It is a mainstay in the literature on consumer culture that the romantic, countercultural value of authenticity has become a core asset in mainstream marketing. Since there is little research on the particular ways in which commodities are endowed with auras of authenticity, this study analyses registers of authenticity in 153 beer commercials from eight countries. The content analysis distinguishes four strategies of authentication: beer is related to pre-industrial craftsmanship, naturalness, concrete locations and historical roots. Surprisingly, however, such claims are often openly exposed by the advertisers themselves as mass-produced illusions. It is concluded that the appeal of authenticity in consumer culture should not be explained by the fact that people actually believe in the 'authenticity hoax'. Quite the contrary, the acknowledgement that narratives about a more authentic world are myths provides an alibi for consumers to fully indulge in their meaning without the risk of making naive and dupable fools of themselves.

ii Keywords stage management, career, career development, career transition, protean career, midcareer, live performance, live performance production iii Abstract Available census data indicate that Australian female stage managers encounter career development challenges that contribute to their premature workforce exits. Using narrative inquiry approaches and an Informed Grounded Theory methodology, this study investigated these challenges and characterised the career transition experiences of this professional group. Much of the current literature available on the professional stage management experience is practical in nature, and this study sought to provide a foundation for further academic research and discourse in the field.This study identified the scope of the career development challenges that Australian female stage managers experience mid-career. It further found that when internal and external career development challenges compound and diminish career rewards, they force premature mid-career exits. In addition, it found that not all stage managers experience the same career development challenges, but that different combinations of these challenges cause premature workforce exits, contributing to a disproportionate workforce and a shortfall of suitably qualified candidates to fill available employment opportunities. These findings indicate that combinations of job stress, role stress, precarity, career limitations, lack of social support systems and incumbent lifestyle factors create a pressure point that can lead to a premature transition from the profession.A further key finding is that stage managers experience strong internal motivations and rewards in their work, and while these psychological and emotional attachments provide a focus that is beneficial to driving initial educational and early-career decisions, it can become a significant mid-career development challenge. A narrow vocational focus at an early age leads stage managers to possess inadequate career management capabilities and they are therefore poorly equipped during periods of necessary career transition.Another aim of this study was to explore and characterise the career transition experiences of mid-career Australian female stage managers in order to understand how effectively the individual and the broader sector manage these transitions. It was discovered that both the iv individual and the sector poorly manage career development and transitions for stage managers, and that current tertiary training models inadequately prepare student stage managers for their whole career span. This study identified that there is substantial room to develop educational models, psychological and social support mechanisms and organisational and sectoral strategies that will lead to increased sustainability within the profession. It further identifies that where such realignment is unachievable, better management of career transition experiences for Australian female stage managers will lead to beneficial outcomes for both the individual and acro...