Offering a novel view on morality in consumption, this book creatively examines how the seven deadly sins - pride, greed, lust, gluttony, envy, wrath, and sloth - are embodied in contemporary consumer society. Each of the seven chapters summarizes previous literature of the sins across disciplinary boundaries, and explores how consumption is likely to change in the future. The sins are presented as social, historical, cultural and political constructs, relying on the underlying assumptions of cultural consumer research. Each is elaborated on within particular consumption and marketing-related spheres, including advertising, retail environment, convenience food consumption, poverty, and ethical consumption. Consequently, the book provides a new way to understand contemporary consumer culture. Although beginning with the dark notions of sinfulness, the authors conclude with a hopeful tone for positive transformations in consumption. This fascinating book will be of significant interest to consumer researchers and post-graduate students studying the effects of consumption in social science disciplines, including marketing, business and sociology. Contributors include: L. Alhonnoro, P. Berg, P. Borisov, J. Gummerus, K. Hellen, A. Huuhka, M.-M. Jaskari, H. Kauppinen-Raisanen, P. Laaksonen, H. Leipamaa-Leskinen, H.T. Luomala, A. Norrgrann, C. Rodriguez Santos, J. Sihvonen, H. Syrjala, M. Saaksjarvi, L.L.M. Turunen, C. von Koskull

To gain the most competitive edge, marketers must continually optimize their promotional strategies. While the adult population is a prominent target, there is significant market potential for young consumers as well. Analyzing Children's Consumption Behavior: Ethics, Methodologies, and Future Considerations presents a dynamic overview of the best practices for marketing products that target children as consumers and analyzes the most effective promotional strategies being utilized. Highlighting both the advantages and challenges of targeting young consumers, this book is a pivotal reference source for marketers, professionals, researchers, upper-level students, and practitioners interested in emerging perspectives on children's consumption behavior.

Challenging the conventional narrative that the European Union suffers from a "democratic deficit," Athanasios Psygkas argues that EU mandates have enhanced the democratic accountability of national regulatory agencies. This is because EU law has created entry points for stakeholder participation in the operation of national regulators; these avenues for public participation were formerly either not open or not institutionalized to this degree. By focusing on how the EU formally adopted procedural mandates to advance the substantive goal of creating an internal market in electronic communications, Psygkas demonstrates that EU requirements have had significant implications for the nature of administrative governance in the member states. Drawing on theoretical arguments in favor of decentralization traditionally applied to substantive policy-making, this book provides insight into regulatory processes to show how the decentralized EU structure may transform national regulatory authorities into individual loci of experimentation that might in turn develop innovative results. It thus contributes to debates about federalism, governance and public policy, as well as about deliberative and participatory democracy in the United States and Europe. This book informs current understandings of regulatory agency operations and institutional design by drawing on an original dataset of public consultations and interviews with agency officials, industry and consumer group representatives in Paris, Athens, Brussels, and London. The on-the-ground original research provides a strong foundation for the directions the case law could take and small- and larger-scale institutional reforms that balance the goals of democracy, accountability, and efficiency.

Having a grasp on what appeals to consumers and how consumers are making purchasing decisions is essential to the success of any organization that thrives by offering a product or service. Despite the importance of consumer knowledge and understanding, research-based insight into the buying patterns and consumption habits of individuals in emerging nations remains limited. The Handbook of Research on Consumerism and Buying Behavior in Developing Nations takes a critical look at the often overlooked opportunities available for driving consumer demand and interest in developing countries. Emphasizing the power of the consumer market in emerging economies and their overall role in the global market system, this edited volume features research-based perspectives on consumer perception, behavior, and relationship management across industries. This timely publication is an essential resource for marketing professionals, consumer researchers, international business strategists, scholars, and graduate-level students.

Research on consumption from an environmental perspective has exploded since the late 1990s. This important new volume cuts across disciplines to present the latest research in the field. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which addresses the problems of consumption both as a concept and as an economic and social force with high environmental impact. In the second part, the authors try to explain consumption as an attempt by individuals to satisfy different types of needs whilst simultaneously being embedded in certain lifestyles and constrained by time and daily routines. The final section looks at how change towards less environmentally damaging consumption patterns can be achieved through national sustainability and consumer policy measures, as well as through community building and individual action. In accordance with the transdisciplinary nature of ecological economics, the original contributions emanate from a variety of different perspectives to reflect the diversity of research in this growing field. By seriously exploring the role of consumption within ecological economics, this fine book will provide invaluable reading for students and researchers interested in sustainable consumption, ecological economics and consumer research.

This gripping book considers the history, techniques, and goals of child-targeted consumer campaigns and examines children's changing perceptions of what commodities they "need" to be valued and value themselves. In this critique of America's consumption-based society, author Jennifer Hill chronicles the impact of consumer culture on children-from the evolution of childhood play to a child's self-perception as a consumer to the consequences of this generation's repeated media exposure to violence. Hill proposes that corporations, eager to tap into a multibillion-dollar market, use the power of advertising and the media to mold children's thoughts and behaviors. The book features vignettes with teenagers explaining, in their own words, how advertising determines their needs, wants, and self-esteem. An in-depth analysis of this research reveals the influence of media on a young person's desire to conform, shows how broadcasted depictions of beauty distort the identities of children and teens, and uncovers corporate agendas for manipulating behavior in the younger generation. The work concludes with the position that corporations are shaping children to be efficient consumers but, in return, are harming their developing young minds and physical well-being. Features content from across disciplines including sociology, psychology, cultural anthropology, and social work Introduces the idea that corporations exert a powerful-and largely negative-influence over children and childhood Offers a theoretical explanation of the current state of consumer capitalism Presents findings based on original research conducted by the author

Digital transformation is spreading throughout every industry all over the world. Acquiring new technologies to use within business practices increases productivity and strengthens the connection between businesses and their consumers. The digital transformation process and automation promotion must be intensified and explored globally so that economies can grow and develop, providing a better quality of life for their populations. Implementing Automation Initiatives in Companies to Create Better-Connected Experiences explores the most current and decisive topics for business and academia. It evaluates the ways in which automation and connectivity help the decision-making process of companies and the learning process for students and researchers. Covering topics such as consumer behavior, omnichannel retailing, and metaverse applications in business, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for business executives and managers, IT managers, marketers, agencies, government officials, students and faculty of higher education, researchers, and academia.

Contemporary societies are characterised by new and more flexible working patterns, new family structures and widening social divisions. This book explores how these macro-level changes affect the micro organisation of daily life, with reference to working patterns and gender divisions in Northern and Western Europe and the United States. Through detailed comparative analysis and case studies from France, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the US, this collection demonstrates how, despite globalisation and the spread of neo-liberalism, states still exercise some autonomy in terms of the implementation of equalities and 'city time' policies. These policies affect people's capacity to organise their daily lives and ameliorate the adverse impact of new working patterns. However, the authors also show that, despite the proliferation of work-life balance policies which potentially encourage a greater reconciliation of caring and paid work, inequalities in the distribution of paid work and caring between men and women remain remarkably resilient. Bringing together academic analysis and policy studies, Gender Divisions and Working Time in the New Economy will appeal to students and scholars of comparative social policy, economic sociology, economic geography and sociology. In particular, those with an interest in issues of employment relationships, gender, welfare states, working time, work-life balance and 'city time' will find the book to be of great value.

Reading Augustine presents concise, personal readings of St. Augustine of Hippo from leading philosophers and religion scholars. Augustine of Hippo knew that this fallen world is a place of sadness and suffering. In such a world, he determined that compassion is the most suitable and virtuous response. Its transformative powers could be accessed through the mind and its memories, through the healing of the Incarnation, and through the discernment of Christians who are forced to navigate through a corrupt and deceptive world. Susan Wessel considers Augustine's theology of compassion by examining his personal experience of loss and his reflections concerning individual and corporate suffering in the context of the human condition and salvation.

This text is designed to introduce important concepts related to the consumption of fashion and clothing to beginning students. Designed to support teaching and learning, this book looks at the cultural and economic significance of the global fashion industry. Beginning with an historical overview of fashion consumption, the book then provides an analysis of both rational normative consumer decision-making as well as hedonic and alternative consumption patterns. It concludes with a look at ethical decision-making and social responsibility concerning design, production, and consumption.Each chapter contain definitions of the key concepts, overviews of the relevant theories, case studies, as well as summary sections, a listing of key terms, questions for discussion, and assignments for class use. Combining insights and perspectives from a wide range of disciplinary approaches, including fashion, cultural studies, sociology and business, this book will be of interest to students on a variety of courses studying consumer behaviour.

Global economic scenarios are increasing in complexity due to the recent global financial crisis, globalization, the evolution of ICT, and the changing behaviors of consumers. This has made it difficult to predict trends and build strategies within the retail industry. As a result, long-term forecasts and schedules are not possible, and more research is needed to explore today's consumer profile and set the frameworks for future recovery strategies. Predicting Trends and Building Strategies for Consumer Engagement in Retail Environments is a pivotal reference source that provides practical insights into improving the understanding of complex retail environments and consumer shopping behaviors in order to predict trends and develop strategies for retailers in times of economic crisis. While highlighting topics such as consumer engagement, industry models, and market globalization, this publication explores qualitative and quantitative methods of interest and the multidisciplinary approaches revolving around the industry. This book is ideally designed for marketers, managers, practitioners, retail professionals, academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on relationship marketing, digital marketing, service management, and complexity theories.

As the importance of corporate social responsibility grows, especially environmental responsibility, it is imperative to acknowledge the impact of the individual on a company's environmental performance. Given that individuals spend much of their day in the workplace, it is crucial to understand both their behaviours and the potential impact they can have on the company's environmental performance and the environment. Bringing together leading academics from various research fields, this Handbook examines the features and challenges within the area of employee pro-environmental behaviour. The Research Handbook on Employee Pro-Environmental Behaviour brings contributions that consolidate existing research in the field as well as adding new insights from organisational psychology, human resource management and social marketing. Drawing on studies from across the methodological spectrum, this Handbook covers a broad range of topics from the antecedents and consequences of employee pro-environmental behaviour to ways in which employers can encourage pro-environmental behaviour. This Handbook will be an invaluable tool for those engaged in research in employee environmental behaviour and sustainability. It will be especially useful for postgraduate students of environmental employee behaviour as well as environmental consultants and practitioners seeking to gain an understanding of employee behaviour. Contributors include: B. Asfar, N. Ashkanasy, W. Binney, M. Bissing-Olson, F. Bowen, P. Bradley, L. Brennan, J. Callewaert, Y.H. Cheung, C. Ciocirlan, M. Davis, S. Dilchert, C. Dutra, P. Endrejat, S. Fudge, B. Gatersleben, D. Gregory-Smith, A. Guntner, R. Hahn, S. Kauffeld, R. Klein, F. Klonek, M. Leach, A. Leung, S. Lockrey, D. Manika, R. Marans, N. Murtagh, T. Norton, D. Ones, F. Ostertag, P. Paille, S. Parker, A. Ruepert, S. Russell, I. Shah, A. Shahjahan, W. Staples, L. Steg, T. Tudor, D. Uzzell, C. Verfuerth, K. Verghese, V. Wells, B. Wiernik, L. Yang, H. Zacher

Customer-Centric Knowledge Management (CCKM) is needed in order to build good customer relations and to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty. It includes the management of processes and techniques used to collect information regarding customers' needs, wants, and expectations for the development of new and/or improved products and services. Customer-Centric Knowledge Management: Concepts and Applications is a comprehensive collection addressing managerial and technical aspects of customer-centric knowledge implementation. It seeks to expand the literature and business practices and contributes to the dynamic and emerging fields of organizational knowledge management, customer relationship management, and information and communication technologies (ICTs).

The trading, selling, and buying of personal transport has changed little over the past one hundred years. Whether horse trading in the early twentieth century or car buying today, haggling over prices has been the common practice of buyers and sellers alike. "Horse Trading in the Age of Cars" offers a fascinating study of the process of buying an automobile in a historical and gendered context.

Steven M. Gelber convincingly demonstrates that the combative and frequently dishonest culture of the showroom floor is a historical artifact whose origins lie in the history of horse trading. Bartering and bargaining were the norm in this predominantly male transaction, with both buyers and sellers staking their reputations and pride on their ability to negotiate the better deal. Gelber comments on this point-of-sale behavior and what it reveals about American men.

Gelber's highly readable and lively prose makes clear how this unique economic ritual survived into the industrial twentieth century, in the process adding a colorful and interesting chapter to the history of the automobile.

Fans of specific sports teams, television series, and video games, to name a few, often create subcultures in which to discuss and celebrate their loyalty and enthusiasm for a particular object or person. Due to their strong emotional attachments, members of these fandoms are often quick to voluntarily invest their time, money, and energy into a related product or brand, thereby creating a group of faithful and passionate consumers that play a significant role in multiple domains of contemporary culture. The Handbook of Research on the Impact of Fandom in Society and Consumerism is an essential reference source that examines the cultural and economic effects of the fandom phenomenon through a multidisciplinary lens and shapes an understanding of the impact of fandom on brand building. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics such as religiosity, cosplay, and event marketing, this publication is ideally designed for marketers, managers, advertisers, brand managers, consumer behavior analysts, product developers, psychologists, entertainment managers, event coordinators, political scientists, anthropologists, academicians, researchers, and students seeking current studies on the global impact of this particularly devoted community.

Visual Branding pulls together analyses of logos, typeface, color, and spokes-characters to give a comprehensive account of the visual devices used in branding and advertising. The book places each avenue for visual branding within a rhetorical framework that explains what that device can accomplish for the brand. It lays out the available possibilities for constructing logos and distinguishes basic types along with examples of their use and evolution over time. Authors Edward McQuarrie and Barbara Phillips place visual branding within its historical context, covering the 120-year period since brand advertising first took modern form in the United States. Using copious real-life examples to illustrate how branding has evolved with the introduction of new technologies and opportunities, the book also critiques purely psychological perspectives on branding and explains how historical and rhetorical analyses can contribute new insights. This exploration of rhetoric as an alternative to economic and psychological perspectives in marketing, advertising, and consumer scholarship will be essential reading for students and scholars in graduate programs in marketing, advertising, and consumer psychology.

Kitchens are where we cook, clean, cry, talk, laugh, break things. Hugely symbolic - as well as practical - kitchens evoke thoughts of hearth and home, family and domesticity. People today commonly spend more refurbishing their kitchens than refurbishing any other room in the home. On kitchen units alone, annual expenditure in England has been around the billion pound mark for some time. And this only represents part of what people spend on a kitchen. For, when they do up their kitchens, people frequently also buy new machinery and nearly always buy new accessories. To get at the heart of the meaning, design and purpose of the modern kitchen, the author interviewed a sample of seventy four homeowners. She follows them through the process of shopping and purchasing a new kitchen, and she discusses the importance of layout, colour, shape and texture. She explores the dominant role that women play in shaping the appearance of a new kitchen and considers the evolution of the modern kitchen in the context of the consumer age. The first history of the fitted kitchen in England, this innovative new book will appeal to anyone interested in design, sociology, gender studies and cultural history.

We live in an age when consumption and consuming have come to define us. Consumption, now a global phenomenon, is so dominant it allows little room for alternatives. At the same time, information and digitization have become all-pervasive in our media culture . As ever greater aspects of the world have come to be seen as 'data', information has increasingly become the very currency of consumption.Consumption in an Age of Information maps this new terrain. Bringing together some of the world's leading theorists and critics, the essays range across high theory and popular culture - from informational flows to science fiction simulations, from pop-cultural consumption to capitalism as religion, from the consumption of time to the role of 'speed' in contemporary culture.

This first book-length treatment of the life and work of Christine Frederick (1883-1970) reveals an important dilemma that faced educated women of the early twentieth century. Contrary to her professional role as home efficiency expert, advertising consultant, and consumer advocate, Christine Frederick espoused the nineteenth-century ideal of preserving the virtuous home--and a woman's place in it. In an effort to reconcile her desire to succeed in the public sphere of modernization and consumerism with the knowledge that most middle-class Americans still held traditional beliefs about gender roles, Frederick fashioned a career for herself that encouraged other women to remain at home. With the rise of home economics and scientific management, Frederick--college-educated but confined to the drudgery of housework--devised a plan for bringing the public sphere into the domestic. Her home would become her factory. She learned how to standardize tasks by observing labor-saving devices in industry and then applied this knowledge to housework. She standardized dishwashing, for example, by breaking the job into three separate operations: scraping and stacking, washing, and drying and putting away. Determined to train women to become proficient homemakers and efficient managers, Frederick secured a job writing articles for the Ladies' Home Journal. A professional career as home efficiency expert later expanded to include advertising consultant and consumer advocate. Frederick assured male advertisers that she knew women well and promised to help them sell to ""Mrs. Consumer."" While Frederick sought the power and influence available only to men, she promoted a division of labor by gender and therefore served the fall of the early-twentieth-century wave of feminism. Rutherford's engaging account of Christine Frederick's life reflects a dilemma that continues to affect women today--whether to seek professional gratification or adhere to traditional family values.

By any measure, the affluent sector is growing exponentially, and is far more diverse (in terms of ethnicity, education, location, and professional background) than any time in the past. This market represents lucrative opportunities for companies that understand how these customers think, act, and make purchasing decisions. Applying primary research, including demographic and economic data, and expertise developed from decades of studying, teaching, and consulting in marketing and consumer behavior, Ronald Michman and Edward Mazze present a comprehensive approach to analyzing the affluent consumer-and creating, promoting, and selling innovative products and services to them. Illustrating their principles through dozens of examples, including Armani, Mercedes Benz, Brooks Brothers, Neiman Marcus, Merrill Lynch, Tiffany, and even discounters, such as Target and Wal-Mart, the authors deconstruct how a complex market segment works. Dispelling popular myths and misconcpetions about the composition and behavior of this segment, they provide not only a practical guide for marketers and students of marketing, but a fascinating glimpse into a culture driven by materalism, status, and aspirations to luxury. By any measure, the affluent sector is growing exponentially, and is far more diverse (in terms of ethnicity, education, location, and professional background) than at any time in the past. In 2004, there were 8.2 million households in the United States with net worth over $1 million, excluding primary residence. Meanwhile, between 1995 and 2001, the number of families filing tax returns for income exceeding $200,000 doubled. This market represents lucrative opportunities for companies that understand how these consumers think, act, and make purchasing decisions.

In an unprecedented phenomenon that swept across Britain at the turn of the nineteenth century, writers, advertisers, and architects began to create and sell images of an authentic cultural realm paradoxically considered outside the marketplace. Such images were located in nostalgic pictures of an idyllic, pre-industrial past, in supposedly original objects not derived from previous traditions, and in the ideal of a purified aesthetic that might be separated from the mass market. Presenting a lively, unique study of what she terms the "commodified authentic," Elizabeth Outka explores this crucial but overlooked development in the history of modernity with a piercing look at consumer culture and the marketing of authenticity in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Britain.
The book brings together a wide range of cultural sources, from the model towns of Bournville, Port Sunlight, and Letchworth; to the architecture of Edwin Lutyens and Selfridges department store; to work by authors such as Bernard Shaw, E. M. Forster, Henry James, D. H. Lawrence, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf.

Although studies indicate the assumption of one single European market, other research emphasises European countries have distinct market identities. Meanwhile, as individual countries begin to have a more widespread understanding of culture, global culture still remains unshared between countries. Consumption Culture in Europe: Insight into the Beverage Industry brings the most relevant theories about culture and European market segmentation as well as providing updated data for the evaluation and analyses of the European consumption patterns in the beverage market. This comprehensive collection is an essential tool for policy-makers and those interested in end-markets and consumer affairs.|Although studies indicate the assumption of one single European market, other research emphasises European countries have distinct market identities. Meanwhile, as individual countries begin to have a more widespread understanding of culture, global culture still remains unshared between countries. Consumption Culture in Europe: Insight into the Beverage Industry brings the most relevant theories about culture and European market segmentation as well as providing updated data for the evaluation and analyses of the European consumption patterns in the beverage market. This comprehensive collection is an essential tool for policy-makers and those interested in end-markets and consumer affairs.

An engrossing review of the development of global consumerism and its impact on sociological issues. The phrase "shop till you drop" has become as American as apple pie and the trend does not appear to be slowing. Consumer Culture begins with the history of the consumer culture, which reveals that our fascination with consuming shows not only the hidden significance of everyday items, such as sugar and fashionable clothing, but also reveals the uniqueness of our way of life. Consumer Culture also presents the views of economists and sociologists who see consumption as an expression of freedom. The book covers the social impact of consumption, examining such dubious milestones as physical attacks upon McDonald's and Starbucks, and best sellers that are critical of consumption. There is coverage of important research, such as whether consumers are making rational or impulsive choices and the effect of advertising on children. Capsule biographies of key individuals, such as Aaron Montgomery Ward, who pioneered the modern catalog, and Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's; important figures in advertising, such as Helen Rosen Woodward; leaders in the consumer protection movement, such as Ralph Nader and Florence Kelley; and more Statistics on U.S. and global consumption trends including clustering and segmentation in patterns of consumption; the growth of franchises and malls; shopping behavior by age, ethnicity, and geographical location; and environmental effects such as those due to garbage production

Things matter. So why are we losing touch with them? From the former director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York comes a timely and passionate case for the role of the well-designed object in the digital age. In this delightful exploration of craft in its many forms, curator and scholar Glenn Adamson explores how raw materials, tools, design and technique come together to produce objects of beauty and utility. A thoughtful meditation on the value of care and attention in an age of disappearing things, Fewer, Better Things invites us to reconnect with the physical world and its objects.