In the book Brand America, the author believes the US establishes and manages the country¡¦s image as a brand; in the long run, it imperceptibly boosts the national competitiveness of the US. In the meantime, the various phenomena in economy elicited by the cultural and creative industries and the general meaning of a ¡§National Image¡¨ at the conceptual level make people aware that the cultural creative industries have a great influence on a nation¡¦s competitiveness. The methodology of literature review is adopted. The researcher establishes indicators of cultural creative industries and indicators of the state branding, then makes assessments. The research purposively samples 45 countries in all from the three biggest economic areas (15 each), which are the European Union (EU), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and then makes comparisons. The result shows:¡]1¡^cultural creative industries are significantly correlated with the state branding.¡]2¡^cultural creative industries have the largest influence on one of the four main image aspects of the state branding: image of residential areas.¡]3¡^In the eleven cultural creative industries, music industry has the opportunity to advance the most in state branding.¡]4¡^The correlation of cultural creative industries and state branding will be influenced by the division of economic areas.¡]5¡^The best countries of state branding are Sweden, Australia and Canada.

Abstract The economic boost in the 1980s gave the ornamental fish industry a great opportunity to expand. However, in the 1990s Taiwan experienced a backlash in its local economy and stock market. The supply in the ornamental fish market was greater than the demand, and some importers started fish exporting businesses. Within only a few decades, Taiwan has become one of the major exporting countries of ornamental fish. Taiwan has long been reputed as the Kingdom of Cultivation. The cost for Taiwan fish farmers to raise food fish is higher than it is for fish farmers in other southeastern Asian locations. Taiwan has advanced technologies, but is losing ground in the market. Facing the challenges posed by globalization, ornamental fish is one of the few fish industries in which Taiwan has its niche. The research motivation is to find out how Taiwan can maintain its competitiveness in the global arena. Few websites, databases or research institutes provide a comprehensive introduction or analysis of the international competitiveness of ornamental fish industry. The information in open source is limited, fragmented and incoherent. In light of this situation, the research expects to systematically analyze Taiwan's and the global ornamental fish industries, and to determine the factors necessary for achieving success. Based on literature reviews, the research analyzes the major import and export countries of ornamental fish, and the information concerning Taiwan's ornamental fish industry. Key success factors of the industry include: (1) flight routes and shipment fare, (2) species of fish, (3) prices, (4) cultivation technology and quality, (5) the logistics management capability of exporters, (6) marketing, (7) service, and (8) government policies. Based on the key success factors, the research reaches a conclusion, and provides suggestions for government, exporters, and fish farms. It is expected that the ornamental fish industry in Taiwan will upgrade its international competitiveness. Keywords¡GOrnamental Fish Industry, Key Success Factors, International Competitiveness

This study intends to understand the current development of medical equipment industry in Taiwan and the application of strategies in the company of study. Internal and external analyses are performed to the industry and the company studied using analytic methods such as strategy or competition theory in order to investigate the difference caused due to different strategies taken by a company, which leads to changes in the core competitiveness and competition advantages over others. In addition, the overall environment and competitive advantages of Taiwan¡¦s medical equipment industry is examined. Case analysis and literature review are introduced as the tools for research and analysis. Different stages of development of the company studied is observed via in-depth interviews and analyzed with data summarization and regression. The different strategies used in each of the stages allow changes in the core competitiveness and competition advantages over others. Suggestions are provided at the end for the reference of the company studied or the entire industry. This study has reached the following conclusion: 1.The environment and recourse for the development of Taiwan¡¦s medical equipment industry has not yet been mature. The industry still has to find out the appropriate separation or position for itself in the global market. Only the use of right strategy provides the opportunity of success. 2.Business strategy, core competitiveness and competition advantage have influence to one another, which leads to an interactive relationship among the three. A company has to examine periodically its resources and capabilities in order to identify whether its business strategy or competition advantage can still be maintained. 3.As the stage of growth or the position in the grand environment that a company is at is different, there is difference in the strategy used and core competitiveness. As the result, a unique business model or management methods will come to shape, and the company¡¦s own competition advantage will be created. 4.A company establishes its business guidelines or operations based on its strategies, but the power of execution is the most important to strategy management. Due to the embodiment of execution power, the company studied is able to put the effects of its strategies to the extreme, and its idea of sustainable operation of business is able to fulfill. 5.Changes come swiftly in the industrial environment. A successful model of yesterday is not necessary to fit today. A company has to find out the strategy that is the best for its development through series of analyses and keeping improving its core competitiveness and competition advantages in order to face what is thrown at it in the future, look for the best opportunities and make the most profits.

In the field of the Total Qualitative Management, like ISO 9000 that enterprises implement. Total Qualitative Management become a model of company, strive for the Total Qualitative Management and reward it as the goal of every company. Recent years, many empirical research results of implementing TQM and their effects on performance have different view points. Some scholars believe that TQM activities indeed have positive impact on firm¡¦s quality and productivity, and reduce production time and then create competitive priorities. The objective of this study is to find out the relationship between TQM practices and business performance, and hope the result of this study could provide some suggestions for the managers.This study sampled 130 the small and medium enterprises manufactures in Taiwan with which had registered ISO 9000 . A total of 130 manufacturing corporations were each sent the questionnaire. There are 129 returned questionnaires, response rate is 99%. The conceptual framework of this study is based on the research model of S.Bruce Han¡BShaw K. Chen¡BMaling Ebrahimpour(2007), that the dimensions of ISO 9000, TQM and Business Performance and significantly correlated.This research adopts the ISO 9000 efforts, TQM practices, competitiveness , and customer satisfaction as business performance of measure perspectives. Using multiple regression analysis, this paper finds that ISO 9000 efforts and TQM practices hasn¡¦t the positive influence to the business performance. Besides, this research finds that the competitiveness and customer satisfaction had positive influences on the business performance. In other words, the firms with high TQM implementation will put more emphasis on competitiveness and customer satisfaction have better business performance.

none

With the trend to globalization and undergone the 2008 Financial Storm, the capital markets worldwide have faced ever changing and unprecedented challenges. Most major futures exchanges have therefore adjusted their structures, changed operation models, acquired their competitors, or partnered with other derivative exchanges. Through these efforts, we know that global futures markets have been marching on an overall revolution. Only through reinforcement of its own advantages, setting a long term strategy, basing on its strength in product research and market promotion, can one ensure its competitiveness in the world. This research focuses on the development of the worldwide futures industry, the positioning and strategics of major exchanges, utilizing tools such as FIVE FORCE model, SWOT model to analyze TAIFEX¡¦s current operation conditions and core value, so as to raise the efficiency and value of TAIFEX. It also refers to the experiences and strategies of other major futures exchanges, setting the long term goal for TAIFEX, in order to gain its competitiveness under the trends of globalization and electronic trading. The research concluded that TAIFEX has currently faced the predicament of products centralization and saturation of domestic demand. Products centralization can be resolved through the continuous launch of more new products. However, the success of the new products lies upon the domestic demand. After careful evaluation, among all the new products that under research that might be launched, currency futures and stock futures can meet the requirements of the local markets. The interest futures is unlikely to be launched in the foreseeable future under the current Central Bank¡¦s policy. Whereas the stock futures has the advantages of simplicity in trading and easy promotion, it might raise the issue of substitution with the the securities loans business. Therefore, this research suggests that TAIFEX should put more efforts on the market promotion and enhancement of the depth and broadness of the existing products. Given that the current market is saturated, other than reinforcing its leading position in the Taiwan market, TAIFEX should collaborate with other futures exchanges and strengthen its cooperation with the Chinese futures industry, so as to open a new era into the future and fulfill its goal of economic efficiency.

Japan and Korean¡¦s TFT-LCD industries consider the competitiveness of the cost. So their proportion of local equipment setting is more popular than Taiwan.Instead, Taiwan¡¦s equipment industries development priority need to increase the number of productions by new equipment and shorten the lead time and achieve the high quality of productions. However, TFT-LCD factories can save the cost of investment and raise the investment efficiency of operating cost to improve the ROI (Return On Investment). This thesis compares and analyzes the competitiveness of the industry in TFT-LCD equipment among Taiwan, Japan and Korea. In the Porter¡¦s (1990) book ¡§The ompetitive Advantage of Nations¡¨ that mentioned about the ¡§Diamond Structure¡¨. So, we have to nalyzeand realize totally at the industry of the equipment¡¦s inside factor with six aspects ¡§ Demand Conditions¡¨, ¡§Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry¡¨, ¡§Factor Conditions¡¨ and ¡§Related and Supporting Industries¡¨ and the other outside factors ¡§Government¡¨ and ¡§Opportunity¡¨. The research of this paper shows that how the equipment industries of Taiwan use their own resources and competition advantages to compete with Japan country which quite maturity in TFT-LCD equipments. And Korea country with strong support by their government, for this reason, they can earn their own stage and further surpasses the others among the intense of competition industries. Therefore, widely collecting research paper, industry's news, specialized periodical and interviewing the important grades of personages of related industrial by the questionnaire, with that results. Then we can understand Korea and Japan¡¦s TFT-LCD equipment industry's mpetitiveness deeply. At the end, we can put forward the conclusion and suggestions by these studies and we can take it for our references on industry's development strategy of the equipment and afford the suggestion of consulting to our government's policy for Taiwan.

Veränderte Rahmenbedingungen stellen die traditionsreiche sächsische Gräservermehrung vor neue Herausforderungen. Nach dem Wegfall der artenspezifischen Saatgutbeihilfen müssen Rentabilität und ökonomische Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Grassamenproduktion im Vergleich zu anderen Ackerkulturen neu bestimmt werden. Außerdem beinhaltet das Projekt eine Überprüfung der Wirtschaftlichkeit der Getreidevermehrung gegenüber dem Konsumanbau. Schwerpunkte liegen dabei auf der vergleichenden Analyse der Leistungen und Kosten sowie einer eingehenden Diskussion zur Höhe des Vermehrerzuschlages unter aktuellen Bedingungen. Datengrundlage zur Erörterung dieser Sachverhalte bilden zweijährige Analysen in ca. 30 Praxisbetrieben mit einer Vollkostendarstellung der Ergebnisse. Der Untersuchungszeitraum 2005 - 2006 ist geprägt von witterungsbedingten Schwankungen und einer beginnenden Umbruchphase am Markt. Durch die starke Nachfrage nach pflanzlichen Rohstoffen und den damit verbundenen enormen Preisanstieg gerät vor allem die Grassamenproduktion zunehmend unter Druck und erfordert Anpassungsreaktionen von allen Betroffenen. Die Ergebnisse stehen als Informations- und Argumentationsmaterial für Politik und Praxis zur Verfügung, um die Einkommensquelle Saatgutvermehrung und die Position Sachsens als Handelspartner für qualitativ hochwertiges Saatgut zu stärken.

In 2010, an Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) study (Crawford, 2010) found that the agricultural industry representatives, Land Grant University alumni, and government employees look for certain skillsets (e.g., communication, leadership) in prospective employees. With the U.S economy recovering from a major economic recession, a greater number of new UA graduates with undergraduate degrees from CALS have cause to be concerned about their overall workforce competitiveness. Crawford's 2010 study examined which soft skills students should possess in order to be deemed hirable by the agriculture industry. Building off of Crawford's research, the current study involves a needs assessment that examines how students perceive 21st century workplace competencies. Specifically, this study will explore and describe the level of perceived importance and ability of 2015 UA CALS students graduating with baccalaureate degrees specific to 21st century workplace soft skill sets. Such identification of needs gaps will lead to greater understanding of the connection between industry demands, higher education institutions, and undergraduate students. The current research required the generation of data capable of leading to insights into the current development needs of undergraduate students in the agriculture and life sciences disciplines specific to 21st century workplace competencies. Student perceptions of such competencies were measured first according to perceived importance, and then perceived ability (Borich, 1980). This descriptive research gathered information from participants with the goal of measuring, summarizing and generalizing among the study's target population (Ary et al., 2010). The results suggest which competencies UA CALS undergraduate students perceive to be important and how they perceive their own abilities within each competency. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data relevant to each of the four research objectives framing this study. In particular, measures of central tendency and variability were used to assess the perceived levels of importance and ability subjects placed on individual competencies. To describe the professional development needs of CALS students in the seven constructs that together categorize 21st century workplace competencies as a whole (professionalism, team, leadership, decision making/ problem solving, experiences, communication, and self-management), mean weighted discrepancy scores (MWDS) were used to analyze the need for the competencies. Borich's needs assessment model was used to reveal the areas of highest training priority as determined by the MWDS.A web based questionnaire with multiple points of contact yielded 61 respondents with diverse backgrounds (e.g., transfer status, geographical background, major fields of study, co-/extra-curricular involvement) from across the college. Of the 52 competencies included within the seven competency categories, 16 had an MWDS that was prioritized as a tier I professional development need, which is of the highest priority. Of the remaining competencies, 20 of them had MWDS's that indicated tier II priority level set for professional development need. Lastly, there were 23 competencies that had MWDS's that indicated tier III priority level set for professional development need, which is the lowest priority level. Recommendations for curricular innovation to better foster student development in the context of the 21st century workplace are provided.

Ο χιονοδρομικός τουρισμός είναι μία σημαντική μορφή εναλλακτικού εγχώριου τουρισμού στην Ελλάδα που ελκύει αρκετούς επισκέπτες. Παρόλα αυτά χαρακτηρίζεται από ήπια ανάπτυξη και προβολή και για αυτό το λόγο απαιτούνται τόσο η ανάπτυξη νέων αγορών και στρατηγικών, όσο και μεγάλες επενδύσεις στον συγκεκριμένο κλάδο. Ο κυριότερος στόχος της παρούσας μελέτης είναι η διερεύνηση της ανταγωνιστικότητας με τη χρήση της μεθοδολογίας Importance-Performance και των ανταγωνιστικών πλεονεκτημάτων δύο ελληνικών χιονοδρομικών κέντρων, αυτό του Καρπενησίου και αυτό των Καλαβρύτων. Για το σκοπό αυτό διερευνήθηκε το καταναλωτικό και δημογραφικό προφίλ των επισκεπτών των δύο χιονοδρομικών, η σημαντικότητα των χαρακτηριστικών ποιότητας και η απόδοση αυτών στο κάθε κέντρο, η συνολική ικανοποίηση των επισκεπτών από τα κέντρα και τον προορισμό συνολικά, η εικόνα τους και η πιστότητα των επισκεπτών σε αυτά. Η έρευνα πραγματοποιήθηκε με τη χρήση ερωτηματολογίων. Διανεμήθηκαν συνολικά 300 ερωτηματολόγια στους επισκέπτες των δύο χιονοδρομικών κέντρων, από τα οποία επεστράφησαν πλήρως συμπληρωμένα 296. Από τα αποτελέσματα προέκυψε πως οι επισκέπτες του χιονοδρομικού κέντρου Καλαβρύτων είναι περισσότερο ενεργοί χρήστες σε σχέση με αυτούς του Καρπενησίου και τα σημαντικότερα χαρακτηριστικά ποιότητας είναι οι τιμές των εισιτηρίων των αναβατήρων, η ασφάλεια και υγιεινή του κέντρου και ο χρόνος αναμονής στους αναβατήρες. Ακόμη, παρατηρείται πως το χιονοδρομικό κέντρο Καρπενησίου αποδίδει καλύτερα σε περισσότερα χαρακτηριστικά ποιότητας σε σχέση με αυτό των Καλαβρύτων, διαθέτει περισσότερα ανταγωνιστικά πλεονεκτήματα και οι επισκέπτες του αντλούν μεγαλύτερη ικανοποίηση από τη χρήση του και την ευρύτερη περιοχή. Τέλος, συζητούνται πρακτικές εφαρμογές των αποτελεσμάτων και προτάσεις για μελλοντική έρευνα σε όλα τα χιονοδρομικά κέντρα της χώρας. / Skiing tourism is an important form of alternative domestic tourism in Greece, which attracts many visitors. Nevertheless, it is characterized by a mild growth and promotion and, therefore, both the development of new markets and strategies, as well as large investments in this specific sector, is needed. The main objective of the present study is to investigate competitiveness, using the Importance-Performance methodology and the competitive advantages of two Greek ski resorts, namely those of Karpenissi and Kalavryta. For this purpose, we have investigated the consumer and demographic profile of visitors in these two skiing centres, the importance of quality characteristics and their performance in each centre, visitors’ overall satisfaction from these centres and the destination in total, their image and the loyalty of visitors to them. The survey was conducted through the use of questionnaires. 300 questionnaires were distributed in total to the visitors of the two skiing centres, 296 of which were returned fully completed. Results showed that the visitors of Kalavryta skiing centre are more active users than those of Karpenissi and the most important quality characteristics are the ticket prices of the lifts, the safety and hygiene of the centre and the waiting time for lifts. Still, it is observed that Karpenissi ski resort performs better in more quality characteristics compared to that of Kalavryta, it has more competitive advantages and its visitors derive more satisfaction from using it and the surrounding area. Finally, we discuss practical applications of the results and recommendations for future research in all ski resorts of the country.