Cristian Drindea is a member from Romania who attends The Academy of Economic Studies in Eastern Europe. He notes that Eastern Europe has high potential in the energy and IT sectors due to its position between Western Europe and Asia. However, it faces weaknesses like losing its cost advantage to India and China and excessive bureaucracy. For Romania specifically, high potential sectors are IT and agriculture, and it is expected to gain more influence in the EU. The region's future growth will rely on innovation as costs rise and intellectual students drive new thinking.

1. “8ball”
Country: Romania
Member: Cristian Drindea
From: Romania
School: The Academy of
Economic Studies

2. Eastern Europe
Strong Points:
• The geographic position of the region gives the companies a high
potential to become bridges between Western Europe and the Asian
emerging markets.
• Cultural affinity for the West civilization and an educated civilization.
• High development potential for the Energy and IT sectors.
Weak Points:
• Cost advantages fade in comparison with
India and China.
• Loosing the global economic driving role after
the recession.
• Excessive bureaucracy, corruption and under-
Developed legal and fiscal system.
• Weak infrastructure.

3. Romania
• High potential sectors: IT and Agriculture.
• Expected growing influence in the E.U.
• The change between the old communist way of thinking and the new modern
knowledge-based way of thinking through the growing number of intellectual
students.
• Loosing the advantage of costs gives space for innovation to take the lead.
• Innovation – the future growth engine.

4. Highlights of ideas
“Eastern Europe will remain a growth pole
through a realigned strategy of the region.”
“To be in line with the world’s development,
the region should invest in infrastructure and
education.”
“Companies should invest more in
Research & Development.”

5. Highlights of ideas (con’d)
 “Companies should create better conditions
and increase the benefits for employees to
stop the brains flee to the West.”
 “Universities should make partnerships with
important companies so that successful
managers would keep seminars for
students.”
 “Higher standards to be a university
professor.”
 “Most wanted professions will be in
agriculture, renewable energy and IT.”

6. Future preview
1. In the future the main
growth engine of the EE
companies will be INNOVATION.
1. Oriented towards highly motivated graduates
with international experience or with foreign
languages abilities.
2. The human resources strategy adopted will
be “the right people on the boat”, better
copping with direction shifts.

7. Future preview (con’d)
4. The marketing strategy will be a multi-
cultural one, people migrating from country
to country, the mixt culture already catching
roots.
5. Companies attention will be primarily
directed toward the quality received by the
customer and towards the happiness of the
employee, because of high competition.

8. Future preview (con’d)
6. A top-down hierarchy will be maintained in
companies.
7. An important focus will be put on the
environment.
8. HR and CRM departments will have greater
influence in companies.