Hispanic agencies and profits of distinction: an examination of the advertising industry as a field of cultural production

This project examines the advertising industry as a self-governing space that is guided by its own internal logics, but is nonetheless influenced by social dynamics at play in the larger social space. Using Bourdieu's theory of practice as a theoretical and analytical framework, this study explores the relationship between cultural capital and economic capital. Specifically, I examine the degree to which Hispanic practitioners have leveraged their knowledge of Latina(o) culture and their proficiency in Spanish as profits of distinction within the marketplace. Qualitative interviews conducted with Hispanic ad agents, general market ad agents and clients reveal that the position that Latinas(os) occupy within the social hierarchy has created both opportunities and boundaries for Hispanic agencies. This paper focuses on the practices that allow Hispanic agencies to isolate Latinas(os) from other consumers, distinguishing them institutionally and entitling them to dedicated marketing resources, but I also discuss the limitations to these practices and how such a narrow expression of the Hispanic agency's cultural capital ultimately limits their access to economic capital.     

Can health “halos” extend to food packaging? An investigation into food healthfulness perceptions and serving sizes on consumption decisions

The purpose of this research is to examine how perceived food healthfulness and package partitioning interact to impact intended and actual consumption. Across three studies, findings indicate that both intended consumption and actual consumption of the perceptually healthier food items increase when packaging is not partitioned. Further, partitioning does not change the intended or actual consumption of foods perceived as less healthy. Accordingly, perceptually healthy foods tend to be consumed more when servings are not partitioned, suggesting a positive health halo leading to a “healthy = eat more” consumption pattern. The role of affect regulation theory and, more specifically, guilt, in this process is examined. These findings have implications for marketers, food manufacturers, and public policymakers interested in reducing obesity.     

Multiple dimensions of mediation within transnational advertising production: cultural intermediaries as shapers of emerging cultural capital

The paper re-conceptualizes cultural intermediaries as shapers of “emerging cultural capital” (Prieur, A., and M. Savage. 2013. “Emerging Forms of Cultural Capital.” European Societies 15 (2): 246–267; Savage, M., F. Devine, N. Cunningham, M. Taylor, Y. Li, J. Hjellbrekke, and A. Miles. 2013. “A New Model of Social Class? Findings from the BBC’s Great British Class Survey Experiment.” Sociology 47 (2): 219–250) and re-frames their practice of signification and negotiation as informed by “multiple dimensions of mediation.” Drawing on a case study of Nike’s transnational advertising production and interviews with key actors within the context of production, the paper examines how the creative/cultural labour process cuts across global and national fields of cultural production and consumption through which popular culture and middle-brow tastes were mediated, signified and represented. In particular, a television campaign for the Japanese youth market was critically analysed to reveal how specific new tastes, lifestyles and consumption practices were legitimized as emerging forms of cultural capital. Consequently, their taste-making practices are profoundly implicated in symbolic struggles and cultural changes emerging within/from the increasingly “globalizing” field of cultural production.     

The influence of age and gender on food choice: a focus group exploration

With 25% of the UK population predicted to be obese by 2010, the costs to individuals and society are set to rise. Due to the extra economic and social pressures obesity causes, there is an increasing need to understand what motivates and prevents consumers from eating a healthy diet so as to be able to tailor policy interventions to specific groups in society. In so doing, it is important to explore potential variations in attitudes, motivation and behaviour as a function of age and gender. Both demographic factors are easily distinguished within society and a future intervention study which targets either, or both, of these would likely be both feasible and cost‐effective for policy makers. As part of a preliminary study, six focus groups (total n = 43) were conducted at the University of Reading in November 2006, with groups segmented on the basis of age and gender. In order to gather more sensitive information, participants were also asked to fill out a short anonymous questionnaire before each focus group began, relating to healthy eating, alcohol consumption and body dissatisfaction. Making use of thematic content analysis, results suggested that most participants were aware of the type of foods that contribute to a healthy diet and the importance of achieving a healthy balance within a diet. However, they believed that healthy eating messages were often conflicting, and were uncertain about where to find information on the topic. Participants believed that the family has an important role in educating children about eating habits. Despite these similarities, there were a number of key differences among the groups in terms of their reasons for making food choices. Older participants (60+ years old) were more likely to make food choices based on health considerations. Participants between the ages of 18–30 were less concerned with this link, and instead focused on issues of food preparation and knowledge, prices and time. Younger female participants said they had more energy when they ate healthier diets; however, very often their food choices related to concern with their appearance. Older female participants also expressed this concern within the questionnaire, rather than in the group discussions. Overall, these results suggest that consumer motivations for healthy eating are diverse and that this must be considered by government, retailers and food producers.     

Food and social class

Food items are very good indicators of cultural differences between classes because the relative cost of food has generally decreased, thus allowing consumers more scope to choose personal food consumption models. The first purpose of this study was to make a comparison of classes and food choice between Britain and Finland. The analysis of Finnish data was conducted in an analogous way with the earlier British study. The results were in line with the findings of the British study: the boundaries between classes have been quite firm and stable from the 1960s to the 1990s. The second purpose of the study was to investigate some developmental trends of food choice on social classes in Finland in comparison with other relevant background variables. This study revealed that in 1990 there were still clear differences between the social classes in food consumption patterns. However, the impact of the socioeconomic group has slightly decreased, when the impact of type of household and the impact of income group is controlled.     

SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF FOOD BEHAVIOUR: AN ANALYSIS OF RECENT TRENDS IN BRITAIN

The paper reviews post-war trends in food consumption in Britain based on an analysis of the annual National Food Surveys. Long-term trends are distinguished from the consequences of short-term shortages and changing welfare and subsidy policies. The data are used in particular to illustrate the interaction between social class and family size effects. In the second half of the paper emergent food trends are considered in the light of three sets of factors: economic and political, technological, and social and cultural. It is concluded that food behaviour is fundamentally a social phenomenon imbued with cultural significance and meaning, and reflecting traditional beliefs and values and dominant power differentials both within families and between different social groups.     

Marketing images of gender: A visual analysis

An interpretive method drawing from social psychology, feminist theory and art criticism is developed to analyze contemporary images of gender. Utilizing and expanding upon visual research techniques, a selection of ads from contemporary fashion magazines and catalogs was assembled to illustrate particular themes suggested by research on the representation of gender in advertising. The body‐and what it expresses‐is a site of central concern, and discussion focuses on how female and male bodies are represented in advertising. The conventions of art history, when framed within a social science perspective, offer unique contributions to the study of advertising and gender, well suited for researchers interested in the culture of consumption.     

独立董事治理、 供应链关系与股权资本成本

本文以2009～2016年我国A股制造业上市公司为研究样本,检验了供应链关系对企业股权资本成本的影响.在此基础上,利用社会网络分析方法进一步考察了独立董事通过董事网络发挥的治理作用对供应链关系与股权资本成本之间关系的影响.研究结果表明:供应链集中度越高,企业的股权资本成本越高,二者显著正相关;进一步研究发现这种关系在独立董事网络位置较差时更加显著.说明网络位置较好的独立董事可以帮助企业获得更多的社会资本,缓解外部资源依赖,发挥更有效的治理效应,从而抑制供应链集中度过高对股权资本成本带来的不利影响.研究结论丰富了供应链关系对股权资本成本的作用机理,并为企业缓解过度依赖供应链关系交易所产生的不利影响提供新的解决思路.     

Masculinising domesticity: an investigation of men’s domestic foodwork

Abstract

This study examines how men configure their gendered identity in relation to a traditionally feminised domain. Hegemonic masculinity is said to structure men’s dominance over women. We use the lens of hegemonic masculinity along with social fields of cultural production to understand new allocations of status capital in relation to gendered identity work. Sweden, a country permeated by an ideology of egalitarianism and having a history of high economic and symbolic incentives for the domestic field, has seemingly legitimised the domestic consumption field in the search for higher status. By exploring the transforming meanings of masculinity when men enter a traditionally feminine consumption domain in this particular cultural context, we identify how feminised masculinities are shaped into hegemonic masculinity. This in turn suggests that the currently most honoured way of being a man includes forms of masculinities that incorporate egalitarian relationships between men and women.     

社会资本、人力资本与内生经济增长

通过构建基于社会资本、人力资本的内生经济增长模型,研究社会资本、人力资本与经济增长之间的影响机制,并基于社会信用这种社会资本,运用面板数据对人力资本、社会资本、经济增长之间的影响机制进行实证检验,结果显示:私人生产性的教育消费支出和公共教育支出总体上促进了人力资本的积累,但前者作用大于后者;相对于政府培育社会资本的公共支出,人力资本积累更加有利于促进社会资本的积累;社会资本对中国经济增长产生了积极的影响。但是,上述三个方面的影响存在着较大的地区差异性。     

Social capital,user motivation,and collaborative consumption of online platform services

Collaborative consumption is broadly defined as sharing, obtaining, and giving access to products and services through peer networks online. As it is expected to resolve the societal and environmental problems, quite a few studies investigated consumers’ motivations that lead to positive attitudes and intention for collaborative consumption. This paper aims to study the determinants that motivate participants to perceive a positive attitude towards collaborative consumption focusing on three salient traits of social capital (shared goal, social interaction tie, and norms of reciprocity). The study found that social capital exerts a more substantial influence on intrinsic motivation (enjoyment and sustainability) than extrinsic motivation (economic benefit). The study also found that different social capital traits display different effects on motivation. In particular, the shared goal was a key determinant of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. And all three motivations positively affect collaborative consumption attitudes.     

Perceptions that matter: perceptual antecedents and moderators of healthy food consumption

Unhealthy eating patterns present in most Western countries pose a serious threat to economic welfare and have severe consequences for the health and quality of life of the individual consumer. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a conceptual model for understanding how health authorities and marketers can affect consumption of healthy food – and ultimately body mass index (BMI) – by addressing perceptual antecedents of consumers' involvement and health competencies. A qualitative (n = 16) pilot study and a consumer panel survey (n = 599) assisted in completing this task. The obtained structural equation modelling results confirmed that increasing consumers' competencies concerning healthy food consumption may improve the healthiness of their food behaviour, and ultimately reduce their BMI. Notably, these effects may occur even for consumers who perceive healthy food consumption to be a challenge. Our results also revealed that it may be problematic to improve health competencies for food consumers who are less involved in healthy food consumption. However, our study shows that two perceptual factors, ‘personal food identity’ (the extent to which consumers believe that their health identity is linked to their food behaviour) and ‘unhealthy food taste belief’ (the extent to which consumers believe that unhealthy food is more enjoyable and tastier than healthy food), may assist health authorities and marketers in increasing consumers' involvement in healthy food consumption.     

The purchase of moral positions: an essay on the markets of concerned parenting

The markets directed towards the very youngest are rapidly expanding. This article looks into the mechanisms behind the expansion of this type of parental consumption, assigning children a position similar to what Veblen categorized as vicarious consumption. The assumption put forward is that the modern markets for babies and toddlers rooted not only in the need to stimulate, protect and support the child, or the desire to display cultural and economic capital through vicarious consumption, but also in the need to indicate positions in the moral economy of concerned parenting. The expanding markets of considered consumption are partly based on translation values, empathy and care made into tangible products with symbolic values in the moral economy.     

Eating out,nutrition, education and the consumer: a case study from Alabama

Increasingly, there is agreement that the hospitality industry, particularly the restaurant sector, can significantly impact people's eating behaviour. This impact includes the nutritional intake of meals many restaurants sell that may lead to problems such as the growing obesity epidemic. This preliminary study investigates consumers' attitudes towards their eating out experience as it relates to their reasons for eating out and the importance that nutrition may place in their experience when eating out. Findings suggest differences in consumer attitudes towards these issues based on their gender, educational achievement level and type of restaurant they frequent. Nutritional awareness and education strategies do not appear to be reaching groups that are more exposed and/or more prone to unhealthier food consumption. Overall, consumers do not seem interested in education or involvement in healthier consumption.     

中国消费阶层:基于经济资本和文化资本的分析

社会阶层是市场细分的重要变量之一,通过对中西方社会阶层研究的回顾提出以经济资本和社会资本为划分维度。对中国消费者进行社会阶层市场细分的方法,包括精英阶层、知识阶层、中产阶层、新富阶层和草根阶层,探讨各社会阶层的核心消费行为特征,指出研究的局限和未来方向。     

Conceptualizing excessive fan consumption behavior

This research develops a theoretical model that provides new insight into excessive consumption and identification based on the consumption of rugby and brand biography of the All Blacks. This paper is grounded in Maori protocols and the spiritual relationship between the All Blacks, New Zealand and Maori. The conceptual model development process is based on the grounded theory approach and analysis of interview evidence from 15 fans in New Zealand. The model posits that the cultural sources of excessive identification or importance in consumption relate to country factors. In terms of response, excessive fan identification has two major outcomes at the individual level, one positive and the other negative. From a negative standpoint, excessive behavior leads to deviant behaviors, such as violence, misplaced priorities, psychological flow and rationalization. From a positive standpoint, however, excessive identification leads to more benign consumption in the form of cultural and social capital and communitas. Future research implications are discussed.     

The role of entrepreneurial capital in building service reputation

This paper uses theories of capital to discuss the impact of non-financial capital on small service firm reputation and performance. As the success of service firms is predicated on the ability to develop relationships and build reputation with key stakeholders, theories of capital provide a relevant conceptual framework for exploring the use of non-financial capital in building such relationships. Drawing on findings from a qualitative study, this paper discusses the economic, human, social, and symbolic capital of a matched-pairs sample of male and female entrepreneurs in the business services sector. The results highlight a relationship between symbolic capital and service reputation. Specifically, the interplay between economic, human, and social capital generates the symbolic capital relevant for service reputation and firm performance.     

Fast‐food addiction and anti‐consumption behaviour: The moderating role of consumer social responsibility

This study aims to understand the drivers of fast‐food addiction and the role of consumer social responsibility (CSR) on the relationship between fast‐food addiction and anti‐consumption. Due to growing health concerns, an increasing number of consumers have been avoiding the consumption of fast food. Based on a sample of 539 respondents, all pertaining to generation Y in Pakistan, this study tests a model including addiction and anti‐consumption behaviour. Empirical results provide strong evidence that individual and sociocultural factors together with advertising practices influence consumers’ fast‐food addiction. Results also reveal that CSR moderates the relationship between fast‐food addiction and anti‐consumption behaviour. Interestingly, the present study pioneers the discussion on how addiction can drive anti‐consumption. The findings can help public policy makers and managers to understand consumers’ anti‐consumption tendencies and help promote healthier consumption habits.     

Eating Sustainably? Practices and Background Factors of Ecological Food Consumption in Four Nordic Countries

This article examines sustainable food consumption in the Nordic context, studying to what extent people in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden have food consumption patterns that are in the current discourse promoted as sustainability enhancing. The article analyses the association of sustainable food consumption to attitudinal support for environmental policy measures, interest in cooking, and healthy eating practices as well as sociodemographic background factors. The comparison of four countries enables an analysis of the importance of the national context in sustainable food consumption. The study is based on data from a 2012 Nordic Web survey (N?=?8248). The results show that carrying out sustainable activities was not very widespread. Buying local food was the most popular, eating meat less often the most unpopular sustainable activity. The level of participation in sustainable practices varied across the four countries. Swedish respondents were the overall most active, Norwegians the least. However, results from analysis of variance (anova) indicated that the individual explanatory factors of sustainable food consumption were relatively similar in the four countries. Healthy eating patterns, interest in cooking, and supporting environmental policy measures were all positively correlated to sustainable food consumption. Women and the elderly were more active in sustainable practices than were men and the young. Education and occupational position played a role, too, but their effect was not totally systematic across countries. The findings suggest that sustainable food consumption is not a strongly socially stratified phenomenon, but it is related to other practices of eating regarded as “proper,” such as interest in cooking and healthy eating. Broader and more inclusive policies are needed to better engage people in sustainable activities.