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 MANAGEMENT
In 2006 we continued to focus on management issues such as human resources
management, business planning, research, development and Information Technology.
Specifically, regarding human resources, we began to extend the implementation
of innovative systems such as Personal Competency Management, Development
Centres and flexible working hours. Personnel development is particularly
important to CYTA, which is why we subsidise staff participation in training
programmes in Cyprus and abroad.
During the year under review, the basic aim of our communications policy was to
build on and to reinforce constantly the Organisation’s Corporate Identity and
Image. Furthermore, we completed the CYTA Brand Bible and the Brand
Architecture.
In the area of quality, the idea.click Staff Suggestions Scheme continued to
operate successfully, encouraging personnel to express their views and exploit
their creativity. It is worth noting that in 2006, a total of 552 suggestions
were submitted, eleven of which benefited the Organisation with revenue of £608.174.
Our participation as a
shareholder in the EURESCOM research organisation, as well as our active
involvement in the activities of the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation and
the European Union’s 6th and 7th Framework Programmes, reinforced CYTA’s
Research and Development sector. Our participation in the DITIS, VIDEO, LOCATE
and ALIPRO projects is an indication of our progress. Moreover, as a member of
international telecommunications organisations, CYTA is active in various
working committees and conferences, either representing Cyprus or itself. These
organisations include the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the
Association of European Telecommunications Network Operators (ETNO) and the
Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO).
Additionally, we continued to
take measures to guarantee information security and to prevent and eliminate
telecommunications fraud. Finally, we carried out an extensive study and
analysis of all the measures that are necessary for CYTA’s smooth transition to
the euro.
HUMAN RESOURCES
Human capital is the most valuable resource of
every enterprise. For CYTA this is even more so, considering the extremely
volatile and competitive environment in which telecommunications companies have
been operating in recent years. The maximum utilisation of our human capital
through the implementation of flexible human resource management systems and
continuing development is a strategic goal.
During 2006, we placed greater emphasis on staff welfare by
enhancing social services and other recreational, informative, social and
financial programmes. We continued the implementation of teleworking for
employees with special needs. Flexitime, in conjunction with the electronic
timekeeping system, was implemented in more CYTA divisions.
 Safe
driving seminars were attended by all CYTA employees in an attempt to minimise
road accidents. The downward trend of road accidents among CYTA drivers in the
past three years would seem to prove the effectiveness of the seminars.
Following the successful definition of job roles for the
Organisation’s permanent staff and the identification of the required
competencies per job role, the CYTA Competency Framework is now being used
extensively in almost all human resource activities and processes, such as
recruitment, internal transfers, employee utilisation, training and development
(including Development Centres), performance assessment and recognition (rewards
and incentives). This process also relates to the EFQM methodology and
specifically to the "People" criterion which, among other things, mandates the
development of competencies, knowledge and skills at the individual, group and
corporate levels.
More specifically, the Organisation continued with the
implementation of Development Centres, with the primary purpose of identifying
the training/development needs of the participants who are evaluated by means of
a series of scientifically-based assessment methods and tools. During 2006, the
team taking part in the Development Centre included all the Product Managers.
The satisfaction rate of the participants and its ranking pertaining to the
accuracy of the results reached 97%. Upon completion of the Development Centres,
personal development plans for each participant were formulated and their
implementation has already begun.
 Continuous
training and development of human resources is of great value to our
Organisation and we encourage it by giving staff the opportunity to participate
in fully-subsidised training programmes, both in Cyprus and abroad. In 2006, the
average number of training days per employee per year was 4,1 while training and
development expenses represented 3,98% of the Organisation’s payroll. This
compares favourably with the relative indicators of other successful
international organisations.
Since 2006, on-the-job training has also been taken into
account when measuring annual training days per employee. In the near future,
additional learning and development methods such as e-learning will be
introduced.
As a strong supporter of life-long learning, CYTA subsidised
the tuition fees of members of staff participating on a part-time basis in
work-related academic programmes by offering a substantial number of
scholarships during 2006. Specifically, eight scholarships were granted, seven
for the successful completion of a Master in Business Administration (MBA)
degree and one for a diploma in Telecommunications & Information Technology.
Maintaining good Industrial Relations has always been an
important goal. During the year under review, mutually acceptable solutions were
agreed upon regarding important work-related issues while, at the same time,
negotiations on the signing of the new Collective Agreement continued with the
Unions.
As part of our strategy for better management, it was decided
that an Employee Opinion Survey would be conducted on a regular basis. Through
this survey, employees are given a chance to voice their opinions regarding
their work environment, in an attempt to identify areas for improvement and
hence increase job satisfaction. We are convinced that employee satisfaction is
directly related to performance and productivity, which ultimately affects
customer satisfaction.
The second Employee Opinion Survey began in November 2005.
Some 2.284 employees participated (86%) - a response rate which is considered
extremely high and reflects the strong desire of members of staff to express
their views. Ôhe
survey was completed during 2006 when the results, at both organisational and
departmental level, were presented to all employees and action plans were
developed.
In the context of our cost reduction efforts, we introduced
the recruitment of hourly-paid staff on a contract basis in jobs where it has
been shown that a permanent full-time staff is not necessary. Similarly, we
employed freelance professionals such as Social Workers, Civil Engineers and
Architects.
The Oracle Integrated Human Resource Management System was
brought into full operation during 2006. Oracle’s human resource application is
considered to be one of the best in its sector. It supports a large spectrum of
human resource processes, while offering the benefit of having all previousy
fragmented human resource-related information concentrated in a single database.
The "Self Service" module is the innovative part of the
application. It gives all employees online access to their personal and
professional information and, at the same time, enables managers to access their
employees’ professional information. Managers will thus be in a better position
to utilise their employees’ abilities. This module, currently operating as a
pilot scheme, will gradually be expanded to cover the whole of the organisation
during 2007.
COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
The basic objective of our communications policy
in 2006 was to build on and enhance CYTA’s Corporate Identity and Image. This
policy was reflected in our main communications message that
"We are the leading provider of Integrated
Electronic Communications and we give people freedom of choice about
how and how much they interact with the world".
The extensive use of qualitative and quantitative market
research as a strategic tool continued throughout 2006. The recording of trends
and perceptions of Cypriot society has helped us to better understand our
customers’ way of thinking and to identify the means to achieve improved
communication with consumers.
2006 was a productive year which marked the completion of the
Brand Bible (containing our principles, values, vision, mission and
communications strategy) and Brand Architecture. Also, during the year, we
completed the methodology for the measuring and constant monitoring of our brand
value/productivity.
At the same time, we began the gradual harmonisation of all
our brand’s contact points with our new strategy and values at both the level of
external communications and consumer experience and within the Organisation.
We increased the pace of work dealing with the graphics for
CYTA’s visual identity and image, which will be completed during 2007 and will
bring about a change of the Organisation’s logo.
Media Relations
With the aim of providing timely and reliable
information to the public, regular Press Releases were issued and distributed to
the media during 2006. Senior officials of the Organisation and the CYTA Press
Officer participated in radio and television interviews and discussions,
interviews were given to the press, articles and other material were published,
and we organised press conferences and information campaigns on various issues.
 Cyprus
International Fair
Our participation in the 31st Cyprus International
Fair was extremely successful and created a very positive impression on
visitors. Based on everyone’s need for "communication" and playing with
this keyword, the CYTA pavilion was full of images of sea, earth and sky as well
as people from all over the world. Visitors to the pavilion had an opportunity
to learn more about developments in the telecommunications sector and to enjoy
impressive multimedia presentations while taking advantage of special offers and
participating in competitions organised by the Fixed Telephony, Cytamobile-Vodafone,
CYTANET, i-choice, miVision and Directories services and by CYTA subsidiary Emporion Plaza.
"Telecommunications Street"
During 2006 we continued to publish CYTA’s monthly
information bulletin "Telecommunications Street" which is distributed to all
present and retired members of staff and to outside recipients including
representatives of the media.
Websites
Our benchmark corporate website
www.cyta.com.cy is modern and functional, providing easy navigation for
obtaining information.
The homepage provides access to other useful CYTA sites such
as the online store cytawebshop, Cytamobile-Vodafone, CYTA e-bill, the Yellow
Pages and the Telephone Directory as well as those of its subsidiaries. It also
contains information about our Organisation, cytashops, our products and
services, CYTA calls for tenders, Annual Reports, and an archive of issues of
"Telecommunications Street" and Press Releases.
Within the Organisation we operate our own intranet, which
has been upgraded to an Intranet Portal and is a fast and reliable means of
internal communication and information exchange.
All of the above contribute not only to the fast and
efficient provision of information but also to saving paper in the context of
our broader environmental policy.
Business Planning
The Organisation recognises that one of the most
significant ways of implementing its strategy is through its activities. Their
total management is a competitive advantage which will improve the
competitiveness and quality of our products. For this reason, reengineering of
our activities began on a trial basis and will continue systematically based on
the Business Process Management methodology.
In the quality sector, 2006 was the year in which we
implemented the new self-assessment methodology, drawn up in 2005, for the Units
and the Organisation as a whole based on the EFQM model. The new methodology is
based on self-assessment with the use of questionnaires and takes place during a
one-day workshop which includes an explanation of the Model via a game created
by outside consultants. Other Cypriot organisations have also shown interest in
the game and a related article was published in the online EFQM magazine
Excellence One. As a result of the self-assessment, more than 30 improvement
projects were started.
The idea.click Staff Suggestions Scheme continued to operate
successfully in 2006. A total of 552 suggestions were submitted, of which eleven
led to financial benefits amounting to £608.174 while eight participated in an
international competition in which CYTA won one gold, three silver and three
bronze medals.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
CYTA is a shareholder in EURESCOM, which deals
exclusively with research programmes in the telecommunications sector. It is
also a founder and active board member of the Cyprus Research Academic Network,
which supports the creation and management of a network for the provision of
high quality services, aiming at the promotion, development and support of
research and academic activities in Cyprus.
In 2006 we participated in a number of national and European
research programmes as follows:
-
We provided the DITIS research project with
telecommunications facilities as part of efforts to implement a universal access
system for the database of the Pancyprian Association of Cancer Patients and
Friends so as to provide greater support for cancer patients throughout Cyprus.
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We participated in two projects (VIDEO and LOCATE) financed
by the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation, dealing with the distribution of
video services via GPRS/UMTS and algorithms for the provision of location-based
services.
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Under the 6th Framework Programme of the European Union (EU),
IST sector, we participated in the ALIPRO project. ALIPRO dealt with the
alignment of national research programmes of the new EU member and candidate
states, focusing on mobile communications technologies. The project ended in
March 2006. CYTA’s participation was a significant success since it provided an
opportunity to promote Cyprus in Europe regarding its activities in the research
and development sector. More information on the project and its results can be
found at http://alipro.eurescom.de/
Finally, CYTA operates an incentives scheme in order to
encourage the voluntary participation of its employees in research and
development projects, offering participants a percentage of the total funding
secured for each project.
 INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
CYTA, as a modern telecommunications organisation, uses
information technology to automate its processes and operations and to offer its
customers a complete, exceptional experience. Customers are not interested in
having to deal with all the complexities associated with an electronic
communications service. They simply wish to enjoy the benefits of a single bill
for all their services, or to be able to order any communications service
through a single visit to a cytashop, a simple call to a call centre or a visit
to CYTA’s website.
Information technology is the empowering tool that enables
the personalisation of our products to the specific needs of each and every
customer, and the creation of a framework that enables our customers to view a
single image fitting their specific needs.
Further to the improvement of the quality of service to
customers, we continued to develop our internal network even further, enriching
our suite of tools, content and accessibility and using in-house development,
new software and total solutions to support the Organisation’s business
processes.
In 2006, information technology was used to add intelligence
to our products and services in our quest to anticipate our customers’
ever-expanding needs. Cutting-edge services such as miVision, value-added
services for mobile telephony and web-based services have benefited most from
this technological impact.
Our Organisation aims to provide exceptional service to its
customers by offering them a complete range of electronic communication
products. Information technology strives to make our customers’ interaction with
CYTA easier, more effective and more enjoyable.
FRAUD CONTROL/INFORMATION SECURITY
At CYTA we consider that the security of our
networks and products is integrally linked to quality. Together, they give our
Organisation a competitive edge.
CYTA ensures that its personnel, customers and associates are
regularly updated with information with the objective of raising their awareness
and vigilance concerning telecommunications fraud and information security.
Information Security
Our Organisation is active on issues pertaining to
information security through specific measures and processes such as regular
security checks and hacking attempts, physical security and monitoring of online
access.
On issues of information security and the protection of
personal data, we follow a holistic approach based on risk assessment and
international models. The ISO27001 certification process for selected
services/networks is already under way. We are shortly planning to set up at
corporate level an Information Security Management System which will cover all
our main activities.
Fighting Fraud
We also take measures to prevent and stamp out
telecommunications fraud, a phenomenon that is assuming worrying proportions all
over the world.
For the detection and investigation of instances of fraud
against CYTA and its customers, a specialist team using dedicated technology
works in conjunction with various Services both within and outside the
Organisation.
FINANCIAL ISSUES
The challenges of the new environment in which
CYTA operates demand the provision of upgraded and enhanced services to all
financial data users with a responsibility for strategic planning, financial
decisions and the evaluation of new business projects and processes in our
Organisation.
This role has been successfully undertaken, in addition to
traditional financial activities such as the costing and billing of products and
services, the preparation of financial statements in accordance with
International Financial Reporting Standards, the equitable management of
reserves and proper budgetary control.
Throughout 2006 we ensured compliance with all laws and
regulations, including those required by the Office of the Commissioner of
Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation, and took all the necessary
steps for implementing decisions relating to the retail and wholesale markets.
An especially important and noteworthy project for the
Organisation during 2006 was the undertaking of an extensive study and analysis
of the impact on CYTA’s processes and systems of Cyprus’ adoption of the euro in
January 2008.
With the aim of providing better quality services to
customers, we introduced the online payment of bills via CYTA e-bill as well as
itemised call statements for the current month, in addition to the previously
introduced itemised statements for already issued bills. Information has been
provided since 2006 via the Cytamobile-Vodafone Menu and the CYTA Call Centre.
In addition to the above, we also introduced products which
aim to protect customers from the excessive use of their services.
REGULATORY AFFAIRS
During 2006, CYTA participated in public
consultations on market analysis and completed important work such as the
preparation and publication of the Offer for Local Loop Unbundling.
 SUPPORT
SERVICES
The Organisation’s smooth operation depends mainly on the
efficient and integrated management of its infrastructure which includes land,
buildings and vehicles as well as systems security, fire safety and guarding
services.
During 2006, we continued to plan new buildings and to
upgrade and extend existing buildings all over Cyprus. We completed preliminary
drawings for the new IT Building and for the renovation/upgrading of the old ELECTRA
Building. A planning permit application for the new Larnaka Central Offices was
submitted, as was a building permit application for the new Stores at Dhali.
Building permits were granted for the upgrading and extension
of the Aglandjia building, the renovation of the Personnel Services Building and
the Archive Building at Lakatamia, which will be converted into a Network
Operations Centre. We also finalised the design to upgrade the Lefkosia (Nicosia) Head
Offices Amphitheatre. The design for the renovation and seismic upgrading of the
Lefkosia (Nicosia) Head Offices is under way. Tenders were invited for the Lakatamia
Network Operations Centre and for the seismic upgrading of most of our manned
buildings. Construction of the new Ammochostos (Famagusta) Regional Offices and the upgrading
and extension of Aglandjia Building got under way. The plant room, the Lefkosia
(Nicosia)
Head Offices car park, the installation of covered parking at manned buildings
and the renovation of the Regional Offices in Lemesos (Limassol) were completed. Finally,
we renovated the cytashops at the Regional Offices in Limassol, Larnaka, Pafos
and Kakopetria. They now operate on the basis of a totally new concept. These
renovation plans will gradually cover all cytashops throughout the island.
During the year under review we brought our new Integrated
Electomechanical Equipment Management System (IEEMS) into partial operation.
Once completed, the system is expected to contribute significantly towards
improving the reliability of power supply equipment and climate control systems
which, in turn, support CYTA’s telecommunications equipment. Consequently, the
IEEMS should bring about significant savings by adopting energy management
techniques. We continued to take measures to help protect the environment by
replacing old, inefficient airconditioning equipment utilising Ozone-depleting
refrigerants with new, environmentally friendly cooling systems and we began
recycling old refrigerants and other CFC-based gases. We also adopted the latest
EU directives on the environment and replaced most of our old, inefficient
vehicles with new energy-efficient, low-emission ones. Furthermore, we placed
orders for the replacement of old batteries, aiming to improve DC power supply
systems and, by extension, the reliability of CYTA’s services.
As far as the security of our premises is concerned, the
Pancyprian Security System was further expanded in accordance with the relevant
plan to cover access to all buildings. We also continued to enhance security
measures regarding cytashops and the guarding of our buildings. The
Authority's cooperation with the Cyprus Police continued. We consider the
execution of drills at all our manned buildings, in accordance with CYTA’s Civil
Defence Plans, to be extremely important.
MATERIALS MANAGEMENT SERVICES
During 2006, we continued to
handle and manage contracts for the timely supply of materials/equipment and
services to our Organisation.
In addition, we continued to place and handle orders, store materials and equipment and distribute them from the
Central Stores to various sites.
With the aim of improving efficiency and productivity,
procedures were initiated for introducing modern storage systems and procedures.
A new software programme is being designed for the management of materials and
equipment.
 NATIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
CYTA actively participates in the procedures and
activities of major international telecommunications organisations. The
Organisation is represented in various working groups and conferences organised
by these bodies, in order to monitor technological and other developments in the
field of telecommunications.
Cyprus is represented by CYTA in the International Telecommunications Union (ITU),
which is a United Nations organisation. Our Organisation is also a founder
member of the Association of European Telecommunications Network Operators (ETNO),
the Global IT Association for Telecommunications (ETIS), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and an
active member of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO).
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