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Compares the economic history of china and Europe over the past 2,000 years in an attempt to understand the countries’ present economic positions. Discusses how China’s political and economic system impeded the development of a commodity economy and led to the development of agriculture while Europe’s commodity economy fostered the advancement of science and technology.

Advertisers of the leading brands of consumer goods were surveyed in Great Britain, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and West Germany. The study found that Northern European advertisers generally follow worldwide patterns in their practices of budgeting, timing, creative approaches and measures of effectiveness. However, there were two major differences, namely: allocation of the budget by media, and agency compensation. Due to the absence of major commercial broadcast media, less money is spent on TV and radio advertising. This results in a more frequent use of the fee‐for‐service form of payment and less commissions from the media to compensate advertising agencies.

The Lüscher colour test is used to compare colour associations in China, South Korea, Japan and the United States. Respondents were asked which colour they associate with words such as expensive, happy, love and dependable. They were also asked to relate the colours to countries, such as Italy and France; institutions, such as restaurants and theatres; and product packages, such as a soft drink label and a box of headache remedy. The findings show that, while some colours seem to show cross‐cultural consistency, other colours, such as purple and grey, hold opposite meanings in different cultures.

The Asia‐Pacific region, one of the world's fastest growing markets is experiencing wide and growing use of countertrade. This paper explores some of the factors leading to increased use of countertrade deals in the Asia‐Pacific market. Recent examples of countertrade transactions in the region are reviewed and the implications for management are explored.

Reports on a study of the relative importance of 17 import decision variables as rated by Japanese import managers. A systematic sample of 52 managers representing different companies in Japan participated. The Japanese findings were compared with the US data from an earlier study by the author. Japanese importers rated product quality as the most important variable when importing products from overseas followed by timely delivery, price, and dependability of long‐term supply. The US importers, by contrast, were not as concerned with product quality but they rated timely delivery, price, long‐term supply dependability variables as high as their Japanese counterparts. Product safety was also of major concern to the Japanese importers (ranked 5th) but it ranked last (17th) in importance to US importers. Importing is equally important with exporting in international trade. Yet, the import purchasing study has received little attention. Further studies of a comparative nature in this field will serve to develop a theory of import purchasing behaviour.

Explores the cultural differences between Japan and the USA as they influence in the practice of creativity. Western logic reflects its Cartesian heritage of a clear, linear path of reasoning or the “scientific method”. The western approach to creativity is innovation through sponteneous originality. The Japanese approach, by contrast, is through the adaptive process. Implementing the innovation for effective production and marketing is their greatest strength. Japanese value the consensual more than differences. Proposes that US‐Japanese partnerships would be the merging of opposites, the perfect complement of two diameterically opposite ways of creative thinking. If these partnerships are properly conceived and implemented, a highly efficient combine would result.

Examines the recent research on advertising in mainland China over the 1979‐1998 period. Suggests that findings show a sustained effort in academic research/publications on advertising in China is in the early stage of its development and whilst many areas have been researched, there are many more yet to be touched. Concludes that the research is seldom based on established theoretical or conceptual framework and the research methods and types of analysis used have not been very advanced when compared to general advertising research.

Japanese corporate product development strategies are examined. Product development Japanese style is the dynamic and continuous process of adaptation to change in the environment. A background to the methods currently used, including the strategic role played by top management, self‐organizing project teams, overlapping development phases and multi‐learning, is provided. Strengths and weaknesses of Japanese industrial product development practices are related to the Japanese cultural heritage and the rationale for such practices explained in terms of the Japanese culture. Comments on future implications are made.

In 1988, 998 letters of reservation inquiries were sent to hotels with 250 rooms or more requesting information about hosting a business reception for 20 couples. The study was designed to test the responsiveness of hotels to reservation inquiries made by letter and whether the hotels would miss the opportunity to maximize their revenues by failing to respond effectively to these reservation inquiries. Recently, 100 letters of similar content were again sent to a random sample of hotels with 250 rooms or more located in the USA, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The letters of reservation inquiries were sent to test the responsiveness of hotels again and to assess whether the quality of the responses made by the hotels has changed since 1988. The current study found that the responsiveness of hotels to reservation inquiries made by letter has changed little since 1988. Like 1988, many hotels missed the opportunity to maximize their revenues by failing to respond to reservation inquiries made by letter.

Looks at consumer research in Greater China including Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Maps out the contributions within this area and guides future research. Examines the state of the art over the 1979‐97 period, with particular emphasis on the topics that have been researched, the extent of the theory development in the field and the methodologies used in conducting research. Uses content analysis to review 75 relevant articles. Suggests that, while a considerable breadth of topics have been researched, there remains much to be done, there is further room for theoretical development in Chinese consumer behaviour studies; and the methodologies used need improvement and further refinement.