Film policy and the emergence of the cross-cultural: exploring crossover cinema in Flanders (Belgium)

With several films taking on a cross-cultural character, a certain ‘crossover trend’ may be observed within the recent upswing of Flemish cinema (a subdivision of Belgian cinema). This trend is characterized by two major strands: first, migrant and diasporic filmmakers finally seem to be emerging, and second, several filmmakers tend to cross the globe to make their films, hereby minimizing links with Flemish indigenous culture. While paying special attention to the crucial role of film policy in this context, this contribution further investigates the crossover trend by focusing on Turquaze (2010, Kadir Balci) and Altiplano (2009, Peter Brosens & Jessica Woodworth)

Sustainability in design: now! Challenges and opportunities for design research, education and practice in the XXI century

Copyright @ 2010 Greenleaf PublicationsLeNS project funded by the Asia Link Programme, EuropeAid, European Commission

Design revolutions: IASDR 2019 Conference Proceedings. Volume 2: Living, Making, Value

In September 2019 Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University was honoured to host the bi-annual conference of the International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR) under the unifying theme of DESIGN REVOLUTIONS. This was the first time the conference had been held in the UK. Through key research themes across nine conference tracks – Change, Learning, Living, Making, People, Technology, Thinking, Value and Voices – the conference opened up compelling, meaningful and radical dialogue of the role of design in addressing societal and organisational challenges. This Volume 2 includes papers from Living, Making and Value tracks of the conference

initiating the internationalization process of Vietnamese born global firms

The degree of internationalization of the Vietnamese economy has been steadily increasing since the start of the Open policy in 1986. In this context, Vietnamese born global firms has been increasingly active in the international market. Understanding and following the internationalization process has become essential for these firms. Theoretically, the firm starts the internationalization process by analyzing the motivation, barriers, enabling factors for internationalization such as previous knowledge, social and business network, resource and capability, and international entrepreneurship. Based on the advantages and disadvantages analyzed, the firm continues the steps of opportunity identification, exploitation, and development. Lastly, the choice of target market and the entry mode to penetrate the chosen market are the last steps of the process. In the empirical part of the study, the qualitative and multiple – cased research method was conducted to examine and investigate the internationalization process of two Vietnamese born global firms in food manufacturing industry. Finding from the empirical part shows that the rapid internationalization of the firm is driven by the characteristic and the network of the founders. The global mindset of the founders is considered as the initiative of the internalization process of the firms. Besides, social and business network of the founders is the main factor enabling the firm to recognize and choose the potential market entry.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Design in Motion: The Everyday Object and the Global Division of Design Labour

The practice of design has become obscured by global networks of production, circulation, and consumption. Traditional design studies tend to focus on high-profile products, presenting heroic designers as the primary authors of works of design. This approach is inadequate for understanding design in the late-twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Contemporary design is better understood as an iterative and distributed process of give-and-take among actors, human and non-human, including people, tools, places, and ideas. It is a process that is influenced by conditions along the commodity chain that fall outside of the designers traditionally recognized sphere. This research demonstrates that commonly held conceptions of designers as sole authors and of design work as a largely intellectual, creative activity distanced from manufacturing, misrepresent the real practices and relations of design labour in the current global economy. Two object ethnographies follow the production, circulation, and consumption of everyday, mass-produced goods: the Vanessa steel-toe boot by Mellow Walk and the Non Stop flatware by Gourmet Settings. These case studies map networks of design labour across continents, countries, cities, and generations. Primary research includes 18 interviews, observations of environments and practices, and the analysis of material evidence. This process reveals actors whose contributions have typically been omitted from design history, and describes practices of design that contest traditional depictions of designers, design work, and evidence thereof. This research contributes a fuller and more accurate understanding of the range of creative labour and labourers involved in the design and development of goods for global markets while challenging the view of these goods as placeless and culture-free. I respond to the call by design historians to extend the scope of designs histories beyond the West, and I build on the work of design and creativity scholars who identify design thinking outside of recognized design roles. My work challenges established hierarchies of design, including who is permitted to design, which countries are perceived as superior sources of design and manufacturing expertise, and the hand-head dichotomy that underwrites how we think about design and that has been entrenched in traditional conceptions of manufacturing and the global division of labour. Understanding how the work of design is distributed and how it has changed in response to globalization gives insight into the politics of production and consumption

From Chinese Local State-Owned Enterprise to Global MNE: a Mixed Methods Investigation into pre- and post- Strategic Asset Seeking OFDI in sub-national CMNEs

Over the last several decades, Chinese local state owned enterprises (LSOEs) have become significant forces in Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). I first show, using a quantitative regression model, how LSOEs have a comparatively stronger strategic asset seeking (SAS) orientation. Operating within a diversified external political economy, and possessing unique status and features following decentralization, LSOEs face particular challenges, to which SAS oriented OFDI has arguably been one response. I then investigate the case of China’s Northern Heavy Industries (NHI) Group from Liaoning Province. The group operates in the Tunnel Boring Machinery (TBM) industry and has become one of the world’s most successful TBM players. It has done so through several large foreign strategic asset related acquisitions (one in France and one in the US). I draw from interviews and hand-collected primary information from the parent firm in China, and the acquired subsidiaries in France, the United States and Germany. I explore in particular pre and post SAS related FDI decision making and integration strategies and behaviours. I identify: (1) Local state ownership as an important factor determining pre-OFDI strategic decision making and post-OFDI integration; (2) The Chinese institutional environment as a potential comparative advantage for LSOEs in negotiating with foreign investment targets or partners; (3) the challenges and responses to post FDI SAS integration for local state-owned Chinese businesses. To date we know relatively little in detail about the ways in which local Chinese MNEs have managed to catch-up with developed market counterparts. This research therefore contributes to our understanding of theories like Mathews’ (2006) ‘LLL’ model, the ‘springboard’ perspective of Luo and Tung (2007), and Chinese OFDI determination theory by Buckley et al. (2007). It also sheds important new light on the institutional perspective, particularly the role of local government in spurring Chinese MNEs (CMNE) OFDI related catch-up

Quebramar : navigating through unchartered seas : designing a development strategy in Brazil

International expansion has become a way to ensure companies’ growth, particularly within the fashion industry. Its competitive nature and its importance in conveying status, style and personal expression allied to the convergence of international fashion trends explain this urge for companies to tap the international arena. Quebramar is a recognized lifestyle fashion brand that has forged a fruitful legacy in the Portuguese market for clothes with a nautical casual look. However, after a restructure of ownership embodied in a strategic alliance with Lanidor Group, Quebramar believes that the time for building a global brand has come. Despite being present in some foreign markets, its overseas’ operations have no expression. Quebramar intends to address this situation by tapping fast growing markets with an increasing purchasing power that can be seduced by an unknown foreign brand. The present case study provides an overview of Quebramar along with a brief summary of the Brazilian retail landscape with a special focus on the apparel retail industry. Therefore, this dissertation proposes to assess not only the inherent motivations behind Quebramar’s internationalization decision to expand to Brazil but also its viability. Consequently, to identify possible drawbacks, trends and opportunities, a strategic analysis of the Brazilian market was conducted. Moreover, the main purpose of this thesis is to define and identify the best positioning approach in the foreign country, with a special emphasis on the adaptation of certain elements of its marketing mix strategy.A expansão internacional tem-se constituído como um meio para assegurar o crescimento das empresas, particularmente no sector da moda. A necessidade de esta indústria estar presente na arena internacional é explicada não apenas pela sua natureza competitiva e convergência de tendências mas, também, pela importância do seu papel enquanto veículo de comunicação de estatuto, estilo e expressão pessoal. A Quebramar é uma marca de "lifestyle" que criou um sólido legado no mercado português de vestuário casual. Contudo, só após uma reestruturação da sua estrutura acionista, que se traduziu numa parceria com o Grupo Lanidor, é que a Quebramar considera ter chegado o momento de construir uma marca global. Apesar de possuir operações em mercados estrangeiros, estas não têm tido expressão. Pretendendo alterar esta situação, a Quebramar tenciona estar presente em mercados de rápido crescimento, que possuam um crescente poder de compra e que estejam preparados para se deixar seduzir por uma marca estrangeira desconhecida. Este caso pretende fornecer uma perspectiva geral sobre a Quebramar, bem como um breve resumo do panorama do mercado brasileiro do retalho, com especial ênfase na indústria de vestuário. Consequentemente, esta dissertação propõe expor, não apenas as motivações inerentes à decisão de internacionalização para o Brasil mas, também, a sua exequibilidade. Deste modo, para identificar possíveis inconvenientes, tendências e oportunidades, foi realizada uma análise estratégica ao mercado. Mais ainda, esta dissertação propõe-se a definir o melhor posicionamento para a marca no Brasil, com um especial enfoque na adaptação de determinados elementos da estratégia de marketing mix