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This chapter is a qualitative exploration of consumer experiences into rural tourism initiatives in Japan. Rural tourism initiatives have been on the rise in Japan in recent times due to the need to rejuvenate the local economies, arts and cultural heritage. These initiatives aim to mobilise tourist attention to the countryside and create a bridge between urban tourists and rural tourism. Using theories of cultural encounters and cultural consumption, the research investigates rural tourism initiatives in two regions – Tateyama and Hirakawa. The narrative data provide insights into the motivations of the respondents to be part of the initiative and their experiences. It indicates how the process of cultural consumption leads to cultural appreciation. The study also serves as an example of how rural tourism can be implemented by other countries where rural economic mobilisation and empowerment is critical.

A 30-item Sport Interest Inventory (SII) was developed and validated for measuring ten unique motives related to consumer interest at an international sporting event. Spectators (N=1,321) attending five different US venues during the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup were administered the SII. Analysis revealed that sport and team interest, excitement, supporting women's opportunity in sport, aesthetics and vicarious achievement explained 35 per cent of the variance in spectators' interest in the event. Results provide sport marketers with consumer-based marketing strategies, particularly for women's sport.

Recently, it has been recognized that production control systems for multi‐stage manufacturing processes can be classified into push‐type and pull‐type systems. The push‐type systems are commonly defined as those types of materials requirements planning system which utilize the forecast of demands. The pull‐type systems, on the other hand, are those where order quantities are determined on the basis of real demand. Describes a hybrid push/pull production control system, operated periodically, which combines the benefits of both systems. Discusses theoretical arguments in support of this system and numerical studies are shown to give insight into the system′s performance. Hybrid push/pull‐type systems can attain a higher degree of effectiveness if they are appropriately operated.

A new aramid base material for use in laminates to be applied to advanced surface mount technology was developed. A new fibre based on PPDETA (Poly‐p‐phenylene/3,4'‐diphenylether terephthalamide) was found to have negative thermal and hygroscopic expansion coefficients, low ionic impurities and high affinity to epoxy and polyimide resins. The fibre was processed into fabrics and papers to be used as a base material for printed circuit boards for advanced surface mount technology. Impregnation with a new epoxy resin with high purity and high temperature resistance implemented the development of a new laminate with minimal electromigration and high dimensional stability. Thus, a new laminate was developed to be used for LCCC, PGA, COB, TAB, Flip‐Chips and other advanced surface mount technologies. Reliability of the laminate to electromigration between surface conductors, between plated‐through barrels, and between opposed conductors was found to be one of the highest available today. These types of behaviour were related to the high purity and high temperature resistance of both the reinforcement material and the resin. The short life of through‐hole plating in thermal shock was improved by the application of a new plating technology. Application to multilayer boards and laminates with a low dielectric constant is also being investigated.

The aim of the present work was to study the synergistic effect of HEDP and zinc on inhibition of the corrosion of carbon steel in neutral oxygen‐containing chloride solutions, and to investigate the effect of zinc‐HEDP molar ratio on the effectiveness of the zinc‐HEDP inhibitive mixtures.

The inhibition of the corrosion of carbon steel by zinc‐HEDP mixtures in neutral oxygen‐containing solutions was investigated in the presence of 0.003 M (106 ppm) chloride.

It was shown that the inhibition by these mixtures depended not only on the zinc/HEDP molar ratio but also on the concentration of both zinc and HEDP. HEDP concentration appeared to be crucial where good inhibition was not achieved at low concentrations and aggressive nature is observed at high HEDP levels. The effectiveness of the zinc‐HEDP mixtures enhanced inhibition by increasing the zinc content of the mixture, but the mechanism was only effective to a certain level, above which the inhibition effect declined. The predominant corrosion control mechanism of the zinc‐HEDP mixture was on the anodic (metal dissolution) reaction, but it also affected the rate and mechanism of the oxygen reduction reaction.

Demonstrates how the effectiveness of the zinc‐HEDP mixtures can enhance inhibition by increasing the zinc content of the mixture.

The population is aging. The desire to remain in one’s own home through the aging process appears universal. Home health caregivers provide a vital role in allowing people to age in place. Women, and in particular immigrant women, have become the face of home health caregivers. Caregiving is generational. Paid caregiving is viewed as a natural extension of a skill set women have used most of their adult life. Home health caregivers view their work as a continuation of their roles in the family and they often frame their work as providing services that family members cannot, or will not perform. Reimbursement for these services is problematic. Assigning a monetary value to caregiving seems callous, and as a result caregivers are underpaid and undervalued. Global push–pull factors and the creation of a gray economy also contribute to a devaluation of these jobs. Caregivers themselves are poor advocates for better pay and working conditions because they believe it commodifies a kinship like experience. The future of caregiving is problematic. Poor countries will suffer greatly exporting their women; rich countries will need a tremendous number of caregivers to match their demographics and women will be overwhelmed providing care for others and themselves.

In the highly competitive professional sports industry, managers of a newly established competition face many challenges, including “converting” or gaining the allegiance of new groups of consumers (fans, spectators) to their colors. One critical aspect in the converting process relates to the “ideal” game-day experience as perceived by would-be consumers. Gaining knowledge about this area could be critical to professional sport marketers in enhancing the perceived quality of sport events. This study examines the ideal football experience among 1,412 fans of an Australian A-League football (soccer) club. The importance of a lively atmosphere, that of high turnouts of spectators and the opportunity to watch quality and attacking football are highlighted in most comments, even relegating the game’s final score (winning) to a more marginal level of importance. Some of the implications of the findings for professional football marketers and avenues for future research are presented and discussed.

This paper examines the impact of the national sports lottery (toto) in 2001 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup for the Japan Professional Soccer League - J. League. In 2001 J. League attendances grew dramatically and were sustained in subsequent years, even though member clubs did not change many of their marketing strategies and chose to maintain a distance from toto. The evidence suggests that hosting the World Cup allowed the league to leverage the country's hosting of the event in order to generate long-term interest and attendance at J. League games. By contrast, toto appears to have had a short-term impact.

To develop a new corrosion inhibitor formulation for carbon steel in low chloride environments.

Corrosion inhibition efficiencies were evaluated by the weight loss method and by impedance measurement studies. The nature of the inhibition process was evaluated using potentiostatic polarization studies. The nature of the protective film was investigated using X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The concept of synergistic effect was used in the development of the new synergistic inhibitor formulation.

A new corrosion inhibitor formulation, containing tertiary butyl phosphonate (TBP), zinc ions and citrate, has been developed to control the corrosion of carbon steel in low chloride environments. This inhibitor formulation was found to offer a maximum inhibition efficiency of 96 per cent in a neutral pH test environment. It was interesting to observe that the binary system, consisting of higher concentrations of the TBP and zinc ions, offered only 79 per cent inhibition efficiency. The ternary system, consisting of relatively lower concentrations of the phosphonate, zinc ions and citrate offered a higher (96 per cent) efficiency. This ternary inhibitor system also was found to be efficient in acidic as well as basic environments in the pH range 5‐8. The inhibitor combination was determined to function as a “mixed”‐type inhibitor, though being predominantly cathodic. A plausible explanation of the mechanism of corrosion inhibition is proposed.

The ternary inhibitor formulations based on phosphonate, zinc ions and another environmentally friendly synergists like citrate will be quite useful for corrosion inhibition of carbon steel in cooling water systems as they contain relatively less concentrations of phosphonate and zinc ions.

The research paper presents the results of a new synergistic inhibitor formulation and also discusses the mechanistic aspects of corrosion inhibition.

Purpose – Using sexual harassment in Japan as a case, this research illustrates how local gender culture, particularly sexual harassment consciousness, has changed since initial local legal reform.

Design/methodology/approach – The historical analysis draws on national newspaper reporting of a fairly new concept of sexual harassment into a local society.

Findings – My findings suggest that Japanese actively engaged in, rather than rejected, the new social issue; their active response gave rise to social consciousness toward sekuhara especially and sex discrimination more generally. Broader and more inclusive definitions of sexual harassment appeared in Japan than the original international legal definitions. Local–international interactions effectively shaped such outcomes.

Originality/value – This is the first qualitative and quantitative analysis of the media's portrayals of sexual harassment in Japan.