IT'S TIME for academia to face reality and not to work according to theory, said Bank Mizrahi-Tefahot chairman Jacob Perry in an address to the Netanya Academic College. "We live in a buyers' market in which the consumer and not the producer dictates the rules of the game," he said. "Globalization has created an economic world without borders and with multi-national companies, which makes management more difficult and demanding and obligates business managers to be better educated, more experienced and more savvy business-wise." NAC President Prof. Zvi Arad, recalled that Perry had completed his high school education in Netanya, where he had displayed great musical talent as a trumpet player. He had played in Israel Radio's Gadna Orchestra and elsewhere, and during his years in the General Security Services, including the years in which he was chief, he played at many GSS social events. THE BEST kind of New Year gift that anyone in the business world can receive is a grade A appointment. Strauss is handing out the goodies and the recipients are Giora Bar Dea who has been appointed CEO of Strauss North America and a member of the Strauss Group's executive board, and Gadi Lessin who has been appointed CEO of Strauss Israel. The appointments become effective September 12. AFTER AN intensive search for the right person for the job, Ahava has appointed Meir Eigal, 39, as head of its new customers market and to serve as a supplier to pharmacies and retail outlets in general in Israel. Eigal has considerable experience in sales management. PEOPLE LIKE to touch Israel Tchachkes for luck. Tchachkes, an Israeli who has lived for many years in New York., is a survivor of the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster. He told his tale on Monday to President Shimon Peres, when he called on him at the presidential residence in Jerusalem. Tchachkes worked as an engineer in the Twin Towers' maintenance department and happened to be on the 78th floor when the complex was attacked. Tchachkes, who was then 68 years old, discovered energy and speed he didn't know he had and descended all 78 floors on foot. Just as he succeeded in exiting the building, it collapsed. Shimon Peres who has heard quite a few horror stories in his time, looked at his visitor in amazement. COCA COLA is aiming for the religious market and is promoting itself through a competition that it is running with the cooperation of the religious radio station Radio Tel Hai. The program aired from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. five nights a week is anchored by Ariel Berman and features Coca Cola public relations manager Tomer Sagis, who talks about the history of the famous brew and also tells anecdotes about it. On Thursdays, the program is broadcast from the Coca Cola plant in Bnei Brak. The key promotion is not in the telling but in the competition which includes collecting bottle tops and getting involved with the product in other ways. In the final analysis, there will be a raffle in which seven families will receive thousands of shekels worth of expensive prizes in the course of a whole year. For instance, for Pessah, they'll get a whole seder table, including food, flatware, crockery, wineglasses, tablecloth and napkins. There will also be clothing and vacations and the use of a hire car with a full tank of gasoline. And, of course, there will be a year's supply of Coca Cola. HOW COMMERCIAL can you get? Zvika Pik, who was given a thumbs down sign by the media for lowering himself to write a song called "Dreams are realized at Mashbir" to celebrate the opening of a new branch of the Hamashbir chain, has now joined forces with Hamashbir to market a CD under the same title. The disc will feature songs written by Pik, but not previously recorded. The first batch will contain 100,000 CDs for exclusive distribution throughout the 26 Hamshbir branches across the country. The disc will sell for NIS 20.90. According to Hamashbir's vice president marketing Shirli Pe'er, Hamashbir will spend NIS650,000 in promoting the CD.