About us
Institute for Private Enterprise and Democracy of the Polish Chamber of Commerce (IPED) was established in February 1993 as an independent Foundation, specializing in research of the SME sector, policy analysis, training and support of the growing private sector in Poland. Since its inception, the Institute has published over 70 major policy reports, referring to high-tech and innovative SMEs, foreign investment, tax legislation, social insurance, regional development and restructuring of rural areas, investment promotion, business ethics, grey economy etc. It has also organised numerous national and international briefings and conferences. On a regular basis, IPED prepares analyses of current legislation from a business' point of view, its opinions being frequently taken into consideration by public authorities.
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| To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the IPED, we have organised a banquet; in the photograph, Dr Mieczysław B±k, President of IPED, is accepting congratulations from Roman Wiertelak, Chairman of the Management Board of PWiK Sp. z o.o. from Kalisz. |
The Institute has established permanent working relationships with leading Polish universities, specialized in entrepreneurship research and policy studies. It maintains relations with governmental organisations and Parliamentary groups, co-operates with business and employer's organisations as well as foreign foundations active in the field of the common interest. High level of professionalism of the Institute's reports together with its carefully formulated recommendations and successful public relations activities have contributed to the Institute's potent image as one of the most distinguished economic and political think tanks in Poland.
IPED retains interest in small business research, technological and economic development, deregulation projects and business ethics issues. During 1995-2000 deregulation in economy was its priority issue. IPED has provided reports, relating to the deregulation in tax systems, labour regulations and licensing. The report conclusions have been used in public policy advocacy.
One of IPED's core objectives is the development of knowledge-based industries in Poland. Therefore, it has provided several reports and policy references, including recommendations for the changes in tax regulations so that they become more favourable for the R&D. Moreover, they include suggested changes in the Telecommunications Law, educational system and research grants. The further issue is that of research financing from public funding and the protection of intellectual property.
IPED puts strong emphasis on the development of the business associations and business self-government in Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Institute's report, covering activities of the business associations, provides a picture of how chambers of commerce operate in Poland, identifies obstacles that hinder activities of the entrepreneurial organisations. During more than a decade since the adoption of the Chambers of Commerce Act, Polish chambers have developed a well-structured territorial organisation and represent a large number of enterprises. However, despite the definite achievements, they are still too weak to counterbalance the strength of employee organisations effectively. Apart from the description of the current situation of the chambers, the IPED report also includes recommendations for strengthening business organisations. These conclusions have been presented during trainings provided for the business associations in Poland as well as in Russia, Georgia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Azerbaijan, Serbia and other countries.
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| The international conference entitled "Financing Hi-Tech Businesses. Building a Favourable Environment for Technology Development in Poland" was opened by Marek Kłoczko, Secretary General of the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG), 25.03.2003, KIG, Warsaw. |
IPED activities include promotion of Business Ethics and Corporate Governance. Since 1998, it has organised the "Business Fair Play" Certification Programme, run in co-operation with the Polish Chamber of Commerce. The main purpose of this programme is to promote ethics in business activities, understood as a set of standards of behaviour in mutual relations between entrepreneurs and their business partners, customers, employees, shareholders as well as local communities, local government and state authorities. It also supports the development of companies by promoting reliable and fair business that remains consistent with legal and ethical principles. During the last, XIth edition of "Business Fair Play" Certification Programme over 750 companies were awarded.
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| The final Gala the 10th edition of the "Business Fair Play" programme was held on 7.12.2007 in the Sala Kongresowa hall of the Palace of Culture and Science (PKiN) in Warsaw. The event was attended by over 1500 guests; the photo features the award winners. | |
In 2001 a new programme (a "sibling" to the Business Fair Play) was launched - named "Community Fair Play" - Certified Investment Location. One of its main goals is the promotion of the communities providing exceptional service to the investors, as well as taking great care of the local population's needs. We aim to encourage the communities to achieve a high standard of investor-service as well as to make necessary improvements in their internal organization. The first edition of the programme was run in 5 regions (voivodeships) in the north-west of Poland, but in the later editions the programme was expanded to cover the whole Poland. In the last, VIIth edition of the programme, 157 communities and municipalities have been granted the title - their full list can be found HERE.
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| 8 October 2003 Grand Gala of the 2nd edition of the "Community Fair Play" Porczyński Gallery / Warsaw |
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| The laureates of the 6th edition's main prizes - "Community Fair Play" Statuettes, accompanied by Mr Andrzej Arendarski - the Chairman of the Awarding Committee. |
After 11 years of gaining experience during organization of "Business Fair Play" Programme and 7 years of running "Community Fair Play" Competition, IPED have launched new project "Hotel Fair Play" aiming to promote business ethics and organizational culture within hotels. IPED wants to highlight that reliability and ethical behaviour together with traditional Polish hospitality is the best way to achieve success and become role model for other hotels. More information available at: www.hotel.fairplay.pl
IPED is also intensely involved in anticorruption activities. It gathers information about the chief factors determining corruption in Polish companies and designs anticorruption programmes for business organisations. For it is business organisations that could reveal corruption pressure on companies, since companies alone might not disclose corruption practices due to possible danger of being excluded by investors as "trouble-makers". Numerous companies have observed that e.g. public tenders are carried out in a way that increases chances of a particular company. In such situations business organisations should undertake necessary steps to limit unfair practices, with no harm to involved companies.
Business organisations could also promote reliable business, their long-term disapproval of corruption practices. Such organisations may also introduce voluntary programmes based on companies' declared condemnation of corruption. This would help other companies recognize their chances in a tender as equal. The proposed IPED programme has been approved of by numerous organisations.
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| The panel discussion during the Advocacy Conference entitled "Polish Business Against Corruption" held on 14.09.2001 was attended by (from left to right): Mieczysław B±k, Marcin ¦więcicki, Jeremi Mordasewicz, Czesław Bielecki, Tomasz Nałęcz, Julia Pitera and Janusz Wojciechowski. |
In continuation of the above mentioned activities, in February 2008 the Institute launched a new EU-co-financed project "Polish entrepreneurs against corruption. The anti-corruption mechanisms in the business practice". The main objective of the project was to identify the corrupt practices, assess the direct costs of corruption to the businesses, as well as to gather and disseminate best practices of the companies to combat the corruption. The project included an analysis of the corrupt practices in the Poland-based companies. There results thereof, together with the presentation of best anti-corruption practices, have been published by the Institute as a report.
By our activities, we also promote advocacy and social dialogue in the local governments. In 2007 we carried out an EU-co-financed project "Advocacy on local and regional level. Building the monitoring and consultation system on SME policy". Its main objective was to strengthen the role of social partners in the processes of shaping local and regional development. It has been realised through the strengthening of the role of the following partners: business associations, chambers of commerce, entrepreneurship-supporting foundations and associations (the organisations engaging in the advocacy in favour of SME sector). Within the project's activities, two publications have been prepared: "Advocacy on local and regional level"- to be used by chambers of commerce, social partners and NGOs, a guidebook to the opportunities for the social partners (e.g. chambers of commerce and NGOs) to participate in the local and regional economic policies, together with "Local and regional participative democracy" on the consultations organized by the self-government local and regional authorities - to be followed by the territorial authorities.
Another project on the promotion of advocacy and social dialogue has been realised in 2008 under the title "E-advocacy of social interests in the local government" and was also co-financed by the EU. Its main objective was to identify, assess and mainstream best practices on the utilization of the new means and tools of the advocacy of social interests' in the local and regional government. Special attention has been given to the use of Internet and another channels of electronic communication. The project included an identification and analysis of best practices of the utilization of innovative technologies and channels of informing the social partners on their local communities, as well as enabling them to monitor local legislation. The project also provided for the publication of a handbook on the innovative tools of local advocacy, as well as for the organization of training workshops for the NGOs on local policies' consultation with the social partners.
More information about present IPED activities and projects may be found in Events section.
IPED Staff
Mr. Mieczysław B±k, Ph.D. - President & CEO
Mieczysław B±k is the Deputy Secretary General of the Polish Chamber of Commerce. He has been working for the PCC since 1992, being responsible for advocacy and private sector monitoring. He has successfully completed projects dealing with policy analysis and recommendations, regional development and business ethics, sponsored by the PCC, CIPE, PHARE, USAID, the German Marshall Fund and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. Mieczysław B±k co-operates with Polish and international institutions that organise development programmes for the private sector. B±k has graduated the University of Warsaw with a Master's degree and was awarded a Ph.D. degree from by Polish Academy of Sciences.
Professor Tomasz Mroczkowski, Ph.D. - Vice President, Director for International
Programmes and Senior Consultant
Tomasz Mroczkowski is a professor of International Business at the American University in Washington DC. His mother tongue is Polish and he has several years' experience in working in Poland - his major field of interest is economic policy analysis. He was a co-ordinator of the Polish-US research team, preparing the PCC Report on the Private Sector. Professor Mroczkowski has had numerous articles published in Polish, Japanese and American journals. In 1992-1993 he was an advisor to the Polish Minister for Foreign Economic Relations.
Professor Przemysław Kulawczuk, Ph.D. - Member of the Board, Director for Research
Przemysław Kulawczuk is the Director of the Polish-American Small Business Advisory Foundation in Gdynia and a professor of the Economics Theory Department at the University of Gdańsk. He is an expert in economics of small and medium-sized enterprises, specialising in the field of the implementation of support programmes. Kulawczuk is an economic consultant and an author of numerous publications on taxes, grey economy, the SME financing, rural entrepreneurship support, foreign investment and many other.
Ms. Anna Szcze¶niak - Director for Strategy and Programmes
Anna Szcze¶niak has been working in IPED since 1993 and has been the President of the Board of the "Przedsiębiorstwo Fair Play" (Business Fair Play) Ltd. since 1999. She is a co-author of many publications and research reports concerning entrepreneurship and development programmes for the SME sector and a co-ordinator of numerous research and promotional projects such as the "Business Fair Play" programme. Anna Szcze¶niak is also responsible for financial questions of IPED's projects. She is a graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics with a Master of Science degree.
Ms. Paulina Bednarz - PR Manager
Paulina Bednarz has been working in IPED since 2002 and has been involving in economic programmes which promote ethics in business and self-governed structures "Business Fair Play" and "Community Fair Play". She takes part in promotional and research projects concerning Corporate Social Responsibility and responsible for PR and promotion of IPED's projects. She is a graduate of the Political Sciencies at The Pultusk College of Social Science with a Master of Science degree.
Contact
Foundation "Institute for Private Enterprise and Democracy"
ul. Trebacka 4, room 319
00-074 Warsaw, Poland
tel: (4822) 630 98 01-04
fax: (4822) 826 25 96, (4822) 827 46 73
e-mail: iped@kig.pl
www.iped.pl
Mieczyslaw Bak, Ph.D. - President & CEO, mbak@kig.pl
Prof. Tomasz Mroczkowski, Ph.D. - V-ce President, Director of International Programmes and Senior Consultant, iped@kig.pl
Prof. Przemyslaw Kulawczuk, Ph.D. - Member of the Board, Director for Research, pkl@post.pl
Anna Szczesniak - Director for Strategy and Programmes, aszczesniak@kig.pl
Malwina Wasilewska - Executive Assistant, info@fairplay.pl
Aneta Badełek - Executive Assistant, biuro@fairplay.pl
Karolina Zawieska - research and analysis - iped@kig.pl
Public relations and projects department:
Paulina Bednarz - Director, pbednarz@fairplay.pl
Agata Rozalska - pr@fairplay.pl
Ariadna Bednarz - fairplay@fairplay.pl
Events and publishing departament:
Malgorzata Tymorek - Editor-in-Chief of the "PFP" Bulletin, Events Co-Ordinator, mtymorek@kig.pl
Agnieszka Góralczyk - agoralczyk@fairplay.pl
Piotr Michalik - pfp@fairplay.pl
Accountancy:
Elzbieta Smosarska - Finance & Accounting, esmosarska@fairplay.pl
Beata Jarosińska - bjarosinska@fairplay.pl