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Auditory branding is the association of a non‐verbal, auditory identity for a brand. Sonic logos, or “sogos,” are a key element of sonic branding. This paper seeks to examine the systematic influence of an objective property, the number of tones in a sogo, on consumers' willingness‐to‐pay for the associated brand.

A laboratory experiment was conducted to test hypotheses.

Findings suggest that the number of tones in a sogo systematically influences willingness‐to‐pay in a non‐linear manner. Sogos with very few (three) tones or numerous (nine) tones are perceived to be less valuable than sogos with a moderate number (six) tones. This influence is mediated by the fluency with which the sogos are processed.

Although this study examines only one objective property of a sogo, it lays the theoretical foundation for a new research stream by connecting the processing fluency literature and logo literature to provide objective design guidelines for auditory branding elements. Future research could address the influence of other objective properties such as the contour (ascending/descending) of a sogo.

Although sogos are important and costly branding devices, their creation depends on intuition rather than objective parameters. Findings demonstrate that number of tones in a sogo systematically influences willingness‐to‐pay for the associated brand – a direct economic practical implication.

Despite its undeniably central role, sonic branding is a sparsely researched area. This paper demonstrates a strategic outcome for a brand leveraging sound as information.

The Japanese “sogo shosha” – Japanese General Trading Companies – have played a major role in the phenomenal growth of the Japanese economy. Throughout the century, sogo shosha have secured raw material import inputs and have marketed and manufactured high value‐added exports of the Japanese economic machine. However, the twenty‐first century is nearly here – along with its global interdependent economy. How will the sogo shosha respond and adapt to these new economic realities? Does the sogo shosha have a future? The answer is “Yes”, but some changes are necessary if the sogo shosha are to survive in the next century.

This paper explores the potential competitive advantages from the development of an internal network of subsidiaries and external network of alliances. Given the broad scope and lack of systematic investigation in prior research, clinical field research was conducted in eleven Japanese subsidiaries in China. Our in‐depth interviews revealed that there are benefits and costs associated with the development of both subsidiary networks and alliance networks. While there are exploitation and exploration benefits from subsidiary network development, internationalizing firms (especially smaller firms) are subject to the liability of foreignness. Alliance network development is an effective way to mitigate this liability if internationalizing firms choose the right alliance strategy.

This paper questions the issue of the dynamics of corporate governance in Japan using a conceptual framework adapted from North’s theory of institutional change. National systems of corporate governance can indeed be considered a particular case of institutions. We thus suggest transposing North’s propositions about institutional change to national systems of corporate governance. As an illustration for our propositions, we choose to use a case study: the so-called Sogo crisis. The Sogo group is a Japanese chain of department stores, which has encountered financial problems in the late 1990s. The handling of those difficulties by the firm’s main stakeholders highlights both the recent changes in the Japanese system of corporate governance and the resistance opposed to them.

Japanese General Trading Companies or sogo shoshas have been instrumental in the phenomenal Japanese economic miracle of the last 40 years. In 1982, the USA passed the Export Trading Company Act to home grow its own sogo shoshas; to date the Act has been ineffective ‐ yet the need remains. Examines what trading companies are and what functions they perform. Observes the steps that need to be taken to make them profitable and successful. Postulates that trading companies are an integral part of this country’s future.

Traces history of Taiwan′s department store industry back to 1958 when Da‐Hsin, Taiwan′s first contemporary department store, was established in Kao‐Hsiung. Most of Taiwan′s department stores were small with limited cash flow and have, therefore, widely adopted consignment sales. Illustrates how lack of merchandise differentation, stemming from consignment, resulted in a serious problem with vicious price competition. As a result, the Taipei Co‐ordinated Department Store Association (TCDSA) was formed in 1980 by volunteer department stores as a way to alleviate devastating price competition between them. Details how, recently, collaborative agreements have attracted the attention of Taiwan′s department stores; and how these strategic alliances have advanced Taiwan′s department store industry and have offered foreign retailers entry into the Taiwanese market.

The purpose of the paper is to develop and test a psychometrically valid scale for musical intelligence as an individuating variable. This scale can elicit individual differences on reactions to sonic branding stimuli such as audio logos, radio jingles and commercial music.

A two-step confirmatory factor analysis followed by structural equation modeling was used to develop and test the scale. Data were collected across three studies consisting of 470 participants. The scale was developed and nomologically validated.

Findings suggest that musical intelligence discriminates reactions to music as evidenced by the three component conceptualization of musical intelligence.

This study offers an original, three-component conceptualization of musical intelligence, proposes a measurement scale and then presents evidence of construct validity. Finally, the paper discusses potential applications of the scale in personality research.

Japanese materialistic behavior and consumption trends are examined by comparing age‐cohort differences between the Japanese “new breed” and “second baby‐boomer age‐cohorts”. Price perception, brand loyalty, and shopping‐information sources of the two age‐cohorts are also assessed. Results suggest that the Japanese new breed is more materialistic, sensitive to prestige, brand loyal, and likely to use media as their shopping information source as compared to second baby‐boomer. On the other hand, second baby‐boomers are less materialistic, value conscious, less brand loyal, and more likely to rely on word‐of‐mouth communication as their information sources as compared to the Japanese new breeds.

The Hong Kong department store market offers an example of considerable success in repositioning by international retailers, most notably Japanese. Presents results from a comparative survey of the image and positioning of Mitsukoshi, Sogo and Marks & Spencer. Each of these has, in its own way, adapted its positioning successfully to the particular needs, preferences and opportunities within this market. Given the additional costs and risks associated with international expansion, it is clearly vital to use the available research tools to reduce uncertainties and increase understanding of each competitive context.