Einzelbesprechungen

Ohne ZusammenfassungAus dem Italienischen übersetzt von Erich Allina, Wien.Aus dem Englischen übersetzt von Erich Allina, Wien     

THE DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME AND WEALTH IN JAPAN

This paper reviews research on the distribution of income and wealth in Japan, identifies sources of data on income and wealth, and describes limitations of these data. Evidence that Japan's poorest income groups are relatively well-off is convincing, but there is less evidence that the overall distribution of income in Japan is more equal than in other OECD countries. Agricultural policy, social welfare policy, the tax system, trends in earnings differentials, and the role of the Japanese family are among the many factors that have shaped Japan's income distribution. The rapid appreciation of the stock market and land prices during the late 1980s led to greater inequality in the distribution of wealth. Rapid population aging is expected to lead to an increase in total national wealth relative to national income which may have an adverse impact on the distribution of income.     

The link between attractiveness of “Extrabrand” attributes and the adoption of innovations

While innovators may rush to purchase many new products, most consumers are more conservative and do not want to buy into fads but purchase only those new products that are viable. How do the majority of consumers make judgments about whether they will adopt an innovation? This article examines the evaluative aspects of adoption as a means for better understanding consumer adoption and the market factors that may influence the success of an innovation. This research introduces a conceptual model that shows how consumers’ evaluation of product category attractiveness affects the adoption decision for really new products. These consumer evaluations are based on the attributes of the product category (“extrabrand” attributes) rather than brand attributes. Results from a test of the model indicate that consumers do use extrabrand attributes to assess the attractiveness of innovative new products.     

Tourism Codes of Conduct in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Region

This article investigates the nature and use of tourism codes of conduct in the Arctic and sub-Arctic region within the context of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy and the recently created Arctic Council. The article also considers tourism codes in relation to the World Wide Fund for Nature initiative to develop Arctic tourism guidelines. The scale and nature of tourism activities in the region and the environmental and socio-cultural impacts of tourism are discussed. A selection of Arctic and sub-Arctic tourism codes of conduct is reviewed with particular reference to aims, authorship, audience and content. There is particular focus on visitor codes for Svalbard and visitor regulations in Canadas Yukon and Northwest Territories and tourism industry codes produced for use in Finland and Sweden. Comparisons are also drawn between the Arctic and Antarctic. A number of issues are highlighted in relation to the use, limitations and potential for codes of conduct and the article makes suggestions on ways on which some of these issues could be overcome.