Themes and Topics of Research in Marketing †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Themes and Topics of Research in Marketing. Answer: Introduction Subway is one of the American private fast food restaurant franchise that sells submarine kinds of sandwiches along with different kinds of salads. This is one of the fast-growing franchises in the entire world and it was founded in the year August 28 1965 and the headquarter of the same is based in Milford, Connecticut, U.S. There are number of locations such as more than 44834 restaurants in more than 112 countries. Subway IP Inc is one of the owners of the intellectual property for the entire restaurant system. From the year 2007, it has been noticed that Subway has been mentioned to be in top 500 franchises list and this is one the biggest achievements for them as well. Furthermore, it is one of the single brand restaurant chain that is located in more than 100 countries. Furthermore, it has been noticed that more than half of the stores is located in United States (Subway.com 2018). The regional stores offices for the European franchises are located in Amsterdam, Australia along with New Zealand that are supported from Brisbane which is helpful in nature for providing the different customers with different kinds of pizzas and other sandwiches as well that has helped in making their brand so famous. The main aim and purpose of the report is to analyze the different kinds of marketing along with product orientations done by Subway. Proper analysis of the orientation is required to be described in an effective manner that has assisted in understanding the marketing strategies adopted by them. The proper scan of the marketing environment is done as to understand the marketing mix of the company efficiently. The communication campaign review is required to be done in order to discuss the marketing of the products at Subway. Lastly, the video campaign has to be analyzed effectively that will help in understanding the different channels along with source attributes as well. Market and Product Orientations The market orientation is defined as the philosophy that is required to be adopted by the company on meeting along with discovering the needs along with the desires of the customers through the product mix. This is essential for the company as this helps in achieving high rate of satisfaction among the different customers in the market. Market orientation helps in analyzing the different kinds of techniques in increasing the sales effectively (Andrews et al. 2017). On the other hand, the product orientation is defined as the analysis wherein the primary focus is on the products sold by them rather than on the skills and knowledge that supports the product. The company that follows the product orientation are the ones who chooses to ignore the needs of the different customers and they mainly focus efficiently on building the quality kind of products. There are different advantages and disadvantages of market orientation that are as follows: Advantages This will increase the sales and income along with market share Continuous improvement of effectiveness and efficiency Faster adoption to the change along with increased innovation Disadvantages Dealing with different kinds of corporate perceptions Challenges if responding to the changes in the market There is huge risk in underestimating the different customers in the market There are advantages and disadvantages of product orientation are as follows: Advantages This focuses on the strength and making the products they are skilled in the manufacturing of products When the company have idea of the market, they have the excellent idea of selling products at a relative price Disadvantages R D cost of the products may be steep The customers cannot be interested in what the company is selling The customers may not trust the delivery of the products sold by the respective company (Fan, Lau and Zhao 2015) Orientation Used by Subway The orientation that is used by Subway is the market orientation approach as they mainly analyze the different tastes and preferences of the customers and prepare the different food items or products based on their preferences. They mainly focus on analyzing and discovering the needs of the customers through the product mix (Baker and Saren 2016). Subway tries to analyze the demands of the customers in such a manner that this will help them in reacting the way through which the customers wants to get their products. Furthermore, the product-oriented approach is not followed by Subway as the market-oriented approach is much effective in handling the preferences of the customers in a positive manner (Armstrong et al. 2015). Subway tries to focus mainly on the changing tastes of the customers in an effective manner wherein it is seen that they focus on the market research and then they adjust the preparation of the sandwiches or the burgers accordingly. Furthermore, in different Asian countries wherein Subway is active, they have tried to add different new flavors of chicken or other related items and this has been a huge success as well. Secondly, the other example is wherein the they have started to innovate new small or family packages wherein they have tried to appeal their customers and audiences in an effective manner. There are different political factors that is considered while considering the entire performance of the different international food chains such as Subway. These are the different factors that impact Subway in a direct manner (Kumar, Sharma and Gupta 2017). The major political factors are the health and safety guidelines that is provided by the government in which the Subway is working as a unit. These are the different guidelines that is ran by the government along with other organizations working in particular kind of area. There is halal food restriction in Subway in different regions and this has affected the brand image of the company in a negative manner (Saleh 2016). There are different environmental factors that includes the different changing trends of the different environmental norms. There are different steps taken by the world against the pollution such as recycling that has impacted the business strategies of Subway (Lehmann and Winer 2017). There is different other that include the different kinds of initiatives that is taken by the food chains as to promote awareness among the different individuals to save food. Subway has tried to expand their business in the world. As to maintain proper quality and to compete with the other companies, the different practical strategies as to analyze the above factors (Kavaratzis, Warnaby and Ashworth 2014). Differences Between Psychographic Segmentations and Behavioral Segmentation The psychographic segmentation is less concrete in nature than demographic and geographic segmentation of the different customers. Furthermore, it has been noticed that these are tangible in nature and it helps in including dividing the market into different segments that is based on different personality traits along with analysis of the lifestyle of the consumers in the market. This kind of segmentation is advantageous in nature as this helps in allowing to engage in the designing of the product along with marketing in focused manner (Zenker, Braun and Petersen 2017). On the other hand, Behavioral segmentation is defined as the marketing strategy that is based on the actual buying behavior of the different consumers in the market. Furthermore, this respective segmentation helps in dividing the market into different groups of the customers as per the knowledge of the attitude of the customers towards them along with proper use of the response towards the product as well. It is based on the differences in the consumption behavior of the different consumers in the market that affects their tastes and preferences. This respective segmentation helps the employees in analyzing the lifestyle of the different individuals effectively as well (Kotler 2015). Type of Segmentation Valuable for Subway The type of segmentation that is considered to be most valuable in nature for Subway is the mix of both demographic and geographical segmentation as this helps in making their products more appealing in nature in comparison to the other brands in the market (Rosenbaum-Elliott, Percy and Pervan 2015). Furthermore, the geographic segmentation will help Subway in targeting their customers in an effective manner by analyzing their offerings to the customers and this will help them in attracting more customers towards their brand as well. Furthermore, this has been seen and mentioned that Subway can use the value-based positioning strategy that helps the company in managing the offerings of the customers and create a long-lasting image on the minds of the customers in the entire organization as well. The geographic segmentation is one of the best options that can be used by Subway as this helps the company in dividing the market as per the geography and their menu will be based on the preferences of the different countries or regions (Kim et al. 2014). Lastly, the demographic segmentation will help Subway in segmenting their market as per the race, religion and gender of the population and they try to provide the products at cheap prices that is affordable by all. The product is the first criteria that is required to be analyzed by the company as to analyze the preferences of the customers in the market. Furthermore, the main product in the Subway menu is the submarine sandwiches along with different baked foods such as doughnuts and muffins (Eshuis, Klijn and Braun 2014). There are different options provided to the customers of making and preparing their own sub sandwiches. Furthermore, Subway has made different variations in the menu and changes in the menu as well as per the different places and they have tried to open new Indian Subway in different places wherein they do not include pork or beef variety of the sandwiches as well. Subway is premium pricing strategy in comparison to KFC and McDonalds and it has higher pricing price in comparison to the other two. Furthermore, it has been seen and noticed that the low-calorie kind of sandwiches that are sold by Subway is worth and deserving to include such pricing and they try to provide proper pricing to the different products by maintaining better quality food and tried to attract more customers as well. There are different other factors that is required to be considered while deciding the pricing strategy and this includes competition is the best example that is required to be analyzed by Subway as to gain more customers in the market and understand the role of the competitors in the market as well. Subway has maintained as to gain competitive advantage and they tried to implement different other techniques which has helped Subway in understanding and analyzing their ways to improve the customer service. The place is the distribution channel of the product and Subway has distinction of being franchise in terms of the growth in the entire world. The respective restaurant chain is one of the largest operators of restaurants that are 42673 in number and the headquarter is located in USA. On the other hand, when the product is premium consumer product, this will be available only in selected stores. The distribution has huge affect on product profitability in an effective manner. Considering the FMCG company, that has national distribution for the respective product, this will help Subway in analyzing the different strategies that has helped them in expanding their presence in the entire world effectively and appropriately with proper measures. Communications campaign review should include: The Promotional Mix tends to play a major role in the domain of business and it comprises of a blend of various methods in order to present the company and represent its products in the market in front of the target customers (Ramaswamy and Mosher 2013). Promotion forms an essential part of marketing and therefore, it goes a long way in attracting the different customers and generating loyalty. The different tactics which are used in a promotion mix help an organization to correlate the communication objectives carefully with the objectives of an organization and assists firm in successfully being able to market its products in the right manner The promotional mix element as adopted by Subway comprises of the following: Television Advertising- the Company sees to it that it advertises adequately on the television. It helps to reach out to a larger number of customers. Newspaper Print Ads- It gives away various print advertisements on the newspaper as well. It helps to reach out to a larger group of people. Pamphlets- It distributes pamphlets in different parts of a particular country or a city. It helps to make quick decisions (Miquel-Romero, Caplliure-Giner and Adame-Snchez 2014). Social Media Advertisement- The social media is also used as a tool to analyze the different target customers and to advertise the products in that channel. It reaches out to the new target group. Discounts and Packages: The Company offers various discounts and combined meals to the customers as well whereby they get huge discounts in case they buy products together. Helps to promote the products. Subway uses a multi-channel communication technique in order to be able to reach out to the given customers. Subway believes that only one channel will not be sufficient enough to make the customers aware (Bagozzi et al. 2018). Hence, Subway makes the use of a wide variety of strategies and techniques which include channels such as Television, Social Media, Newspaper , Print media and mobile channels as well. Subway wants to ensure that the market share of the company increases considerably. The given video tends to portray the message that the company wants to portray that it produces customized products for the different customers. It portrays that for the convenience of the customers, the company shall customize it according to the taste (YouTube. 2018). For this reason, the company wants to meet with the needs of the customers and for this purpose, it has advertised accordingly to portray successful achievement of the taste of the target market. Young Millennials- The young millennials are one of the most ardent customers of Subway who are concerned about their choices are seem to be confused. Hence, the customize option has been provided to them. Children The advertisement shows children enjoying a sub also, hence the children are also being targeted. Health conscious People who like to have healthy food are also being targeted in the given campaign. They can opt for tastier meals but have healthy options as well. Application of AIDA model The AIDA model is used to identify the different cognitive stages which a suitable customer goes through before purchasing the service or the product. AIDA stands for the following: Awareness- The given advertisement tends to create brand awareness with the given product by associating the different options available and the products which can be chosen from the Subway brand. Interest- Interest can be gathered effectively by sharing the benefits of the product (Goworek, McGoldrick and McGoldrick 2015) .As subway states that the product can be made according to the taste of the consumer, this aspect tends to bring about feedback to the customers. Desire- The emotional connection is created through this aspect. This stage helps in transforming from liking to wanting it. Subway creates this aspect while reflecting the kind of people in the advertisement very close to the actual audience. Action- The last step is the action plan which convinces the buyer to use the product by interacting directly (Kotabe and Helsen 2014). This can be done by the subway outlets and the executives themselves. The method which can be used by the Body Shop to measure consumer feedback is as follows: Facebook reaction: As the advertisement will be aired in all social media networking cites as well, this can be effectively used as a method to attain feedback. The comments section of the video along with the likes and reactions received on the particular video needs to be effectively analyzed in order to determine what the reaction of the general crowd is. Based on these feedbacks which will be received, the company can successfully change the components of the promotion mix. References Andrews, T.G., Chew, W., Aaker, D.A., Aaker, D.A., Andrews, T.G., Chompusri, N., Andrews, T.G., Chompusri, N., Andrews, T.G., Chompusri, N. and Baldwin, B.J., 2017. Brands and Brand Equity: Definition and Management. InBuilding Brands in Asia: From the Inside Out(Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 1-8). New York: Marshall Cavendish. Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M. and Brennan, R., 2015.Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Bagozzi, R.P., Rosa, J.A., Celly, K.S. and Coronel, F., 2018. Marketing-Management. Walter de Gruyter GmbH Co KG. Baker, M.J. and Saren, M. eds., 2016.Marketing theory: a student text. Sage. Eshuis, J., Klijn, E.H. and Braun, E., 2014. Place marketing and citizen participation: branding as strategy to address the emotional dimension of policy making?.International review of administrative sciences,80(1), pp.151-171. Fan, S., Lau, R.Y. and Zhao, J.L., 2015. Demystifying big data analytics for business intelligence through the lens of marketing mix.Big Data Research,2(1), pp.28-32. Goworek, H., McGoldrick, P.J. and McGoldrick, P.J., 2015. Retail marketing management: Principles and practice. Pearson Education Limited. Kavaratzis, M., Warnaby, G. and Ashworth, G.J. eds., 2014.Rethinking place branding: Comprehensive brand development for cities and regions. Springer. Kim, K., Hayes, J.L., Avant, J.A. and Reid, L.N., 2014. Trends in advertising research: A longitudinal analysis of leading advertising, marketing, and communication journals, 1980 to 2010.Journal of advertising,43(3), pp.296-316. Kotabe, M. and Helsen, K., 2014. Global marketing management. Kotler, P., 2015.Framework for marketing management. Pearson Education India. Kumar, V., Sharma, A. and Gupta, S., 2017. Accessing the influence of strategic marketing research on generating impact: moderating roles of models, journals, and estimation approaches.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,45(2), pp.164-185. Lehmann, D.R. and Winer, R.S., 2017. The role and impact of reviewers on the marketing discipline. Miquel-Romero, M.J., Caplliure-Giner, E.M. and Adame-Snchez, C., 2014. Relationship marketing management: Its importance in private label extension.Journal of Business Research,67(5), pp.667-672. Ramaswamy, S.K. and Mosher, G.A., 2013. Marketing Management. Rosenbaum-Elliott, R., Percy, L. and Pervan, S., 2015.Strategic brand management. Oxford University Press, USA. Saleh, M.A.H., 2016. Themes and topics of research in marketing: A content analysis of the articles published in three marketing journals.International Journal of Business Administration,7(1), p.12. Subway.com, (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.subway.com/en-us [Accessed 26 Jun. 2018]. YouTube. ,2018. MAKE IT WHAT YOU WANT.. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRzJ1mdkljQfeature=youtu.be [Accessed 26 Jun. 2018]. Zenker, S., Braun, E. and Petersen, S., 2017. Branding the destination versus the place: The effects of brand complexity and identification for residents and visitors.Tourism Management,58, pp.15-27.

Institutional Distance free essay sample

The case of mobile operators Nicolai Pogrebnyakov a,? , Carleen F. Maitland b a b Department of International Business and Management, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg 2000, Denmark College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States. This paper applies the institutional lens to the internationalization process model. It updates the concept of psychic distance in the model with a recently developed, theoretically grounded construct of institutional distance. Institutions are considered simultaneously at the national and industry levels. It also aims to understand whether the internationalization process of service firms is different from the behavior predicted by the model, which was developed for the manufacturing context. We empirically test the model using proportional hazard analysis with 130 instances of entry and presence of mobile operators in Europe and South America over 13 years. In? uences of regulative, normative and cognitive institutional aspects were disaggregated and shown to have differing effect on internationalization. We will write a custom essay sample on Institutional Distance or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This suggests that institutional distance is a viable alternative to other distance measures used in the internationalization process research. The results also indicate that the internationalization behavior of this type of service The institutional perspective allows better understanding of how cultural beliefs, norms as well as formal rules in? uence the operation of organizations (Gooderham et al. , 1999). The mutual in? uences of institutions and organizations on one another have been systematically investigated (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983). Furthermore, the separation of institutions into different levels, including world, societal, organizational and individual, have led to a recognition of the differing in? uences of institutions at each of these levels on organizations and other types of actors (Scott, 1995). This paper has three objectives. First, it integrates the recently developed construct of institutional distance with insights from the internationalization process model. That construct has origins in institutional theory, which has been applied to many aspects of organizational behavior. Whether institutional distance affects behavior of internationalizing ? rms is as yet unclear. Second, it contributes to statistical studies of internationalization research. Qualitative methodology in this domain allows to gain insight of motives or decision-making processes involved in internationalization. By contrast, quantitative examinations allows understanding of the â€Å"big picture† and observe larger-scale patterns of internationalization. However, statistical studies have been somewhat underrepresented in favor of qualitative studies (Barkema et al. , 1996), and this paper is an attempt to bridge that gap. Finally, it aims to enhance our understanding of internationalization of service ? rms. Its theoretical foundation is the internationalization process model, which was developed for the manufacturing sector and applied to services with mixed results. In particular, it asks whether ? ms in the mobile telecommunications industry, with its end product that has global appeal and little cross-country variation, are subject to learning experience when entering foreign markets as predicted by the model. This objective is timely and important because it addresses calls for thorough research of internationalization of service ? rms, of which there have been few studies (Cicic et al. , 1999). To address these objectives, we construct a Cox proportional hazards regression model using data on 130 instances of foreign entry and presence of mobile operators in 36 countries of Europe and South America over 13 years. The study is set in the context of the mobile telecommunications industry. Mobile services have diffused across the globe faster than any previous technology (World Bank, 2008). Mobile telephony was used by over 60% of the worlds population in 2008, up from a quarter ? ve years before, and is projected to grow strongly despite the recent economic turmoil (International Telecommunications Union, 2009). However, while the use of mobile services is generally widespread, signi? cant differences in demand and supply exist. On the demand side, countries vary in their levels of adoption (e. . , 50% in Moldova compared with 94% in France in 2008) and patterns of use (e. g. , text messaging was until recently more widely used in Europe than in the United States). On the supply side, mobile operators are often national ? rms with investments from or in competition with foreign ? rms from a variety of countries. For example, in the U. S. , Verizon Wireless, a domestic ? rm, is in fact a joint v enture with the British ? rm Vodafone and competes against the German ? rm T-Mobile. The paper is structured as follows.

Todays And Yesterdays Laws On Drinking

Todays And Yesterdays Laws On Drinking Todays and Yesterdays Laws on Drinking By john doe English Composition I Professor Louis M. Rosenberg Massasoit Community College April 14, 2002 Laws on alcohol have come along way. Back when the legal age for drinking was eighteen, teenagers were still too irresponsible to handle this privilege. I feel the ways the laws on alcohol are now are much more appropriate for society today. Since prohibition was repealed by the twenty-first amendment in nineteen-thirty three, the drinking age laws were set by the state; and many states allowed the purchase of alcohol at eighteen years old, which I believe is too young. Other people also believed there were many reasons that this age was appropriate, due to the amount of accidents caused by this age group. Later the law was changed to a National law that you must be twenty-one years of age to purchase alcohol. After the law was changed many I would agree that it was extremely effective, the statistics showed a dramatic drop in automobile acc idents among teenage drivers.David Vitter with Laura Dean-Mooney, the National ...This lead Americans to believe it was a good law and should be kept in effect. Although this law made a large change in our society, under age drinking is still a major problem in this country and many new laws are still being made today to try and solve this dilemma of under age drinking.After Prohibition was repealed and people were given back the right to purchase alcohol, there were many debates to what age a person should be allowed to purchase or consume alcohol. During the seventies nearly all of the states lowered their legal drinking age to eighteen from where it used to be at twenty-one. One argument in an essay written by Alex Koroknay, that made a very strong point to support the...

made in the USA essays

made in the USA essays Made in the USA has come to be a very generic term used on a lot of products from all around the world. Currently, there are no standards to set what is actually Made in the USA. Companies claim that if a few parts of the product have been made within its boarders it is deemed Made in the USA. By personal standards, I think that if a product has a majority of its parts made within the boarders of North America it has a right to be classified as Made in the USA and also have its seal. It is the same way in any country; it is a statement of pride or patriotism. That is why Americans want to support their own and keep their money in their economy. This forms a sense of unity and supporting your fellow American. Products fully made in the United States is nearly impossible to find. Making all the parts for a specific product is hard for any country to accomplish. Since the resources are based in different areas; we have to rely on other countries for certain products. A majority of petroleum comes from the Middle East which is produced into plastics. Plastic is one of the most used products in our current age. Therefore, any product to be fully made in the United States or in any country it is barely possible. Certain resources are more abundant in different places, which make them less expensive in those areas. Supply and demand makes it more economical to buy from the countries that have more of a product, which lowers the product costs. Product cost is the basis for all decisions of which country certain products come from. Technically we could make a product completely in the United States, but the cost would be so high for some of the parts, which is why we import different parts. This makes the products a lot cheaper compared to the same that would be actually made in the USA. A set of shoes at a store that where Made in the USA where $99, but the other shoes of the sam...

Role Of Satirical TV Shows In People's Enhancing Political Awareness Essay - 7

Role Of Satirical TV Shows In People's Enhancing Political Awareness - Essay Example Satirical television shows help the audience to be more conscious of the news and politics by using comedies to expose the misconduct of politicians. Satirical TV shows provide are designed and comedies but has a rich content that exposes the truth of the political arena. First, the TV shows provide disclosure of hidden political agendas that the public are least aware of. The designers of Satirical TV shows use an exciting approach to tell the public of the mischief of politicians. These programs provide a detailed exposure of the information that covers the effects of the politics on the society and the specific country or even particular groups in the society. They cover a wide range of misbehavior patterns among the politicians and present them in a comical manner. Providing this information to the public allows people to learn about the behavior of their political leaders and this attracts their attention to be wary and more conscious of political behavior. In addition, the satirical TV shows make a direct attack on the political leaders, hence sensitizing them on the need to change certain negative behaviors. Most of the satirical TV shows expose specific political characters who have misbehaved and ridicule them. Actually, these shows mock negative political actions and sensitize the victims to change their behavior. As politicians are sensitive of their public image and the way these shows portray them to the society, they fear mockery and would rather come off clean. When these programs expose them to the public, they push them to change in an effort to reconstruct their political behavior. On this note, satirical TV shows provide the public with the real political images of their leaders and give the public the opportunity to push their leaders to change. In brief, satirical TV programs attract the people to contribute to changing the political arena.

The Impact of the US Economy on the Events Industry Research Paper - 1

The Impact of the US Economy on the Events Industry - Research Paper Example To the customer or guest, as special event is an opportunity for a leisure, social or cultural experience outside the The definition was corroborated by Getz who traced the evolution of the events planning and management as a profession and disclosed that â€Å"events are an important motivator of tourism, and figure prominently in the development and marketing plans of most destinations† (Getz 403).With more organizations pursuing endeavors that focus on a variety of events, it was, therefore, imminent that a categorization of events naturally occurred. From among the events categorization that emerged, the following were noted: local, major, hallmark and mega events (Skoultos and Tsimitakis); and the typology of planned events as presented by Getz who differentiated cultural celebrations, political and state events, arts and entertainment, business and trade, educational and scientific, sport competition and recreational events, and finally, private events (Getz 404). At this point, the definition of events tourism has been clearly established as â€Å"a systematic planning, development, and marketing of festivals and special events as tourist attractions, image-makers, catalysts for infrastructure and economic growth, and animators of built attraction† (Ghazali, Collins and Minnis qtd. in Skoultos and Tsimitakis 2). In different studies, it was clearly established that holding significant events generate marked impacts on the promoter of events, as well as in the location within which these events were organized and implemented. From a more traditional perspective, it was deduced that event tourism aims to spur economic growth and gain profound benefits in terms of money generated from the event (â€Å"expenditure on travel, entertainment, shopping, and pre- and post-conference tours† (â€Å"Labour Market Review of the Events Industry† 29)). Getz, on the other

United States-Russian relations in the post Cold War era Essay Example for Free

United States-Russian relations in the post Cold War era Essay The global affairs after the Second World War were dominated by two superpowers with totally different political and socioeconomic models. The central drama within the global system was characterized by conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union expressed in the form of capitalism and communism. These two superpowers had at their disposal the greatest armies and artilleries that no any other country could match during this period of time (Donnelly, 1965). The internal organization of these two superpowers was radically different with the United States having a democratic polity and a market economy while the Soviet Union having a totalitarian political system and a command economy. Each of these nations believed in the superiority of their system and thus attempted to actively promote the replication of these systems in other countries while at the same time hindering the expansion of the others system. The competition between the United States and Russia was thus driven by this ideological divide. Put simply, the United States and the Soviet Union were not only rivals because of their greatness in the international system but also because they were two powers with irreconcilable visions concerning how the political, social and economic life should be organized. During the initial stages of the final decade of the twentieth century, one side in this bipolar ideologically divided system collapsed and for the first time in the history of the modern world, there occurred a shift the international balance of power without a major conflict leading to war. For the political leaders in Russia and the United States, these were hard times and talks were initiated concerning the new task of transforming Russia into a democratic polity, market economy and a new associate with the West, instantly erasing the cold war. However, as the century concluded, the attitude in the United States-Russian relations was becoming more inclined towards the cold war era than with the more optimistic periods of the early nineteen nineties. The policies that the Clinton administration had pursued toward Russia were derided by members of the Congress, academics, journalists and the emerging campaign by George W. Bush for the presidency. The question that they most often asked was whoever â€Å"lost Russia†. In particular, the Clinton administration was charged with failing in virtually every issue. It was accused of delving too much into Russian internal affairs, ignoring or even supporting corruption among leading Russian officials, over personalizing their relationship with Yeltsin, being blind to the evils of Russia towards the breakaway Republic of Chechnya and failure to stop Russia from assisting Iran with its nuclear weapons program. Listening to the experts and the Republicans led to the conclusion that every conceivable thing that would have gone wrong concerning the United States-Russian relations did go wrong (Masci, 1998: 232-3). The major question that one is bound to ask is whatever happened between the years that the Soviet Union collapsed and the witch hunt for the lost Russia less than a decade later. Various argument have been put forward with some holding that it was largely the fault of the first Bush administration for failing to offer enough assistance to the fledgling regime of Yeltsin in 1992 (Goldgeier McFaul, 2003). Others still argue that all the wrong kinds of assistance was provided by the Clinton administration after 1993 or that it had pursued â€Å"anti-Russian† policies which maximized Russian resentment for the West (Beschloss Talbott, 1993: 9). The relations between Russia and the United States seemed to have taken a decisive turn in the aftermath of the 9/11 attack in 2001, hardly a year after George Bush became the president. Russian president showed a good gesture by moving quickly to show his sympathy for the United States and pledging his support for collective responsibility against global terrorism. There was much optimism that Russia was being inclined to the West. The relationship between the United States and Russia seemed better until the period of the American-led war with Iraq. In looking at the relationship between the United states and Russia, I am primarily interested in the perception of the United States policy makers concerning what they intended to accomplish and their understanding of the events. For instance, did they understand that there was a transition going on in the Soviet Union in 1991 and what was their belief concerning what they could do? Did the United States believe that the enemy was gone once the Soviet Union disintegrated? The most transformative events in the affairs of the world since the period that immediately followed World War II was marked by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Before this period, the United States foreign policy was focused of containing the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The Americans, prior to 19090s, saw every issue in the world in the perspective of the cold war struggle with the Soviet Union-whether it was peace in the middle East, defense of Europe, African civil war or even the development of resources on the floor of the ocean. Thus, the collapse of the Soviet Union dealt a blow for United States foreign policymakers. Considering that the main American enemy was defeated, there was need for the vacuum to be filled posing an intellectual and organizational challenge of refocusing and reorienting foreign policy away from the period of cold war and toward a new relationship with Russia. With the end of the Cold War, an opportunity for creating a basically new and cooperative relationship between Russia and the United States was established. The establishment of a positive United States-Russian partnership was seen to offer benefits not only for the two nations but also in confronting the challenges that the human race is faced with during this period of time. A necessary climate for beefing up United States-Russian relations was created by the changes that were introduced in the foreign policy of the Soviet Union during Gorbachevs tenure. The new way of thinking introduced by Gorbachev held that the preservation of peace must be the fundamental objective of all nations. The Marxist thought of class struggle was abandoned as the central guiding principle in foreign policy. Instead, the global human values were to go beyond the narrow class interests in guiding the conduct and behavior of nations. This New Thinking was not the same as the principle adopted by Khrushchev. In his principle of peaceful coexistence, Khrushchev advocated for the evasion of all out war between communist and capitalist system even though he did not indicate that the struggle between capitalism and communism should be concluded. He continued to maintain that one of the systems will emerge to be the victor. Gorbachev and his associates saw the world as an interrelated totality where every nation must cooperate for in the interest of the survival of entire human race. The basic argument was that nations of communist and capitalist orientation should not exist in a state of perpetual struggle. It was held that every nation should make concerted effort to ensure that the world is a safe place. Gorbachevs New Thinking was not simply a rhetoric or propaganda but was supported by dramatic changes in the international behavior of Russia. Gorbachev saw the collapse of the Berlin Wall and signed important agreement with the United States. Russia also sought for integration in the world economy besides seeking for a more positive relation with democracies of Western Europe. The United States and Russia also participated jointly in dialogs aimed at resolving regional conflicts in places like Africa. The Soviet troops were also removed from Afghanistan and Africa by the soviet government. There was also cooperation between the two nations in their response to the Kuwait invasion by Iraq. With this regard, the relation between the United States and Russia improved so much during the tenure of Gorbachev. It was during this period that the thinking and preferences of Russians with regard to foreign policy underwent massive transformation. Russia discarded their confrontational approach of depending on their military force in favor of diplomatic cooperation as the preferred method of building and managing positive relationships with other nations. The Soviet principle of New Thinking stressed on the holistic nature of the world community, offering a significant and appropriate set of concepts for guiding the behavior of nations in the global environment. Ronald Reagan who had described the Soviet Union as an evil empire changed his view considering the dramatic changes that the Soviet Union underwent. When he was asked if he still considered the Soviet Union as an evil state, he responded that his initial remarks were meant for a different time and era. With the end of the Cold War, the animosity between the two nations also concluded. This spirit that was started by Soviet leaders was adopted by other succeeding leaders. After taking office, Yeltsin stated their aim to become involved with other countries in the world in the process of â€Å"asserting the ideals of humanism, freedom and democracy in the community of mankind†. He also stated Russias intention to pursue â€Å"an honest, open and moral policy which is not subordinated to ideological dictate†. This statement shows that Russia was slowly being integrated into the global system by changing from a military to civilian based economy. As much as his foreign policies appeared to be a continuation of the non-confrontational approach, the strategies that he adopted encompassed basic domestic changes that had implications for the United States foreign policy (Cross Oborotova, 1994). The attempt by Gorbachev to carry out reforms within the context of the existing socialist system had led to some ambiguity and suspicion in the United States concerning the intention of Soviet leadership. It also restricted the degree to which shared values existed between the former Soviet Union and the United States. Yeltsin on the other hand openly rooted for capitalism, abandoning the socialist model, thereby eliminating ideological ambiguity and extending the foundation for common United States-Russian values and objectives. He reiterated his commitment to nurturing democratization of Russia and embracing a free market economy which are the sacred values of American tradition. Although the Yeltsin era is a representation of the continuation of the peaceful policies that had been placed during the time of Gorbachev, it is during his tenure that one can actually begin talking about a new chapter in the relations between the United States and Russia. As much as the United States was cautious in their response to these dramatic changes in the former Soviet Union particularly during the tenure of Gorbachev, its administration welcomed such changes and were willing to exploit the new opportunities to improve bilateral relations. James Barker, once the United States Secretary of State, classified the progress of United States policy towards the former Soviet Union and Russia from the period of Gorbachev to the period of Yeltsin and moving â€Å"further than detente and even diplomatic cooperation† to â€Å"broad international partnership†. The leadership of Yeltsin changed the conception that the United States of the Western powers were potential enemies of the Russian Federation (Allin, 1995). Clinton recognized the heavy task faced by the new Russian Federation reformers, appealing to the United States to support the Russians. According to him, the Russians were attempting to carry out three fundamental changes at once. These fundamental changes were; the shift to market economy from communism, a shift to democracy from tyrannical dictatorship and a shift to an independent state from a great empire-an endeavor that the United States ought to support (Cohen, 1993). Clinton emphasized the importance of Russia at the 1993 Russo-American summit in Vancouver, reaffirming the United States economic and security interest in establishing a favorable United States-Russian relationship. He pointed out that the progress of Russia and the new independent states of the former Soviet Union toward democracy and free market was held with much importance by the United States as it represents a great security challenge and provides great economic opportunities (Weber, 1993: 253). After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the United States president George Bush and the Russian president Yeltsin signed the Camp David Declaration which defined the relations between the two countries as founded on â€Å"friendship and partnership†. Andrey Kozyrev, Russian Foreign Minister, stated that the goal of Russia vis-a-vis the United States is the stable establishment of relations with an inclination toward strategic partnership and alliance founded on common values (Friedman, 2000). Conclusion Russia and the United States would do much injustice to each other if they choose to pursue isolationist course. However, there has been an increase in public support for withdrawal from the foreign scene in both countries. In the last American presidential elections was dominated by domestic issues. This trend was also seen almost two decades ago in 1992 when the presidential election was also characterized by domestic issue. After the Second World War, the Americans saw that their freedom and security were threatened by communism and thus were ready to support presidential appeals to counter the expansion of Soviet around the world. However, the post-Cold War era lacks Soviet as the enemy and thus the American public increasingly became uninterested in foreign affairs. Many Americans fail to strike the link between domestic and foreign issues as they are basically concerned with the rising unemployment, sagging economy, health care and a variety of domestic problems and hence lack the sympathy to invest their energies in dealing with the problem of other countries. Consequently, in Russia, policymakers, academics and the general public have circulated arguments that the country should concern itself with internal problems and that shifting from international realm would be integral for resources to be freed for domestic purposes. One variation of this trend seem to have gained prominence among politicians and scholars. The position holds that the Russian foreign policy should be continentalist as opposed to globalist. This position posits that the domestic problems in Russia hinders its possibilities for pursuing an active and multifaceted foreign policy (Cross Oborotova, 1994). As such, there is a general feeling among the proponents of this position that Russia should focus its energies on seeking relationships with the neighboring countries in Europe and Asia. Within the increasingly interdependent world community, isolationism is not a realistic option. Limiting the relation between United States and Russia would not serve the interest of either nation. As much as the United States is the major remaining power and the undisputed leader of the Western world, it would be wrong to think that it can maintain peace in the world alone. It lacks the resources to carry out this role and must therefore cooperate with other major global powers so as to effectively counter the challenges existing in the post-cold War arena. Russia is still a strong nation and a nuclear superpower and hence the cooperation between these two countries is very important. As much as Russia is a Eurasian nation, it cannot ignore the role of the United States or become absorbed with its own domestic problems. There have been concerns with regard to Russia becoming an adversarial competitor of the United States if it decides to support her. The basic argument is that Russia has always been an aggressive and hostile nation besides being an expansionist power. However, this question cannot be answered at the moment. Nevertheless, there may be disastrous consequences for United States interests if it ignores of fail to focus its attention and resources in furthering a favorable U. S. -Russian partnership. The Russians have thus exhibited remarkable patience in the transition period. Most Russians have shown their commitment to move ahead despite the economic difficulties, recognizing that they have endured many hardships in the past and that they cannot go back to the repressive and inefficient system that characterized their past. In order for the United States and Russia to achieve an enduring and full scale partnership, there are many obstacles that still need to be overcome despite the favorable developments in their relations that have been witnesses in the past decade. Russia does not possess much experience with market economy neither does it comprehend fully democratic principles. Its political traditions are founded on the autocratic czarist rule. Its aspirations for reforms demand a deep cultural and psychological transition coupled with the establishment of a concrete and enduring democratic representative institutions. This shift to democracy is not a linear process and thus, Russia may experience some setbacks and even some reversals. Again, the interests of the United States and Russia may not correspond owing to the multitude of cultural, historical, geopolitical and economic reasons. Work cited Allin, D. (1995). Cold War Illusions: America, Europe, and Soviet Power, 1969-1989, NY Beschloss, M. Talbott, S. (1993). At the Highest Levels: The Inside Story of the End of the Cold War. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, Cohen, W. (1993). America in the Age of Soviet Power, 1945-1991, NY Cross, S. Oborotova, A. (1994). The New chapter in United States-Russian relations: opportunities and challenges. Greenwood Publishing Group Donnelly, D. (1965). Struggle for the World: The Cold War, 1917-1965, NY Friedman, N. (2000). The Fifty-Year War: Conflict and Strategy in the Cold War, Annapolis, Garthoff, R. (1994). The Great Transition: American-Soviet Relations and the End of the Cold War. Brookings Institution Press Goldgeier, J. McFaul, M. (2003). Power and purpose: U. S. policy toward Russia after the Cold War. Brookings Institution Press Masci, D. (1998). U. S. -Russian Relations: Is the Post-Cold War Friendship in Trouble? CQ Press Weber, M. (1993). The Emergence of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation. Communist and Post Communist Studies, vol. 26, no. 3