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When in Romania, do as Romanians do?

Martin Lechner, a 32 year old graduate of the Vienna University of Economics and
Business Administration, has worked for an Austrian chemical company for six
years. His enthusiasm of the first years as the companys marketing director has
decreased considerably during the last months. Martins lack of motivation cannot
be ascribed so much to his work as such than to the fact that at the moment there
are no real promotion opportunities. Furthermore, due to a colleagues
advancement, who also has a degree in chemistry and thus additional qualification,
Martin feels that there is a threat to his position. He is also not entirely happy with
his financial situation, as in the last two years pay increases have been smaller than
expected.
The companys management offers to install Martin as the supervisor of a new
subsidiary to be established in Bucharest. He is asked to manage the representative
office, which will investigate possible distribution structures and sales potentials,
and is eventually to be converted into a manufacturing plant. The position offered
to Martin appears attractive due to a generous foreign service allowance and
because the idea of pioneering a new production and sales market sounds rather
promising.
Martins boss paints a very promising picture of the situation in Bucharest. He is
assured he will be given almost absolute scope in his new position, as well as every
kind of support the Austrian parent plant can offer. The situation in Romania, he is
told, is generally very stable; taking his family with him is not a problem,
especially since his children can attend an excellent German school there.
Additionally, he is offered an apartment in a first-rate neighborhood. But still, since
only very general statements are made, Martin feels he is not being sufficiently
informed.
During an informal meeting, however, one of the companys managers gives an
enthusiastic account of the excellent organization structures in Romania. While

negotiating with a Romanian company based in Bucharest, he was very impressed


with their efficient organization. Almost western standards, he tells Martin. He is
also familiar with the situation at similar companies from the Ukraine, he says,
where the managers are more interested in vodka and dining out than in
negotiations. In Bucharest, however, everyone knows what is expected of them, so
Martin would be able to work according to schedule. For this reason the company
had dropped the initial plan to set up a subsidiary in the Ukraine and had chosen
Romania instead, since the people there after all took their work seriously.
Martins positive impression of the situation in Romania is spoiled, when he meets
a friend who has organized the shipping of relief supplies to Romania. His friend
tells him about his last trip to Romania, where he arrived in the German speaking
area at six in the morning and tried to contact the person in charge there, who only
showed up after an hour and a half. Since the storehouse they normally used was
not available, they had to find another one, and it took until almost noon to get
things organized, especially since his Romanian contact was only very reluctant to
get on the phone and start working on a solution. Everything was very complicated
and no-one appeared in the least interested, so that Martins friend was left with the
impression that nothing actually worked in Romania and that it was extremely
difficult to do business with the people there, even if you only wanted to help. He
would never try to organize something on his own in Romania, it was almost
impossible anyway. His friends account again makes Martin doubt whether he
made the right decision.
Martin is also unsure about how his family will cope with having to move to a
foreign country. Martin is married and has got an eight-year old son in elementary
school, and a three-year old daughter who will be starting kindergarten in fall. His
wife is an artist and works at home. After the birth of their first child she gave up
her studies at an art college, but is planning to organize her first art exhibition soon.
Also, she wants to go back to the university and finish her degree within the next
three years, which is highly important to her. A move to Romania, however, would
make her plans almost impossible.

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