2. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
COUNTRY ANALYSIS FOR EXPATRIATE (POLAND)
BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF POLAND
P
oland is one of the largest countries in central Europe (312.700 Sq, Km; 38.2 million
people). Country has large deposit of hard and brown coal, copper, sulphur, zink, lead,
silver, magnesium and rock salt. Moderate climate, with relatively and winters and
warm summers and 29% of the country covered by forests benefit in fruits and vegetable of
unique taste and make the country interesting tourism destination. Poland’s labour force is
generally well educated and highly qualified. The number of young people seeking better
and/or higher education has been constantly increasing since the beginning of the
transformation.The relatively low labour cost and easy access to skilled workers are
important assets for prospective foreign investors, expatriates and participatory in regions
with industrial tradition (jagannath).
FACTS AND STATISTICS ABOUT POLAND
LOCATION: Central Europe
CAPITAL:Warsaw
CLIMATE:Temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent
precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers (world business
culture).
RELIGIONS:Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%,
Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (world business culture).
ETHNIC MAKE-UP:Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other
and unspecified 2.7% (world business culture)
LANGUAGE(S):Poland
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3. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
COUNTRY ANALYSIS FOR EXPATRIATE (POLAND)
THE ECONOMY
Currency: Zloty
Inflation: 0.70%
GDP: US$430bn
GDP per heads: US$11,270
Exchange rate: 1 Zloty = 34.33 PKR
Employment (% of total):
Agriculture 15
Industry 31
Services 54
Unemployed 8
IMPORTANCE OF TIME
Poles have quite interesting approach to time people are in a hurry all the time, everybody
rushes, cannot wait. Queuing & waiting is the worst thing can happen to any Pole.
Business-wise everybody is on time! Take it to the second. Time is money and Poles know it
(expatsguide).
BUSINESS HERIICHECY
Decisions are made at a senior level, normally guided by rules and regulations. Bargaining is
not commonly used as a negotiation strategy.
MEETING, GREETING AND USE OF TITLES
Greetings are generally reserved yet courteous. When greeting someone a good handshake,
direct eye contact, a smile and the appropriate greeting for that time of day will suffice
(expatsguide). Titles are often used in business situations and are considered highly
prestigious. Academic titles are often used before the surname and it might be seen as
disrespectful to dispense with this formality.
BUSINESS DRESS
Business dress in Poland is formal and conservative; business people tend to wear dark suits
and ties.
GENDER EQUALITY
Women have equal business opportunities to men, although most high-ranking positions are
still held by men.
LANGUAGE BARRIER
The language is one of the biggest issues for foreigners in Poland. Polish is difficult for
speakers both from the point of view of grammar and pronunciation.
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4. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
COUNTRY ANALYSIS FOR EXPATRIATE (POLAND)
EDUCATION SYSTEM IN POLAND
Poland’s public education system has undergone many positive changes in recent years, and
tuition is free to all children resident there, including expats, due to the language barriers, the
majority of expats opt to send their children to international schools in Poland (expatarrivals).
AVAILABILITY OF HALAL FOOD
There are not many Muslims in Poland so halal food is not a big concern for many people
COST OF LIVING:
In the 2012 Mercer Cost of Living survey, Warsaw, Poland's most expensive city, ranked
153rd of 214 cities across five continents.Salaries in Poland are among the lowest in Europe,
and most locals end up spending nearly 40 to 50 percent of their salaries on
housing(expatarrivals).
Eating out and buying groceries is generally cheaper than in Western European cities, but
purchasing imported articles will be significantly more expensive
TRANSPORTION COST
Petrol prices in Poland are on par with the rest of Europe, while public transportation tickets
are still relatively inexpensive.
CONCERNS FOR POLAND EXPATRIATES
Re-establishing a Social Life
Missing Family & Friends
Career Concerns
Cultural Adaptation
Standard of Living
Harm done to spouse’s career and employment
MY DECISION
Although work opportunities for foreigners appear to be on the rise, but those looking to
relocate will still face a number of realities that can quickly move from "a challenge" to "a
hardship".
I will not accept this offer because of high cost of living, language barriers and being a
Muslim, non-availability of halal food.Theorganization is providing various allowances but
monetary benefit is not everything that an employee wants.
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5. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
COUNTRY ANALYSIS FOR EXPATRIATE (POLAND)
Bibliography
expatarrivals. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.expatarrivals.com/poland/moving-to-poland
expatsguide. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://expatsguide.pl/local-culture
jagannath. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://jagannath-dutta.blogspot.com/2011/12/brief-introductionabout-poland.html
world business culture. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/BusinessFacts-and-Figures-on-Poland.html
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