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This paper aims to show the importance of people management as a key indicator of business excellence based on four research projects, conducted on the samples of Polish (in the years 2004‐2005 and 2006‐2007) and Danish companies (in 1999 and 2005).

EFQM Excellence Model indicators were used as the evaluation criteria for the studies. The data were next estimated as a structural equation model by partial least squares using SmartPLS software. That estimation was conducted on the model of the Danish Business Excellence Index methodology. Presented data make it possible to compare developing Polish and developed Danish companies in their initiatives aiming at business excellence.

The results indicate significant negligence in the management of human resources as one of the initiatives towards business excellence of Polish enterprises before Poland's accession to the European Union (EU). At the same time, the results from the years 2006‐2007 confirm that, after several years of the functioning of the Polish economy in the structures of the EU, the role of the human factor as a key indicator of business activity results has increased, leading to a drop in the distance dividing Polish and Danish enterprises.

The paper is a continuation of previous work by the authors, which made it possible to compare developing Polish and developed Danish companies, before Poland joined the EU in 2004. The paper builds on the research and conclusions contained in the previous work of the authors, adding new data coming from Poland, collected in 2006‐2007.

Martins and Terblanche developed a theoretical framework of the organisational factors that support creativity and innovation, and the current study aims to provide an empirical test of this framework.

Based on a review of existing literature on national culture and previous research into Polish organisations, we developed hypotheses as to the likely position of Polish organisations on these four dimensions. These predictions were tested via a survey of Polish managers from a diverse range of companies.

The key findings related to ownership – partly or fully foreign‐owned companies operating in Poland appeared to be much more enabling of creativity and innovation than their wholly Polish‐owned counterparts.

Nicholson suggested that Polish businesses would benefit greatly from the adoption of at least some western methods, but that there would be significant constraints to their adoption. This research strongly supports this, but being based solely on a Polish sample, requires further research in order to be able to make direct comparison between firms in Poland and firms elsewhere.

One conclusion of this study is that Polish organisations can draw significant benefits from further effective assimilation of western management philosophy and methods.

This paper contributes to the growing literature on organisational determinants of innovation, and on the transfer of western methods to the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe. It offers insights of interest to managers in Polish businesses and to potential investors in Poland.

This paper aims to study the effects of the different processing parameters in the reciprocating magnetorheological polishing (RMRP) on the surface roughness (Ra) and material removal rate (MRR) of the workpiece surface.

The principle of RMRP method is discussed, and a series of the single factor experiments are performed to evaluate the effects of the workpiece’s rotational speed, the reciprocating frequency, the magnetic field strength, the working gap and the processing time on machining results using the RMRP device.

The RMRP method is effective and practical for K9 glass polishing, and the optimized processing parameters are obtained by the single factor experiments of RMRP. The surface roughness of the workpiece is reduced from 332 nm to 28 nm under optimized processing parameters.

In the present study, the RMRP method is proposed, and a system of experiments is carried out using the RMRP device. The RMRP device can improve the surface roughness and MRR of the K9 glass significantly. Furthermore, the test results provide references for reasonable selection of the processing parameters in magnetorheological polishing process.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the post‐colonial literature by addressing the phenomenon of language spread in relation to the spread of languages other than Polish within the Polish society since the end of the eighteenth century until the present.

The subject discussed here is approached from an historical perspective, through reference to literature and secondary data regarding the policies, practices and examples of language spread and linguistic imperialism in Poland throughout the history.

Through a comparative analysis across different periods in history, discussion of the Polish experience of language spread offers insights into its mechanisms and consequences for the society. It also shows how, since the collapse of socialism, Poland's socio‐economic transition has been accompanied by an increasing importance of the English language in the country, and how at present, the knowledge of English and access to it influences and is influenced by the existing social structures.

An awareness of the processes of language spread and of responses to them can help us better understand the historical mechanisms of transition from one set of social relations to another, and contribute to the understanding of post‐socialist change.

By applying the notions of language spread and linguistic imperialism to a geographical context different from that of the former British Empire, and by including, in addition to English, the historical spread of two other languages, namely German and Russian, within the Polish society, this paper contributes to the body of post‐colonial literature.

The purpose of this paper is to use the case of white immigrant women domestics’ experiences in migration to demonstrate that their work experiences are different due to their whiteness. While their racial identity provides them with white privileges, they still face discrimination based on their occupational and immigrant statuses. The case study adds to existing literature on domestic service.

The case study is based on several years of ethnographic work. The author conducted in‐depth interviews with Polish immigrant women and white female employers. The author also held focus groups with Polish women.

White immigrant women from Poland do not automatically assume the white racial identity in the USA. Their whiteness is constructed and reinforced through their interactions with their white female employers. Their whiteness renders their experiences different from racial minority women and immigrant women of color. However, Polish domestics construct their positive work identity to counteract the negative images about them and domestic service as an occupation.

The main limitation the author sees is that the author could have conducted interviews with Mexican immigrant women to compare the differences in terms of their working conditions.

While Polish domestics seem to have better experiences than other groups of immigrant women, domestic workers are excluded from the labor law. They are thus without the protection of labor law. It is important for us to work for the right of immigrant workers to eradicate the inequality in society.

This case shows that the transnational labor migration contributes to further inequality in society since it is usually the migrant workers who take up the low skilled or unskilled work that has few possibilities for promotion and has few benefits. The government needs to address the transnational migration process and the exploitation of migrant workers ensuing from the process.

Polish immigrant women are a unique group of women mainly because they are among the few white women who perform domestic service. Their experiences are different from racial minority women and immigrant women of color. Merging the whiteness approach and domestic service is an innovative approach.

The paper surveys selected standpoints in the Polish humanities that are visibly critical toward neoliberal assumptions and claims of economics. The resources used in the text are: Andrzej Szahaj’s philosophical postulates and assertions; Tadeusz Kowalik’s view; criticism and postulates of social economics articulated by the quarterly magazine Nowy Obywatel (The New Citizen). The purpose of this paper is to construct a possibly cohesive picture of this type of criticism by indicating important similarities between the approaches mentioned above, its strongest arguments, philosophical premises and political inclinations.

A conceptual synthesis and interpretation of theoretical standpoints and its philosophical premises, a comparative analysis of the text/content of the magazine (The New Citizen).

Each of the three standpoints discussed in the paper proves to be an interesting example of social economics. It is also symptomatic that they share a similar, critical attitude toward the way in which the transformation of the Polish economy from a socialist to a capitalist system had been carried out. The transformation is thereby interpreted as a process that is not accomplished at all from the point of view of the ideals of social justice and integrity.

The popularization of Polish normative views of economics taking into account the problem of social justice, and the possible transformation of the way in which economic problems are publicly understood in Poland.

The discussion of non-standard interpretations of Polish transformation and its effects that undermine and challenge neoliberal ideology in economics.

As globalization intensifies, the need for tapping the capabilities of corporations’ human resources, gecome more paramount. To this end, businesses cannot afford to have their most important resource, their people, hampered by attitudes that detract from their abilities to perform at their best. This is especially relevant when there may be a misconception that being male is synonymous with management competency. The focus of this research was on exploring the attitudes towards women managers in the United States and Poland. Questionnaires were distributed to two groups of individuals within each nation, professionals and graduating business students or “future managers”. There were 157 and 295 usable responses from Poland and the United States, respectively. The results indicate that Polish women may have more negative attitudes to overcome in becoming managers in comparison to the US counterparts. Perhaps more disconcerting is the potential that “future managers” in Poland may have even more negative attitudes toward women as managers.

The purpose of this paper is to review the needs of the Polish community (established and newly arrived Poles) and how those needs are met by the public library service.

A case study method was used in partnership with Sheffield City Libraries. The methodology included interviews with library professionals and interviews and questionnaires targeted at members of the Polish community.

The Polish community are generally satisfied with the service they receive from libraries. The needs of sections of the Polish community are different dependent on their time in the country. Main concerns were with regard to the collection and their desire for good quality Polish materials including works by Polish authors (not just translations into Polish).

This study is a single case study giving a snapshot of the library services to Polish users.

This study highlighted the need for increased community engagement with this particular ethic group. There is a need for collection development for this group of users. This can be facilitated by co‐operation with other libraries that are engaging in best practice and also specialist services such as the Polish Library in London.

This study is of practical value to public libraries meeting the needs of the Polish Community that is a growing and transient user group. There is little other literature that considers the needs of Poles newly arrived in this country.

This article presents and discusses the findings from an evaluation of the secondment of two Polish police officers to work with the Metropolitan Police Service in a west London borough between October and December 2009. While the secondment was intended to improve the service provided to the local Polish community, the principal outcome was more effective information‐sharing concerning Polish offenders. ‘Cop culture’ in this context had more resonance than national culture. British and Polish officers soon found they could overcome apparent differences in their approach to the ‘job’. Overcoming residents' reluctance to engage with the police proved more problematic.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which Central European emerging stock markets (focusing on Poland) have been affected by the recent international financial crisis, and how the current investment climate (barriers, risks, challenges and opportunities) influences appetite for investments in Polish equities. In doing so, the study aims to report timely findings in relation to the determinants of the safety and profitability of international portfolio diversification to the Polish stock market.

Based on qualitative empirical research, the authors analyse the differences between the foreign (UK) and domestic (Poland) investors' views on equity investments in Poland. The study builds on questionnaires and interviews with practitioners associated with the Polish stock market.

The authors report that the global financial crisis influenced changes to domestic and international investors' appetite for risk related to equity investments in emerging stock markets: investors are more prudent about emerging markets but the Polish stock market has shown substantial growth potential and positively distinguished itself from other Central European stock exchanges; particular types of investment risks associated with equity investments in the Polish stock market have abated. Polish equities are an attractive component of the international portfolio diversification, provided that trading strategies are adjusted to the contemporary investment environment.

This paper addresses the absence of the academic literature devoted to the analysis of equity investments in the contemporary Central European emerging stock markets. The authors discuss the differences in appetite for risk between the UK and Polish investors and assumptions about investments in Poland. The authors also contribute to the international debate on investor protection and regulations that can improve investment processes.