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Focuses on the proceedings of the 9th meeting of the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association held in Hong Kong, China in 2002. Topics; Participants; Publication of papers and articles.

The article discusses the highlights of the 52nd annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) held in San Diego, California, from March 9 to 12, 2000. Papers relating to the Ming period that were presented during the meeting included one on politics and intellectual networking in the late Ming capitals. Joanna Handlin Smith chaired a panel discussion on status, power and identity in 16th-century China, while Paul S. Ropp chaired a panel discussion on male discourses on female suicide in the late Imperial China.

The article cites the papers presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) held at the Los Angeles Hilton Hotel on March 30 to April 1, 1979. A panel entitled "The Chinese World Order: Perspectives from the Periphery," included the paper "Military Uses of the Tributary System: Korea and the Early Ming," by Donald N. Clark. Papers presented at a panel on "Stability and Dynamics in Chinese Civilization: Some Preliminary Views," and a panel on "State Ceremonial in Later Imperial China" are also listed.

In Indonesia, Chinese voluntary associations took on a new level of importance after the fall of Suharto’s New Order regime in 1998 that ushered in a revival of Chinese identity politics. At the same time, Sino-Indonesian relations are blossoming, and the rise of China as a global power means that Indonesia can only benefit from stronger ties with China in the future. In this new atmosphere of cooperation, I argue that Chinese Indonesian individuals and voluntary organizations play a crucial function as trade and cultural intermediaries. Drawing on both empirical and qualitative fieldwork data, in this paper, I examine how members of Chinese voluntary organizations view their ethnicity, national belonging, and strategic position in the contexts of post-Suharto Chinese identity politics and Sino-Indonesia relations. More broadly, this paper also offers a critical analysis of the internal dynamics of contemporary Overseas Chinese voluntary organizations and the role they play in building trade and sociocultural relationships between China and other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses the history and uniqueness of social work education in Macao, a small city in southern China, with a small population and an economy driven mainly by gambling and the tourism industry. The population of Macao has grown over the past 10 years creating increasing demands for social services. In response, the Macao government has adopted a proactive role in social service planning and the development of innovative services to meet newly emerging needs. Macao is now in a stage of new development in social services, with ample opportunities and challenges. Professional training, professional associations and accrediting organizations form a sophisticated interlocking system that reflects the development of a profession and its level of maturity. Social work education is playing a significant role in the development of professional social services and in enhancing the professionalization of social work, though the process is slow. This paper argues that reasons for the slow progress are manifold. It is expected that there will be further developments in social work education in Macao, and its interplay with the expansion of social welfare services will certainly set a new scene for the social work profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I examine the use of performance-based financing to scale-up HIV testing in men who have sex with men, or MSM, by global health initiatives in China. This mechanism, which ties financing directly to the achievement of targets and indicators, assures that measurable results are produced from health interventions and accounts for financial spending. On the one hand, its adoption into HIV programming in China articulates with broader shifts in global health that place currency on particular forms of evidence. At the same time, performance-based financing reshapes how HIV interventions are carried out and what counts in these programmes. The suturing of financing to outputs directs what gets counted and how, and as a consequence leads to the production of measurable results as an end in and of themselves. Based on 22 months of ethnographic research carried out in China, I explore the effects of this mechanism and, in doing so, ask what gets left out in the pursuit of evidence. In particular, I demonstrate how the demand for outputs undermines HIV prevention in MSM, thus risking the very lives these interventions are intended to save. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Examines the public protest by grassroots organizations which, in part, led to the withdrawal of the British colonial government's privatization plan on health care finances in its final years of rule in Hong Kong. Five policy proposals for the financing of future health services in Hong Kong contained in the green paper 'Towards Better Health--A Consultation Document'; Major arguments presented by the grassroots organizations on public health care; Conclusion.

This paper surveys the roles of seven Chinese associations in Kuala Terengganu in maintaining and propagating Chinese culture within a Malay state. These associations have played significant roles in maintaining and propagating Chinese culture as far as the range of cultural activities hosted by them is concerned. There is also a reasonable level of state cultural leadership, though lacking in certain areas. But the small population and the outflow of the younger generation have presented a host of problems to the Chinese associations with regard to the required critical mass, pool of talent, injection of ideas and second-tier leadership. The lack of financial support is yet another problem arising from the peripheral role of the Chinese in the state economy and their small numbers. Meanwhile, leaders of the Chinese associations exercise restraint so as not to infringe on Malay religious sensitivity when hosting outdoor cultural activities during the Muslim ritual periods. They also exhibit a high degree of tolerance towards Islamisation programmes undertaken by the state as long as these programmes do not encroach into their private socio-cultural domains. Despite their small population, the Chinese in Kuala Terengganu are a politically significant minority as a result of the political outbidding among the Malays. Leaders of the Chinese associations have benefited from such a position in resolving certain long-standing cultural issues. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

On 21 and 22 November 2006, 90 hemp experts from 23 countries and five continents met in Hürth in the Rhineland (Germany) to exchange views on the current status quo and future trends of the global hemp industry. The 4th International Conference of the "European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA)" revealed a globally increasing interest in hemp raw materials due to worldwide raw material shortages. Special highlights of the conference: The manifold industrial applications of hemp in China as well as the interest of the wood material industry in hemp as alternative raw material for board materials. The mood on the 4th EIHA Conference was substantially different from previous years. One could sense a new interest in hemp. This became clear also through a large number of new projects and investments, ideas and products as well as a couple of new actors. doi:10.1300/J237v12n02_06 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Social work education in China has experienced a very rapid expansion in recent years. Top Chinese leaders have advocated strongly for social work and in 2006, the government launched a series of new social policy initiatives aimed at professionalizing social work. This has provided an opportunity for researchers and educators to think about the possible impact and future challenges confronting the civil affairs sector and social work educators. In this paper, the authors will provide an analysis of the recent development of social work education in China, and also highlight the major challenges that social work educators and the social services sectors will encounter in the context of the professionalization of social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the 2005 Biennial Conference of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism (IAST) that was held in Beijing, China. IAST is a self-recruiting group of scholars following the honoured traditions of British clubs. Fellowship is not open to any fee paying associates. It can only be achieved by invitation of the confreres after a finicky selection process that includes a highly qualified quorum of affirmative ballots. IAST, founded in 1988, was one of the harbingers of the growing demand for excellence in tourism research and has tried to keep true to this goal since. At any rate, only active IAST fellows are invited to participate in the sessions, although each one of them has the right to invite one guest if the latter contributes a paper to the proceedings. IAST fellows have many different academic backgrounds and a plurality of research strategies. This makes a second specialty for IAST conferences. In order to accommodate a number of papers with no common focus, their leitmotiv has to be as encompassing as the one for this Ninth Biennial Session in Beijing.

As the profession of dance movement therapy (DMT) grows and develops, more DMT's are combining movement with counselling and psychology, making valuable contributions across the globe. The sudden threat of Covid-19 made the need for clarification and integration of cultural and professional boundaries clear. With a shrinking world and increasing threats of refugees, displacement, climate change, intergenerational trauma and pandemics, DMT's can join with other healing disciplines to bring creative healing options into communities and the world. How can it adapt to meet these new challenges while protecting professional standards and ethics? What might this integration look like? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces the 13th International Congress of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science to be held from August 9 to August 15, 2007 in Beijing, China. The event is organized by the Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science. Topics to be covered include logic, general philosophy of science and bioethics.

The article focuses on the disempowerment of the Women's Federation participation in international development projects in China. It states that since the era of reform and opening up, the country has launched many large international and bilateral cooperative rural development projects, wherein the participation of the federation is highly needed and participated. However, to this days, it states that women's participation tends to be limited to the set-up phase of projects and the initial implementation started when the federation most frequently makes an appearance. In addition, under an arrangement, the federation often participate only passively in large-scale international rural development projects.

Presents an overview of the Asia Pacific Tourism Association's Eighth Annual Conference at the Shangri-La Hotel in Dalian, China during July 10-13, 2003. Objective of the conference; Features of the conference; Themes of the refereed research papers.

This article investigates the impact of institutional difference and natural resource endowment in developing host countries on the location choice of Chinese OFDI. We found that institutional difference between China and host countries insignificantly affect the flow of Chinese OFDI, however, when observed on sectoral levels; Chinese investment is responsive to the institutional difference in non-fuel natural resource rich countries while institutional difference asserts insignificant influence on Chinese OFDI in fuel resource rich countries. This shows that institutions play a role in the location choice of Chinese OFDI but, it depends on the sector and institutional proximity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on scientists in the cultural revolution in China. The author comments that Chinese scientists in the past decade had undergone fluctuations concerning party control of scientific control and the academic freedom. The scientists had no choice but to pay homage to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, however, most of the scientists were not reconciled to the Party's interference in their undertakings and were resentful forums, as required by the Party.

Although E-Learning 2.0 has played a significant role in training and development within the organisational environment, after an initial acceptance, its use is frequently discontinued. Prior studies offered insights into participation in E-Learning; however, there is limited research on continuance intention towards E-Learning 2.0 systems in organisational contexts. Furthermore, the most widely used research models, such as technology acceptance model (TAM), neglect the interactive social processes in E-Learning 2.0. Therefore, this study proposes a unified model integrating the TAM, the information system success model and social motivation theories to investigate continuance intentions towards E-Learning 2.0 in an organisational context. A sample of 284 participants from companies in China that have already implemented E-Learning 2.0 systems took part in this study. Structural equation modelling was conducted to test the research hypotheses. The results show that the unified model provides a more comprehensive understanding of the cognitive processes and behaviours related to this context: (1) perceived usefulness and attitude were critical to the continuance intention towards an E-Learning 2.0 system; (2) perceived usefulness was a significant mediator of the effects from perceived ease of use, information quality and social influence on continuance intention; (3) perceived ease of use, information quality and social influence were found to play important roles in predicting the continuance intention; (4) system quality played an important role in affecting the perceived ease of use; and (5) unexpectedly, social motivations had no significant effect on attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of religious societies under the puppet Manchukuo regime has not been studied to a great extent. By examining the historical materials of the Red Swastika Society, an eclectic religious association that blended Daoist and Buddhist practices and notions, this article attempts to delineate the activities of that religious organization in northeast Chinese society, and argues that the apolitical and non-partisan philanthropic activities of the Red Swastika Society were challenged by both nationalism and imperialism. Prior to World War II, collaboration between the Red Swastika Society and a new Japanese religion, Ōmotokyō, had been politicized by right-wing Japanese politicians. During the period of Japanese rule in Manchukuo, the Red Swastika Society had to abandon its political neutrality after being politically suppressed. To some extent, it was transformed into a propagandistic society that advocated the legitimacy of the puppet Manchukuo regime, of which it became a vassal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Online hotel bookings have recently become popular in both direct and indirect distribution channels. Although prior studies have stated that attempting to find the lowest price is a major factor for customers in choosing a website for booking, the existing literature contains virtually no articles that examine the terms and conditions (T&C) offered on online reservation channels. The study reported herein investigated the importance of the room rates and T&C on six major websites for the 97 hotels on the member list of the Hong Kong Hotels Association (HKHA). The findings of this study are expected to provide a better understanding of the T&C for online bookers of hotels via different online distribution channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Bank imported the concept of Water User Association (WUA) to China in 1994, promoting participatory irrigation management in China to address the increasing scarcity of water resources. The purpose was to involve rural communities in water use and management in a more equitable, fair, effective and sustainable way. This has led to the widespread transfer of irrigation management responsibility from the state to the villages and local water groups; Water User Associations have been set up in many places as autonomous organizations through which villagers manage water. As of the end of 2006, 30000 Water User Associations had been established in China. Women in rural areas have increasing responsibilities both in agriculture and domestic water use because men are migrating for work. Case studies for several villages in Gansu Province show that women's participation in the new Water User Associations is minimal. The implications of this gender difference for effective and equitable water management have been largely ignored. The main objective of the study is to examine gender issues in water management and WUA and to recommend changes of attitude and behaviour. Gender-sensitive policies are required to achieve more effective, efficient and equitable water resources management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa is experiencing an unusually high economic interest from the People's Republic of China, whose government has invested billions of dollars in schools, clinics, roads, railways, factories, and oil wells on the continent; has canceled more than $1.36 billion in debts owed to it by 33 African nations; and has pledged to provide Africa with $5 billion in preferential loans and credits through 2009. Its top party officials traverse the continent, seeking to develop business relationships and to reinforce others. While such efforts help place Africa on the cusp of significant economic growth, they also boost the programs and activities of the Nairobi, Kenya-based Federation of African Public Relations Associations (FAPRA), an umbrella body of all national public relations associations in Africa and a consultant to African governments and to the African Union. FAPRA has launched a 5-year action plan to improve the stature and social relevance of the public relations practice, largely through enhancing its efforts to professionalize it. Both China and FAPRA are, in essence, collaborating to create environments conducive to enhancing the practice in Africa, and to laying a foundation for an expansive view of public relations research - one that questions grand narratives, defines concepts, challenges orthodoxies, measures variables, and determines program outcomes or effects. And researchers and practitioners work together in creative ways to improve the practice. This article argues that questions and concepts are, in themselves, opportunities for a much-needed theory building in Africa's public relations. It, therefore, outlines 4 propositions as a template for such theory building, based on a 4-concept research agenda: culture, good governance and rule of law, economic freedom, and FAPRA's integrated programs and activities outlined in its 5-year action plan. The return of China ... to global economic prominence in the twenty-first century is likely to reshape global politics and society. The overwhelming dominance of the West, which lasted half a millennium, is probably passé. We should view these developments not only with awe, but with anticipation. (Sachs, 2005, p. 187) We want to work in partnership with the international community, but we believe that it must be a partnership based on mutual respect and mutual accountability. (Former Namibian Prime Minister Geingob, 2006, p. 56) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares different practices of business associations in two localities in China – Wuxi and Wenzhou – and examines the internal linkage between associational practices and patterns of economic development. In Wuxi, business associations are organised and run by government in a top-down approach, and serve as state corporatist instruments; while in Wenzhou, there emerged many grass-roots business associations initiated and governed by entrepreneurs from bottom-up, working for societal purposes. The distinctive associational practices in the two localities are linked with their local economic development patterns: government-led development in Wuxi versus entrepreneur-initiated development in Wenzhou. The article concludes that the growth of private entrepreneurship and the spread of market relations, together with the willingness of government to leave space to societal actors, are the primary conditions for autonomous, vibrant business associations to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides a comprehensive analysis on the legal status of higher education institutions, particularly as an administrative entity, in China. Higher education institutions play different roles in the society including administrative entities, opposing parties to administration and civil entities. The administrative entity being referred to here is a government agency or organization authorized to exercise administrative power on behalf of the government. A case study of Tian Yong versus the University of Science and Technology in Beijing is presented in order to show and discuss the nature of administrative entity.

Singapore official discourse speaks of (Chinese) families as both cultural and economic assets and as vestiges of national identity. Chinese families are often described in traditional terms, namely as patrilinial, patrilocal, patriarchal and clearly hierarchical. In Singapore official discourse, the historical success of traditional family businesses is presented as a unique ethnic and national characteristic. Simultaneously, the Singapore state claims to be ‘modern’, ‘Western’, and ‘cosmopolitan’, allowing little space for ‘parochial practices’ and ‘archaic traditions’. Either praised or looked down on, family businesses occupy an ambiguous position within the ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ discourses of the Singapore state. This article supplies the evidence of changing family and business relations in Chinese–Singapore firms. Three major factors are isolated that influence Singapore attitudes towards family businesses: Chinese culture, globalization and the logic of developing capitalism, and the role of the Singapore state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines elements shaping the conflict between the Chinese government and the Falun Gong movement. It explores the historical relationship between China's rulers and sects, the qigong boom in contemporary China, the Chinese government's style of conflict management, and the development of the Falun Gong teachings since the group was banned. It discusses the extreme language both sides use to define themselves and their opponent as part of a media-campaign to legitimate their respective causes. It also examines the intensification of the millennial message in the Falun Gong teachings and the potential justification for violence even though the teachings continue to condemn the use of violence. Its concludes with reflections on the future of the Falun Gong and the Chinese government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the relationship between state and local society in China. Role of the Wang Yangming School on the state and society relationship; Measures to reconstruct local order; Involvement of Wang followers in village and lineage development.

Focuses on the role of village associations on social transformation and development in Jiangxi, China. Description of the Liukeng village; Influence of commercialization on associational organizations; Importance of association on solving village problems.

Discusses a study which examined the environments of primary social networks, secondary associations and the mass media in Hong Kong, China. Information on the election process in the country; Description of the environment of primary social networks; Relationship between intermediation environments and electoral participation.

Examines the emergence and development of grassroots community organizations in Hong Kong from the late 1960s to the present. Analysis on their contribution to the democratization movement and how they in turn have been supported by the development of representative government; Relationship between grassroots community organizations and the pro-democracy political parties; Difficulties and challenges facing grassroots community organizations in the 1990s; Conclusion.

This article seeks to evaluate the achievements and limitations of successive phases in China's state-enterprise reforms, chiefly by way of a case study of Beijing, China's Capital Iron and Steel Corp. (Shougang), although the experiences of other large state-owned steelmakers in China have also been considered where appropriate. In broad terms, China's ongoing program of state owned enterprise (SOE) reform has aimed at giving SOEs progressively greater autonomy from the state, white also forcing them to take more responsibility for their own profits and losses and to be more responsive to market signals in their business operations. In other words, from being "social and economic conglomerates" responsible for social goods, such as cradle-to-grave welfare for employees and their dependents, as well as for production, and not subject to hard budget constraints, large SOEs are supposed to transform themselves into purely economic entities, relieved of their social-welfare burden, which can be expected to operate in a much more entrepreneurial way and to compete in international as well as domestic markets.

There are various methods of designing organizations to adjust to the needs of the circumstances, clients and administrators. The literature on organizations highlighted various aspects as it developed and the emphasis shifted over time. Different approaches were tried in two cases in Hong Kong where organizations were designed to deal with specific problems of corruption and organized crime. While the social approach appeared to be more sensitive to the needs of the target group, the institutional approach emerged as a more effective option. In designing organizations, it is necessary to consider the social and psychological aspects, but the nature of structure, stability of environment and regularity of procedures have a profound impact on the effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facing new agenda economic development issues, China like other developing states is forced to coordinate policies regionally. As need for decentralization "downward" stretches to include delegation "outward," Beijing must find its best response to the new trend. Four tests reveal no reason for China to stay aloof from simple Membership in Pacific-Asian regional organizations. Three tests reveal no problem with China taking an Activist role in such regional organizations. Three final tests reveal potential costs China would pay for seeking a regional Leadership role, especially before Beijing's post-succession direction is determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on historical materials on a model capitalist industry in Shanghai, China. On the establishment of the Shanghai Tobacco Workers' Union, the workers seized the opportunity to make various demands for an improvement in their livelihood. The capitalists at first tried to suppress the workers, but after realizing that the workers were united as one, all members of the administrative staff were in fact admitted to the Association, in which senior members of the staff were in complete control of its most powerful organ. The workers launched a full-scale attack and the entire committee was forced to resign. Most of the new committee members elected were workers and it was only then that the Association became exclusively a trade union of the workers. The total number of male and female workers on the day and night shifts of the South Seas Brothers Tobacco Company is over six thousand, and they feel that maintaining their livelihood has been difficult over the past year. The workers have made a total of seventeen demands, but there are no details on all of them.

This article focuses on the significance and managerial roles of trade unions in joint ventures with China. It examines the structural attributes and roles of the trade unions by focusing on their interlocking relationships with the enterprise, the state, the Chinese Communist Party and the mass organizations such as the Communist Youth League and Women's Federation. It also illustrates the empirical results of the relative importance of the various roles of trade unions, as perceived by the union cadres in the joint ventures of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

The article focuses on the past, present, and future of sociology in China. Chinese sociology is almost one hundred years old; the most recent ten years of the discipline represent only a single link in this chain. The history of Chinese sociology can be divided into five stages, adoption, institutionalization, expansion, suspension and reconstruction. In adoption, sociology entered China from the West at the end of the nineteenth century. China was then in one of its darkest times. The feudal system was decaying. The government was corrupt and bee set with difficulties, both at home and abroad. The economy was in a shambles, with depression widespread. In institutionalization, the first sociology department established in a Chinese-administered university was the one at Xiamen University in 1921. Whether these institutions were run by missionary societies or by the Chinese themselves, most sociology professors were Americans. Later, an increasing number of Chinese professors taught sociology. In expansion, with the foundation of the Chinese Sociological Society, Chinese sociology had a unified scholarly body. This was a major forum from which information could be more expeditiously disseminated to all regional sociology departments; and, perhaps most significantly, it was a body in which Chinese themselves far outnumbered foreign scholars. Through this central body the study of sociology was able to grow and flourish throughout China.

This article presents information on the Beijing Media Audience Survey in China. Initiated by the Beijing Journalism Association, a research group made up of personnel from the Journalism Research Institute attached to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, "Renmin ribao," the "Workers' Daily," and the "China Youth Daily," conducted a survey of the reception of mass media information by Beijing residents. People from the Beijing Radio and Broadcast Institute took part in the survey also. Its purpose is to find out the needs of the media public in order to provide data for the reform to use. The survey owed much to Beijing municipal and district party propaganda departments for their support and assistance. The survey was conducted in 295 grass-roots units. Among 2,430 subjects who were given the questionnaire, valid returns amounted to 2,423, 99.7 percent of the total, comprising .0026 percent of Beijing's entire population. After the survey, the work of 10 percent of the total survey units was reviewed. Five units were found not to have followed the random sampling principle and had to go through the procedures again. The survey results were sent to the Beijing Statistics Bureau for inspection and were judged to have reflected the city's actual situation in general.

The article presents information on recent developments related to the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia Inc. (PESA). The web site of the society provides recent information on it's conferences, travel grants and scholarships. The 34th annual conference of PESA was held in December 2005 in Hong Kong, China. A total of 63 participants attended the conference. The Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia Inc. announced it's scholarships for Ph.D. students at the conference. Sandy Farquhar received PESA scholarship on July 2006 for her thesis on narrative identity in early childhood. March 31, 2007 is the last date for receiving applications for 2007 scholarships.