Marylouise Caldwell, Kristen Blackwell and Kirsty Tulloch
The paper aims to increase our understanding of an under‐investigated research area of consumption, that is, cosmopolitanism as a consumer orientation.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to increase our understanding of an under‐investigated research area of consumption, that is, cosmopolitanism as a consumer orientation.
Design/methodology/approach
About 16 informants, either Australians who had worked or studied overseas, or expatriates residing in Australia, participated in a qualitative research study. Analysis was an iterative process involving textual interpretation of interview transcripts and photographs supplied by informants.
Findings
Support is found for Thompson and Tambyah's idea that a cosmopolitan consumer orientation comprises dominant masculine and counter‐veiling feminine traits. Contradicting Thompson and Tambyah, the study validates Cannon and Yaprak's idea that a cosmopolitan consumer orientation simultaneously embraces maintaining close ties to their cultural roots and seeking to consume products from other cultures. Additional aspects of cosmopolitanism are identified, including the benefits of expatriate enclaves and difficulties upon returning home.
Research limitations/implications
Theory validation arises as a consequence of finding partial support for past findings. Theory generation manifests as suggested modifications to extant theory and identification of additional aspects of cosmopolitanism as a consumer orientation.
Practical implications
Understanding cosmopolitanism as a consumer orientation has implications for understanding consumption of culturally distant products.
Originality/value
The paper offers foundations for future research into an increasingly significant aspect of consumption.
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Keywords
Postemotionalism, nostalgia for authentic emotional experiences, can be observed in every aspect of popular culture, particularly social media and reality television. Viewers are…
Abstract
Purpose
Postemotionalism, nostalgia for authentic emotional experiences, can be observed in every aspect of popular culture, particularly social media and reality television. Viewers are driven by the need to find the balance between individuality, expressed through “legitimate” emotions, insights and acceptance by their peer group on social media.
Methodology/approach
I use the program, “Catfish: The TV Show” to explore how postemotionalism operates in reality television.
Findings
This paper examines the new experience of dramatized emotions as they are portrayed in reality television and reflected on social media. I offer a theorization of social media users’ response to the search for authenticity on television through an analysis of a series of Twitter interactions surrounding “Catfish: The TV Show.”
Originality/value
The interactions on Twitter reveal that postemotionalism makes it difficult for viewers to distinguish between genuine, emotional interactions and projected, managed identities.
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Kristen Foley, Belinda Lunnay and Paul R. Ward
During the COVID-19 pandemic, trust considerations have been amplified to levels not seen in most of our lifetimes. We have been asked to trust: epidemiologists, virologists and…
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, trust considerations have been amplified to levels not seen in most of our lifetimes. We have been asked to trust: epidemiologists, virologists and immunologists in terms of the nature of COVID-19 transmission and vaccinations; politicians, public health planners and policymakers in terms of the need for various responses such as lockdowns, school closures, border closures and economic recovery plans; media sources in terms of accurately reporting COVID-19 news; and members of our community in terms of doing their best to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 transmission, including mask wearing, hand washing, isolating and social/physical distancing. Within this chapter, we attempt to explore the emotional responses to this complex web of trust considerations from qualitative data in a study we conducted amidst the beginning of the pandemic. We then offer some interpretations about how trust considerations may have been altered as a result of living in and through the pandemic. We suggest that trust can be a primary emotion, or at least function that way during times of crises, and be (reflexively) deployed by citizens to manage emotional repertoires during crisis and to position themselves as responsible neoliberal citizens. We add understanding about the strains in horizontal/interpersonal trust relations during a pandemic – where the virus spreading between people necessitates social and relational distancing measures for containment – and inflames questions about whether or not we can trust each other.
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This chapter reviews the media's fascination with one of the most infamous women in Canadian history. Karla Homolka was found guilty of manslaughter in the deaths of two Ontario…
Abstract
This chapter reviews the media's fascination with one of the most infamous women in Canadian history. Karla Homolka was found guilty of manslaughter in the deaths of two Ontario teenage girls in the early 1990s. Her husband, Paul Bernardo, was convicted on a number of charges associated with these deaths, including sexual assault and first degree murder. The chapter traces the initial print reports of the arrest, trial and sentencing of Karla Homolka; the application of the ‘Ken and Barbie’ moniker as a description of Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo; and the characterization of Karla Homolka's sentencing as the proverbial ‘deal with the devil’. The media continued to pursue Karla Homolka long after she had completed her twelve-year prison sentence and was released into the community. The media's evolution in coverage of this case is described, and it is argued that Karla Homolka's treatment by the media was, and continues to be, an example of the kind of biased coverage that illustrates the gendered manner in which violence is conceptualized in our society, and calls into question the structural and systematic condemnation that is directed towards those women who commit violent crimes. This chapter emphasizes that the lens through which the media covers violent crimes for which women are accused and/or convicted is often clouded with vitriol and malevolence.
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Trade centers are operationally run by a property manager as a delegate of the property owner. The dimensions of service quality (SERVQUAL), which include tangibles, assurance…
Abstract
Purpose
Trade centers are operationally run by a property manager as a delegate of the property owner. The dimensions of service quality (SERVQUAL), which include tangibles, assurance, empathy, reliability and responsiveness, are vital to be implemented as the duties of property managers when providing service to tenants to maintain tenant satisfaction and property reputation. This study aims to understand the effects of the SERVQUAL dimensions, the role of property management and the quality of rental value on tenant satisfaction and property reputation.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample was gathered using the purposive sampling technique with the criteria of being a tenant and kiosk owner in trade center properties in Surabaya. Data were gathered using questionnaires, from which 100 respondents were acquired. It was then analyzed using the partial least square structural equation model (SEM) in the SmartPLS 3.0 program to test the hypothesis.
Findings
The results of this study prove that the SERVQUAL dimensions – assurance, empathy and responsiveness – significantly influence tenant satisfaction with the mediating variable of the role of property management. Moreover, the SERVQUAL dimensions – empathy, reliability and responsiveness – significantly influence property reputation with the mediating variable of the role of property management.
Practical implications
Property managers are expected to proactively map out different service measures related to the dimension of satisfaction by conducting service training programs for their employees. In fact, in the post-pandemic period, property managers require new marketing strategies, such as leaseback, to effectively carry out renovations of the trade center’s public facilities and restructure the tenant mix.
Originality/value
Trade centers as trading areas experience management limitations because of the prohibition of mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a limited number of onsite trading. Tenants who have entered into a long-term contract experience loss and rely on the aid of property management to survive. The role and quality of service of property management influence tenants’ satisfaction post-COVID-19 pandemic.
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Dorothy Wu Nelson, Marguerite M. Moore and Kristen K. Swanson
The purpose of this paper is to add to the literature concerning potential motivations that drive social networking sites (SNS) for fashion-related behaviors among millennial…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to add to the literature concerning potential motivations that drive social networking sites (SNS) for fashion-related behaviors among millennial consumers using a Uses and Gratifications (U&G) perspective. Four SNS platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter – were examined.
Design/methodology/approach
The study presents a mixed-methods approach to develop and test a motivations framework among millennial consumers that will lead to practical understanding of both the existence of and impact of different motivations for engaging in SNS.
Findings
Unique motivations appear to drive use of the four examined platforms. Results indicate that a broad set of common motivations for SNS use among millennial consumers who exhibit an interest in fashion can be determined. Further, the results indicate significant differences among motivations within the respective platform types. Lastly, the results reveal common factors among three or more SNS platforms: “Fashion,” “Connection,” “Following” and “Pictures.” The ‘Entertainment’ factor was common among two SNS platforms.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of the study are the limited sample and SNS selection. A broader representation of the millennial consumer behaviors would provide a more comprehensive picture of the motivations for using SNS platforms.
Practical implications
The study provides useful information for fashion marketers and researchers who can benefit from an updated understanding of SNS behaviors.
Originality/value
The study provides a relevant contribution to SNS research as well as understanding of millennial consumers. Additionally, it adds contribution to the U&G theory concerning new media platforms. It also delivers a replicable research design for other SNS platforms.
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Kristen M. Kemple, Michelle G. Harris and Il Rang Lee
When young children notice and comment about physical appearance differences often associated with race, adults may experience discomfort and uncertainty about how to respond. As…
Abstract
When young children notice and comment about physical appearance differences often associated with race, adults may experience discomfort and uncertainty about how to respond. As a result, many adults try to avoid or terminate such discussion, leaving children with unanswered questions and misunderstandings. To prepare educators to be supportive of the development of children’s positive racial identity and racial awareness, it is important for educators to examine their own attitudes, biases, and knowledge about race and racism. This chapter summarizes research on children’s racial identity and awareness, describes critical approaches to anti-racist education, and provides resources and strategies through which professionals can better understand themselves and the young children they serve.
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Kristen Bell DeTienne and Lisa Ann Jackson
Knowledge management has become the latest strategy in increasing organizational competitiveness. Proponents are calling it the only solution for competitive advantage in the new…
Abstract
Knowledge management has become the latest strategy in increasing organizational competitiveness. Proponents are calling it the only solution for competitive advantage in the new century (Evans, 1997; Hedlund, 1994; Hibbard, 1997; Martinez, 1998; Trussler, 1998) and critics are calling it the worst in passing fads (Hibbard, 1997). Robert H. Buckman, CEO of Buckman Labs, says the purpose of the knowledge management and sharing system at his corporation is to “facilitate communication across all of the organization's boundaries, so that the entire company works together to help everyone to be the best they can be” (Buckman, 1998, p. 11). Buckman Labs has become the first name in knowledge management with its innovative and relatively long‐standing (since 1991) approach to harnessing employees' collective knowledge.