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A conference paper about the impact of big data on the behavior and perception of consumers who are inclined to use the traditional mode of communication and consumers who are influenced by digital technology. The author notes that there is a prevailing views among older marketers and market researchers that cultural and social influences are the main factors that shape consumer attitudes and behaviors, which is further enhanced by communities and neighborhoods.

Although the new middle classes in emerging markets are a matter of significant interest for marketing scholars and managers, there has been little systematic research on their values and preoccupations. This article focuses on new middle class consumers to identify the new, shared socio-ideological sensibilities informed by the recent neoliberal reforms in emerging markets and examines how these sensibilities are actualized in consumption. Through an ethnographic study of fashion consumption in Turkey, the authors explicate three salient new middle class sensibilities, which implicate the mastery of the ordinary in pursuit of connections with people, institutions, and contexts. These sensibilities crystallize into a particular mode of consumption—“formulaic creativity”—which addresses consumers’ desire to align with the middle and helps them reconcile the disjuncture between the promises of neoliberalism and the realities of living in unstable societies. The article provides recommendations on product portfolio management, positioning strategies, and marketing mix adaptation decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norm violations disrupt social order, and according to prior research, social order can be restored through the punishment of norm violators. Based on this conceptual framework, the current research examines a prevalent yet overlooked behavior in the consumer literature by showing that consumers play an active role in making punishment decisions. Importantly, this article highlights three factors that affect the balance in social order and thus are critical in consumer-to-consumer punishment decisions. First, when a third party in the consumption environment restores social order through punishment, consumers will refrain from punishing further (study 1). Second, punishment is mitigated when the norm violator faces an unjustified adversity, as punishment would create a further imbalance in social order (studies 2a and 2b). Third, the level of punishment required to achieve social order is reduced for a higher status norm violator (study 3). Finally, this article identifies multiple avenues for future research that build on the current work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion and ideology are prominent forces shaping consumption. While consumer researchers have studied both topics considerably, examinations of religious ideology remain scant. Notably lacking is research on how religion, myths, and ideology intertwine in the marketplace, informing attitudes toward brands. This ethnography investigates how the religious ideology of Islamism informs brand meanings among low-income Turkish consumers and identifies three discourses that construct global brands as infidels. Informants use the infidel parable to characterize market societies as devoid of social equality, morality, and justice. Their critique culminates in a consumer jihad against global brands. Through the consumer jihad, informants accommodate and protest the social crises posed by modernity and globalization as they seek to recreate the Golden Age of Islam. Exploring the relationships among economic means, cultural capital, and religious ideology helps this study bridge related domains of research on religiosity, ideology, and brand meanings that are often investigated separately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, we propose relationship norms as a moderator of the specific information-processing strategy adopted by consumers when evaluating a brand. Two types of relationships are examined: communal relationships, in which concern for a partner's need is paramount, and exchange relationships, in which a matched benefit is expected back from the partner. Across three studies, we test the hypothesis that norms of a communal relationship lead to brand attributes being evaluated at a higher level of abstraction relative to those of an exchange relationship. Dependent variables ranging from product evaluations, memory measures, and feature listings provide converging evidence to support the overall hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments examined public and private responding in a multiple-audience context--a context in which members have varying opinions. I propose and find that posters (those communicating their experience to others) are influenced only by another's negative opinion because it triggers such social concerns as appearing indiscriminate. Consequently, they adjust their public attitudes downward. Self-presentational concerns appear to cause this negativity bias: lurkers (those not posting their opinion) were less affected by another's negative opinion. Furthermore, posters presented more than one side when publicly explaining their attitudes. These effects persisted despite posters' favorable product experiences and commitment to these attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes our experience in undertaking a review of the effectiveness of using social marketing to tackle nutrition problems. One of the biggest challenges was identifying programmes which could be genuinely defined as 'social marketing'. Here we describe how we applied and tested a framework for identifying and assessing legitimate social marketing research. Implications for both social marketing theory and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical perspectives on theory play an important and valued role in disciplines across the academy. Feminist perspectives might be expected to be at or near the forefront of critical engagement with consumer behaviour theory, especially given the importance of gender in consumer research. Following a brief upsurge during the 1990s, critical feminist voices have been muted of late. This paper explores some reasons for this. It begins with a brief overview of research on gender and consumer behaviour and how insights from feminist theories and feminist activism began to alter our understanding of gendered consumption. It then discusses how postmodern and postfeminist perspectives have diluted feminism as a critique of gendered consumption. Finally, it argues that a return to materialist feminism would open up possibilities for new and more critical analyses of gendered consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to evaluate responses of gay and heterosexual consumers to gay-friendly and non-friendly cues and the resultant effects on the variables of brand satisfaction, brand commitment, and attitude toward the brand. Variables for predicting brand commitment based on Rusbult's Investment Model are explored. Results suggest that heterosexual consumers, while noticing gay-friendly cues in brand communications, do not develop negative attitudes as a result of exposure to those cues. Further, as gay and lesbian consumers react positively and strongly and heterosexual consumers react neutrally, it is a reasonable strategy for brands to pursue gay-friendly marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines community attitudes of Australians towards gender portrayal in advertising. Despite some well-publicised cases involving sexually provocative billboards, we find that gender portrayal in advertising is not of major concern to many Australians. We also examined the relationship between attitudes to gender portrayal and Arnott's (1972) Female Autonomy Inventory, a measure of feminist consciousness. Ford and LaTour (1996) tested a model of attitudes toward gender portrayal in advertising that found an unambiguous relationship between attitudes to female autonomy and the perceived offensiveness of the portrayal of women in advertisements. Our study, in contrast, suggests that the relationship is more complex. While one group of high female autonomy respondents (that we labeled "Feminist Pessimists") rated the offensiveness of the portrayal of women in advertising very highly, another high female autonomy group (labeled "Feminist Optimists") did not. Hence regulatory bodies may treat complaints on stereotyping in advertisements from these groups in different ways and advertisers may modify their messages for maximum effect. Differences in the findings between this study and Ford and LaTour's are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buyer-seller relationships have long been of intense interest to marketing academics and practitioners, most particularly within the domain of business-to-business markets, but also more recently within the purview of business-to-consumer markets. This paper looks at the role of gender in buyer-seller relationships. Covering the literature from sales and from consumer behaviour, the general lack of a specific gender perspective in the interactions between buyers and sellers is identified and weaknesses in the current literature are highlighted. It identifies an opportunity to develop and apply feminist research practice to this increasingly important area. The benefits, opportunities, and limitations of the feminist research approach are specified and some initial conclusions presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of Foot and Mouth Disease in the UK, upstream operators in the agrifood sector are being encouraged to undertake more direct marketing of their products. However, little is known about consumer interest in buying local food, and the factors that might influence a positive response. Drawing from the literature on ethical and environmentally responsible consumer behaviour, interest in local food is conceptualised as being related to attitudinal, situational and demographic factors. Discriminant analysis of responses to a survey of shoppers in the north of England finds that attitudinal factors tend to explain variations in local food interest better than demographic factors. In addition, situational factors of urban/rural residency and degree of involvement with farming are also strong discriminators. However, as importance ratings of food choice attributes such as low price and intrinsic quality did not differ significantly according to interest levels in local food, the results imply that even highly interested consumers have pragmatic expectations about local food products that need to be met for marketing strategies to be successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of religious value systems has long been recognized in sociology and psychology but is not yet fully acknowledged in consumer research. Studies in the marketing literature suggest that religion is a key element of culture, influencing both behaviour and purchasing decisions. This paper examines the influence of religion on consumer choice and is based on the proposition that adherence to a particular religious faith significantly influences shopping behaviour. Using the purchase of a television as the basis, the research examines the contrasting shopping behaviour of Hindus, Muslims and Catholics. The results suggest that religious affiliation should be included in future cross-cultural research and that there is considerable potential for extending research into the influence of religious affiliation on consumer behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the issue of 'fit' between causes, companies, products and brands in the field of Cause Related Marketing (CRM). The linking of charitable causes and commercial ventures via their branded identities has become very widespread in the last ten years. The literature states that obtaining a good 'fit', in terms of the positioning and objectives of both product and charity, is very important to the success of CRM initiatives. However, there is no empirical support for this common assertion. This paper describes an experiment that was designed to test the assumption that 'fit' is important. The results of the experiment indicate that the degree of 'fit' between products and causes does have a significant effect on consumers' evaluations of products that carry a cause 'brand identity' as part of a CRM campaign. The results also indicate that cause cues in low involvement purchase situations create their impact by disrupting existing decision heuristics, rather than by the creation of new heuristics of assessment. This finding has implications for commercial managers when they are assessing the 'fit' and potential benefits of CRM associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In three brand-choice experiments executed on personal computers, a significant interaction was found regarding the influence of positive affect, induced by the gift of a small bag of candy or sugarless gum, on variety-seeking behavior. In three food categories (crackers, soup, and snack foods), a positive-affect manipulation increased variety-seeking behavior relative to that in the control conditions, when circumstances did not make unpleasant or negative features of the items in the choice task salient. However, when a negative feature, such as the possibility that a product would taste bad, was made more salient, there was no difference in variety-seeking behavior between the subjects who have received the small gift and the control subjects. Positive affect was also found (1) to increase the tendency of subjects to categorize nontypical items as belonging to a predefined product category, (2) to increase credibility that a product designed to reduce negative health effects would be successful, and (3) to increase variety-seeking behavior in choice sets containing the latter two types of items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of materialism to consumer behavior is discussed. Materialism is advanced as a critical but neglected macro consumer-behavior issue. Measures for materialism and three subtraits---envy, nongenerosity, and possessiveness---are presented and tested. The subtraits are compared over three generations of consumers from the same families, and measure validity is further explored via responses to a sentence completion task. Based on these results, a call is made for research into related macro consumer-behavior issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In daily living, people participate regularly in a variety of ritualized activities at home, work, and play, both as individuals and as members of some larger community. The average person also relies on various ritual events to mark such significant life passages as graduation, marriage, and death. Despite these pervasive and meaningful ritual experiences, consumer research has largely failed to recognize this extensive behavioral domain. The present article introduces and elaborates the ritual construct as a vehicle for interpreting consumer behavior and presents the results of two exploratory studies that investigate the artifactual and psychosocial contents of young adults' personal grooming rituals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research that extends the analysis in the paper "Viability and Profile of the Consumerist Segment," by Jacques C. Bourgeois and James G. Barnes. The study compares and contrasts French consumerists and their U.S. counterparts. According to the research French consumerists are more likely to give their time to their town or their country. The French consumerists attributed more value to friendship, have more faith in consumer efficiency, and are more sensitive to the impact of their consumption on the general public.

This study attempts to delineate new demographic and behavioral characteristics of blood donors and nondonors. Results indicate that donors tend to be male, married with children, have rare blood types and low self-esteem, to be low risk takers, very concerned with health, better educated, religious, and quite conservative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project explores consumer evaluations on Yelp.com as “commodity activism” – the politicization of market activities for the purposes of social change and/or cultural resistance. A textual analysis of consumer evaluations (n = 1972) and interviews (n = 18) reveal that commodity activism on Yelp most commonly appears as a positive bias toward localism. Consumers discursively construct an aesthetic of authenticity around localism that functions in accordance with the logic of corporate branding; in turn, “brand local” is appropriated by reviewers as part of their own authentic “self-brand” grounded in the civic duty to one’s community. The implications of this logic are critiqued against commodity activism’s commitment to individual, personalized forms of self-empowerment over identification with larger collective and community struggles. In this sense, Yelp is favorable to neoliberal discourses of consumer capitalism, where consumption serves as a stand-in for citizenship and localism’s political potential reconfigured in market terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social influence drives human selection behaviours when numerous objects competing for limited attentions, which leads to the ‘rich get richer’ dynamics where popular objects tend to get more attentions. However, evidences have been found that, both the global information of the whole system and the local information among one’s friends have significant influence over the one’s selection. Consequently, a key question raises that, it is the local information or the global information more determinative for one’s selection? Here we compare the local-based influence and global-based influence. We show that, the selection behaviour is mainly driven by the local popularity of the objects while the global popularity plays a supplementary role driving the behaviour only when there is little local information for the user to refer to. Thereby, we propose a network model to describe the mechanism of user-object interaction evolution with social influence, where the users perform either local-driven or global-driven preferential attachments to the objects, i.e., the probability of an objects to be selected by a target user is proportional to either its local popularity or global popularity. The simulation suggests that, about 75% of the attachments should be driven by the local popularity to reproduce the empirical observations. It means that, at least in the studied context where users chose businesses on Yelp, there is a probability of 75% for a user to make a selection according to the local popularity. The proposed model and the numerical findings may shed some light on the study of social influence and evolving social systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates the relationship between the three components of perceived quality (service quality, food quality, and restaurant atmospherics), positive emotions, and behavioral intentions. By testing competing structural models on a sample of international tourists to casual dining restaurants on the French Riviera, we found that positive emotions have a strong influence on behavioral intentions. Competing paths between service quality, food quality, and restaurant atmospherics with positive emotions were found. The results hold important theoretical and managerial implications for service providers and encouraging international visitors to revisit and recommend restaurants on the French Riviera. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study explores the factors that influence consumer's perceived value and purchase intentions toward university-licensed apparel among college students. Four factors were identified through the initial focus groups and literature review. Based on the value-intention framework, this study developed and empirically examined a structural model to investigate the effects of these factors upon consumers' perceived value and purchase intentions of university-licensed apparel. A convenience sample of 255 undergraduate students from a large university in the southeast were the source of data. The findings provide evidence of a causal relationship among school identification, peer influence, apparel product attributes, perceived value, and purchase intention. The findings contribute to an understanding of college students' behavior toward university-licensed merchandise. The findings suggest marketing directions for manufacturers, retailers, and university authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This empirical study examines whether scale-checking habits cause differences among responses to three types of semantic differential scales: a scale in which all the favorable adjectives were on the left side of the scale; a scale in which all the favorable adjectives were on the right side of the scale; and a scale in which the right-to-left and left-to-right scales were randomly mixed. The questionnaire consisted of fifteen items designed to rate customer attitudes toward three local malls. One additional issue of interest was to test if the reaction time to each of these scales was significantly different. As expected, the reaction time for the random scale displayed more variability around the mean. The type of scale used had a definite and statistically significant effect on the responses. The L-R scale biased the responses towards the favorable adjective, the R-L scale generated a bias in the opposite direction, and the mixed scale successfully eliminated any such bias. The implications of the findings are of interest to marketing scholars and practitioners that regularly use semantic differential scales and are concerned about the psychometric properties and consequent validity of the results obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which confirms the connection of social influence to customer decision. It states that the researchers has gathered selected one million cellular customers from Mediterranean country as target study samples. It mentions that customer churn has been studied through call and text messages for one year. Moreover, it reveals that understanding of social effects for customers is key factor for customer retention.

In accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 the evaluating Member State (EMS) Belgium compiled an application to modify the existing MRLs for spinosad in animal origin commodities as a result of the intended use on kale, for which no amendment of the existing MRL was proposed. Belgium proposed to raise the existing MRLs in several commodities of swine and ruminant origin. In accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 the EMS United Kingdom received an application from the Horticultural Development Company to modify the existing MRLs for spinosad in the group of small fruit and berries. The United Kingdom proposed to raise the existing MRLs to 1 mg/kg. The EMSs drafted the evaluation reports in accordance with Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, which were submitted to the European Commission and forwarded to EFSA. According to EFSA the data are sufficient to derive a MRL proposal of 1.5 mg/kg for the proposed use on kale. Thus, no amendment of the existing MRL is required. A MRL of 1.5 mg/kg is proposed for the intended indoor use on the group of small fruit and berries. No modification of the MRLs recommended under the Article 12 review for the commodities of animal origin were found necessary except for swine liver (0.7 mg/kg), sheep and goat fat (3 mg/kg), sheep and goat liver (1.5 mg/kg), swine muscle (0.1 mg/kg), bovine muscle (0.3 mg/kg), sheep and goat muscle (0.2 mg/kg), poultry muscle (0.2 mg/kg). Adequate analytical enforcement methods are available to control the residues of spinosad on the products under consideration. Based on the risk assessment results, EFSA concludes that the proposed amendment of the MRLs will not result in a consumer exposure exceeding the toxicological reference value and therefore is unlikely to pose a consumer health risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the last decade, cosmetic surgery has been a steadily growing industry. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2007, consumers spent 12.4 billion dollars on both surgical and minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures. This article draws upon in-depth interviews with individuals who have had cosmetic surgery, specifically focusing on how they construct and articulate their experiences in economic terms. Findings suggest that individuals characterize cosmetic surgery as a preventative or health-maintenance practice and often weigh the potential costs of surgery against other consumable goods they may wish to purchase. Additionally, there tends to be recognition that the services purchased are luxury items that are evaluated along the lines of cost and quality, supporting prior assertions that cosmetic surgery as a practice and an industry is qualitatively different from more traditional modes of health care. Finally, this article explores how the interaction between patient and physician, particularly from the patient's perspective, is increasingly transformed into an exchange between a consumer and service-provider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Despite extensive research on the antecedents of customer citizenship behavior, the influence of other customers remains a neglected area in service research. Drawing on social information processing and interpersonal influence theories, this article investigates how citizenship behavior of focal customers is shaped by citizenship behavior of other customers. This study also examines how informational influence in the form of other-customer credibility and normative influence in the form of customer social identity moderate this relationship. Using qualitative and quantitative data, this study shows that other-customer citizenship behavior drives focal customer citizenship behavior. This link is also moderated by informational influence (other-customer credibility) and normative influence (social identity). From a theoretical standpoint, the findings provide preliminary evidence that other-customer focus is critical to an understanding of customer citizenship behavior. This study also identifies the boundary conditions for these relationships. From a practical standpoint, the findings suggest that managers need to identify and pay attention to customers who exhibit citizenship behavior so that customer citizenship behavior is reciprocated and extended to other customers in the service encounter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the effect of the displayed emotions of third party customers and purchase occasion on customers are examined, even when there is no direct interaction between customers. Three independent studies, including two experiments are employed. The first experiment examines the effects of both positive and negative displayed emotions of third party customers and purchase occasion on customer emotions and repurchase intentions, when there is no direct interaction between customers. The second experiment captures changes in the customers' affective state on a moment-by-moment basis enabling differentiation between the effects of the service environment and the intervention of exposure to the displayed emotions of third party customers. Results show that customers are 'infected' by the displayed emotions of third party customers even when there is no direct interaction between the customers. It is also demonstrated that the purchase occasion affects the type and intensity of emotions customers experience and the likelihood of repurchase. Implications for scholarly research and retailers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This article examines deliberative, emotional, and sociocultural processes in consumption. The authors draw upon basic processes from two leading theories in social psychology, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the model of goal-directed behavior (MGB), to develop a comprehensive approach to decision making more appropriate for many consumption decisions, and revise the representation and modeling of key variables to better reflect how social psychological processes relate to consumer behavior. A survey was conducted among real adult consumers of bacalhau in Portugal. Because it is most common for women to prepare bacalhau meals in Portugal, 153 female participants were recruited for this survey. The results show that the TPB, and especially the MGB, are found to explain food consumption decisions well but only after the approaches are modified in form and content to accommodate the complex emotional and social aspects of the consumption context. The results also show that the effects of key determinants of desire in the MGB are contingent on the traits of food involvement and cultural orientation (i.e., degree of vertical individualism). The approach taken herein overcomes limitations of existing theories by synthesizing relevant processes across two leading theories and by introducing new variables and processes, thereby showing that the organization of these processes and their contingency on cultural variables regulate consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on an experiment to test the impact of negative publicity on celebrity ad endorsements. The extent to which negativity influences attitudes toward a celebrity, and to what degree this influences consumers of high-low involvement and image-related products is examined. Three hypothetical incidents relating to an extramarital affair, a drink-driving incident, and criticism of the professional integrity for three different celebrities (a television sitcom and film star, a television and radio presenter, and a current affairs television presenter) were developed and investigated using a sample of "Generation Y" consumers. Three different sources of negative information were used, based on rumor, media footage, and celebrity publicly tells all. The findings suggest that the statements had a negative effect on the overall attitudes toward the celebrities but showed variations for different product categories. Interestingly, there were no significant differences based on the source of negative information. Several implications are discussed and directions for future research suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic word-of-mouth (WOM) communication influences potential consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a product. Since consumers frequently assess online information based on their relationships with communities, rather than with individuals, online communities themselves function as referents for assessing information quality. This study examines whether consumer perceptions toward virtual communities (i.e., sense of virtual community or SOVC) moderate the perceived influence of product comments on attitude and purchase intention. This study manipulated 2 scenarios involving positive comments and negative comments regarding a newly issued game product. Analytical results indicated that SOVC reinforced the influences of online comments on attitude and purchase intention. Thus, marketers should consider the role of virtual communities when implementing WOM strategy online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses consumer interest in regards to American food policies and issues involving child nutrition in the U.S. as of January 2012, focusing on the San Francisco, California Board of Supervisors' decision to ban the distribution of toys with children's meals that do not meet the minimum nutritional standards set by the government. The public health and safety laws of San Francisco, California are addressed, along with an analysis of the opposition to the toy ban.

India presents a large market for global fashion brands. The purpose of the research was to examine the influence of consumers' susceptibility to interpersonal influence (CSII), collective self-esteem (CSE) and demographics on Indian consumers' fashion clothing involvement. The CSE and demographics were considered as moderators on CSII. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection (n=773). The results indicate that from CSII scale, only normative influences affect Indian consumers' fashion clothing involvement. Age, self-identity and marital status moderate normative influence and affect fashion clothing involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the rise of consumer nationalism in China through an in-depth analysis of two recent controversial Japanese ad campaigns. I situate the analysis in the sociopolitical and cultural contexts of contemporary China. I argue that Japanese producers shoulder a particular burden of history as expressed in consumer nationalism, which is a combination of the production and reproduction of Japanese imperial history, the construction of Chinese identity, the expression of dissatisfaction toward the Chinese government and consumerist ethos in the context of globalization. The Internet has become a crucial space that organizes Chinese consumer nationalism and enables consumers to feel a sense of empowerment when they express complaints with the controversial ads. Consumer nationalism in China can also be understood as what Benedict Anderson (1991) calls an “imagined community” that attempts to unite the Chinese in a problematic way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time and temporality have received little attention in the consumerism, marketing or, until recently, higher education literature. This paper attempts to compare the notions of timing implicit in education as paideia (transitional personal growth) with that implicit in consumerism and the marketing practices which foster it. This investigation uses Heidegger's three notions of being and their corresponding concepts of time to understand the phenomena of education and consumerism. It suggests that the consumerist notion of time can changes what higher education might be through how individuals understand their being. In my conceptual discussion I challenge higher education to resist its being temporalized by consumerism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the need for integration and cooperation for ensuring sustainable food system in Great Britain. It discusses the importance of food waste reduction and the cooperation between government and food industries to lessen food and packaging waste as well as reducing the food waste imparted by consumers. It also presents the rising costs of food, the statistics of food waste problem, the environment impact of food waste, and the new food policy of the government.

Ethical consumerism and family consumer decision-making, including the influence of children in this area, are spheres of consumer behaviour in which a substantial amount of academic research has already been undertaken. However, the crossover of these two areas is as yet under-researched, as well as the level of pester power parents are subjected to from children aged 3 and under. This paper uses qualitative methods to investigate the issues surrounding the ethical consumer decision-making process with families who have children aged 3 years old or under. This research found that the motivation to pursue an ethical lifestyle varied across the sample, but the emergence of an ‘inheritance factor’, where parents are awakened to ethical issues because of the birth of their child, was prominent. Other issues that transpired from this research include the prominence of ethical trade-offs in consumer decision-making, ethical choices as normalizing behaviour and finally the presence of pester power in the ethical context. Ethical consumerism strongly emerged as an integral part of the parent's identity construction, especially for the mothers as they struggled to adapt to their new roles. Further research delving into the role ethical choices have on identity construction and the parental response to pester power would be a valuable addition to the overall context of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the relationship between psychoanalytic approaches to understanding the human condition and the development of capitalism. The relationship between the German understanding of capitalism and psychology, which was developed by Max Weber and Sigmund Freud among others, is framed in terms of the development of a sociological interpretation of capitalism in a consumer society. The social reorientation of capitalist families during the rise of consumer society in early 20th century Europe is framed in terms of the development of a new relationship with work and social life. The importance of personal relations within the family to the development of consumer society is explored.

The article discusses the manner in which husband and wife couples make choices to buy products, examining how couples resolve conflict in making major decisions. Issues involved with decisions made by couples, the authors indicate, include a spousal sense of fairness, a consideration of a spouse's perception of the issues, and traits of empowerment and empathy. Topics include marketers who comprehend the family as a unit of consumption and husbands and wives making joint purchase decisions. The fair use of pooled household resources between a couple is also discussed.

Will China's authoritarian leaders succeed in building a future by erasing the past? Can the ideology of “nationalist consumerism” obliterate memory altogether? Will the Olympic applause drown out the weak and exiled witnesses of the Tiananmen crackdown? In this section we listen to a key Tiananmen student leader two decades on as well as check in with today's young elites in Beijing. A political leader from the reformist regime in 1989 calls for justice from house arrest and a young Chinese novelist wonders what kind of identity is possible without memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the examination on the influence of company rules regarding proposal assessment, the investigation on firm performance between corporate governance and association using comprehensive datasets, and the inquiry on the impact of announcements regarding the consumer sentiments index.