"Emotions, Advertising and Consumer Choice focuses on recent neurological and psychological insights - originating from brain scanning or neurological experiments - on basic emotional processes in the brain and their role in controlling human behaviour. These insights are translated by the authors to cover the behaviour of ordinary individuals in everyday life. The book looks at these developments in the light of traditional cognitive theories of consumer choice and it discusses the implications for advertising and other communication testing."--Jacket.

A complete guide to homeowner, automobile, and medical insurance. Stressing that insurance is a legal contract.

Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions—both big and small—have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice—the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish—becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice—from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs—has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse. By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.

The idea to publish a Handbook of Economic Psychology came up as a natural consequence of a discussion concerning appropriate reading material for courses in economic psychology. The discussion took place a few years ago in the Department of Economic Psychology at Tilburg University, The Netherlands. It was noted that there was a surprising lack of collections of pertinent readings, to say nothing about the lack of textbooks in the English language. So the present editors, who had been involved in the discussion, decided to start working on a Handbook. The situation has changed quite a lot since then. There are now a number of books, internationally available in the English language, in economic psy chology or behavioral economics. The interest in this field of study is expanding quite impressively. The Journal of Economic Psychology is now (1988) in its ninth volume and many other journals are publishing articles in the field. The application of psychological theories and methods to economic prob lems or the study of economic experiences and behavior is variously referred to as economic psychology or behavioral economics. While in principle we do not want to overdo the differences between the two, we have a feeling that economic psychology has a slightly stronger flavor of psychology than behavioral economics which in its turn seems to be closer to economics. Psychologists tend to feel more at home in economic psychology, while economists seem to favor behavioral economics.

Professor Lancaster has made a major contribution to consumer theory. His work on the consumer's decision-making process has been particularly influential. This coherent thematic selection of his most important recent essays, some of which are published here for the first time, reflect the major features of Professor Lancaster's work. The essays form a unified collection on consumer choice and product variety and will be essential reading for any economist with an interest in the most recent developments in modern microeconomics.

What makes consumers behave as they do? Just as demographics examine the “who” of consumer behavior, psychographics examine the “why”. Psychographics show the motivations that people have in regard to purchasing products and choosing a lifestyle. The measurement approaches of psychographics utilize a combination of the personality, social value, and demographic variables. Cross-National Consumer Psychographics demonstrates that as communication and interactions between different parts of the world increase, marketing practitioners and educators will benefit by continuing to employ psychographic segmentation as a fundamental teaching and marketing tool. Examining consumer behavior with Cross-National Consumer Psychographics will bring you an improved understanding of the political and economic ties between communities and citizens, and will facilitate improved market understanding, segmentation, and communication. Cross-National Consumer Psychographics explores important marketing topics like: the role of psychographics and values in international marketing cross-cultural consumer information processing styles the relationship between independent and interdependent self-concepts and reasons for purchase the internationally recognized List of Values (LOV) and specific case studies including: the values of American and Japanese mothers (using the LOV) means-end analyses of fish consumption in Denmark and France effects of the change of sovereignty on consumer preferences in Hong Kong Cross-National Consumer Psychographics provides data from several applications of the List of Values (LOV) coming from various parts of the globe, showing the implications of particular cultures upon consumerism. Through this unique book, you will discover how countries and consumer groups can be segmented and approached based on their social values to help you develop more effective marketing strategies for your products.

Bringing together the latest debates concerning the development of marketing theory, featuring original contributions from a selection of leading international authors, this collection aims to give greater conceptual cohesion to the field, by drawing together the many disparate perspectives and presenting them in one volume. The contributors are all leading international scholars, chosen to represent the intellectual diversity within marketing theory. Divided into six parts, the Handbook covers the historical development of marketing theory; its philosophical underpinnings; major theoretical debates; the impact of theory on representations of the consumer; the impact of theory on representations of the marketing organisation and contemporary issues in marketing theory.

The Oxford Handbook of Social Influence restores this important field to its once preeminent position within social psychology. Editors Harkins, Williams, and Burger lead a team of leading scholars as they explore a variety of topics within social influence, seamlessly incorporating a range of analyses (including intrapersonal, interpersonal, and intragroup), and examine critical theories and the role of social influence in applied settings today.