This article focuses on the representations of natural hazards, disasters, gender roles and norms in Makoto Shinkai’s disaster-themed anime films Your Name (2016) and Weathering…
Abstract
Purpose
This article focuses on the representations of natural hazards, disasters, gender roles and norms in Makoto Shinkai’s disaster-themed anime films Your Name (2016) and Weathering with You (2019).
Design/methodology/approach
This article commences with a literature review on disasters, disaster films, gender in disasters and gender in disaster films; then, this article thoroughly investigates the portrayal of disasters and gender in the two films, drawing data from their narratives and plots.
Findings
This article finds that the two films’ depictions of disasters and gender adhere to the traditional patterns observed in Hollywood and Japanese disaster films. The natural hazards and disasters in the two films reflect real-world disasters that occurred in Japan’s recent decades, especially the 3.11 Tohoku earthquake in 2011. Traditional gender figures and prevalent heterosexual expectations in Japanese culture and society deeply influence the two films’ portrayal of gender roles and norms.
Originality/value
Numerous academic works explored Hollywood disaster films, their representations of gender roles and norms in disaster themes. However, few focus on recent Japanese anime films such as Your Name and Weathering with You. This article aims to fill this gap.
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Charl de Villiers, David Hay and Zhizi (Janice) Zhang
– This study aims to contribute to the understanding of audit pricing and the competitiveness of the audit fee market by examining audit fee stickiness.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to contribute to the understanding of audit pricing and the competitiveness of the audit fee market by examining audit fee stickiness.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors explore the price behavior of audit fees in response to changes in the variables that are usually seen as their determinants, such as size, complexity, and risk in order to examine audit fee stickiness and the competitiveness of the market for audit services.
Findings
The authors find that audit fees are sticky, i.e. audit fees do not immediately or fully adjust to changes in their determinants. Audit fees also respond to changes leading to an increase more quickly than they respond to changes leading to a decrease. The difference between positive and negative fee adjustments declines over periods longer than one year and is no longer significant when four-year periods are considered.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to companies in the USA from 2000 to 2008. Future research should examine this issue in other settings and periods.
Practical implications
The results suggest that the audit market is competitive, at least in the medium term.
Originality/value
The study helps to explain why the audit fee model does not fully explain the level of audit fees; why audit fees are more likely to be too high than too low; and why auditor switches are commonly associated with larger changes in audit fees. The findings provide evidence that may be useful to managers and audit committees when managing their audit fees, auditors when considering the risks and opportunities associated with changes in the determinants of audit fees, and regulators concerned with the competitiveness of the audit market.
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Reviews relational research in marketing and makes suggestions for its application internationally. Issues relating to nature and role of relationships are highlighted…
Abstract
Reviews relational research in marketing and makes suggestions for its application internationally. Issues relating to nature and role of relationships are highlighted. Specifically, suggests looking more widely, and to other cultures, for relational constructs. We illustrate this by considering the parallel Chinese literature on guanxi. Also argues that relationships should be seen merely as conduits; necessary but not sufficient for improved performance. Information and “animal spirits” are the two key factors that flow through these conduits. Finally, suggestions are made for applying relationship marketing internationally, relating to dynamics, dyads, contextual moderators, model completeness and culture.
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Meiling Zhuang and Xiaofeng Zhang
In the trend of individuation and customization, more rapid and flexible clothing pattern production systems are required. Many studies about the system have been done into…
Abstract
Purpose
In the trend of individuation and customization, more rapid and flexible clothing pattern production systems are required. Many studies about the system have been done into producing paper pattern automatically for sewing. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel three‐dimensional intelligent pattern‐making algorithm.
Design/methodology/approach
Body features are referenced for crack designing, the concept of functional dividing is proposed on the triangled upper body surface based on Gauss Curvature. A new surface flattening algorithm based on body features (SFABF) is put forward. Robert Hooke Law and Young's modulus are referenced for energy model (EMRY) setting up to define and calculate the edge length variation of triangle. Basing on EMRY, another optimizing surface flattening algorithm (OSFA) is designed to optimize SFABF so as to minimize the accumulated energy.
Findings
Shape variation accumulation of flattened pattern can be reduced a lot when the cracks are distributed along functional dividing lines. The points with the largest Gauss Curvature as Bust Point have played a great role in shape variation reduction. Because of textiles' flexibility shape variation need not be reduced to zero. Comparing with the related methods this research is more practical.
Originality/value
To this study, SFABF and OSFA are novel methods to improve practicality. The proposed concept of functional dividing is value to the shape variation reduction from surface flattening.