Ecological systems theory and research focus on describingand explaining the thoughts and actions of individuals and groups within specific contexts of their lives. This article applies ecological systems theory to examine the contextual facilitating and constraining factors in the thoughts and actions of individuals regarding work, leisure, and travel alternatives. The article presents the results of a case research study of five Australian households with thought protocol data on these households’ lived experiences in work, leisure, and travel, and learning how they compare “ noncomparable” leisure expenditure options; the discussion leads to advancing macroecological and microecological systems theory in leisure travel behavior. The article includes suggestions for future research and implications for tourism marketing strategy.

Based on a review of the past thirty years of videographic research and outputs in the field of marketing, we highlight the key contributions that videography has made to the marketing literature and identify the key issues facing videographic research today. We develop a typology that identifies four ways that videography can contribute to theory development and verification, presenting new criteria for assessing academic videographies. We note that making theoretical contributions is one of the most difficult issues facing videographic researchers and that this is an area in need of significant developments to help the field progress. Finally, we envision what the future of videography might look like and consider the implications of new forms of videographies.

Purpose -The country-of-origin literature has focused mainly on tangible products and has neglected largely intangible services and products such as the arts. The objective of this study is to examine the impact that country of origin may have on consumer perceptions of artistic and cultural products and to explore the variables that explain how consumers form their perceptions of countries as producers of cultural products. Design/methodology/approach -A survey was conducted among adult consumers in Australia, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, and the USA that assessed participants' perceptions of 16 countries with respect to their reputation for nine cultural products. Findings -The results indicate that product-country images in the arts are affected by country and product familiarity as well as consumers' openness to foreign cultures and home country bias. Countries more proximate to the participants' home country were also better evaluated, especially when the proximity factor played a significant role in the consumption of cultural products. Research limitations/implications -While almost all of the hypotheses were supported, additional research is needed to examine the cultural products of non-Western and emerging markets as well as product-country perceptions in these markets. Originality/value -This study extends our understanding of country-of-origin effects in the context of aesthetic, intangible, and complex products that elicit both cognitive and affective responses. It demonstrates that familiarity with a country of origin has a stronger association with positive perceptions of product-country reputation than does product familiarity, and that openness to foreign cultures, home country bias, and proximity have a positive effect on product-country evaluations.

Social class is one of the most fundamental dimensions of social organization, influencing almost every aspect of our lives, including market-mediated consumption. Despite this situation, the topic has a chequered history in marketing and consumer research. Significantly, a research program initiated by W. L. Warner in the 1930s in the United States, which emphasized the multifaceted nature of social class and highlighted concepts such as status, social networks, social comparison and class distinctive attitudes, was abandoned for over 30 years. Only relatively recently, consumer researchers (Allen and Anderson, 1994;Holt, 1998) revitalized this type of approach by highlighting the usefulness of Bourdieu's (1984) theory of social class and taste in explaining consumer behaviour. Strong parallels exist between the old and newer research programs, including similar conceptual underpinnings, matters of emphasis, and empirical findings. An intriguing question arises: 'Why the hiatus in the study of social class in the consumer research field?' To answer this question, we examine the history of social class in marketing and consumer research.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -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.