Consumer vulnerability is a sometimes misunderstood or misused concept that is equated erroneously with demographic characteristics, stigmatization, consumer protection, unmet needs, discrimination, or disadvantage. This article seeks to clarify the boundaries for what is and what is not consumer vulnerability. By explicating the key themes of consumer vulnerability from previous studies in the consumer research and marketing literatures, the authors build a definition and model to explain that consumer vulnerability is multidimensional, context specific, and does not have to be enduring. The authors clarify that multiple and simultaneous internal and external factors contribute to consumer experiences of vulnerability. They conclude by proposing some ways the consumer-driven definition of consumer vulnerability can be implemented into research and policy decisions. Most important, their implementation focuses on treating consumers as they wish to be treated, not as well-meaning others think they should be treated, and on directing policy toward facilitating individual empowerment.

In recent years, there has been a great deal of research exploring the concept of consumer ethnocentrism, although little has been done in Eastern Bloc countries. In these countries, foreign brands are often clearly superior to domestic alternatives. This study applied the CETSCALE in a survey of 218 Polish consumers with respect to attitudes and beliefs for one domestic and two foreign gas station brands. The findings suggest that, in a situation where foreign brands are superior to domestic ones, consumer ethnocentrism is displayed in more positive perceptions of the domestic brand, with little or no effect on perceptions of foreign brands. Moreover, the effect of consumer ethnocentrism on evaluations of different types of product qualities (search vs. experience) is explored. The results support the prediction that consumer ethnocentrism has greater impact on evaluations of experience qualities than on search qualities. Managerial implications and future research directions are suggested. ᭧ 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.In the 1970s and 1980s, several studies persistently demonstrated that in most Western countries domestic products generally enjoy a more favorable evaluation than foreign-made products (e.g., Bannister & Saunders, 1978;Cattin, Jolibert, & Lohnes, 1982; Darling & Kraft, 908 SUPPHELLEN AND RITTENBURG 1977;Lillis & Narayana, 1974). One central construct that has emerged from this literature is that of consumer ethnocentrism (Shimp & Sharma, 1987), defined as "the beliefs held by (American) consumers about the appropriateness, indeed morality of purchasing foreign made products" (p. 280). Consumer ethnocentrism implies that buying imports is wrong because it is unpatriotic and detrimental to the domestic economy and employment. A number of studies have demonstrated the consumer tendency to evaluate domestic products unreasonably favorably compared to imported products, as reviewed in Sharma, Shimp, and Shin (1995). Shimp and Sharma (1987) developed the CETSCALE to measure the construct of consumer ethnocentrism; and in a study of American consumers, they showed that ethnocentric tendencies are significantly negatively correlated with attitudes toward foreign products and significantly positively correlated with attitudes toward domestic products. Netemeyer, Durvasula, and Lichtenstein (1991) have replicated these findings on a cross-national sample of Western European and Japanese consumers. Moreover, the impact of consumer ethnocentrism has recently been documented also in studies of Eastern European post-socialist countries such as Poland and Russia (Durvasula, Andrews, & Netemeyer, 1992;Good & Huddleston, 1995;Marcoux, Filiatrault, & Chéron, 1997). However, these findings of ethnocentric tendencies in Eastern European countries conflict with other studies showing that consumers in this area tend to prefer Western products because of their superior quality. For example, Papadopoulos, Heslop, and Beracs (1990) found that Hungarians generally evaluated Western products more positively...

Natural disasters leave people vulnerable because of threats to health and safety and because of losses of lives, financial assets, and possessions valued for functional and symbolic purposes. This article explores vulnerability as a shared experience, examines how responses to individual and community vulnerability facilitate and impede the restoration of control, and shows how vulnerability can transform individuals and a community. The findings demonstrate that vulnerability can be experienced as a social process and as a state of flux and that individuals and social groups actively and constructively work to move themselves out of their vulnerable states. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for theory and for public policy.

While a number of studies have examined the impact of gender/sex on ethical decision-making, the findings of this body of research do not provide consistent answers. Furthermore, very few of these studies have incorporated cross-cultural samples. Consequently, this study of 222 American and Spanish business executives explored sex differences in ethical judgments and intentions to act ethically. While no significant differences between males and females were found with respect to ethical judgments, females exhibited higher intentions to act more ethically than males. This difference was true of both U.S. and Spanish executives. Further research is warranted to develop a clearer understanding of the linkage between ethical judgment and intention to act in an ethical manner. These findings have implications for global firms, particularly regarding codes of conduct and ethics training. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007ethics, gender, sex, U.S., Spain,