Taboo on TV: gender,religion, and sexual taboos in transnationally marketed Turkish soap operas

ABSTRACT

This study illuminates the ways in which men and women consume soap operas as a means of reflecting on and discussing sociocultural taboos. Through interpretive research we examine the ways in which religion, sexuality and gender relations are depicted in popular Turkish soap operas and how these depictions are consumed in the Balkans and the Middle East. This study challenges the assumption that consumption of taboo discourses leads to active identity modification or public defiance. Instead, in-depth interviews and online ethnography reveal that consumption of soap operas that challenge local religious and gender norms provide a liminal space for discussing taboo topics. Firstly, the findings indicate that talking about taboo topics seen in soap operas enables consumers to speak about what they expect gender and religious norms to be. Secondly, consumers get their mediated understandings of what religion is through soap operas. Thus, rather than simply offering escape, soap opera consumption facilitates the discussion of taboo topics.     

Hidden persuasions in soap operas: damaged heroines and negative consumer effects

Sex and death, subjects traditionally considered taboo, are now presented in advertisements. Focusing on the French cultural context, this paper analyses whether these topics are still considered taboo in our society. We use the concept of taboo as studied in ethnology and psychoanalysis, which makes the reticence of consumers easier to understand and aids the study of taboos in relation to cultural context. We analyse the use of taboos in advertising, reviewing the literature on the impact of the use of death and sex in advertising, and relating it to ethical issues and cultural aspects. We then present a survey analysing whether French consumers find it acceptable to present taboos in advertising and identifying which individual characteristics affect attitudes towards taboos in advertising. Women and seniors are particularly hostile to sex and death in advertising, while young people find these themes more acceptable. The general attitude towards advertising also appears to have a strong impact on attitudes. We draw managerial implications from these results.     

The Impact of Psychological Distance and Construal Level on Consumers' Responses to Taboos in Advertising

To date, the use of taboos in advertising has produced mixed results. Such discrepancies require explanation. Relying on construal-level theory and the concept of psychological distance, this research focuses on taboo ads' effects on consumers' responses. The findings from three studies show that for different product categories (Study 1: perfume; Studies 2 and 3: alcohol) and across different taboo types (sex, violence, and a mixture of sex and violence), different distance dimensions (Study 1: spatial; Study 2: social), and different construal-level manipulations (low, high), an increase in the psychological distance (or construal) level attenuates consumers' unfavorable attitudinal and behavioral reactions while a decrease in the psychological distance (or construal) level intensifies consumers' responses. Furthermore, response intensity varies depending on the taboo type used, such that both violent and mixed taboo types produce more negative responses. Finally, gender has an impact, such that women react more negatively than men to different taboos, both across distance dimensions and across distance (construal) levels. A discussion of these findings and their implications, as well as suggestions for future research, concludes the article.     

Taboo in consumption: Social structure,gender and sustainable menstrual products

Although consumption taboos are prevalent in everyday life, consumer research interest in the topic remains scant and focuses mostly on taboo products. This research moves by focusing on taboo persons and explores how barriers are presented in consumption choices for such individuals. A qualitative research design was used in the study and in‐depth interviews were conducted with 31 women from middle and upper income classes who showed an inclination to purchase sustainable menstrual products (SMPs). This study analyses how the intimate and private consumption of SMPs gets transformed into a complex socially embedded consumption choice. The study explores how and why a social structure steeped in symbolic violence towards menstruating women constrains the consumption of SMPs. Disillusioned by patriarchal subordination, the women preferred to respect boundaries and maintain stability in their life. Despite their socialization and engagement in several sustainable consumption decisions prior to the consideration of SMPs, these women exhibited a lack of agency as they could not transgress orthodox gender boundaries even as their choice reinforced prevailing social inequalities. They sought to conform to the gendered habitus instead of engaging in an act of defiance. This act of self‐restraint, however, results in tensions as the women try to legitimize a consumption choice which is inconsistent with their attitude towards sustainable consumption. The study discusses the consequences of the new restrictions faced by the women as they reframe concerns about the environment and justify their choice.     

Taboos in Corporate Social Responsibility Discourse

Corporations today have been engineered by CEOs and other business advocates to look increasingly green and responsible. However, alarming cases such as Enron, Parmalat and Worldcom bear witness that a belief in corporate goodness is still nothing other than naïve. Although many scholars seemingly recognize this, they still avoid touching on the most sensitive and problematic issues, the taboos. As a consequence, discussion of important though problematic topics is often stifled. The article identifies three ‘grand’ taboos of CSR discourse and explicitly raises them for discussion. They are the taboos of amoral business, continuous economic growth, and the political nature of CSR. It is suggested that CSR can only be as advanced as its taboos. The critical potential of the field remains underdeveloped as a consequence of the taboos, and in many cases the CSR discourse merely produces alluring but empty rhetoric about sustainability and responsible business.     

Trade and Market Liberalisation in Eastern Europe

SUMMARY

The question of why multinational companies (MNCs) choose to locate in one region rather than another has been an important topic in IB research for many years, but has recently received even more attention. This paper presents the results of an econometric investigation of the locational determinants of Italian firms in Central and Eastern Europe. Italian firms have been very active investors in the CEE countries. Our results broadly confirm the findings of previous studies, but we also find that both trade liberalisation and market liberalisation are important influences upon the location decision. If the CEE governments wish to attract further (Italian) foreign investment, then further liberalisation of their domestic economies should be a policy priority.     

Physically freeing: breaking taboos through online displays of the sexual self

ABSTRACT

This research specifically looks at the societal taboo of presenting an overtly sexualised self in a public forum. Specifically, we investigate the way in which technology is being used to mediate sexual experiences between individuals and larger online communities. The research takes an exploratory look at why some users engage in Technology-Mediated Sexual Encounters (TMSEs) and the impact that these online sexual encounters can have on one’s sense of self, perceptions of freedom and expression. Beyond fantasy seeking, novel experiences, and instancy of TMSEs, the importance of perceptions of power and dominance during a TMSE are discussed, as well as the emancipatory feelings associated with being free to break taboo. The impact of engaging in TMSEs and their use in understanding sexuality and expectations of physical sexual experiences is also discussed. The implications from this research include a better understanding of how technology is being used to express one’s self online in taboo contexts.     

The influence of model age on children's reactions to advertising stimuli

Two studies are reported that explore the role of age of model as a nonverbal cue in advertising directed to children. Conventional advertising wisdom holds “older is better” when casting for commercials directed to children. The purpose of the current work is to focus on the merits of this wisdom. Three different age ranges of models were paired with either toys (Study 1) or foods (Study 2). Preschoolers' attitudinal (affective, evaluative, and behavioral intent) responses to the products were measured. Study 1 (n = 36) with toys suggested support for the conventional wisdom. Study 2 (n = 36) was a replication of procedures from the first study with substitution of food items for toys. Study 2 resulted in no statistical differences at the traditional .05 level, but a trend appeared on behalf of the older- and younger-age models outperforming the same-age ones. The second study's results suggested that the nature of the product may moderate the effects of the adage, “older is better.”     

国际商务谈判中的禁忌

在国际商务谈判中,商务人员要了解不同国家地区的习俗和禁忌,主要包括日常交往的禁忌、数字的禁忌、颜色的忌讳、花卉的忌讳和动物图案的忌讳,为商务活动的顺利进行做好铺垫。这是商务谈判活动中,商务谈判人员必须具备的基本素质。     

The risk of sensorineural hearing loss from noisy toys and recreational activities in children and teenagers

Abstract

The present paper is a review of toys, playthings, games and recreational activities of children and teenagers implying dangerous sound levels and risk of hearing loss. One way of estimating the risk is by sound level measurements, another is by hearing tests, preferably related to noisy activities. One problem with this issue is the unknown sensitivity of children's hearing for loud sounds. This fact and the aggressive behavior of many children when using toys indicates the importance of information on these matters and a generally cautious and conservative attitude, particularly towards toys emitting impulsive sound, e.g. toy guns and firecrackers.     

Product-Market Competition in the Water Industry: Voluntary Non-discriminatory Pricing

Since franchise bidding in the piped water industry is problematic due to extensive investment requirements, product-market competition or common carriage is a valuable alternative for the introduction of competition. This paper analyses product-market competition by considering a simple model of interconnection where competition is introduced between vertically integrated neighbouring water suppliers. The model contains water markets specificities such as local and decentralised networks and related difficulties of regulating access charges. Even without any regulation, we show that: (i) an inefficient incumbent will give up its monopoly position and lower the access price far enough so that the low-cost competitor can enter his home market; (ii) efficiency of production will rise due to liberalisation; and (iii) in contrary to prejudicial claims, investment incentives are not destroyed by the introduction of competition for the market. Investments of low-cost firms may even increase.JEL classification: L95, L43, D21, Q25     

Howard,John A. and J. Hulbent. Advertising and the Public Interest. Chicago: Crain,Inc., 1973

Abstract

This study presents a content analysis of sexual portrayals in magazine advertisements during 1964 and 1984. The results show that the percentage of ads with sexual content did not increase over the twenty-year period, but that the types of sexual portrayals did; sexual illustrations became more overt; and there was a greater reliance on visual than verbal sex in 1984 than 1964. The study also found that female models are more likely to be portrayed as sexually clad, partially clad or nude than were male models.     

Assessing the Benefits to Developing Countries of Liberalisation in Services Trade

This paper discusses the potential impacts of services trade liberalisation on developing countries and reviews existing quantitative studies. Its purpose is to distill themes from current literature rather than to advocate specific policy changes. The picture emerging is one of valiant attempts to quantify in the presence of formidable analytical and data problems yielding only a clouded image of likely impacts on trade, consumption, production and welfare emerging to the point that the policy implications of results are not always clear. A central intuition would seem to be that with genuine two‐sided (OECD/non‐OECD) liberalisation in services that are seemingly considerably labour‐intensive in delivery, the potential should be there for significant developing country gains from global liberalisation allowing full cross‐border delivery. However, this picture is neither fully endorsed by available studies, neither is it explicitly contradicted. This seems to be the case for a number of reasons. One difficulty with the studies is that the conceptual underpinnings of what determines trade in services and how this trade differs analytically from that of trade in goods (if at all) is an issue prior to assessments of impacts of liberalisation of trade in services on developing countries being discussed. Key issues here are the treatment of mobility for service providers (both firms and workers), and the differing analytical structures needed to analyse individual service items (banking, insurance, telecoms, etc.). Some recent analytical work suggests that liber‐alisation in some service items, such as banking, need not always yield gains, and this contrasts with quantitative studies where analytical structures mirror conventional trade in goods treatments. The discussion and measurement of barriers to service trade in both developed and developing countries is also problematic. One is talking of domestic regulation, entry barriers, portability of providers, competition policy regimes more so than only barriers at national borders, as with tariffs. Both representing and quantifying such barriers raise major difficulties, and these are also spelled out in the paper. Which barriers actually restrict trade, and which do not because they are redundant is one issue, for instance. It is also often misleading to represent barriers in simple ad valorem equivalent form. As a result, numerical modelling work on the effects of service trade barriers which is based on ad valorem equivalent modelling is often not fully convincing. In addition, individual country results vary considerably across studies in ways that it is frequently hard for outsiders to understand. Studies do, however, point towards a tentative conclusion that effects are small and positive for developed and most developing countries if FDI flow changes accompanying service trade liberalisation are excluded from the analysis, but much larger and more variable across countries if they are present. This could be taken to suggest that mode 3 GATS liberalisation (roughly captured in some studies) might be important for developing countries; but mode 4 GATS liberalisation could be even more important given large barriers to labour flows across countries. Thus, if service trade liberalisation is thought of primarily as a surrogate for improved functioning of global factor markets in which more capital flows to developing countries and more labour flows from them to developed countries, then developing countries could benefit in a major way from genuine two‐sided (OECD/non‐OECD) liberalisation. Developing countries fear, however, that in global negotiations on services liberalisation where there is an asymmetry of power that largely one‐sided liberalisation may be the outcome, and their gains will be correspondingly limited. The paper concludes by evaluating econometric studies on linkage between services liberalisation and country growth rules, and briefly discusses some key sectoral issues in health services and transportation.     

Investment in Transition Economies

Summary

All centrally planned economies suffered from overinvestment. Due to low capital productivity, reasonable growth rates in output could be maintained only with high investment/GDP ratios. Nevertheless, the sharp reduction in investment during transformational recession and its slow growth during subsequent recovery are viewed as negative phenomena, since transition economies offer numerous opportunities to increase output with relatively small targeted investment.

This paper seeks to develop and test two major hypotheses. The first one explains the behavior of aggregate investment during transition: we find that changes in external financing (current account balance), in the government budget deficit and in the institutional capacity of the state (as measured by the share of government revenues in GDP) explain up to 75% of the variations in investment/GDP ratios during transition, while the progress in reforms (cumulative liberalisation index) and in privatisation (share of the private sector in GDP) do not matter a great deal. With respect to sources of investment financing, there is some evidence that better investment performance is supported by budgetary funds, by credits to the private sector and by the strength of the stock market, whereas foreign aid is a substitute rather than a complement (i.e., it is negatively related to investment) and the inflow of foreign direct investment is not important.

The second hypothesis deals with the impact of investment on economic performance as measured by changes in GDP during transition: we find that differences in performance arc, in great part, associated not with investment patterns, but with varying marginal capital productivity. The latter in turn is determined mainly by differing magnitudes of restructuring required in various countries, i.e., by the distortions in industrial structure and trade patterns inherited from central planning, and by the institutional capacity of the state (as measured by the share of shadow economy and government revenues in GDP). The degree of liberalisation in this case appears to be a relatively important determinant of capital productivity, while the rates of inflation are not.     

Europeanisation under authoritarian rule: Greek business and the hoped-for transition to electoral politics, 1967–1974

ABSTRACT

The article addresses the domestic impact of the freezing of the Greek association with the European Economic Community (EEC) on business–government relations during the colonels’ dictatorship in Greece (1967–1974). Focusing on the Federation of Greek Industries (SEV), the author argues that in the face of the Europeanisation of Greek industry, Greek business embarked upon a strategy prioritising liberalisation as a means towards rapprochement with the EEC. But this strategy was not part of a pro-democracy agenda. On the contrary, seeking a viable political regime and future accession to the EEC, SEV supported an abortive authoritarian transition to electoral politics in 1973.     

Do demographics have an impact on country of origin effects?

The article discusses the potential impact of consumers' age, socio‐economic group, and sex on the magnitude of country of origin effects for lager and sparkling wine and presents the results of an empirical study into the subject. It is found that older consumers show stronger country of origin effects, which may be due to a generally stronger reliance of older people on broader mental categories, in order to compensate for a decrease in working memory. Socio‐economic groups AB are found to show stronger country of origin effects for sparkling wine, whereas socio‐economic groups C1C2 show stronger country of origin effects for lager. This may be related to relative differences in consumption patterns and expertise for the studied products between the two groups. Sex is not found to have any impact on the magnitude of country of origin effects in this study.     

社会潜意识及其在广告中的应用

社会潜意识由社会不允许其成员所具有的那些思想和情感所组成,它主要是指普遍的精神在社会中受压抑的那一部分。本文以精神分析为视角,从语言、逻辑和社会禁忌这三种社会潜意识的形成要素入手,探讨了社会潜意识的心理机制及其在广告中的应用,最后提出将社会潜意识运用于广告中所需注意的两个问题：小心社会文化不同而产生的文化禁忌;避免挖掘出庸俗、消极的潜意识领域。     

Trade liberalisation and human capital adjustment

This paper highlights the way in which workers of different ages and abilities are affected by anticipated and unanticipated trade liberalisations. A two-factor (skilled and unskilled labour), two-sector Heckscher-Ohlin trade model is supplemented with an education sector which uses skilled labour and time to convert unskilled workers into skilled workers. A skilled worker's income depends on her ability, but all unskilled workers have the same income. Trade liberalisation in a relatively skilled labour abundant country increases the relative skilled wage and induces skill upgrading by the existing workforce, with younger and more able unskilled workers most likely to upgrade. But not all upgraders are better off as a result of the liberalisation. The older and less able upgraders are likely to lose. For an anticipated liberalisation we show that the preferred upgrading strategies depend on a worker's ability and that much of the upgrading will take place before the liberalisation. Hence some workers who would have upgraded had they anticipated the liberalisation will not if it is unanticipated, and adjustment assistance that applies only to post-liberalisation upgraders will fail to compensate some losers and distort the upgrading decisions of others.