Construction of consumer choice in the market: challenges for environmental policy

Drawing from the literature on the analytics of government, the paper discusses marketing as a form of government, elaborating and illustrating the many ways in which consumer choice is shaped, modified and directed in the market through practices and techniques of consumer marketing. The aim is to critically reflect upon and render problematic the individualistic ideas of the green consumer as a powerful market force and to provoke discussion on the conceptualization – and construction – of consumer subjectivity and social problems in marketing. Taking examples particularly from the fashion and clothing industry, the paper discusses the ways in which marketing activities come to shape consumer conduct by operating through the choice of individuals who freely pursue their needs and desires, and by working on the environment within which this freedom of choice is exercised. The paper contributes to the literature on green consumerism by systematically interrogating and elaborating on the modes and practices of marketing thought and expertise through which consumers and consumption are rendered intelligible and actionable in the market.     

旅游产业融合:动因、机理与效应

通过回顾旅游产业融合的相关文献,本文重新思考了旅游产业融合的根本动因,具体分析了旅游产业融合形成的机理与效应,认为旅游产业融合的根本动因在于消费需求升级,而模块化对传统垂直一体化产业链条的分解与横向整合是实现旅游产业融合的关键,旅游产业融合最终形成了具有新产业属性和新业态的复杂性产业网络,同时还引起旅游产业边界的扩大、无边界企业的形成、垄断范式的确立和企业生存法则的改变。     

Comparative analysis of Canadian,American and Swedish bankruptcy policy: why do governments legislate consumer debt?

Comparative research in consumer bankruptcy law is scarce. After profiling bankruptcy statistics in each country, the paper compares bankruptcy laws in Canada, United States and Sweden across 20 criteria and then analyses the predominate ideology underlying each law: deviant behaviour modification, consumer protection or social safety net. There is obvious tension between ideologies in each country with the punitive, deviant behaviour modification paradigm the most pervasive across all three countries. There is much we can learn from a comparative policy analysis approach, leading to the conscious development of bankruptcy policy from discernible, declared ideologies. Seven areas for future research are proposed.     

The role of consumers in product‐oriented environmental policy: can the consumer be the driving force for environmental improvements?

In environmental policy, it is increasingly accepted that more emphasis should be placed on consumption and its implications from the point of view of the environment. Another relatively new feature is the focus on products. At the policy level, this perspective is known as product‐oriented environmental policy or, in brief, product policy. This approach is closely related to the idea of product chain thinking, which means recognizing the fact that environmentally relevant decisions are made at all stages during the products’ life cycle, from raw material extraction to consumption and beyond. Based on a Finnish study on product chain actors and environmental improvements, this article discusses the role of consumers in product policy (i) with respect to theories on consumer mecision‐making and (ii) in the light of product chain thinking. As consumers’ decision‐making models with respect to consumer products are most often based on heuristics simplifying the decision process, incorporating environmental considerations into these models is a challenging task for environmental policy.     

E‐commerce: consumer protection issues and implications for research and education

The impact of e‐commerce on consumers, public policy, business and education is examined. It behoves academics and students alike to keep abreast of new developments in this field and to contribute to the public debate on the widespread effects of e‐commerce. A discussion of public policy initiatives, research questions and ideas for future research are given.     

Globalization and sustainable consumption of shrimp: consumers and governance in the global space of flows

The ongoing process of globalization in food provision is transforming the relationships between producers and consumers as well as the conventional role of governments in regulating the environment. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental and social impacts of food production in developing countries and many are willing to take action. Conceptualizing globalization as the coming about of the network society offers an adequate basis for analysing transitions in food governance including new ways of consumer involvement. The case of shrimp produced through aquaculture in Thailand and consumed worldwide shows how innovative food governance arrangements appear in the context of global modernity. Authority and power in such arrangements are shifting away from national governments and towards producers, processors, traders and consumers along the supply chain.     

The development of consumer protection in Saudi Arabia

The development of consumer protection in Saudi Arabia is of interest for a number of reasons. First, Saudi Arabia presents a unique combination of size, stage of development of the economy and wealth, coupled with strictness of Islamic observance. Second, consumer protection in the Saudi context has received very little attention from researchers. Despite the richness of Islamic teachings on the conduct of business and trade, very little has been written on consumer protection in Islamic societies other than discussions of financial markets and consumer credit and monopoly. This article briefly explores the background to the emergence of consumer protection in Saudi Arabia. Consumer credit and financial markets are excluded from the discussion. Islamic (Shari’ah) law is analysed as a basis for the regulation of consumer affairs; this system of law is then compared in its major outcomes for consumers with legal systems in advanced Western economies. The development of secular commercial law during recent times in Saudi Arabia is also considered as a parallel development to those in Shari’ah. Both strands of development are then set in the context of Saudi Arabia's 5‐year development plans and the changing position of consumer policy issues is tracked through successive plans. The institutional location of consumer policy within the Saudi government system is discussed before finally considering the changing nature of the Saudi consumer and the possible future for consumer protection in the country.     

Consumer education and empowerment in Europe: recent developments in policy and practice

This article develops the findings of an evaluation of European Commission consumer education, information and capacity building actions conducted in 2011, with an examination of action taken by 2016 to address the recommendations. Based on empirical research of documents, in‐depth interviews, focus groups and semi‐structured surveys of Directorate General for Health and Consumers and Directorate General for Education and Culture policy networks, it discusses the journey taken to improve consumer education and empowerment throughout Europe. Implementation of the recommendations aims to transform consumer education and empowerment in Europe, with integrated and updated resources for the maximum number of teachers across the European Union, where teachers can focus the resources on consumer education activities relevant for their learners. A key focus of the new developments is to deliver higher European Union (pan‐European) added‐value, better coordination and synergies with national activities.     

On consumer trust and product loyalty

Using a multidimensional conceptualization and drawing on previous theoretical frameworks, this study identifies the dynamic relationships between consumer trust and product loyalty, and explores the mechanism, by which these constructs are formed. It further examines the nature and direction of the chain of effects related to the formation of consumer trust and loyalty and their links, all in the context of the core relationship between consumers and firms from the production to consumption, and back to production again. This analysis implies that blind consumer loyalty to a product may lead to the elevation of producer's power and give a blank card for setting prices, adjusting quality and altering services, and ultimately reversing consumer sovereignty. The analysis also implies that consumer satisfaction domain spans much more over and beyond the consumption of a product and the consumer–firm relationship extends way beyond having the product and paying for it.     

‘Better safe than sorry’: consumer perceptions of and deliberations on nanotechnologies

Although nanotechnologies are considered key technologies that can drive growth‐generating innovations in well‐saturated markets, worldwide investment in nanotechnologies has to date focused largely on technology‐related development programmes and little effort has been expended to research associated risks. As a result, even though prior discourses have sensitized western consumers to potential health‐related dangers, solid knowledge on, for example, the toxicological and eco‐toxicological risks and unintended side effects of nanotechnology are scarce. This paper therefore presents an overview of the current evidence on consumer knowledge and perceptions of nanotechnology and public engagement with it, with a focus on the US, the UK and Germany. Overall, even though survey data suggest that awareness of the term ‘nanotechnology’ has risen slightly, today's consumers are generally ill informed about its nature and its applications in consumer‐related products. Hence, based on our analysis of these data, we argue that early political engagement in the nanotechnology issue – for example, consumer policy options that support consumer interest in the marketing of ‘nanos’– would facilitate objective public discourse.     

Bringing product and consumer ecosystems to the strategic forefront

The widespread adoption of technology and electronic media has dramatically altered the set of products consumers compare before making a purchase decision. Online platforms have succeeded at drawing linkages among products by highlighting those that are preferred, evaluated, or purchased together. However, despite the increase in both product and customer inter-connectedness across markets, managers continue to make decisions based largely on the dynamics of competition within narrow product categories. In this article, we raise the call for a migration from a category-focused mindset to an ecosystem-focused strategic mindset that acknowledges and accounts for the network of related or unrelated entities that a specific product resides within. We illustrate the importance of this shift using examples of preference, choice, and customer networks from popular online platforms. We then discuss the impact of the shift in strategic mindset toward ecosystems on competitive structure analysis, market research, brand footprint analysis, intra-band ecosystems, promotion planning, new product development, customer valuation, strategic alliances, and market segmentation.     

Consumer empowerment: public policy and insurance regulation

This paper explores consumer advocacy as it applies to insurance regulation based on the literature and on the author's experience as a consumer representative and member of the Board of Trustees for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The NAIC, founded in 1871, is a non‐profit voluntary organization of the chief insurance regulatory officials of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. One of its key objectives is to facilitate the fair and equitable treatment of consumers. Each year 13–16 consumer representatives are selected to speak for consumers at national meetings in addition to serving as year‐round resources to consumers, attorneys representing consumers, regulators, and other groups. Readers of the paper are encouraged to participate more fully in the public policy process. Although the focus of this paper is on insurance and regulation in the USA, the guiding principles apply to other nations, organizations, and consumer causes.     

Consumer education in the UK: new developments in policy,strategy and implementation

Consumer education is an integral part of the European Community's consumer policy. It plays a key role in consumer empowerment, helping consumers gain the skills, attitudes and knowledge they need to be able to gear the choices they make as consumers to their economic interests and to protect their health and safety. In its policy statement, the Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection states that the European Community is aware that joint measures at national and Community levels should be more structured, in order to achieve maximum effectiveness. This paper aims to set out the current policy and strategic context for consumer education and empowerment in the UK; review the role of UK government bodies and other agencies concerned with developments; review recent literature; present the results of interviews with an extensive range of key stakeholders and the results of a survey of service heads for trading standards throughout the UK. It will consider implementation, partnership, resources, ideas and opportunities. The research found that the agenda for consumer education in the UK is at an interesting stage of development. The Enterprise Act 2002 gives the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) a statutory power to carry out educational activities. Consumer education is also moving up the agenda in the trading standards service. In addition, the teaching of citizenship in English schools is already stimulating new developments in consumer education. The paper will consider the need for organizations like these to work together to build on these policy developments and ensure that consumer education gains the profile it needs to influence consumer attitudes and behaviour.     

Ethnography for marketers: A guide to consumer immersion

Fuat F?rat has for a long time maintained a radical, outside and critical voice within marketing and consumption theory. He was one of the editors of the landmark book Radical and Philosophical Theory in Marketing, published in 1987, which sought to develop alternative modes of theorizing and conceptualizing both marketing practice and the consuming subject. The continuation of that wider project eventually lead to the foundation of Consumption Markets &; Culture, the journal for which Fuat served as Editor-in-Chief for its initial 10 years of existence. Fuat also co-authored the book Consuming People (1998) in collaboration with Nikhilesh Dholakia. By that stage, in particular following his seminal article on the re-enchantment of consumption, written with Alladi Venkatesh, Fuat had helped to pioneer the study of postmodernism within consumer culture. In this interview, Fuat F?rat discusses his research projects including consumption patterns, postmodernity, theatre, new literacy and also presents more general observations.     

Conceptualizing and measuring consumer social responsibility: a neglected aspect of consumer research

Despite the availability of extensive research on a wide range of consumer‐related areas, some socially sensitive consumer issues have still remained relatively unexplored. Since literature review revealed a gap in the conceptualization of consumer social responsibilities, this article conceptualized, developed and validated a measurement scale for consumer social responsibility (CnSR), using a rigorous methodology suggested in the scale development literature. The study responded to the scholarly calls for further research in this area. Using a total sample of 491 respondents (53 respondents for pilot, 207 for exploratory survey and 231 for confirmatory survey), the study proposed a six‐dimensional measurement scale for CnSR, including: (1) social impacts, (2) solidarity, (3) critical appraisal, (4) supporting business growth, (5) environmental impacts and (6) action. It is argued that with ever growing impacts of corporate social responsibility on business practices, the validated measurement scale will contribute to the advancement of research in this nascent consumer area.     

The concept of consumer vulnerability: Scale development and validation

Although studies of nonrational consumer behaviour in the fields of psychology and marketing are widespread, few scholars have discussed this issue from the integrated perspective of individual characteristics and consumer welfare. Extant research has introduced the concept of consumer vulnerability to deepen the study of nonrational behaviour. The present research defines consumer vulnerability as an individual characteristic, that is, a tendency to be influenced by an external stimulation or temptation that leads to decisions harmful to the person's own welfare. To operationalize this concept, this study develops a consumer vulnerability scale. Results from exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis reveal the following seven dimensions of consumer vulnerability: product knowledge, product promotion, marketing and emotional stress, social pressure, purchasing power, refunds policy and discrimination ability. After verifying the scale's reliability and validity, this study confirms that it can be applied to measure the degree to which consumer welfare has been harmed and predict nonrational decision‐making behaviour. Limitations and future research directions also are discussed.     

Critical consumer issues in St. Lucia: an examination of consumer challenges and related learning among rural adults according to income levels

Consumer education is a relatively new and growing interest in St. Lucia. Neither the government nor the National Consumer Association has established a consumer education programme to address the growing consumer concerns in the country. The purpose of this study was to examine critical consumer issues, related learning challenges and strategies among rural adults in St. Lucia according to income levels. Rural adult consumers are most disadvantaged in terms of levels of education, income and access to resources, which may help to prevent and mediate consumer concerns. The specific research questions examined were: (1) What is the nature of problems experienced by rural St. Lucian adult consumers in the marketplace? (2) How do rural St. Lucian adult consumers solve the challenges they encounter in the marketplace? (3) What is it like for rural St. Lucian adult consumers as they go about trying to learn to solve the consumer issues they face? and (4) What do rural St. Lucian adult consumers perceive to be the requisites for effective decision making in the marketplace? Data were collected using a questionnaire comprising of 29 questions divided into four sections (problems, strategies, solving consumer problems and making effective decisions) and two biographical questions. A total of 500 rural adult consumers were surveyed verbally through door‐to‐door contact. The findings of this study revealed that middle‐income rural adult consumers experience more problems in the marketplace than those with each lower or higher level of income. Middle‐income rural adult St. Lucian consumers in particular seek more information and are comfortable with using more strategies than the lower‐ and higher‐income rural adult consumers. This research gives us a better understanding of the problems faced by rural adult consumers based on their income. Research results will be useful to the government of St. Lucia and the National Consumer Association when they decide to establish an adult consumer education programme for St. Lucia.     

Complexity economics,wicked problems and consumer education

Complexity economics is a promising theory for consumer education that aspires to be focused on global justice and sustainability in a profoundly complex consumer marketplace. This paper first discusses the basic tenets of complexity theory, the foundations of complexity economics, followed by an overview of normal vs. post‐normal science, including tame and wicked problems. The third part of the paper positions consumer education within normal science, explicating the assumptions of conventional neoliberal economic theory. The final part discusses the assumptions of complexity economics and how it challenges traditional economic theory. A case is made for augmenting 21st century consumer education with complexity economics, anticipating a companion paper with pedagogical details.     

Socialization into consumer culture: hunters learning to be men

This ethnography examines the primary socialization of masculinity within the hunting subculture. Young men are mentored by family and friends through the use of shared stories, rituals, and core values for up to two decades. Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory is used to explain this maturation process. The authors explore this consumer socialization process as youths move across the stages of pre-hunter, neophyte, and apprentice, until they finally become competent hunters. While this youthful practice of masculinity tends to rely on traditional notions of masculinity, during this competency stage, the men negotiate diverse constructions of masculinity within consumer culture.     

Consumer credit and monetary policy in Malaysia

What is the impact of monetary policy on the Malaysian consumer? The study addresses this issue by empirically investigating the consequences of interest rate shocks on consumer credit in Malaysia. The study relies on the impulse response functions and the variance decomposition analysis based on the structural Vector Auto‐regression methodology. Apart from analysing the responses of aggregate consumer loans (ACL) to interest rate changes, further disaggregation is made in efforts to arrive at more detailed findings. In particular, the ACL data are categorized into loans for purchase of residential property, loans for personal uses, loans for credit cards, loans for purchase of consumer durables, loans for purchase of passenger cars and loans for purchase of securities. Through this disaggregation, the study shows the relative sensitivity of the various types of consumer loans to interest rate shocks.