A natural harmony?: government, business and British interests in Southeast Asia, 1945-1951

This thesis seeks to illuminate the nature of the British national interest in Southeast Asia (SEA), as defined and pursued by the Attlee government, 1945-1951. The analysis is undertaken by examining the relationship between government and business in the region, identifying areas of consensus and conflict. It is established that the British government intended to do its utmost to aid British firms in SEA to re-establish their businesses after the disruption to production and trade caused by the war, as a means of protecting its own subjects and assets, and also of furthering British political and commercial interests in the region. However, this was at a time when the need to divert resources to reconstruct and support the domestic British economy made the task of assisting business overseas problematic, to the extent that government's ability to provide material support was limited. Whilst such logistical difficulties were real, it can also be said that differences over the level of assistance to business were heightened by ideological division between businessmen, on the one hand, and government officials, on the other. These themes are explored through an analysis of the interactions of British enterprises which had business interests in Siam (Thailand), Indonesia and Malaya, with the British government and the local British authorities in these countries. This examination takes place against the background of a readjustment in Britain's relations with these countries in the aftermath of the war. Given the urgency of reconstruction at home, the Attlee government was lessening Britain's overseas commitments. In SEA the British government firmly believed economic and social betterment to be pivotal to the task of quickly establishing stability and also, later on, in protecting the region from Communist expansionism. Therefore US cooperation was sought as a source of necessary resources, but at the same time the British were bound to protect British based business interests against US competition, not least because of their valuable impact on the value of Sterling. The Attlee administrations' endeavour to obtain US cooperation however often proved to be ineffective because of the US government's reluctance to be involved in this particular part of Asia. In practice, government assistance to and protection of business were not always possible in the aftermath of the war and firms needed to transform themselves to adapt to new times. Despite this, the two worked closely together and the British government often showed a great willingness to provide moral and practical support for British enterprises. In retrospect, this cooperation only worked where the demands of business did not conflict with the interests and policy of government, and under such circumstances, business was seldom satisfied. Those firms that did survive achieved this primarily by implementing their own strategies and some accomplished a great deal throughout the 1950s and beyond

A Multidimensional Analysis of Stigma: Findings from a Qualitative Study of Fukushima Residents Following Japan’s 2011 Nuclear Disaster

This study examines stigma from the perspective of residents of Fukushima prefecture following the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, to better understand effective crisis communication strategies that can mitigate the negative effects of self-stigma and promote sustainable psychosocial recovery. Social cognitive theory was employed to explore cognitive, affective, and behavioral changes faced by Fukushima residents in response to the stigma imposed upon them after the disaster. The study result based on in-depth interviews with residents of Shinchimachi, Fukushima, indicates that affectively, participants experienced a remarkable amount of fear and sadness. Cognitively, they focused on concerns about outsiders’ negative images or misinformation about Fukushima, changed priorities or values, and self-efficacy. Behaviorally, they actively resisted the stigma while strengthening their connections and belonging to their own community. Additionally, residents felt that they were branded as polluted and contagious and attributed the creation of a Fukushima stigma to a lack of full and accurate information as well as mistrust in main information sources, including media and government. This research suggests that developing a more transparent and locally based communication and information system could mitigate the negative effects of self-stigma. Theoretical implications for future research and policy suggestions for crisis communications are discussed

Blue Ocean Strategy vs. Competitive Strategy: The Effect of Business Strategic Choices on Firm Performance, According to the Industry Life Cycle

The purpose of this study is to explore how blue ocean strategy and competitive strategy influence a firm\u27s business performance differently according to its stage in the industry life cycle (ILC). We developed a theoretical research model and the measure items to capture the different attributes of the blue ocean and competitive paradigms. We collected primary data from 309 business owners and senior managers working in the U.S. through a survey research. We tested the data by performing the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the structural equation modeling analysis (SEM) using SPSS and AMOS. The results from the statistical analysis demonstrate that the effects of blue ocean strategy on a firm\u27s business performance become increasingly weak as ILC stages pass, while the effects of competitive strategy gradually strengthen. However, our results show that, in general, blue ocean strategy has a more positive effect on a firm\u27s performance than competitive strategy. In addition, the study results suggest that blue ocean strategy fully mediates the relationship between a firm\u27s market orientation and its business performance, while competitive strategy only partially mediates the relationship. We discuss some theoretical implications and contributions of our research findings

The Relationship between Metacognition, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and Firm Performance: An Empirical Investigation

This study aims to examine the relationship between an entrepreneur’s metacognition, entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and firm performance. We collected primary data from 190 entrepreneurs (business owners or founders) working in the U.S. through a survey. By performing both the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the structural equation modeling (SEM), we tested our hypothesized research model that represented the metacognition-EO-firm performance relationship. The results from the statistical analysis demonstrate that an entrepreneur\u27s metacognition has a significant positive impact on EO. Furthermore, the study result shows that EO has a full mediating effect on the relationship between entrepreneurial metacognition and firm performance. We, thus, anticipate that the findings of this study will help entrepreneurs to understand the mechanism on how their metacognitions impact their business outcomes as well as to recognize why they should consider their metacognitive abilities while executing entrepreneurial tasks

Cross-Level Analysis of Social Media: Toward the Construction of an Ecological Framework

The media environment has undergone significant changes with the advent of the Internet. In the recent years, the prevalence and popularity of “social media” is re-shaping the ways in which people communicate and obtain information. This paper proposes a framework that conceptualizes a cross-level functionality of social media. We conceptualize social media as an information system functioning at micro-(interpersonal), meso-(group or organizational), and macro-(mass media) levels. Based on media system dependency theory, we present a cross-level functionality of social media ascribed by individual user characteristics, social environment and media system activities. We apply the cross-level framework to investigate how stories in social media are produced and consumed, and how the information paths are formed within social media as well as across different types of media

DOSE FASTER HOPPING FREQUENCY IMPROVE RESPONSE TIME AND KICKING SPEED IN TAEKWONDO ROUNDHOUSE KICK?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of rhythmic hopping frequency on the response time and kicking speeds in Taekwondo roundhouse kick. Eleven elementary and middle-school athletes voluntarily participated in this study. They performed five roundhouse kicks at three different hopping frequencies (normal, 15% faster than normal, and 15% slower than normal) and no hop condition. Results indicated that the 15% slower hopping frequency induced a significantly longer response time than the 15% faster frequency. The 15% faster frequency resulted in faster maximum kicking speed than normal frequency did, while there was no difference in contact kicking speed. Partially the faster hopping frequency would be beneficial to kicking performance

The QM evolution: Behavioral quality management as a firm’s strategic resource

Firms implement various quality management (QM) practices to improve process quality. Scholars recognize that QM practices consist of both technical and behavioral oriented practices. The relationship of technical and behavioral oriented practices on performance has led to paradoxical relationships. Improving quality performance necessitates understanding the relationship between technical and behavioral orientated practices. This study empirically examines the relationship between technical and behavioral quality practices by collecting survey data from both US-based (N = 152) and China-based (N = 222) firms. The analysis uses the structural equation modeling technique, and shows that behavioral QM practices fully mediate the relationship between technical QM practices and firm performance. This implies that behavioral QM practices act as a strategic resource which helps generate a competitive advantage. The results contribute to understanding how quality management practices can lead to a competitive advantage

Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Prevalence in 2008

PURPOSE: This paper overviews the nationwide cancer statistics including incidence, mortality, survival and prevalence, and their trends in Korea based on the year 2008 cancer incidence data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Incidence data from 1993 to 2008 were obtained from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, and the vital status was followed through December 31, 2009. Mortality data from 1983 to 2008 were obtained from the Korea National Statistics Office. Crude rates and age-standardized rates for incidence, mortality, prevalence and relative survival were calculated. RESULTS: There were 178,816 cancer cases and 68,912 cancer deaths observed during year 2008 and 724,663 10-year cancer prevalent cases as of January 1, 2009 in Korea. The incidence rate for all cancer combined showed an annual increase of 3.1% from 1999 to 2008. CONCLUSION: With significantly increasing cancer incidence, Korea faces a large cancer burden and efficient cancer control programs are essential.ope