WOLFGANG MAINZ YES President - YES - Execom YES Başkanı - YES - Execom New Economy We are witnessing a revolution and we are the actors of this revolution. What can we do? And how? What can we gain or obtain, what will we loose? Is there a conflict between the so called "old" and "new" economy? Is there a possibility of integration? Is it possible to survive without adapting? We should try to find and answer and a solution to all these questions as individuals and as part of the society, the "European Society". We are not only young entrepreneurs but also "European Young Entrepreneurs". The following consideretations are the contribution of the YES for Europe members to the comprehension and development of the so called "New Economy" society. 1- The New Generation: The common resistance that Europeans have to everything that is imposed by the high-tech versions of life has been increasingly leaving together with the natural curiosity induced by the technological "beast" and the dreams and opportunities it provides. The speed that everything changes today - defined by the Americans as "Year Dog's"- makes that a product or a concept becomes obsolete even before it is known. This reflection first important consequence is that the new business world won't be done without internet where everything will unforeseeably happen. Other consequence is that new business areas will emerge from this "netian" age, as will certainly be the case of distribution and logistic companies, real distribution platforms in the new business circuits. 2- "Good ideas are not enough" Information technologies are provoking a "New Industrial Revolution" The new information society requires new ways to understand the companies and to organise the work. It allows an improvement of the communication with the clients, the co-workers and the suppliers, for example trying to avoid the big amount of transport costs of the employees because of the meetings. The work in the company is changing. The clients or customers service of for example the follow up of the orders actually are much easier than in former times. It is important to point out that the potential of the new economy is conditioned to the needful development of certain technological applications (electronic trade, UMTS, etc.) that allow to overcome the lack of security and the slowness. When this will be reached, we are sure that it will soon take place, we will realise of the important changes not only in the entrepreneur's field but also in the workers and its way of working. The growing of internet has opened big opportunities for business creation, and for many young entrepreneurs. Most of these companies that are opening new riches and markets do not require important capitalisation, what they need is a concrete campaign of communication on information technology advantages and a specific training in business management for starts-up. 3- "Co-operative competition" The most successful organisations are those which operate on the basis of collective intelligence. It is important to co-operate efficiently, share information, generate new ideas and develop the capacity to exploit them. "Co-operative competition" amongst individuals is at the core,a s a major driver for innovation and creativity. 4- "A New Society at Human- kind disposal" After the service AND Industrial Revolution we are now facting a New Revolution: the Communication and Information. Passing from the service society to the virtual/immaterial society requires a total change of our behaviour as consumer and producer. This change involves our ways of being and thinking and provides the base for a "New Society". The new society is developing new opportunities, new waits, new behaviours of individuals, of enterprises and of the State. A consequence is the development in parallel of new responsibilities that must give rise to new rules. These new rules have to anticipate and run the evolution and at the same time the danger that is emerging from a system in permanently evolution. As global competition is growing and e-commerce is already at the hearth of the competitive economy, to understand this evolution and his new responsibilities means to give an answer to the necessity to adapt and to respect of democracy: freedom of expression, protection of minorities, of private life, of consumers, equality in the access of the technological development for citizens, enterprises and employees, to limit the gap between North and South but, above all, between those who are able to take advantage from the new society and those who risk to undergo. For once it is necessary that human being will not repeat the mistakes of the past. It is sufficient to give the instruments to learn at those people who do not know the new society and the instruments to decide to those who are familiar with it. We must build a"New Society" at the disposal of the human-kind and not vice versa. 5- "Booming technologies and political change" The political decision-makers are slowly reacting to the increased innovative pressure of the internet, globalization and high employment. Decreased taxation, further privatisation and general deregulating efforts are first signs. However Europeans tend to be hesitant when it comes to increased flexibility on the working environment or a change of a social and tax system. But especially these areas of vital importance for the new economy, as a capital inflow into this segment is very volatile. Most of the young IT companies grow faster than their marginal productivity. This is mostly related to the difficulty of finding qualified employees. Although the free flow of goods and services as well as the capital markets are flourishing the real issue for the new economy is the labours market. Increased fexibility, which is so much needed within Europe, seem very difficult to achieve. Innovation can not only be seen in new products and services but also concerning labour issues. New possibilties are needed to motivate employees and to modify the rigidity of the labour. EU Directive reference on taxation of e-commerce, a common VAT system, the registration obligation for foreign companies are a clear tendency of the Commission to increase the regulation of further developing virtual market. Tax specialist fear that the EU will only increase the chaos in the internet through such actions, EU should follow the example to declare the internet a free trade area. 6- "Connected and disconnected" The new economy makes a modernisation process urgent, but at the same time also provides precise indications as to which direction such a process should take. Firstly, a culture of communication must be created. In the second place, a new conception of employment and enterprise is required. The distinction between the two figures of employee and entrepreneur and, above all, their opposing tance, appears surpassed in view of the great opportunities available. In the third place, we need to establish a new set of rules, objectives and values. Competitiveness and success for individuals, enterprises and the state are measured in terms of interactivity, skills and flexibility. Equal opportunities are affirmed over equal results. Solidarity is seen as promoting integration and growth in society, not as a system of protections and privileges which inevitably condemns its recipients to marginalization. Enterprise culture is reaffirmed and market rules are accepted. Finally, the new economy clearly indicates the priorities which we must face, taht is, the reform of the education system, the revision of employment laws and of the welfare state, the reform of the Public Administration and the forging of links between politicians and citizens. The new, connected society will no longer be divided into entrepreneurs and workers, into reformers and conservatives, or into old and new generations. It will be divided into those who have realised that the world is changing and those who refuse to notice, between the connected and the disconnected. WOLFGANG MAINZ: "YENİ EKONOMİ" Günümüzde herkes yeni ekonomi, yeni iş, bilgi toplumu, bilgi teknolojisi, Internet, e-ticaret vb. tartışmakta. Bir devrime tanık olmaktayız ve bizler bu devrimin oyuncularıyız. Ne yapabiliriz? Nasıl yapabiliriz ? Ne kazanır, ne kaybederiz ? Katılmamız olası mı ? Uyum sağlamadan ayakta kalabilir miyiz ? Bu sorulara hem birey, hem de "Avrupa Toplumu"nun birer üyesi olarak cevap bulmak zorundayız. Aşağıdaki düşünceler, "YES for Europe" üyelerinin "Yeni ekonomi" toplumuna bir katkısını oluşturmakta: 1. "Yeni nesil" Avrupalılar'ın, ileri teknolojinin yaşama her getirisine karşı sergiledikleri ortak direniş, teknolojik "canavar"ın uyandırdığı doğal merak ve sağladığı hayal ve fırsatlar sayesinde, giderek yok olmaya başladı. 2. "İyi fikir yetmiyor" Bilgi teknolojileri bir "Yeni Endüstri Devrimi"ni körüklemekte. 3. "İşbirlikçi rekabet" İşbirlikçi rekabet, yenilik ve yaratıcılığın temelinde yatmakta. 4. "Yeni toplum" Hizmet toplumundan sanal/maddesel olmayan topluma geçiş, üretici ve tüketici olarak davranış biçimimizi değiştirmemizi gerektirmekte. Bu değişim bizim olma ve düşünme tarzımızla ilgili ve "Yeni Toplum"un temelini oluşturmakta. 5. "Teknoloji patlaması ve siyasi değişim" Politik karar mercileri, Internet, küreselleşme ve yüksek istihdamın yenileyici baskısı karşısında yavaş yavaş reaksiyon vermeye başladılar. 6. "Bağlantılı ve kopuk" Yeni ekonomi çağdaşlaşmayı acilleştirken, bu işlemin hangi yönde gerçekleştirileceğini de açıkça belirtiyor. Bu yeni bağlantılı toplum, artık girişimci ve işçi olarak değil dünyanın değiştiğini farkedenler ve farketmeyi reddedenler, yani bağlantılılar ve kopuklar olarak ikiye bölünecek.