Response Specificity to Advertisement Vocalization in the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis)

Stringency in the identification of conspecific call properties is essential among sympatric species to ensure conspecific mating, as the risk of improper recognition and heterospecific mating is high. In this study we investigated the basic signal structure required for intraspecies communication in the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis), a species that has no relatives living in sympatry, by playback of signals modified in the temporal (truncating original bellows with first 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 or last 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 portion) or frequency domain (with low- or high-pass filters at frequencies 100, 250, 500 and 1000 Hz), or by reversal of natural bellows. The playback experiments revealed that relatively large modifications in bellow temporal or frequency structure failed to impair Chinese alligators' bellowing behavior; even reversed bellows effectively evoked a positive response. In general, the first half of the bellow in temporal domain and frequencies below 500 Hz were critical for behavioral induction, while the last half of the bellow in temporal domain and frequencies above 500 Hz failed to produce a single positive response, implying a potential functional signal redundancy. The observed high tolerance to bellow variations in Chinese alligators may be an evolutionary adaptation to (1) the acoustic constraints of propagation imposed by dense vegetative habitats; or (2) a lack of selection pressure due to the low risk of incorrect conspecific recognition and heterospecific mating.

植入式广告与普通插播广告的效果比较及其影响因素

Brand placement is to present the information of products and brands through certain entertainments and non-commercial areas. Since 1990's, brand placement has become a major way of spreading advertisement and a new growing point of the global advertising market. In china, it is easily seen from spring festival evening gala of CCTV to all kinds of movie and TV shows, and is thus interested by many brand owners, advertisers and communication researchers. Since 2006, the people in the media circles have begin to take full care of the study of the brand placement. In general, there is still certain distance between the theoretical studies and the reality. It's a general problem over the world and is especially true for China as this was just a new idea. As the biggest global economic entity, China is the most potential and powerful market, thus the market of the brand placement will be huge. To push its development, it's then crucial to have theoretical studies on it. Many questions have not been explained yet in this area, mostly essential is to ask what kind of advantage it acquires compared with the traditional advertisement, if there is, how does such advantage show? What kind of factors influents the market effect of the brand placement? All these questions are not answered yet. Also it's well-known that a successful advertisement relies heavily on the understanding of the culture. Thus a specific thing to deal with is to study the effects according to the Chinese culture, which can make constructive suggestion to the whole industry. Our research is to compare the effects between the brand placement with the ordinary media advertisements, discuss its possible influences, and try to make certain suggestions to the future running and development. Our research obtains the following results by using the movie and advertisement in reality: (1) Like ordinary media ad’s, brand placement can improve the brand recognition of the audience significantly. (2) The ordinary ad's make the people easier to remember them than brand placement, while not too much difference in the brand recognition. (3) The brand placement has a significant 'emotional shifting' effect, i.e. the more positive to the movie, the more you love the built-in brand. (4) It is an important factor that how much brand information is involved in the movie; while how much the plot is involved has great impact on the 'emotional shifting' effect. (5) The familiarity is a great factor for the ad's, it's obvious that the popular products get way better effects through brand replacement. (6) An effective way is to choose those positive, interesting and eye-catching movies and TV shows as carriers of the brand and to use it as natural as possible.

企业经营风险决策的组织行为学研究

This thesis has investigated the risk preferences of the Chinese company managers in kinds of simulated decision situations and their perceptions of risk concerning types of business decisions. Four studies are conducted: Study I is utility analysis. 214 company managers and 46 middle - school headmasters have responded to Utility Measurement Survey. The results indicate: (1) The risk preferences of the managers vary in the different decision situations. In most of the situations, most of the managers are risk aversion; In few situations, they are risk-seeking. (2) In some of the decision situations, there are significant differences on risk preference between business managers and school headmasters, male managers and female managers, senior managers and junior managers, managers with high qualifications and managers with low qualifications, non-state-owned firms' managers and state-owned firms' managers, medium-small sized firms' managers and large-sized firms' managers. In the other situations there aren't significant differences between them. (3) In all of the decision situations, so significant differences on risk preference are found among managers with different marriage, experience, age and education. Study II is risky decision simulation. The Risky Decision Situations Simulation Survey is administered to 82 company managers. The result indicates that firm culture, business condition, survival limit and risk preference of the superior influence the managers' risk decision-making behavior. Study III is perceptions of business decision risks. 68 company managers have filled in Decision Cases Risk Perception Inventory. The results indicate: (1) Inaccurate market analysis and prediction, instable politics and the changes of economic policy are the more risky elements to strategy decision. (2) Erroneous market analysis and prediction, appearance of new technology and the changes of market demands are the more risky elements to investment decision. (3) Poor quality control, backward technology and too large stocks are the more risky elements to production decision. (4) Shortage of development fund, wrong choice in development project and limitation of the development ability are the more risky elements to new production development decision. (5) No payment of the foreign partner's capital, the changes of national relevant policy, difficulty in marketing, too high selling prices of foreign partner's equipments are the more risky elements to joint-venture decision. (6) Unfamilarity with oneself and misjudgement in qualification of oneself are the more risky elements to personnel decision. (7) Bad market of the product, defects in product quality and the changes of consumers demands are the more risky elements to marketing decision. (8) Wrong strategy and ambiguous goals are the more risky elements to public relation decision. (9) Violation of the law, ambiguous goals and poor creation are the more risky elements to advertisement decision. (10) Deterioration of diplomatic relations, unsuitable products for foreign consumers and unfamilarity with foreign market are the more risky elements to international business decision. Study IV is structured interview. 5 company managers have answered all questions of the Interview Questionnaire. The results indicate: (1) The managers think that risks are the possible unfavourable consequences of decisions; (2) The self-ratings of the managers coordinate with the results of utility measurement; (3) The managers admit that risks always accompany bussiness decision; (4) Individual difference is found among managers on risk perception. This thesis has also pointed out the important implications of the research and discussed several further questions.