Week 5 _ (Percy) Chit Yan

According to the article "The internationalization of Danish furniture; A value chain perspective" by Lars Hedemann and Mogens Rostgaard Nissen, Denmark's furniture industry successfully dominated the international furniture industry. It has not always been the same before the 1970s because back then consumers considered and idealized furniture as long-lasting, durable goods as shown in the image whereas the nature of furniture nowadays is "somewhat more nuanced" (16). This article explains the process of internationalization for Danish furniture manufacturers. A classical model of internationalization is the one of Johanson and Vahlne according to whom there are two steps of internationalization. The first step is to increase involvement of the firm in the individual foreign country via sales and the second step is to establish operations in new countries. In case of Denmark, right after WW2 period, Danish furniture got a strong reputation because of foreign promotion of Danish furniture in the 1950s as well as the consumption trends prevailing at the time. Their reputation boosts their sales over time with foreign countries such as United States as in 1978, only 6.6 percent was consumed by US where as in 1990, the consumption by US grew up to 25 percent. As time goes on, the production costs for furniture increased. This leads some Danish furniture manufacturers to start operating in foreign countries with richer natural resources or lower production costs. These countries are primarily Poland, Estonia, Luthuania and Latvia.

Reference:

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/seating/lounge-chairs/midcentury-pair-of-safari-chairs-from-denmark-circa-1970/id-f_11438463/

Week 5_Yueming Tan, A01

This article focuses on how Denmark has become known worldwide for its quality furniture. Denmark has successfully shaped their national brand by having the most sensitive fashion scenes and manufacturing techniques. At the same time, I was shocked that IKEA turned out to be a Danish brand because I liked the design style of IKEA furniture and they were mostly minimalist styles. The success of Danish furniture in the United States is not only because of their aesthetic design but also because of the success of marketing. Their furniture made of real wood, which is what consumers are willing to pay for. At the same time, exquisite patterns and details are more attractive to customers.

• Hedemann, L., & Nissen, M. (1). The internationalization of Danish furniture. A value chain perspective. Erhvervshistorisk Årbog, 62(2), 15-36.
• https://www.rrbookdepot.com/i/2018/12/furniture-designers-top-famous-jobs-competition-course-africa-south-urban-british-town-local-danish-contemporary-best-companies-cape-design-930x535.jpg

Week 5 - Alvin Du

Danish Modern is a great example of national image rebranding. Kaare Klint devised Danish modern funiture based on the idea of functionality. His ingenuity and ideals became popularized and soon spread to the United States. It's very clever how narratives can market an item so efficiently. The desire of artisan craftmanship is powerful and the Danish had definitely taken advantage of this in order to branch out into international sales. Artisan is often associated with authentic, hand-made and specialized; something that isn't mass-produced. This is to flaunt good taste. Americans perceive foreign furniture such as Scandinavian, Swiss and Danish products to be of the upmost well-crafted products but function and aesthetics aren't the only reason people place value in these. I believe simplicity also has a role in their marketing. We see this today through Ikea products. Although Ikea furniture is mass-produced, this Swedish company has overlapped any other furniture store through its simplistic function and form. Not only is it based of Swedish design, but it is also simple enough that any one is capable of assembling their products. In comparison, the Danish were effective in how they sold the idea of Danish modernity. 

Hansen, Per H. Networks, Narratives, and New Markets: The Rise and Decline of Danish Modern Furniture Design, 1930-1970. The President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Week 4 - Alvin Du

I always thought that Japan adopted classic tailor-made menswear much later on than in 1959. In my experience, I rarely see Japanese youth sporting tuxedos or suits, but rather have adopted a more street, punk rock, or industrial style. Uniqlo never seemed like an Americanized brand, but rather carried universal, minimal styles. I was surprised to learn that Japanese men's fashion magazines heavily influenced American fashion. In my eyes, American men's fashion was at the top of its game, but I was just never aware of the national aesthetic and influence of other countries. A Bathing Ape is a brand that I have always admired for their unique, statement pieces. Not only has this streetwear brand become popular in Asian pop culture, but it has definitely made its mark on Western pop culture, and many celebrities such as Kanye, Pharrell, Mos Def, M.I.A, and many more have been sporting it. Even with the variety of magazine titles in America, the seem to be very obsolete these days, and are mainly feature the latest gossip and trends. Japan's print culture is quite impressive in that the magazines feature all of the mainstream media more efficiently than what would be found on the magazine's website. I admire the fact that young Japanese designers don't want to create replicates, but rather make something new that reflects history. In this day and age, replicas of a multitude of styles can be found everywhere whether they're designer or not.

Fernandez, Chantal. “How American Style Fueled Postwar Youth Fashion in Japan.” Fashionista.

week2-Vivianne Lee

     Although Korea has not been considered cool during the 1950s, Korean popular culture soon began to play an increasingly visible role in transnational markets and lead to the popular country it is now. For example, the Korean singer, BoA has topped Japan’s Oricon pop music charts several times, and other Korean pop singers and bands have become household names throughout Asia. I personally seen the artist BoA many times in Japanese singing shows. Meanwhile, there has also been an exponential growth in the export sales of Korean films. As a Japanese Korean, I too have noticed how Korea has gradually become a popular topic to discuss growing up. KPOP drama has become a huge topic during my years in middle school, and even people who aren't Korean were watching Korean dramas. The Korean media today not only echoes, but also fuels the nationalistic euphoria and celebration concerning the Korean Wave phenomenon. The coverage of the Korean Wave phenomenon by media such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Fi-nancial Times, and comments on Korean films by internationally recognized figures have similarly made headlines in the Korean media. I think media really helped Korea rebuild itself from its economic disaster and lead to its popularity seen today. 









Jeongsuk Joo. “Transnationalization of Korean Popular Culture and the Rise of ‘‘Pop Nationalism in Korea”.
“BoA.” Discogs, www.discogs.com/artist/112795-BoA.

Week 2 - Diane Tran

Korea has been known as the idea of "Korean cool" in which it is a popular culture that has been engraved into the international world today. I remember back in middle school where Korea became the next big thing people used to talk about. My friends would imitate the kpop dances or try to sing along. In addition, people would watch Korean dramas, which is a Korean scripted television show. In the reading of The Birth of Korean Cool, it is shocking to me that Korea was "uncool" at one point in the 1980s since the national aesthetics is on another high level today. Going through economic and social reconstruction, Korea rebranded itself with its media. The Korean culture or Hallyu became increasingly popular nationwide. The rapid change in Korean media is how the Korean government played a role in creating this image for Korea. For instance, the government plays a role in why there are almost lifelong contracts for actors and kpop idols/ singers. Another example is the movie called 200 Pounds of Beauty, which is about an overweight ghost singer who undergoes intensive plastic surgery to become a pop sensation. The underlying reason that the government allowed this to showcase as a movie is to bring influence on normalizing plastic surgery because of how Korea's industry of plastic surgery being so huge. The internet allows for Korea to market their certain industries, such as plastic surgery. This led to the improvement of successful movies, kpop groups, tv shows, and so much more that represents the culture of Korea.



Hong, E. (2014). The birth of Korean cool: How one nation is conquering the world through pop culture. London: Simon et Schuster.


“200 Pounds Beauty.” Boys Over Flowers - Korean Drama - AsianWiki, asianwiki.com/200_Pounds_Beauty.

Week 1-Vivianne Lee

Creating a startup only require three simple rules. You need to start with good people,make something customers actually want, and to spend as little money as possible. All of those three listed are simple, yet will lead to a successful setup. Thinking about what customers want is an important factor to consider. In order to figure out what customers want, you have to watch them closely. One example of where you can do this is at trade shows. Although trade shows are not a way to get new customers, they are worth it as market research. If you try to start the kind of startup that has to be a big consumer brand, the odds against succeeding are steeper so the best odds are in niche markets. Since startups make money by offering people something better than they had before, the best opportunities are where things suck most. You are also going to need money. The way to get rich from a startup is to maximize the company's chances of succeeding, not to maximize the amount of stock you retain. The first thing you'll need is a few tens of thousands of dollars to pay your expenses while you develop a prototype, called a seed capital. Because so little money is involved, raising seed capital is comparatively easy. After reading this article, I can apply the rules to my own setup and contribute to rebranding of the nation.

“The Founder's Dilemma: Are You Ready to Launch Your Startup?” The Pitcher, 20 May 2016, thepitcher.org/the-founders-dilemma-are-you-ready-to-launch-your-startup/.

Graham, Paul. How to Start a Startup.

Graham, Paul. Startup = Growth.