Country: Poland

Organization: AIESEC Poland Local Committee Poznan

Idea: The aim of the project is to encourage Polish companies to host trainees from abroad for from 2 to 18 months. Apart from the management traineship the trainee is expected to promote Business Ethics among other employees. The crucial point of the project is to avoid crosscultural missunderstandings such as different working times, dress codes, breaks at noon in the Mediteranian countries as well as whether or not it paised up to stay after working hours, in which countries you had better not pay a female employee a compliment on her looks or you will be accused of sexual harassment, if you are allowed to take a break. By comparing labour codes of different countries we hope to draw up a universal one and prepare a special guidebook about it.

How do you do it: 1)Finding a placement in Poland for a trainee from abroad.2) Workshops for students, AIESEC members, trainees organized together with our partners ( EBEN Polska, Solidny Partner).3)Implementation of the Business Ethics in a company by a trainee ý workshops for the stuff (how to assert your rights in a Polish company, how to discuss a pay-rise or a promotion with your boss, how to remain on good terms with the colleagues, where to ask for help in case of mobbing etc.).4)Regular meetings with other trainees and AIESEC members, sharing experience as regards Business Ethics in companies ý the most striking differences in comparison to the traineeýs home country, the crucial problems to be dealt with.5)Closing session- presenting the guidebook.

Innovation: 1) The whole idea is promoted mainly by young people ý not only by the trainees but also by the AIESEC members and other students. 2) Young people may rely on support of our experienced partners in particular Solidny Partner and EBEN Polska. Together we are a strong team, capable of mastering the challenge of implementing Business Ethics in Polish companies. 3) We all participate in preparing a guidebook aimed primarily for foreigners working in Poland. Besides everyone makes the contribution to formulating a labour code that can be applied everywhere regardless of the country and culture. 4) Finally the project is going to be introduced on three levels (regional, national, international) and that is why it is going to be successful.

Impact: Regional level:It will be not only the trainees but also the managers who undergo the change- the managers will become familiar with a notion of Business Ethics and respect it in the future. The trainees will gain knowlegde in the field of Business Ethics. They will be able to check if a given company follows the rules of Business Ethics and respects the rights of the employees. National level:The participants will come not only from Poznań but also from other regions of Poland. After coming back to the home towns each of them will share the experience with the local community and encourage them to intoduse the Business Ethics. International level:The special advantage of our project is the international implementation thanks to trainees.

Ethical Action: Recently I have seen a movie on cultural missunderstandings at workplace (made by another international students organization). It focused on relations between the Italien, Polish, German employees. For instance the Italiens were invariably late for work and could not understand that somebody might have problems with it. Besides in contrast to the hard-working and so disciplined Germans they insisted on taking breaks as often as possible. I have also similar experience while taking care of trainees from abroad. Most of them were shocked that they are supposed to stay after hours without getting paid for it. It inspired me to prepare a universal set of rules and a guidebook for foreigners coming to Poland.

Replication: Firstly we will create a database which will be regularly updated and available for all AIESEC members. The database will cover the different information of the implementation of the Business Ethics in different companies, our achievement, problems we have come up against and guidelines for our followers. Secondly we hope that our project will appeal to the managers so that they will be willing to cooperate with us in the years to come. We expect other companies to follow suit. Finally the trainess and other workshops participants are supposed to implement the idea of Business Ethics in their home towns/countries.

Sustainability: As the project will be introduced on three levels,it is bound to be successful.However without your financial support we will not be able to communicate this idea to attract attention of our target groups.We need financial help to promote the idea and wind up the project.Once the idea is being implemented,it will invariably raise the interest of other companies which will be willing to participate in our project out of the own accord.Thus it will be no longer necessary to interest that much in marketing.More importantly the project is already self- sustainable from the moment a given company agrees to participate in our project-the trainee is paid a salary of 1200 zl and each company donates AIESEC 1500zl for the accepted trainee.

Position in the Ethics Mosaic of Solutions:

Factor: Otherness

Principle: Developing self-awareness and interconnectedness