• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.49-59
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• 2013

Social media such as Twitter and Facebook have become popular. In the age of social media, many people have become more active online. For example, about half of all global active Internet users are on Facebook (Perry 2012). Personal branding is a very important strategy to build on an individual's strengths, and this kind of branding is expected to contribute to self-actualization. Therefore, the presence of mentors who advise users to discover their own strong points for self-actualization is necessary. In this paper, we propose a personal branding support service, Mentors, which connects mentors and mentees. The core concept is: "Everyone has the face of both a mentor and mentee." The key function is sharing stages of self-analysis in human life design: Determining value, creating a mission, and forming a strategy. From this function, a good match between a mentor and mentee can be found. The program aims to improve human life by understanding the client's strengths and using social media effectively. Future work includes launching Mentors and evaluating its service.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.89-97
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• 2013

This paper explores the influences of the traditional Chinese culture on social relations in China. It provides an introduction to the concept of Guanxi, the notion that social connections are based on socially situated reciprocity. This is different from social interaction in Western society that is based on self-interest and equity. Guanxi represents the foundation of social networks in many Eastern countries. As such, the study of social networks in China requires scholars to examine Guanxi networks. The paper demonstrates how a Guanxi perspective might be added to the examination of various theories that comprise structural (network) theory, including social capital theory, social exchange theory, cognitive and contagion theories, and the role of homophily for the study of Chinese society and its social organizations.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.43-56
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• 2012

The paper chooses the "Asian Financial Crisis" as a case study to examine its impact on Malaysian economy and describes how Malaysian government responded to the crisis. It also focuses on the Asian financial crisis' impact on the employment of banking sector in Malaysia. In the finance, insurance, real estate and business service sector, a number of 6,596 workers were retrenched. Banks were forced into mergers and acquisition as well as downsizing, trim lean, organizational changes and introduction of new technologies. Excess workers were offered a "voluntary separation scheme." These retrenched workers became the urban poor facing high cost of living and no opportunity for jobs as there is no safety net provided.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2012

The popularity of the Internet has affected international politics in many ways; however, it is seemingly overlooked by most scholars, and in particular, realists who view the Internet as low-politics. This article argues that the impact of the Internet on international politics should not be underestimated. By focusing on the capabilities of the Internet in general and P2P networks in particular, this paper shows how the Internet is able to disseminate soft power resources. This is demonstrated by an examination of the dissemination of Japanese soft power resources through BitTorrent. Finally, it is concluded that the Internet is a plausible agent for distributing the resources of soft power; however, once disseminated, soft power resources do not always transform into soft power. In the end, contextual conditions within states always apply.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.65-79
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• 2013

This paper examines communication patterns of key Twitter users by considering the socially and politically controversial Sejong City issue in South Korea. The network and message data were drawn from twtkr.com. Social network-based indicators and visualization methods were used to analyze political discourse among key Twitter users over time and illustrate various types of Tweets by these users and the interconnection between these key users. In addition, the study examines general Twitter users' participation in the discussion on the issue. The results indicate that some Twitter profiles of media outlets tend to be very dominant in terms of their message output, whereas their Tweets are not likely to be circulated by other users. Noteworthy is that Twitter profiles of individuals who are geographically affiliated with the issue are likely to play an important role in the flow of communication.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.81-93
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• 2013

Over the past several decades, educational systems in many parts of the world have undergone manifold changes that have significantly affected the work environment of educators. Among other negative impacts of the globalized reforms in higher education has been the increasing prevalence of workplace bullying. The purpose of this research note is to serve different purposes: (1) examine the causes behind the changing landscape of higher education; (2) discuss previous and current research on workplace bullying; (3) introduce the methodology of the Taiwan Higher Education Faculty Survey (THEFS); (4) outline its anticipated outcome.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.35-47
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• 2013

During the last a few decades, internationalisation of universities has emerged as an important issue not only in developed countries but in developing countries. South Korea as a fast catch-up country has experienced a remarkable change in its higher education system. This change is largely related to the South Korean government's higher education policy and to economic developmental stages. Against this backdrop, in order to assess the internationalisation of Korean higher education, we focus on international student mobility rather than other criteria such as infrastructure or programmes for international students and faculties. According to the recent statistics, the number of inbound foreign students involved in Korean higher education has increased significantly since 2005. Nevertheless, compared to other OECD and Asian countries, the number of outbound students in Korean higher education is high, whereas the number of inbound foreign students in higher education in Korea is very low. Against these observations, Korean government's recent policies and efforts of Korean universities to improve internationalization are discussed. Finally, some policy implications are put forward.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.5-20
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• 2013

Social media holds the potential to facilitate vertical political communication by giving citizens the opportunity to interact directly with their representatives. However, skeptics claim that even when politicians use "interactive media," they avoid direct engagement with constituents, using technology to present a façade of interactivity instead of a genuine dialogue. This study explores how elected officials in three regions of the world are using Twitter to interact with the public. Using the Twitter activity of 15 officials over a period of six months, we show that in addition to the structural features of Twitter that are designed to promote interaction, officials rely on language to foster or to avoid engagement. We also provide evidence that the existence of interactive features does not guarantee interactivity.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.21-34
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• 2013

How do mixed legislative systems shape voter behavior and public perceptions? Through an analysis of the electoral systems in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, this paper evaluates the extent to which the public in these three countries understand their mixed systems and whether claims of voter ignorance translate into irrational voting behavior based on the institutional effects of mixed systems. Through a multi-method approach including data from outside of East Asia, this analysis seeks to determine whether these three cases exhibit patterns consistent with other mixed systems. Empirical analysis affirms levels of strategic voting consistent with comprehension of electoral rules. Furthermore, this analysis suggests a disconnect between practical knowledge and electoral expectations.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-3
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• 2013

It has been more than 11 years since The Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia (ISSN 1684-629) was first launched in the year 2001. Since its launch, the Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia (JCEA) has gone through several changes and developments, including a recent change in ownership. Now the JCEA is primary published by the Cyber Emotions Research Institute at YeungNam University, South Korea. In order to widen the journal's scope and readership, the Asia Triple Helix Society was also engaged as co-publisher. In this article, we detail these developments; particularly we will discus the journal's history, current status, and impact factor.