Internationalization in Japan’s service industries

The relatively low level of internationalization in Japan’s service industries is a cause of real concern among policy-makers and service industry executives. Explanations have focused on distinctive features of Japan’s culture, particularly its service culture, and idiosyncratically demanding customers. Two additional factors are also of significance: the complexity of the customer interface and process embeddedness in the home country. Mapping service sectors in terms of these two dimensions offers insights into the challenges faced by Japanese service firms, while also providing a framework for assessing home country effects in general.     

Mainland Chinese Canadian Immigrants' Leisure Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being: Results of a Two-Year Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine whether recent Chinese Canadian immigrants' (a) leisure satisfaction, happiness, and life satisfaction changed over a two-year period and (b) if leisure satisfaction affected their subjective well-being (SWB) over this same period. Participants completed an initial, trilingual telephone questionnaire (N = 220) and then were recontacted every six months for two years. Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that leisure satisfaction decreased over the two-year period, likely because of “leisure shock,” employment of a “withdrawn” strategy, or both. The results also showed that leisure satisfaction significantly and positively affected happiness and life satisfaction. Study limitations are identified, theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and future research recommendations are outlined.     

A Cross-Cultural/National Study of Canadian,Chinese, and Japanese University Students' Leisure Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine whether Canadian, Chinese, and Japanese university students' leisure satisfaction affected their subjective well-being (SWB) and, if so, how this process was similar and different cross-culturally/nationally. A series of stepwise multiple regressions indicated that, in general, satisfying leisure significantly and positively impacted SWB across all three cultures, but there were also differences between (a) Canada and both China and Japan in terms of aesthetic leisure satisfaction and (b) China and Japan in terms of psychological and physiological leisure satisfaction. Overall, our results suggest that while satisfying leisure significantly, positively, and substantively impacts SWB in both Western and East Asian cultural contexts, culture frequently influences which specific elements are pertinent. This cross-cultural/national study has important theoretical and practical implications for the currently Western-centric leisure literature and for the understanding of the different roles leisure plays in enhancing SWB across cultures, respectively.     

High Precision CAE Analysis of Automotive Transaxle Oil Seal Leakage

The manufacturing industry today due to worldwide competition is focused on shorter development cycle. In this situation, computer aided education （CAE） technology as a tool for simultaneous achievement of quality, cost and delivery （QCD） plays an important role. The hardware-software environment surrounding CAE has evolved. Though technological problems have been understood and general solutions have been derived and reflected in the CAE analysis software, research findings that boost the credibility of CAE have still not been incorporated fully enough into the development of design process. The real technical mechanism issue is not precisely capture. Therefore, it is important to clarify the real cause in CAE results through CAE simulation in order to assure product reliability and assurance. It is the aim of this study to realize the prediction of design analysis process through understanding of unclear technical mechanism in abnormal occurrences with the utilization of CAE simulation. In other words, it is the aim of this study to focus on issue in automotive transaxle oil seal leakage to understand, grasp, and visualize the main cause through usage of CAE analysis process. It is understood that the point of contact and pump volume was related and this could contribute towards seals quality design. Plus, the utilization of CAE analysis in prediction phase to realized design development is also possible     

Interventions and Japanese economic recovery

This paper attempts to explain possible reasons and objectives behind the 35 trillion yen (7% of GDP) interventions conducted by the Japanese monetary authorities from January 2003 to March 2004, and to discuss whether the interventions achieved the presumed objectives: making the movement of the yen flexible but orderly, and helping economic recovery. The motivation of starting intervention in January 2003 was to keep the yen from appreciating in the midst of financial and macroeconomic weakness. The economy started to show some strength in the second half of 2003, but interventions continued, with a brief pause in September. Reasons for interventions after September are twofold. First, the interventions provided opportunities for unsterilized interventions. Second, the monetary authorities were extremely sensitive to speculative activities in the market.     

Surfing the waves of globalization: Asia and financial globalization in the context of the trilemma

Using the “trilemma indexes” developed by Aizenman et al. (2010) that measure the extent of achievement in each of the three policy goals in the trilemma—monetary independence, exchange rate stability, and financial openness—we examine how policy configurations affect macroeconomic performances, with focus on the Asian economies. We find that the three policy choices matter for output volatility and the medium-term level of inflation. Greater monetary independence is associated with lower output volatility while greater exchange rate stability implies greater output volatility, which can be mitigated if a country holds international reserves (IR) at a level higher than a threshold (about 20% of GDP). Greater monetary autonomy is associated with a higher level of inflation while greater exchange rate stability and greater financial openness could lower the inflation rate. We find that trilemma policy configurations affect output volatility through the investment or trade channel depending on the openness of the economies. Our results indicate that policy makers in a more open economy would prefer pursuing greater exchange rate stability while holding a massive amount of IR. Asian emerging market economies are found to be equipped with macroeconomic policy configurations that help the economies to dampen the volatility of the real exchange rate. These economies’ sizeable amount of IR holding appears to enhance the stabilizing effect of the trilemma policy choices, and this may help explain the recent phenomenal buildup of IR in the region.     

沪深300指数期货价格随机利率效应研究

经典持有成本模型在非随机利率假设无法满足的条件下仅仅是远期合约而非期货的定价模型。本文采用拟合SHIBOR曲线的方法生成无风险纯折现债券模拟价格序列,对沪深300指数期货价格的随机利率效应进行了实证检验。研究结果表明,由于利率管制、股指期货市场和货币市场发展不成熟等因素的共同作用,沪深300指数期货价格中不含随机利率效应,指数远期和期货理论价格相等;如果持有成本模型其他假设条件也得到满足,则该模型可以用于沪深300指数期货定价。     

我国碳排放权市场发展路径之研究

对国内外碳排放权市场的运行机制和发展状况进行了分析,剖析了各种碳排放权市场机制的特点,并创造性地将其与我国国情相结合,探讨了我国碳排放权市场的发展路径。现阶段我国尚未完全具备建立强制性减排交易市场的基本条件,但是鉴于未来碳排放权市场的重要性,我国应该把发展碳排放权市场作为一项长期战略。我国碳排放权市场可以采取如下发展路径:第一步,培育和壮大我国自愿抵消市场;第二步,借鉴美国经验发展类似CCX的会员制自愿减排交易市场,同时借鉴印度经验适当发展CDM单边项目并以此为基础建立CDM二级市场;第三步,在条件成熟的情况下推出强制性减排交易市场。