This interpretive and longitudinal study investigates how a group of Chinese students consume global brands of American origins, in China and in the UK. More specifically, this research examines how meanings attached to global food brands travel abroad with consumers and investigates the relationship between brand consistency and brand meanings across national boundaries. Findings from a thematic analysis of longitudinal data collected through focus group interviews over a nine-month period, reveal that some brand meanings are context and culture specific (contextual meanings) while others meanings travel with consumers across borders (core meanings). Theoretically, this study shows how global brands provide a platform of structural meanings, ideas and practices that are global and globalising in themselves, allowing a degree of fluidity and adaptation in relation to the local context of consumption.

With increasing income and education, requirements to product quality are getting higher in China. Specifically, people tend to nutrition and health now. Food safety has attracted increasing attention due to its importance. The nutrition claims on packaging became one of the most important standards to decide whether to buy. A great deal of research has focused on consumer responses (e.g., Hieke and Taylor 2012; Parker & Lehmann 2014; Shah et al. 2014) to the influx of product information to markets. Topics of research included the impact on consumers’ beliefs with regards to products (Ford et al. 2005), purchasing behavior (Nikolova and Inman 2015), and information processing behavior (Moorman 1990). The diversity of consumer responses is based on consumer differences (Moorman 1990), and health- and nutrition-related (HNR) claims (Choi et al. 2013). Although a great deal of research has addressed the influence of product information disclosure on the market, these studies have focused almost exclusively on developed economies. Going forward it is very likely that emerging markets will play a more important part in corporate strategic planning, as opposed to something considered after making plans for long developed markets. Thus, the impact of market information is likely to matter more and more to those global marketers operating in emerging markets. To fill the research gaps, we investigated how the existence and forms of nutrition claims affect the purchase intention of consumers in China. We explore the moderating role of consumer’s nutrition knowledge. We combine simulation experiment and questionnaire and design two experiments: Experiment 1 is about the existence of nutrition claims, we want to know how the existence of nutrition claims affects the purchase intention of consumers. Experiment 2 which is 2(health claims Vs function claims)×2 (promotion Vs prevention) test is to find out how the claim presentation forms impact the purchase intention of consumers. In experiment 1, we required the subjects to choose one setting randomly and fill in the questionnaires according to their choices. We collected 315 effective questionnaires of experiment 1and 156 effective questionnaires of experiment 2. The results show that: (1) The existence of nutrition claims affects the purchase intention of consumers. specifically, compared with the product without health claims, consumers tend to choose the one with health claims, and compared with the product without function claims, consumers tend to choose the one with health claims.(2)Nutrition knowledge plays a positively role. Nutrition knowledge can change the effect of the existence of health claims and function claims on purchase intention.(3) Consumer trust only plays a partly moderate role. The consumer trust can increase the effect of the existence of function claims but not health claims on purchase intention.(4)The forms of nutrition claims affect consumers purchase intention. Consumers tend to choose the product with promotion claims more than the one with prevention claims.(5) Nutrition knowledge plays a positively role, it can improve the effect of the forms of health claims on purchase intention. The more nutritional knowledge does consumers comprehend, the more sensitive to the product with promotion claims they are.(6)Consumer trust also plays a positively role. The higher Consumer trust does consumers maintain, the more sensitive to the product with promotion claims they are.

The paper addresses the phenomenon of the opportunism that arises from a parent (principal) toward an IJV (agent) and its antecedents. This study integrates Agency Theory and Resource Dependence Theory (RDT) to discover its determinants from the perspectives of principal opportunism. Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) techniques and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) based on a sample of 185 Chinese-foreign IJVs in China, which are useful to reals the overall story of the principal opportunism. This study finds an IJV depends on parents’ support in both knowledge- and property-based resources has more chances to subject to principal opportunism. The result also indicates that psychic distance has a negative impact on principal opportunism. fsQCA, however, provides further solutions that the specific combinations of these predictors or their negation predicts principle opportunism.

With the impact of globalization, businesses nowadays are searching for new ways to compete more effectively in today’s business marketplace. Companies that have already performed successfully in the external market but cannot perform well with their internal market may find themselves at a disadvantage in the long term (Ralston et al., 2006). Whilst businesses often spend significant amounts on their campaigns to attract external customers, they may also need to consider the internal market place and specifically their internal customers’ needs, i.e. employees, as they often have a significant impact on external market performance and profitability (Lings and Greenley, 2009). In light of fairly extensive literature on the employee management, the idea of viewing employees as internal customers was initiated from the concept of internal marketing and there are an increasing number of studies attempting to develop the concept of internal market orientation (IMO) to further facilitate the internal market exchange feasibility.Whilst employment relationship research has been served as a useful proxy for employee attitude and behavior (Choi & Peng, 2015), the notion that IMO could serve as a predictor of firm performance success has not yet been fully examined in the extant literature. Investigating such relationships combines the adoption of marketing perspectives with strategic human resource management across the organization per se. As such, drawing on data collected from 825 respondents across three different managerial levels in 275 organizations, this study contributes to the pertinent literature by developing a framework to measure the impact of IMO on organizational performance from the internal and external perspective as well as at the individual and the departmental level. Specifically, our findings reveal that IMO, consisting of internal information generation, internal information communication and responsiveness positively enhances employee retention, employee commitment, interdepartmental connectedness and significantly reduces interdepartmental conflict. In turn, given the exception of employee retention, these serve to significantly influence organizational performance. Our study provides several implications for scholars and management, as well as outlining some useful directions for future research.

There may be not direct path from the psychological selection by the customers to the green behavior owing to the complexity of the green consumption. The specific mode of action still needs being further researched. This paper will research the specific path and mechanism of customer’s green consumption based on VBN theory. Based on a survey of Chinese respondents, environment values bring indirect influence to green customer behavior through individual belief or subjective norm intermediately. However, there are different paths from value to behavior. One path is that egoistic value-subjective norm-green customer behavior while another path is that altruistic value-environment beliefs-subjective norm-green customer behavior which really fits into previous research of VBN theory.

As a solemn and serious uniform, military uniform can be differentiated easily from any other clothing in the aspects of color, material and style. Inspired by military uniform, fashion designers have been applying military uniform elements into modern fashion design in recent years, which helps to bring military uniform from the trench onto international fashion runway. The primary method of this research is theory analysis method and exampling study method. Based on the collected materials of modern military uniform, this paper takes the fashion and cultural study theory of the famous American scholar Susan B. Kaiser as the leading theory to analyze four subject positions embodied in military uniform, including nation, rank, gender and time and space. By analyzing the subject positions embodied in military uniform, it shows the rich cultural connotation of military uniform and the function of various small details. Meanwhile, by giving specific examples, this paper explores the influences of military uniform on modern fashion design in respect to color, style, material, pattern and accessory. Through the conduct of this research, it comes to the conclusion that military uniform also has the characteristics and properties described in the fashion and cultural theory of Susan B. Kaiser, in addition, designers can be inspired by every specific object around them, which shows the talents of designers.

Carbon source, an essential nutrient for plant growth, mainly includes exogenous sugar and CO2 of the environment in vitro. Therefore, the exogenous sugar and CO2 of the environment make the important roles in tissue culture. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of different sugar concentrations (0, 10, 15 and 30 g·L-1) on the growth of colored Zantedeschia in vitro under certain CO2 concentration and explore the optimal sugar concentration. The plantlets in vitro of colored Zantedeschia had the largest root number, root weight, and root vigor under 0 g·L-1 (sugar-free culture) treatment. And they had the largest plant height, leaf length and leaf chlorophyll content, but p oor r oot v igor under 3 0 g·L-1 sugar. This study indicated that the optimal condition for proliferation and seedling culture of colored Zantedeschia plantlets in vitro was MS medium with 30 g·L-1 sugar, and the suitable medium for rooting culture and transplanting of colored Zantedeschia was MS medium with sugar-free culture under CO2 enrichment condition.

Browning is one of the key factors that influenced the callus subculture of tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.). Effects of medium composition and exogenous hormones: macro elements of Murashige and Skoog (MS salts) and iron salt (Fe2+), pH, agar and 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA), 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and kinetin (KT) on the callus browning of P. suffruticosa ‘Shan Hu Tai’ in vitro were studied in this paper. Results showed that the browning of P. suffruticosa callus were more sensitive to KT than 6-BA in different concentrations of 6-BA and KT separately with different concentrations of NAA, and reduced to the lowest (13.3%) under 0.5 mg·L-1 NAA plus 0.3 mg·L-1 KT. 1/4 × MS plus 1/4 × Fe2+ was the best basic medium in which the browning rate was only 18.2%. The browning rate of the callus was the lowest of 4.0% under pH 6.5 and the callus grew better in 7.0 g·L-1 agar than others. This study indicated that the best medium preventing P. suffruticosa callus in vitro from browning was: 1/4 × MS medium supplemented with 6.95 mg·L-1Fe2+, 0.3 mg·L-1 KT, 0.5 mg·L-1 NAA, 6.0 g·L-1 agar and 30 g·L-1 sucrose in pH 6.5.

In the present study, the plantlets in vitro of Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Wu Long Peng Sheng’ were used as laboratory materials. The proteome during adventitious root induction process was investigated to sift the related proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. The results indicated that the protein spots were concentrated in the acidity gel region (pH 4 - 7) and the spots number had a dynamic change ranged from 373 to 462 at the process of root induction (0 – 7 d). 8 spots significantly changed were analyzed with a mass spectrometer and identified using associated software and databases. The peptide information of the 8 spots was similar to the ATP synthase β-subunit of P. suffruticosa (Spots 1 - 4 and 8), P. tenuifolia (Spots 5), P. californica (Spot 6) and P. brownie ( Spots 7) r espectiv ely. T he expression levels of protein spots 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 was dramatically downregulated, and that of protein spots 2 and 3 had a slightly opposite tendency on the 3rd day. The obviously decreased period is particularly interesting as it was consistent with the induction period of adventitious root primordial of tree peony plantlet in vitro. The ATP synthase β-subunit could be consumed for assembling the ATP synthase in order to supply energy to the rooting process. Therefore, we speculated that the ATP synthase β-subunit was involved in adventitious root initiation of tree peony plantlets in vitro and we expect that further studies should be carried out in order to export its action mechanism.

Three kinds of porous polymer were synthesized using a solvothermal of tri-4,4’- diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI-trimer) and different diamino monomers. The effects of the synthesis conditions and the monomer selection on the synthesis of porous polymer properties were studied. The results show that the synthesis of NH2-containing monomer molecules smaller the microporous polymers was easy to implement; the specific surface areas of the polymers are related to the monomer ratio and the reaction time. The results show that the synthesized porous polymer had good hydrogen storage performance; the hydrogen storage ability improved with the addition of heterocyclic nitrogen.

Traditional Chinese operas are time-honored art form, they are vivid in expression, rich in content, embody social, thought-provoking, historical and artistic value. And as a splendid art form and part of China’s brilliant traditional cultural heritage, traditional Chinese operas have been developed with Chinese history from generation to generation. Nowadays, with the comprehensive national strength increasingly growing, Chinese government is giving more and more importance to enhance people’s awareness of protecting traditional Chinese opera. In actual fact, both Chinese scholars and the other scholars who have done some research in traditional Chinese operas and built up solid foundation for further study. Even though, traditional Chinese operas have not been fully understood by people outside the 5000-year-old civilization, especially what is the close relationship between the apparel and accessories and the names of dramas. Based on this condition, the paper selects and summarizes names of apparel and accessories in traditional Chinese dramas as its thesis, intending to explore the relationship between the apparel and accessories and the names of dramas, analyzing how such names in dramas highlight themes and promote the development of unique storylines. The paper will help Western readers further understand the meaning of traditional operas names' behind these costumes and promote Chinese traditional dramas spreading to abroad.

선박 건조 시장의 요구를 맞추기 위하여 신속한 건조의 목표로 노력하고 있는 조선소가 선박 정도관리에 대한 요구가 갈수록 높아지고 있다. 선박 건조 공정에서 생산성의 향상과 생산 주기의 단축을 위하여 선박 부재의 정도평가를 전 주기에서 수행해야 하는 것은 중요하다. 선박의 품질을 높이기 위하여 조선소에서 블록의 정도제어를 수행하는 것은 선박의 건조 주기를 단축할 수 있을 뿐만 아니라 건조 비용도 줄일 수 있다. 선박 블록의 정도를 제어하는 중심은 선박 블록 통합 정도관리시스템을 만들어야 한다. 이 시스템은 “Non-allowance Shipbuilding”의 목표로 정도관리의 총괄성, 블록 정도의 향상, 정도관리 과정의 표준화 등이 이루어져야 한다. 일반적으로 정도관리를 수행하는 관리자가 광파측정기를 이용하여 선박 블록의 접합면에 있는 주요 포인트(vital point)를 측정하고 수집하지만 무거운 계측장비를 가지고 블록의 정도관리를 수행하는 것은 불편할 뿐만 아니라 시간도 오래 걸린다. 본 논문에서는 선박 블록의 정도관리 시간을 단축할 수 있는 포인트 클라우드 기반으로 3차원 레이저 스캐너를 이용한 선박 블록 탑재 전에 오차예측 방법을 제안하였다. 이 방법은 ICP(iterative closest point) 알고리즘으로 측정된 포인트 클라우드와 설계된 점들의 비교 작업을 수행한 다음에 허용범위 내의 오차를 만족하는 지를 판단한다.

After Tza Yap Shum v. Peru, the case of Sanum v. Laos, brought by a Macanese investor, reattracted public attention to the critical issue of the applicability of the People’s Republic of China Bilateral Investment Treaties in China’s Special Administrative Regions. The Permanent Court of Arbitration held the PRC-Laos BIT extends to Macao according to the purpose and context of the BIT, but its reasoning is not tenable as its logic is flawed. In comparison, in the appeal, the conclusion reached by the Singapore High Court seems plausible, but there are still queries to the Court’s admission of further evidence. The author argues that the PRC BITs are not applicable to Macao and Hong Kong, on the basis of analyzing the treaty interpretation methodologies of this case. Notwithstanding the fact that the final award has not been rendered as of now, the Sanum v. Laos Case carries significant meaning to investment protection in China’s SARs.

This paper examines the new trends of interaction between the legal transformations in China and the international investment treaties, focusing on the legal reforms after the Fourth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Party Central Committee Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Party Central Committee of the PRC of 2014 (2014 FPS). It envisages that the 2014 FPS will impose significant influence on the current legal system in China, on the forthcoming Foreign Investment Law of China, and eventually on the negotiation and application of the international investment treaties concluded by China because the CPC Central Committee Decision on Certain significant Issues regarding the Comprehensive Promotion of Law (PCC Decision) has demonstrated the directions of legal constructions and reforms explicitly and comprehensively from the administrative, judicial, social, and jurist perspectives, which constitutes the most inclusive PCC Decision regarding Chinese law and justice.

This paper analyzes the location, landscape elements, and outdoor space composition in the Korean Sosu seowon and Chinese Bailudong seowon. The Sosu and Bailudong seowons were designed to fit well into similar valleys, and they share the approach of Jwa hak woo myo, which means the sacrificial space is on the right and the educational space is on the left. The two seowons each have unique layout characteristics, which reflect topographical features. In the case of the Sosu seowon, the buildings have different orientations, creating a natural arrangement of structures. By contrast, in Bailudong seowon, buildings have a fixed orientation and a formal serial-parallel arrangement along five abscissa axes and one longitudinal axis. Pedestrian systems were established in both seowons, designed to reflect the hierarchical order of the buildings. The Sosu seowon adopted the pedestrian system that encouraged strolling, while the Bailudong seowon’s orthogonal circulation system was set up lengthwise, in parallel with the transverse. The component buildings used for worshiping ancestors and giving lectures, as well as the supporting spaces, were created at the start of the building process, while various other buildings were built to meet the needs of later periods. The two waterscape facilities are also very different: the Takcheongji (pond) at the Sosu seowon symbolizes clarifying the mind through study, while the Panchi (pond) at the Bailudong seowon merges with the Lishengdian (shrine) to contain and represent Confucian culture. The rock carvings at the two seowons differ in both quantity and content. However both sets of rock carvings incorporate Neo-Confucian meanings designed to encourage students to cultivate themselves. From the perspective of earlier literature, both seowons took the meaning of trees very seriously, although they planted different types of trees in their grounds.

The basic instrument for oral hygiene is toothbrush. Many patents that are announced to enhance efficiency and convenience by changing shape and using new material. There are also patents regarding its various functions. This study, the purpose of study, was surveyed the toothbrush patents from 2005 to 2014. The patent search was done in site 'kipris' using keyword ‘toothbrush’. Among sorts of administrative measure, enrollment and extinction patents was searched, followed by classified patents into its shape, materials, function and electronic toothbrush. For the patents with function, detailed analysis was done. Total numbers of toothbrush patents decreased in 2006 to 2008, lowest in 2008, and steadily increased to 2014. The patents regarding shape was outnumbered material. Shape and material patents could be divided by handle portion and head portion patents, which patents of head portion is more than handle portion. The patents of function could be classified into certain situation or combinate functions to its natural function. Function patents increase with the ratio of total patents. For brush patents, they have a tendence of increase. In addition, from a shape and function, toothbrush patents going to be more variable. It choose small quantity batch production. From a shape of toothbrush, patents regarding head portion are going to increase. And it has a tendency to change the shape rather than the development of materials for efficiency of toothbrushing. Electronic toothbrush will be placed certain position, however, conventional toothbrush also will place large portion by estimating patent number and there be more progressive. Some patents will catch popularity like combination of brush and paste, replacement of brush head, attraction for toothbrushing, and hygiene tooth brush. Also disposable toothbrush and portable toothbrush are getting popularity along with social phenomenon.

Along with toothbrushes, toothpaste has been used for a long time to improve the personal oral hygiene. Toothpaste was firstly introduced to Korea through as a form of powder by the Japanese company Lion Corporation in 1889 and in 1954, the LakHee Chemistry company released Korea’ s first ever tube type cream toothpaste called lucky toothpaste, and afterwards we got to where we are today in terms of toothpaste. As a variety of products are released and customer choices become more diverse, there needs to be a development of toothpaste that can fulfill customers’ needs and requests. Therefore, this study analyzes toothpastes and related patents submitted to the Patent Office from 1962 to June 2015, thereby examining the changes in toothpaste development trends up to the present day. This study was searched using the keyword ‘toothpaste’ in the patent, utility model search engine at Kipris(www.kipris.or.kr), a patent search site, and categorized a total of 2,465 patents, which excluded those rejected by the Patent Office and those unrelated to toothpaste, using titles, full texts of publications and announcements. Research results showed that in the past, from 1960 to 1989, patents related to toothpaste containers took up the highest ratio of 35%. However, after 1990, patents pertaining to toothpaste composites and functionality made up the highest percentage of 54%, and from 2010 to 2015, it occupied 72% of the whole; therefore, we analyzed in detail the patents related to composites and functionality. Taking a look at the objectives and effects of patents having to do with composites and functionality, we found out that from 1964 to June 2015, patents related to Base, a basic component of toothpaste, and those having to do with periodontal disease took up the highest percentages of 25% each, and from 2010~2015 in particular, patents concerning periodontal diseases were submitted 3% more than those about Base. Composites aiming to prevent and treat periodontal diseases can be divided into four different categories, based on components; among those, there were a total of 171 (57%) patents related to living organism and herbal medicine extracts, 107 (36%) patents using compounds, 16 (5%) patents using bamboo salt as well as salt, and 5 (2%) patents using mineral components such as gold, silver. Looking at these investigation results, it can be thought that with the increasing development of toothpaste related to periodontal diseases, there’ s a great amount of interest about toothpaste of effective periodontal disease prevention and treatment purposes. Along with this, we thought that research about how effective periodontal disease toothpastes actually are is also necessary.

The present in vitro study was conducted to examine the effect of buffer solubility of eight protein feeds (coconut meal, distillers grain, sesame meal, perilla meal, soy source cake, rape seed meal, soybean meal and lupine) on the fermentation characteristics, degradability of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP), and methane (CH4) production by rumen microbes. Buffer extraction increased pH (P<0.05 ~ p<0.001) of the culture solution but tended to lower ammonia- N concentration for all protein feeds. Total volatile fatty acids(VFAs) and each VFAs concentrations in all incubation was decreased by buffer extraction (P<0.01 ~ P<0.001). Also, molar proportion of acetate in 1h (P<0.001), 3h (P<0.01) and 12h (P<0.05) incubations and molar proportion of propionate in 1h (P<0.001), 3h (P<0.01), 6h (P<0.05) and 12h (P<0.05) were decreased by buffer extraction. But molar proportion of butyrate in 1h (P<0.001), 3h (P<0.01) and 6h (P<0.05) were increased by buffer extraction. The in vitro effective degradability of dry matter (P<0.001) and CP (P<0.001) was decreased by buffer extraction. The methane production (P<0.01~P<0.001) in all incubation was decreased by buffer extraction. The results from in the current study might be useful for diet formulation to improve the feed efficiency of the ruminant animals without massive loss of major nutrients.