The Effect of Political Events on Foreign Direct Investment in Marketing

While numerous studies have been conducted on environmental factors in international marketing, few have dealt directly with the effect of political events on foreign direct investment in marketing (FDIM). This paper examines the relationship between political events and FDIM by a pooled time-series (21 Years) and cross-sectional (26 countries) model. The results of this study indicate that both inter-nation and intra-nation conflictive and cooperative political events affect FDIM in a negative and positive way. The study also found a difference in the extent to which the political events affect FDIM in developed countries and in less developed countries.     

基于东北亚经济合作的战略伙伴关系

文章在分析了东北亚经济合作的必要性的基础上,探讨了作为主要经济合作手段 的东北亚各国产学研机构间的战略伙伴关系,并提出了发展东北亚经济共同体的具体模式。     

OCA Issue in East Asia under the Pressure of Chinese RMB Appreciation

As the rumor that RMB will appreciate in the near future, most Asian currencies had appreciated according to this matter since the appreciation of Chinese RMB will strengthen the exports of those Asian counties, thus appreciate the currencies of those countries. An OCA matter here comes again to the Asian countries. As we all know, Euro has been formally used among European areas since 1999, and this is the fir.st time that the optimum currency system was adopted in the international history. Asia, as another area that has most development potentiality in the world, should it adopt the monetary integration process as well？ In this paper the necessary conditions to form an OCA are analyzed; European experience are conjured with the own feature of East Asia areas; possibilities of forming the OCA in East Asia are concluded as well as the resistances; besides the potential process of forming an OCA is suggested.     

Financing enterprise development in sub-Saharan Africa

This paper examines some critical gaps in the financial infrastructurein sub-Saharan Africa, which have contributed to the poor performanceof productive investment by private agents. It first analysesthe performance of financial systems, encompassing both formaland informal financial sectors, in relation to the changingpolicy environment, and key features of the financial marketstructure. It then identifies those gaps in financial servicesthat have been particularly detrimental to private investment,enterprise growth and transformation. Finally, the paper considerspolicy implications drawn from East Asian experiences with respectto financial policies, institutional arrangements and marketintegration measures for financing enterprise development.     

Diversification and performance: evidence from East Asian firms

We examine the impact of diversification on performance for firms operating in different institutional environments during a relatively stable period and during a major economy‐wide shock. We locate our study in six Asian countries at different levels of institutional development. Results indicate that diversification negatively impacts performance in more developed institutional environments while improving performance only in the least developed environments. Even in the least developed institutional environments, diversification offers limited benefits when an economy‐wide shock strikes. Though successful diversifiers are sometimes affiliated with business groups, diversification is associated with poorer performance for both affiliated firms and independent firms. In sum, we find that the outcomes of diversification are influenced by institutional environments, economic stability and affiliation with business groups. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Implications of rice policies for farmers: Selected South East Asian countries

Varying levels of rice selfsufficiency have been reached by the agriculture-based economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. The author reviews the major agricultural policies adopted by these countries to provide adequate rice for their domestic populations. While rice production has increased, the distribution of its benefits has been poor. The need to continue rice consumption subsidies is questioned, particularly in cases when they do not benefit the target groups of poor for which they were originally intended. The author proposes a re-examination of policies, emphasizing the need to strengthen development efforts to promote both the production and consumption of other staple food crops.     

Far East Asia tourist market segmentation by push attributes

The purpose of this study is to segment the Far East Asia tourist market by using push attributes and to delineate related implications. Literature regarding these related studies and market segmentation processes was reviewed. This study utilized push attribute data collected from those people who would most likely travel to the Far East Asia in the early part of the twenty‐first century. A factor‐cluster approach was employed to find and explore the market characteristics. Seven factors and six clusters were extracted from the data analyses. Cluster scores were significantly different by destination, by country of origin, and by themselves. Clusters have unique characteristics in terms of push attributes. Thus, there is a need to cater each cluster by considering the market preferences separately. Further research is recommended to further the understanding of the Far East Asian tourist market.     

Policies for agricultural development in Peninsular Malaysia

This paper highlights land use changes in the agricultural sector of Peninsular Malaysia. Since rational land use necessitates consideration of alternatives in relation to the natural potential of the land, the author examines the land resource inventory based on soil suitability and land utilization. This is followed by a discussion of land use changes brought about by public sector land development agencies and the private sector. The author gives a review of current land use policies and concludes with possible alternatives for the future.     

Linguistic and Religious Influences on Foreign Trade: Evidence from East Asia*

Using a modified gravity model and the cross‐sectional data of East Asian economies, the present paper presents evidence that supports the view that the effect of distance‐related transaction costs on trade tends to fall over time. Overall religious influence on foreign trade exists in the post‐Cold War period but not during the Cold War period. The effects of language on inter‐regional trade and of religion on intra‐regional trade both weaken over time. In all cases, religion tends to have more significant influences on intra‐regional trade than language, and language tends to exert more significant influences on inter‐regional trade than religion. Finally, from 1985 to 1995 there is an indication that: (i) English becomes more important for inter‐regional trade; (ii) Bahasa, English and Khmer become less important for intra‐regional trade; and (iii) Chinese plays an increasing role in both intra‐regional and inter‐regional trade.