Exploring the Importance of Gay‐friendliness and its Socialization Influences

Gay men and lesbian consumers are increasingly representing a desired target audience for brands seeking to build brand loyalty in an under‐tapped market. The existing literature on marketing to gay men and lesbians suggests that brands targeting this market should position themselves as gay‐friendly. Nevertheless, little is known about consumer perceptions of gay‐friendliness, its antecedents or the socialization processes relevant to establishing a brand's gay‐friendly claim. This paper attempts to fill this void by reporting the results of a survey of gay men and lesbian consumers. The survey assessed the factors involved in perceptions of gay‐friendliness, socialization sources and the relationship between gay‐friendly brand claims and attitudes towards the brand.     

The Influence of Different Modes of Thought on Intercultural communication

Intercultural communication is not only a process dealing with languages,but also a shifting activity between different modes of thought.The similarities in modes of thought are the basis of transhting.However,there are many differences in modes of thought between Chinese and English users because of the distinctive features of the geographical and natural environment they live in.This paper is intended to discuss the influence of modes of thought upon communication through a comparative study of Chinese and English thinking patterns,Then,corresponding suggestions have also been presented in respect of increasing intercultural awareness,and developing their intercultural communicative competence.     

Temporal influences on image change

Hunt (1971) defines state image as the impressions that a person or persons hold about a state in which they do not reside. But image is more complex than a single perception, for Brand identification as well as people's perceptions of attributes of various activities or attractions within an area will interact to form a composite state image. Research into such images is a basis for product positioning of a state's various attractions or activities against other regions. The effects of temporal influences on image change may have consequences for product positioning. Within the limits of this research design, very little image change was seen to result from short-term seasonal differences. However, the minor changes noted were in the hypothesized direction, leading to the conclusion that further research should be conducted on image change as a result of temporal influences.     

Narcissism normalisation: tourism influences and sustainability implications

The concept of narcissism normalisation suggests that individuals and societies are becoming more narcissistic due to various cultural influences. Tourism is reviewed here as one such possible influence. Exploitative, entitled and exhibitionistic tendencies associated with narcissism are well-established in tourism. Yet tourism is also an intimate, communal and satisfying activity which may counteract narcissism. Increases in narcissism have significant implications from a sustainable tourism perspective. Narcissism is associated with exploitative and entitled behaviours that over time cause significant harm to those people and landscapes that come into contact with. Narcissism appears to be incompatible with principles of sustainability and the challenges this poses for the industry are reviewed, while the opportunities are also explored. There are signs that narcissism, particularly those aspects relating to exhibitionism, can be co-opted to benefit sustainable development.     

全球国际直接投资发展的态势、动因与影响

文章从总体态势、地域分布、国家层次、投资方式、产业高度等方面分析了20世纪70年代以来国际直接投资发展的主要特征,并从制度、技术、政策等方面探讨了推动这种态势形成的基本动因,总结了世界FDI发展对全球国际生产、贸易、分工格局的主要影响.     

利率市场化对小额信贷的多元影响

利率市场化是我国金融界的发展趋势,而利率市场化对小额信贷具有多元影响。正面影响主要体现在拓展小额信贷的市场,改善小额信贷的服务和优化小额信贷的流程等方面;负面影响主要表现在利率波动的两难选择、政策导向的弱化趋势和信贷消费的盲目冲动等方面。因而,应用渐进式的方法推进利率市场化,用商业化和政策性的手段平衡效益和公平。     

Impacts of fragmentation and neighbor influences on farmland conversion: A case study of the Edmonton-Calgary Corridor,Canada

Under heavy development pressure, farmland is rapidly being converted to non-agricultural uses such as houses, roads, and industrial uses. A great deal of research has investigated these farmland losses and their associated drivers. However, the existing empirical studies have neglected two important issues related to farmland conversion: spillover effects from neighboring areas and the impacts of farmland fragmentation. This study incorporates fragmentation and neighboring impacts into the farmland conversion analysis and provides new insights for the land-use/cover change literature. Empirical results indicate that increases in fragmentation further encourage farmland conversion to urban uses, but the effects are not linear with decreasing marginal influences. Land-use activities and decisions have strong spillover effects on neighboring areas. Ignoring this externality could result in biased estimates and marginal effects and thus misleading policy decisions and recommendations.     

Tracing neoliberalism in Italy: intellectual and political connections

Neoliberalism was a powerful ideology and ‘thought collective’ between the two World Wars and after WWII. The paper aims to enquire into the channels through which neoliberalism dwelled in Italian intellectual, economic and political history, from the early 1920s to the mid-1970s, unveiling the role of public intellectuals like Einaudi, and hardly unknown think-tanks like Ceses.     

我国当前用工成本上升的原因及影响

2004—2010年，我国农民工月平均工资从780元增长到1690元，企业用工成本呈现较快增长的势头。当前用工成本上升是社会经济发展、中西部地区快速城镇化及承接东部产业转移、新生代农民的特点等因素共同作用的结果。农民工工资上升有利于缩小贫富差距、扩大内需、推动东部地区企业产业结构升级及加速城镇化的发展。     

我国农产品价值链风险管理浅析

农产品价值链管理已经成为适应农业发展的新模式,但是在追求价值实现、增值的过程中,由于农产品种植、生产的特殊性,价值链存在许多问题,这使得我国农产品价值链面临很多风险,这些风险严重影响我国农产品价值链的实现和增值。借鉴成熟的价值链管理理论,重点分析了目前我国农产品价值链所存在的主要具体风险及影响,并提出了相应的对策。