Focus Asia at Lund University

17/04/2015

Thank you to the speakers and everyone who participated in this spring's Focus Asia! It has been two exciting days filled with interesting and inspiring presentations and discussions.

Hope to see you all at the next Focus Asia!

13/04/2015

Hope you are all excited about tomorrow, the first day of Focus Asia! If you have problems finding the way to the venues here are the directions to Grand Hotel and AF-Borgen,

Day 1: Directions to Grand Hotel,
https://maps.google.se/maps?client=safari&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&fb=1&gl=se&cid=2652948712650883857&q=grand+hotel+lund&ei=LswrVb6HEYHOsgHT9YLQAg&ved=0CC4QtQMwAA&output=classic&dg=brw

Day 2: Directions to AF-Borgen,
https://maps.google.se/maps?client=safari&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&fb=1&gl=se&cid=1948085993656454842&q=af+borgen&ei=RsYrVaGsLoejsgGZvYGwDQ&ved=0CBMQtQMwAA&output=classic&dg=brw

Visa kartor och sök efter lokala företag på webben.

11/04/2015

SESSION IV PRODUCING AND CONSUMING FASHION

In session IV Assistant Professor Christina Moon, Parsons The New School for Design, will join Dr Wessie Ling, Northumbria University, and talk about producing and consuming fashion.

Assistant Professor Christina Moon, Parsons The New School for Design

“Slow Road to Fast Fashion”

Fast-fashion is often a story about the most powerful global retail giants such as Zara and H&M. The rise and dominance of fast-fashion within the US, however, is intimately tied to the work of Korean immigrant communities within downtown Los Angeles. In the last decade alone, Koreans have refashioned the city of Los Angeles into the central hub of fast-fashion in the Americas, designing and distributing clothing from Asia to the largest fast-fashion retailers throughout the Americas. This paper explores the work of these “fast-fashion families,” including the clothing they make, the market they work within, their histories of migration, and their creation of new diasporic trade ties to Asia in the making of clothing. I hope to complicate the language of “global circuits and flows” that we often use to describe the global fashion industry, illuminating instead new emerging political economies that have mobilized labor and capital, aspirations and imaginings, and speculation and risk in the making of fast-fashion.

For further information about Assistant Professor Christina Moon, please visit http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/faculty_ft.aspx?id=91749

Christina Moon - Assistant Professor of Fashion Studies

10/04/2015

SESSION VII ASIA AND SWEDEN (II)

In the final session VII of Focus Asia we will screen the movie “A Sofa for a Samurai” followed by a Q&A with director Jon Thunqvist and editor Kristoffer Hamilton.

"A Sofa for a Samurai", depicts the many problems that foreign firms confront to establish themselves in Japan and delves into the inflexibility of Japanese suppliers.

Swedish filmmaker Jon Thunqvist has spent four years following the birth of Ikea, one of the world's most popular furniture and home accessories store, from the start of its negotiations and construction until the inauguration of its Japan branch in Chiba.
The above Swedish retailer is well liked by its Japanese and foreign staffers because of its stress-free environment, casual dress and pleasant relationship between managers and employees. Interviews with Ikea's executives and workers offer an interesting insight into a modus operandi that Japanese could well adopt.

Some further information about director Jon Thunqvist and editor Kristoffer Hamilton,

Director Jon Thunqvist is a journalist with a focus on current affairs in general and Japan in particular. He was based in Tokyo from 1991 to 2010. He has worked with documentaries, radio, and television. "A Sofa for a Samurai" was shot during a period of 4 years.

Kristoffer Hamilton is an independent filmmaker with a background as a journalist. After living ten years in Japan he now resides in Göteborg, Sweden. During his time in Japan Kristoffer worked as a freelancer with various documentary projects. Among other things he visited the earthquake struck areas in the Tohoku region.

09/04/2015

SESSION VI ASIA AND SWEDEN (I)

In session VI PhD student Lydia Jungmin Choi-Johansson, Linnaeus University, and Lecturer Cecilia Cassinger, Lund University, will talk about Asia and Sweden.

PhD student Lydia Jungmin Choi-Johansson, Linnaeus University, and Lecturer Cecilia Cassinger, Lund University

“Consuming IKEA in Shanghai and Seoul”

The notion of taste and aesthetics is central when it comes to home furnishing culture. A taste regime is defined as a discursively constructed normative system that orchestrates practice in an aesthetically oriented culture of consumption (Arsel and Bean, 2013). This presentation offers insights into taste making processes in the everyday lives of consumers in Korea and China. We discuss how home furnishing cultures in the two markets are structured by certain taste regimes revolving around Scandinavian aesthetics and market practices tied to the global home furnishing company IKEA. By way of comparing consumer stories from each country during 2007-2014, we show how taste is created and recreated, and how it affects the consumer market.

For further information about PhD student Lydia Jungmin Choi-Johansson, please visit http://lnu.se/employee/lydia.choi.johansson?l=en

For further information about Lecturer Cecilia Cassinger, please visit http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lucat/user/5fead5c4f177fc2981df37c930d8888d

I am a PhD student in marketing in The Bridge - a unique collaboration between IKEA and Linnaeus University. A programme for entrepreneurship, innovation and production – for a better everyday life at home for the many people. A multi-disciplinary research and education cooperation on life at home a…

08/04/2015

SESSION V MIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS

In session V Associate Professor Gabi Dei Ottati, University of Florence, will talk about migrant entrepreneurs.

Gabi Dei Ottati, University of Florence

“A Transnational Fast Fashion District: An Analysis of Chinese Entrepreneurs in an Italian Industrial District”

After World War II, Prato textile industry developed very fast by multiplication of small-specialized firms and became an exemplary case of development in the Italy of the industrial districts (Becattini 2001). However, in recent decades Prato has become increasingly known for the rise of the largest agglomeration in Europe of Chinese immigrants’ enterprises specialized in fast fashion.
In the presentation, first the influx of Chinese into Prato and their insertion as subcontractors (like in other Italian districts) in the local economy during the 90s and their subsequent transformation into final producers (unlike in other districts) of fast fashion garments in the new century which led to an extraordinary growth is considered. Then the presentation focuses on the analysis of the causes that can explain the Chinese immigrants’ exceptional development (Dei Ottati 2014). The final part of the presentation is aimed at exploring the present evolution of the Chinese immigrants’ businesses and the possible consequences of that evolution for the future of Prato district in the new global economy.

For further information about Associate Professor Gabi Dei Ottati, please visit, http://www.unifi.it/p-doc2-2013-200052-D-3f2a3c2f3a2b2c.html

UniFI - UniFi - scheda personale: Gabi Dei

07/04/2015

SESSION IV PRODUCING AND CONSUMING FASHION

In session IV, the first session of day 2, Dr Wessie Ling, Northumbria University will talk about producing and consuming fashion.

Dr Wessie Ling, Northumbria University

“Making Chinese Fashion in the Transglobal Landscape”

The limelight of Chinese fashion has largely been captured by the recent powerhouse of PRC China. China’s rising importance in the global stage plays a key role in the promotion of its designer fashion. Yet its growing economic status cannot be the sole factor for its rise. Mainland designer fashion is seen surfing the wave paid by Hong Kong fashion system and the development of its fashion industry. This paper discusses Hong Kong and Mainland designer fashion from its export-oriented market to the creation of own designer labels. Highlights are made to the dual development of their fashion system and the characteristics of transnational style in the creation of Chinese fashion.

For further information about Wessie Ling please visit, http://wessieling.com/

WESSIELING - UK-based visual artist whose practice uses text and installation to create work that addresses the cultural property and soft power of fashion.

31/03/2015

SESSION III RETAIL LABOR

In the final session of day 1, Associate Professor Eileen Otis, University of Oregon, will talk about retail labor.

Associate Professor of Sociology Eileen Otis, University of Oregon

“Worlds of Work in Wal-Mart, China”
China is the new frontier for the largest firm in the world. There are 400 Wal-Mart retail outlets across China today, employing 100,000 workers directly and at least half as many indirectly. Wal-Mart has been part of China’s retail revolution that has fundamentally reshaped how people buy and consume goods, yet little is known about working conditions in its stores. Rectifying this, I examine labor processes bound up with two moments in the process of consumption and find two distinctive and discreet worlds of work, one tightly regulated, the other quite unregulated. I trace the divergent modes of labor to different assemblages of local and imported practices. While one might expect the firm to import organizational practices from the U.S., I found that the firm in China was profoundly impacted by local practices.

For further information about Associate Professor Eileen Otis please visit, http://sociology.uoregon.edu/profile/otis/

Professor Otis received her B.A. in Political Science from U.C. Berkeley, an M.A. in East Asian Studies from U.C. Santa Barbara, and an M.A,. as well as Ph.D., in Sociology from U.C. Davis. She served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard University Fairbank Center. Before coming to the University…

24/03/2015

SESSION II: RETAIL DEVELOPMENT

In session II, Dr Hendrik Meyer-Ohle, National University of Singapore and Lund University post-doctoral research fellow, Dr. Solee I. Shin will give presentations on the topic of retail development.

Hendrik Meyer-Ohle, National University of Singapore

“Temples of Consumption: Shopping Malls in Japanese Marketing and Consumer Culture”

The shopping mall, while a relatively recent addition to Japan’s consumption landscape, has quickly gained popularity with retailers and consumers, challenging existing traditional department stores and shopping districts. While shopping malls can be seen as the symbols of homogenizing global consumer markets, developers in Japan have made efforts to adjust their malls to the local, adapting to but also aiming to shape consumers’ needs and behavior and often integrating their projects within ambitious projects of urban redevelopment. In this presentation I will present several cases of mall development in Japan with the aim to comment on recent trends in marketing and consumer culture and ultimately to locate the Japanese shopping mall between the global and the local.

For further information about Dr Hendrik Meyer-Ohle please visit, https://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/jpsmohc/?

Dr. Solee I. Shin, Lund University

”Asian Retail Revolution and Organization of Korean and Taiwanese Economies”

Over the last half-century, retailers have risen as crucial organizational actors that structure consumer and production market dynamics around the world. While the role of global retailers in influencing the early industrialization of East Asian economies of Korea and Taiwan is increasingly acknowledged, there has not been a systematic examination of their varied internationalization experience in relation to the divergent national business systems of the two economies. My talk will thus highlight the divergent processes of retail market organization in Korea and Taiwan in relation to the prior business system that has been in place. Building on studies of East Asian business groups and business systems theory, I argue that the divergent business systems and logics of market competition and coordination has patterned the interaction between local firms and multinational retailers differently in the two economies and led to systematic differences in the dynamics of retail market making of the two economies.

For further information about Dr. Solee I. Shin please visit, http://www.ace.lu.se/about-the-centre/staff/solee-shin

Assoc. Prof. Hendrik Meyer-Ohle - Department of Japanese Studies - National University of Singapore

18/03/2015

SESSION I: PRODUCTION NETWORKS

Time to introduce the speakers in session I, Assistant Professor Tsai-man Ho, Chung Yuan Christian University, and Dr Gale Raj-Reichert, University of Manchester, who will talk about production networks.

Assistant Professor Tsai-man Ho, Chung Yuan Christian University

“Growing with/out Dependence? --Western Buyers and Their Suppliers in Asia”

Fung Group, representing a successful story of Hong Kong, orchestrates the manufacture goods through a network of 15000 suppliers across more than forty countries whereas Pou Chen Group, the largest sportswear manufacture, symbolizing the growing pattern of Taiwan, supply athletic and casual footwear for its clients like Adidas and Nike. Telling the growing paths of “Asian tigers”, they both encounter the profit alert announced in year 2013. Their challenge reveals the changing order of global division of labor, in which the competition structure still largely defined by their Western buyers. This talk will examine the causes of announced profit alerts, power relations, competition structure, opportunities and limitations these two firms have faced.

For more information about Assistant Professor Tsai-man Ho please visit, http://eng.cycu.edu.tw/data.asp?c=2&id=93&style=5&num=81&kind=100&i=

Dr Gale Raj-Reichert, University of Manchester

“The Electronics Industry Global Production Network: Implications for Labour Conditions and Labour Governance”

The electronics industry global production network is comprised of a complex web of customer-supplier firm linkages through outsourcing and subcontracting relationships. Much of the production of electronics goods are outsourced by brand firms in developed countries and produced in factories in developing countries. Violations of labour standards and poor working conditions are widespread in many factories in Asia. How production relationships between brand firms and suppliers contribute to labour violations and what opportunities and challenges exists in the electronics industry global production network for governing labour conditions will be the focus of this presentation.

For further information about Dr Gale Raj-Reichert please visit, http://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/our-people/staffspotlights/galeraj-reichert/

Dr Gale Raj-Reichert’s research on the changing power relationships between firms in the electronics industry and its implications on labour governance in factories in developing countries is an area that has been under-researched.

09/03/2015

Welcome to the 23rd Focus Asia Symposium, Shopping Asia: The World Consumes Asia, Asia Consumes the World!

With little than a month left to this spring's Focus Asia it is time to introduce the speakers, starting with the keynote speaker Hu Shih Professor of Chinese History Emeritus at Cornell University Sherman Cochran.

Professor Cochran's lecture will be titled: "Globalizing from the Periphery: A Historian’s View of Chinese Consumer Culture".

Abstract: Why has consumer culture spread throughout the world? Some say that big Western corporations like McDonald’s fast food restaurants and Walt Disney’s entertainment industries are the primary or even sole agents of consumer culture, diffusing it from the Western “core” to the non-Western “periphery.” Others reply that individual consumers in local cultures are the ultimate agents, transforming one consumer culture into many consumer cultures through a process of localization. The aim of this lecture is to address this debate by focusing on Chinese cultural brokers who created their own versions of consumer culture in China and globalized from the periphery.

For further information visit: http://history.arts.cornell.edu/faculty-department-cochran.php

Cities in Motion: Interior, Coast and Diaspora in Transnational China. Berkeley: University of California Institute of East Asian Studies, 2007. Co-edited with David Strand.