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1 – 10 of over 1000Xiao Hu, Christy W.L. Cheong, Siwei Zhang and J. Stephen Downie
Music mood is an important metadata type on online music repositories and stream music services worldwide. Many existing studies on mood metadata have focused on music websites…
Abstract
Purpose
Music mood is an important metadata type on online music repositories and stream music services worldwide. Many existing studies on mood metadata have focused on music websites and services in the Western world to the exclusion of those serving users in other cultures. The purpose of this paper is to bridge this gap by exploring mood labels on influential Chinese music websites.
Design/methodology/approach
Mood labels and the associated song titles were collected from six Chinese music websites, and analyzed in relation to mood models and findings in the literature. An online music listening test was conducted to solicit users’ feedback on the mood labels on two popular Chinese music websites. Mood label selections on 30 songs from 64 Chinese listeners were collected and compared to those given by the two websites.
Findings
Mood labels, although extensively employed on Chinese music websites, may be insufficient in meeting listeners’ needs. More mood labels of high arousal semantics are needed. Song languages and user familiarity to the songs show influence on users’ selection of mood labels given by the websites.
Practical implications
Suggestions are proposed for future development of mood metadata and mood-enabled user interfaces in the context of global online music access.
Originality/value
This paper provides insights on understanding the mood metadata on Chinese music websites and uniquely contributes to existing knowledge of culturally diversified music access.
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Kai Jia, Martin Kenney and John Zysman
The recent emergence of Chinese digital platform firms, whose size rivals that of the US platform giants, has attracted much popular interest. Given the size and increasing…
Abstract
The recent emergence of Chinese digital platform firms, whose size rivals that of the US platform giants, has attracted much popular interest. Given the size and increasing technical sophistication of these firms, there has been increasing interest in whether they have developed sufficient capacities and resources to become global-class competitors for the reigning US platform giants. The authors assembled a database of all overseas operations of the Chinese platform firms. Nine of them have foreign operations, with Tencent and Alibaba being the most important offshore investors. The authors describe the globalization patterns of these firms and analyze the strengths and obstacles to their globalization. Their globalization has proceeded on a number of vectors: first, these firms, with a few exceptions, when they have global strategies, have largely invested in firms with useful technology or content. One common strategy has been to follow Chinese customers abroad. Second, Chinese firms have made equity investments in a number of foreign Internet firms. And yet, in nearly all foreign markets, Chinese websites and apps still trail the US firms in market share and salience. Finally, Chinese investments are concentrated in proximate countries. Chinese platform firms, while having some state-of-the-art technologies, have a far smaller foreign presence than their US competitors do. Finally, the authors consider the implications of their research for discussions of whether emerging nation multinational firms require new theories for explaining their globalization.
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Xiao Hu and Jin Ha Lee
The purpose of this paper is to compare music mood perceptions of people with diverse cultural backgrounds when they interact with Chinese music. It also discusses how the results…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare music mood perceptions of people with diverse cultural backgrounds when they interact with Chinese music. It also discusses how the results can inform the design of global music digital libraries (MDL).
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was designed based on the Music Information Retrieval Evaluation eXchange (MIREX) five-cluster mood model, to solicit mood perceptions of listeners in Hong Kong and the USA on a diverse set of Chinese music. Statistical analysis was applied to compare responses from the two user groups, with consideration of different music types and characteristics of listeners. Listeners’ textual responses were also analyzed with content coding.
Findings
Listeners from the two cultural groups made different mood judgments on all but one type of Chinese music. Hong Kong listeners reached higher levels of agreement on mood judgments than their US counterparts. Gender, age and familiarity with the songs were related to listeners’ mood judgment to some extent.
Practical implications
The MIREX five-cluster model may not be sufficient for representing the mood of Chinese music. Refinements are suggested. MDL are recommended to differentiate tags given by users from different cultural groups, and to differentiate music types when classifying or recommending Chinese music by mood.
Originality/value
It is the first study on cross-cultural access to Chinese music in MDL. Methods and the refined mood model can be applied to cross-cultural access to other music types and information objects.
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This paper aims to shed some light on the history of the Chinese videogames industry, to document the growth of the leading companies and reveal how they have been morphing into…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to shed some light on the history of the Chinese videogames industry, to document the growth of the leading companies and reveal how they have been morphing into platforms delivering constellations of apps and digital content (audiovisual, films, music, literature, video streaming […]). The paper tracks the development of digital services through the prism of videogames thereby showing how this industry emerged out of the deployment of the internet.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides an overview and a synthesis of what is known about the Chinese game industry, particularly based on consultancy documents and publications from firms. The paper is based on desk research, a review of literature and trade press and the analysis of the annual reports of the leading players (NetEase, Tencent […]).
Findings
The rise of videogames and the creation of specific company’s “ecosystems” illustrate the capacity of the industry to innovate and its significance for the Chinese economy. It reveals that gaming has been a cornerstone of many Chinese technology companies. The (young) companies came up with the innovative business models (FTP, virtual items) that were required to further expand the market. They found new ways to interact with their customers through communities and various tools.
Research limitations/implications
The paper relies on consultancy documents and publications from firms on heterogeneous data from industry and consultants. This approach comes with some limitations from a methodological viewpoint. It allows documenting the historical trends and describing the industrial landscape but not to qualify the relationships among players. Besides, the use of these sources leads to a greater focus on business models and a more limited one on the policy dimension. The latter is often perceived only through the glasses of the companies.
Practical implications
The data provided are meant to be useful to become familiar with the Chinese games industry.
Social implications
The paper indicates that the online game industry is a complex web of activities with tensions and contradictions between stakeholders (industry, government and consumers). In the case of China, there is a conflict between the willingness to liberalize the economy and the will to maintain an ideological monopoly through cultural industries.
Originality/value
Little research has been devoted to the role of videogames in emerging economies, to its specific features and to the relationships with the media industry and the information and communications technology sector. The contribution of this “digital native” to the production and distribution of digital content remains less studied. The paper provides an up-to-date overview of the Chinese case.
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The purpose of this paper is to outline a framework for marketing cultural goods (e.g. music) to global markets by examining modes of entry and positioning strategies used by…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline a framework for marketing cultural goods (e.g. music) to global markets by examining modes of entry and positioning strategies used by media producers of the South Korean music industry.
Design/methodology/approach
An historic analysis was implemented to investigate the modalities and structures through which cultural products are produced and disseminated. Data for this study came from 314 articles collected from www.allkpop.com, a leading English-language, South Korean popular culture news site.
Findings
The cultural technology framework consists of the institutionalization of cultural technology, exportation of cultural content, collaborations with local talent, and joint ventures with local markets.
Research limitations/implications
The findings emerge from an analysis of South Korean popular music industries, and further research is needed to generalize the results across cultural industries.
Practical implications
The cultural technology framework can be applied to cultural industries such as music, film, comics, and art, where culture and language could be barriers to adoption.
Originality/value
This study outlines a framework for the modes of entry and positioning strategies of cultural goods (e.g. music) in international markets. Extant literature has examined global marketing from the purview of durable consumer goods and brands, with limited insights into cultural products. More broadly, this paper addresses the call for more qualitative inquiry into international marketing topics.
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Bing Xue, Rui Yao, Zengyu Ye, Cheuk Ting Chan, Dickson K.W. Chiu and Zeyu Zhong
With the rapid development of social media, many organizations have begun to attach importance to social media platforms. This research studies the management and the use of…
Abstract
Purpose
With the rapid development of social media, many organizations have begun to attach importance to social media platforms. This research studies the management and the use of social media in academic music libraries, taking the Center for Chinese Music Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CCMS) as a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted a sentiment analysis of posts on Facebook’s public page to analyze the reaction to the posts with some exploratory analysis, including the communication trend and relevant factors that affect user interaction.
Findings
Our results show that the Facebook channel for the library has a good publicity effect and active interaction, but the number of posts and interactions has a downward trend. Therefore, the library needs to pay more attention to the management of the Facebook channel and take adequate measures to improve the quality of posts to increase interaction.
Originality/value
Few studies have analyzed existing data directly collected from social media by programming based on sentiment analysis and natural language processing technology to explore potential methods to promote music libraries, especially in East Asia, and about traditional music.
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Han Shen, Chengyi Song, Mimi Li and Qian Jiang
SNS, namely social networking sites, has become one of the most effective and fast channels of information diffusion and dissemination. As an influential way of online marketing…
Abstract
SNS, namely social networking sites, has become one of the most effective and fast channels of information diffusion and dissemination. As an influential way of online marketing, SNS has been increasingly used by tourism organizations and enterprises to shape their destination image. On the basis of previews literature of destination image and SNS, this paper used the text analysis software ROST Content Mining (ROST CM) System to do a case study of the SNS destination marketing of Singapore on Chinese market. The authors analyze the text related to Singapore tourism on the major SNS in mainland China: Renren, Sina Weibo, and Douban, through word frequency analysis and the social semantic network, to summarize the destination image of Singapore on SNS. The paper also focuses on the difference of image building by official and individual SNS. Results found by this paper can be used by the relevant tourism organizations and enterprises to improve their destination marketing and image building on SNS channels.
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Eunsoo Baek, Ha Kyung Lee and Ho Jung Choo
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how geographic cues embedded in a website affect Chinese consumers’ cross-border shopping experiences. The study simultaneously…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how geographic cues embedded in a website affect Chinese consumers’ cross-border shopping experiences. The study simultaneously explores the effect of telepresence on shoppers’ perceptions of product authenticity and their trust in retailers, key drivers of behavioral intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experimental conditions were utilized. Geographic cues depicted a famous shopping district in the retailer’s country (South Korea) or the shopper’s country (China). Study participants were female Chinese consumers in their 20s and 30s who had purchased Korean fashion products in the past (n=236). Structural equation modeling was conducted using AMOS 21.0.
Findings
Results indicate that participants in the “retailer’s country” experimental condition experienced higher telepresence and greater perceptions of product authenticity. Furthermore, telepresence increased participants’ trust in the retailer and perceived product authenticity, which led to positive behavioral intentions.
Practical implications
Findings offer important implications for cross-border online retailing. First, results suggest a highly successful tactic for enhancing shoppers’ perceptions of product authenticity and retailer trust on a cross-border platform. Second, cross-border online business professionals should focus on the role of telepresence. Finally, this study provides insight about Chinese cross-border shoppers.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on cross-border online shopping. It suggests that the strategic use of geographic cues on a website can provide an experiential benefit, telepresence, to cross-border shoppers. The study’s findings provide a novel insight into possible unique success factors in cross-border e-commerce.
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Yunxi Chen and Weng Si (Clara) Lei
With the increasing importance of social media in promoting events, understanding the relationship between event followers' motivations and their behaviors on an event's social…
Abstract
Purpose
With the increasing importance of social media in promoting events, understanding the relationship between event followers' motivations and their behaviors on an event's social media platform becomes a key success factor to attract event-goers. Previous studies on exploring the relationship between social media and event attendees have concentrated mostly on a Western context social media, for example, Facebook, and Western festivals; studies concerning the East or China are scant. This study uses the Strawberry Music Festival in China as a case study and researches its two official social media platforms: WeChat and Weibo.
Design/methodology/approach
The research explores the hedonic and utilitarian motivation of social media followers and investigates followers' browsing and participation behaviors as well as the influence of their usage behaviors on intentions to attend an event. A total of 190 valid responses were collected through an online questionnaire from social media followers of the music festival.
Findings
The findings reveal that both utilitarian and hedonic motivation have significant effects on browsing and participation behaviors. More importantly, browsing and participation behaviors also affect the intentions to attend an event and the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) effect.
Practical implications
The research results provide practical insights for event organizers regarding potential event-goers' usage patterns on social media platforms and their intention to visit events.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the authors’ understanding of the relationship between event attendance and social media behavior, in particular of the East.
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The paper aims to reveal how the Chinese government has tried to regulate transnational cultural flows by applying cultural policies.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to reveal how the Chinese government has tried to regulate transnational cultural flows by applying cultural policies.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper compares the dissemination of different foreign television programmes in China since the 1980s. The documents of cultural policy released since 1990s, news reports and the statistics of imported dramas since 2000s will be analyzed.
Findings
The research finds that the Chinese government has treated cultural products from different countries in unequal ways. Political-diplomatic relationships and the need for ideological control, influence the making of cultural policy. Restricting the quota of imported dramas, censorship and propaganda are measures taken by the Chinese government to regulate transnational cultural flows.
Research limitations/implications
The paper mainly focuses on platforms such as state-owned television stations and internet. The role of pay-cable channel in disseminating imported dramas should be taken into consideration in the future research.
Practical implications
The paper provides a systematic understanding on the development of Chinese cultural policy.
Originality/value
The paper offers an alternative approach to explore the policy-oriented dissemination of transnational cultural flows other than market-oriented dissemination.
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