This thesis compares franchising regulation in the Russian Federation with that of Canada. In order to be the most profitable, and function in the most efficient way, franchising must be properly regulated. Russia is currently experiencing a stagnation of franchising. This is partly because of the inefficient and outdated nature of the legislation that governs franchise relations in the country. In comparison, franchising business is flourishing in Canada. Canadian franchising legislation, reinforced by Canadian case law, represents a more developed system of regulation. The goal of this study is to reveal the strengths of Canadian franchising regulation as well as the weaknesses of Russian franchising regulation. This thesis also suggests ways to improve Russian franchising law and practice.

This thesis compares franchising regulation in the Russian Federation with that of Canada. In order to be the most profitable, and function in the most efficient way, franchising must be properly regulated. Russia is currently experiencing a stagnation of franchising. This is partly because of the inefficient and outdated nature of the legislation that governs franchise relations in the country. In comparison, franchising business is flourishing in Canada. Canadian franchising legislation, reinforced by Canadian case law, represents a more developed system of regulation. The goal of this study is to reveal the strengths of Canadian franchising regulation as well as the weaknesses of Russian franchising regulation. This thesis also suggests ways to improve Russian franchising law and practice.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and especially during the last decade, a multitude of changes and reforms affecting the business environment of the Russian Federation were observable. This thesis discusses already existing findings and theories dealing with business-impacting changes in the Russian market and investigates their impact on companies operating in the medical technical sector. Moreover, it is examined to what extent networks serve as a mediator between recent and upcoming business-impacting changes and medical device companies. For this purpose, an explanatory multiple case study is conducted which comprises two cases of medical technical companies as well as two institutions which are very familiar with the Russian market. The empirical analysis is based on a framework which summarizes in literature identified business-impacting changes. These are the membership of the WTO, the increasing overall wealth of the Russian population, different political programs to fight corruption and to decrease the extent of bureaucracy as well as various kinds of health care reforms which are launched to deal with the poor health care outcomes of the Russian Federation. Contrary to findings in literature, it is found that the WTO membership as well as the launch of different political programs has no notable impact on companies operating in the medical technical sector. Different health care reforms and an increasing overall wealth of the Russian population, on the other hand, have positive impacts on the demand for medical device products. Moreover, access to well-established networks in the Russian market is a possibility for medical device producers to evaluate the actual effect of business-impacting changes and to initiate corresponding activities. It was found that a clear distinction between different kinds of networks, such as business and social networks, cannot be clearly made for the case of the Russian market.

This thesis investigates the two major problems of poverty and corruption in post-Soviet Russia, by comparing Boris Yeltsin&rsquo / s and Vladimir Putin&rsquo / s terms of office. In order to do that, political and economic circumstances during these two presidents&rsquo / eras, the reasons of these two problems, and the consequences of certain policies adapted by these two presidents are focused on. The main argument of the thesis is to analyze interactively the certain conditions of poverty and corruption in the Russian Federation under the presidencies of both Yeltsin and Putin.

This thesis seeks to examine the internal and external migration trends in the Russian Federation. The thesis also examines the internal migration trends in the Soviet Union as well as Soviet emigration and migration policies. The thesis focuses mainly on the migration policy of the Russian Federation. The main argument of the thesis is that although ethnic dynamics, armed conflicts and nationalist clashes play important roles in Russia&rsquo / s migration trends, the main force of Russia&rsquo / s internal and external migration trends are economic. The thesis has four main chapters. After the introduction the first chapter examines migration in the Soviet Union. The second chapter explores migration policy of Russia. The third chapter deals with internal migration in the Russian Federation. The last main chapter discusses external migration in the Russian Federation.

This thesis seeks to examine the &lsquo / parties of power&rsquo / in the Russian Federation between 1991 and 2008. The thesis also discusses the political party system and political party development in post-Soviet Russia. The thesis focuses mainly on the United Russia party and compares it with the former &lsquo / parties of power&rsquo / in the Russian Federation. The main argument of the thesis is that as compared to the previous &lsquo / parties of power&rsquo / , which were affiliated mainly with the prime ministers without achieving party consolidation, the United Russia party has been successful in consolidating its party development and achieved a central status in the Russian political system. The thesis has seven chapters. The introductory first chapter is followed by the second chapter that examines &lsquo / parties of power&rsquo / in post-Soviet Russia, along with the political party system and the stages of political party development in the Russian Federation. The third chapter explores Russia&rsquo / s Choice party. The fourth chapter deals with Our Home Is Russia party. The fifth chapter focuses on the United Russia party. The sixth chapter discusses the new role of the United Russia in Russian political system after 2007 State Duma elections. The last chapter is the conclusion of the thesis.

This thesis aims to study the relations between Turkey and Russia in the post-Soviet era by focusing on the nature of economic interdependence between these countries. Focusing on the energy, trade, tourism and investment sectors, the thesis evaluates the interaction between the political and economic factors in the relations between Turkey and the Russian Federation. Contrary to the general view which claims that the historically conflictual relations between these two countries have been replaced by more cooperative economic and political relations, the thesis argues that these relations are characterized by both cooperation and conflict due to the complex nature of their interdependence. In this sense, there is always a potential for tensions in these relations due to the strategic role of economic relations between Turkey and Russia. Following the introduction chapter, the second chapter examines the historical background of Turkish-Russian relations until the end of the Soviet era in 1991. The third and fourth chapters analyze the Yeltsin and Putin periods in Turkish-Russian relations by exploring the limits of economic interdependence in four main sectors of economic transaction / trade, energy, investment and tourism. The last chapter is the conclusion.

The thesis seeks to chart the foundation and transformation of NATO-Russia relations from Yeltsin to Putin and Medvedev. It attempts to potray the continuity and change in the Russian Foreign Policy towards NATO in the light of the main international developments such as the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Bosnian war and the Kosovo conflict / as well as the internal transformation of the Alliance marked by the extension of the traditional NATO roles and the expansion policy. The thesis tries to depict the new initiatives in the Russian Foreign policy aimed at undermining NATO and US&rsquo / roles in Europe by attempting to establish an alternative European architecture to a NATO-centric one. It is argued that while Yeltsin promoted multilateralism based on the world led by the USA and the Russian Federation on a par, Putin and Medvedev&rsquo / s multilateralism was to undermine the American world hegemony and consolidate relations with Europe.

Global energy trade is one of the most important topics of international relations. This thesis analyzes the European Union (EU)-Russian Federation (RF) energy trade relationship (1991-2008) within an international regime theory perspective. Main hypothesis of the dissertation is that the EU-RF energy trade relationship is an example of partial international regime based on the totality of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), Partnership and Cooperation Treaty (PCA) and the Energy Dialogue. This hypothesis is built on the independent variables (the transformation of the EU&lsquo / s energy policy towards supranationalism / convergence of the energy policy and the foreign policy of the EU / the transformation of the RF&lsquo / s energy policy towards pragmatic statism / convergence of the energy policy and the foreign policy of the RF), intervening variable (EU-RF energy interdependence in natural gas and oil trade) and the dependent variable (international regime formation between the EU and the RF in energy trade). There are also four complementary hypotheses: EU&lsquo / s energy policy has transformed towards supranationalism (hypothesis 2) / energy policy and foreign policy of the EU have practically and officially approached towards each other (hypothesis 3) / RF&lsquo / s energy policy has transformed towards pragmatic statism (hypothesis 4) / energy policy and foreign policy of the RF have practically and officially approached towards each other (hypothesis 5). Original contribution of this dissertation to the relevant literature is its detailed application of the regime theory to the EU-RF relationship which finds that this relationship is a case of partial regime formation.

Tatarstan’s degree of political, economic and cultural sovereignty within the Russian Federation is the result of Soviet era ethno-national politics. The re-adoption of the ethnic federal state model in 1992 by Russia allowed ethnic regions such as Tatarstan to challenge the federal authorities for con-federal relations within the Federation. The Tatar leadership has attempted to work within the institutional and legal framework of the Russian Federation in an attempt to codify their state sovereignty within the Russian Federation. The political and economic concessions gained through tedious negotiation with the center have provided the Republic with the means to build a culturally distinct and semi sovereign state in the heart of the Russian Federation. / text