THE CHANGING CLIMATE FOR FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT INTO JAPAN

Japans prolonged recession over the last five years has provided the impetus for regulatory reform and industry restructuring. Historically, the flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Japan has been small for an economy of its size. The high degree of vertical integration and relatively closed business networks that characterised the corporate system made it hard for newcomers to gain access, while the tradition of lifetime employment limited the ability of foreign firms to recruit quality staff. Dramatic declines in the price of Japanese equities and land since the collapse of the bubble economy of the early nineties has been accompanied by a sharp increase in foreign participation in the Japanese economy. Traditional business relationships are opening up, regulations are being dismantled or revised and increased foreign involvement is now accepted as inevitable, even through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Potentially profitable openings created by restructuring and reform is likely to see the trend towards greater foreign investment in Japan maintained over the next decade, especially in non-manufacturing.FDI, Japan, Vertical Integration

Perspectives

The role of the state in East Asian development has always been a controver ial issue. On the one hand, neoclassical economists argued that three decades of extraordinary Ea t Asian growth were largely the consequence of policies that let the market function and kept distortions to a minimum (Krueger 1995). On the other, critics of the neoclassical approach maintained that the close ties between industry and government and selective government interventions were critical to the extraordinary growth performance of many East Asian economies (Amsden 1989; Wade 1990)

Effects of Innovative Patterns of Smartphones on Brand Switching

Undoubtedly, recent technological advancement in smartphones has completely altered how information is accessed, shared, and created. Consumer purchase intentions and choice has recently been influenced by the emergence of disruptive innovation in smartphones. Recent advancement in technology has caused a major shift in the use of smartphones from its conventional purpose of communication to include additional features that have created a greater market and altered the purchase behaviour of the consumers. In this modern era of technological advancement, users of smartphones expect other advanced features such as media support, Internet connectivity and special applications. The current paper discusses significant effects of innovative patterns of smartphones on consumers purchase intentions and brand switching. To conclude, the paper provides relevant practical and managerial implications for the development of marketing strategies

“What? That’s for Old People, that.” Home Adaptations, Ageing and Stigmatisation: A Qualitative Inquiry

Older people, even those living with long-term conditions or poor mobility, can be supported to live well at home, through adapting their home to meet changing need. Installing home adaptations, from grab rails to walk in shower rooms, is cost effective, may prevent falls, reduce social isolation and improve self confidence. Despite austerity cuts to public spending, the UK government increased home adaptations’ funding. However, not much is known about older people’s experiences and understanding of acquiring and living with home adaptations and uptake of home adaptations could be improved. Using wearable camera and face to face interview data, this qualitative study explored a diverse group of older people’s retrospective experiences (n = 30). Focus group discussions were also carried out with a wide range of professionals involved in the provision of home adaptations (n = 39). Findings suggest people may delay having adaptations, because of perceived stigmatising associations with decline and vulnerability. As delaying the installation of home adaptations until crisis point is known to reduce their effectiveness, such associations need to be challenged

The changing climate for foreign direct investment into Japan

Japan’s prolonged recession over the last five years has provided the impetus for regulatory reform and industry restructuring. Historically, the flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Japan has been small for an economy of its size. The high degree of vertical integration and relatively closed business networks that characterised the corporate system made it hard for newcomers to gain access, while the tradition of lifetime employment limited the ability of foreign firms to recruit quality staff. Dramatic declines in the price of Japanese equities and land since the collapse of the bubble economy of the early nineties has been accompanied by a sharp increase in foreign participation in the Japanese economy. Traditional business relationships are opening up, regulations are being dismantled or revised and increased foreign involvement is now accepted as inevitable, even through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Potentially profitable openings created by restructuring and reform is likely to see the trend towards greater foreign investment in Japan maintained over the next decade, especially in non-manufacturing

Proximal Sciatic Nerve Intraneural Ganglion Cyst

Intraneural ganglion cysts are nonneoplastic, mucinous cysts within the epineurium of peripheral nerves which usually involve the peroneal nerve at the knee. A 37-year-old female presented with progressive left buttock and posterior thigh pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a sciatic nerve mass at the sacral notch which was subsequently revealed to be an intraneural ganglion cyst. An intraneural ganglion cyst confined to the proximal sciatic nerve has only been reported once prior to 2009

The histone demethylase enzymes KDM3A and KDM4B co-operatively regulate chromatin transactions of the estrogen receptor in breast cancer

Many estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers develop resistance to endocrine therapy but retain canonical receptor signalling in the presence of selective ER antagonists. Numerous co-regulatory proteins, including enzymes that modulate the chromatin environment, control the transcriptional activity of the ER. Targeting ER co-regulators has therefore been proposed as a novel therapeutic approach. By assessing DNA-binding dynamics in ER-positive breast cancer cells, we have identified that the histone H3 lysine 9 demethylase enzymes, KDM3A and KDM4B, co-operate to regulate ER activity via an auto-regulatory loop that facilitates the recruitment of each co-activating enzyme to chromatin. We also provide evidence that suggests that KDM3A primes chromatin for deposition of the ER pioneer factor FOXA1 and recruitment of the ER-transcriptional complex, all prior to ER recruitment, therefore establishing an important mechanism of chromatin regulation involving histone demethylases and pioneer factors, which controls ER functionality. Importantly, we show via global gene-expression analysis that a KDM3A/KDM4B/FOXA1 co-regulated gene signature is enriched for pro-proliferative and ER-target gene sets, suggesting that abrogation of this network could be an efficacious therapeutic strategy. Finally, we show that depletion of both KDM3A and KDM4B has a greater inhibitory effect on ER activity and cell growth than knockdown of each individual enzyme, suggesting that targeting both enzymes represents a potentially efficacious therapeutic option for ER-driven breast cancer

Effects of innovative patterns of smartphones on brand switching

Undoubtedly, recent technological advancement in smartphones has completely altered how information is accessed, shared, and created. Consumer purchase intentions and choice has recently been influenced by the emergence of disruptive innovation in smartphones. Recent advancement in technology has caused a major shift in the use of smartphones from its conventional purpose of communication to include additional features that have created a greater market and altered the purchase behaviour of the consumers. In this modern era of technological advancement, users of smartphones expect other advanced features such as media support, Internet connectivity and special applications. The current paper discusses significant effects of innovative patterns of smartphones on consumers purchase intentions and brand switching. To conclude, the paper provides relevant practical and managerial implications for the development of marketing strategies