(企业等的)总部

To many developing countries, the trend is deeply worrying as well as bewildering——the terms of trading have worsened dramatically for them. For the industrialized world, by contrast, the drop in commodity prices has been a real boon in the fight against inflation. The explanation for the general weakness in commodity prices is complex, and the factors in play will obviously vary greatly from one commodity to another. For example, while falling oil prices ought to provide a fillip to western economic growth——and therefore, indirectly, to demand for other commodities——they are bound to have other, perhaps less desirable, spin-offs.

The US economy was not influenced by the financial crisis.

East Asia countries kept on importing more under the international financial crisis.

The trade war against Japan had successfully decreased the US’s trade deficit.

Economy of the Western industrial countries highly depended on their export.

Passage 2

Starting from the mid-1990s, the international financial crisis has hit almost the whole world. The global financial system is breaking apart and it is hurtling ever more national economies in the abyss( 深渊) with it. In order to earn foreign exchange, the economies are forced to dump the rest of their production onto the shrinking world market at bargain-basement prices. That is why the average prices of raw materials are currently at their lowest level since the mid-1970s. But it was not only the prices for raw materials that collapsed; collapsing prices and reduced demand has also hit trade in automobiles, ships, chemical products, and computer chips. Now it is hitting the core of the Western industrial countries, which are heavily export-dependent.Looking at world economic developments from the west European point of view, the gale warnings are up. East Asia, which had accounted for more than half of the additional worldwide demand for industrial goods of all kinds since the beginning of 1990s, has largely dropped away as an importer.The supposed land of economic miracles of the past year, the United States, which increased its imports from Germany in 1997 by 30%, is finally showing the traces of the global economic collapse. On Nov.8，1998, representatives of the US government threaten the European Union with trade war. They warned that a “protectionist fire” would take hold in the United States if the European were not willing to massively reduce their trade surplus. US representatives had made similar threats against Japan one year before. The backdrop of these threats is, of course, the explosive growth of the US balance of payments deficit.

“Bargain-basement prices” means high prices.

A US buyer has the same buying behavior as a Mexico consumer.

Perhaps buying preferences are quite different among national borders.

Japanese consumers usually like large boxes because they are lower in prices.

Passage 1

Culture differences are sometimes ignored in marketing campaigns. Culture awareness in marketing is a lot more than careful translation of your products. There are subtleties and nuances(细微差别) to every culture. Almost most people wouldn’t be able to list the rules of their own culture, they certainly know when hose rules are violated.In Japan, for example, a major household products company spent many millions of dollars on a marketing campaign in advance of introducing its laundry detergent (清洁剂). Nevertheless, when the detergent was made available, sales were miniscule. In fact, few shops stocked the soap. Non-tariff trade barriers? No, it was something much simpler. The typically American “large, economy-sized” boxes were far too big for the tiny Japanese retail establishments. And Japanese housewives don’t usually have cars —— they walk to the stores and carry their purchase home, to very small living spaces.It can be a big mistake to assume a Pan-Asia market( 泛亚市场) or a “Latin American” or “European” buyer. Neighboring cultures elsewhere don’t necessarily share buying preferences any more than a US buyer does with a Mexico consumer. Furthermore, national borders don’t always delineate (描绘) buying behavior; regional patterns can be just as strong.

Advertising and coupons are examples of marketing campaigns.