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Seminar on corporate culture in Central Europe to link IU Bloomington with Warsaw
Oct. 12, 1999
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Using the latest in distance learning technologies, Indiana University students and faculty and U.S. employers in Bloomington will learn firsthand from business executives gathered in Warsaw, Poland, about differences in corporate culture and business practices at Central European companies.
The IU chapter of the International Association of Students in Business and Economics (AIESEC) is hosting the seminar Oct. 22-23. The public is invited to attend at no charge, but advance registration is required.
"This project on corporate cultures in Central Europe and in the United States is a joint endeavor between the IU and Warsaw chapters of AIESEC," said Paul Marer, IU professor of international business and moderator of a seminar panel on comparative corporate culture.
"The project will investigate, for example, how strong are the business legacies of the communist political and centrally-planned economics system and what are proven ways to achieve effective working relationships between the United States and Central European firms and business people," Marer added.
During the seminar, employees and employers will share their experiences via an interactive video link between Bloomington and Warsaw. Through this facilitated video link discussion, participants will analyze the differences they have identified and share strategies and techniques to create more efficient and effective business relationships.
AIESEC is the largest non-profit student-run international exchange program in the world. Through the efforts of its AIESEC chapter, IU has helped a large number of American students gain valued experience working for Central European companies and fostered similar exchanges between U.S. companies and students from that region.
The seminar will begin with a keynote address Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. in the University Club at the Indiana Memorial Union. Speaking will be Ed Delaney, a lawyer with the Indianapolis-based law firm of Barnes and Thornburg and a negotiator in the Bosnian Peace Accords at Dayton, Ohio. He will discuss his experiences in those negotiations and with Central European and Balkan countries' efforts toward capitalism. His talk will be followed by a reception.
The seminar will continue the following day, beginning at 8 a.m. in Room 736 of the Kelley School of Business, with a presentation by Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, IU associate professor of communication and culture and adjunct associate professor of Afro-American studies. The interactive video discussion between Bloomington and Warsaw will begin at 9 a.m. in Room 200 of the Kelley School. It will be followed by a panel discussion on comparative corporate culture.
A key objective of the seminar is to define effective communications techniques and strategies for businesses to use when working in Central Europe.
Corporate sponsors are Bolanis Financial Planning Group Inc., Linguarama Polska, North Bay Trading Co. and the University of Warsaw. IU sponsors are its International Resource Center, Polish Studies Center, Russian and East European Institute, the Kelley School of Business and its Center for International Business Education and Research.
To attend, people must register in advance by e-mail at aiesec@indiana.edu. For more information, contact Shawn Reynolds, IU International Resource Center, at 812-856-5861, or AIESEC at 812-855-6592.
(George Vlahakis, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu)