Knowledge and preference of aromatic rice by consumers in East and South-east Asia

A survey on aromatic (scented) rice was conducted of 150 people in each capital in Indonesia, Philippines, Korea and Japan in order to ascertain if they are familiar with the rice and like the aroma. Many of the subjects in Jakarta and Manila know of aromatic rice, and they often eat it and even prefer it. However, people in Seoul and Tokyo do not know of the rice. One hundred and seventy-five out of 246 persons (71%) in Kochi, Japan, know of the rice and over 60% of the subjects eat it. Most of the subjects who have eaten aromatic rice prefer the aroma. There is a great difference in the distribution of aromatic rice between East and South-east Asia. Significant differences are also found between Jakarta and Manila in the distribution and preference of the rice.     

Knowledge and preference for aromatic rice by people in Britain

This study was undertaken to see if people in Britain have knowledge about aromatic rice and if they have a preference for the rice. They know of and have a high preference for aromatic rice and have a high frequency of eating the rice, although they do not usually buy or eat aromatic rice and/or ordinary rice. The sensory test showed that the preferences of aroma, taste and overallpalatability for plain cooked Basmati (aromatic) rice were almost the same as for long grain (ordinary bland) rice. The aroma and taste of the sushi made of Basmati, however, were given higher scores than those of the sushi made of ordinary bland rice. On the other hand, the Japanese panellists did not give higher scores to the plain rice cooked using aromatic rice and to the sushi made of the rice. However, the sushi made of aromatic rice may be found acceptable by Japanese people. This study shows a possible way of making use of aromatic rice in Japan as well as in Britain.     

2008 East Asia Investment Forum Investment Cooperation in East Asia Facing Global Financial Fluctuations

2008 East Asia Investment Forum was held from May 10 to May 11 in Beijing with the theme of ＂Investment Cooperation in East Asia Facing Global Financial Fluctuations＂. It shed light on investment challenges and opportunities in Vietnam, Lao, Cambodia and Burma which are the four emerging markets in East Asia, and investment hotspots in Vietnam as well as the potential for investment cooperation in East Asia.     

东亚通货膨胀趋势及决定因素

文章选取11个东亚国家和地区的数据为代表,采用针对不同国家的最优ARIMA模型预测东亚通货膨胀的发展趋势,发现东亚大部分国家面临较大的通货膨胀压力,通货膨胀持续上涨的趋势明显。并采用面板数据和Pooled-OLS分析法分析东亚通货膨胀的决定因素,研究表明东亚的通货膨胀形成的原因复杂,在惯性通胀、产出缺口、国际油价和粮食价格等多个因素的共同作用下形成;并发现次贷危机前后的东亚通货膨胀的决定因素有所不同,次贷危机前石油和粮食价格等成本因素大大地推动了东亚的通货膨胀,次贷危机后产出缺口等需求因素较大地影响了东亚的通货膨胀。针对东亚通货膨胀问题,文章提出包括中央银行改革、紧缩性货币政策、能源和粮食储备战略和调控个别行业或商品的对策和建议。     

Economic Theory and Industrial Policy in East Asia

Economic liberalisation has been advocated as universally valid for developed and developing countries alike, and, as a result, the role of the state has been disparaged in favour of unrestricted markets and free trade. The neo-classical proposition is by no means fully justified from a theoretical point of view, and there exist powerful, countervailing arguments why government intervention and market coordination, especially during a nation's initial stage of industrialisation, can achieve improved resource allocation and greater competitive advantage. By helping to explain the very creation of industrial capacity, as well as the enhancement of long-term growth rates, institutional economics can provide clearer insights into the complementary roles of state and market. These theories are, moreover, supported by empirical evidence from East Asia, where government has been a contributory but not dominant factor in the achievement of economic success.     

Globalization,regionalization and convergence in East Asia

This research paper reports the result of an investigation into the pattern of income convergence in East Asia since 1970 and the proximate role of increased regionalization and inter-regional globalization in generating regional convergence or divergence. Specifically, we apply sigma and log t convergence tests for income convergence in the East Asian region and an augmented autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to analyze the relationship between regional income dispersion and intra- and extra-regional flows of goods, capital and technology. Regardless of the measure of per capita income, the sigma convergence tests fail to find any evidence of intra-regional convergence. The log t convergence tests do not indicate overall convergence either, but, indicate the existence of convergence clubs within the region. The regression analysis suggests that intra-regional flows of capital and technology and extra- regional FDI flows unambiguously engender convergence while intra-regional trade flows and extra-regional exports have divergence effects.     

Labour Migration and Economic Growth in East and South‐East Asia

East and South‐East Asia will face major demographic changes over the next few decades with many countries’ labour forces starting to decline, while others experience higher labour force growth as populations and/or participation rates increase. A well‐managed labour migration strategy presents itself as a mechanism for ameliorating the impending labour shortages in some East Asia–Pacific countries, while providing an opportunity for other countries with excess labour to provide migrant workers who will contribute to the development of the home country through greater remittance flows. This paper examines such migration policy options using a global dynamic economic simulation approach and finds that allowing migrants to respond to the major demographic changes occurring in Asia over the next 50 years would be beneficial to most economies in the region in terms of real incomes and real GDP over the 2007–50 period. Such a policy could deeply affect the net migration position of a country. Countries that were net recipients under current migration policies might become net senders under the more liberal policy regime.     

Determinants of Export Performance in East and Southeast Asia

This paper examines the determinants of exports in eight East and Southeast Asian economies, with an emphasis on the increasing importance of parts and components in total exports. To see whether exports in parts and components are ‘special’ and to allow comparisons, export equations are estimated for three different export categories: total merchandise exports, manufacturing exports and exports of machinery and transport equipment (SITC 7). The analysis is based on data for 1993–2008, a period over which parts and components trade burgeoned. The estimations indicate that the growing importance in the export composition of parts and components within vertically integrated cross‐border production processes has tended to weaken the nexus of real exchange rate and export performance. World demand and supply‐side factors, including foreign direct investment, tend to become more crucial in determining export performance.     

Trade barriers in East and South East Asia: the implications for retailers

Many countries in East and South East Asia have erected trade barriers at various times since 1945. Many retail markets have therefore been closed to outside influence and investment. In the 1990s however such measures are being reversed and markets in East and South East Asia are becoming increasingly open. This openness is both a willing embrace of outside investment and a less willing acceptance of external pressures. This paper reviews the changes taking place and concludes that those retailers taking advantage of the opportunities are faced with a variety of problems. Indeed, it would seem that the removal of international trade barriers simply leads to their replacement with more difficult domestic market policies.     

Business Ethics in the South and South East Asia

Gender is one of the most frequently studied variables within the ethics literature. In prior studies that find gender differences, females consistently report more ethical responses than males. However, prior research also indicates that females are more prone to responding in a socially desirable fashion. Consequently, it is uncertain whether gender differences in ethical decision-making exist because females are more ethical or perhaps because females are more prone to the social desirability response bias. Using a sample of 30 scenarios from prior studies that find gender differences, we examine whether these gender differences remain robust once social desirability is controlled for in the analysis. Our data suggest that the effect of gender on ethical decision-making is largely attenuated once social desirability is included in the analysis. In essence, the social desirability response bias appears to be driving a significant portion of the relationship between gender and ethical decision-making. We discuss several important research implications of this study.     

Global Volatility and Forex Returns in East Asia*

During 2001–2010, increases in mature market volatility were associated with declines in forex returns for East Asian economies, consistent with an overall ‘flight to safety’ effect. Estimates from GARCH models suggest that a 10 percentage point increase in mature market equity volatility generated an exchange rate depreciation of up to 3/4 percent. This sensitivity rose during a more tranquil subsample for some countries, reflecting their greater integration with global financial markets. Long‐run forex volatility increased in Asian economies after 2008, reflecting the global reach of the financial crisis in mature markets. Unconditional standard deviations estimated from these models provide operational measures of ‘long‐term’ and ‘excess’ volatility in forex markets.     

Japan's Growing Outward Direct Investment in East Asia

Japan's outward direct investment (ODI) began to show an obvious expansion since 2005, accompanied by a greater importance in East Asia and in the manufacturing sector. By analyzing the new wave of Japanese ODI, three points are elaborated in this article. First, the recent Japanese ODI did not result in the same industry to be passed from one country to another as elucidated in the flying geese model. Instead, Japan's ODI only promoted the regional divisional of labor in the transport equipment and electrical machinery industries. Second, this study advances the theory of vertical production network by exploring two regional production networks constructed by Japanese ODI, including one between China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong and the other between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Finally, since Japan's economy has been tightly connected with foreign demand via overseas production, this article argues that any sign of Japan's declining ODI will have serious impact to its domestic economic prosperity. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

“赶超型”产业政策与市场绩效:基于东亚地区国际竞争力的比较视角

借鉴西方产业组织SCP分析范式,以国际竞争力为导向,在比较日本、韩国及我国台湾地区“赶超型”产业政策、市场结构、市场行为、市场绩效的基础上,分析产业政策的传导机理。从同质性角度,提出了产业政策的“倒U”假说;从异质性角度,比较了均衡与非均衡的产业政策特点。就市场结构而言,日本产业呈现规模与竞争兼容,韩国产业是规模有余、竞争不足,而台湾地区产业则是规模不足、竞争有余。就市场行为而言,日本企业表现为“创新型”,韩国企业是“扩张型”,台湾地区企业是“标准型”。基于均衡的产业政策,日本“赶超型”产业政策的传导较好地抑制了产业政策的副作用,表现出更强的国际竞争力。     

New situations facing the NICs in East Asia

The newly industrialising countries (NICs) in the East Asian region are beginning to be faced with serious problems: problems involved not only in moving from an easy phase of import substitution to a more difficult second stage, but also in progressing from the first to the second more demanding phase of export orientation. Professor Lorenz analyses this new situation.     

东亚区域内贸易扩张的因素分析

文章对近10年来东亚区域内贸易扩张的程度及其影响因素进行了实证分析,探讨东亚区域内贸易扩张的本质及其变动规律,为进一步的区域经济合作提供相应的依据。并通过多重指标、贸易矩阵和按广义商品分类的产品构成考察了东亚区域内贸易扩张的演进与特征,继而用贸易流量模型分析了各国／地区贸易扩张的影响因素及对区域贸易增长的贡献,最后提出政策建议。