A couch named Klippan
In an April 14 National Public Radio broadcast about IKEA's successful marketing through the use of Swedish product names, Professor of Marketing Subodh Bhat noted that the odd names appeal to the same consumer mentality that chooses pasta al formaggio over just mac' and cheese. "Part of IKEA's appeal worldwide, apart from the low prices and decent stuff, is that they are not just a furniture business; the more important part of the appeal is that they are hip because they are from a Scandinavian place with very exotic names," Bhat said.
All-American studies
In the April 14 edition of Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies Robert Collins noted that the newly formed Native American and Indigenous Studies Association will match a specific need for wide-ranging research in the field. "The diversity of the scholarship almost requires an association like this," Collins said. "It's too broad for just American Indian studies and it needs a specificity that can't be matched by indigenous studies. It's about a lived experience."
The torch of education
Professor Emeritus of International Relations Marshall Windmiller writes about the role of the Olympics in international relations with China in an April 10 letter to the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. "After World War II, the United States sent intelligence operatives into Tibet … Is it possible that some Chinese believe that this is happening again, and that this is the cause of Tibetan independence demonstrations?" Windmiller asked. "Today, the Chinese own so much of the American economy that they could easily cause a financial disaster for us. Therefore, is it in our interest to sabotage the Olympics which are so important to them? Or would it be wiser to begin educating our own people, and use the Olympics to improve international relations as was their original intent?"
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