Goods are imbued with meanings and uses by their producers. When they are exported, they can act as a means of communication or domination. However, there is no guarantee that the intentions of the producer will be recognized, much less respected, by the consumer from another culture. Cross-Cultural Consumption is a fascinating guide to the cultural implications of the globalization of a consumer society. The chapters address topics ranging from the clothing of colonial subjects in South Africa and the rise of the hypermarket in Argentina, to the presentation of culture in international tourist hotels. Through their examination of cultural imperialism and cultural appropriation of the representation of otherness and identity, Howes and his contributors show how the increasingly global flow of goods and images challenges the very idea of the cultural border and creates new spaces for cultural invention. Marian Bredin, Concordia University, Constance Classen, Jean Comaroff, University of Chicago, Mary Crain, University of Barcelona, Carol Handrickson, Marlboro Colleg

What does an American refrigerator mean in the Solomon Islands?Cross-Cultural Consumption is a fascinating guide to the cultural implications of the globalization of a consumer society.

Abstract: "This book discusses the indispensable value of understanding consumer activities and the crucial role they play in developing successful marketing strategies by focusing on concepts such as consumer perceptions, consumption culture, and the influence of information technology"--Provided by publisher

This Handbook suggests future directions for cross-cultural marketing research in a rapidly evolving global environment. It builds upon existing models and topics and addresses the methodological challenges of cross-cultural research and provides applied examples spanning various methodologies as well as industry sectors and country settings. In addition, contributors present new paradigms for future research.

Changing Cultures brings together a selection of challenging essays which have their roots in the fertile convergence of feminism, sociology and cultural studies. Themes include the assessment of feminist theory, its transformations and its ability to illuminate issues and practices. The complex relationship between objects of study, their political implications and their historical context is a recurring theme. The book includes analyses of the utopianism of feminist thought on the family; sexuality and sexual difference in youth service provision; and the symbolic resonance of the urban and the domestic in the education of girls. It goes on to investigate child sexual abuse in relation to problems of interpretation and the politics of media representation. The final section examines different theorizations of consumerism and advertising and their implications for our understanding of youth and consumerism.

Global Perspectives in Cross-Cultural and Cross-National Consumer Research deals with several important issues crucial for greater understanding of international and cross-cultural consumer behavior. This understanding in turn can provide international marketers with valuable insights, such as conditions under which globalization may or may not work. The coverage in this book is interdisciplinary in nature, and the chapters discuss several constructs (intermediary variables, processes, and also other environmental influences) related to social, personal, and psychological components or consequences of culture. The book begins with a conceptual model of the effect of culture on consumer behavior, with the components and consequences of the cultural influences clearly identified in terms of social, personal, and psychological factors. The following chapters discuss general issues related to globalization and standardization, present conceptual approaches to propositions relating to multicultural contexts, and address consumer complaining behavior and responses to advertising. There are five chapters on empirical and methodological studies conducted in specific pairs of countries, with data obtained from Canada, Denmark, Japan, Germany, Poland, Romania, and the United States. In presenting readers with new information, Global Perspectives in Cross-Cultural and Cross-National Consumer Research spans these specific topics: the nature of cultural influence on consumer behavior globalization versus customization of international marketing strategy individualism versus collectivism right versus left symbolism product involvement consumer response to information technology interdependent versus independent cultures The contributors are well-known scholars in the international/cross-cultural marketing field; their chapters present state-of-the-art developments in this area. The coverage of the material is interdisciplinary in nature and is likely to benefit a broad audience, especially academic researchers in international or cross-cultural consumer research and librarians of research-oriented schools, universities, or organizations.

To increase brand awareness, engagement and revenue, companies are acknowledging the importance of integrating social media marketing in their overall marketing strategy. This book consists of a step-by-step guide in using social media successfully in an ever-growing consumer market, domestically and internationally.

This volume includes the full proceedings from the 2010 Cultural Perspectives in Marketing Conference held in Lille, France with the theme Cultural Perspectives in a Global Marketplace. This volume presents papers on various topics including marketing management, marketing strategy, and consumer behavior. Founded in 1971, the Academy of Marketing Science is an international organization dedicated to promoting timely explorations of phenomena related to the science of marketing in theory, research, and practice. Among its services to members and the community at large, the Academy offers conferences, congresses and symposia that attract delegates from around the world. Presentations from these events are published in this Proceedings series, which offers a comprehensive archive of volumes reflecting the evolution of the field. Volumes deliver cutting-edge research and insights, complimenting the Academy’s flagship journals, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (JAMS) and AMS Review. Volumes are edited by leading scholars and practitioners across a wide range of subject areas in marketing science.

Positive consumerism is the backbone to a strong economy. Examining the relationship between culture and marketing can provide companies with the data they need to expand their reach and increase their profits. Global Observations of the Influence of Culture on Consumer Buying Behavior is an in-depth, scholarly resource that discusses how marketing practices can be influenced by cultural preferences. Featuring an array of relevant topics including societal environments, cultural stereotyping, brand loyalty, and marketing semiotics, this publication is ideal for CEOs, business managers, professionals, and researchers that are interested in studying alternative factors that impact the marketing field.

Culture is the entangling web of symbols, sounds, rituals, rites and practices by which we become persons and by which we can grow. Culture is often the reason for travel, and both bargain and barrier in its consumption. Underpinned by globalization, tourism is both enabling and threatening culture and its practices, as business commodifies authentic differences. This book includes contributions that analyze and critique initiations to culture, and reports on the facilitation, celebration and sharing of culture through tourism and how each is manifested in tourism marketing theory, policy and practice. It contains case examples of the opportunities, best practices, aims, pitfalls and mistakes of those tourism businesses which have culture as their core experience as well as cases of where different tourists are engaged in exploring and learning about other cultures. In addition, the book contains chapters on the below themes of interest where culture has contributed strongly to their outcomes: the roles of tourists, locals and communities, events, business practices in facilitating and sharing culture, relationship marketing, experiential marketing, cross-border marketing, product differentiation and market segmentation, shopping experiences, storytelling and visual narrative analysis.Part of the Advances in Tourism Marketing series - a series of cutting-edge research-informed edited books that introduce the reader to a range of contemporary marketing phenomena in the domain of travel and tourism.