My EMBA Journey

I had an excellent opportunity to visit Washington as part of a seminar series. The core objective of the seminar is to inculcate an understanding of how political system functions and its impact on business. Our cohort comprises of executives, small business owners and entrepreneurs, for whom this seminar served as an foundation to understand the role of politics and how to make an impact to benefit their businesses.

This seminar was conducted by the Washington Campus - A consortium of 16 major university business schools who are committed to graduate business students and corporate executives. Following where some of the key topics covered by various political members. They included former treasury secretary, staff of white house, political speaker, lobbyist, OMB staff, campaign managers and others.

Decision Making in Washington
Congressional Committees
Political Appointees
Structure of the Federal Courts
The Role of Lobbyists and Interest Groups
The Business/Government Interface
The Political Landscape
The Organization of the White House
Congress: A Representative's Perspective
The Federal Regulatory Process
The Future of the US Economy
The Role of the Media
US Foreign Policy

Some of the important moment from this seminar is meeting Congressmen Christopher Shays. He was an amazing speaker who was very genuine and down to earth.

Following are the key topics discussed in some of our sessions.

1. Immigration
2. Presidential Election 08
3. Macro Economics
4. Foreign Policy

To cap of the session we had a computer simulation in to the life of a congressmen after he/she gets elected. This was a great learning exercise, believe me its not easy to be a politician. There is no way you can satisfy everyone and still win.
But our politician still accomplish the unthinkable.

Overall A+ Seminar

I had an opportunity to attend a panel discussion on the subject of "Doing Business in Poland". This discussion was conducted by Suffolk University and co-sponsored by Polish American Networking Organization(PANO) and Polish American biweekly publication White Eagle News.



This event gave me an excellent opportunity to interact with Polish community. Panel members included Consul Dariusz Wojtaszek from consulate general of the Republic of Poland in New York, Tad Witkowicz a Polish born serial entrepreneur and Patryk Drescher a Senior associate with Ropes & Gray.

I got a great insight in to the polish political, economic, social and technological factors. Following are some of the interesting notes I took from the panel discussion.

Poland has the largest fortified castle in Europe
In 2006 Poland noticed a 5 - 6% GDP growth
President and Prime Minister of Poland are identical twins
Poland is a member of OECD, NATO, EU
Poland has a population of around 30 Million
1.5 Million people migrated outside Poland in 2006. Major reason is attributed to 14%unemployment issues.
Poland saw a 30% productivity growth in 2006
Poland has a relatively low labor cost
Poland has a low Taxation(19% Tax) next only to Slovakia(16%)
EU gave 9 Billion Euro for infrastructure projects
FDI investment is around $109 Billion. In 2006 it was around $14.7 Billion

Investment Opportunities
Government is creating new programs to encourage foreign investment
Grants for organizations who provide training to Polish people
Grants for organizations who create new jobs in Poland
There are even exemptions for real estate taxes

Why should you invest in Poland?
Politically Stable
Member of European Union
Low labor cost - $50,000 USD engineer in Poland is equivalent to $180,000 USD in Boston, MA
Highly educated workforce
Strong GDP Growth

Largest American Companies in Poland
Apollo Rida
Citigroup
DELL
Google
GM
Intel
Gillette

Positives in Polish Investment
Quality Workforce
Flexible & Hardworking Workforce
Strong technological skills
Generally everyone speaks English

Some Negatives need to be cautious on
Polish people are shy, If you didn't ask they won't speak
Polish trademarks takes up to 3 years
Polish company registration takes up to 6 years, but the process is getting revamped by the government.
Communication is a critical aspect between Polish and American counterpart

More Information on Poland
Poland Government Link
Polish Food in Boston