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Food management for employees in Georgia

 

In the modern world for human resource specialists and CEOs’ one of the biggest deals is to create an appropriate environment for staff to keep them creative and productive. When they work in offices or do some physical work, they need to be fed fine to keep productivity during their working hours. In Georgia most of the companies don’t take this responsibility and the government doesn’t have any promotion on this issue. Even more, companies that give meals  to their employees, have to pay the VAT, which is one more reason to avoid feeding their employees.

Despite that it’s not very popular in Georgia to provide meals for the employees there are some companies which offer this kind of service. Food Management Group is among them operating in Georgia since 2012. For now the company unites more than 100 employees and takes one of the leading positions in the field. Food management group provides several services, like Cafeteria management, Lunchbox system and buffet.

According to the quantity of employees they offer delivery service of prepared food or cooking on the place.  As the top manager of the company mentioned in the interview with BUSINESS GEORGIA that the recipe of their success is high quality of products and services, which they are keeping for years. “We always have fresh commodity and try our best to meet the highest standards in our field. “

How did you get the idea of doing this business?

About ten years ago the company where my wife used to work was rejected in the last minute to be served by one of the catering companies. She was stressed, couldn’t find another company so fast. It was first time I provided the lunch for one of the leading insurance company in Georgia, of course without any refund. After that I started thinking about this gap. This made me inspired and I started providing lunches for other companies. First time I used to make food at home and offer it to small companies. But from time to time the demand has increased. Then I started offering this service to bigger companies and established the enterprise in 2012. For now our business unites about 100 employees and we provide service for some leading companies.

What motivates you to do this work for years?

The main motivation for me is that we created an opportunity for people to eat healthy and balanced food during working hours. The practice of our country is to eat fast food during the day because healthy food costs too much if you don’t cook by yourself.  We are proud that we took this gap many years ago. Another thing that motivates us is that we try our best to set up the practice that companies should pay for the food of their employees.

What kind of challenges do you see in your field for now?

The biggest challenge is the preservation of prices and quality. That means to offer balanced food (balanced meals include one food from each food group – Dairy; Vegetables; Fruits; Grains and Protein.) with affordable price.

 

 

Art Business

Doing Art Business in Georgia

Despite that in the past art was mostly perceived much like a hobby, in modern world artists have real opportunities to follow their artistic skills and transform their intentions into art-based businesses. As these activities are somehow linked to the economical welfare of the country, unfortunately there still exists states where art is hardly considered as a money earning business and unfortunately Georgia is among them.

Art is a diverse range of human activities which intends to be appreciated for their beauty and emotional power, including music, theater, film, dance and other performing arts, as well as literature, architecture, painting and many more. Some of them mentioned above are more successful in developing countries like Georgia than the others. For instance, if we are talking about material privileges, architects have wider prospects than painters or musicians here, as long as this kind of art, roughly speaking, is more practical and useful for so-called “real-businesses” to fulfill their plans than the others.

Statistically, according to the National Statistics Office of Georgia’s survey, the number of students enrolling for the bachelor’s programs to the faculty of Arts and Science grew almost 1.6 times in 2011 and 2015 years and every year, hundreds of young people are becoming students of Tbilisi State Academy of Arts of Georgia, which is the leading higher art institutions of Georgia offering high quality educations corresponding to modern requirements.

Giving a person education has become easier today than teaching them how to realize this knowledge and transform it into something materially beneficial for them and we usually lack the culture of teaching people how to make business with the profession they are perfectly good at.

This circumstances are still problematic in Georgia and so, graduate students mostly give up their profession. According to the survey conducted by Friedrich Ebert Foundation in 2016, 31% of young people are partly employed by their profession and 35% of them have lost connection with their first profession and had to fit different types of working activities.

Of course these numbers aren’t promising for so many students which enroll rather non-profitable faculties of Georgia like Art, but lately some events gave stimulus to creative young people to realize their handmade works or artistic services taking part in exhibitions with lower expenditures. For instance, painters now can post their works in e-auctions and this is one of the options of turning your creativity into a career in many countries.

Unfortunately, this kind of innovations stay unknown for older Georgian artist who try to sell own works or services in the streets, parks, etc., and there are no firm activities of gathering all of their artworks together. But even one glimpse around these artists is enough to see that usually tourists are the ones who are mostly interested in getting this kind of art.

Following the information given by FactCheck analysts of Georgia, the number of people living below the absolute poverty line grew by 0.5% in 2016 year and reached almost 21.3% of whole population and we can’t blame society about not paying enough attention to the art while living conditions are deplorable even for bigger number of population.

Even if modern Georgian writers will publish their books, only few readers can afford to “take a risk” while saving money for getting books to read a new authors works than worldwide known classical writer. We see also many talented musicians who strive for foreign countries and it’s obvious, whilst even winning some musical competitions doesn’t give them much chances to try career in mother land.

We can say that one of the most underrated fields of art in Georgia are film and theater, strangely even those international awards-winning Georgian films and animations are hardly seen on television, internet or cinemas and the reason for that, which is often mentioned even by artists themselves is that the media doesn’t pay enough attention to promoting our countries cultural achievements whilst in 21st century media became the strongest weapon in any direction you are aiming for.

So, as long as Georgian society realizes how strongly our indifference  and ignorance affects art-makers whose career will always be directed to the foreign cultures, till the schools and universities will not approach more practical direction of developing students’ entrepreneurial skills, above-mentioned statistics about poverty will be under strong necessity of improving and country will always have issues with developing any fields of art and art business in Georgia.

Author: Tamar Devdariani © BUSINESS GEORGIA

13 Important Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Georgia

BUSINESS GEORGIA’s video “13 Facts about Georgia”, in 24 hours reached record views

 

Promotional video “13 important facts about Georgia” created by BUSINESS GEORGIA has reached more than 300.000 views, and more than 10.000 Shares on Facebook. The video caused great interest in the public, especially embassies and various organizations spread it on their official pages. Video was also greatly appreciated by Georgian as well as by representatives of foreign countries, who had a desire to visit Georgia after watching this video.

BUSINESS GEORGIA’s strategic goal is to promote, support and develop Business in Georgia. For this purpose, the company planned to create and use different lines of Media, including Printed, Digital, Event, Travel and Visual Media, to collect, analyze, share and spread useful information for Georgians as well as Foreigners. Business Georgia as a media source is proud of being a special reference for all interested bodies on creating or developing business or investing in Georgia.

Since the day of establishment, BUSINESS GEORGIA has already launched several products, such as bilingual magazine BUSINESS GEORGIA, monthly based Business Forums and Business Tours.

“We will offer to the public a series of interesting video clips, the purpose of which is to introduce and share the facts about the greatest history and culture, to increase awareness and create an image of a country, which is directly connected to the development of the country’s business environment. I would like to point out that after watching this video, many investors have directly contacted us and expressed interest in doing business in Georgia”, has noted Head of PR Department of BUSINESS GEORGIA, Ms Tamuna Ubiria.

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The business case against overtime

Never mind workers — Yoshie Komuro suggests that if anyone stands to benefit from a sensible workday, it’s employers.

“The number of Japanese people who work overtime, more than 60 hours, is higher than any other country,” says Yoshie Komuro, “but the contributing value of each individual is the lowest among the industrialized countries.” Komuro (TEDxTokyo Talk: Life Balance) is the CEO of Work Life Balance Co. Ltd. in Tokyo, a consulting firm that argues the best way to improve productivity is to give workers a break. She admits it’s often a tough sell. “People worry that if we limit the working hours, it may lower productivity and diminish our will to compete,” she says. But she insists that overwork doesn’t just exhaust employees, it can also sap a company’s profits and saddle taxpayers with hidden costs — and she has the numbers to prove it.

A long workday hides many hidden costs. It’s a fallacy to assume that the longer employees work, the more they’ll produce. “Working hours and outcome do not correlate,” Komuro says. In fact, she has observed precisely the reverse relationship among some of her hardest charging clients. As employees scaled back their hours, managers were surprised to see revenue increase. “Some companies even have more revenue after cutting down their overtime hours by 30%.”

The tireless worker is a myth. “Our brain can concentrate only for 13 hours after we wake up,” says Komuro. “After that, our concentration is as bad as drunk driving.” Poor decisions and mistakes proliferate. Overworked employees spend more time in the office fixing errors that could have been avoided. “You are paying extra for the time when people tend to make more mistakes and have fewer good ideas,” says Komuro. “The more time they spend at work, the worse their results become.”

The vicious cycle of exhaustion. Companies fall into the trap of pushing their employees to log longer and longer hours as soon as revenues slip. It’s only the beginning of a vicious cycle, Komuro warns. “No matter how much time they spend at a meeting, their lack of new ideas means the meeting won’t go anywhere. Only poor ideas come up, so the meeting drags on; they can’t go home; the products won’t sell. This vicious cycle has no end.” In the worst-case scenario, the employer begins to lay off workers, loading still heavier hours on the remainder of the workforce. “Company A keeps long working hours, laying off people in order to cut down the overhead. As a result, that imposes a burden on the people who remain in the company, and it turns out that the overtime costs more than the savings from laying off people.”

The plight of overworked employees should concern all taxpayers. The costs of overwork ripple out from the office to the home, as families struggle to find caretakers for children and aging parents. Eventually the pressure falls on taxpayers to share the burden, Komuro says. “First, because we don’t have time to care for our aging parents, we ask the government for 24-hour elder-care facilities, which puts more financial burden on the government. We ask to extend the time our kids can stay at the nursery, because we can’t leave work to pick up kids before the school closes.” The challenge of elderly care is particularly pressing in Japan, where the population is aging fast. “23% of Japan’s population are the elderly, the highest percentage in the world,” Komuro says. But her nation is only at the forefront of an international trend: “Korea by the year 2030, China by 2040, will follow us,” she says. “So they will have to transform their business style into one in which they can be more productive in a short period.”

Champion efficiency, not perseverance. “I believe Japan plays an important role in showing other Asian countries a good example of how to go through this transition, for them to overcome the same problems they will encounter in the future.” But change will only come slowly, with a cultural shift that champions efficiency rather than perseverance. “Help the people around you open their eyes to this idea,” Komuro says. “Quit working long hours and placing a financial burden on the government in order to solve our piled-up problems in Japan.” And above all, get the message out to managers. “Your subordinates’ motivation will keep falling, unless you change yourself,” she says. She speaks from personal experience. “I have been running my company without overtime for the past six years. All the best employees in my firm are actually women who work on their limited schedules.”

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Hollywood Filmmakers in Georgia!

A group of Hollywood film executives have been on an exploration visit to Georgia to study some of the country’s most impressive and picturesque locations for future filming opportunities. Location managers of Hollywood movies , such as : „Transformers”, “Captain America”, “The Town”, “The Hangover”, „Sicario”, “Mission Impossible” were exploring the film making potential of Georgia.

On their return to the US, the experts planned to offer location recommendations to US film directors and producers, who will use this advice to launch film projects in Georgia.The US film industry experts have been hosted in Georgia by the Georgian National Film Centre and Enterprise Georgia.

Georgia started cooperating with the US film industry earlier this year after two Georgian agencies traveled to the US and presented the country’s cash rebate program Film in Georgia, which encouraged foreign filmmakers to shoot their films in Georgia.

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9 reasons to visit Georgia now by CNN

Out on the fringes of Europe, the former Soviet Republic of Georgia is a country shrouded in mystery.
Sandwiched between the Caucasus Mountains to the north, the Black Sea to the west and dry deserts to the south, this small country, which borders Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey, is not only a crossroad of cultures, but has a wealth of spectacular landscapes.
Until recently, many would have struggled to place the country of Georgia on the map (or at least mistake it for the U.S. state of the same name), but it’s quickly becoming one of Europe’s hottest new destinations.
Here are nine reasons to visit Georgia now.
1. Tbilisi: An eclectic melting pot
From the hanging balconies in the crumbling Old Tbilisi district and the Persian-style sulfur baths clad in turquoise mosaics, to unique art nouveau buildings falling into disrepair sitting side by side with futuristic glass structures, Tbilisi is a city that inspires.
The Georgian capital lies on the banks of the Mtkvari River and is surrounded by mountains on all three sides.
Archeologists trace the first settlement in today’s Tbilisi to the 4th millennium B.C.
Its position on the old Silk Road turned it into a multicultural hub, reflected today in the city’s ethnic diversity and eclectic architecture.

The baths in Abanotubani follow the Persian tradition, only the thermal water bubbles up naturally from the ground below.
Tbilisi gets its name from the Old Georgian word “tbili,” meaning warm, due to its hot, sulfurous water.
Moving away from Abanotubani, a walk into the Old Town reveals old Georgian and Armenian churches, mosques and synagogues and even the ruins of the most northern Zoroastrian fire temple.
2. Ushguli: Europe’s highest village
Way up in the Caucasus Mountains around 2,200 meters above sea level, this small village is Europe’s highest continuously inhabited settlement.
Sitting at the foot of Mount Shkhara, Georgia’s highest point, Ushguli is famous for the medieval defensive towers connected to each house.
It’s deep in the Svaneti region, known for its unique culture that was once cut off from the rest of the country.
The main town of Mestia is on its way to becoming the Georgian equivalent of a Swiss resort but Ushguli has been saved by its poor transport routes, which have helped preserve the village’s timeless feel.
Young men gallop through the dirt tracks on horseback between the crumbling towers, dodging the livestock in the street.
Ushguli and the region of Upper Svaneti are classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
3. The birthplace of wine
When we think of the origin of wine we tend to think of France, Italy, Greece or Persia, but Georgia is in fact one of the world’s oldest wine regions.
In 2003 archaeologists found evidence that Stone Age people were producing wine here up to 8,000 years ago.
Since then, wine has played a core part in Georgia’s national identity.
The country’s ancient tradition of fermenting grape juice in clay vessels, known as kvevris, has made it onto UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
There are hundreds of indigenous grape varieties and Georgian wine is slowly gaining recognition globally.
While some of the homemade varieties aren’t particularly palatable, there are some excellent vineyards in Georgia producing premium wines.
A good place to start is with a red wine aged in oak barrels made from the Saperavi grape from Mukuzani in the wine region of Kakheti, such as those from Teliani Valley, or a white Tsindali, made from a blend of Rkatsteli and Mtvani grapes.
Soviet dictator and Georgian native Joseph Stalin was a fan of Khvanchkara, a sweet red wine from the Racha mountain region in the Caucasus.
4. Mysterious cave cities
Georgia is home to some of the most unusual cave cities in Europe.
By themselves, they’re reason alone to visit the country.
The oldest is Uplitstsikhe, an ancient settlement that resembles a lunar landscape.
Others include Davit Gareja, a vast monastic complex carved into the rock of Mount Gareja, andVardzia, a spectacular underground city that once housed 2,000 monks.

5. Supra: A traditional Georgian feast
One of the best ways to get to know the country is through its food.
In fact, if you haven’t tried a Georgian “supra,” or feast, you haven’t experienced Georgia.
The local cheese bread is called “khachapuri,” the most famous being the Adjaran variety.
It’s a baked bread boat filled with gooey, melted, tangy “sulguni” cheese, a whole egg yolk and some slivers of butter. Yes, it’s heart stopping, but so delicious.
“Khinkhali” dumplings come with a spiced meat filling that releases its juices when cooked, so you have to suck out the stock before eating.
Then there are delectable walnut dressing salads, bean stews cooked with fragrant cilantro and “shashlik,” tender marinated meat cooked on a kebab skewer.
They’re best enjoyed, of course, with some excellent Georgian wine.
6. Remote mountain villages
The remote regions of Khevsureti and Tusheti in the Caucasus Mountains are home to spectacular medieval villages with small communities that still retain their ancient pagan traditions.
The roads going up here are an adrenaline rush in themselves.
The ruined fortress of Mutso and the settlement of Shatili in Khevsureti look like something described by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Set dramatically against the mountains, they’re so close to Chechnya you can see the border guards walking up and down the ridge.
Tusheti is a cluster of communities, kind of like a Georgian Shangri La, full of old towers, churches, villages and spectacular mountain scenery with wild flowers and trees with leaves that almost look golden.
Tusheti has numerous hiking trails and the locals are known for their generous mountain hospitality.

7. Europe’s most surreal museum
To learn about the life of Old Joe, visit Stalin’s hometown, Gori, and the bizarre Joseph Stalin Museum.
You might know Stalin as a dictator responsible for millions of deaths, but in this hometown attraction there is a sense of pride about the “local boy made good.”
There aren’t any references to his purges beyond a small backroom that doesn’t feature on the tour, but there are pictures aplenty of Stalin, including one of the leader voting for himself.
There are also various statues, his death mask, carpets and frescoes featuring the dear leader’s face, his personal green railway carriage and — the star attraction — his one-bedroom childhood home preserved in perfect condition.
The museum has been criticized for being a “falsification of history” and an example of “Soviet propaganda.”
There were plans to transform the museum into a museum of Russian aggression, but so far this is limited to a little room hidden beside the entrance.
The museum is worth visiting as it captures the essence of Stalin, including his own self-glorification and propaganda, even if that was not its intended purpose.
8. Beautiful and ancient churches
Georgia adopted Christianity back in 324 AD and the country is full of spectacular churches and cathedrals in incredible locations.
Whether it’s the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Mtskheta’s Svetitskhoveli Cathedral or Kutaisi’s Bagrati Cathedral, or the dramatic hill top position of the church in Kazbegi, Georgia’s churches never fail to paint a pretty picture.
Kazbegi is also home to one of the world’s most spectacular marathon routes.

9. The people and Georgian hospitality
Some Georgians might appear a serious bunch at first, but most of them are kind and welcoming.
For Georgians, a guest is a sacred thing and they will often go out of their way to help you.
Their generosity and hospitality will often take the form of lots of food and even more drink.
As they say in Georgia, “Gaumarjos!” (Cheers!).
Jennifer Walker is an Anglo-Hungarian former nuclear physicist turned writer based in Budapest, Hungary. She’s a compulsive traveler and has lived in the UK, Hungary, Spain, Germany and Georgia.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/13/travel/reasons-to-visit-georgia/index.html

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Happy International Children’s Day

Tbilisi is celebrating International Children’s Day today and hosting theatre shows, film screenings and fun activities for children at several inner-city public parks.

Festivities are underway at Tbilisi Zoo, Vake Park and Mziuri Park and will continue for the rest of the afternoon before a concert at Vake Park at 8pm tonight.

Each year on June 1 countries around the world mark the International Day for Protection of Children. The day has been marked annually since 1950, with Tbilisi also hosting children-friendly activities in popular city parks and recreational zones.

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Economic Minister anti dumping law is not a panacea

The anti-dumping legislation was developed, however this law is not the only solution. Dimitri Kumsishvili, Economic and Sustainable Development Minister believes.

He noted that, in connection with the anti-dumping law opinions differ. “I privately think, we need to discuss this publicly and only after this the decision should be taken. The anti-dumping law is developed in frames of the World Trade Organization’s rules. Notwithstanding this, all should take into account, this legislation is not a panacea. We developed this law obviously not for the purpose to fight with the import, or to preserve one-sidedly only the local production. This legislation must preserve the country only in a case of dumping. And the dumping needs to be detected and approved, “- Kumsishvili tells.

Georgian investment opportunities were discussed in Berlin.

Deputy Prime Minister Kumsishvili participated in the session of Berlin Economic Forum and spoke about transit and investment opportunities in the country.

Dimitry Kumsishvili met with the German Foreign Minister. The development of the European integration process in the region and Georgia-Germany relations were discussed at the meeting.

Welcome to Georgia- National Tourism Awards 2016!

Tourism and Hospitality Forum within Welcome to Georgia! National Tourism Awards 2016
Co-organized with Georgian National Tourism Administration  is held  on 24 May, 2016 at 09:30 in Expo Georgia, III Pavilion.

National Tourism Awards is an elite honor to be awarded to the very best members of tourism in the country. This Award is a good challenge for companies working in this field and should motivate them to increase their creativity and experience in providing the best service. It is a kind of Oscars for Georgian tourism and travel industries and a celebration of Georgian heritage, culture, traditions and modern achievements.

It’s a chance to celebrate the highest-achieving tourism businesses and brands that work towards creating a positive image for Georgia worldwide.

This opportunity is bringing together national and local authorities, hotels, restaurants, tour operators, travel agencies and more. It is the Oscars for Georgian tourism and travel industries.

The participants of this Forum will be the key players of the tourism and hospitality spheres, the winners of the Welcome to Georgia! Awards 2015, the potential candidates of the Welcome to Georgia! Awards! 2016, partners of the Welcome to Georgia! National Tourism Awards, representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Georgian National Tourism Administration, Tbilisi City Hall, Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia and also special guests from Ukraine: Ms. Maryna Rymarenko -Partner at DEOl Partners, who will share her experience of marketing development in hospitality sector and Mr. Anton Taranenko – Head of Tourism Department Kiev City State Administration, who will talk about the directions of development of partnership with the Ukraine Tourism Market.