Footwear with feeling: a cultural approach to product development

ABSTRACT

Holt (2004) pioneered a change in marketing discourse by outlining how brands can become icons through tapping into cultural mythologies of the time. Yet, the theory has remained purely focused on branded consumption. This film extends the approach to the realm of product development and focuses on the transformation of a fashion trend into a consistent product category by examining the flatform shoe, a new shoe style that blends the height of a heel with the comfort of a flat. Through qualitative interviews and ethnographic analysis, this film argues that consumers are able to attach a strong postfeminist sensibility to the style. This helps to elevate the style to a mainstream category of its own through an adherence to cultural branding principles.     

Protection and unemployment

Job loss concerns strongly influence the politics of trade, yet the formal political economy of trade literature has largely ignored unemployment. This paper seeks to extend the literature by merging an unemployment model with a trade policy model. The theory implies that labor turnover rates and unionization rates may significantly affect protection for individual industries. I use US data to test the model and find that protection for an industry declines with its turnover rate and increases with its unionization rate. The results also imply that protection does not increase with output and increases with the number of unemployed workers.     

International trade and unemployment: Theory and cross-national evidence

We present a model of trade and search-induced unemployment, where trade results from Heckscher-Ohlin (H-O) and/or Ricardian comparative advantage. Using cross-country data on trade policy, unemployment, and various controls, and controlling for endogeneity and measurement-error problems, we find fairly strong and robust evidence for the Ricardian prediction that unemployment and trade openness are negatively related. This effect dominates the positive H-O effect of trade openness on unemployment for capital-abundant countries, which turns negative for labor-abundant countries. Using panel data, we find an unemployment-increasing short-run impact of trade liberalization, followed by an unemployment-reducing effect leading to the new steady state.     

Bankruptcies,firm size and unemployment: A big bang theory of economic cycles

This paper analyses the impact of bankruptcies on unemployment in an economy characterised by no substitutability of labour. A computer simulation model is used to analyse its properties. Spectral analysis reveals the existence of cycles in unemployment. It is found that average unemployment tends to be lower the more flexible are wages and interest rates, provided both move anticyclically, and the more rapid is the speed with which existing firms expand. An economy characterised by small firms is found to be more stable with a tendency to a longer cycle than one characterised by large firms. However, given the assumptions we have made, it is also likely to be characterised by higher average unemployment.     

文化环境影响论下的英汉习语翻译

本文致力于研究如何克服由文化环境影响下英语习语的翻译差异.本文首先陈述了英语习语的定义和分类以及文化特点,然后通过很多具体事例来阐明在讨论习语翻译的技巧时如伺利用文化知识.本文结论认为文化环境影响论能帮助获得更准确、生动的翻译. abstract： this paper attempts to study how to overcome the differences by a cultural approach in translation of english idioms.the paper first sets out with the definition and the classification of idioms and the cultural characteristics of englishidioms then it lists many specific examples to illustrate how to make use of the cultural knowledge while discussing the techniques ofidioms transhtion.this paper is concluded with the idea that the culturalapproachcanhelp achieve moreaccurate and lively translations.     

Outward foreign direct investment,wage rigidity and unemployment: A computable general equilibrium analysis

Taiwan has started to liberalize its exchange rate and foreign investment policies since the mid 1980s. The subsequent considerable appreciation of its currency and increasing labor cost has stimulated many Taiwanese firms to actively undertake outward foreign direct investment (FDI). The possibility of the industrial hollowing-out induced by the FDI has been a great concern in Taiwan. The purpose of this paper is to establish a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to investigate the impact of outward FDI by Taiwanese firms on its domestic economy. The efficiency wage theory is incorporated into the analytical framework. This paper first employs regression analysis to show that there exists severe wage rigidity in the labor market of Taiwan. Its simulation analysis then indicates that the outward FDI from Taiwan might reduce its income and employment to some extent. These results reveal that the outward FDI might hurt a distortion-ridden economy, which is consistent with the theoretical findings of Brecher and Choudhri (1987 Brecher, R. A. and Choudhri, E. U. 1987. International migration versus foreign investment in the presence of unemployment. Journal of International Economics, 23: 329–342.  [Google Scholar]) and Basu (1998 Basu, B. 1998. Efficiency wages, unemployment and international factor movements. Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, 7: 317–338. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). However, it seems that the outward FDI could account for only a very small part of the recent increase in Taiwan's unemployment level.     

Metaphors and meaning: A grounded cultural model of us entrepreneurship

A grounded cultural model of US entrepreneurship is developed by analysing the metaphors that entrepreneurs use to give meaning to entrepreneurship in their life-and-business narratives. The resultant cultural model is coherent and internally consistent, and is helpful in providing stronger insights into entrepreneurs' own perspectives, aspirations, and cognition of the entrepreneurial process. Close to Schumpeter's conception of the entrepreneur, it nevertheless contains elements that are markedly American, and can be contrasted both with European mental models of entrepreneurship, and metaphorically derived models of organisational behaviour.     

Trade patterns,unemployment and growth

This paper analyses the implications of a minimum wage in an open economy two-sector model where the effect of growth on trade and unemployment is explicitly determined. The first-best policy is a wage subsidy to all employment while the second-best policy is a production tax cum subsidy. In the absence of policy intervention it is shown that growth in the short run results in decreasing unemployment for the home country if it is specialized in consumption goods or incompletely specialized provided that the minimum wage is binding. If the economy is specialized in investment goods, then unemployment may increase initially but as growth continues the minimum wage no longer remains binding and full employment is restored. In the long run by examining the dynamic interaction between trade and growth it is possible for the economy to be incompletely specialized with unemployment. If the economy specializes in consumption goods, it is possible for the economy to attain full employment.     

福利与贫困——贫困的内涵及其概念基础的演变

困与贫困治理一直是世界各国面临的重大问题。经济学家将贫困问题研究归于福利问题研究,即研究社会的福利水平与分配。当前对贫困的研究正步入一个新的阶段,贫困的内涵也有了很大的改变。这一发展改变的仅是传统评价个人福利和贫困状况的思路,很多问题还处于不断争论的状态。     

多维贫困及其度量研究的最新进展:问题与方法

从多维角度把握贫困的实质,逐渐为国际学术界所认同.在这种背景下,多维贫困的具体度量成为近年来贫困问题研究的焦点.本文从贫困维度的确定、贫困主体的确定及多维贫困度量三方面梳理了学者们在多维度量过程中遇到的问题与难题,及所用分析工具与分析方法的最新进展,并做出简要评价.     

Outsourcing, unemployment and welfare policy

The paper investigates the consequences of outsourcing of labor intensive activities to low-wage economies. This trend challenges the two basic functions of the welfare state, redistribution and social insurance when private unemployment insurance markets are missing. The main results are: (i) outsourcing raises unemployment and labor income risk of unskilled workers; (ii) it increases inequality between high- and low-income groups; and (iii) the gains from outsourcing can be made Pareto improving by using a redistributive linear income tax if redistribution is initially not too large. We finally derive the welfare optimal redistribution and unemployment insurance policies.     

Offshoring and unemployment: The role of search frictions labor mobility

In a two-sector, general-equilibrium model with labor-market search frictions, we find that the wage increases and sectoral unemployment decreases upon offshoring in the presence of perfect intersectoral labor mobility. If, as a result, labor moves to the sector with the lower (or equal) vacancy costs, there is an unambiguous decrease in economywide unemployment. With imperfect intersectoral labor mobility, unemployment in the offshoring sector can rise, with an unambiguous unemployment reduction in the non-offshoring sector. Imperfect labor mobility can result in a mixed equilibrium in which only some firms offshore, with unemployment in the offshoring sector rising.     

A reconciliation of the unemployment — New firm startup paradox

The purpose of this paper is to reconcile the seeming paradox emerging in the literature relating unemployment to new-firm startup activity and the decision to enter into self-employment. On the one hand time series studies have generally found that entrepreneurship is promoted by high levels of unemployment. On the other hand, cross-sectional studies have generally found that startup activity tends to be depressed where unemployment is high. We present a model derived from Knight's theory of individual choice in order to reconcile this apparent paradox. Assuming presence of an economy-wide demand shock and industry-specific shocks, the model indeed predicts the relations between new firm startup and unemployment which are found in empirical analysis. Hence, instead of blaming specification errors or unobserved policy changes, the seeming paradox can be reconciled by solid economic theory.     

Absorptive capacity,innovation and cultural barriers: A conditional mediation model

The construct of absorptive capacity has two dimensions: potential absorptive capacity (PACAP) and realized absorptive capacity (RACAP). This study addresses these two dimensions separately, and analyzes their influence on innovation outcomes (IO) in organizations. The study also examines the mediating role of RACAP in the relationship between PACAP and IO. Furthermore, the paper contains a discussion on the moderating role of cultural barriers (CB) in decreasing the PACAP–RACAP link. Consequently, this study builds and tests a conditional process model. Data comes from a sample of 110 firms from the Spanish automotive components manufacturing sector. Results from variance-based structural equation modeling and the PROCESS tool show that RACAP fully mediates the influence of PACAP on IO, and that CB negatively conditions this indirect effect. This study provides evidence that when CB attains medium-to-high values, this indirect influence is not different from zero.     

贸易自由化与我国农村贫困和减贫

贸易自由化与我国农村贫困的关系是极其复杂的,对农村脱贫兼具正反_两种效应。总体上讲,贸易自由化对我国农村摆脱贫困的影响是利大于弊：农民会从贸易自由化中获益,使其尽快摆脱贫困;加快了城市化进程。而对于经济欠发达地区的农民,贸易自由化对其的影响多是负的。应正视贸易自由化与我国农村贫困的关系,着眼于贸易自由化对我国农业发展的长远利益,适时适宜制定贸易自由化条件下我国农村减贫的对策,加快农村减贫的进程。其对策是：建立农民的政治和经济参与制度;支持广大农户多元化的创收活动;改革和完善农村的金融服务市场;增加对农业的科学技术知识投入;加大贫困地区农村基础设施建设;鼓励农民进城务工和向城市迁移。     

International division of labour and structural unemployment

In INTERECONOMICS No. 12, 1975 the case for relocation of industries in developing countries was discussed by representatives of German industry. The following article deals with the same problem from the trade unions’ point of view.     

Measuring consumer vanity: A cross‐cultural validation

Given the unmistakable trend toward a more integrated global economy and the tremendous impact of consumer vanity on demand for countless goods and services, there exists a need for more cross‐cultural research on the important psychological construct known as consumer vanity (Netemeyer, Burton, & Lichtenstein, 1995). This article examines four components of the vanity construct: appearance concern, appearance perception, achievement concern, and achievement perception. To test the vanity construct cross‐culturally, a survey was undertaken in the United States and China. This article illustrates the use of the comprehensive analytical framework proposed by Steenkamp and Baumgartner (1998) to assess measurement invariance in cross‐cultural consumer research. The results provided a rigorous cross‐cultural validation test of the vanity scale that has implications for both academics and practitioners in cross‐cultural consumer research and marketing. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Minimum wage,unemployment and international migration

"The link between immigration and unemployment among the native workers of the host country is examined within a model which distinguishes individuals in terms of their ability to perform services in the labor market. An inflow of foreign workers is found to have an ambiguous effect on the level of income received by the native factors of production. This is in sharp contrast to the findings that immigration improves welfare in a fully employed host country and that it unambiguously lowers welfare in a minimum-wage economy with homogeneous labor."