Revolution in Military Affairs: The United States and Its Big Competitors

The term “Revolution in Military Affairs” (RMA) has been one of the most significant areas of study for international relations scholars during the last seventy years. Its interpretation is debatable. This paper, after approaching the matter theoretically, seeks to underline the main weaknesses of the American RMA along with their implications against the efforts of its main competitors, Russia, and China. The two, in the age of information technology, try to undermine their competitor’s advantages and manage to accomplish their own breakthrough in the field, with each displaying its own unique approach to the matter. Going full circle, some recommendations are suggested for the United States at the end

Foreign direct investment from China: implications for British business partners

Multinational enterprises from developing economies have been reshaping the global investment landscape since the early 2000s. In particular, companies from China have become increasingly significant outward investors. In fact China is currently the third largest outward investor in the world (UNCTAD 2013). As a relatively new phenomenon the outward investment of Chinese multinationals has not been researched comprehensively. This is especially true of Chinese multinationals undertaking investment activities in advanced economies. Therefore the aim of this research is to extend our knowledge of the investment behaviour of Chinese multinationals in advanced economies. This is achieved through the examination of their reasons for investment, selected entry modes and effects on British business partners. This research takes a multiple case study approach consisting of nine Chinese multinationals from the automotive, manufacturing, IT, telecommunications and medical device sectors. As a qualitative study it is principally based on interview data but also draws on quantitative evidence where appropriate. The findings of this research suggest that the examined firms had diverse competitive advantages and investment motives. The effects of their investments were also varied because they were determined by the MNEs’ investment motives and modes of entry. The strategic asset-seeking investors significantly improved the companies they acquired. They also intensified research and development activities in external partner organisations. Meanwhile the asset-exploiting investors improved consumer welfare, intensified competition in their sectors and generated high value-added business opportunities for British partners at home and abroad. The generally positive effects of Chinese FDI imply that UK policy-makers may wish to step up their efforts to attract further investment from China. The diverse nature of Chinese companies indicates that investment promotion agencies could develop a differentiated strategy to encourage Chinese investors. In addition the benefits derived from collaborating with Chinese multinationals suggest that British firms could be more proactive in forging relationships with them

Irregular Competition: Contemporary Lessons Learned and Implications for the Future

Irregular Competition is defined in this study as “State and non-state actors proactively engaging in activities to influence populations and affect legitimacy during times of peace, competition, and conflict.” The research question asked by this study is “Derived from contemporary case study lessons learned, what are the implications for the future of Irregular Competition in support of greater US national security objectives?” In answering the research question, Hans Morgenthau’s Realist Theory of International Politics was applied, although other aspects of realism and theories of international relations theory were considered. The rationale for this study is that despite a general reprioritization toward conventional concerns espoused in current US national security strategy documents, America’s state and non-state adversaries continue to operate globally with malign intent through unconventional methods. This qualitative, inductive, grounded-theory research centers on the linear-analysis of three cases: US Irregular Competition activities to undermine the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, 1979-1989; US Irregular Competition activities directed toward Iran, 2001-2021; Chinese Irregular Competition against the Philippines, 2012-2021. A summary of case study lessons learned as well as theoretical, practical, and empirical implications for the future are presented. The three primary academic contributions of this research to the body of knowledge on this subject are: (1) A new definition of Irregular Competition is provided along with an explanation for its need (2) Analysis of whether a distinct, Chinese, International Relations (IR) theory exists in the specific context of Irregular Competition (3) A unique theoretical model for conceptualizing whole-of-government Irregular Competition is constructed

Politics and public opinion in China: the impact of the Internet, 1993-2003

This dissertation is to provide empirical evidence as well as in-depth discussions to reflect the theme of new technologies like the Internet and its impact and implications on the political systems and public opinion in the Chinese context. It is the premise that technology can transform the mode of political communication and that this in turn can change the nature of political participation, as well as the milieu in which political discussions are made. This project concludes that the Internet has not at this stage fundamentally transformed China's political system, let alone caused a sudden political regime collapse and engendered a sweeping democratisation process. The Internet is, however, expanding people's minds, facilitating public discourse, and pushing for more transparent and accountable governance. In other words, the Chinese government is argued as not being as much in control of public debates on the Internet as it is of debates in other forms of media channels; the government cannot control and manipulate public opinion as much as it has traditionally done. This work has contributed to a more systematic picture of public opinion on political issues with documented examples, thanks to the Internet. Besides, this research has shed light on how to measure the impact of the Internet upon political debates, and to document the political impact of the Internet. Moreover, this dissertation highlights a usually neglected phenomenon that researching the political change or transformation in China can also be conducted form different aspects like the impact of Information Communication Technologies on its political system. The conventional approaches may be enriched thanks to the advent of new technologies in the increasingly networked, globalised and marketised world

Politics and public opinion in China : the impact of the Internet, 1993-2003

This dissertation is to provide empirical evidence as well as in-depth discussions to reflect the theme of new technologies like the Internet and its impact and implications on the political systems and public opinion in the Chinese context. It is the premise that technology can transform the mode of political communication and that this in turn can change the nature of political participation, as well as the milieu in which political discussions are made. This project concludes that the Internet has not at this stage fundamentally transformed China's political system, let alone caused a sudden political regime collapse and engendered a sweeping democratisation process. The Internet is, however, expanding people's minds, facilitating public discourse, and pushing for more transparent and accountable governance. In other words, the Chinese government is argued as not being as much in control of public debates on the Internet as it is of debates in other forms of media channels; the government cannot control and manipulate public opinion as much as it has traditionally done. This work has contributed to a more systematic picture of public opinion on political issues with documented examples, thanks to the Internet. Besides, this research has shed light on how to measure the impact of the Internet upon political debates, and to document the political impact of the Internet. Moreover, this dissertation highlights a usually neglected phenomenon that researching the political change or transformation in China can also be conducted form different aspects like the impact of Information Communication Technologies on its political system. The conventional approaches may be enriched thanks to the advent of new technologies in the increasingly networked, globalised and marketised world.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceChiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (CCFISE)GBUnited Kingdo

Transactions of 2019 International Conference on Health Information Technology Advancement Vol. 4 No. 1

The Fourth International Conference on Health Information Technology Advancement Kalamazoo, Michigan, October 31 - Nov. 1, 2019. Conference Co-Chairs Bernard T. Han and Muhammad Razi, Department of Business Information Systems, Haworth College of Business, Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI 49008 Transaction Editor Dr. Huei Lee, Professor, Department of Computer Information Systems, Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI 48197 Volume 4, No. 1 Hosted by The Center for Health Information Technology Advancement, WM

Imagining machine vision: Four visual registers from the Chinese AI industry

Machine vision is one of the main applications of artificial intelligence. In China, the machine vision industry makes up more than a third of the national AI market, and technologies like face recognition, object tracking and automated driving play a central role in surveillance systems and social governance projects relying on the large-scale collection and processing of sensor data. Like other novel articulations of technology and society, machine vision is defined, developed and explained by different actors through the work of imagination. In this article, we draw on the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries to understand how Chinese companies represent machine vision. Through a qualitative multimodal analysis of the corporate websites of leading industry players, we identify a cohesive sociotechnical imaginary of machine vision, and explain how four distinct visual registers contribute to its articulation. These four registers, which we call computational abstraction, human–machine coordination, smooth everyday, and dashboard realism, allow Chinese tech companies to articulate their global ambitions and competitiveness through narrow and opaque representations of machine vision technologies.publishedVersio