State, sport and politics: sport policy in Republic of China/Taiwan 1973-2002, through a strategic relations approach

This study has sought to address the nature of the evolution of sports policy in ROC/Taiwan since 1973, within the context of a strategic relations approach to the analysis of policy. These aims have been addressed by the development of the analysis of the ROC/Taiwan's position in international relations and its implications for sports policy; of the internal structure and history of the state at national level and their implications for national level policy; and finally, analysis of the local government context. In each case explanation sought to identify both the structural context of policy development and the explanation provided by individual policy actors. The empirical analysis of policy draws on the evidence provided by key actors in the ROC/Taiwan state who have played a significant role in enabling sports policy output. In order to understand sports policy mechanisms since 1973, politicians' perceptions (evidenced in a review of parliamentary debates from 1984 to 2002) provide a useful empirical picture of sports policy. Other data sources employed included government reports, and press accounts as well as interviews with policy actors. The interviewees were drawn from the central government civil service, local government, the national governing bodies of sport and the business community (n--21). Qualitative data analysis software (QSR) was used to manage and organise the data in an inductive and deductive thematic analysis. The theoretical framework on which the study draws involves a recognition that the state is influenced by particular interest groups (characterised in the thesis as the neo-pluralist position), in which elites (the neo-elitist position) often, though not exclusively, drawn from business interests (the neo-Marxist position) are in evidence. The particular make-up of these groups will vary according to the issues concerned at the particular point of time in the history of the ROC/Taiwan state on which one focuses. In the early stages of the ROC/Taiwan state, the military elite was closely allied with the business elite'and with ethnic interest groups (Mainlander Chinese groups rather than native Taiwanese). Such political and ethnic divisions subsequently had an impact on party political affiliations and on the geographic location of facilities and services as the North and Souih of"the' island, and those cities under the Kuomintang and Democratic Progressive Party control, vied with one another to capture resources

A comparative study of national government elite sport systems in Australia and Taiwan: A model for Olympic success

This study was prompted by the stagnation facing the Taiwanese Government in promoting elite sport and pursuing sporting achievement at the Olympic Games. The main purpose of the study was to explore and compare the national government elite sports systems (NGESS) of Australia and Taiwan and make recommendations for Taiwan to improve its elite sports development and performances at future Olympics. To accomplish this purpose, the present study examined the similarities and differences between Australia and Taiwan in terms of stakeholders\u27 viewpoints on the definition of Olympic success; the profiles of the current national government elite sport agencies; the mechanisms of the government elite sport agencies at national level; and environmental influences affecting elite sport and the mechanisms of the respective NGESS. The study utilised a qualitative design. Data were collectcd through document analysis and the Delphi technique. In conducting the Delphi technique, a four-round Delphi survey was undertaken in the respective countries using electronic questionnaires. Participants included 24 sport experts in Australia and 32 in Taiwan. A comparative data analysis of the documentary evidene and the Delphi survey was conducted and findings reported

Situating Taiwanese identities: social transformations, young people and television drama

This thesis examines the recent production and consumption of television dramas in Taiwan in the context of Taiwan's complicated modem history, rapid social transitions, budding self-assertiveness and changing relationships with regional and global players. The detailed analysis in this subject matter contributes to wider debates in the media globalisation theory, reaffirming the continuing development of an East Asian cultural trading block and pointing to a formation of the distinctive regional popular culture that is more effective in shaping up the local production and consumption activities. The rising regional dynamism in Taiwan's television drama production and consumption since the late 1990s has been encapsulated in this thesis in three main points: 1. The findings from detailed content analysis on programming schedules of seven locally-run channels has shown that regional programming is more integrated with local business while global programming (mostly American) has shifted to be produced and distributed single-handedly by the transnational media corporations. 2. The first-hand audience interviews revealed a subtle difference in young people's viewing experiences of the global and the regional programming. Situated in a broader social context, their experience of the former has primarily crouched on a fantasy of liberal individualism while the latter provided a desirable template for emulation in everyday life. 3. The thesis also discussed the emergence of a new drama genre on Taiwanese television-Idol drama, which can be seen as the reactions to the widespread regional television deregulation, commercialisation and growing intra-regional cultural trade. Its late development has also epitomised An inevitable negotiation of local characteristic with regional forces

The governance of professional baseball in Taiwan

This thesis reviews the system of governance of professional baseball in Taiwan, which has developed since its inception in 1990. The analysis undertaken reviews three case studies of major events in the baseball world in Taiwan to provide an insight into the principal interests and forces in the governance system. In theoretical terms the study employs and evaluates classical theories of the state, strategic relations theory and governance theory to describe, evaluate and explain the processes evident in the three cases. The study concludes that the governance system is characterised by a tension between mechanisms of 'modem' liberal politics, and 'traditional' forms of political clientelism.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Global Symposium on Women in Fisheries

All over the world, women contribute in multiple ways to the production, processing, marketing and management of fish and other living aquatic resources. The first ever Global Symposium on Women in Fisheries, held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on 29 November 2001 generated the present collection of papers on women in fisheries. The reader of this volume will find in it a wealth of information, albeit in a very heterogeneous form, that the authors have had to draw from many different sources. Some are primary research studies whereas most are historical reviews from first hand experience of the authors or derived from other written materials, often contained in reports of fisheries development projects, newspapers and source materials well outside the fish sectors.Women, Participation, Sustainability, Poverty, Fisheries, Development projects, Fishery technology

Resistance, Chaos and Control in China: Taiping Rebels, Taiwanese Ghosts and Tiananmen

This is an out of print book, the rights for which have reverted to the author. The version presented here was digitized from a paper copy provided by the author.tru

City Space + Globalization: An International Perspective

City, Space, + Globalization presents ways in which globalization affects the built environment of people in cities around the world. Architects, urban planners, geographers, historians and sociologists address topics ranging from transportation to historic preservation, from housing for different population sectors to economic change and city growth patterns. A significant common element of these papers is their shared concern with the life space of city fabric, beyond economics, beyond world markets and world trade. This life space is the neighborhood and community space of city residents. It refers to memory, to history, to tradition in the face of homogenizing global forces.https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/books_fac/1002/thumbnail.jp

The value chain in the Asian online gaming industry: a case study of Taiwan

This research examines the changing nature of the Asian online gaming industry and the position of Taiwan in the regional market. The evidence used was gathered through fieldwork conducted in Taiwan, Beijing and Shanghai from January to October in 2007. Firstly, it explores the situation from the perspective of political economy in order to understand the process of commodification, including production, marketing and distribution. The research establishes that the game industry operates within a highly competitive market requiring substantial investments. Since game production requires complex technological skills, there is a high capital cost, and the process is very time consuming. Today's online gaining business has segmented into different sectors with varying roles, i.e. developer, publisher, distributor and operator, controlled by different players in the business. The research shows that Asian game firms seek vertical synergies by expanding complex collaborative networks of production, marketing and operation in order to minimize costs and maximize profits. This implies that an international value chain has been established within the regional economy due to that the capacity of modern East Asian cities to accelerate the integration of the online gaming industry into regional economic activity. Secondly, online gaming overall is a popular form of interactive entertainment in the intra-Asian market. The key theories used to understand digital games are debated between narratology and ludology. However, neither is capable of providing an explanation for the Asian gaming culture. On further examination, certain types of game genres, 'wuxia' and 'cute' games, are found to have a particular appeal for Asian users. The wuxia genre is exclusively circulated in the greater Chinese cultural arena. The 'cute' game originates from the protagonists and themes of Japanese video games. This genre is well accepted by Asian users living in urban environments, and has become a force to unite city gainers in different Asian countries. Lastly, the thesis explores the unique position of Taiwan's game industry, which has been transformed from a test-bed for games aimed at the Chinese market into an intermediary between China and the rest of the world. Before 2002, Taiwan was regarded as a springboard for foreign firms wishing to enter the big Chinese market. Now, China's game industry has emerged and Chinese games have been exported to other Asian countries. Currently Taiwan is the biggest export market. The sophisticated features of the Taiwanese market mean that it can act as a stepping stone for Chinese game firms wishing to expand into wider regional and global markets

The case of Foxconn in Turkey: benefiting from free labour and anti-union policy

Starting from the 2000s Foxconn invested in Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia and Turkey, implementing a territorial diversification strategy aimed at getting nearer to its end markets. This chapter investigates the development of Foxconn in Turkey where the multinational owns a plant with about 400 workers. A few kilometres from the city of \uc7orlu and close to highways, ports and international airports, the plant enables Foxconn to implement an efficient global supply chain. We illustrate this process by examining the company\u2019s localisation within a special economic zone, underlining the economic advantages derived from such a tax regime, bringing labour costs down to the Chinese level and obtaining proximity to European, North African and Middle East customers, thus lowering logistic costs. We also analyse the roles of labour flexibility and trade unions. In order to impose far-reaching flexibility on its workers Foxconn put in place a range of strategies, including an hours bank system, multitask operators and the recruitment of apprentices thanks a special programme funded by the state. We show how these have been crucial for Foxconn\u2019s just-in-time production contrasting its labour turnover problem. Finally, we highlight how the company has been able to implement a flexible working pattern, weaken the trade unions and undercut workers\u2019 opposition, thanks to favourable labour laws approved by successive governments in the past thirty years

Flexible workforces and low profit margins: electronics assembly between Europe and China

This book investigates restructuring in the electronics industry and in particular the impact of a \u2018Chinese\u2019 labour regime on work and employ - ment practices in electronics assembly in Europe.1 Electronics is an extremely dynamic sector, characterized by an ever-changing organi - zational structure, as well as cut-throat competition, particularly in manufacturing. Located primarily in East Asia, electronics assembly has become notorious for poor working conditions, low unionisation and authoritarian labour relations. However, hostile labour relations and topdown HR policies are not unique to East Asia. They have become associated with the way the sector is governed more broadly, with a number of Western companies also coming to rely on such practices