...Modern Russian Foreign Policy In the 20 years since the fall of communism, Russia has seen tumultuous times. In a relatively short period of time, a former world superpower has suffered through dramatic changes – some positive, and some painful. The 1980s ultimately brought about the fall of communist U.S.S.R, the 1990s showed the world the phoenix-like rise of democracy from the ashes of communism, and the 2000s have now shown us the rise of autocracy, or “sovereign democracy” , wrapped in a Russian flag. The Russian state that enters into this new decade is an entirely different state than that of its communist, or even democratic, predecessors. Such quick, drastic changes and Western inexperience in dealing with Russia’s new form of democracy has left Western governments sometimes scrambling to find a proper response to the actions of a Russia which they do not understand. The foreign policy and resulting actions of 21st century Russia are often misinterpreted by Western powers as those of a belligerent and sometimes antagonistic state. Western media also often does not understand and does not accurately convey Russia’s foreign policy goals to the public, sometimes deciding to demonize Russia and capitalize on the fact that much of the Western populace sees little distinction between the actions of modern Russia and those of the Soviet Union. Miscalculated Western foreign policy leads to nearly the same situation inside of Russia, where an antagonistic West can only...
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...retail chain; Save Money, Live Better and EDLP (Everyday Low Price). Walmart is in 57 countries under multiple banners, but is Walmart right for Russia and if so, is Russia right for Walmart? The Russian People The Russian population stands at a 143 million people across multiple districts and is projected to decrease to 140 million (1.6%) by the year end of 2015. The main point associated with the population decrease is that the death rate of the Russian Federation, which holds 85% of the total population, is increasing at a faster pace than the birth rate. There is a slight increase of people that are migrating to Russia, not enough to outweigh the significant population decreases. Poor health conditions due to alcohol consumption (Vodka) have reduced the male life expectancy is 60 years of age. This has caused there to be a starling 10,000 more deaths than births over the last decade. This is 15 years less than other industrialized nations. It has also been reported that the live birth rate has decreased due to the overwhelming job opportunities for women beginning in the economic downturn of 2008. Russia is an ethnically diverse country. Although almost 81% of Russian citizens identify themselves as ethnic Russians, there are also other ethnic groups. • 3.9% of Russians are Tartars • 1.4% Ukrainians • 1.2% Bashkirs • 1.1% Chuvashs • 1.0% Chechens • 3.9%...
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...Human Resources. The Company recruitment process will be a form of engaging the local personnel(employment agencies ) have the necessary knowledge of the country’s HR policies and procedures and will be used to do most of the direct hiring of the personnel that will work for the company . Some of the vital considerations to keep in mind are the Cultural, Political and Legal factors of Russia . Recruiting and Staffing An external recruitment process is recommended. It should be a two dimensional relationship namely the Headquarters / Subsidiary Relationship. The subsidiary will be the local manager who will manage locally while the headquarters manager will coordinate and control the regional operations. Nearly all the work force will be recruited in Russia as they understand the culture and will be more capable of opening the market and helping to increase consumer confidence in the product. Another point to consider is that, while recruiting and staffing are a fairly straightforward processes for most American companies, some Russian companies have had to actively search for and recruit employees. In one case, a client seemed surprised that he should spend time and money looking for qualified employees. He assumed that prospective employees would come to him . This is not necessarily the case in Russia and is a good reason why a local person should be on ground handling most of the recruiting and staffing stages. Training and Development - Training and development...
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...147 million people the business opportunities are just as great as the abundance of raw materials and the landmass of the country. Russia is a unique business opportunity and the first thing that needs to be established before thinking of doing business in Russia is an understanding of its people and their diverse culture. Russia’s turbulent past and breakup of the U.S.S.R. along with the switch to a free market and privately held companies have combined making the people of Russia complicated and cultural diverse. Understanding how these cultural diversities allow for international business to be more successful inside of Russia will allow for the expansion of business and the creation of opportunity for those willing to understand Russian culture. Russia is in a unique position to allow for foreign investment to help grow and stabilize their economy and grow their relationships with foreign countries and investors. It is the investors and businesses responsibility to understand and accept the cultural differences that are encountered during the commission of international business. Keywords: dimensions, culture, business, differences, Global Business Cultural Analysis: Russia Globalization has brought cultural awareness to a new level, instead of diminishing the need for cultural knowledge it has increased the rate by which we have to acquire and understand cultural dimensions. Knowing who you are doing...
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...Were the policies of the revolutionaries, once in power, supported by the people? | Analysis of both the Russian and French revolution to evaluate the extent of the support and effectiveness of revolutionary policy once implemented | When considering the term revolution, one must analyse its true meaning. Revolution implies the overthrow of government; in particular oust of a ruler or political system. There were many policies implemented in France and Russia during the revolution process. Policy refers to a programme of actions adopted by an individual, group, or government, or the set of principles on which they are based upon. The revolutionaries during the French (occurring in 1789) and Russian revolutions (occurring in 1917) implemented many policies that would inevitably change not only the face of their individual countries but also the whole world in its geographical, political and fiscal stability. Such radical change is perfectly exemplified in the policy and decision making that the revolutionaries had to sanction and control after the take over from their previously unfair and unjust political systems. The revolutionaries were divided among factions based on ideological belief. Some were left wing some were right wing, whilst other considered moderates, thus a social division of fundamental belief was created. At times some sanctions and policies did not represent the best interest of the wider populous and consequently was only to be attributed to a diminutive...
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...POL 101 Politics: Comparative Introduction State Role in Development Hypothesis—Development covaries with state capability in complex, population-dense world. Definitions of Key Terms state— territory, population, government, international capacity state capability—delivery of essential functions; providing physical security, efficient institutions to assure rule of law, competent administration development—diversified commons with overlapping, cross-cutting allegiances, interactive networks of communication, invention, production, distribution, innovation, regeneration, sanctioned by performance-linked status quality of life—pervasive literacy, discretionary leisure, opportunities for self-improvement and life-long education, various sets of friends and associates, choice of urban or country life, privacy, with adequate prosperity and technological sophistication to make it all work Comments ● Republic of Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan’s development of immense mineral reserves and massive economic prospective (major foreign investments in oil sector) co-varies with its state capability of efficient administration, primarily from competent leaders, like President Nursultan Nazarbayev. ■ Republic of Latvia: Under the rule of successful and competent administration, Latvia has been able to restore economic growth in times of global hardship, co-varying with its efforts in establishing a status as a world educator in transferring that knowledge to member states...
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...The Russian “Trepak” vs. The Ukrainian “Hopak” The popular FOX TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” began introducing various styles of dance to bring awareness of traditions of other cultures into the mainstream television in the US. In last season’s finale, the two top male dancers, Joshua and Twitch, danced a ‘Russian “trepak”’ while wearing Ukrainian folk costumes and dancing traditional hopak moves. The hopak is the traditional dance of Ukraine. This caused some controversy, and offended those from Ukraine as well as Russia. The dance was choreographed to music from “The Nutcracker”, which raised questions as well. The fact that the composer, Tchaikovsky, who was of Ukrainian origin, used Ukrainian folk melodies in his works does not make them automatically Russian. Just to give a little history, trepak, or hopak was developed and then danced by the Ukrainian Cossacks even before Ukraine was taken over by Russia. The costumes, choreography and music had nothing to do with Russian culture, but instead were tied to Ukrainian traditions. Russians have never danced “trepak” as part of their traditional cultural dance. The fact that the dance was presented as a Russian number was not only an uncharacteristic sign of ignorance, but also insulted many Ukrainians watching everywhere! The “trepak” and hopak are distinct Ukrainian national dances that even the Soviet government never suggested were Russian in origin! Also, it was said that it was “Russian street dancing”...
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...Country Analysis: Russia MBA Fall 2015 International Management in Sport and Entertainment Table of Contents Country Analysis: Russia 1 Introduction 1 Economic Environment 1 Political and Legal Environment 2 Culture 2 Conclusion 6 Country Analysis: Russia Introduction Russia is the world’s largest nation, covering 6,5 million square miles, with a population of 143 million people recorded in 2014. Russia borders European and Asian countries as well as the Pacific and Arctic oceans. In order to make a decision, concerning the market expansion of an organization into Russia, the economic environment as well as the political and legal environment will be analyzed with a focus on the cultural aspects. Economic Environment Russia is one of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which are projected to be the fastest growing emerging economies, with a combined GDP of $16 trillion. With a GDP of $2.6 trillion, Russia is a leading exporter of natural gas and oil and is the fifth largest economy in the world. Services are the largest sector of the economy and accounts for 58 percent of the GDP. The most important segments in services include wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods. This represents 17 percent of total GDP; public administration, health and education (12 percent); real estate (9 percent) and transport storage and communications (7 percent). Industry contributes...
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...«Народ, который не помнит свою историю, не имеет будущего!», сказал кто-то из великих. Но мы ведь не прислушиваемся к умным мыслям, поэтому все, что сейчас происходит на Земле сейчас, уже когда-то происходило. А вместо того, чтобы извлекать уроки из прошлого, мы пытаемся его изменить в учебниках. Ведь история, хоть и не терпит условностей типа «а если…», зато абсолютно беззащитна перед теми, кто старается ее перекрутить «под себя». И многие не понимают, зачем нужно изучать историю, которая пытается навязывать нам позицию тех, кто стоит у власти, которая пытается расставлять акценты и вешать ярлыки? Разве может у учащегося сформироваться свой взгляд на исторические события и персонажи, если учебник уже подталкивает его к мысли о том, что В. Иванов хороший, а О. Петров – плохой? Зачем нужно изучать историю своей страны, которая основательно «подчищена» ластиком? И хоть сегодня утверждают, что все тайны уже раскрыты, но видные архивариусы и историки лишь скептически ухмыляются в ответ, говоря, что даже десятая часть архивов последних лет до сих пылится под грифом «Совершенно секретно»? Но все же, на вопрос «Зачем нужно изучать историю?» есть ответ: затем, чтобы анализировать ошибки великих неудачников и приобретать бесценный опыт мудрых правителей, отстаивать свою независимость и выигрывать сражения на политической арене, на наглядном примере увидеть к чему приводят неправильные решения и оценить стоимость победы в человеческих жизнях "The people who do not remember their...
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...communication because of some stereotypes or bias. The best example is the relations between Russia and Ukraine. If to consider the last years, a special trim can be observed in the relations of Russia and Ukraine in all of the questions connected with the Russian-Ukrainian relations. Geographically it divides the country into east and western part and with time the situation only gets worse. This is mostly the problem. Not only language and geography split the country but also the world outlook principle as well. The main problem of the Ukrainian authority today is how to connect these differently looking at the world and destiny parts of the country through a prism of the Russian-Ukrainian relations. The actions of the Ukrainian authority at the process of solving this problem are quite contradictory. On the one hand, there is an understanding of necessity to move toward Russia, but on the other hand, the movement seems to be in an opposite direction. First, it concerns the gas conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The intense relations between these two countries in the sphere of gas relations have already become a bad tradition. The misunderstanding level between them frequently leads to faults with the deliveries of the Russian gas to Ukraine...
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... Since the late 1980’s the Russian people have experienced one of the most drastic transitions seen in the world to date, a transition from an attempt at communism to a workable capitalist system. As one would expect, this transition has not been painless and has been the impetus of many distressing problems for the Russian people. One such problem is organized crime. Organized crime during Soviet rule and the Russian Federation has created obstacles in this transition to a functioning market economy. This transition from the USSR to the Russian Federation has impaired Russia’s attempts at a market economy. It has worked its way through openings provided by the transition economy to become a setback to the Russian society and economy. Organized crime disables successful economic reform by influencing important issues such as competition, entrepreneurship, capital flight, the shadow economy, and violence. The major roots of organized crime in Russia go back to the middle of the twenty century. As early as the 1970’s, the Russian mafia had advanced to the status of primary protectors and beneficiaries in the robust Soviet shadow economy. By 1991, organized crime had expanded to form over 700 gangs in the Russian republic alone. This expansion was aided by Perestroika’s, a political movement within the Communist Party, opening up of market opportunities. In Leningrad, as much as ninety percent of the cooperatives produced by the liberal policies of Perestroika were deeply involved...
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...Russian Culture When talking about the culture of Russia, using the ASCOPE method is an accurate approach to get an overview of what the culture consists of and the breakdown of the important factors. ASCOPE an abbreviation for: Area, which is the geographic location or territory of the country. Structures, is a physical location and function that can hinder a military operation: schools, government buildings, mosques and cemeteries. Capabilities, which refer to limitations of key personnel and civilian organization: Health, education and social status. These can also be measured by what they produce. Organization, are categorized by the positive or negative impact of the U.S mission. People, understanding the people are the most important in Counter Insurgency Operations. Learning the people and relating to the people will benefit the country by limiting the mistakes from misunderstandings and will guarantee more accomplished missions. Lastly is Events, which are the cultures religious traditions and holidays or any specific event that is cherished amongst the people (Miles). “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories” (Sun Tzu, The Art of War). So, when looking at Russia it is important to take into consideration the aspects of ASCOPE, especially the people. Russia is located in northern Eurasia, and is considered to be the world’s largest country on the basis of territory. It spans over 17,075,200 kilometers and covers roughly one eighth of...
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...were joined with four Russian cosmonauts. The three researches were from Japan, Canada, and Austria. None of the participants spoke English as their first language, however they each communicated in English at varying levels of proficiency during their stay. The replica was no larger than the size of a train car. As part of the study, the researchers were asked to join the Russian cosmonauts for 110 days, after the four Russians had already completed almost half of their 240 days in isolation. Only one female, Judith Lapierre, was invited to participate in the experiment. She had a PhD in public health and social medicine, and had previously conducted isolation research in Antarctica. It should also be mentioned that this would be her fourth trip to Russia enabling her to learn the language. Lapierre claims that the Japanese and Austrian participants viewed her as something favorable. Lapierre created a comfortable environment by rearranging furniture, hanging posters and putting down a tablecloth on the kitchen table. Lapierre explained that the Russians only viewed their environment as something to be endured. It was during a New Year’s Eve party, when an event ensued that created tension between the participants in the study. After drinking vodka, two of the Russian cosmonauts engaged in a fistfight and had to be restrained by the other men. The two involved generally did not cope well with each other even before the incident. Soon after, the Russian commander grabbed Lapierre...
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...DBQ Having lived in multi-national empires in Eastern and Southern Europe during the eighteenth century, the Slavic people began to think about having their own state. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, a movement called Pan-Slavism emerged, which was a movement pushing for just that. In 1848, the movement began to become mainstream and soon became a dominant movement. Many were opposed to Pan-Slavism, however, thus a debate arose which raised political and cultural issues. Those involved in this debate can be placed into four distinct groups: supporters of Pan-Slavic ideals, (Docs 3, 8) those against Pan-Slavism for Nationalist reasons, (Docs 4, 7, 9, 11) Supporters of Pan-Slavism for Imperial reasons, (Docs 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 13) and those against Pan-Slavism for Empirical reasons. (Docs 11, 14) A discernable change over time is that as time progressed people became more sympathetic to the Slavic people and support for Pan-Slavism increased. Those who identified themselves as Slavs in addition to those who felt that the Slavic people were being oppressed were supporters of Pan-Slavic ideals. (Docs 3, 8) Bronislaw Trentowski, a Polish philosopher, says in a lecture that if he were czar, he would create a Slavic empire and destroy the Ottoman and Austrian empires. (Doc 8) Jan Kollar, a Slovak poet and early advocate of Pan-Slavism, preaches that all Slavs should unite as one nation because that is their true identity. (Doc 3) This opinion is due to a personal bias as...
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...An introduction to Russian: History, culture, and psychotherapy. Elms College Maxim M. Arbuzov Spring 2012 Abstract: On March 15, 2012, I landed in Vladivostok, Russia. I was amazed by the diversity and fast growth of the city since my last visit in 2006. Everything has changed the population has quickly grown, and people from around the world are visiting this place that is economically expanding. I seen family, friends, and professionals, which all knew my academic intentions. I talked a lot about social work and counseling, and more specifically: what would they do in times of crisis? Would they seek help? Where? I interviewed a few people of different age brackets, and they all had the same thing to say, for some odd reason; grab a bottle, head over to your best friends house, that is our therapy session. From this I became very interested in one underdeveloped and not heavily researched topic: psychotherapy and counseling in Russia. Introduction It is rather difficult to understand the status of psychotherapy in Russia nowadays, without background information on its history and culture. Russia among other nations has a long history of war and revolutions, which impacted every sphere of life for their populations. Different nations fell under the umbrella of the former “Soviet Union”, which is why Russia is such an interesting country to study because of the vast diversity. Along with diversity the most interesting part researching Russian Psychotherapy is that...
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