Thursday, September 26, 2019

Speech Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Speech - Term Paper Example It will also suggest that the skillful audience analysis employed by President Kennedy shows why audience analysis is important to public speaking in general. The Cuban Missile Crisis Speech: The Right Words at the Last Minute President John F. Kennedy’s speech at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most important speeches in American history. The Soviet Union was building bases in Cuba for nuclear missiles that could reach the United States. Kennedy had to inform the public of the possibility of a Soviet nuclear strike against the United States and simultaneously calm the people’s fears and assure them that everything possible was being done to remedy the situation. He also had to use the opportunity to send a message to Nikita Khrushchev and the leaders of Soviet Union that nuclear bases in Cuba would not be tolerated (Long & Swett, 2010). By closely analyzing this speech, it is possible to see the techniques that Kennedy used to deliver two separate messages to two different audiences at once. In doing this, Kennedy showed the importance of audience analysis in public speaking. Kennedy spoke to two audiences in his speech. The first and most important audience was the American public. The people of the United States had already been worried about the possibility of nuclear war since the end of the Second World War and the start of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Kennedy had to deliver accurate news about what was taking place in Cuba and what it meant for America without panicking people. Upon hearing the news, Americans would want to look to a strong leader who had the crisis under control and who would stop the conflict before it spiraled into unthinkable disaster. Because the missiles would be able to reach most of the Western hemisphere, Kennedy’s address held implications for an international audience, as well. The President’s speech also had a secondary purpose. He could also us e the opportunity to make a show of strength to America’s Cold War enemies in the Soviet Union and Cuba. While much of the information delivered in the speech was being exchanged between the powers involved via intelligence, letters, and phone calls, seeing the President proclaim to the American people what strategies would be used against Cuba and the Soviet Union in a speech held more intimidation for the Soviet and Cuban leaders (Bostdorff 1994). A good speech is a powerful emotional tool that can convey the deeper meaning of a message more effectively than a conversation or a written declaration can. Kennedy knew this, and he used the opportunity as a defensive strategy just as much as an informative address. One of the most striking aspects of the speech is the direct and businesslike manner in which Kennedy addresses the American people. To start off, he does not simplify or â€Å"dumb down† the information he conveys, nor does he sugar coat it to make it more pa lletable. Kennedy treats the American people like adults who are capable of understanding the situation. By doing this, he shows the audience that what he’s saying is extremely serious. He then goes on to detail what the Soviet government said about their involvement in the building of the Cuban missile bases and the purpose of these bases, and states emphatically that these assurances were false. Kennedy shows some anger here, but his anger is tightly controlled. By doing this, he

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Hospice Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hospice Care - Essay Example Although the modern hospice care started in the 17th century, it was Dame Cicely Saunders who pioneered the foundational principles of the modern hospices in the 1950s. The movement of hospice care, which has met with several types of criticisms through its development, has enjoyed a rapid expansion in the UK, the US and several other nations. "Pioneered in England, hospice took root in the United States during the 1970s and was added as a benefit to the Medicare program in the early 1980s. Its origins lie in a grassroots movement that lay outside the medical mainstream and was informed by an ethic of compassion, dignity, and service. More or less self-consciously, hospice care was initially designed for people who were dying of cancer, and who had a functional family support system and a home where they could be cared for away from the high-tech hospital environment. Over time, the vision and the values of the hospice movement have developed and matured." (What Is Hospice Care 2003, p 6). The movement of hospice care has undergone development through various stages in the history of nursing and it is essential to compare and contrast nursing role, processes, etc during the twentieth century and early twenty first century. The various stages of the development of the hospice care include the periods 1920-1929, 1930-1945, 1946-1959, 1960-1975, and 1976 to present, and the nursing role, processes, etc in the hospice care has improved through these stages. In the health care industry, hospice has been a considerably newcomer, although the origins of hospice are in antiquity. The modern hospice care program has its origin in the mid-1960s in the founding of St Christopher's Hospice in England. The hospice movement has been significant development in health care industry as it has provided several strategies for the treatment of people who are no longer candidates for curative or rehabilitation services. "Traditions of kindness for sick and dying patients are to be found in all societies from antiquity. The beginning of the modern hospice movement is usually attributed to Dame Cicely Saunders, who founded St Christopher's Hospice in London in 1967. Two years later Elizabeth Kubbler Ross published her book, On Death and Dying, based on her experiences talking with dying patients in a Chicago hospital In 1953 the first advanced mammal, a dog named Knowsy (because he knew what was on the 'other side') was successfully resuscitated. Further advances in resuscitation and advanced life-support led to the propagation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and intensive care units during the early 1960s." (Hallenbeck, 2003, p 3). Therefore, the modern hospice movement has undergone vital improvements since its founding and the role of the nurses as well as the process of the care has gone through various stages. In a reflective analysis of the history of hospice care in the twentieth century, one realizes that there have been several developments in this nursing care with regard to the role of the nurses and the process of the care. Significantly, hospice can be comprehended as a philosophy of caring which respects and values the dignity and worth of every human being. Therefore, a good hospice care may be understood as the practical expression of the personal and professional commitment in the nursing care. Hospice care, which is meant for people approaching

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Foreign Policy Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Foreign Policy Analysis - Case Study Example The policy makers viewed the decision of the US to invade Iraq as a preemptive decision based on its interests rather than the safeguard of international security and peace . The sates held that the American government aimed to broaden its notion of self-defense regardless of the state of the international security. Therefore, many states such as France and Germany did not support the war against Iraq. The international society viewed war as the last resort, and posed challenges to the US to demonstrate whether it had pursued the possible peaceful options specifically for the disarmament of Iraq . For instance, the president of France Jacques Chirac claimed that war is an admission of defeat as is the worst of the solutions. He added that states must pursue all the avenues to avoid war. As evidenced, the French leaders also condemned the preemptive war against Iraq but maintained that the disarmament of Iraq can be peaceful. For instance, Dominique de Villepin, the French Foreign Min ister held a view that Iraq can be disarmed through peaceful ways.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   B2Due to the self-interests of Germany and France concerning the oil and construction industries, they opted for the support of the ultimatum of the UK/US. Further, they offered support to the war to disarmer Iraq because of the geopolitical factors such as the expressed wish of the elites to create the independent defenses and foreign polices from NATO . Moreover, the interests. For instance, the Foreign Minister of German Joschka Fischer warned.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Is Advertising a Barrier to Male Movement toward Gender Change Coursework

Is Advertising a Barrier to Male Movement toward Gender Change - Coursework Example Recently, while watching a TV daily, I have come across an advertisement that details about a perfume. Specifications, detailing that a perfume is for female or male has become quite prominent in the context of promoting the brand. The advertisement was appealing for men as usual so long as women are used as props for developing the quality of the advertisement. The advertisement, as I presume to be prompting men to use a particular product and restricting the women to conduct the same. The advertisement clearly captioned that the particular perfume that was being introduced in the market was solely meant for men and not for women (Bettany, Dobscha, O’Malley and Prothero 3-5). It is often noted that people are more interested in the body languages of other people, as it prompts them to decide about the probable mode of action or the needs of justification for an action they want to continue. Body languages even help in depicting the level of participation that is reflected through the movement of body parts as well as postures for standing and sitting. Furthermore, non-verbal communication is often assisted by the use of body postures that play an important role in developing various interpretations about the communicator. Additionally, the perceptions of people about another individual often get developed based on their respective body languages. Even in the 21st century, when people comment on providing equal rights for both men and women, women still fail to obtain equal standards to that of men depending on the patriarchy system that is apparently evident at the various social levels. Specifically, gender discriminations are not apparent within the social standards but are somehow still in practices. To be mentioned, the age-old dogmatic social system has been playing a crucial role in framing the mental state of society to have separate perceptions for men and women based on their gender roles.  

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Market Orientation Benefit an Organization Essay Example for Free

Market Orientation Benefit an Organization Essay Definition of Market Orientation : A business approach or philosophy that focuses on identifying and meeting the stated or hidden needs or wants of customers. See also product orientation and sales orientation. Market orientation perspectives include the decision-making perspective, market intelligence perspective, culturally based behavioral perspective, strategic perspective. Developing a Market Orientation: An Organizational Strategy Perspective. International Journal of Research in Marketing, and customer orientation perspective. Corporate culture, customer orientation, According to them, the marketing concept is a business philosophy, whereas the term market orientation refers to the actual implementation of the marketing concept. They added that a market orientation appears to provide a unifying focus for the efforts and projects of individuals and departments within the organization. On the other hand, the market orientation as the organization culture that most effectively and efficient creates the necessary behaviours for the creation of superior value for buyers and, thus, continuous superior performance for the business. As such, they consider market orientation as an organisational culture consisting of three behavioral components, namely, i) customer orientation, ii) competitor orientation and iii) interfunctional coordination. Product Orientation : A business approach or philosophy in which whatever a company makes or supplies is the focus of the managements attention. See also market orientation and sales orientation. Customer Orientation : 1. General: A party that receives or consumes products (goods or services) and has the ability to choose between different products and suppliers. See also buyer. 2. Quality control: Entity within a firm who establishes the requirement of a process (accounting, for example) and receives the output of that process (a financial statement, for example) from one or more internal or external suppliers. An organizations strategy that combines all of its marketing goals into one comprehensive plan. A good marketing strategy should be drawn from market research and focus on the right product mix in order to achieve the maximum profit potential and sustain the business. The marketing strategy is the foundation of a marketing plan 1. General: A motivating force that compels action for its satisfaction. Needs range from basic survival needs (common to all human beings) satisfied by necessities, to cultural, intellectual, and social needs (varying from place to place and age group to age group) satisfied by necessaries. Needs are finite but, in contrast, wants (which spring from desires or wishes) are boundless. See also Maslows hierarchy of needs. 2. Marketing: A driver of human action which marketers try to identify, emphasize, and satisfy, and around which promotional efforts are organized. Sales Orientation : A business approach or philosophy that focuses on promoting sales of whatever a company makes or supplies, through marketing and sales calls. See also market orientation and product orientation.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Relationship Between Host Community And Guest Tourism Essay

The Relationship Between Host Community And Guest Tourism Essay 2.0 Introduction Tourism is a product that relies totally upon simultaneous production and consumption. The implication of this for the destinations host community is that it will come into contact with an alien population during the production process. This contact can be beneficial or detrimental to the host community depending upon the difference in cultures and the nature of the contact. Tourism can develop and grow when host community has a positive attitude toward it and when they see their role in the process of the tourism development. At the point when a tourism destination is born, the quality if the life of the local hosts goes through radical changes, which are not necessarily negative. Literature suggests that tourism development has created both positive and negative impacts on communities. As a consequence, community residents hold different attitudes towards tourism development. Residents who do not support the development of tourism have been identified in almost all segmentation studies concerning attitudes towards tourism, namely Haters (Davis et al. 1988; Madrigal 1995), Cynics (Williams and Lawson 2001) or Somewhat Irritated (Ryan and Montgomery 1994). Host communities do see new business opportunities in tourism and are motivated to explore them. At the same time, they know that some negative physical, cultural, social and economic impacts will emer ge. The most complex problems that accompany tourism development, reside in the relationship between local host and tourist. Furthermore , there are limits of tourism growth that are closely associated with the place capacity and with the quality of life in the local community. The most complex problems that accompany tourism development, reside in the relationship between tourists and local host. Furthermore, there are limits of tourism growth that are closely associated with the place capacity and with the quality of life in the local community. When these limits are exceeded, local residents develop negative attitudes towards tourism. When negative attitudes become beliefs, tourism development obstacles appear. The beliefs of the local hosts become the most reliable indicator of the limits to the growth of tourism. 2.1 Tourism Development Tourism development is an expression that encompasses not only destinations, origins, motivations and impacts, but also the complex linkage that exist between all the people and institutions of that interconnecting, global supply and demand system ( Pearce, 1989). It has been widely recognized that tourism development is a double-edged sword for host communities. Not only does it generate benefits, but it also imposes costs (Jafari, 2001). By evaluating these benefits and costs, host community develop their perception toward tourism. Tourism is an industry which uses the host community as a resource, sells it as a product , and in the process affects the lives of everyone ( Murphy,1981). In general, tourism development within a host community often impacts the community both in negative and positive ways. These Impacts have been well documented and are usually classified as socio-cultural impacts, environmental impacts and economic impacts ( Allen et al., 1988; Ap, Farrell et al., 2001; Liu and Sheldon, 1987; Liu and Var, 1986; Nepal,2008; Pappas, 2008; Van Winkle and Mackay,2008). Residents attitudes will be positive if they can use tourism resources such as recreational facilities or if they perceive that tourism development will protect or preserve the environment ( Lankford et al, 2003). Conversely attitudes towards tourism were found to be negative if residents perceived the impacts as negative, or if the resources within a host community diminish as a result of tourist activity ( Lankford et al.,2003; Perdue et al., 1990). Tourism development initiatives usually center around the economic benefits derived from tourism. This typically includes job creation, taxes and other indirect income. 2.2 Tourism Planning Based on the World Tourism Organisations Hainan Declaration in December 2000, it is noted that one of the reasons for the failure of tourism planning in the past can be attributed to the lack of consultation with the local residents (Yahya et al. 2005:According to Williams and Lawson (2001) and Gursoy et al. (2002), research on residents reactions to tourism can help tourism planners understand why residents support or oppose tourism. Such information can help planners select those developments that can minimize the negative impacts and maximize support for tourism development amongst certain members of the local population. It has now become widely recognized that planners and entrepreneurs must take the views of the host community into account if the industry wants to pursue the goal of sustainable development (Allen et al. 1988; Ap and Crompton 1993). Success of a regional tourism development plan depends on the successful involvement of the community (Inbakaran and Jackson 2006: 64).Difference between success and failure could be location or temporally based so this research aims to set the foundation for continuing studies and inform local policy makers, planners and managers. This is particularly relevant in light of recent changes to local government structures in the region. Moreover, the successful development of a tourism industry requires effective planning that both recognises tourists demands and emphasizes the values of the local host community (Lankford, 1994). 2.3 Host community According to Sherlock (1999), it is difficult to define the term community precisely; nevertheless, the word can be used to refer to a group of people who exist in one particular location. Aramberri (2001) suggests that host societies are in fact communities, made of one piece. For Williams and Lawson (2001) community is defined as a group of people who share common goals or opinions. Host Community is particular is defined by Mathieson and Wall (1982) as the Inhabitants of the destination area. Similarly, Swarbrooke (1999) defines it as all those who live within a tourist destination. According to Gursoy et al.(2002) and Williams and Lawson (2001), the community consists of different groups of people who live in the same geographical area, which does not mean they necessarily belong to the same community. In the light of the previous definition, it can be concluded that a host community consists of all those people in the destination, whether they are homogeneous or heterogeneous an d regardless of whether the impacts of tourism are beneficial or otherwise. Tourism is an industry which uses the host community as a resource to sell it as a product, and in the process affects the lives of everyone (Murphy, 1980). The community as a product of amalgam of the destinations resources. As such the tourism industry is dependent on the host communitys hospitality, and therefore it should be developed according to the communitys needs to desires. Before host communities begin development of tourism resources, it is imperative to gain an understanding of hosts opinions regarding development. Tourism development in a community is not simply a matter of matching product supply with tourist demand, local acceptability must also be considered ( Menning, 1995). Moreover, it is the host community to who has a voice in concluding which tourism impacts are acceptable and which impacts are problems. However, the host is community is often the last to be notified of tourism development (Thyne and Lawson,2001) and quite often they are not given a chance or encouraged to give their opinioin on tourism issues. 2.4 Relationship Between Host Community and Guest A good relationship between local hosts and tourist is essential for the long term development of tourism destination. ( Ap and Crompton, 1998). The relationship between host community and tourists is mainly affected by the socio-cultural impacts that are caused due to tourism development (Smith, 1995). The variation in the relationship between hosts and tourists depends on the level to which the benefits of tourism are perceived to exceed costs ( Faulkner and Tideswell 1997). In other words, this mean that if the tourism industry brings in benefit rather than cost to the host community, the relationship between both parties would be much more stronger. Smith (1989) conclude that contacts between tourist and host community if different cultural background take the form of direct face to face encounters between tourists and host of different cultural groups. The interaction between hosts and international guests raises another issue linked to cultural tolerance. As argued by Bochner ( 1982), the mutual understanding between cultures can create an opportunity for acquaintance leading towards enhanced understanding and tolerance and, consequently, reduce prejudice, conflict and tension between hosts and tourists.This type of contact is experienced by tourists when they travel from home culture to a host culture by hosts when they serve tourists from a foreign culture. That is, both tourist and the host community participate in exploring each others culture. Tourist exploring the host culture by learning and exploring it and on the other hand the host community is interacting with tourists, who are of foreign cultures. 2.5 Host community perception towards tourism development Research has been conducted for the convenience of tourists, while local community perceptions and attitudes towards the industry have been given less of a priority (Murphy 1985). Butler (1980) claimed that there is a correlation between the development of tourism and the attitude of the domestic people towards the tourists. The domestic people show a very positive attitude towards the increasing number of tourists in the region at the beginning because they have high expectations from the tourist in long term basis. However this positive attitude is gradually replaced by the negative attitude as the time passes. Local residents perceptions are strongly influenced by the benefits and costs of tourism development. Those who received benefit from tourism stated that they are dependent on tourism, but the case was contrary for those who received nothing For instance, destination communities have been inconvenienced by congestion and some other negative impacts brought by tourism (Brunt and Courtney 1999). Any impacts from tourism causing annoyance or anger in the host community may lead to problems for the long-term development of the industry. Therefore, Murphy (1985: 133) argued if tourism is to merit its pseudonym of being the hospitality industry, it must look beyond its own doors and employees to consider the social and cultural impacts it is having on the host community at large. Studying host community attitudes and the antecedents of resident reaction can help both residents and planners (Williams and Lawson 2001).Williams and Lawson argued that it was possible to select those developments that can minimize negative impacts and maximize support for the industry. By doing so, on one hand the quality of life of residents can be maintained or enhanced; and, on the other hand, the negative impacts of tourism in the community wil l be reduced. 2.6 Tourism Impacts Researchers in the early years of the twentyfirst century list an impressive range of both positive and negative impacts on the host community as a result of tourism development (Fredline and Faulkner, 2000; Upchurch and Teivane, 2000; Gursoy et al., 2002; Besculides et al., 2002) The study of impacts from tourism on local communities takes in a range of literature that includes both the positive and negative effects of hosting tourists to a community. Andereck and Vogt (2000) point out that residents of a tourist community differ with respect to the impacts resulting from tourism development. However, researchers agree that a necessary condition of successful tourism development strategy is the inclusion of residents of the entire community if tourism investment is to yield substantial returns (Allen et al., 1988, 1993; Jurowski Uysal, 1997; Long et al ., 1990; Snepenger Johnson, 1991). 2.6.1 Socio-cultural Impacts Tourism is a socio-cultural event for both the guest and host (Murphy, 1985) and the contact between host and tourists can be beneficial or detrimental to the host community depending upon the difference in cultures and the nature of the contact .Tourism development also affects the social, cultural and environmental aspects within a destination. Socio-cultural impacts are concerned with the ways in which tourism is contributing to changes in value systems, individual behaviour, family relationships, collective lifestyles, moral conduct, creative expressions, traditional ceremonies and community organization (Pizam Milman, 1984, cited in Haralambopoulos Pizam, 1996, p.503). Host community has always been viewed as victims having to accept the social and cultural changes that are brought by tourism development (Sharpley and Telfer, 2002), while guest who imposes their own values on the host communities are viewed as the villain. Socio-cultural aspects within a destination may be positively affected through increased tourism Research (Ap Crompton, 1998; Easterling, 2004) suggests that tourism brings an increased understanding of other cultures, and strengthens the cultural identity of the host destination and increases community pride. Furthermore, tourism development increases and promotes cultural exchange between tourists and residents. Tourism can also be a force to preserve and revitalize the cultural identity and traditional practices of host communities and act as a source of income to protect heritage sites (Easterling, 2004). Tourism on the socio-cultural aspects can contribute to the revitalisation of arts, crafts and local culture and to the realization of cultural identity and heritage. In order to attract more tourists, architectural and historical sites are restored and protected (Inskeep, 1991). According to a study by Isik (2005) in Denmark, it was common that local people are not happy because tourism narrowed their alternatives of life, they do not have jobs, for children and the youth there are no activities for fun, no cinemas and entertainment. Life is too monotonous. Many years ago, citizens were very happy; there was a perfect friendship between the neighbors but now they do not even greet each other. However, the same study was carried out in Gà ¼zelà §amlÄ ± in Turkey reveals that hosts are very happy with tourists and every summer they organize festivals to get more tourists From a cultural perspective, tourism development and the appearance of tourists could cause a series of changes in host communities, such as increased price and identity, cohesion, exchange of ideas and increased knowledge about cultures ( Stein Anderson 1999). In other word, meaning that the host community will gain in about the tourist culture, helping them to expand their knowledge. Other changes included assimilation, conflict and xenophobia as well as artificial reconstructio (Besculides, Lee McCormick 2002). Relevant literature acknowledged that perception of host community on such impacts ambivalent that is they have a feeling of both hate and love towards changes occurring with the tourism development. To others, the cultural changes caused by tourism threatens to destroy traditional cultures and societies (Brunt Courtney 199, p 495) and to others it represented an opportunity for peace, understanding and greater knowledge ( Brunt Courtney 1999, p.495).With an expansion in the international tourism, the contact between guest and host would increased automatically. Such an increase would deepen the cultural impacts of tourism on host communities. In an extreme situation, the host communities could become culturally dependent on the tourism generating country ( Sharpley 1994). 2.7 Factors Influencing Host community perception towards tourism development Tourism development does not only generate benefits, but it also imposes costs ( Jafari, 2001). By evaluating these benefits and costs, host community develop their perception toward tourism development. However, previous research indicates that the development of locals hosts attitudes toward tourism is not determined by those perceived benefits and costs but is modified by various moderating variables ( Lankford, 1994). Those tested variables are classified as the intrinsic dimension which includes residents socio-cultural economic and demographic attributes , but the results are mixed.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Russias Relationship with the Rest of the World

Russias Relationship with the Rest of the World Will Russia be able to live without European Union? Even before the invasion of Crimea started, Russia and European Union did not have a good relationship which had resulted in many heated disputes. However, after Russia annexed Crimea, conflicts have become more complex and serious. Many Russian citizens who are pro-kremlin, after the annexing of Crimea became even more euro-skeptical and demanded Russia to Cut the ties with Europe and start cooperating with Asia, so they could utilize all of the benefits that such great economy could offer. Russia would benefit politically too, because countries in Asia do not particularly focus on the human right issues. The Europe or Asia topic has been discussed in Russia for centuries and this, for Russia, seems like a suitable moment to re-orientate towards Asia. But even if Russia would want to re-orientate to Asia market, would it be possible for Russia to isolate themselves from the European Union. There are a lot of arguments that oppose this Asia plan. First of all, it is demography. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, when Russian citizens got the taste of the western culture, the Russian society started to become more pro-European. The population in the closest regions to Asia has decreased[1], [2] and that is poor because those are the regions that should play a key role in the cooperation with Asia. There are many reasons for people to leave Eastern Russia. The subsidies for working there are not as big anymore, the climate is bad and the salaries are just bigger in the western region of Russia. A significant part of Russia’s population has been born in the European side of the Russia, i.e. Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, and because basically it is Europe, one could say that those Russians have been born and raised in Europe. Secondly, the current Russia’s economic structure makes the efforts to isolate themselves from European Union practically impossible. Since 1998 Russia has always had a positive trade balance.[3] They have been importing a lot of stuff from Western-Europe.[4] Data from Trading Economics about year 2012 tells us that Russia’s imports reached 245 billion dollars of which 65% were various tools and transport mechanisms.[5] While Asia’s role in Russian imports has increased from 23 per-cent in 2009 to 27 per-cent in 2013[6] and Europe’s part has decreased by 5 per-cent in the same time span[7], and it is probable that Asia’s role in Russian imports will increase, still it would take decades until Russia transfers all its imports to Asia. But unfortunately for Russia, significant part of Russia’s import from Asia is made by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan and these countries have close military ties with the United States of America.[8] So these three countries would probably follow the United States, if they tried to isolate Russia. Even if Russia’s government accepts the re-orientation from West to East, it would not be a solution to Russia’s short-term problems with the European Union. At this time Russia and Europe are dependent on each other and cutting the trading ties would be disastrous for both sides. Europe needs Russia’s natural gas and oil as much as Russia needs Europe’s industrial tools. Of course, Russia can choose Asia to be its future partner, but right now it is Europe and Europe only. Sanctions on Russia It may seem that European Union and its allies are collectively agreeing on what and how harsh sanctions should be directed to Russia. But that is not the case. Harsh reality is that European Union cannot decide on sanctions against Russia because there are many Member States which oppose these harsh sanctions on Russia.[9] And those Member States who are not willing to introduce bitter sanctions include such influential countries as Germany and Austria. Europe’s response to insurgency in Ukraine has been discreet and such cautious reaction has one reason – money. The trading volume between European Union and Russia has been humongous. With 9.5 per-cents from total trading volume it is the third biggest European Union’s partner.[10] According to data provided by European Commission, trade between European Union and Russia flourished in 2012. Such growth was mainly caused by a bigger import of energy resources. One of the energy resources that Europe is really dep endent on is oil because the number of Europe’s oilfields is reducing fast so Europe has to buy more from Russia.[11] As Russia is so dependent to the income from the gas exports[12], a complete cut-off is not in the conversation. Hence the pipes that provide their gas go through Ukraine, there are seven European Union member states which may be concerned about the natural gas cut-off, they are the three Baltic States, Finland, Hungary and Bulgaria.[13] Fortunately, even in the case of a natural gas cut-off, as the last winter was not as harsh, these member states will probably manage to deal with it because the storages for gas in these countries are almost full.[14] Europe’s trade is very unequal. There are few countries that make up the bigger part of exports and imports. For example, Germany exports to Russia are valued in 39 billion euros[15] which is more than a third of European Union’s exports. By exporting industrial tools and machines to Russia, Italy has earned 11.5 billion Euros.[16] Netherlands exports to Russia make up 8 billion euros.[17] These three countries are responsible for roughly 60 per-cents of European Union’s exports. Crisis influence on external politics is best seen in Italy. Italy is one of the countries in active opposition against harsh sanctions on Russia. This matter is as supported by society as it is by Italy’s government. Instead of pushing sanctions against Russia, Italy is concentrating on beneficial-to-both-sides cooperation. Looking back at the history between both of these countries, they have never had any serious disagreements, so their neutral stance on Russia is understandable. And of the three most influential sanction opposing countries Italy has the most fragile economic situation, of course, Germany’s and Austria’s economic situations are not entirely stable, but they are not as fragile as Italy’s is. There will always be disagreements and different views at problems in the European Union since some countries are better off than others. For example, Scandinavian countries in comparison with southern Europe countries. Each country has its own problems which are in most cases primary to European Union headaches. It is possible that after some decades European Union will be a full union and the current disputes between European Union member states will be no more than a distant memory. Russian sanctions on Latvia/Europe After three waves of sanctions that Europe, United States of America and other countries placed on Russia, on 7th of August Russia published their economic sanctions. Prior to that Russia had only sanctioned certain American and Canadian officials. When describing Russia’s embargo influence on country’s economy, Latvian Ministry of Finance said â€Å"The influence of Russia’s sanctions will be moderate†, they continued â€Å"Today’s published sanctions concerns only 4.6 per-cents of the year 2013 exports to Russia or 0.2 per-cents of the GDP †¦Ã¢â‚¬  and they added that the loses would be roughly 50 million euros.[18] Intellectual society says that Ministry of Finance is downplaying it and that the embargo by Russia will be much tougher to bear with. In fact Latvia is one of the top four countries which will be hit the hardest by these sanctions. All of the four, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia are Russia’s border countries. In these countries twenty-six per-cents of all the food exports go to Russia. To make the numbers little more understandable, in the United States of America it is 0.9 per-cents, in France it is 1.25 per-cents and in the United Kingdom it is 0.7 per-cents. As NATO and its allied countries raised these sanctions against Russia, they should be the ones that take care of these four countries which got hit the hardest by the counter-sanctions from Russia. NATO should make its member states open their markets to Finland’s and the Baltic States goods. And for Latvia it is not only those 26 per-cents of food export to Russia mentioned previously. A significant part of exports to Lithuania should be counted in as loses caused by the Russian sanctions, as Lithuania is only a transshipment place for goods that need to be taken to Russia. If the exports to Lithuania which is really addressed to Russia gets added, the hit gets even harder, not only for the food industry but for the transpor tation industry too, because all the shipments to Russia got cancelled for the embargo. The estimated loss for the transport industry is 70 million euros. And the packaging company’s shouldn’t be forgotten too, because someone needs to pack all the food that gets exported to Russia and now, because of the embargo, packaging companies will suffer too. And hence the workload in these companies gets smaller, they do not need as many workers, so Latvia has to prepare itself for a sudden rise of the unemployment rate in the country. It has already happened in one of the four countries – Finland. Finland’s biggest dairy product’s producer Valio laid-off eight-hundred workers that worked in factories which produced products for export to Russia.[19] It is only a matter of time for Latvia’s biggest dairy product company Food Union until it starts letting people go. Since a half of the production is normally exported to Russia, such actions are inevi table.[20] In its embargo Russia has yet not included preserved fishes. However the fish processing companies are already worried, because two thirds of all the fish products made in Latvia are preserved fishes and almost all of the fish processing companies in Latvia are one hundred per-cent exporting.[21] In mid-August Russia’s Federal Fishing Agency already proposed its Ministry of Agriculture to include in the embargo preserved fishes.[22] If such proposal gets accept and preserved fishes really do get included in the Russian embargo Latvia can count another fifty million euros in loses. Fish processing industry provides more than five-thousand families in Latvia, and in some places is even the biggest job provider in the city, for example, Salacgriva.[23] If preserved fishes get included in the embargo it can lead to another emigration wave by all of the laid-off workers. In the worst case scenario cities that rely solely on fish processing industry could just get abandoned and slow ly die out. In these circumstances European Union should get involved and allow protectionism in countries that get hit by the embargo the most. Then countries could announce that fifty per-cent of all the dairy, meat and fish products in the stores must be made in the local market. Therefore, the companies will no more have to sell their products barely for the cost or just throw them out. Of course, such action is outlawed by Article 34 TFEU for discriminating imports,[24] but in these times when companies are struggling because of the Russian embargo and European Union sanctions, and families are left without their main money provider, European Union should deal with the consequences of their actions and allow protectionism of the local goods. But these under-risk companies are not just simply waiting for something to happen. They are taking the matters into their own hands by unionizing. For example, in Latvia milk processing, meat and fish products producers unions have merged into a single one and it is called the Food Exporters Union. It is led by Didzis Smits (Schmits). He is responsible for lobbying Latvia’s sprats producing technology which is a great achievement. Food Exporters Union’s goal is to protect food producers interests and to make the dialogue with the government much easier. It will definitely help with obtaining new markets. The big target must be Asia. Establishing contacts with Asia is difficult for a single company, it would be expensive and time consuming. But that is a different case for a union. Currently Latvian food exports to China, added together with Estonian, that are our partners in business with China, only makes nineteen million euros.[25], [26] To accelerate the growth of t his number Latvian Minister of Agriculture Duklavs and Estonian Minister of Agriculture Padars are working together and are actively involved in talks with China. In such crisis situation Latvia should learn from Finland. Finland has been very efficient in reorienting their local companies, which export to Russia, to new markets. And that is because Finland has its own Minister of Export Development. Finland’s southern neighbors Estonia has already taken a lesson from Finland and in this spring appointed Minister of Export Development. Latvia should learn from their northern neighbors and after the next election which is this fall should appoint their own Minister of Exports. The winter of 2014/2015 will be one of the economically hardest winters in recent time. As it is clear that sanctions will continue, Latvia has to have a plan for companies to get through the winter. Latvia has to make strategic moves to let State capital flow into private companies, so at least some don’t go bankrupt. â€Å"Latvian Plywood† is a good example. â€Å"Latvian Plywood†, a private company, got saved by a States joint-stock company â€Å"Latvian State Forests†. By buying stocks in â€Å"Latvian Plywood† State saved one of the biggest companies in Latvia.[27] â€Å"Latvian Plywood† is now working with profit of eleven million euros and it’s 2013 turnover was 187 million euros.[28] Of course, a State should not be going around and saving companies everywhere. But in these circumstances such interference by a State is necessary. A State has to encourage producers to survive through these tough times and keep its workforce. For example, the money made in the sale of a Latvian bank â€Å"Citadele† could be invested into Latvian food producers companies, which would at least guarantee safety for food industry. Entering a new market Since Latvia has already started talks with China, they should concentrate specifically on Asia’s market. Latvia is such a small market so there should not be a problem with finding a place in Asia’s market for the Latvian struggling companies. China’s market China plays an important role in international trading system. And that should not be a surprise because Five years ago China was still the world’s third largest economy behind the United States and Japan[29], but now as it has consistently been in the top countries when it comes to economic growth[30] it has passed Japan and now is the world’s second largest economy with their GDP standing at about seven hundred and fifty billion euros, which is two times larger than Japan’s GDP.[31] Since the foreign exchange reform in 1994[32], China is continuously expanding its foreign exchange market. As they opened-up to the rest of the world after having reforms[33], China has witnessed a massive development of their economy.[34] In 2001 China joined the World Trade Organization. Such action made the Chinese market more opened up. As this membership did not give much advantage in their already conquered markets, it did open up a lot of new markets to China. After joining the World Trade Organization China removed restrictions on textiles and garments â€Å"†¦ which allowed China to become the largest exporter of clothing and textiles in the world as the labor-intensive sector capitalized on its comparative advantages of abundant labor.†[35] Right now China is developing their border policy, they are working on a quota and license free trade. After China joined the World Trade Organization, it has drawn the attention of more and more foreign investors. In December of 2013 Foreign Direct Investment reached more than nine hundred billion euros. For comparison, at the time they joined the World Trade Organization it was less than forty billion euros.[36] Another great thing about Chinese market is that 1.35 billion people live there, that is one fifth of the planet’s population. From the exporters hit by sanctions view China’s population is almost ten times larger than Russia’s. Asia’s largest country is very open to international trade. â€Å"Total Chinese trade (exports plus imports) amounts to 70 per-cents of its GDP, which compares to 37 per-cents in the United Kingdom and just 20 per-cents in the United States. China’s trade-to-GDP ratio is all the more remarkable given that one of the main determinants of this number is country size – large countries typically have low shares of trade in GDP (for example, the united States compared with the united kingdom)†.[37] Of course, it not all perfect, and there are things that scare people away from China’s market. Firstly, it is the often disputed matter at summits – China’s market access. Already there are firms that decrease the amount of their investments in China, and the main purpose of that is the limited market access. As the American Chamber of CommerceChairman Greg Gilligan put it We refer to market access barriers as one of the primary reasons for lowered investment,[38] he also added that Wi th slower growth, our member companies do not reflect less need for investment, but perhaps less need for investment based on the old economic model that was more reliant on exports and infrastructure spending.[39] Secondly, it is the imperfect legal system in China. They are in need of developments on laws that administer markets. China has been working on it since joining the World Trade organization. They already are trying to eliminate protectionism, which is common in China. One of the projects Asia’s largest country is working on is to give more freedom to foreign banks, because â€Å"Although foreign banks have operated in China for two decades, their role remains extremely limited. In 2005 they accounted for only two per-cents of Chinas total banking assets,†[40] and to add to that they have a one new branch per year restriction for banks. As a distant country with a neutral stance on Europe’s and Russia’s conflict they are taking advantage of such circumstances. After all of these waves of sanctions, there are a significant amount of large and not so large economies that are in trouble and in need of a new trading partner. Not finding one would mean a bankruptcy for large companies and people losing jobs. China is more than happy to welcome so many new trading partners. One might say that this is an ideal situation for China, because a significant amount of money that was previously flowing between Russia and Europe will now circulate in their market. One of the most talked about deals as a consequence of Russia- Europe conflict is a three hundred and fifteen billion euros natural gas contract between Russia and China.[41] For Russia the deal strengthened the relationship with China and in this situation when Russia’s relationship with the United States and Europe is worsening, Putin really needed this. By maintaining neutral position China can gain a lot more than it already has. Another beneficial thing for China from Ukraine’s invasion by Russia is the now much more tense relationship between Russia and the United States. [1] Anderson, Barbara A., and Brian D. Silver. Permanent and present populations in Soviet statistics. Volume 37, Issue 3 ed. Oxford: Routledge, 1985. [2] Russian Census 2010 final results. RIA Novosti. http://en.ria.ru/infographics/20111222/170405728.html (accessed September 14, 2014). [3] Russian Federation. Data. http://data.worldbank.org/country/russian-federation (accessed September 14, 2014). [4] The Observatory of Economic Complexity. OEC: Russia (RUS) Profile of Exports, Imports and Trade Partners. http://atlas.media.mit.edu/profile/country/rus/ (accessed September 14, 2014). [5] Russia Imports 1994-2014 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast | News. Russia Imports. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/russia/imports (accessed September 14, 2014). [6] Russia Imports 1994-2014 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast | News. Russia Imports. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/russia/imports (accessed September 14, 2014). [7] European Comission. European Union, Trade in goods with Russia. Trade. http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113440.pdf (accessed September 15, 2014). [8] Pressman, Jeremy. Warring friends alliance restraint in international politics. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2008. [9] Euranet Plus News Agency English. EU on hold for new Russia sanctions. Euranet Plus inside. http://euranetplus-inside.eu/eu-on-hold-for-new-sanctions-on-russia/ (accessed September 19, 2014). [10] European Comission. European Union, Trade in goods with Russia. Trade. http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113440.pdf (accessed September 19, 2014). [11] European Comission. Energy production and imports. Eurostat. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Energy_production_and_imports.. (accessed September 19, 2014). [12] Russia Exports 1994-2014 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast | News. Russia Exports. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/russia/exports (accessed September 20, 2014). [13] Comission of the European Communities. ASSESSMENT REPORT OF DIRECTIVE 2004/67/EC ON SECURITY OF GAS SUPPLY. eur-lex. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SEC:2009:0978:FIN:EN:PDF (accessed September 20, 2014). [14] Bawden, Tom. Fear over Russian gas switch-off sees EU states stockpile supplies. The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/fear-over-russian-gas-switchoff-sees-eu-states-stockpile-supplies-9727466.html (accessed September 20, 2014). [15] Germany Exports 1950-2014 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast | News. Germany Exports. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/germany/exports (accessed September 22, 2014). [16] Italy Exports 1991-2014 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast | News. Italy Exports. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/italy/exports (accessed September 22, 2014). [17] Netherlands Exports 1960-2014 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast | News. Netherlands Exports. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/netherlands/exports (accessed September 22, 2014). [18] LETA. Finansu ministrija: Krievijas sankciju ietekme uz Latviju bus meÂâ€Å"rena. Jaunaka s zin† as, komenta ri, petijumi, foto, video tiesraides, izklaide. http://nra.lv/pasaule/122808-finansu-ministrija-krievijas-sankciju-ietekme-uz-latviju-bus-merena.htm (accessed September 25, 2014). [19] Dairy producer Valio begins layoff talks over Russian food embargo. Yle Uutiset. http://yle.fi/uutiset/dairy_producer_valio_begins_layoff_talks_over_russian_food_embargo/7401435 (accessed September 25, 2014). [20] â€Å"Food Union† plÄ no eksporta pieaugumu lÄ «dz 80%. PrioritÄ te – Krievija. Nepadodies krÄ «zei!. http://nekrize.lv/food-union-plano-eksporta-pieaugumu-lidz-80-prioritate-krievija/ (accessed September 25, 2014). [21] SIA Baltijas KonsultÄ cijas . ZivrÃ…Â «pniecÄ «bas nozares attÄ «stÄ «bas stratÄâ€Å"Ä £ija 2009.-2013.gadam . Canned Fish. http://www.cannedfish.lv/lat/par_mums/list/zivrupniecibas_nozares_atti.pdf (accessed September 25, 2014). [22] Russian agency wants to ban EU canned fish imports. ITAR-TASS. http://en.itar-tass.com/world/745141 (accessed September 25, 2014). [23] Salacgriva. Nodarbinatibas Valsts Agentura. http://www.nva.gov.lv/limbazi/LV/darba_un_sadzives_apstakli/salacgrivas_novads (accessed September 25, 2014). [24] Craig, P. P., and G. BuÃÅ' rca. EU law: text, cases, and materials. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. [25]About us Latvia China Business Council. About us Latvia China Business Council. http://www.latviachina.eu/en/par-padomi/sadarbiba/ (accessed September 25, 2014). [26] Estonian official lauds potential for business with China. Chinadaily.com.cn. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/cn_eu/2014-06/10/con