Founder
Professor Roman Głowacki was born on 1 January 1929 in the Eastern Borderlands
of Poland. He remembered the interwar period, the outbreak of World War II, the Soviet and German occupation - which was accompanied by an atmosphere of enslavement, constant threat, and poverty - the early post - war years, the period of the People’s Republic of Poland, the turn of 1989, and finally, the political and economic transformation. He did not lose hope for fundamental changes in Poland, which would open the perspective of its comprehensive development.
Professor Roman Głowacki began his education in the interwar period, attending the primary school in Przemyślany. After the end of the war, he studied in the middle and high schools in Mielec. In 1948, he commenced his studies at the Academy of Commerce in Kraków (nowadays University of Economics in Kraków), where he was taught by a group of outstanding professors: Adam Krzyżanowski, Zygmunt Sarna, Wacław Fajans, Jerzy Fierich, Albin Żabiński, Grzegorz Seidler, and Jan Dziurzyński.
In 1952, Professor Roman Głowacki received his diploma in economics and was admitted to the MA studies at the Main School of Planning and Statistics (nowadays SGH — Warsaw School of Economics). He was admitted to an MA seminar in mathematical statistics, conducted by Professor Oskar Lange. The classes did not last long because the teacher left the country at the invitation of the Indian government. Following that, he moved to the seminar under Professor Kazimierz Romaniuk, who saw in him potential, predestining Professor Głowacki for scientific work. He graduated in 1954 and began working at the Institute of Commerce in Warsaw. Here, he went all the way from Senior Assistant to the Director General of the Institute, even though he was not a member of the communist party.
His research work at the Institute, close ties with such eminent professors as Władysław Jastrzębowski, Leon Koźmiński, Janusz Łoś, Andrzej Hodoly, as well as participation in the doctoral seminar conducted by Professor Jan Drewnowski, allowed him to develop his scientific and writing skills. Both scientific circles enabled him to obtain a doctorate in Economic Science in 1961 with his dissertation, System bodźców ekonomicznych w przedsiębiorstwie handlowym [System of Economic Incentives in a Commercial Enterprise], followed by habilitation in 1965, which he obtained for his monograph, System marż handlowych [Trade Margin System]. In 1972, he was awarded the title of Professor of Economic Science.
In 1973, he began working at the Faculty of Management of the University of Warsaw and was associated with it until the final days of his life. Here, in 1974, he organized the first Chair of Marketing in Poland, which he later headed for many years. Since he became involved with the Faculty of Management of the University of Warsaw, he also participated in the work of the Central Commission for Academic Staff Qualifications. He was its member for two consecutive terms in 1972–1979.
In the early 1960s, Professor Roman Głowacki studied for one year at the Harvard Business School. During that time, he established ties with internationally renowned scientists and met such eminent professors as Edward Bursk, Jim Hagler, Jack Enright, and many others. His stay at the School also provided him with an opportunity to exchange experiences with young scientists from other countries participating in the programme. These studies constituted an important inspiration for further research and didactic activities. They also opened up the possibility of later lectures at Western European and American universities. In the 1970s and 1980s, Professor Roman Głowacki conducted active scientific and didactic cooperation with foreign universities. This cooperation resulted in frequent trips for longer scientific stays as a visiting professor at such universities as Duquesne University in Pittsburgh (USA), Helsinki School of Economics (Finland), Free University of Brussels (Belgium), Ecole Superieure de Commerce in Tours (France), University of Verona (Italy), University of Athens (Greece), and University of Istanbul (Turkey).
In the 1990s, managerial education became an important area of Professor Roman Głowacki’s activity. In 1991, he established the Centre for Management Training Foundation, which conducted its International MBA programme in cooperation with the University of Warsaw and other partner universities (University of Antwerp, Free University of Brussels, Bergische Universität in Wuppertal, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, and Ohio State University). Twenty-two editions of the programme have been conducted in total. For many years, the studies conducted by the Foundation belonged to the group of the highest rated MBA programmes in the Perspektywy and Rzeczpospolita rankings. Graduates of the programme currently hold high positions both in prestigious corporations and in government institutions.
The Foundation is also involved in the Central and Eastern European Teachers Program. The Harvard Business School was the initiator of the Program, and its objectives included improving the scientific qualifications of the Central and Eastern European professors in the field of market economy knowledge. The education of young scientists according to Western standards was always an important area of the Professor’s activity. Thanks to his contacts, many scientists from Poland had the opportunity to participate in several months’ scholarships at leading business schools in the United States in the early 1990s, i.e., Harvard Business School, Kellogg Management School, Wharton School, MIT Sloan School of Management, and Stanford Graduate School of Business. The Centre for Management Training Foundation has established a permanent and multilateral cooperation with the Harvard Business School, thanks to Roman Głowacki’s contacts with the then Dean of the School, Professor Thom Piper. Employees of the University of Warsaw, particularly the Faculty of Management, participated in the Colloquium on Participant Center Learning Program conducted by Harvard every year.
Professor Roman Głowacki’s academic output should be seen as extremely rich and varied. Initially, his scientific interests focused on the issues of trade, economic calculation, and the system of economic incentives in enterprises. Since the mid-1960s, after studying at the Harvard Business School, the Professor’s research and teaching activities were related to marketing. He created a deep and comprehensive Polish concept of marketing. His book, Przedsiębiorstwo na rynku [Enterprise on the Market], presented the assumptions and instruments of marketing at a time when this concept was not compatible with the Polish political system. In the most recent period, Professor Roman Głowacki dealt with the issues of economic transformation and the role of managerial education during the period of political changes. Many of his publications have received prestigious awards, including the Oskar Lange award and awards of the Minister of Higher Education and the Polish Economic Society.
His most important publications include:
- System bodźców ekonomicznych w przedsiębiorstwie handlowym [System of Economic Incentives in a Commercial Enterprise], PWE, Warsaw, 1963
- Współczesny handel amerykański [Contemporary American Trade], Biblioteka IHW, Warsaw, 1964
- System marż handlowych [Trade Margin System], PWE, Warsaw, 1967
- Efektywność obrotu towarowego [Efficiency of Trade in Goods], PTE, Warsaw, 1967
- Rachunek ekonomiczny w przedsiębiorstwie handlowym [Economic Calculation in a Commercial Enterprise], PWE, Warsaw, 1976
- Przedsiębiorstwo na rynku [Enterprise on the market], PWE, Warsaw, 1978
- Analiza rynku [Market Analysis], PWE, Warsaw, 1981 (co-author)
- Marketing, PWN, Warsaw, 1984 (co-author)
- The State of the Market Structure and Its Implications, International Studies of Management and Organization, Vol. 21, No. 2, 1991
- Marketing for Hard Currency in Polish Domestic Market, Journal of Global Marketing, Vol. 4, No. 4, 1991 (co-author)
- Marketing, CMT, Warsaw, 1995 (co-author)
- Marketing Evolution in Transition Economies [in:] Successfully Doing Business / Marketing in Eastern Europe, Routledge, New York—London, 2009
Professor Roman Głowacki was an eminent teacher of marketing. His lectures were extremely popular among students. He was remembered as a demanding examiner; his oral exams have become a legend at the Faculty of Management of the University of Warsaw. MA seminars conducted by Professor Roman Głowacki constituted a great challenge for their participants. Not only did they enable them to master scientific and writing skills, but they were also a school of life. Professor Roman Głowacki supervised eight doctoral dissertations:
- Ireneusz Rutkowski, Zmiany strukturalne w brytyjskim handlu detalicznym [Structural Changes in British Retail], 1971, Warsaw School of Planning and Statistics (SGH—Warsaw School of Economics)
- Barbara Tokarska, Badanie rynków eksportowych [Export Market Research], 1975, Wrocław Academy of Economics (Wrocław University of Economics)
- Adam Jan Kochane, Marketingowe zarządzanie przedsiębiorstwem [Marketing Enterprise Management], 1977, Wrocław Academy of Economics (Wrocław University of Economics)
- Mirosław Szudzikowski, Proces rozmieszczania produktów na rynku (próba ujęcia decyzyjnego) [Process of Product Placement on the Market (Decision-Making Approach)], 1985, Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw
- Krzysztof Cybulski, Programowanie rynkowej oferty wytwórczej przedsiębiorstwa [Programming an Enterprise’s Market Production Offer], 1987, Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw
- Grzegorz Karasiewicz, Strategie cenowe przedsiębiorstw w gospodarce rynkowej [Enterprise Pricing Strategies in a Market Economy], 1993, Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw
- Mariusz Trojanowski, Stan i perspektywy marketingu bezpośredniego w Polsce [State and Perspectives of Direct Marketing in Poland], 2003, Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw
- Agnieszka Wilczak, Tożsamość organizacji w strategii marketingowej [Identity of Organization in Marketing Strategy], 2003, Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw
Professor Roman Głowacki was a great personality, a man of strong character and strictly defined views. He stood out with his entrepreneurship, innovation, and openness to the world. At the age of 80, he would come to the Faculty of Management every day early in the morning and return home late in the evening. His thoughts and scientific concepts have been and will continue to be an inspiration for marketing scientists.
He did not accept delays, unresolved problems, and unsolved, postponed issues. When something went wrong, he had several alternative scenarios prepared. His talent, brilliance, intelligence, knowledge of different orders, and determination to achieve his goal helped him a great deal in his professional life. For him, work was one of the fundamental values. He was penetrating, stubborn, tenacious, sometimes difficult, demanding of others, though first of all of himself, witty, but also charming, warm, tender, sensitive. A loving husband, special, wonderful father, and caring grandfather.
Professor Roman Głowacki passed away on 16 January 2020 in Warsaw.