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Friday, July 25, 2008
Professor Andrej Skarabot Named International Correspondent for PMForum & PM World Today in Slovenia
Professor Dr. Andrej Skarabot, one of the best known and most respected project management experts in Slovenia, has been named an International Correspondent for PMForum and the monthly PM World Today eJournal. Recently retired from the University of Ljubljana where he taught management and project management since 1980, Dr. Skarabot remains active as an author, consultant, lecturer and assessor for IPMA Awards and Certifications.
Andrej Skarabot, PhD, has a diploma in Chemical Engineering (1963) from Ljubljana University in Slovenia and a Masters of Science (M.Sc.) in Business Administration (1975) and Ph.D. in Business Administration (1985) from Zagreb University in Croatia. Dr. Skarabot was a professor on three technical faculties, on the subjects of business and project management at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia from 1980 - 2006, retiring in 2007. During 1989 – 2006, he was also a partner in d.o.o., a management consulting firm based in Ljubljana.
Andrej was the first beginner (together with J. Ovsenik) of project management (at that time generally called Network Analysis) in Slovenia in 1965. Since then, Andrej has extensive experience working and consulting on more than 80 projects, including the following:
Andrej is President and First Assessor of the Slovenian Certification Body (SloCert) for the International Project Management Association (IPMA). He is also an assessor for IPMA’s International Project Management Award. For many years, he was a member of the Executive Committee for the Slovenian Project Management Association and director of the Slovenian certification body; he is an Expert of the Slovenian Economics Union.
Dr. Skarabot has taught more than 300 seminars and published over 190 articles and papers on economics, business and project management, in journals and international conferences. He has presented papers at many INTERNET/IPMA world congresses over the years, and at regional events in Central and Eastern Europe.
His current special interests are in the areas of project management terminology and portfolio management.
Ljubljana is the largest city and capital of Slovenia. It is located in the center of the country and had a 2007 population of 278,638. Ljubljana is regarded as the cultural, scientific, economic, political and administrative center of Slovenia. The city is divided into several quarters, formerly municipalities: Šiška, Bežigrad, Vič, Moste, and Center. Its transport connections, concentration of industry, scientific and research institutions and industrial tradition are contributing factors to its leading economic position. Ljubljana is the seat of the central government, administrative bodies and all government ministries of Slovenia. It is also the seat of Parliament and of the Office of the President.
Ljubljana and its surrounding area have been populated since ancient times, with the earliest known settlements in the Bronze Age. The Roman settlement Emona was built in AD 15; the first records mentioning Ljubljana date to 1144. The settlement received town rights in 1220, and in 1335 came under Habsburg rule. During this time Ljubljana was the capital of the duchy of Carniola, became the seat of a diocese in 1461, and developed into a Slovenian cultural center. With the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Ljubljana became the unofficial capital of Slovenia in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and in 1929 the official provincial seat of the Drava Banovina within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After World War II, Ljubljana became the capital of the Yugoslav Socialist Republic of Slovenia, and remained the capital after the country's independence in 1991.
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north. The capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana.
At various points in Slovenia's history, the country has been part of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Carantania (only modern Slovenia's northern part), the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire (later known as Austria-Hungary), the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, the Kingdom of Serb, Croats and Slovenes (renamed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929) between the two World Wars, and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 until gaining independence in 1991. Slovenia is the only former communist state to be at the same time a member of the European Union, the Eurozone, the Schengen area, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe and NATO.
Four major European geographic regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the Dinarides, the Pannonian plain, and the Mediterranean. Slovenia's highest peak is Triglav (2,864 m; 9,396 ft); the country's average height above sea level is 557 metres (1,827 ft). Around half of the country (11,691 km²; 4,514 sq mi) is covered by forests; the third most forested country in Europe. Remnants of primeval forests are still to be found, the largest in the Kočevje area. Grassland covers 5,593 square kilometres (2,159 sq mi) and fields and gardens 2,471 square kilometres (954 sq mi). There are 363 square kilometres (140 sq mi) of orchards and 216 square kilometres (83 sq mi) of vineyards.
With a population of just over 2 million, Slovenia has a high-income developed economy which enjoys the second highest (after Cyprus) GDP per capita ($28,010.76 estimate for 2008) of the new EU countries which is 93% of the EU average. Although the country's relatively high inflation declined to 2.3% in 2006 (prior to adoption of the euro), it recently reached 5.1% year-on-year, exceeding the average in the eurozone.
Slovenia's economy has started to grow more strongly in the last few years (7.2% in first quarter of 2007, 5.7% in 2006, 4.1% in 2005), after relatively slow growth in 2003 (2.8%).
Despite economic success, Slovenia faces challenges. Much of the economy remains in state hands and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia is one of the lowest in the EU per capita. During the 2000s, privatisations were seen in the banking, telecommunications, and public utility sectors. Restrictions on foreign investment are being dismantled, and foreign direct investment (FDI) is expected to increase. Slovenia is the economic front-runner of the countries that joined the European Union in 2004 and was the first new member to adopt the euro on 1 January 2007.
(Ljubljana and Slovenia facts are courtesy of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org )
Professor Skarabot is fluent in Croatian and English, and proficient in the German language. Based in Ljubljana, Andrej can be contacted at andrej.skarabot@guest.arnes.si.
Established in 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management and continues to be one of the world’s most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum is an organization formed to operate and administer the pmforum.org website. PMForum also produces the monthly PM World Today eJournal where articles, papers, stories and viewpoints by leading PM authorities from around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net. PMForum’s global network of correspondents provides news and information from around the world of project management. More information about this program can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/index.htm#5.
Andrej was the first beginner (together with J. Ovsenik) of project management (at that time generally called Network Analysis) in Slovenia in 1965. Since then, Andrej has extensive experience working and consulting on more than 80 projects, including the following:
- Various firms in construction (companies SCT, Primorje)
- Pharmaceutical (Lek, Krka)
- Electro (Iskra Avtoelektrika, Eles)
- Mechanical engineering firms in Slovenia and ex-Yugoslavia
- Governmental organizations (Ministry of Economy, etc.)
Andrej is President and First Assessor of the Slovenian Certification Body (SloCert) for the International Project Management Association (IPMA). He is also an assessor for IPMA’s International Project Management Award. For many years, he was a member of the Executive Committee for the Slovenian Project Management Association and director of the Slovenian certification body; he is an Expert of the Slovenian Economics Union.
Dr. Skarabot has taught more than 300 seminars and published over 190 articles and papers on economics, business and project management, in journals and international conferences. He has presented papers at many INTERNET/IPMA world congresses over the years, and at regional events in Central and Eastern Europe.
His current special interests are in the areas of project management terminology and portfolio management.
Ljubljana and its surrounding area have been populated since ancient times, with the earliest known settlements in the Bronze Age. The Roman settlement Emona was built in AD 15; the first records mentioning Ljubljana date to 1144. The settlement received town rights in 1220, and in 1335 came under Habsburg rule. During this time Ljubljana was the capital of the duchy of Carniola, became the seat of a diocese in 1461, and developed into a Slovenian cultural center. With the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Ljubljana became the unofficial capital of Slovenia in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and in 1929 the official provincial seat of the Drava Banovina within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After World War II, Ljubljana became the capital of the Yugoslav Socialist Republic of Slovenia, and remained the capital after the country's independence in 1991.
At various points in Slovenia's history, the country has been part of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Carantania (only modern Slovenia's northern part), the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire (later known as Austria-Hungary), the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, the Kingdom of Serb, Croats and Slovenes (renamed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929) between the two World Wars, and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 until gaining independence in 1991. Slovenia is the only former communist state to be at the same time a member of the European Union, the Eurozone, the Schengen area, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe and NATO.
Four major European geographic regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the Dinarides, the Pannonian plain, and the Mediterranean. Slovenia's highest peak is Triglav (2,864 m; 9,396 ft); the country's average height above sea level is 557 metres (1,827 ft). Around half of the country (11,691 km²; 4,514 sq mi) is covered by forests; the third most forested country in Europe. Remnants of primeval forests are still to be found, the largest in the Kočevje area. Grassland covers 5,593 square kilometres (2,159 sq mi) and fields and gardens 2,471 square kilometres (954 sq mi). There are 363 square kilometres (140 sq mi) of orchards and 216 square kilometres (83 sq mi) of vineyards.
Slovenia's economy has started to grow more strongly in the last few years (7.2% in first quarter of 2007, 5.7% in 2006, 4.1% in 2005), after relatively slow growth in 2003 (2.8%).
Despite economic success, Slovenia faces challenges. Much of the economy remains in state hands and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia is one of the lowest in the EU per capita. During the 2000s, privatisations were seen in the banking, telecommunications, and public utility sectors. Restrictions on foreign investment are being dismantled, and foreign direct investment (FDI) is expected to increase. Slovenia is the economic front-runner of the countries that joined the European Union in 2004 and was the first new member to adopt the euro on 1 January 2007.
(Ljubljana and Slovenia facts are courtesy of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org )
Professor Skarabot is fluent in Croatian and English, and proficient in the German language. Based in Ljubljana, Andrej can be contacted at andrej.skarabot@guest.arnes.si.
