To promote global trade governance, both central and peripheral reforms occur in multilateral and regional trade agreements. The central reforms are suggested to enhance the WTO’s efficiency in trade negotiations by engaging in ‘mini-multilateral’ negotiations and soft law-making or to expand its current advantage in dispute settlement by extending its dispute jurisdiction to investor-state disputes or trade disputes arising from PTAs. The peripheral reforms develop in two different routes; one is rule-based and is carried out by high-standard PTAs, and the other is relation-based and is exemplified by “the Belt and Road” Initiative proposed by China. While peripheral reform fragments international law, various methods of multilateralizing regionalism are suggested, such as the incorporation of the third-party most-favoured-nation clause, the simplification of the rules of origin, and the construction of multilateral agreements through the ‘building blocs’ of PTAs. Most of these reforms make achievements to some extent, although they also have deficiencies.

The judicial protection of IP is the most important and fundamental guarantee for the protection of IP in China. The judicial protection system of IP in China has experienced the development procedure of setting up a special pilot tribunal, "three-hearing-in-one" and a special court. The establishment and operation of IP courts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou marks the establishment of the new hearing system for IP dispute in China. The founding and operation of IP courts have an in-depth background. With the rapid development of the economy in China, especially since the entrance of the WTO, there have been more IP cases and they constitute huge challenges for adjudication of IP disputes in China. In this regard, the IP courts is a good way to cope with. The establishment of IP courts will undoubtedly has deeper influence and significance in the judicial

The luxury branding industry thrives on creating products and services that are exclusive in nature. To achieve this, brands often control for pricing, quality, quantity and availability to create a perception of exclusiveness. The literature showcases a handful of concepts to explain how marketers can create exclusive products and services. However, the literature does not give a theoretical foundation to the creation of the Theory of Exclusivity. This study is the first to address this issue. A number of theories and concepts in marketing, psychology, sociology and other fields of sciences have been reviewed to conceptualise the Theory of Exclusivity. The conceptualisation of this theory gives marketers a better understanding of how they can create exclusive brands.

In the context of the consumption of luxury goods, WOM generation seems to be an important way for individuals to express their identity. It has long been implied that luxury goods should be “conspicuous” because, generally, individuals are motivated to consume particular goods to communicate their social identity (cf. Belk, 1988; Berger & Health 2007). However, once individuals send positive messages about a luxury good, that item may be adopted by others whom they dislike. Thus, individuals may use moderation in generating positive WOM and prevent use of their favorite luxury brands from trickling down (Berger & Ward, 2010). In this regard, recent research has examined the effects of need-for-uniqueness (NFU) on consumers’ intention to generate word-of-mouth (WOM) and suggested that high-NFU consumers are unwilling to generate (positive) WOM because WOM results in the adoption of the product and would harm the consumers’ unique image (Cheema & Kaikati, 2010). However, they have focused on only one (avoidance-of-similarity) of the three types of NFU: avoidance of similarity (AS), unpopular choice counter-conformity (UCC), and creative choice counter-conformity (CCC) (Tian, Bearden, & Hunter, 2001). The purpose of this study is to examine how different types of NFU affect consumers’ willingness to generate WOM, considering the moderating role of product domain in the relationship between NFU and WOM. We examined the effects of types of NFU and product domain on positive WOM generation using a 3 (WOM sender type: high-AS/high-UCC/high-CCC consumers) × 2 (product domain: more identity-relevant, luxury vs. less identity-relevant, ordinary goods) between-subjects experimental design. The participants were 80 university students. We selected a high-quality coat as a luxury item and a high-end flash drive as an ordinary product. The former was represented as more identity-related than the latter. The results of ANOVA showed that three types of NFU have different effects on consumer’ willingness to generate positive WOM. High-AS consumers, as well as high-UCC consumers, are more unwilling to generate positive WOM, whereas high-CCC consumers are more willing to generate WOM; moreover, these effects are more pronounced when the consumers were referencing a more identity-relevant, luxury good. The implications of this study may help firms understand the factors that elicit or prevent WOM generation.

Stress and fatigue are general physical aspects of our daily lives. It has been shown that physical therapists have different levels of job stress and fatigue according to the type A/B behavior patterns. This study collected data from 212 physical therapists between October 28 and November 23, 2016 using an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire. The study results showed the proportion of physical therapists with the Type A behavior patterns(TABP) was 18% greater than that of physical therapists with the Type B behavior patterns(TBBP). In this study, physical therapists with TABP were compared with physical therapists with TBBP. The results indicated that physical therapists with TABP were more inclined to experience higher levels of overall job stress and fatigue from the following stress factors: physical environment, job requirement, and job autonomy. Therefore, the stronger the tendency toward TABP, the stronger the feeling of job stress and fatigue from physical environment, job requirement, and job autonomy. Those with a tendency toward TBBP showed positive correlations between job requirement and the total job stress score; thus, the stronger the tendency toward TBBP, the stronger the feeling of overall job stress and fatigue from job requirement. This study suggests that it is necessary to manage the job stress and fatigue of physical therapists with both TABP and TBBP and to manage the job stress and fatigue of physical therapists with the type A behavioral pattern.

Brexit represents a backlash against globalization and runs in parallel with Donald Trump’s presidential election. Both of these signal the rise of the nation-state and the rejection of the neoliberal vision of globalization in which national sovereignty has been increasingly dissolved. The article argues that it also has fundamental implications for Asia. In particular, China as the world’s second largest economy is playing a bigger role in the region. Furthermore, with the rise of China, Asia’s global order has become relatively fragile and multilayered in the sense that all big powers, such as the US and Japan, have their relative positions in the region simultaneously. In this regard, it would be more realistic for Asian countries to base their integration on their national sovereignty in a pragmatic way that they can maintain flexibility to the changing order of the world.

Though nonsolvent-induced phase separation has been used for decades to prepare polymeric membranes, it still remains a challenge to have clear insight into how the porous structure forms during membrane preparation. The presentation focuses on a point that is usually overlooked in the literature: phase separation may need time to occur. We found that the times, given and needed for phase separation to occur, play important roles in the formation of membrane pores, and they are strongly related to the degree of polymer chain entanglement in the casting solution, which can be well characterized by solution rheology. Examples will also be given to show how the knowledge about the phase separation time scales led to preparation of porous membranes with high inter-pore connectivity and polymer membranes with super-hydrophobic properties.

We discuss a new IRAS Faint Source Catalog galaxy redshift catalogue (RIFSCz) which incorporates data from Galex, SDSS, 2MASS, WISE, AKARI and Planck. AKARI uxes are consistent with photometry from other far infrared and submillimetre missions provided an aperture correction is applied. Results from the Hermes-SWIRE survey in Lockman are also discussed brie y, and the strong contrast between the galaxy populations selected at 60 and 500 μm is summarized.

China’s OBOR Initiative charts a path for trade and investment cooperation between China and States along the OBOR. Indirect expropriation stands as a crucial issue for the successful implementation of the OBOR initiative. This mainly owes to the large size of investment projects and investment funds, scant regulation of indirect expropriation in the IIAs signed between China and OBOR States, and the diverse political and economic environments of these many States. This article examines the definition and identification standards of indirect expropriation under OBOR IIAs. It will also reveal that indirect expropriation is poorly defined and insufficiently identified in most agreements. It is argued that OBOR IIAs should be revised to regulate indirect expropriation in such three aspects as preambular declaration of host State regulatory freedom, definitional clarity of indirect expropriation, and guidance for its identification. This approach would facilitate a more stable investment environment and contribute to the success of the OBOR initiative.

It is common knowledge that a conventionally woven textile consists of two assemblies of parallel threads (warp and weft), one interlaced with the other at ninety degrees. Where each of the two assemblies is arranged in a particular colour sequence, a check design, known as a ‘tartan’, may be created. Although similar check-type cloths have been produced worldwide, it is the tartans of Scotland which have received most attention and it is here that a complex set of rules evolved and tartans of different types became associated traditionally with different regions, family groups or 'clans'. There is an impressive array of publications focused on the identification of tartans and their clan associations. This paper explains the nature of tartans, analyses typical surface structures, ratios and proportions, and suggests possible avenues of use for modern designers. The principal sources of data were a collection of tartans held at ULITA - An Archive of International Textiles (University of Leeds, UK) and Stewart's 1974 publication The Setts of Scottish Tartans. Based on the observation that divisions into halfs and thirds were dominant, a series of templates is presented with the intention of developing an awareness among designers that ratios and proportions used in familiar or traditional frameworks can be employed in a modern context.

중국 해상법 제17조에 따르면 선박에 저당권이 설정된 이후 저당권 설정자는 저당권자의 동의 없이 선박을 양도할 수 없다. 이 규정은 중국 재산법 제191조 2항과 근본적으로 유사하며, 재산법에 따라 저당권 설정자는 양수인이 채무자 의 채무를 지불하고 저당권을 해제한 경우를 제외하고 저당권자의 동의 없이 저당물건을 양도할 수 없다. 그러나 중국 보안법 제49조 1항에서는 만약 저당 권 설정자가 저당 물건을 양도하면 저당권 설정자는 저당권자에게 통보하고 양 수인에게 저당사실을 알려줘야 한다고 명시하고 있다. 만약 이를 위반할 시에 는 양수인은 이를 무효로 할 수 있다. 따라서 재산법이 보안법상 규칙을 수정했 다고 볼 수 있다. 이와 관련하여 일반적으로 저당권자는 그가 저당권에 대한 집행 을 진행할 때까지 저당권자에 대한 통보 없이 저당물건이 양도된 사실을 알 수 없 는 부분이 있다. 이 논문은 해상법 제17조에 뿐만 아니라 재산법 제191조 2항 및 민 법상 근본원칙에 대해서 좀 더 살펴보고자 한다.

최근 중국에서는 많은 환경문제가 제기되어 왔으며 정부의 관심도 증가하여 특히, 난파물 제거작업에 대한 전반적인 접근방식에 큰 영향을 미쳐 왔다. 따라 서 대부분의 난파물 제거작업에 대해 환경적인 요소를 우선적으로 고려하며 진 행하게 되었다. 한편, 최근 시장경제 논리 경향에 따라 난파물 제거 작업에 대 한 정부당직의 단계별 비규제화를 보이는 부분도 있어 왔다. 이러한 상황에서 이 논문은 강제적인 난파물 제거와 관련된 전형적인 행정상 및 민사상 문제들을 명 확히 하고, 중국의 현행규정 상 논란이 되고 있는 규정에 대한 살펴보고자 한다. 아 울러 난파물 제거 비용에 대한 부분도 고찰해 보고자 한다.

This study aimed to examine the effects of thoracic cage mobilization on the respiratory function, spinal curve and spinal movement in patients with restrictive lung diseases. The subjects were ten community- dwelling elderly with a restrictive lung diseases when measured using a spirometer(FEV1/FVC≤65%, FVC<80%). They received an intervention over an eight-week period: three times a week and for 30 minutes a day. SPSS for Windows(ver. 19.0) was used to analyze all the collected data. Independent t-tests were used to examine changes before and after the intervention. The study's results showed statistically significant improvement(p<.05) in forced expiratory volume in 1 second(chage rate: .24±.25), thoracic curve(chage rate: -2.50±2.76), lumbar curve(chage rate: -.80±1.32), thoracic flexion(chage rate: 2.10± 1.52), thoracic extension(chage rate: -2.00±1.25), lumbar flexion(chage rate: 2.40±3.13) and lumbar extension(chage rate: -1.30±1.42). The results of this study suggest that the thoracic cage mobilization contribute to improve pulmonary function in patients with restrictive lung disease.

Along with the rapid development of China’s economy, the consumption of China’s consumer has also been increased. This research explores whether China’s consumers concern about product’s packaging as much as product’s quality and brand influence. It also discusses whether the product packaging is marked with recyclable logo on it and whether the packaging is harmful to human health. China’s express industry is taken as an example in this research. According to the statistics by State Post Bureau, the total amount of China’s express business was 14 billion packages in 2014, and the volume was substantially increased to 20.67 billion packages. If each package was estimated as 0.2 kg, more than 4 million tons of packaging waste would come from 20 billion packages. Recyclable packaging material would reduce the amount of waste and alleviate environmental pollution. However, whether customers are willing to pay for it is a problem. Product packaging can’t only attract customers from the visual perspective, but needs to be developed through multi-dimensional sensory conveying method. The product itself can be expressed directly through simple packaging. For instance, the Apple Inc. does not only shift consumer’s thoughts on mobile phone, meanwhile, it makes a change on high-end brand mobile phone packaging for China’s consumers. Prior to the emergence of Apple mobile phone, high-end mobile phone brand was adopted luxurious and sophisticated packaging method. With the entrance of Apple into China’s market, the unique style of Apple’s simplicity is followed by other mobile phone brands. This research is elaborated on China’s consumer’s reaction on innovative ecological packaging and their cognition to food packaging security. It also gives inspiration to enterprises how to catch consumer’s eyeballs through innovative ecological packaging and further make enterprises access to benefits.

World Advertising Research Center forecasts that internet advertising will overtake on TV advertising in 2016. The internet will become the largest advertising platform. The form of advertising is continually changing as time changes and technological progress, but the essence of advertising which widely inform information needs have never changed. With declining of advertising credibility, more and more young people prefer to get product information from friends or virtual friends online. Providing a good opportunity for enterprises to employ e-WOM when they making the marketing strategy. Prior to the initiation of new marketing activities, the majority of companies make great efforts to figure out a means of collecting all-round information on overseas target markets and global consumers for the purpose of strengthening competitiveness and then further increasing market share and enterprise benefits. The concept of customer equity has been introduced as a tool to continuously secure customers and create profits in the future. Globalization trends have attached great importance to altering the structure of the fashion industry. In particular, with expectation of conducting innovative marketing, companies engaged in SPA brands are gradually developed into global companies. Furthermore, corporate profitability is very sensitive to consumers’ attitudinal changes due to the short trend cycle of SPA brands. Most of our behaviors are predicated on the attitudes and behaviors of the others. The influence of loyal customers may turn potential customers into loyal customer owing to high customer equity. That is to say, companies may obtain more profits through higher customer equity. The study aims to explore the relationships among social influence, social learning, e-WOM and customer equity. The results of the study can be summarized as follows. First, the study elaborates on the relationships among social influence, social learning, e-WOM and customer equity. Second, by comparing the economic and cultural differences between South Korea and China, the study found the social influence has a positive influence on customer equity in different ways between the two countries.

Recently, more and more consumers have changed from shopping in a single channel to multi-channel. Therefore, maintaining a long-term customer relationship becomes an important issue for retailers in this complex shopping circumstance. This study decides to understand how online retailers keep their valuable consumers in current store and even duplicate the original relationship to an extended channel.

This paper examines the co-creation of human brands identities exemplified by celebrities in a stakeholder-actor approach. By bringing together the theoretical web of service-dominant logic, stakeholder theory, actor-network theory, and consumer culture theory, we argue that human brand identities are co-created by multiple stakeholder-actors that have resources and incentives in the activities that make a up an enterprise of a human brand, including the celebrities themselves, consumer-fans, and business entities. By utilizing an observational, archival netnographic data from popular social media channels, four exemplars of celebrity identities from the Philippines demonstrate the co-creation of human brands. Findings illustrate key stakeholder-actors’ participations, production and consumption, and integrations of resources and incentives in the co-creation process as articulated in social media. The co-creation process happens through sociological translations codes namely: social construction and negotiation of identities, parasocialization, influence projection, legitimization, and utilization of human brand identities. These dynamics of human brand identity advance a stakeholder-actor paradigm of service co-creation that is adaptive to the predominant consumer culture and human ideals that surround the celebrity. Implications and future research on celebrity brand marketing management are discussed.

There has been an increasing trend of using code-switching to enhance ad persuasion among local and global brands. Ads that include two or more languages are referred to as code-switched ads (Luna and Peracchio 2005a; 2005b). It is noted that previous studies investigating code-switched ad effectiveness have focused on bilinguals, not monolinguals. Due to the emerging use of code-switching in ads in monolingual markets, more research efforts are required to understand its effectiveness and boundaries among the monolinguals. The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderating role of consumer local-global identity in the effectiveness of code-switched ads among monolinguals. Two experiments were conducted and the results confirmed our hypothesis that consumer local-global identity moderates the effect of code-switched ads. The results indicated that congruence between consumer local-global identity and code-switching enhanced persuasiveness. In addition, the mediating effect of ad involvement was identified. These findings provide managerial implications for marketers.