Congress

    PMI’s Global Congress is the world’s premier project management educational and networking event, providing a forum in which practitioners and professionals can network, further their skills and learn how their projects fit within the context of world and economic affairs. The PMI Global Congress 2013–EMEA will be held from 22-24 April at the Istanbul Congress Center in Istanbul, Turkey. To register, visit . Start networking early on LinkedIn by joining PMI Global Congress–EMEA and on Twitter @PMICongress.

    About the Pulse of the Profession/Methodology

    Conducted since 2006, PMI’s Pulse of the Profession(TM) is the annual global survey of project management professionals. The Pulse of the Profession charts the major trends for project management now and in the future. It features original market research that reports feedback and insights from project, program and portfolio managers, along with an analysis of third-party data. The newest edition of the Pulse features feedback and insights from nearly 800 project management leaders and practitioners across North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and Latin America and Caribbean regions.

    About Project Management Institute (PMI)

    PMI is one of the world’s largest not-for-profit membership associations for the project management profession. Our professional resources and research empower more than 700,000 members, credential holders and volunteers in nearly every country in the world to enhance their careers, improve their organizations’ success and further mature the profession.

    PMI’s worldwide advocacy for project management is reinforced by our globally recognized standards and certification program, extensive academic and market research programs, chapters and communities of practice, and professional development opportunities.

    Visit us at www.PMI.org, www.facebook.com/PMInstitute and on Twitter @PMInstitute.

     
        CONTACT: PMI

    Carey Learnard, +1 610-356-4600 x1092

    [email protected]

    or

    Megan Maguire Kelly, +1 610-356-4600 x7030

    [email protected]

     
        SOURCE: Project Management Institute (PMI) 
    Copyright Business Wire 2013