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The purpose of this paper is to focus on the religious and philosophical ways humans view nature, and how we perceive and treat our planet, including all its living entities. Its purpose is to make a positive influence on individuals living in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, so that those who are unaware may be given an unexpected glimpse at our current human situation, which appears increasingly discouraging with regard to sensitivity towards nature.

By offering a subtle, insightful view of human nature and its connection to religion and the universe, rather than facts and statistics on pollution alone, this conceptual paper introduces theoretical and philosophical discussions from comparative literature as well as narratives from actual interviews conducted in Japan.

As human beings, we need to better define our position in this world, in order to learn to appreciate the true value of our own existence. With regard to the question of where humans lie in nature, a basic difference exists between Asian and Western views. The Asian view of nature has traditionally regarded humans and the universe as continually interacting together – human beings are an integral part of life. This differs from the basic Western notion of humans and nature comprising two separate, opposing elements.

This paper offers readers a deeper understanding of how humans feel and perceive nature, to help them realize how urgent it is for us to respect our natural resources on Earth.

In 2004, as the economy lay in stagnation, Congress searched for ways to stimulate job growth. Many members of Congress believed that high US taxes on repatriated earnings discouraged US-based multinational enterprises (MNEs) from bringing cash (in the form of dividends) home and investing those monies in the USA. As a result, Congress passed, and President Bush signed into law, the 2004 American Jobs Creation Act (AJCA), which reduced tax rates to a maximum 5.25 percent on cash repatriations to the USA over the course of a single tax year, i.e. a “tax holiday”. The purpose of this paper is to explore key determinants of repatriated earnings by US multinational enterprises.

This paper uses data collected from IRS documents between 2004 and 2008 to explore the drivers of MNE repatriations, including the AJCA tax holiday, from various countries to the USA. The paper applies a Lintner equation within a gravity model framework to estimate international liquidity flows.

The results indicate that repatriations to the USA are more likely to originate in Latin America and other countries in the Western Hemisphere. Significant evidence is also found of agglomeration effects; countries with higher numbers of MNE subsidiaries were significantly more or less likely (depending on the year in question) to repatriate earnings to the USA.

While several studies in the literature have examined the effects of the AJCA on individual firm earnings, very few studies have examined the aggregate effects of MNE repatriations in the context of the AJCA. More specifically, past studies have identified how much money flows back to the USA, but have not examined the set of countries from which most of the money flows.

The contiguous Americas offer a conceptual image of a unified and major economic marketplace. A campaign to solidify this image should be developed and implemented to improve political relations and the balance of power between and among the nations involved. Not campaigning for a united marketplace of the Americas risks fractionalization of economic power in smaller markets. The cultures are no more diverse than those in the other two global market areas—Asia and Europe—and the languages less so. Additionally, certain confederations and associations already exist to help structurally unify the Americas as a single marketplace.

The paper seeks to develop strategic planning to enhance sustainable competitiveness in the US textile industry with a consideration of DR‐CAFTA as an opportunity to establish responsive supply chain networks in the Western hemisphere.

The analysis was based on literature reviews, trade data analyses, and site visits for personal interviews at textile and apparel companies in North Carolina and the Office of Textile and Apparel at the US Department of Commerce, Washington, DC.

DR‐CAFTA countries constitute the only remaining region that the US textile industry can use to achieve speed‐to‐market advantages from geographical proximity. Market analysis indicated both voids and opportunities in “fast retailing” supply chain networks. In developing time‐to‐market supply chain networks, it is suggested that the implementation of DR‐CAFTA should focus on: streamlining the rules of origin, expanding the short‐supply list, and coordinating custom procedures; financing options for DR‐CAFTA countries' procurement of fabrics and other raw materials from the USA.

Two models are proposed which can possibly be implemented by the US textile industry: a shortened supply chain for knitted sportswear and fashionable shirts that can capitalize on time‐to‐market; and triangular supply‐chain networks among US retailers and textile companies, Asian textile manufacturers, and DR‐CAFTA apparel manufacturers for fashion basics.

This study has an implication for the US textile industry and policy makers to develop future strategic planning in the post‐quota era. The suggestions will contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of the US textile industry in the intense global competition by achieving speed‐to‐market with DR‐CAFTA countries.

World military expenditures fell by over 20 percent in proportion to GDP from 1985 to 1990. This study examines the determinants of military expenditures in 125 countries during 1972-90 to ascertain what factors may be behind the decreases. Economic decline among developing countries in the 1980s and among industrial countries in the latter part of the decade emerges as one possible factor. A second is the move towards more democratic regimes, which could have diminished support for the military. A third factor is the improved world security situation and the concomitant decrease in military aid by the former major cold war combatants.

The purpose of the study is to formulate future‐oriented vision of development for Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

SWOT analysis, development indicators and alternative scenarios have been used in the study.

The paper reveals the construction of the Quality and Sustainability of Life Index for Haiti and normative proposals for future‐oriented development for Haiti.

This study can be used by governmental institutions in Haiti as well as by nongovernmental development organizations.

According to the authors' knowledge such future‐oriented study has not been done yet for Haiti; methodologically new is construction of Quality and Sustainability of Life Index for Haiti.

It has been assumed that electronic computers and telematics are part of an electronic revolution which causes to obsolesce many of the perceptual, psychic and social cultural effects of phonetic literacy and typography and their subsequent perceptual, psychic, and social effects, particularly as they relate to the lifestyles and production techniques we associate with the seventeenth‐century new science and the mechanical Industrial Revolution. Shows that the digital computer, “the ultimate assembly line”, and its various effects represent a vast extention and amplification of centuries‐old trends, and, indeed, seem to present us with habits and attitudes at odds with those induced by older electronic media such as radio and television. Among the results of digital technologies are business‐as‐usual 24 hours a day and societal breakdown which occurs as a result of continuing acceleration and the splitting apart of human functions and human psyche.

The purpose of this study is to understand the destination image perceptions about Australia – a Western culture country – as held by the rapidly increasing, high spending, culturally dissimilar new segment of travellers, the Emiratis[1] from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A qualitative methodology was used to understand the cognitive, affective and conative images of Australia. A structured categorisation matrix was used to analyse the data so that only aspects fitting the matrix were selected.

Within the cognitive variable, Australia was found to be pleasant, family oriented, a fun place, laid back and the local people friendly. From an affective factor perspective, Australia was seen as being exciting, because of the variety of activities available for these tourists. Exciting was expressed by words like fantastic, amazing and extreme experience. In terms of the conative variable most of the Emirati tourists expressed strong feelings to go back to Australia and to even re-visit with friends. They also mentioned that they would recommend Australia to family and friends.

A limitation of this study was that our sample comprised informants mainly from the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the two largest Emirates of the nation. The study offers destination marketing organisations’ (DMOs) insights into Emirati travellers’ perceptions about Australia, which would benefit destination marketing.

This study examines the under researched area of how Australia – with its liberal Western culture – could be better marketed to the growing numbers of culturally conservative, high spending Emirati outbound tourists from the officially Islamic UAE, and also more generally to the socio-culturally homogeneous Gulf Cooperation Council region that the UAE is part of. Whilst destination image is an intensively analysed topic within the realm of tourism research, and reportedly a powerful influence on destination choice, the extant literature on how Australia is perceived as a travel destination by Emiratis is scant. For DMO’s attempting to attract wealthy Emirati tourists into Australia, this research is valuable and timely, as several Emiratis are seeking newer travel destinations away from the Western hemisphere, where the general anti-Arab/Islamic sentiments are currently quite strong.

The several decades following the conclusion of World War II evidenced the generalised application of activist economic policies oriented toward the stimulation and manipulation of aggregate demand. In Western Europe and in much of the Western hemisphere these policies proved quite successful in raising living standards and generating economic growth. Nevertheless, for the past decade or so these long‐tried policy prescriptions have not appeared to work very well, and “stagflation” accompanied by low productivity growth has set in. As a consequence, there has occurred a return to a more “classical” set of economic postulates and policy prescriptions. Such policies have been adopted not only in the more developed parts of the western world (e.g., United States, Great Britain) but also in its lesser developed areas. Nowhere has this application been more in evidence than in the Southern Cone countries of Latin America — Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.