I know it has been a long time since i last posted on my blog but so many things happened during this time. And the problem is that i don't have internet connection at home yet. So, i'm connecting from the school's building at the moment.

The biggest news about my life is that, i moved to Stockholm for my master studies at KTH on 15th of August. So it has been more than two weeks that i'm here. I already got used to the place and people but let me show you around !

Travelling to Kista / Stockholm

After we arrived at the Arlanda Airport with Alper , we took a taxi to go to the main campus of KTH which is located at Valhallavägen. There we picked our keys for our new home in Kista.

So this is how taxis look like in Sweden. Every taxi has its GPS and the price is fixed for many locations. Our taxi driver was from Iran and he spoke a little bit Turkish to us. GPS device helped him as he had problem in finding the address. You can click on the image to see its bigger version.

Our Flat in Kista

At a first glance the place where master students stay in Kista, Allevag doesn't seem to be a great place to stay but anyways it's my new home so i have to like it :) Most people call these flats "containers" but i call ours ; home.

So here is what you see from my window ; Nokia. Well, everytime i look out from my window i see Nokia so i hope in future i'll be seeing my flat everytime i look out from my office in Nokia :)

We are at the heart of IT sector in Kista. Times magazine calls Kista as the second Silicon Valley in the world. Ericsson has its headquarters in Kista with more than 9000 employees and a lot of physical presence. Microsoft, IBM, Tele2 and other big companies either have their headquarter or one of their main offices here in Kista.

If we just come inside of the flat we'll see that it's not a very big flat with its 25 square meters area. But it's OK as we are just two here and we know each other very well. I think it wouldn't be a good experience to live with someone you don't know in a small room like this one. Photos will talk instead of me , right now ...


Well you can click on photos for bigger versions but i'm pretty OK with the place. We have our own kitchen, toilet and bathroom but i know some other students share these places with others. So at least we can praise for this :)

This is all for now because i have an assignment to work on but until the next time i write something take care !

According to a recent Manpower survey of 37,000 employers in 27 countries and territories, 41% of employers worldwide and 31% in Europe, Middle East and Africa are battling to fill positions due to a lack of suitable talent. Commonly referred to as the ‘Skills Gap’, this growing shortage, due to social and demographic changes such as falling birth rates and aging populations, will have a huge impact on many employers. Being open to workforce mobility will increasingly be essential for organisations to continue to thrive.

EU member states are in an enviable position: legislation exists that allows employees to work more freely around Europe than in any other part of the world. This enables European organisations to draw on a pool of skilled labour from other countries when and where needed to address talent shortages.

In fact, approximately 1.5% of EU citizens under the age of 25 live and work in a different EU Member State from their country of origin, and every year, 7.2% of EU citizens change their place of residence, of which 15% refer to a job change as the main reason to move.1

Migration has a major impact on the workforce, and movement of workers from Eastern to Western Europe is rapidly increasing. In many ways this is having a positive effect on the EU: a climate of circular migration is emerging where countries that send and receive employees benefit. Those that welcome migrant workers are able to fill vacant positions, and the flow of lower skilled and seasonal workers to parts of Western Europe plugs the gaps that exist there. The countries that workers travel from also experience positive effects: money sent home fuels the economies of many Eastern European countries.

There are, however, concerns with the increased levels of mobility. Employers will likely face a lack of talent due to employee migration to markets where working conditions or salaries are perceived to be better. Organisations can overcome these skills gaps effectively by enhancing their employee training programmes and by offering competitive benefit packages, thereby retaining their valuable workforce and reducing attrition levels.

From the employee perspective, changing to a new employer is often perceived as a better way of acquiring new and different skills. However, providing life-long learning and opportunities for workers to gain new skills by moving between internal positions is an effective way to not only enhance occupational mobility for workers, thereby increasing motivation and productivity, but to also overcome potential talent shortages, regardless of their cause.

So what is needed to further improve labour mobility and address our skills shortage in Europe? The challenge is to create effective systems to make skills available where and when they are needed, including across international borders. Regular and systematic labour market information will be required to track and understand the gaps and bottlenecks in training and the necessary skills employers will seek in the future.

Labour mobility aside, governments should work with the private sector through public private partnerships to ensure that the right skills are jointly created to meet tomorrow’s needs. Furthermore, universities and other training institutions should collaborate with employers to create courses that are practical and relevant for employers’ requirements.

Demographic shifts and economic factors are compounding skill shortages, which could ultimately threaten world economic growth and prosperity. Governments and employers need to counter the effects of these shortages by further embracing and adopting strategic migration procedures together with other workforce policies. Only then can we all – employers, governments and individuals – win in this changing world of work.

1 Eurobarometer survey ‘Europeans and Mobility’, February 2006

Source of Article : EURES & You : The European Job Mobility Newsletter, Issue 03 / 2007

A Professor was explaining marketing concepts to the MBA Students :

1. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: “I am very rich. Marry me!” - That’s Direct Marketing

2. You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says: “He’s very rich. Marry him.” - That’s Advertising

3. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day, you call and say: “Hi, I’m very rich. Marry me.” - That’s Telemarketing

4. You’re at a party and see gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink, you open the door of the car for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her ride and then say: “By the way, I’m rich. Will you marry me?” - That’s Public Relations

5. You’re at a party and see gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says: “You are very rich! Can you marry ! me?” - That’s Brand Recognition

6. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: “I am very rich. Marry me!” She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. - That’s Customer Feedback

7. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: “I am very rich. Marry me!” And she introduces you to her husband. - That’s demand and supply gap

8. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say anything, another person come and tell her: “I’m rich. Will you marry me?” and she goes with him - That’s competition eating into your market share

9. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say: “I’m rich, Marry me!” your wife arrives. - That’s restriction for entering new markets

Photo credit: Andres Rodriguez