Difficulties and complexities of a western European marketing firm researching in an eastern European country, and how the can be overcome.

Difficulties and complexities of a western European marketing firm researching in an eastern European country, and how the can be overcome.

In its final decades of its existence, the Soviet Union consisted of 15 Socialist Soviet Republics (SSR). Three of these in particular shared some common history and were referred to as the Baltic Republics. They are all independent countries now, only very loosely organized under the heading Commonwealth of Independent States. On December 21, 1991, 11 of the 15 Soviet Socialist Republics met in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, and signed the charter. (The three Baltic republics - Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia - refused to join.

Former Soviet Republics

        Armenian SSR

        Azerbaijan SSR

        Byelorussian SSR

        Estonian SSR

        Georgian SSR

        Kazakh SSR

        Kirghiz SSR

        Latvian SSR

        Lithuanian SSR

        Moldavian SSR

        Russian SFSR

        Tadzhik SSR

        Turkmen SSR

        Ukrainian SSR

        Uzbek SSR

Current Independent Countries

        Armenia

        Azerbaijan

        Belarus

        Estonia

        Georgia

        Kazakstan

        Kyrgyzstan

        Latvia

        Lithuania

        Moldova

        Russia

        Tajikistan

        Turkmenistan

        Ukraine

        Uzbekistan

New political and economic systems have emerged from the rapid social change in Central and Eastern Europe.

Keywords for these changes being democratisation and market economy. In this time of consolidation it is important to take the social costs of transformation into consideration. If people have to struggle in their everyday life and if they have no hope for a positive development, it is likely that the blame is put on the new political and economic conditions. From this point of view research on people's attitudes and public opinion seems to be art interesting subject. A negative mood of people within countries in transition could also have a negative impact on countries in Western Europe and the further development of the European Union. Therefore it is not only a question of fundamental principles of public opinion research, but also art important issue for public policy...