Section I. Image of the Armed Forces in the system of factors ensuring the security of the Russian Federation.

Section II. Image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: dynamics, current state and role in ensuring the country's security.

Section III. Main directions for improving the image of the Armed Forces

Forces in the interests of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation.

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480 rub. | 150 UAH | $7.5 ", MOUSEOFF, FGCOLOR, "#FFFFCC",BGCOLOR, "#393939");" onMouseOut="return nd();"> Dissertation - 480 RUR, delivery 10 minutes, around the clock, seven days a week and holidays

Lastovenko, Natalya Sergeevna. Image of the Armed Forces as a security factor of the Russian Federation: dissertation... Candidate of Political Sciences: 23.00.02 / Lastovenko Natalya Sergeevna; [Place of protection: Military. University].- Moscow, 2011.- 170 p.: ill. RSL OD, 61 11-23/282

Introduction

Section I. Image of the Armed Forces in the system of factors ensuring the security of the Russian Federation 12

Section II. Image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: dynamics, current state and role in ensuring the country's security 60

Section III. Main directions for improving the image of the Armed Forces in the interests of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation 113

Conclusion 155

Bibliography 161

Introduction to the work

Today, as before, each state strives to establish a favorable image of itself in the minds of its own population and the peoples of other countries. At the same time, the rapid development of information technologies contributes to the increasing importance of the image of institutions in state policy, including in the field of security. Thus, in the implementation of military policy, the Russian leadership is faced with problems of the image of the Armed Forces, since information about the state of affairs in the army, about the state of its combat readiness, about positive and negative phenomena in army life affect public consciousness, people’s feelings and indirectly - the atmosphere and mechanisms for making and implementing decisions in the field of defense.

Creating a positive image of the Armed Forces is not a spontaneous, but a long-term and systematic activity that requires conceptual justification, coordination and constant monitoring. Therefore, understanding the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and its influence on the country’s security seems relevant in modern conditions.

The relevance of the study is due to the following circumstances: - the transformation of the information sphere into a system-forming factor in the life of society, which actively influences its condition, development and security. In this regard, the role of information aspects of security is increasing in modern society. The importance of the information factor in matters of ensuring the country's security is manifested in the high information activity of our potential adversaries and opponents, who, by forming a negative image of the Russian army, weakening its authority, threaten the country's security; increased attention from Russian society to the problems of the Armed Forces. Citizens of the country want and have the right to know how secure the country is, what can be expected from certain changes in the army: Today, many aspects of the life of the Armed Forces still remain too closed to public attention, which adversely affects the image of the army; wide, multidirectional, and often contradictory dissemination of information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the information disseminated often does not correspond not only to the official point of view, but also to reality. In order to avoid or neutralize such acts, theoretical and applied developments are required in the field of production and transmission of information about the army, which helps to increase the prestige of military labor and public trust in it; the widespread use of technologies and mechanisms for image formation in political processes in modern Russia. Today, the implementation of tactical tasks and strategic goals of both individual political leaders and state institutions cannot be accomplished without them. Moreover, the widespread use of these technologies puts on the agenda the task of identifying ways to improve the image of the army. This has become especially relevant in the widespread use of manipulative technologies in the political practice of Russia; the need to analyze and assess the real state of the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for the military-professional orientation of individuals, when recruiting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, to increase the attractiveness of the military profession; the practical necessity of analyzing the dynamics of the image of the Russian army, forecasting its development, identifying and justifying the most effective directions for improving the image of modern

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the interests of the country's security.

In addition, studying the experience of leading states, the world - in formation, the image of the army in peacetime and wartime - will help solve the problems of organizing and conducting information warfare.

The degree of scientific development of the problem.

The analysis of the literature on the research topic allows us to conditionally divide the accumulated research material on the problem into four main groups.

The first group consists of works devoted to the issues of understanding the image of politicians, public figures, organizations, and the state. The author also includes works in which the image of certain social institutions, in particular the army, is analyzed. The provisions and conclusions of this group of sources form an important place in the formation of the theoretical basis of the dissertation.

The second group is literature that covers the problems of national security, military security, defense capability and military potential of the state, various aspects of the state’s activities in ensuring security.

The third group of sources includes scientific works that describe the varieties and possibilities of political technologies for image formation. These works primarily present the organizational, technical and resource components of image formation.

The fourth group includes dissertations that examine the most general problems associated with the functioning of the Russian army, its role in society, and reveals the importance of the military professional orientation of youth and the prestige of military labor in Russian society.

Systematization and classification of works devoted to the research problem, analysis of their content allowed us to come to the conclusion that scientific research directly devoted to the political science analysis of the importance of the image of the Armed Forces for the security of the country practically does not exist.

The object of the study is the image of the Armed Forces in the system of factors ensuring the security of the Russian Federation.

The subject of the study is the state of the image of the Armed Forces and its role in ensuring the security of the Russian Federation.

The purpose of the study is to carry out a political science analysis of the current state of the image of the Russian Armed Forces and its impact on the security of the Russian Federation, to determine the main directions for improving the image of the army in the interests of ensuring the country's security.

Research objectives:

To clarify the definition of the concept of “image of the armed forces” and to formulate its political scientific characteristics.

Reveal the mechanism for forming the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Characterize the technologies and methods used in shaping the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Analyze the socio-political role and importance of the image of the Armed Forces in ensuring the security of the Russian Federation.

Analyze the dynamics and current state of the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Identify and reveal the main directions for improving the image of the Armed Forces in the interests of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation.

Theoretical and methodological basis of the study.

The theoretical basis of the dissertation was made up of scientific publications by domestic authors on security issues, highlighting the specifics and possibilities of image-forming technologies, official legal documents of the Russian Federation, which contain conceptual provisions related to the formation of the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the interests of the country's security. In addition, the study is based on materials contained in scientific domestic and foreign periodicals.

The methodological basis for the study was comparative, institutional, systemic, structural and functional approaches. An interdisciplinary approach was also used, which made it possible to attract the achievements of various sciences for a deeper consideration of the problems of the image of the armed forces.

The main importance in the study is given to a systematic approach, in which the formation of the image of the armed forces is considered as an integral process of its influence on mass consciousness. The use of a comparative approach was due to the need to establish the specific features of the image of the Armed Forces and the features of its creation over the past two decades. This approach made it possible to give a comparative description of the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In the study, the author strived for objectivity and tried to avoid extremes in conclusions.

The empirical basis of the dissertation included: materials from periodicals in Russia and a number of European countries; domestic television and radio broadcasts; materials of various kinds of meetings, conferences and round tables on issues of the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the features of its formation; results of sociological studies concerning the activities of the Armed Forces, their image and current state, conducted by sociological centers (All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion VTsIOM, Institute of Comparative Social Research SeBYA^ Russian non-governmental research organization Levada Center, Public Opinion Foundation) and individual military scientists for the period from 1991 to 2011; information from websites of government agencies, the Ministry of Defense, various media and “bloggers”.

The scientific novelty of the dissertation research lies in the following: the author’s definition of the concept of “image of the armed forces” and its political science characteristics; in determining the place and role of the image of the Armed Forces in ensuring the security of the Russian Federation and revealing the mechanism for its formation; in the analysis of the dynamics and current state of the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation; in identifying and disclosing the main directions for improving the image of the Armed Forces in the interests of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation.

Practical significance of the study.

The conceptual provisions of the study make it possible to use them for further comprehensive and in-depth study of the image of the armed forces in security processes (especially in such aspects as information support for security in conditions of increasing military-political tension).

The conclusions and practical recommendations obtained may be useful for the activities of the relevant government and military authorities. Indicators of image assessment, as well as the factors of its determination, identified in the dissertation, can be operationalized and transferred to the empirical level for carrying out applied research. Certain provisions of the study can be used to develop measures of information impact in peacetime and wartime situations. The practical significance of the dissertation lies in the fact that its main provisions can be used in the formation and promotion of the image of the Armed Forces in the interests of domestic and foreign policy. In addition, the research materials can be used in teaching such training courses as “Political Science of Military Administration” and “Fundamentals of State Information Policy of the Russian Federation.”

Approbation of work.

The scientific conclusions and results of the dissertation research have undergone practical testing.

The main provisions and conclusions of the dissertation, obtained at various stages of the research, were discussed at the Department of Political Science of the Military University.

The main provisions of the dissertation are presented in 3 publications by the author with a total volume of more than three printed pages.

Image of the Armed Forces in the system of factors ensuring the security of the Russian Federation

In the broadest sense of the word, security is a situation in which someone or something is not threatened by any kind of danger. It is clear that understanding the dangers of various kinds on planet Earth plays a decisive role here. In relation to our problems, security is a state of reliable protection of vital interests and the fundamental foundations of the existence of an individual, social group, society and state from internal and external threats.

The security of the Russian Federation is a priority direction of state policy. It is ensured by a system of measures and actions of government, public organizations and citizens. That is, the basis of the security system of the Russian Federation is made up of bodies, forces and means for implementing measures of a political, legal, organizational, economic, military and other nature, aimed at ensuring the security of the individual, society and the state. Among all the forces and means of ensuring Russia's security, its Armed Forces occupy an important place.

The ability of a military organization to ensure the security of the country is one of the initial, basic conditions for a prosperous existence and free development of society. A modern, mobile, well-equipped army is not only the key to the country’s defense capability, but also partly a fundamental indicator of the successful development of its economy.

Among the theoretical problems of ensuring the country's security, it is fundamentally important to understand the place and role of the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in this activity. Along with the formation

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are of a new quality, and the idea is increasingly heard from the state and military leadership of Russia about the need to change their image.

So the Russian army is called upon to ensure the security of the country, and this is its main purpose. However, the army is not the only subject and factor ensuring security. The security of a country can be ensured by the combination of a number of factors. Among the main factors1 of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation, the author considered it necessary to dwell on the economic, political, military, demographic, moral-psychological, and informational. By analyzing and examining their essence, the author will determine the place of the image of the Armed Forces among the factors ensuring the security of the state.

Economic factors are activities to create sufficient and necessary resources to ensure the military security of the state. These activities are based on sources of economic growth, i.e. sources that make economic growth physically possible and factors that determine the degree of implementation of sources of economic growth. And what is important here is the availability of natural resources in quantitative and qualitative aspects, the degree of completeness and efficiency of their use; quantity of labor resources and their quality (educational and qualification aspects); volume of fixed production assets and their technical condition (wear, productivity, reliability); technology (its novelty, implementation, speed of change, effectiveness, payback). It should be noted that ensuring military security requires significant budgetary allocations for testing new weapons systems, which in turn directly affects society, hindering its social, technological and economic development. A- also requires professional, competent consideration of the mutual influence of various components of ensuring military security. In this regard, it is relevant to talk about compliance with the principle of compliance with the provision of military security with the capabilities of the country, according to which the state must determine the primary directions of its activities in the field of ensuring military security in order to avoid possible contradictions between the economic capabilities of the country and the needs for security needs.

The political factor can be represented as the activities of political institutions, public organizations and authorities, political leaders to create favorable domestic and international conditions that make it possible to ensure the military security of the state. This factor, manifested in the foreign and domestic policy of the state, determines the choice of means, methods, methods and forms of influencing and countering military threats and dangers.

Demographic factor is the activity of recording and forecasting the population of a state, its density of residence, areas characterized by the highest and lowest population density, processes of migration and emigration. Today, Russian politicians are raising the problem of the reduction of the nation, which, according to forecasts, will attract attention in the next 2-3 decades, which is of no small importance in ensuring the security of such a large state as Russia with its vast territory and poorly protected borders.

The moral and political factor is activities to form moral values ​​of life and spiritual guidelines, a sense of social unity, the readiness of not only the Armed Forces, but also the entire people to withstand the struggle for national security and state sovereignty.

The military factor is the activity of the state to maintain and continuously improve its military strength. This is actually the general military force, which, in addition to the Armed Forces, includes border and internal troops, as well as other troops created by the state on a legal basis. The military factor itself presupposes the maintenance of the country's military strength, its Armed Forces, at a level that ensures the use of military force adequate to the threats, guaranteeing the protection of national interests. The main forms of military support for national interests, including military security, are war prevention, repelling aggression, peacekeeping, punitive actions, etc.

Image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: dynamics, current state and role in ensuring the country's security

There are many difficult issues on the defense agenda. Such issues include a new vision of the place and purpose of the army in the system of ensuring national security; a new model of the Armed Forces, ideological and educational functions of the army. In a word, there is a whole complex of problems, and all of them are in one way or another connected with the authority of the army in society, with its image formed in the mass consciousness. In Russian society one can observe various, sometimes diametrically opposed, relations in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. For example, at the exhibition forum “Army and Society”, held in April 2010, correspondents during an interactive survey recorded the following views of site visitors about the Russian Armed Forces: “The Armed Forces are the most important factor in political-economic and military-strategic policy Russia in the whole world"; “The army is a symbol of the vulnerability of adolescents and youth”; "The army is completely destroyed." These characteristics are of interest to both “specialists of various specialties, sociologists, psychologists, political scientists, and the military personnel themselves.

Despite the dramatic events of the last two decades, the Russian army remains not just a political instrument, but also a social institution that plays a significant role in the life of society. Rapid changes in the world and in Russia itself determine the inevitability of transformation of the entire military organization of the state, and primarily the Armed Forces. Obviously, the effectiveness of the state machine as a whole largely depends on their ability to quickly adapt to new geopolitical realities and new challenges to national security. Russia without an army is no longer Russia.

Let us characterize the image of the Russian Armed Forces, which has currently developed in the eyes of its own citizens. Unfortunately, in recent years there have been no special studies that would directly answer this question. The dissertation author, based on data from leading sociological centers for the study of public opinion, analyzed the dynamics of the image of the Armed Forces since their formation in 1992. The most important indicators of the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the prestige of military labor and public trust in the army. Depending on the change in the values ​​of these indicators, the dissertation author characterized the dynamics of the image of the Russian army. Conventionally, the dissertation author identified four time periods of the state-image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation:

1st stage - from 1992 to the end of 1995 (post-Soviet time of formation of new armed forces; Transnistrian conflict in the spring and summer of 1992; South Ossetian conflict of 1992; since 1994 Abkhazia - blocking the conflict area, monitoring the withdrawal of troops and disarmament, protecting the military objects; civil war in Tajikistan 1992-1996; Chechen conflict 1994-1996 - military operations in Chechnya, “first Chechen war”, “measures to maintain constitutional order”);

2nd stage - from 1996 to 2002 (anti-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus since 1999; Sierra Leone since 2000 - aviation support for the UN mission, air escort and cover for columns of UN troops and humanitarian convoys; peacekeeping operations of Russian troops in war in Yugoslavia).

3rd stage - from 2003 to 2008 (stabilization period, reform of the Armed Forces: creation of a modern structure; re-equipping army units with new and modernized types of military equipment, increasing allocations for defense; a unified system of orders and supplies of weapons, military equipment and equipment has been formed logistics support; the resumption of intensive combat and operational training (conducting a dozen field exercises; the beginning of an experiment in the transition to a contract service basis; an increase in the number of officials (psychologists, social work and crime prevention officers, assistant commanders for legal work, etc.), called upon to deal with issues of discipline and law and order);

Stage 4 - from 2008 to the present (bringing the Armed Forces to a new look).

Public trust in the Armed Forces;

The prestige of military labor;

Public and specialist assessment of the combat capability of the Armed Forces.

It seems necessary to clarify these concepts, since they act as the criterion basis for assessing IV S.

In the encyclopedic dictionary “Political Science”, the concept of trust is defined as “a necessary, emotional, intuitive factor in the functioning of politics and power, political relations and actions that determine their effectiveness and their perception by society and the individual.” The main condition for the emergence of trust is the actualization of the significance of that part of the world with which the subject intends to interact and its assessment as safe (reliable). That is, public trust in the Armed Forces is one of the sources of political (public) opinion, an important factor determining the situation in the army. Trust reflects an ideal, spiritual space; filled with ethical and moral assessments; socio-psychological space of sentiments, civil positions in relation to the army, politics and government. Trust is an essential element of legitimacy. The main task of legitimacy is to ensure trust in the ruling entity. It is this interpretation that we will adhere to in the future; analysis of public confidence in the Armed Forces. The army must generate faith in its potential, in its resources, in the possibility of satisfaction, expectations, and confidence in the protection of the state. The image of the army is intended to promote increased confidence in the army. That is, the image of the army should contribute to the manifestation of the population’s reaction to actions, activities, reality both in the army itself and in the state as a whole..

Main directions for improving the image of the Armed Forces in the interests of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation

The importance and role of the image of the armies of the opposing sides in modern wars and armed conflicts has increased enormously and continues to grow rapidly. Its formation became the most important part of the political, ideological, information-psychological and military preparations for war, as well as the successful conduct of armed struggle. The parties are increasingly actively and massively influencing, through their image, the attitude of world public opinion and their people towards the army and the state of security of states.

The work to create an image of a conscious, highly educated, cultural, devoted to its people, patriotic, internationalist, committed to the noblest principles of morality, selflessly heroic, armed with the latest technology, with high professional qualifications of the army should become a national, national matter. So that the created positive image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has greater social power. If the work is carried out correctly, it will strengthen the prestige of military labor and public trust in the army, promote the unity and cohesion of the military and citizens, act as an incentive for the zeal of serving people in military affairs, and thereby strengthen the security of the country.

Currently, one of the main tasks of state power and military leadership is to create a positive image of the Russian army. Moreover, the ideal option should be a minimal “divergence” from the real state of affairs.

Since the formation of the image of the Armed Forces is purposeful, the question of possible ways to improve activities to create and promote the image of the army will always be relevant. According to the author, this activity requires an integrated approach and involves the interconnection of institutional, foreign policy, domestic policy and technological areas.

Institutional direction. Successfully solving the problems of ensuring the country's security requires sufficiently strong public support. However, it is difficult to obtain it in conditions of harsh propaganda influence on public opinion, the purpose of which is to create a negative image of the Russian army. Therefore, the dissertation author considers it necessary to develop institutions related to the formation of the image of the army.

First of all, let's look at what institutionalization is. According to the authors of the electronic dictionary, this is the process of ordering, formalizing and standardizing something. In fact, institutionalization is the process of transforming people's spontaneous behavior into organized and predictable behavior. It is important to note that in practice almost all spheres and forms of social relations, even conflicts and crises, are institutionalized. Add that when there is a need, in our case, this is the need for security and activities to ensure it, the issue of creating “special institutions working in this direction, or improving the work of these institutions” will always be relevant

We believe that image institutionalization is, firstly, the development of rules of interaction in the information space of state, military, public, and other formal and informal structures; secondly, the development of rules by which the images of the army are formed, values ​​are developed and influence is exerted on society and its individual groups, thirdly, the creation and development of structures for the formation of the image of the army.

Let us note that almost no researchers have yet paid attention to the issues of image-based institutionalization of military security. The dissertation author will use the term “image institutionalization of military security” to understand the system of formation and development of institutions for forming the image of military force in the interests of military security. Such a system assumes the broad participation of various actors of the political system and citizens in the formation, improvement and promotion of the image of the army, active interaction of all bodies and branches of government with civil society institutions in the implementation of an active image policy in the field of security and defense of the country.

Let us note that the formation and development of image institutions that contribute to strengthening the security of our country is one of the most important modern tasks of state and military leadership. Thus, in the “National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020” it is stated that “strategic deterrence in the interests of ensuring the military security of the country, the prevention of global and regional wars and conflicts are strategic goals for improving national defense”, further “Strategic deterrence involves the development and systematic implementation of a set of military, information (and other) measures aimed at preventing or reducing the threat of the aggressor state”, “Strategic deterrence is carried out through the development of a system of military-patriotic education of citizens of the Russian Federation, as well as the development of military infrastructure and the management system of the military organization of the state”, “Achieving the strategic goals of national defense is carried out through the implementation of a set of measures to increase prestige military service"1. Therefore, improving the image of the army requires a strategic approach, articulated in the social request for state security. There is a need for systemic integration of institutions that ensure strengthening of the army's advantages over the armies of the world.

Before identifying the main image institutions in the field of forming the image of the army in the interests of military security that currently exist in Russia, the author believes it is advisable to highlight the essential features of the activities of these institutions, without which it cannot acquire a political coloring.

Image institutions in the field of military security should strive: firstly, to embed in the consciousness of the public such significant characteristics of the Russian army, which in the future1 can strengthen the morale of the population and the army in the event of hostilities; secondly, to apply such political technologies that would ensure the effective impact of the formed image of the army on individual and mass consciousness, on the creation of the necessary public opinion within the framework of political interests.

So, the author identifies several groups of these image institutions. State and non-state structures, bodies, organizations and individual citizens actively participating in the processes of political socialization of the population and the formation of a positive image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The image of an organization can be considered as a system of images and evaluations existing in people’s minds.

The concept of an organization’s image includes two components:

1. A descriptive (or informational) component, which represents the image of the organization.

2. The evaluative component, which exists due to the fact that any information about the organization stimulates evaluations and emotions, which can have varying intensities, can be accepted or rejected, and this is directly related to the attitude towards the organization.

Image and evaluation lend themselves only to conditional conceptual distinction. In reality they are inextricably linked. The image of an organization can be positive, negative, or unclear. The goal of the organization is to create a positive image. A positive image increases the organization's competitiveness in the market. It attracts consumers and partners, accelerates sales and increases their volume. It facilitates the organization’s access to various resources: financial, informational, human, material. A successful corporate image process requires planning, organization and control.

An integral attribute of any system is structure. Structure

The image of an organization includes eight components (or components):

1. Image of a product (service) - people’s ideas regarding the unique characteristics that, in their opinion, the product has.

2. The image of consumers of a product includes ideas about lifestyle, social status and some personal (psychological) characteristics of consumers.

3. The internal image of an organization is employees’ ideas about their organization. The main determinants of internal image are the culture of the organization and the socio-psychological climate.

4. The image of the leader or key leaders of the organization includes ideas about the abilities, attitudes, value orientations, psychological characteristics, and appearance of the leader.

5. The image of the staff is a collective, generalized image of the staff, revealing the most characteristic features of it.

6. Visual image of the organization - ideas about the organization, the substrate of which is visual sensations that record information about the interior of the office, sales and showrooms, and the corporate symbols of the organization.

7. Social image of the organization - ideas of the general public about the social goals and role of the organization in the economic, social and cultural life of society.

8. Business image of the organization - ideas about the organization as a subject of business activity.

The image of the organization is relatively stable. When it comes to an organization, it takes a long time and a lot of effort to change people's perceptions of it.

Image is of particular importance for large and well-known organizations. Such an organization is in the public eye and the focus of media attention. Therefore, large organizations constantly work with public opinion. This work aims to ensure favorable public behavior towards the organization.

The public's attitude towards an organization can be mediated by an already formed attitude towards the system in which the organization is included as a component. Thus, an idea of ​​a particular bank invariably includes an idea of ​​the banking system as a whole and an assessment of its activities. This indirection can have both a positive and negative impact on the image of a particular organization.

Thus, the process of creating an image is a constant process of improving the style and philosophy of the company, developing new attributes and improving old ones, revising ideas and searching for new approaches.

External image. Research shows that 83% of decisions we make are based on visual information. We carefully examine the person, office or thing and decide whether we want to deal with such a partner or not. So it turns out that the appearance of a business person has never been as important as it is now. Businessmen have never been so concerned about their external image as they are in our time. One way or another, this is what a rapidly developing society requires of us. Drawing up a plan for the external image means a thorough analysis of everything that first of all catches the eye of society and a specific buyer.

The fact that there is a direct connection between our appearance and success is also proven by scientific research. They clearly show that to be a professional it is necessary to dress according to standards of appearance, and yet millions of intelligent people refuse to take these studies seriously. Most often, the head of a company is judged by the standards of appearance of its employees. The biggest reason for problems with employee appearance is a lack of understanding. In other words, people don't understand how their appearance affects the image of the entire company. Otherwise, none of them would show up to work in the way they consider normal.

Young employees' education and home environment often have a negative impact. Therefore, the manager is forced to independently determine the standards for the appearance of employees. In this sense, management should set an example of compliance with them, but a “walking” example is clearly not enough.

What is the solution to this problem. It is necessary to set out in detail the requirements adopted in your company for the appearance of employees. Many employees will agree with you if the reasons for introducing these rules are clear to them. It is necessary to immediately introduce newly hired employees to them, otherwise a conversation with one of them about appearance when certain relationships have already been formed in the team will become the most difficult task for the HR manager in his work. It is a widely known fact that if employees are given the opportunity to choose their own business attire, the boundaries of appearance standards are violated by the most professional employees.

In addition, a typical mistake is that the managers of many large companies take professionalism in dress and appearance for granted, which is why they devote so little time and attention to this issue. This opinion is erroneous, and such managers can be advised to definitely take the time to explain the company’s attitude towards the uniform of its employees and give the necessary explanations. In addition, I would like to note that professional clothing gives rise to professional behavior, in other words, clothing and behavior are interrelated.

The only production factor that affects the reputation of a business is product quality. For most companies, the importance of product quality is obvious. If the consumer properties of a product are poor, neither excellent public relations nor impeccable customer service will save the company. Advertising can attract a buyer, but if he is dissatisfied with the product or the quality of services, then the positive image of such a company will not last long. It is necessary to monitor the quality of the product and work hard and hard.

The area of ​​tangible image, which we perceive with all five senses, includes everything from the company's slogan to its location. The name of the company and its slogan are the most noticeable elements in the image system. It is worth spending time and money to create the most effective version of these two elements. This is especially important for newly created companies.

The name and slogan of the company tell people what kind of company it is, they should clearly reflect the profile of its activities. The name of a company has an obvious impact on people. The shorter the name, the stronger its effect. It should also be easy to remember. In business all over the world, the name of corporations is considered so important that thousands of companies change it every year, after consultation with professionals.

The external image of the company must be clear and attractive to customers. It is also necessary to periodically rebuild the image, constantly strengthening it. There is no need to radically change everything every time. The company name should be on the sign, letterhead, business cards, product packaging - everything that represents the company to people. To enhance the impact of the image, it is necessary to unify all its components.

An important component of a company's external image is advertising. People learn about a new product or service mainly through advertising. Some types of advertising use a powerful image, others do not. Television changed our view of life in the 20th century. Over the past forty years, we have transformed from a society of readers into a society of television viewers. Today, we form opinions about people and products based on visual images, symbols and short, carefully composed text. In this sense, advertising, print and electronic, has risen to the level of a science. The main problem for those who do advertising today is competition. The amount of information about the product that hits the buyer is amazing. In addition to advertising in newspapers, on the radio, on billboards along the road, in evening television shows and magazines, the average Russian consumer is exposed to so many commercial advertising messages every day that most of them are simply not perceived by him. Only the most effective advertising reaches people and influences them.

Today, in the midst of competition, the creation of advertising must be entrusted only to professionals. Even if it involves writing an ad for the local newspaper or sending an ad by mail, this amateur endeavor is unlikely to attract the attention of the consumer, because it will have to compete with hundreds of other commercial ads written by professionals. And here, perhaps, the main problem is how to stand out from the crowd, even if the creation of advertising is entrusted to professionals.

Today, effective advertising attracts consumer attention not only with its professional level, but also with its emotional impact on people. It's unlikely that all advertising agencies understand this, so before you commission any of them to create your advertising, study their previous work.

Thus, we can say that the external image is influenced by such factors as the appearance of employees, product quality, slogan, location and advertising. Based on these characteristics, one can generally judge the corporate image outside the organization.

Internal image of the organization. Compared to the external image, the internal image is more difficult to adjust, but it is much more important for the company’s reputation and its successful activities. Employees' dedication to their company and enthusiasm for customer service is at the core of its internal image.

Experience shows that most employees are not even aware of the impact they have on the customer's perception of the company for which they work. The advice that can be given to employees of any company is simple: either you always speak only positively about your superiors and your work, or quit this position and find a company in which you will be proud to work. This advice applies to employees at all levels.

Based on what has been said: internal image is the image of a company through the eyes of its employees, the image that arises among customers when communicating with its employees. Simply put, a negative internal image means the company will inevitably lose customers and reputation. Research shows that retaining a loyal customer costs five times less than acquiring a new one. Even the most famous companies protect their internal image and try to maintain the morale of their employees. Team spirit and employee morale determine whether a company with big plans and talented employees will become famous throughout the world or whether it will leave only a small mark in history.

Perhaps no employee need is as important for boosting morale and strengthening loyalty to the company as the desire of employees to stay informed about the activities of their company. One of the main responsibilities of management should be to constantly familiarize employees with the company’s development concept. Belonging to a company with high standards of appearance and behavior improves the morale of the new employee. But some managers worry that maintaining high standards of appearance and behavior could negatively impact the quality of employees' work. Nothing like that - just the opposite. The very fact that a company hires only good workers and thereby maintains high standards increases its attractiveness in the eyes of job candidates. And of course, it strengthens the team spirit of those who already work there.

Putting clear standards of behavior and appearance in writing makes it much easier to resolve problems. The guide, with its standards, will help you start any conversation of this nature. It’s great if the development of standards and job descriptions is carried out simultaneously with the creation of the company, even before hiring the first employee. Preliminary work strengthens the company's image and saves time in the future when dealing with employee-related issues.

Modern companies with the best managers also try to satisfy another desire of their employees: the need for respect.

The American subsidiary of the Japanese company Honda, for example, abolished traditional management privileges in order to create an atmosphere of equality in the company. No more separate car parks. Everyone eats in the same cafeteria. Managers and workers wear the same uniform. In addition to these symbolic gestures, Honda encourages the participation of its workers in decision making, overtime and shift scheduling, which has always been the prerogative of management.

One of the greatest needs of company employees is the need for an improved internal corporate communications system. A study of workers at large financial corporations shows that top of their list of complaints was poor communication between subordinates and management and the feeling that management does not respect their employees. When subordinates are engaged in two-way communication, when they are constantly informed about what is happening in the company, they feel valued and trusted. And this, in turn, gives rise to a positive attitude of employees towards the company. Well-functioning corporate communications means more than just distributing a constant flow of information. It also involves managers seeking employee opinions and engaging with them personally.

Honda executives, for example, walk through factory buildings for an hour every two months and talk with company employees who have come up with the best ideas for improving production.

Employees' need for creativity and the opportunity to make personal contributions to the company are closely related to the desire for sustainable two-way communication. We all think that we have unique talents, that we are special and not like others. When we get a chance to express our creativity at work, we feel important to the company. No one can maintain high morale if they feel like a small cog in a corporate machine. Giving employees the opportunity to make even a small contribution to a common cause will greatly improve their morale. Conversely, if department heads believe that good ideas are born only in their heads, the motivation to work and the mood of employees drop below zero. The creative contribution of employees to the company brings success to it.

The need for our work to be valued touches the deepest chords of the human soul. We can move mountains if we feel valued and don't want to lift a finger if we feel unappreciated.

In order to express your approval to your subordinates and colleagues, you should not come up with grandiose events, the implementation of which will take up a lot of your time. The simplest and most valuable thing you can do is send a note to your colleague with words of praise and appreciation. Employees who are valued by management will value their customers. And the client will definitely feel it.

The need for recognition and reward is related to the desire of employees to be highly appreciated by others. Recognition of an employee's merits is a high assessment of his contribution to the common cause in the presence of colleagues. Praising an employee in front of his colleagues brings double benefits, because its effect is doubled. Promotion serves as an immediate reward for good work for an actor, musician, satirist, professional speaker or priest. They receive it in the form of laughter, applause and applause. Each of us needs the same recognition, and each of us wants to receive it.

A very smart company is one that understands the need for encouragement among its employees. It is not at all necessary that the reward be expensive and abstruse. This could be an unscheduled day off, a gift, a bouquet of flowers, tickets to a sporting event, or even an invitation to an office party.

Attention to employees is returned a hundredfold by the dedication of the company's employees, satisfaction from their work, and therefore, an increase in the image and prestige of the company in their eyes. No one can benefit a company's corporate image more than employees who take pride in their work.

Thus, we can say that the internal image is no less important for the company than the external one. Internal image is influenced by factors such as employee loyalty, perceptions of the company, the need for respect, the need for two-way communication, the need for creative work, the need to be highly appreciated by others, the need for recognition and reward, and the need for growth and advancement. The internal image of a company that takes into account all of the above factors will be very high. And the work of such a company will be more efficient.

5. Social responsibility of business

Social responsibility implies a certain level of voluntary response to social problems on the part of the organization. This response takes place in relation to what lies outside the requirements determined by law and regulatory bodies or in excess of these requirements.

Society has developed certain expectations about how an organization should behave in order to be considered a good corporate member of the communities it serves. The emerging view is that organizations must act responsibly in numerous areas such as environmental protection, health and safety, civil rights, consumer protection, and the like.

Debates about the role of business in society have generated numerous arguments for and against social responsibility.

Arguments for social responsibility:

· Favorable long-term business prospects.

· Changing needs and expectations of the general public.

· Availability of resources to assist in solving social problems.

· Moral obligation to behave socially responsibly.

Arguments against social responsibility:

· Violation of the principle of profit maximization.

· Expenditures on social inclusion.

· Insufficient level of reporting to the general public.

· Lack of ability to solve social problems.

Why have modern reforms in the military sphere not yet received adequate support from Russians? Why is open public policy needed in Russia? Candidate of Political Sciences, expert of the Association of Military Political Scientists Alexander Perendzhiev reflects on why a positive image of the state in the mass public consciousness is necessary.">

8:33 / 27.11.12

Positive image of Russia as a means of strengthening national security

Why have modern reforms in the military sphere not yet received adequate support from Russians? Why is open public policy needed in Russia? Alexander Perendzhiev, candidate of political sciences and expert at the Association of Military Political Scientists, reflects on how the formed image of Russia among representatives of other states determines policy towards our country and why a positive image of the state is necessary in the mass public consciousness.

On the need to form a positive image of Russia

Issues of image in general and the image of Russia have already been quite thoroughly studied by domestic scientists 1, and in March 2003, the Academy of Imageology was created in our country, which unites about a hundred academicians and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 2

We believe that the domestic scientific and expert community has already understood the essence of the concept of “image”. Therefore, in this article we plan to analyze the content of the relationship between the image of Russia and domestic national security policy.

Today there are quite precise criteria by which one can determine the concept of “country image”.

This is a set of beliefs and feelings of people that arise about the political, historical, ethnographic, socio-economic, moral, psychological and other features of the state.

It is obvious that a subjective idea of ​​a country can be formed as a result of direct personal experience (for example, as a result of living on its territory) or indirectly (according to eyewitnesses, from media materials, etc.).

According to ex-President Dmitry Medvedev, the transformation of Russia's defense sector has been completed. What are the results?

Let us note that the image of a country is a very diverse, sometimes artificially created image that takes shape in people’s minds. But since the people themselves are completely different, their perception is also specific; In addition, each person has different information about the country, the experience of living in it is different.

As a result, the image of the same country in the minds of different people is formed differently. Often the image of a country is formed in the absence of sufficient information and people’s own experience.

In this case, the image is based on mass stereotypical ideas (and sometimes misconceptions and myths), facts gleaned from the media, literary, cinematic and other sources (even from anecdotes).

Therefore, it is very important for each state, when forming its positive image, to constantly and very actively influence the information space (both national and international).

It is obvious to us that a positive image of the state in the mass public consciousness is necessary, first of all, for the successful formation and implementation of fundamental national interests. National interests, in turn, represent the motivated and specified basic goals of the state’s foreign and domestic policies.

Image and politics as related categories

An analysis of global political practice convinces us that neither domestic government bodies nor Russian society have yet managed to achieve serious image success.

We have to admit that in world public opinion, the modern image of Russia remains rather negative, and does not contribute to the successful implementation of the interests of our country in the international arena.

An analysis of the ratio of positive and negative information about Russia suggests that the information space is a kind of resonator, since in it society reacts sensitively, and sometimes even exultantly, to what is happening in the world, and the opinions of world leaders are actively broadcast.

In recent years, Russia has been spoken and written about in international information flows mostly negatively and this is a deliberately constructed atmosphere, a kind of information aura into which it was immersed against the backdrop of imitative modernization.

At the same time, expert knowledge is not yet aimed at proposing an integrating (national and international public opinion) project for the image of the new Russia.

We mean a project that would predetermine the clear boundaries of the image of Russia, propose the basic values, symbols, and meanings that make up the world picture of modern Russia and the core of its image.

In the meantime, the projects put forward for shaping the image of Russia are more focused on bringing the real state of our country in line with the schemes and models of political strategists 5 (but not vice versa).

Model of a positive image of Russia

One of Russia's national interests is a reliable system of its national security, 6 which depends on the image of the state.

Our author's hypothesis is the following assumption : the formed image of our country among the rest of the planet’s population (who are not Russians) to a large extent determines the policy towards Russia, and can also determine the specific actions of the political leadership of other states in relation to our country.

And, of course, a change in the attitude of the population of a particular country towards Russia can radically change the policy of this state towards our country and then the state of domestic national security.

When building an argument to substantiate the model of a positive image of Russia, one should turn to three main concepts that underlie it:

• self-image
• perceived image
• simulated image

All of them are in an uncertain and unfinished form. Thus, the image of a superpower that accompanied the Soviet state after the Great Patriotic War was replaced by a negative perception of Russia in the eyes of both the world and domestic public 7 .

In our opinion, it is obvious that if Russia is perceived by foreign citizens as a criminal or military-politically weak state, then perhaps such a circumstance can determine aggressive and/or provocative actions on the part of individual states and international communities.

It is no coincidence that Professor V.V. Serebryannikov writes: “The art of forming a favorable image of states, political and military figures, economic and socio-political structures, armies, etc. known since ancient times. But the real revolution occurred in the twentieth century, when the matter of forming the image of various subjects of the state and society became one of the most important components of the political, ideological and information struggle.” 8

Therefore, the image is dialectically interconnected with issues of national security and foreign policy of the state.

The inertia of civil society institutions harms the security of the state

Reflecting on the content of this relationship, it is worth emphasizing that the inertia and passivity of the political leadership, government bodies, and civil society institutions causes truly irreparable damage to the security of the state, society and citizens.

For example, the use of Russian armed forces in South Ossetia in August 2008 clearly demonstrated serious miscalculations in the actions of the Russian authorities and military command and control bodies in the international information space.

Only this passivity can explain the situation when, at the initial stage of the Georgian aggression (i.e., even before the entry of Russian troops), public opinion in a number of European countries and the United States was ready to recognize Russia as the aggressor.

Without receiving objective and constantly increasing volume of new information from the Russian leadership and the domestic Ministry of Defense, the top political leaders of a number of foreign countries actually provided all kinds of support to Georgia, primarily informational.

After the introduction of an additional contingent of Russian troops into the conflict zone, Internet sites and numerous “blogs” literally “exploded” with indignant messages condemning “the aggression of imperial totalitarian Russia against small freedom-loving Georgia.” 9

And Georgia itself at that moment was positioned in the information space as a nation that was not only restoring its territorial integrity, but allegedly also protecting the southern borders of the Russian Federation from “terrorists and bandits.”

In our opinion, in this particular case, the situation was saved by the fact that for Russia the armed phase of the conflict was fleeting and, on the whole, relatively successful. "Otherwise, notes specialist from the Military University O.N. Zabuzov, - the information machine launched by M. Saakashvili, with obvious support from the leading world powers, could seriously worsen the image of Russia in the eyes of the world community and individual foreign citizens.” 10

Political scientists even then drew attention to the not very high effectiveness of the Russian government in shaping a positive public opinion about our country.

For example, G. Pavlovsky noted that “Russian accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide were immediately copied by warring Georgia, which recognized the potential for political action in this, and immediately - already from the Georgian side - in the form of correctly delivered papers were sent to European courts. ... And our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice repeat all the same formulas, but no one bothered to draw up the simplest papers.” 11

However, despite the fact that more than a year has passed since the beginning of the events in South Ossetia, the Russian leadership has not been able to convince the world community of the complete correctness of its actions.

On September 29, 2009, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution dedicated to the “Russian-Georgian conflict”, in which it expressed dissatisfaction with the allegedly inadequate actions of our government and the military 12 (although Georgia’s aggression was still officially recognized).

From this we conclude that as long as the Russian state does not work proactively in preventing information threats, it itself actually cannot form the world public opinion that Russia needs.

In addition, political deception, political provocations, betrayals, inaction, uncertainty and instability can pose a threat to national security.

It is known that political provocation is a phenomenon capable of influencing (primarily due to its shocking effect) the consciousness of society, including certain social and professional groups, parties and socio-political movements, representatives of science, culture, and health care. and etc.

Political provocation is used in many countries as a means of economic, political, ideological and psychological struggle, and to compromise competitors. It is used as a means of destroying political values, guidelines of the individual, society and state and, ultimately, creates a negative image.

A striking example of political and informational provocation against Russia, which negatively affected its image, is the case of the Arctic Sea ship in the summer of 2009. The incoming negative (in relation to Russia) information was not only not refuted by Russian authorities, but was not even commented on by domestic media and PR structures for a long time.

It seems that in our country they mistakenly believed that there was nothing dangerous in the hijacking of a ship for Russia and its image. However, the real actions of the media, information and PR agencies of a number of states refuted Russian confidence.

Thus, taking advantage of the lack of information from our country, numerous reports appeared in foreign media and on Internet sites about nuclear weapons allegedly illegally transported on the Arctic Sea, about the alleged dismantling of “Russian mafia clans” and even about the possible old-fashioned knocking out of insurance from by the ship owners.

The number of unreal, and sometimes even fantastic, versions of what was happening (on the ship and in connection with the ship) amounted to several dozen in the information space. In the absence of an objective and balanced Russian position in connection with the temporary disappearance of the vessel, one expert even suggested that the mysterious disappearance of the vessel was a theatrical performance, the ultimate goal of which is to grant the Russian president expanded military powers. 13

We believe that there is no point in commenting on any versions. In our opinion, the seizure of the ship by pirates, conflicting information about its location, as well as attempts by foreign news agencies to discredit the Russian crew of the ship, suggest another provocation against Russia and its citizens.

And the nationality of the pirates also gives many countries a basis for such a proposal, since all of them turned out to be ethnic Russians, although citizens of different states - Estonia, Latvia and Russia.

Reasons for the weak position of leadership in the international information space

It should be recognized that the insufficiently active position of the Russian leadership in the international information space contributed to the birth of various rumors, fantasies and conjectures. It is these images, specially (not by us) constructed in the information space (in the apt expression of the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard - simulacra 14) that continue to influence the image of Russia.

The reluctance to actively comment on the often biased and non-objective information received about Russia and its citizens by government and specialized structures has given the world public opinion the basis to consider all these rumors and speculations to be unfounded. And as a result, once again information provocation had a negative impact on the image of our country and its national security.

What is the reason for the weakness of the position of the highest political and government leadership in the international information space? Why are domestic government and specialized structures inferior to similar foreign and international institutions in forming a positive image of our country? Let us formulate several reasons for this situation.

Firstly , we believe that political decisions in Russia are still closed and are made by a narrow circle of people. In the last decade in our country “The process of making the most important government decisions acquired an openly clan and even “family” character, the role of its shadow component sharply intensified and became obvious to the entire society.” 15

As researcher V. Vorotnikov believes, the majority of the population is actually excluded from the political process, the degree of its political participation is low, which objectively reflects the measure of social representation, public control, transparency and civil will. 16 This reason is periodically recognized by Russian President V.V. Putin and Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev. 17

Secondly , many scientists and politicians note that currently in Russia there is no real political opposition, which should promote the dissemination of political information and ensure real, and not just formal, freedom of the media. This, in turn, contributes to the poor development of information technology and the control of the media only by large media magnates and/or the state.

In this regard, we believe that the head of the Russian government D.A. Medvedev correctly formulates the problem of forming an information society in our country, which is so far being resolved slowly.

Third , in Russia the gradual “bureaucracy” of politics continues (the number of officials is growing, corruption cannot be curbed, new institutions of state regulation are not created). YES. Medvedev, in his article “Russia, forward!” was forced to admit that the all-powerful Russian bureaucracy is hindering the innovative development of the country. 18

Fourth In our opinion, the task of forming a positive image of Russia in the international information space has not become important and relevant for the entire Russian state policy. This conclusion follows, among other things, from the excessive overload of public authorities with various functions (according to estimates of the Government of the Russian Federation, the state administration in our country, even after administrative reform, is required to perform more than 3.5 thousand various functions).

In addition, it should be recognized that our country has not formed a system of specialized institutions designed to carry out state policy only in the information space (we mean the system of media, news agencies and PR structures).

Fifthly , our country has much less (compared to European countries and the United States) experience in operating in the information space using public relations methods (rather than state propaganda).

The first of them is the contradiction between the need for a radical transformation of the economy and social sphere and ensuring the continuity of presidential power.

The second contradiction lies in the content and direction of socio-economic transformations, since some government structures are more concerned with meeting their needs than with reforms in the interests of society and citizens. 19

It turns out that in conditions where the interests of the authorities, the public and the majority of citizens are not synchronized with each other, the contradictions and conflict between them will continue to deepen. Meanwhile, the image of Russia (like any state) and the state of its national security are interconnected in various directions.

For example, Switzerland does not have powerful armed forces, but the image of the success of this historically neutral state and the success of the Swiss create for the entire world community the image of a safe country in all areas of public life (political, economic, social, etc.).

Hence the attractiveness for businesses and individuals all over the world to deposit money in Swiss banks. In turn, the growth in the well-being of the Chinese and the economic successes of the Celestial Empire on the world stage create the image of the PRC as a country that is currently capable of solving any problems for itself (even in the conditions of the global financial and economic crisis).

Therefore, along with economic growth in the PRC, the image of this country as a strong military-political state is strengthening. An almost direct connection is observed between the image of a state’s Armed Forces and the state of its national security.

What is the reason for the weakness of the position of the highest political and government leadership in the international information space? Why are domestic government and specialized structures inferior to similar foreign and international institutions in forming a positive image of our country? Let us formulate several reasons for this situation.

Firstly, we believe that political decisions in Russia are still closed and are made by a narrow circle of people.

As researcher V. Vorotnikov believes, the majority of the population is actually excluded from the political process, the degree of its political participation is low, which objectively reflects the measure of social representation, public control, transparency and civil will. This reason is periodically recognized by Russian President V.V. Putin and Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev.

Secondly, many scientists and politicians note that at present in Russia there is no real political opposition, which should promote the dissemination of political information and ensure real, and not just formal, freedom of the media. This, in turn, contributes to the poor development of information technology and the control of the media only by large media magnates and/or the state. In this regard, we believe that the head of the Russian government D.A. Medvedev correctly formulates the problem of forming an information society in our country, which is so far being resolved slowly.

Thirdly, the gradual “bureaucratization” of politics continues in Russia (the number of officials is growing, corruption cannot be curbed, and new institutions of state regulation are not created). YES. Medvedev, in his article “Russia, forward!” was forced to admit that the all-powerful Russian bureaucracy is hindering the innovative development of the country.

Fourthly, in our opinion, the task of forming a positive image of Russia in the international information space has not become important and relevant for the entire Russian state policy. This conclusion follows, among other things, from the excessive overload of public authorities with various functions (according to estimates of the Government of the Russian Federation, the state administration in our country, even after the administrative reform, is required to perform more than 3.5 thousand various functions). In addition, it should be recognized that our country has not formed a system of specialized institutions designed to carry out state policy only in the information space (we mean the system of media, news agencies and PR structures).

Fifthly, our country has much less (compared to European countries and the United States) experience in operating in the information space using public relations methods (rather than state propaganda).

The reasons we have listed allow us to formulate two fundamental contradictions in modern Russian politics.

The first of them is the contradiction between the need for a radical transformation of the economy and social sphere and ensuring the continuity of presidential power. In our opinion, the main political players and government authorities prefer to focus more on finding a “successor” to the head of state than on developing the national economy.

The second contradiction lies in the content and direction of socio-economic transformations, since some government structures are more concerned with meeting their needs than with reforms in the interests of society and citizens. It turns out that in conditions where the interests of the authorities, the public and the majority of citizens are not synchronized with each other, the contradictions and conflict between them will continue to deepen.

Meanwhile, the image of Russia (like any state) and the state of its national security are interconnected in various directions.

For example, Switzerland does not have powerful armed forces, but the image of the success of this historically neutral state and the success of the Swiss create for the entire world community the image of a safe country in all areas of public life (political, economic, social, etc.). Hence the attractiveness for businesses and individuals all over the world to deposit money in Swiss banks.

In turn, the growth in the well-being of the Chinese and the economic successes of the Celestial Empire on the world stage create the image of the PRC as a country that is currently capable of solving any problems for itself (even in the conditions of the global financial and economic crisis). Therefore, along with economic growth in the PRC, the image of this country as a strong military-political state is strengthening.

An almost direct connection is observed between the image of a state’s Armed Forces and the state of its national security. The image of the US, Israeli, German, and Chinese armies is high, and therefore national security is at a high level in these countries.

Many states that are at the stage of their formation, in order to increase the level of their national security, are working to create a positive image of their Armed Forces as militarily strong. Examples of such states are Venezuela, Kazakhstan, North Korea and Iran.

Can the transformations to bring the Russian Armed Forces to a new look be considered as actions to create a different image of the Russian Army? In our opinion, definitely yes. However, at the same time, the reduction in the number of personnel, the replacement of a large number of military positions with civilian ones, and the positions of officers and warrant officers with sergeants, causes concern and an ambiguous assessment in Russian society. For example, at the next regional stage of the All-Russian forum “Strategy 2020”, held in Blagoveshchensk on October 2, 2009, the Hero of the Soviet Union, head of the Amur Legislative Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs, Yu. Kuznetsov, spoke harshly on the issue of modern transformations in the military sphere.

“At one time, there were 7 divisions on the territory of the Amur region, and now we have, excuse the unparliamentary expression, a castrated army,” he said. “Veterans, old people come to me - what will happen to the army, where are we going, who will defend the border?” . Thus, in Russian society there is still an opinion that the formation of a new image of the Russian Armed Forces does not yet contribute to strengthening the country’s national security.

It should be noted that the transformations themselves in the Russian army began without widespread public coverage in the media and other information channels of the military reform plan. In this regard, we believe that some public discontent objectively arises.

“The immediate reason for the strengthening of opposition sentiments in the army environment was hasty and large-scale reforms that were not accepted in military circles,” writes Associate Professor of the Oryol Regional Academy of Public Service D.L. Tsybakov, “The muted murmur turned into open indignation when information about a radical change in the functioning of the military organization of the state began to leak into the press.”

Only after the already begun structural changes and staffing and official arrangements in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation caused unrest in Russian society, did comments from high-ranking representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense begin in the press. At the same time, there are still few comments coming from the top officials of the state.

“In Russian society and in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, misunderstanding and direct dissatisfaction with the progress and results of the radical military reform being carried out by the Ministry of Defense is growing. The truth of life is that practically no one in the country can clearly explain the intention, essence and purpose of the ongoing reforms, the stages of reform and methods of its implementation,” says the Address of Armed Forces veterans to the President of the Russian Federation.

All these facts, unfortunately, cause distrust in the ongoing reforms in the military sphere and do not find broad public support. And this, in turn, could harm Russia’s national security.

Based on this, we believe that the less information power structures hide from the public, the more citizens will trust their authorities. And the sooner the broad masses of the population will support the authorities in any matter, including in ensuring national security. As V. Pligin, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building, noted: “Our security will lie in how healthy, sound society we can build, and how much it will cooperate with the state.”

However, so far in Russian political reality there is no broad awareness of the population about the ongoing transformations in the military sphere, and, accordingly, support for these transformations from the population and, above all, military personnel, military veterans and members of their families.

“The fact that many of modern undertakings, apparently justified by time, is not taken into account by the military community,” writes D.L. Tsybakov, - The reason for the dissatisfaction of everyone who is in any way connected with the army lies in the unceremonious and very radical nature of the transformations, carried out without taking into account the opinions of well-known military specialists and experts. The methodology of the ongoing reforms and the style of communication of the new management team of the Ministry of Defense evoke in many respects fair criticism from many honored professionals in the military profession.”

Why are modern reforms in the military sphere not yet finding adequate support among the country's population? In our opinion, the answer must be sought in the peculiarities of the socio-political structure of Russia. A political scientist needs to answer the question: is modern Russian society open or closed?

“An open society,” writes leading employee of the Institute of Employment Problems A.S. Akhiezer, - perhaps in a civil society, where culture and the entire system of relations are focused on stimulating the development of the individual as a subject of creative innovation. In civil society, a state is being formed that is capable of protecting the rights of everyone to form cultural innovations... to fight for free participation in political dialogue at all levels of society.”

Why is open public policy needed in Russia? Many domestic experts note that today in Russia the state, represented by the state apparatus, is often guided by outdated rules of administrative management and interaction with society that have long lost their effectiveness. Citizens of the country expect from their political and government leaders not only regulations or directive recommendations, but also seeking advice from society itself, as well as concrete actions to provide for the urgent needs of people. After all, power receives the right to exist and lead the country from society, and, without noticing its fundamental interests, it is, as it were, deprived of its original basis. And this, in turn, is fraught with the main danger for the existence of power structures in their current form.

In our opinion, open public policy will enable the public and socio-political institutions to control the actions of the authorities. In fact, such a policy will prevent the ineffective and inappropriate use of national resources, including those allocated for the needs of national security and defense of the country. Openness and publicity will not only contribute to the formation of the country’s image as a militarily strong state and fair in the use of military force.

Modern Russia needs, first of all, the image of an effective state, capable of protecting its interests and the interests of its own citizens in any conditions. At the same time, it is necessary for the Russian top leadership to form its own image of a government concerned with realizing the interests of Russians and protecting the citizens of their country.

So, the above features of the political regime in Russia have a direct impact on the formation of the image of our state, which, as we have found out, in turn affects the state of national security. Often it is the closeness and narrowness of the political decisions made, and the presence of a large and not always effective bureaucratic apparatus in Russia that does not allow us to form a positive image of our state.

What measures need to be taken to create conditions that will allow the formation of a positive image of Russia?

Firstly, we consider it necessary to fundamentally change the system of influence on society by the authorities. Namely, there is a need for a transition from a system of public administration, which presupposes an administrative style of management and the presence of a large bureaucratic apparatus, to a system of state regulation, which is based on the principle of political influence on society by the political elite and reliance on the processes of self-regulation and self-organization of society and citizens.

Secondly, it is necessary to create strong domestic information structures (like SNN or the Air Force) that could successfully compete with similar global information structures.

Thirdly, there is a long overdue need to train a large number of professional “PR specialists” and image makers in the field of creating a positive image of Russia, promptly responding to constantly emerging challenges and threats in the international information space.

Of course, all these specialists must be employed in their specialty. In general, our country needs a program for creating a positive image of Russia. This program should include a place not only for government agencies, but also for business, civil society, political parties and citizens. Only in this case will this program be successfully implemented.

Used Books:

1. See for example: Vasishcheva A.V., Nenasheva A.V. Image: definition of the central concept of imageology // Social and humanitarian knowledge. - 2005. - No. 4. - P. 311-317;

Berezkina O.P. Political image in modern political culture: Author's abstract. dis. ... doc. watered Sci. - St. Petersburg, 1999, etc.

3. Cm. scientific works of O.P. Berezkina, M. Bocharov, E.A. Galumova, L.G. Lapteva, E.A. Petrova, L.I. Pirogova, S.M. Tuchkova, E.V. Frolova, A. Chumikova and others .

4. Cm., for example: Chumakova A.A. Information and image policy of the country in cultural coverage (based on the material of the Russian and foreign press) : Author's abstract. dis. ...cand. cultural - M., 2007. - 25 p.

5. Cm.:

6. See: National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020

7. Cm.: Features of the transformation of Russia's image

8. Cm.: Serebryannikov V.V. Image of the Army // Image of the Army - Image of Russia / Ed. E.A. Petrova, V.P. Delia . - M.: RIC AIM, 2006. - P. 15.

9. Armed conflict in South Ossetia and its consequences. - M.: Red Star, 2009. - P. 87.

10. Zabuzov O.N. Russia's actions in the information space in connection with the armed conflict in South Ossetia // Armed conflict in South Ossetia and its consequences . - M.: Red Star, 2009. - P. 91.

11. Quote By: Samarina A. The Girl and the Showman // Independent newspaper. - 2008, August 18.

13. Cm.: "The Flying Dutchman": the strange disappearance of the Arctic Sea

14. A simulacrum is an image without an original, a representation of something that does not actually exist. For example, J. Baudrillard called the 1991 Gulf War a simulacrum, in the sense that those watching this war on CNN had no way of knowing whether anything really happened there, or whether it was just a dance of pictures and excited propaganda reports on their TV screens. Cm .:

15 . See for more details: Voslensky M. Nomenclature. - M.: Zakharov, 2005. - P. 372-375.

16. Cm.: Vorotnikov V. Political decisions: theory and Russian shadow practice // Browser. - 2004. - No. 1. - P. 83.

17. See for example: Medvedev D.A. Go Russia!

18 .Cm. right there.

19. T Arantsov V. Image of a political leader and national security of the country

20. Cm.:

21. See more details:

22. See, for more details: Appeal from veterans of the Armed Forces to the President of the Russian Federation: The military leadership will have to answer to the nation for the quality of decisions made and the results of actions

23. Cm.: “Strategy 2020” was projected onto the Amur region

24. See more details: Tsybakov D.L. Is the growing activity of opposition veterans' organizations the result of the “Serdyukov reform”?

25. Cm.: Akhiezer A.S. How to “open” a closed society . - M.: Master, 1997. - P. 16-17.

26. Cm.: Bayakhcheva S.L., Illarionov S.I. Ideology of civil society. - M.: RIN ProfEko LLC, 2006. - P. 19.

27. See more details: State regulation in the modern political process of Russia. Scientific monograph / VC. Belozerov, S.V. Demchenko, I.M. Karelina and others - M.-Orel: ORAGS, 2009. - pp. 17-18.