European Parliament Elections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

European Parliament Elections - Essay Example BULGARIA Parliamentary elections of 2007 resulted in the victory for a new center-right party: Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) under Boyko Borisov. Georgi Parvanov has been the president of the country since 2002. The center-right GERB opposition party won 26.2% of the vote and five seats in the 2009 election. They beat the ruling Socialists (18.9%/4 seats). CZECH REPUBLIC The two round parliamentary elections which were conducted in 2006 was shaded off by a dishonor, resulting in reformation of government in 2007. Mirek Topolanek who leads the Civic democrats formed a new center-right government in January 2007. This government consisted of Topolanek's Civic Union, the Greens, and the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party. Jan Fisher has been the prime minister since 8 May 2009. FRANCE Legislative elections for the national assembly took place in June 2007 in France. President Nickolas Sarkozy's UMP won the elections. Sarkozy was elected as the president in 2007. This was only because of the center-right voters. They elected Francois Fillon of the UMP as their prime minister. In the 2009 elections, Sarkozy's UMP received 28%. French MEP Joseph Daul who is theEPP-ED group chairman stated his party had won because it had verbalized "about Europe" andwas away from any controversies. ITALY Italy's President Giorgio Napolitan, who is a former leader of the Italian Communist Party, was elected in April 2006. But in the 2008 elections Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party won the elections. Berlusconi constituted a center-right cabinet of ministers which included his People of Freedom coalition and the Northern League. Berlusconi's 'Party of Liberty' (PdL) secured 39%, of the votes against 27.5% which its main rival, the centre-left PD secured. IRELAND Ireland's elections to the lower house of parliament were conducted in May 2007. Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and his Fioanna Fail Party were victorious. Fianna Fail continued as the largest party but its coalition partners -the Progressive Democrats- were not as victorious. Mary McAleese has been the president of Ireland since 1997. LATVIA The Center-right party won the June 2004 elections in Latvia. The majority coalition consisted of People's Party and other center-right parties. The party led by Aigars Kalvitis became a minority coalition with the departure of one party. In 2007, Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis the head of the center-right Latvian Way party formed a center-right coalition government. LITHUANIA The center-left government was replaced by the center-right in the elections conducted in October 2008. The center-right party is headed by prime minister and leader of the Homeland Union Lithuanian Christian Democrats Party Andrius Kubilius. Dalia Grybauskaite is Lithuania's first female president who was elected in May 2009. POLAND Lech Kaczynki was the elected president in October 2005 elections. But in the Snap elections on October 21 2007 resulted in the victory of the center-right opposition party which is led by Donald Tusk. Tusk became Poland's prime minister in November 2007 and led a coalition government of his civic platform party and the Polish People's Party. SPAIN Prime Minister Zapatero's Socialists won the Parliamentary elections which

Review #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Review #2 - Essay Example Yet there are still many unanswered questions, and it is likely that our current understanding of pre-Homo sapiens past will change completely as new evidence is discovered (Wenke and Olszewski, 85). Many scientists fascinated by the relatively short time between the earth’s formation and the density of the modern day human civilizations, believe that life on earth comes from the accidental connection of the earth’s orbit with the cloud of complex chemicals brewed in some ancient stellar explosion. On the other hand, many people believe in the Divine creation story. However, the major argument of anthropology is that one should begin any research into our origins, history as well as destiny bearing in mind the real-world factors of culture, climate, and genetics among others. With the careful study of the shattered fragments of our ancestors, their tools and other material evidence we can at least detect something about our nature and our past. According to Wenke and Olszewski (86), a human being is a unique animal who is different from other life-forms. A traditional view is that we are unique in our ability to manipulate symbols and that the evolution of this ability underlies in all human achievements. Although it’s a fact that modern humans are different from other primates, it should be noted that our earlier ancestors were so much alike to other primates as one goes back in time and we must also admit that symbolic capacities of our ancestor remain unknown to

THe end of solitude by William Deresiewicz' Essay

THe end of solitude by William Deresiewicz' - Essay Example Deresiewicz’s arguments in demonstrating end of solitude do not apply to the entire population both within and outside the United States. The author contends that anonymity is a great contemporary terror (Deresiewicz, 2009). I disagree with this idea because not all persons socialize to the extent of negating anonymity. Today, there are people around the world that Americans have not heard of. On the same note, the existence of some communities in America is unknown to other countries around the world. In other words, anonymity has been, and will remain to be, part of human life. A key example in the anonymity factor is the lifestyle of the Amish people. Amish communities are yet to embrace new and advanced technologies that keep the world connected. When people talk about Amish communities, the actual essence of solitude comes to light. These are people who still live true to their traditions, customs, and culture, all of which date back to hundreds of years ago. In light of contemporary lifestyles, Amish practices are fundamentally isolated from the twenty first century life. The article further argues that there is fear of isolation within and across the contemporary masses. Going back to the Amish community, these people continue to normal and comfortable lives amid isolation from the large population. This is a contemporary example of a specific lot isolated from the herd. Television, modern vehicles, internet, and social media do not feature in any aspect of their lives. With such eminent communities, anonymity and fear of isolation becomes refutable arguments. Moreover, a number of observations across the globe support my position of disagreeing with Deresiewicz’s article. In the United States, majority of the people who live across the mountain ranges are isolated from civilization. Specifically, people living in the Alaskan and Appalachian mountains lead a life way off modern technologies. The fall of internet and social media has not captured

Financial collapse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial collapse - Essay Example Prior to the crises ,about half of the overall capital inflow to developing countries was directed towards Asia. This was precipitated by high interest rates that made these economies attractive to foreign investors with attendant increase in asset prices. the economies of Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand particularly experienced high growth rates of between 8 and 12 per cent in the late 1980's and early 1990's.This feat was lauded far and near by economic institution of repute the IMF and World Bank Inclusive. One of the reasons advanced for these crises was recovery of the U.S economy from a recession it had suffered in the early 1990's.To checkmate inflation ,the U.S through its federal reserve bank at the time began to raise interest rates. This move naturally attracted lots of investors to the detriment of the fledging Asian economies. This move also grew the value of the dollar against which the currencies of these economies were pegged .This caused a slow down in the export activities of the Asian economies as it became less competitive. Malaysia witnessed a transition from its traditional mining and agriculture driven economy to manufacturing in the 1970's with assistance coming from Japan and western countries .The result of this was the establishment of heavy industries that became the economic driving force with concentration on exportation .There had been fluctuations in the country's current GDP per capita over time that rose to 59% in the 1990's courtesy of the export-oriented industries .However following the massive pull-out of capital by foreign investors in 1997.A chain reaction was set-off that caused major changes within the economy, particularly the substantial depreciation of the country's currency-the Ringgit from its MYR2.50 per USD to levels of up to MYR4.80 per USD,loosing about half its value within the period. The composite index of the country's market fell drastically within a few weeks. There was a 7.5% drop in GDP in 1998.The government responded by pegging the ringgit at MYR3.80 per USD.Whi le also implementing a capital control regime. Unlike its Asian neighbours Indonesia ,Thailand and other Malaysia rejected a relief package in the form of economic aid from International Monetary Fund(IMF) because of the attached austere lending conditions .This singular act differentiated Malaysia and the rest of its Asian neighbors in the sense that the rest of its neighbours were affected to a larger degree than Malaysia .Furthermore in the quest to revive the economy, the government kept injecting funds into it which resulted in budget deficit for a number of years, in addition it has maintained a low interest rate policy through the country's central bank. In terms of the its post-crises economy, it has enjoyed a faster economic recovery compared to its neighbours ,with a strong exports sector with the United States as its principal trade and investment partner. In 1999 the country's GDP grew by 5.6% with analyst predicting an 8% -and- above growth for the year 2000.A managed f loating system

Genetically modified organism Essay Example for Free

Genetically modified organism Essay A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism which been using genetic engineering techniques, and Monsanto is a publicly agricultural biotechnology company. Monsanto has a huge influence on GMO products. Unfortunately, Monsanto is not a great company because they produce harmful products and lie to their customers. Absolutely, Monsanto didn’t do the illegal things, but they didn’t obey the ethics. As seen in the video, I would like to discuss Contemporary Consequentialism which depend on justice, Kantian Ethics which as a form of deontological ethics and Social Contract Theory which depend on law to discuss Monsanto’s case. GMO products sounds like good for our health and economy, but some companies like Monsanto don’t do well. Contemporary Consequentialism Contemporary consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories which justice takes an important role. As its name suggests, Consequentialism is the view depend only on consequences. Justice contains distributive justice and retributive justice (Driver P61). Justice concern the distribution of benefits is called distributive justice, such as taxation and health care. Justice concern the distribution of rewards and punishments is called retributive justice, such as good citizen’s awards and prison terms. The theory â€Å"determining whether or not an action is right are the consequences produced by that action† (Driver, 2007, p. 40) did not lead to positive consequences for the Monsanto company. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also lied about their founding in 1992. Since 1992, 37 people died and thousands more were seriously ill after eating one of the GMO foods made by Monsanto. This is not only ethic issue, but also is illegal. Monsanto’s character was selfish and didn’t make the world a better place (Hinman, 2002). Monsanto should be punished by justice. These GMO foods are killing people by the tens of thousands and The FDA doesn’t have any responds. I think FDA is the biggest travesty in the U. S. Theyre turning a blind eye to their patients misery. Kantian Ethics Kantian ethics is a deontological ethical theory which proposed by Immanuel Kant. He said â€Å"A good will is good not because of what it affects or accomplishes, nor because of its fitness to attain some proposed end; it’s good only though it’s willing† (Driver, P80). According to the video we know the world according to Monsanto. It’s a very dangerous phenomenon. They want the public to believe they commit supererogatory acts. We are present several scenarios where Monsanto’s influence on FDA and other regulatory agencies has helped them to continue their un-ethical business practices. Hinman said â€Å"what is fair for one should be fair for all. † Monsanto doesn’t care other things just want to get maximum profit with all the possible methods. This is all about money. More money is selling GMO foods to other countries that are willing to pay large amounts of money. Maybe local and organic foods are healthy but there is no market for them. Monsanto make a decision which is opposite to Kantian ethics. Monsanto needs to know we should to keep promises even when we don’t want to do. As we seen in the videos, we know no matter the starting point is moral or Kantian ethics, Monsanto and its subsidiaries made some wrong decisions. Social Contract Theory Social contract theory is the view that person’s moral. Social contract theory is rightly associated with modern moral and it is also a theory or model. Thomas Hobbs said: â€Å"where there is no common power there is no law, where no law, no Injustice (Driver, P102). † He believed that human beings were motivated by self-interest. This document which Monsanto have claims that it has â€Å"evolved from long-standing commitments to safety, environmental protection, customer service, first-class research, and product stewardship† (Robin, 2008). Monsantos document is total lie. Farmers also need to sign an agreement when they want to grow the GMO food from Monsanto. Monsanto does believe that they are ethically right in suing a small farmer in order to preserve the balance of the farming community as a whole. Monsanto is using everyone to monopolize food and in the end with the ultimate power over everyone. I think I don’t any great idea to solve this big problem. According to the video, I think just hope Monsanto doesn’t decide to grow marijuana. They can’t mass produce organic foods any better than they can keep Wall Street on track. We know the products which Monsanto produced should not exist. These products can’t help us to make a better world. According to this theory we know first we must be guarantees that people will not harm each other, and people must be able to rely on the other to keep their agreements. Absolutely, Monsanto doesn’t obey the theory. Conclusion Through the discussion about Contemporary Consequentialism, Kantian Ethics and Social Contract Theory, We know Monsanto didn’t make a good decision between money and moral, and the FDA also help Monsanto to lie to their people. These harmful products and illegal documents must be stopped by government. Sometimes we can find the problems, but they are difficult to solve. GMO products are an awesome invention, and I think it can change our life. People are wrong, Monsanto is wrong. Monsanto cannot find an equilibrium point between ethics and business, or we can say money and moral. Many people and company were destroyed by the profit. We need to find a great equilibrium point and it will help us to work better and will not lose ourselves. Reference Hinman, L Ph. D. (2002) Basic moral orientations overview. Power Point, Univerity of San Diego, San Diego, CA Driver, J. (2007). God and Human Nature. Ethics: The Fundamentals (pp. 22-39). Malden, MA: Blackwell. Weston, A. (2007). Creative problem-solving in ethics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. http://www. iep. utm. edu/soc-cont/.

Yanomamo Tribe Essay Example for Free

Yanomamo Tribe Essay The Yanomamo tribes are a large population of native people in South America. They often reside in the Amazon rainforest, between the border of Brazil and Venezuela. Since their place of residency is remote and isolated, they have remained secluded from many aspects in the outside world. Due to their isolation, there are several characteristics of their culture and lifestyle that are affected by this. Some factors that result from their seclusion are their domestic life, clothing and diet. The Yanomamo’s physical environment consists of villages that usually contain their kin and lineages. The villages consist of about fifty people. In these villages they have a communal system, where they all live under one common roof called the shabono. The shabonos are an oval shape hut with covering around the edges but open ground in the center. The roof is supported by posts which signify each family’s individual areas. These habitats are built from raw materials from the surrounding jungle, such as leaves, vines and tree trunks. Unfortunately, when horrific conditions, such as weather and infestation of insects and animals occur, shabonos are very susceptible to damage. As a result, shabonos are rebuilt every one to two years. Not only do the Yanomamo use nature for their shabonos, they also depend on the forest for their â€Å"slash and burn† horticulture. â€Å"Slash and burn† horticulture is when they cut and burn forests to create fields for agriculture. When the areas become overused they from the â€Å"slash and burn† horticulture, the Yanomamo use shifting cultivation. Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, and then abandoned. This requires clearing a piece of land followed by several years of farming in order to loosen the soil for fertility. The Yanomamo are known as hunters, fishers, and horticulturists, cultivating as their main crops plantains and cassava. Another food source for the Yanomamo grubs. Traditionally they did not farm, and the practice of felling palms in order to facilitate the growth of grubs was their closest approach to cultivation. The conventional diet of the Yanomamo is low in salt, which makes their blood pressure the lowest of any cultural group on the planet. Historically, the Yanomamo were known as endocannibals. Endocannibalism is a rare form of cannibalism that usually occurs after death. The body of the deceased is burned in a remote region away from the village. The remaining bones and ash are then made into a fine powder which is then mixed into the juice of a plantain to make a beverage. This beverage is consumed by the deceased person’s relatives. This is called â€Å"drinking of the dead† which is thought to be the way for the deceased person’s soul to enter the body of their living descendants. They believe that this proves them with a spiritual and physical strength so they can fight the evils of the jungle. Another way that the Yanomamo connect with the spirits of the jungle is by taking hallucinogens. Hallucinogenic drugs are taken on a daily basis, because drugs are commonly available from the jungle. Some aspects found in nature that can be made into many different drugs are; the yakowana tree and the hisiomo tree. The yakowana trees bark is ground into snuff powder with they use to snort. The hisiomo trees seeds are packed into a cigar shaped and traded among the villages. One drug that is taken every day by the Yanomamo is called yopo. Yopo is made by grinding several natural roots and vines that are gathered in the rainforest. It is consumed by blowing the powder into another Yanomamo’s nostrils with a long tube called a mokohiro. Using this drug is very painful and causes blinding pains in the head and nausea. After they have achieved a trance state, they communicate with the spirit world and relate what they are seeing with chanting and dancing. This is one way that the Yanomamo connect with their fellow neighbors. Another way the Yanomamo unite with each other is through celebration. They celebrate a good harvests with a big feast to which nearby villages are invited. This celebration helps to maintain good relations with their neighbors by sharing their harvest. During the celebration, they decorate their bodies with feathers and flowers, eat a lot of food and the women dance and sing all night. These two aspects of the Yanomamo culture not only shows their social organization with fellow tribes but also their ideological aspects of culture. The technological advances of the Yanomamo include; baskets, wooden spears, arrow points, fire making sticks, quivers, bows and arrows, and blow guns. The women weave and decorate the baskets. They make both flat baskets and burden baskets which are carried by a strap around the forehead. Fire sticks are still often used to make a fire. The men carry quivers containing extra carved wooden spear and arrow points when they are out hunting. Around the outside of the quiver they also tie the fire making sticks. Making fire with sticks is a long and arduous process requiring skill and agility. Each quiver contains a bow and three arrows, which are designed to hunt small game. In order to make a blown gun, a piece of cane is used as the shaft which must be long and straight. A mouthpiece is added to one end of the cane which is cut or carved from wood. The darts for the blow dun are made by sharpening fibers and balance on the end with either cotton or the fiber of the kapok tree. They often use poison on the ends of the darts. They get this poison from a frog that inhabits there. After an extensive assessment of the life of the Yanomamo culture it is evident to me that the physical and social environment influenced their way of life tremendously. The location of the Yanomamo is a key role in their lifestyle based on the resources available to them including food sources, raw materials and supplies. If they didn’t live in their initial environment, nothing would be the same. By living in this environment, their culture has already established their lifestyles through surroundings due to the shabonos and way of agriculture. The way the shabonos are built cause the Yanomamo to become close with one another to become one big tribe. Without their way of agriculture, the Yanomamo’s wouldn’t consume the same foods, or even hunt the same way. Hallucinogens are another aspect that contributes to the physical environment. Without their environment, drugs wouldn’t be so prominent and their whole way of connecting to the spirits would change. Lastly, technology would change since they make their baskets and quivers out of nature resources found in their environment such as wood and cane. The social environment of the Yanomamo also plays a big part in their culture. The Yanomamo do hallucinogens with fellow neighbors to connect to the spirits and also forms a sense of belongingness with each other. When they do the hallucinogens they come together and connect to the spirits as one with song and dance. Aside from that, they also unite with each other through celebration. They celebrate a good harvests with a big feast to which nearby villages are invited which helps to maintain good relations with their neighbors. If the Yanomamo didn’t share their harvest with each other, they wouldn’t have as much food as they do and wouldn’t be able to survive alone. The Yanomamo use both physical and social environments in order to prosper and thrive in life.

International marketing research

International marketing research Introduction One of the most striking developments of recent decades has been the globalization of business. The growth of world trade requires more information about foreign markets and companies which expand into new and unknown markets must possess the information about the demand and conditions of these markets. Companies invade not only into such developed markets as Europe, US and Japan, but also into the unstable but growing markets of Latin America, the politically uncertain markets of the Middle East and Russia, and the rapidly changing markets of South East Asia and the emerging African markets[1]. The development of new communication and information technologies change the lifestyle, consumption behavior and purchasing patterns of different nations. All this indicates that the marketing research in global environment has become essential. The purpose of this paper is to give definition of the international marketing research and describe the factors which influence the marketing research in different countries. The paper also deals with the steps of international marketing research process and its main categories. The advantages and disadvantages of collecting secondary and primary data and survey methods of international marketing research are presented in the paper. Finally, the problems which may occur in the international marketing research are summed up. 1. Marketing Research in a Global Environment Marketing research practices and techniques have become truly global. For example, the worlds largest research firm, Nielsen, is headquartered in the U.S. but derives almost two-thirds of its revenue from outside the U.S. It is standardizing much of the data it routinely collects in 27 different countries. International marketing managers make the same basic types of decisions as do those who operate in only one country. Of course, they make these decisions in a more complicated environment. As with marketing decisions, the basic function of marketing research and the research process does not differ between domestic and multinational research. However, the process is complicated almost exponentially as more and more countries are involved in the same decision. The main factors which influence the marketing research in different countries are 1. Cultural differences. Culture refers to widely shared norms or patterns of behavior of a large group of people[2]. It is the values, attitudes, beliefs, artifacts and other meaningful symbols represented in the pattern of life adopted by people that help them interpret, evaluate and communicate as members of society[3]. A company which works on the international market is in need of cross cultural awareness. Cross cultural differences (language, non-verbal communication, different norms and values) may cause cross cultural blunders. There are examples of cultural blunders in the marketing mix. Product. When a soft drink was launched in Arab countries, it has a label with six-pointed stars. The sales were very low as the stars were associated with Israel. Price. An American firm was willing to set a reasonable price for the product they intended to sell to the Japanese. A detailed presentation was made to the Japanese businessmen, but it was followed by a deep silence. The Americans thought that the Japanese were going to reject the price and offered a lower price. The Japanese kept silence again. After that the Americans lowered the price again saying that it was the lowest they could sell at. After a brief silence the offer was accepted. Later the Japanese confessed that the first offered price was quite acceptable, but they had a tradition to think over the offer silently. An American company suffered great losses in this case. Place. A company wanted to enter the Spanish market with two-liter drinks bottles and failed. Soon they found out that Spaniards prefer small door fridges and they could not put large bottles into them. Promotion. Pepsico came to Taiwan with the ad Come Alive with Pepsi. They could not imagine that is it translated Pepsi will bring your relatives back from the dead into Chinese. 2. Racial Differences. This refers to the differences in physical features of people in different countries[4]. For example, types of hair cut and cosmetic products differ greatly in various countries. 3. Climatic Differences. These are the meteorological conditions such as temperature range or degree of rain. For example, Bosch-Siemens adapted their washing machines to the markets they sell. In Scandinavia, where there are very few sunny days, they sell washing machines with a minimum spin cycle of 1,000 rpm and a maximum of 1,600 rpm, whereas in Italy and Spain a spin cycle of 500 rpm is enough. 4. Economic Differences. Economic development of various countries is different and when a company introduces a new product it adapts it to that new market. There are factors which show the level of economic development Buying power and revenue of the market. In developed countries with higher income of revenue people prefer complicated product with advanced functions, while in poor countries simple product are preferable. The infrastructure of the market. Such elements of the infrastructure of the country as transport, communication system and others influence the product. When Suzuki entering the Indian market the suspension was reinforced as the state of roads in India is very poor. 5. Religious Differences. Religion affects the product greatly and makes companies adapt their product to religious norms. If a company exports grocery products to Islamic countries it must have a special certificate indicating that the animal was slaughtered according to Halal methods. 6. Historical Differences. Historical differences affect the consumer behavior. For instance, Scotch whiskey is considered fashionable in Italy and not very trendy in Scotland. 7. Language Differences. The correct translation and language adaptation is very important. For example, when Proctor Gamble entered the Polish markets it translated properly its labels but failed. Later they found out that imperfect language must have been used in order to show that the company fits in. Besides the differences mentioned above, there may be differences in the way that products or services are used, differences in the criteria for assessing products or services across various markets and differences in market research facilities and capabilities[5]. 2. International Marketing Research Process a. International Marketing Research Categories International marketing research is the systematic design, collection, recording, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of information pertinent to a particular marketing decision facing a company operating internationally. International marketing managers need to constantly monitor the different forces affecting their international operations[6]. There are three general categories of research based on the type of information required. Exploratory research deals with discovering the general nature of the problem and the variables that relate to it. Exploratory research is characterized by a high degree of flexibility, and it tends to rely on secondary data, convenience or judgment samples, small-scale surveys or simple experiments, case analyses, and subjective evaluation of the results. Descriptive research is focused on the accurate description of the variables in the problem model. Consumer profile studies, market-potential studies, product-usage studies, attitude surveys, sales analyses, media research, and price surveys are examples of descriptive research. Any source of information can be used in a descriptive study, although most studies of this nature rely heavily on secondary data sources and survey research. Causal research attempts to specify the nature of the functional relationship between two or more variables in the problem model. For example, studies on the effectiveness of advertising generally attempt to discover the extent to which advertising causes sales or attitude change. There are three types of evidence to make inferences about causation: (1) concomitant variation, (2) sequence of occurrence, and (3) absence of other potential casual factors. Concomitant variation, or invariant association, is a common basis for ascrib ­ing cause. For example, the advertising expenditures vary across a number of geographic areas and measure sales in each area. To the extent that high sales occur in areas with large advertising expenditures and low sales occur in areas with limited advertising expenditures, it is inferred that advertising is a cause of sales. It must be stressed that this have been only inferred, it is not proved that increased advertising causes increased sales. Sequence of occurrence can also provide evidence of causation. For one event to cause another, it must always precede it. An event that occurs after another event cannot be said to cause the first event. The importance of sequence can be demonstrated in the last example of advertising causing sales. It is supposed that further investigation showed that the advertising allocation to the geo ­graphic regions had been based on the last periods sales such that the level of advertising was directly related to past sales. Suddenly, the nature of our causal relationship is reversed. Now, because of the sequence of events, it can be inferred that changes in sales levels cause changes in advertising levels. A final type of evidence that is used to infer causality is the absence of other potential causal factors. That is, if one could logically or through our research design eliminate all possible causative factors except the one he/she is interested in, he/she would have established that the variable he/she is concerned with was the causative factor. Unfortunately, it is never possible to control completely or to eliminate all possible causes for any particular event. Always there is a possibility that some factor of which one is not aware has influenced the results. However, if all reasonable alternatives are eliminated except one, one can have a high degree of confidence in the remaining variable. b. Steps of International Marketing Research Process The international marketing research process as well as domestic one is a serious of separate steps. However, the international marketing research process has some peculiarities such as the national differences between countries arising out of political, legal, economic, social and cultural differences and, the comparability of research results due to these differences[7]. Step 1. Research Problem Definition. Problem definition is the most critical part of the research process. Research problem definition involves specifying the information needed by manage ­ment. Unless the problem is properly defined, the information produced by the research process is unlikely to have any value. Step 2. Information Value Estimation. Information has value only to the extent that it improves decisions. The value of information increases as (1) the cost of a wrong de ­cision increases, (2) our level of knowledge as to the correct decision de ­creases, and (3) the accuracy of the information the research will provide increases. The principle involved in deciding whether to do more research is that research should be conducted only when the value of the information to be obtained is expected to be greater than the cost of obtaining it. Step 3. Selection of the Data Collection Approach. There are three basic data collection approaches in international marketing research: (1) secondary data, (2) survey data, and (3) experimental data. Secondary data were collected for other purpose than helping to solve the current problem. Primary data are collected expressly to help solve the problem at hand. Survey and experimental data are therefore secondary data if they were collected earlier for another study; they are primary data if they were collected for the present one. Secondary data are virtually always collected first because of their time and cost advantages. Step 4. Measurement Technique Selection. Four basic measurement techniques are used in marketing research: (1) questionnaires, (2) attitude scales, (3) observation, and (4) depth interviews and projec ­ts techniques. As with selecting the data collection method, selection of a measurement technique is influenced primarily by the nature of the information required and secondarily by the value of the information. Step 5. Sample Selection. Most marketing studies involve a sample or subgroup of the total population relevant to the problem, rather than a census of the entire group. The popu ­lation is generally specified as a part of the problem definition process. Step 6. Selection of Methods of Analyses. Data are useful only after analysis. Data analysis involves converting a series of recorded observations into descriptive statements and/or inferences about relationships. The types of analyses, which can be conducted, depend on the nature of the sampling process, measurement instrument, and the data collection method. Step 7. Evaluation of the Ethics of the Research. It is essential that marketing researchers restrict their research activities to practices that are ethically sound. Ethically sound research considers the interests of the general public, the respondents, the client, and the research profession as well as those of the researcher. Step 8. Estimation of Time and Financial Requirements. Time refers to the time needed to complete the project. The financial requirement is the monetary representation of personnel time, computer time, and mate ­rials requirements. The time and finance requirements are not independent. Step 9. Preparation of Research Proposal. The research design process provides the researcher with a blueprint, or guide, for conducting and controlling the research project. This blueprint is written in the form of a research proposal. A written research proposal should precede any research project. The re ­search proposal helps ensure that the decision maker and the researcher are still in agreement on the basic management problem, the information re ­quired, and the research approach. 3. International Secondary Data Sources 1. The Nature of International Secondary Data Secondary data for international marketing decisions are subject to some disadvantages. Unfortunately, many of the disadvantages are multiplied when the data involve more countries. An additional problem is that most secondary data are available only in the host countrys language. Thus, multi-country searches require utilizing specializing firms or maintaining a multilingual staff. Data availability, recency, accessibility, and accuracy vary widely from country to country. Until recently, there were few commercial databases in Japan because of the difficulty of using Japanese characters on computers. Now the problem is resolved. The Japanese government prepares many potentially useful reports, but even Japanese firms seldom use them because they are poorly organized and indexed. Secondary data in many non-democracies often reflect political interests more closely than reality. In general, the amount of secondary data available in a country varies directly with its level of economic development. Even when the accurate data are accessible, it may not be possible to make multinational comparisons. Data from several countries may not be comparable because the data were collected at different times, use different units of measurement, cover slightly different topics, or define the classes (such as age groups) differently. This has become a major problem in the European Community as firms begin to analyze the market as a whole rather than as a collection of individual countries. To resolve part of the problem, ESOMAR has proposed a standardized set of questions to gather demographic data in both government and private surveys. Similar work is underway in Brazil, India, and the Middle East. 2. Internal Sources of International Secondary Data The internal sources of data for international decisions can be classified into four broad categories accounting records, sales force reports, miscellaneous records and internal experts. However, utilizing international internal data can be difficult. Different accounting systems, decentralized (often on a country basis) management and information systems, sales forces organized by country or region, and so forth, all this increases the difficulty of acquiring and using internal data in a timely manner. To deal with these problems global firms implement international information systems and require some standardization across countries in terms of internal recordkeeping and reporting. 3. External Sources of International Secondary Data For a example, when a company starts an external search for international secondary data it consults general guides to this type of data, such as International Marketing Handbook of the US Department of Commerces International Trade Administration, The World of Information (Africa Guide), or it contacts Euromonitor, the leading provider of world business information and market analysis. An alternative to conducting such a search in house is to use a specialist firm such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and McKinsey. a) Databases Both ABI (Abstract Business Information)/Inform, which contains 150-word abstracts of articles published in about 1,300 business publications worldwide, and Predicasts, which provides 11 on-line databases, have significant international content in their bibliographic databases. Predicasts coverage is particularly good and it is growing rapidly. In fact, half its information is on companies and industries from outside the U.S. Its major bibliographic database, PROMPT, contains material from all over the world. Both Infomat International Business and Worldcasts are focused on compa ­nies, products, industries, economies, and so forth outside the U.S. Predi ­casts also has separate FS Indexes for Europe and for the rest of the world excluding Europe and the U.S. A major advantage of these abstracts is that they are all in English. Copies of the entire articles are gen ­erally available in the original language. ( Table 1, Appendix) b) Foreign Government Sources All developed countries provide census-type data on their populations. However, the frequency of data collection and the type and amount of data collected vary widely from country to country. Germany went 17 years be ­tween its last two censuses, and Holland has not conducted a census in 20 years. The U.S. collects income data in its census and marketers make extensive use of it. Most other nations, including Japan, Britain, France, Spain, and Italy, do not. (Australia, Mexico, Sweden, and Finland do.) While the Scan ­dinavian countries, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand publish English-language versions of their main census reports, most countries report them only in their home language. c) International Political Organizations Three major international political organizations provide significant amounts of data relevant to international marketing activities. The United Nations and its related organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, provide hundreds of publications dealing with the population, economic, and social conditions of over 200 countries. The World Bank lends funds, provides advice, and serves as a catalyst to stimulate investments in developing nations. To carry out its missions, it collects substantial amounts of useful data which can be purchased inexpen ­sively. The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) con ­sists of 24 economically developed countries with the mission of promoting the members economic and social welfare by coordinating national policies. As part of this mission, it publishes reports on a broad range of socioeconomic topics involving its members and the developing nations. 4. Issues in International Primary Data Collection Primary data are the data collected to help solve a problem or take advantage of an opportunity on which a decision is pending[8]. The main advantage of primary data lies in the fact that it is collected for solving the exact problem and that is why it is characterized by high usefulness and novelty. The disadvantage is that the costs of collecting primary data are much higher in foreign developing markets as there is the lack of an appropriate marketing research infrastructure[9]. The international primary data is collected with the help of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Qualitative research is particularly used as a first step in studying international marketing phenomena (focus groups, observation). However, the main constraint is that responses can be affected by culture as individuals may act differently if they know they are being observed[10]. Quantitative researches are more structured. They involve both descriptive research approaches, such as survey research, and causal research approaches, such as experiments. More respondents take part in quantitative research, although it highlights fewer problems than qualitative research. International marketing research in cross-cultural environment requires the measurement of behaviors and attitudes. A major issue in primary data collection is the existence of the so-called EMIC vs. ETIC dilemma. The EMIC school states that attitudinal and behavioral phenomena are unique to a culture. The ETIC school is primarily concerned with identifying and assessing universal attitudinal and behavioral concepts, and developing pan-cultural or culture-free measures. 5. Survey Methods of International Marketing Research The techniques of data collection used in international marketing research have both advantages and disadvantages. 1. Personal interviews are considered to be the most popular method of data collection in international marketing research. However, there are several constraints for the usage of this technique. In the Middle East countries personal interviews are treated with great suspicion. Moreover, the personnel for the survey should be male and they may conduct interviews with housewives only when their husbands are at home. In Latin American countries, where tax protest movement is being developed, the interviews are thought to be tax inspectors. 2. Mall intercept surveys may be used in the United States, Canada and the European countries. As far as the developing countries are concerned they are not common. 3. Telephone interviews have several advantages over other survey methods of international marketing research. The time and costs of international telephone calls are reducing, the surveys may be conducted from one place, the results of telephone interviews are considered reliable and it is easier to perform the client and interviewer control. But telephone surveys also have some limitations because of poor telecommunication systems in several countries. For example, in India telephone penetration is only 1 per cent and telephone surveys reduce the survey coverage greatly. But even in such developed countries as Great Britain telephone penetration comprises only 80 per cent. That is why a lot of marketers are very skeptical about telephone surveys and nowadays there is a great reduction in their application. 4. Mailing surveys are widely used in industrialized countries, where there is a high level of literacy, good mailing services and availability of mailing lists. However, the use of this method in developing countries has some constraints. In some countries people consider the mailing surveys to be the invasion into their private life and the effectiveness of these surveys is reduced. In such countries as Brazil, where only 30 per cent of mail is delivered, mailing surveys can not be used as well. 5. Electronic surveys become more popular in the United States and Europe and they are used for the products which require technological literacy such as computers and computer software. E-mail surveys begin to replace mail and telephone surveys. The limiting factors for electronic surveys are as follow: there are still many countries with low internet access, the internet versions available in various countries may not be compatible and there may be a big number of non-responses because of technical issues. At the same time the speed of getting responses and low costs of surveys makes this method suitable for international marketing research. Conclusion International marketing research is the systematic design, collection, recording, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of information relating to a particular marketing decision facing a company operating internationally. The international marketing research process has some peculiarities such as the national differences between countries arising out of political, legal, economic, social and cultural differences and, the comparability of research results due to these differences. A company performing the international marketing research may experience several problems. Firstly, there is a complexity of research design due to operation in a multi country, multicultural, and multi linguistic environment. Secondly, the availability of secondary data varies widely from country to country. On some markets, especially emerging and unstable, the data is neither available nor reliable. Thirdly, the costs of collecting primary data are much higher in foreign developing markets as there is the lack of an appropriate marketing research infrastructure. Fourthly, problems associating with coordinating research and data collection in different countries may arise. And finally, there are the difficulties of establishing the comparability and equivalence of data and research conducted in different context. Bibliography 1. Aaker D., Kumar V. , Day G., (2007), Marketing Research, 9th edition, John Wiley Sons. 2. Altstiel T. Grow J.M. (2005), Advertising Strategy: Creative Tactics From the Outside/In, Sage Publications, Inc. 3. Arnold D. (2004), The Mirage of Global Markets: How Globalizing Companies Can Succeed as Markets Localize, Pearson Education, Inc. 4. Barnard, P. (2007), Global developments and future directions in marketing research, Globalization and the Millennium: Opportunities and Imperatives, Marketing Science Institute, June 16-17, Brussels, Belgium. 5. Cateora, P. and Graham, J.L. (2009),International Marketing, 14 th edition, McGraw-Hill Company. 6. Craig, C. S. and Douglas, S. P. (2009), International Marketing Research, 2nd Edition. Chichester, UK: John Wiley Sons. 7. Douglas, S. P. and Craig, C. S. (2005), Evolution of global marketing strategy: scale, scope and synergy, Columbia Journal of World Business, Vol. 24, No. 3. 8. Kumar, V. (2000), International Marketing Research, Prentice-Hall, Inc. 9. Mahajan V. and Banga K. (2006), The 86 Percent Solution: How to Succeed in the Biggest Market Opportunity of the 21st Century, Pearson Education, Inc. 10. Kumar V. David A. Aaker George S. Day (2009), Essentials of Marketing Research, 2nd Edition with SPSS 17.0, John Wiley Sons. 11. Payne, N. (2009), Public Relations Across Cultures Building international communication bridges, URL: http://www.aboutpublicrelations.net/ucpayne.htm Appendix Examples of Specialized Bibliographic Databases. The Information Bank Advertising Marketing Intelligence Service Advertising and marketing articles from over 60 trade and professional journals are summarized on topics such as new products, consumer trends, and sales promotions. Bank Marketing Association: Financial Industry Information Service Contains about 50,000 citations on the marketing of financial services by banks, credit companies, insurance firms, investment and real estate firms, thrift operations, and government agencies. Topics include on advertising, pricing, sales, marketing, and new technologies. FINDEX Reports and Studies Indexes and describes industry and market research reports, studies, and surveys (more than 11,000 citations) from more than 500 research firms worldwide. Frost Sullivan Research Reports Abstracts Contains citations and abstracts from approximately 1,500 market research reports providing analyses and forecasts of market size and share by product and company. Industries represented include chemicals, communications, consumer products, data processing, electronics, food, health, instrumentation, machinery, and transportation. Source: Kumar, V. (2000), International Marketing Research, Prentice-Hall, Inc. [1] Kumar V. David A. Aaker George S. Day (2009), p. 345. [2] Craig, C. S. and Douglas, S. P. (2009), p. 276. [3] Kumar V. David A. Aaker George S. Day (2009), p. 374. [4] Mahajan V. and Banga K. (2006), p. 213. [5] Craig, C. S. and Douglas, S. P. (2009), p. 215. [6] Kumar, V. (2000), p. 24. [7] Craig, C. S. and Douglas, S. P. (2009), p. 107. [8] Kumar, V. (2000), p. 67. [9] Ibid, p. 69. [10] Ibid, p. 73.