term paper be

8/7/2019 Term paper BE

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Term paper

Of

Business environment

Submitted to:-

Mr. Mandip

saini

Submitted by:-

Nisha rialch

Roll no:-r315

a27Mba 1st SEM.


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Topic: - To prepare a business

environmental profile of Poland.

ACKNOWLEGDEMENT

First and foremost I want to thank my teacher Mr. Mandip Saini who hasassigned me this term paper to bring out my creative capabilities. I express mygratitude to my parents for being a continuous source of encouragement and for alltheir financial aids given to me.

I would like to acknowledge the assistance provided to me by the library staffof Lovely Professional University. My heartfelt gratitude to my friends, roommates forhelping me to complete my work in time.

Introduction:-


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Poland, officially the Republic of Polandis a country in Central Europe. Poland isbordered byGermanyto the west; the Czech RepublicandSlovakia to the south;Ukraine, Belarus andLithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea andKaliningrad Oblast, aRussian exclave, to the north. The totalarea of Polandis 312,679 square kilometers(120,726 sq mi), making it the 69th largest countryin the world and 9th in Europe.

Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the 33rdmostpopulous country in the world.

The establishment of a Polish state is often identified with the adoption ofChristianityby its rulerMieszko Iin 966, when the state covered territory similar to thatof present-day Poland. Poland became a kingdom in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented alongassociation with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania byunitingto form the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth collapsed in 1795, andits territory waspartitionedamongPrussia, Russia, andAustria. Polandregained its independence in1918 afterWorld War Ibut lost it again in World War II, occupied byNazi Germanyandthe Soviet Union. Poland lost over six million citizens in World War II, and emerged

several years later as a socialist republicwithin the Eastern Blocunder strong Sovietinfluence. In 1989 communistrule was overthrown and Poland became what isconstitutionally known as the "Third Polish Republic".Poland is a unitary state made upof sixteen voivodeships .Poland is also a member of the European Union, NATO andOECD.

Fast Facts about Poland (1) Visas

-Not required for EU citizens; US, Canadian, New Zealand and Australiancitizens do not need visas for stays of less than 90 days.

Area-312,685 sq km (roughly the size of France) Capital

-Warsaw Head of State

-President Lech Kaczyski Country Code

-048 Budget

-From around 100z per day in Warsaw Time

-GMT/UTC + 1 ATMs-Widespread

Famous for-Chopin, Copernicus, Marie Curie, Solidarity, vodka

Population-38 million

Language
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-Polish

History:-

Prehistory:-

Historians have postulated that throughoutLate Antiquity, many distinct ethnicgroups populated the regions of what is now known as Poland. The exactethnicityandlinguisticaffiliation of these groups has been hotly debated; in particular the time androute of the original settlement ofSlavic peoples in these regions has been the subjectof much controversy.

The most famous archeological find from Poland's prehistoryis the Biskupinfortified settlement (now reconstructed as a museum), dating from the Lusatian cultureof the earlyIron Age, around 700 BC.

Piast dynasty:-

Poland around 1020

Poland began to form into a recognizable unitary and territorial entity around themiddle of the tenth century under the Piast dynasty. Poland's first historicallydocumented ruler, Mieszko I, was baptizedin 966, adoptingCatholic Christianityas thenation's newofficial religion, to which the bulk of the population converted in the courseof the next centuries. In the twelfth century, Polandfragmented into several smaller

states. In 1320, Wadysaw Ibecame the King ofa reunified Poland. His son,KazimierzIII, is remembered as one of the greatestPolish kings.

Poland was also a centre of migration of peoples and the Jewish community beganto settle and flourish in Poland during this era (see History of the Jews in Poland). TheBlack Death which affected most parts of Europe from 1347 to 1351 did not reachPoland.[4]

Jagiellon dynasty:-

Under the Jagiellon dynastyPoland forgedan alliance with its neighbour, the GrandDuchy of Lithuania. In 1410, a Polish-Lithuanian army inflicted a decisive defeat on theTeutonic Knights, both countries' main adversary, in the battle of Grunwald. After theThirteen Years War, the Knight's state became a Polish vassal. Polish culture andeconomy flourished under the Jagiellons, and the country produced such figures asastronomerNicolaus Copernicus and poetJan Kochanowski. Compared to otherEuropean nations, Poland was exceptional in its tolerance of religious dissent, allowingthe country to avoid the religious turmoil that spread over Western Europe in that time.
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Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth:-

John III Sobieskiat the Battle of Vienna.

A golden age ensued during the sixteenth century after the Union of Lublin whichgave birth to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The szlachta (nobility) of Poland, farmore numerous than in Western European countries, took pride in their freedoms andparliamentary system. During the Golden Age period, Poland expanded its borders tobecome the largest country in Europe.

In the mid-seventeenth century, a Swedish invasion ("The Deluge") andCossack'sChmielnicki Uprisingwhich ravaged the country marked the end of the golden age.Numerous wars against Russia coupled with government inefficiency caused by the

Liberum Veto, a right which had allowed any member of the parliament to dissolve itand to veto any legislation it had passed, marked the steady deterioration of theCommonwealth from a European power into a near-anarchycontrolled by itsneighbours. Commonwealth 's most famous achievement was to deal crushing defeatto the Ottoman Empire in 1683 at the Battle of Vienna.

The reforms, particularly those of the Great Sejm, which passed the Constitution ofMay 3, 1791, the world's second modern constitution, were thwarted with the threepartitions of Poland(1772, 1793, and 1795) which ended with Poland's being erasedfrom the map and its territories being divided between Russia, Prussia, andAustria.

Partitions of Poland:-

Poles would resent their fate andwould several times rebel against the partitioners,particularly in the nineteenth century. In 1807Napoleon recreated a Polish state, theDuchy of Warsaw, but after the Napoleonic wars, Poland was again divided in 1815 bythe victorious Allies at the Congress of Vienna. The eastern portion was ruled by theRussian Czaras a Congress Kingdom, and possesseda liberal constitution. However,
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the Czars soon reduced Polish freedoms and Russia eventually de facto annexed thecountry. Later in the nineteenth century, Austrian-ruledGalicia, particularly the Free Cityof Krakw, became a centre of Polish cultural life.

Reconstitution of Poland:-

Poland between 1922 and 1938

DuringWorld War I, all the Allies agreed on the reconstitution of Poland that UnitedStates PresidentWoodrow Wilson proclaimed in Point 13 of his Fourteen Points.Shortly after the surrender of Germany in November 1918, Poland regained itsindependence as the Second Polish Republic(II Rzeczpospolita Polska). It reaffirmedits independence aftera series of military conflicts, the most notable being the Polish-Soviet War(19191921) when Poland inflicted a crushing defeaton the Red Army.

The 1926May Coup ofJzef Pisudskiturned the reins of the Second PolishRepublic over to the Sanacja movement.

World War II:-

Warsaw's downtown burning after an air raid by the Luftwaffe, 1939.

The Sanacja movement controlled Poland until the start ofWorld War IIin 1939,

when Nazi Germanyinvaded on 1 September and theSoviet Unionfollowed on 17September. Warsaw capitulated on 28 September 1939. As agreed in the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, Poland was split into two zones, one occupied by Germany while theeastern provinces fell underthe control of the Soviet Union.

Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland lost the highest percentage of itscitizens: over six million perished, half of themPolish Jews. Poland made the fourth-largest troop contribution to the Allied war effort, after the Soviets, theBritish and the
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Americans. The Polish expeditionary corps played an important role in the ItalianCampaign, particularly at the Battle of Monte Cassino. At the war's conclusion, Poland'sborders were shifted westwards, pushing the eastern borderto theCurzon line.Meanwhile, the western border was moved to the Oder-Neisse line. The new Polandemerged 20% smaller by 77,500 square kilometres (29,900 sq mi). The shift forced the

migration of millions of people, most of whom were Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, andJews.

Postwar Communist Poland:-

At the end of World War II, the gray territories were transferred from Poland to theSoviet Union, and the pink territories from Germany to Poland.

Lech Wasa (left) leading the Solidarity movement.

The Soviet Union instituted a newCommunistgovernment in Poland, analogous tomuch of the rest of the Eastern Bloc. Military alignment within the Warsaw Pactthroughout the Cold Warwas also part of this change. The People's Republic of Poland(Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa) was officially proclaimed in 1952. In 1956, the rgime

ofWadysaw Gomuka became temporarily more liberal, freeing many people fromprison and expanding some personal freedoms. Similar situation repeated itself in the1970s underEdward Gierek, but most of the time persecution ofcommunist oppositionpersisted.

Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independenttrade union"Solidarity" ("Solidarno"), which over time became a political force. Despitepersecution and imposition ofmartial lawin 1981, it eroded the dominance of theCommunist Partyand by 1989 had triumphed in parliamentary elections.Lech Wasa,a Solidarity candidate, eventuallywon the presidency in 1990. The Solidarity movementheralded the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe.

Democratic Poland:-
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25th anniversary ofSolidarity.

A shock therapyprogramme ofLeszek Balcerowiczduring the early 1990s enabledthe country to transform its economy into a market economy. As with all other post-communist countries, Poland suffered temporary slumps in social and economicstandards, but became the first post-communist country to reach its pre-1989 GDPlevels. Most visibly, there were numerous improvements in otherhuman rights, such as

free speech. In 1991, Poland became a member of the Visegrad Group and joined theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance in 1999 along with the CzechRepublicandHungary. Poles then voted to join the European Union in a referendum inJune 2003, with Poland becoming a full member on 1 May 2004.

Geography

Polands topgraphy

Polands territory extends across several geographical regions. In the northwest is

the Baltic seacoast, which extends from the Bay of Pomerania to the Gulf of Gdansk.This coast is marked by severalspits, coastal lakes (former bays that have been cut offfrom the sea), and dunes. The largely straight coastline is indented by the SzczecinLagoon, the Bay of Puck, and the Vistula Lagoon. The center and parts of the north liewithin the North European Plain. Rising gently above these lowlands is a geographicalregion comprising the four hilly districts ofmoraines andmoraine-dammed lakes formedduring and after the Pleistoceneice age. These lake districts are the Pomeranian LakeDistrict, the Greater Polish Lake District, the Kashubian Lake District, and the Masurian
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Lake District. The Masurian Lake District is the largest of the four and covers much ofnortheastern Poland. The lake districts form part of the Baltic Ridge, a series of morainebelts along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea. South of the Northern EuropeanLowlands lie the regions ofSilesia andMasovia, which are marked by broad ice-ageriver valleys. Farther south lies the Polish mountain region, including the Sudetes, the

Cracow-Czstochowa Upland, the witokrzyskie Mountains, and the CarpathianMountains, including the Beskids. The highest part of the Carpathians is the TatraMountains, along Polands southern border.

Rivers

Vistula river in Modlin.

The longest rivers are the Vistula (Polish: Wisa), 1,047 kilometres (651 mi) long;the Oder(Polish: Odra) which forms part of Polands western border, 854 kilometres(531 mi) long; its tributary, the Warta, 808 kilometres (502 mi) long; and the Bug, atributary of the Vistula, 772 kilometres (480 mi) long. The Vistula and the Oder flow intothe Baltic Sea, as do numerous smaller rivers in Pomerania. The yna and the Angrapa

flow by way of the Pregolya to the Baltic, and the Czarna Hacza flows into the Balticthrough the Neman. While the great majority of Polands rivers drain into the Baltic Sea,Polands Beskids are the source of some of the upper tributaries of the Orava, whichflows via the Vh and the Danube to the Black Sea. The eastern Beskids are also thesource of some streams that drain through the Dniesterto the Black Sea.

Polands rivers have been used since early times for navigation. The Vikings, forexample, traveled up the Vistula and the Oder in theirlongships. In the Middle Agesand in early modern times, when Poland-Lithuania was the breadbasket of Europe, theshipment of grain and other agricultural products down the Vistula towardGdaskandonward to eastern Europe took on great importance. For an overview of Polish rivers,

see Category:Rivers of Poland.

Mountains and topography
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The Tatra Mountains.

Poland has 21 mountains over 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) in elevation, all in the HighTatras. The Polish Tatras, which consist of the High Tatras and the Western Tatras, isthe highest mountain group of Poland and of the entire Carpathian range. In the HighTatras lies Polands highest point, the northwestern peak ofRysy, 2,499 meters(8,200 ft) in elevation. At its foot lies the mountain lake, the Morskie Oko. The secondhighest mountain group in Poland is the Beskids, whose highest peak is Babia Gra, at

1,725 meters (5,660 ft). The next highest mountain group is the Karkonosze, whosehighest point is nieka, at 1,602 meters (5,260 ft). Among the most beautifulmountains of Poland are the Bieszczady Mountains in the far southeast of Poland,whose highest point in Poland is Tarnica, with an elevation of 1,346 meters (4,420 ft).Tourists also frequent the Gorce Mountains in Gorce National Park, with elevationsaround 1,300 meters (4,300 ft), and the Pieninyin Pieniny National Park, withelevations around 1,000 meters (3,300 ft). The lowest point in Polandat 2 metres(6.6 ft) below sea levelis at Raczki Elblskie, nearElblgin the Vistula Delta. For alist of the most important mountain ranges of Poland.

.

The coast

Bay of Puck(Zatoka Pucka) in Poland.

The Polish Baltic coast is approximately 528 kilometres (328 mi) long and extendsfrom winoujcie on the islands ofUsedom andWolin in the west to Krynica Morska onthe Vistula Spitin the east. For the most part, Poland has a smooth coastline, whichhas been shaped by the continual movement of sand by currents and winds from westto east. This continualerosion anddeposition has formed cliffs, dunes, and spits, many
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of which have migrated landwards to close off formerlagoons, such as ebsko Lake inSowiski National Park. The largest spits are Hel Peninsula and the Vistula Spit. Thelargest Polish Baltic island is Wolin. The largest port cities are Gdynia,Gdask,Szczecin, and winoujcie. The main coastal resorts are Sopot, Midzyzdroje, Koobrzeg, eba, Wadysawowo, and the Hel Peninsula.

Land use

The patchwork landscape ofMasuria

Forests cover 28% of Polands land area. More than half of the land is devoted toagriculture. While the total area under cultivation is declining, the remaining farmland ismore intensively cultivated.

More than 1% of Polands territory, 3,145 square kilometres (1,214 sq mi), isprotected within 23 national parks. In this respect, Poland ranks first in Europe. Threemore national parks are projected forMasuria, the Cracow-Czstochowa Upland, andthe eastern Beskids. MostPolish national parks are located in the southern part of thecountry. In addition, wetlands along lakes and rivers in central Poland are legally

protected, as are coastal areas in the north. There are also over 120 areas designatedas landscape parks, and numerous nature reserves and otherprotected areas.

Climate

The climate is mostlytemperate throughout the country. The climate is oceanicin thenorth and west and becomes gradually warmer andcontinentalas one moves southand east. Summers are generally warm, with average temperatures between 20 C(68 F) and 27 C (81 F). Winters are cold, with average temperatures around 3 C(37 F) in the northwest and 8 C (17.6 F) in the northeast. Precipitation fallsthroughout the year, although, especially in the east; winter is drier than summer. The

warmest region in Poland is Lesser Polandlocated in Southern Poland wheretemperatures in the summer average between 23 C (73 F) and 30 C (86 F) but cango as high as 32 C (90 F) to 38 C (100 F) on some days in the warmest month ofthe year July. The warmest city in Poland is Tarnw. The city is located in LesserPoland. It is the hottest place in Poland all year round. The average temperatures being30 C (86 F) in the summer and 4 C (39 F) in the winter. Tarnw also has the longestsummer in Poland spreading from mid May to mid-September. It also has the shortestwinter in Poland which often lasts from January to March, less than the regular three-
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month winter. The coldest region of Poland is in the Northeast in the PodlaskieVoivodeship near the border ofBelarus. The climate is efficient due to cold fronts whichcome from Scandinavia andSiberia. The average temperature in the winter inPodlachian ranges from 15 C (5.0 F) to 4 C (24.8 F).

Government

President of PolandLech Kaczyski

Poland is a democracy, with a President as a Head of State, whose currentconstitution dates from 1997. The government structure centers on the Council ofMinisters, led by a prime minister. The president appoints the cabinetaccording to theproposals of the prime minister, typically from the majority coalition in the Sejm. Thepresidentis elected by popular vote every five years. The current president is LechKaczyski, the current prime minister is Donald Tusk.

Polish voters elect a bicameralparliament consisting of a 460-member lower house(Sejm) and a 100-member Senate (Senat). The Sejm is elected underproportionalrepresentation according to the d'Hondt method, a method similar to that used in manyparliamentary political systems. The Senate, on the other hand, is elected under a rarepluralitybloc votingmethod where several candidates with the highest support areelected from each constituency. With the exception of ethnic minority parties, onlycandidates ofpolitical parties receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enterthe Sejm. When sitting in joint session, members of the Sejm and Senate form theNational Assembly(the Zgromadzenie Narodowe). The National Assembly is formed onthree occasions: when a new President takes the oath of office; when an indictmentagainst the President of the Republic is brought to the State Tribunal(Trybuna Stanu);

and when a President's permanent incapacity to exercise his duties due to the state ofhis health is declared. To date, only the first instance has occurred.

The judicial branch plays an important role in decision-making. Its major institutionsinclude the Supreme Court of Poland(Sd Najwyszy); the Supreme AdministrativeCourt of Poland. The Constitutional Tribunal of Poland(Trybuna Konstytucyjny); andthe State Tribunal of Poland(Trybuna Stanu). On the approval of the Senate, the Sejmalso appoints the Ombudsman or the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection
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(Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich) for a five-year term. The Ombudsman has the duty ofguarding the observance and implementation of the rights and liberties of Polishcitizens andresidents, of the law and of principles of community life and social justice.

Administrative divisions

Poland's currentvoivodeships (provinces) are largely based on the country'shistoric regions, whereas those of the past two decades (to 1998) had been centred onand named for individual cities. The new units range in area from less than10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) for Opole Voivodeship to more than35,000 square kilometres (14,000 sq mi) for Masovian Voivodeship. Administrativeauthority at voivodeship level is shared between a government-appointedvoivode(governor), an elected regional assembly (sejmik) and an executive elected by thatassembly.

The voivodeships are subdivided into powiats (often referred to in English ascounties), and these are further divided into gminas (also known as communes ormunicipalities). Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat. Polandcurrently has 16 voivodeships, 379 powiats (including 65 cities with powiat status), and2,478 gminas.

Military

Polish Air ForceF-16.

Polish Soldiers
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The Polish armed forces are composed of four branches: Land Forces (WojskaLdowe), Navy(Marynarka Wojenna), Air Force (Siy Powietrzne) andSpecial Forces(Wojska Specjalne).

The most important mission of the Armed Forces is the defence of Polish territorial

integrity and Polish interests abroad Poland's national security goal is to furtherintegrate with NATO and European defence, economic, and political institutions throughthe modernization and reorganization of its military. Polish military doctrine reflects thesame defensive nature as that of its NATO partners. Poland is also playing anincreasing role as a peacekeeping power through various United Nations peacekeepingmissions.

Demographics

Gdansk

Poland, with 38,116,000 inhabitants, has the eighth-largest population in Europe andthe sixth-largest in the European Union. It has a population density of 122 inhabitantsper square kilometer (328 per square mile).

Warsawdowntown

Poland historically containedmany languages, cultures and religions on its soil. Thecountry had a particularlylarge Jewish population prior to the Second World War, whenthe NaziHolocaustcaused Poland's Jewish population, estimated at 3 million beforethe war, to drop to just 300,000. The outcome of the war, particularly the westward shift
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of Poland's borders to the area between the Curzon line and the Oder-Neisse line,coupled with post-warexpulsion of minorities, significantly reduced the country's ethnicdiversity. According to the 2002 census, 36,983,700 people, or 96.74% of thepopulation, consider themselves Polish, while 471,500 (1.23%) declared anothernationality, and 774,900 (2.03%) did not declare any nationality. The largest minority

nationalities and ethnic groups in Poland are Silesians, Kashubians, Germans (152,897according to the census, most in Opole Voivodeship), Belarusians (c. 49,000),Ukrainians (c. 30,000), Lithuanians, Russians, Roma,Jews, Lemkos, Slovaks, Czechs, andTatars. Among foreign citizens, the Vietnamese are the largest ethnic group,followed byGreeks andArmenians.

Cracow, Rynek Gwny.

The Polish language, a member of the West Slavicbranch of the Slavic languages,functions as the official language of Poland. Until recent decades Russian wascommonly learned as a second language, but now has been replaced by English andGerman as the most common second languages studied and spoken.

In recent years, Poland's population has decreased because of an increase in

emigration and a sharp drop in the birth rate. Since Poland's accession to the EuropeanUnion, a significant number of Poles have emigrated to Western European countriessuch as the United Kingdom, Germany andIrelandin search of work. Someorganizations have stated that Polish emigration is primarily due to Poland's highunemployment rate (10.5% in 2007), with Poles searching for better work opportunitiesabroad. In April 2007, the Polish population of the United Kingdom had risen toapproximately 300,000 and estimates place the Polish population in Ireland at 65,000.

Polish minorities are still present in the neighboring countries ofUkraine, Belarus,andLithuania, as well as in other countries. Altogether, the number of ethnic Polesliving abroad is estimated to be around 20 million. The largest number ofPoles outside

of Polandcan be found in the United States.

Urban Areas

The largestmetropolitan areas in Poland are the Upper Silesian Coal Basin centredon Katowice (3.5 million inhabitants); the capital, Warsaw(3 million); Krakwandd(each 1.3 million); the TricityofGdask-Sopot-Gdynia in the Vistula delta (1.1 million);
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Pozna (900,000); Wrocaw(900,000); andSzczecin (700,000). For an overview ofPolish cities, see List of cities in Poland.

Religion

Sanctuary of Our LadyofLiche

Because of the Holocaustand the post-World War IIflight and expulsion of GermanandUkrainian populations, Poland has become almost uniformlyRoman Catholic. MostPolesapproximately 89%are members of the Roman Catholic Church. Thoughrates of religious observance are currently lower than they have been in the past,Poland remains one of the most devoutly religious countries in Europe. Religiousminorities include Polish Orthodox(about 506,800), various Protestants (about150,000),Jehovahs Witnesses (126,827),Eastern Catholics , Mariavites, PolishCatholics, Jews, andMuslims (including the Tatars ofBiaystok). Members of Protestantchurches include about 77,500 in the largestEvangelical-Augsburg Church, and asimilar number in smallerPentecostalandEvangelicalchurches. Freedom of religion isnow guaranteed by the 1989 statute of the Polish constitution, enabling the emergence

of additional denominations. However, due to pressure from the Polish Episcopate, theexposition ofdoctrine has entered the public education system as well. According to a2007 survey, 72% of respondents were not opposed to religious instruction in publicschools; alternative courses in ethics are available only in one percent of the entirepublic educational system.

Economy

Financial centre ofWarsaw
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Poland is considered to have one of the healthiest economies of the post-communistcountries, with GDP growing by 6.1% in 2006. Since the fall of communism, Poland hassteadfastly pursued a policy ofliberalizingthe economy and today stands out as asuccessful example of the transition from a state-directed economyto a primarilyprivately ownedmarket economy.

The privatization of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law onestablishing new firms have allowed the development of an aggressive private sector.As a consequence, consumer rights organizations have also appeared. Restructuringand privatization of "sensitive sectors" such as coal, steel, railways, and energy hasbeen continuing since 1990. Between 2007 and 2010, the government plans to floattwenty public companies on the Polish stock market, including parts of the coal industry.To date (2007), the biggest privatizations have been the sale of the national telecomsfirm Telekomunikacja Polska to France Telecom in 2000, and an issue of 30% of theshares in Poland's largest bank, PKO Bank Polski, on the Polish stockmarket in 2004.

Unemployment by voivodeship, Sep 2008

Poland has a large number of private farms in its agriculturalsector, with the potentialto become a leading producer of food in the European Union. Structural reforms inhealth care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted inlarger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Warsaw leads Central Europe in foreigninvestment. GDPgrowth had been strong and steady from 1993 to 2000 with only ashort slowdown from 2001 to 2002.

The prospect of closer integration with the European Union has put the economyback on track, with growth of 3.7% annually in 2003, a rise from 1.4% annually in 2002.In 2004, GDP growth equaled 5.4%, in 2005 3.3% and in 2006 6.2%. For 2007, thegovernment has set a target for GDP growth at 6.5 to 7.0%.

Although the Polish economy is currently undergoingeconomic development, thereare many challenges ahead. The most notable task on the horizon is the preparation ofthe economy (through continuing deep structural reforms) to allow Poland to meet thestrict economic criteria for entry into the European Single Currency(Euro). According tothe minister of finance Jacek Rostowski, Poland is likely to join the ERMin 2009 andadopt the euro in 2012 or 2013. Some businesses may already accept the euro aspayment.

Average salaries in the enterprise sector in April 2008 were 3137 PLN (925 euroor 1434 US dollars) and growing sharply. Salaries vary between the regions: themedian wage in the capital city Warsaw was 4600 PLN (1200 euro or 2000 US dollars)while in Biaystok it was only 2400 PLN (670 euro or 1000 US dollars).

Since joining the European Union, many workers have left to work in other EU countries(particularly Ireland and the UK) because of high unemployment, which was the
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second-highest in the EU (14.2% in May 2006. However, with the rapid growth of thesalaries, booming economy, strong value of Polish currency, and quickly decreasingunemployment (6.7% in August 2008) exodus of Polish workers seems to be over. In2008 people who came back outnumbered those leaving the country.

Commodities produced in Poland include: electronics, cars (including the luxuriousLeopard car), buses (Autosan, Jelcz SA, Solaris, Solbus), helicopters (PZL widnik),transport equipment, locomotives, planes (PZL Mielec), ships, military engineering(includingtanks, SPAAG systems), medicines (Polpharma, Polfa), food, clothes, glass,pottery (Bolesawiec), chemical products and others.

Science, technology and education.

Education

Collegium Maius is the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University in Krakw.

The education of Polish society was a goal of rulers as early as the 12th century, and

Poland soon became one of the most educated European countries. The librarycatalogue of the Cathedral Chapter ofKrakwdating back to 1110 shows that alreadyin the early 12th century Polish intellectuals had access to the European literature. In1364, in Krakw, the Jagiellonian University, founded by KingCasimir III, became oneof Europe's great early universities. In 1773 KingStanisaw August Poniatowskiestablished his Commission on National Education (Komisja Edukacji Narodowej), theworld's first state ministry of education.

Today Poland has more than a hundredtertiary education institutions; traditionaluniversities to be found in its major cities ofBiaystok,Bydgoszcz, Gdask, Katowice,Krakw, Lublin, d, Olsztyn, Opole, Pozna, Rzeszw, Szczecin, Toru, Warsaw,

WrocawandZielona Gra as well as technical, medical, economic institutionselsewhere, employing around 61,000 workers. There are also around 300 research anddevelopment institutes, with about 10,000 more researchers. In total, there are around91,000 scientists in Poland today.

According to Frost & Sullivan's Country Industry Forecast the country is becoming aninteresting location for research and development investments. Multinational companiessuch as: ABB, Delphi, GlaxoSmithKline, Google, HewlettPackard, IBM, Intel, LG
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Electronics and Microsoft have set up R&D centers in Poland. Motorola in Krakw,Siemens in Wrocaw and Samsung in Warszawa are one of the largest owned by thosecompanies. Over 40 R&D centers and 4,500 researchers make Poland the biggest R&Dhub in Central and Eastern Europe. Companies chose Poland because of theavailability of highly qualified labor force, presence of universities, support of authorities,

and the largest market in Central Europe.According to KPMG report 80% of Poland's current investors are contented with their

choice and willing to reinvest. In 2006 Intel decided to double the number of employeesin its R&D centre.

The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD,currently ranks Poland's education as the 23rd best in the world, being neithersignificantly higher nor lower than the OECD average.

Telecommunication and IT.

The share of the telecom sector in the GDP is 4.4% (end of 2000 figure), comparedto 2.5% in 1996.Nevertheless, despite high expenditures for telecom infrastructure (thecoverage increased from 78 users per 1000 inhabitants in 1989 to 282 in 2000).

The value of the telecommunication market is zl 38.2bn (2006), and it grew by 12.4%in 2007 PMR

The coverage mobile cellular is over 1000 users per 1000 people (2007)

Telephonesmobile cellular: 38.7 million (Onet.pl & GUS Report, 2007) Telephonesmain lines in use: 12.5 million (Telecom Team Report, 2005)

Culture

Examples of Polish architecture in Old Town, Warsaw.
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Polish culture has been influenced by both Eastern andWestern influences. Today,these influences are evident in Polish architecture,folklore, andart. Poland is thebirthplace of some world famous individuals, includingPope John Paul II, MarieSkodowska Curie, Kazimierz Puaski, Nicolaus Copernicus andFryderyk Chopin.

The character of Polish art always reflected world trends. The famous Polish painter,Jan Matejko included many significant historical events in his paintings. Also a famousperson in history of Polish art was Stanisaw Ignacy Witkiewicz. He was an example ofa Polish Renaissance Man as well as an outstanding Polish playwright, painter andpoetStanisaw Wyspiaski. Polish literature dates back to 1100s[34]and includes manyfamous poets and writers such as Jan Kochanowski, Adam Mickiewicz,Bolesaw Prus,Juliusz Sowacki, Witold Gombrowicz, Stanisaw Lem and, Ryszard Kapuciski.Writers Henryk Sienkiewicz, Wadysaw Reymont, Czesaw Miosz, WisawaSzymborska have each won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Also a renowned Polish-born Englishnovelistwas Joseph Conrad.

Many world famous Polish movie directors include Academy Awards winnersRoman Polaski, Andrzej Wajda, Zbigniew Rybczyski, Janusz Kamiskiand,Krzysztof Kielowski. World renowned actresses were Helena Modjeska andPolaNegri. The traditional Polish music composers include world-renowned pianistFredericChopin as well as famous composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Henryk MikoajGrecki, Karol Szymanowski, and others.

Notable foods in Polish cuisine include Polish sausage,red beet soup, Polishdumplings, flaczki (tripe soup), cabbage rolls, Oscypek,Polish pork chops, Polish

traditional stew, various potato dishes, a fast food sandwich zapiekanka, and manymore. Traditional Polish desserts include Polish doughnuts, Polish gingerbreadandothers.

Sports

Many sports are popular in Poland. Football(soccer) is the country's most popularsport, with a rich history of international competition. Track & field,basketball, boxing,fencing, handball, ice hockey, swimming, volleyball, andweightliftingare other popularsports. The first Polish Formula One driver, Robert Kubica, has brought awareness ofFormula One Racing to Poland. Poland has made a distinctive mark in motorcycle

speedway racing thanks to Tomasz Gollob, a highly successful Polish rider. The Polishmountains are an ideal venue for hiking, skiing and mountain biking and attract millionsof tourists every year from all over the world. Balticbeaches and resorts are popularlocations for fishing, canoeing, kayaking and a broad-range of other water-themedsports.
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