The ethical and policy implications of profiling ‘vulnerable’ customers

In the shadow of the global financial crisis, the issue of the marketing of credit has become an increasing concern in the past 12 months. Outstanding personal debt in the UK currently stands at £1479 billion and is rising by £1 million every 10.6 min. In Australia, there is currently $44.6 billion worth of outstanding credit card debt, and in the US, $2596 billion was owed on credit cards in 2008. At present, the banking sector utilizes sophisticated research methods to profile consumers, including those who might be considered financially vulnerable. However, the policy frameworks in most industrialized countries do not account for this form of target marketing when considering how to protect vulnerable groups. This paper is an initial attempt to examine the different methods by which profiling is conducted and the policy implications of this sophisticated form of segmentation and targeting. We argue that current consumer policies are inadequate in protecting vulnerable consumers from these marketing techniques, and recent recommendations from the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States, and the Australian Law Reform Commission to allow banks and lenders to ‘pre‐screen’ potential customers will exacerbate personal debt levels, rather than reducing them.     

‘Home comes first’: housing and homemaking in Finnish civic educational films during 1945–1969

This article focuses on how the ideals of housing and homemaking were presented in post‐war civic educational films in Finland. The films chosen for the article pertain to housing on a wide scope. The analysis shows that the ideals of good homes appeared to be remarkably consistent in the Finnish educational short films. The most important objective was to guide citizens towards careful household management and saving. Through rationalizing home economics, consumers were able to buy their own home. The ideal housewife had a positive attitude towards technology and rational household management. While the short films instructed people towards temperate and sensible consumption, they also created space for ordinary people to envision new opportunities for consumption.     

Individualism and the ‘new tourism’: a perspective on emulation,personal control and choice

Changes can be identified in patterns of Western tourism over recent decades. The changes are linked with the theorized cultural shift from modern to postmodern. The discourse of change points to a shift in emphasis from the designated resort environment to a proliferation of individuated experiences. Analysts are apt to link these changes to a growth in individualism and individualistic expression. This study argues that the new tourists' real needs are to discover a new form of the collective. The argument is constructed drawing on the work of Veblen and Bourdieu. The final diagnosis draws on the work of Foucault.