EBHA 2011

The European Business History Association and the Hellenic Open University would like to thank the following Sponsors for their generous support.

	The Bank of Greece is the Central Bank of the country. It was established in 1927 by virtue of an Annex to the Geneva Protocol and started operations in May 1928. As from January 2001, the Bank of Greece is an integral part of the Eurosystem, which defines and implements monetary policy in the euro area. The Eurosystem consists of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the national central banks (NCBs) of the European Union (EU) Member States participating in the euro area. In the performance of its tasks, the Bank enjoys institutional, personal and operational independence, and is accountable to the Greek Parliament. The Bank of Greece is responsible for implementing the Eurosystem's monetary policy in Greece and safeguarding the stability of the Greek financial system. The Bank of Greece issues legal tender euro banknotes, subject to prior approval by the ECB, and is responsible for the circulation and handling of euro banknotes and coins in Greece. The responsibilities of the Bank include the supervision of the banking system and the insurance sector. The Bank also holds and manages the country's official reserve assets, including the foreign exchange and gold reserves of the Bank of Greece and the government, for which the Bank of Greece acts as treasurer and fiscal agent. The Bank of Greece compiles and publishes statistics on the Greek economy, conducts specialised statistical surveys and carries out policy-relevant research and analysis of the economic conjuncture and the monetary policy. Since its establishment, the Bank of Greece has always been active on the cultural front with its Historical Archives, Collections, Library, as well as its Museum which recently opened to the public.
	National Bank of Greece is the largest banking group in the country, with diversified activities in all key financial sectors. It is a market leader in deposits, mortgage lending and insurance. The domestic network is comprised of 574 branches and 1,481 ATMs. Outside Greece, NBG Group is active in 12 countries via 1,184 banking units. Activities are conducted through 8 subsidiary banks in Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, F.Y.R.O.M., Serbia, Cyprus, South Africa and Malta. NBG also runs branches in Albania, Egypt and the U.K., and representative offices in Australia. With total assets of 121 billion, the Group employs over 36,800 staff. Its financial performance in the current turbulent environment reflects the resilience of its operating model in Greece and abroad. Tier-I ratio was 13.1%, thereby ranking NBG among the top European banks in terms of capital adequacy, attributable profit in 2010 stood at 406. Loans/deposits ratio stood at 103% and shareholders equity at 9.7 billion, up by 14% on the previous year. The performance outlined above was achieved within an adverse environment that continues to impact negatively the banking sector in Greece and the wider region. High capital adequacy, strong liquidity and resilient operating performance, by any standard make NBG a clear leader in banking developments in Greece and the wider SEE region. The five key elements of its strategy across geographies remain: i) Enhancing liquidity and capital adequacy, ii) Enhancing operational efficiency, iii) Active management of loans in arrears, iv) Sustaining the momentum in business growth in our neighbouring economies and v) Ongoing policy of active and efficient management of funds and the balance sheet. NBG implements a corporate social responsibility program, highlighting its commitment to the community. Its contributions consist of a broad range of sponsorships and funding in the areas of culture, science and research, sports and the environment. The group maintains its 100th place among the Top 1,000 banks in the world for 2010 (The Banker-Financial Times).
	Founded in 1998, HELLENIC PETROLEUM is one of the leading energy groups in South East Europe, with activities spanning across the energy value chain in 10 countries. In 2010, Group adjusted net earnings amounted to 205m, on total revenues of 8.5bn. Refining is the Group's core business, accounting for over 70% of total assets and profitability. HELLENIC PETROLEUM owns three of the four refineries in Greece, with a 70% share of the Greek wholesale oil products market. The Group is the domestic marketing leader as well, through its fully-owned subsidiaries EKO and Hellenic Fuels (former BP Hellas), with a retail network of some 2,200 service stations through out Greece. HELLENIC PETROLEUM owns the sole refinery in Skopje and is one of the key fuels marketing players in Cyprus, Serbia, Bulgaria, FYROM, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Georgia, via a network of more than 328 service stations. The Group is also active in petrochemicals, natural gas, power production and trading. At the heart of HELLENIC PETROLEUM's culture and business strategy is the concept of sustainable development; development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the environment and the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In this context, HELLENIC PETROLEUM applies a solid environmental policy with documented and measurable targets. The Group's commitment to sustainable development is confirmed by the implementation of two significant projects, with a total budget of 1.5 billion, for the modernisation of the Elefsina and Thessaloniki refineries. Following the projects' completion, the refineries will be able to produce products in accordance with the new European and international specifications, while achieving environmental improvement by reducing local pollutants by up to 85% in Elefsina and 55% in Thessaloniki. For HELLENIC PETROLEUM, sustainable development is also associated with an active contribution to society and, especially, to the local communities that surround its facilities, in Greece and abroad. This is achieved through the creation of jobs and business opportunities on a local level, tax contributions on a national and local level, as well as targeted community programs and activities. HELLENIC PETROLEUM has been also implementing an extensive CSR Program, especially designed to address the needs of citizens who live in the neighboring areas of Thriassion and West Thessaloniki. The Program involves a series of initiatives and projects that mainly focus on the fields of education, culture, sports, social solidarity and support to vulnerable groups, senior citizens, students and young people. The driving force behind the Group's success is the 5,000 people who constitute its workforce in Greece and abroad. Recognising that employees are its most important asset, HELLENIC PETROLEUM invests in their professional and personal development, through a policy, based on motivation, rewards and equal opportunities. In an era of continuous changes and rising global challenges, HELLENIC PETROLEUM follows a clear road ahead; combining the drive of a powerful national champion, the extroversion of an international player and the culture of a responsible corporate citizen, with active contribution to society.
	Routledge, a division of Taylor and Francis, is a global publisher of academic books, journals and online resources in the humanities and social sciences which was founded in 1836. Within business and management, we are proud publishers of Business History. More information on Business History can be found at www.informaworld.com/fbsh .
	Today, approaching 131 years of history in wine, the Boutari Company represents one of the main Greek companies with important export activity in over 45 countries and with an international orientation in the wine business, thus leading the establishment of Greek wine internationally. The wide range of its products -over 40 different labels in total- covers a large spectrum of needs of the increasingly demanding consumer of today, while the minimum of 371 distinctions, over the past years, in the most important and established international wine competitions, certify the remarkable work by the Boutari team of oenologists and the consistent emphasis on quality. In 2005, the brand "Boutari" was the only wine brand that was awarded the title of Superbrand as the most recognizable brand in the Greek wine market. In 2010 the Boutari Company was also awarded as the "International Winery of the Year" for the 13th time from the magazine "Wine & spirits" , thus now ranking among the top 10 wineries in the world historically with a distinction for so many years for the high quality and particular character of its wines. One of the most important aspects in the company's course towards the future are its privately owned wineries and vineyards throughout Greece and Europe. The Boutari company owns 6 wineries in Greece that are situated in the most important wine-making regions, the Appelation of Origin of High Quality Wines (AOC), Naoussa, Goumenissa, Crete, Santorini, Mantinia and also Attica. The company's seventh winery is located in Southern France, near the city of Limoux and within the greater wine region of Languedoc. The Boutari Wineries are much more than areas where wine is produced, they are destinations which bring you closer to the Greek culture and quality, they introduce you to the region in which they are situated, they are an experience worth living.
	Aegean Airlines is the largest carrier in Greece. The company carried 6.23 million passengers in 2010. After taking delivery of 22 new Airbus A320/321, the company operates a fleet of 26 aircraft. Since June 30, 2010 Aegean is a Star Alliance member. Within its twelve years scheduled services history AEGEAN has been awarded six times by the European Regions Airline Association (ERA). Additionally, AEGEAN has been repeatedly awarded by the Athens International Airport as the largest contributor to the airport's passenger growth. AEGEAN has also received the Skytrax World Airline award as the best regional airline in Europe for 2009. For more information please visit: www.aegeanair.com
	The Arhanes (also spelled Archanes) Cooperative was founded in 1933. It is an organization of vine growers located near the village of Archanes, one of the best endowed viticultural regions of Greece. It processes 5000 tons annually of red and white grape as well as the local varieties of Kotsifali and Mandilaria Originally a bulk producer it upgraded its produce to Appelation Arhanes in the 1970s and a few years later initiated bottling in the same establishment.