Cross-Cultural Consumer/Consumption Research: Dealing with Issues Emerging from Globalization and Fragmentation

Abstract

To understand the effects of globalization and fragmentation, macromarketing scholars need insights about links between individual consumer behavior and societal outcomes. The challenge in this regard is to create a program of macrooriented cross-cultural research. This article offers a crosscultural consumer behavior research framework for this purpose. The framework encompasses four key areas of consumer behavior that are related to the forces of globalization and fragmentation, including the environment, identity, wellbeing, and market structure and policy. A discussion of these substantive areas is followed by a suggested macro-microoriented research agenda and a call for paradigm plurality in pursuing this agenda.

Macromarketing: Past, Present, and Possible Future

“…They also may examine the short-term incremental effects of out of market competition, its evolving character over time, and its cumulative longer term outcomes across marketing systems and parallel political marketplaces in different societies. Out of market competition raises issues of political economy, political influence, and power (Cornwell and Drennan 2004), which exist in market-based societies and other settings when there are businessgovernment links (Dixon and Polyakov 1997) or publicprivate coalitions that evolve into collusive partnerships (Vann and Kumcu 1995). Researchers recognize the importance of political matters on a micro level (e.g., in channels of distribution), but they give less attention to their roles on a macro level (Arndt 1981).…”

“…Development should be seen as a route to goals in varied domains (e.g., work and family) and spheres of life (economic, political, social, educational, consumptive, health, safety, technological, environmental, and organizational;Fisk 1981). These goals can help guide decisions on subordinate matters (e.g., specific priorities, the actors involved, markets and value chain components, and timing and pace of change; Grossbart and Rahtz 2004), complex trade-offs (e.g., quality of life of the destitute in war-ravaged areas; Shultz 1997), and substantive freedoms (agent autonomy, civil rights, cultural integrity, social choice mechanisms, social and distributive justice, gender equality, security, transparency, health, nutrition, education, sustainability, and environmental quality; Cornwell and Drennan 2004;Dixon and Polyakov 1997;Kilbourne 2004).…”

Triple acculturation: The role of African Americans in the consumer acculturation of Kenyan immigrants

“…Therefore, while he retains a CD with country music, he now listens to R&B, Rap and Hip Hop. Furthermore, Cornwell and Drennan (2004) have noted that individuals must out of necessity craft or at the minimum consider the identity options available to them. Hence Gitonga crafts and considers his new identity by eliminating the consumption of country music and incorporating Hip Hop music while simultaneously giving new meaning to his ethnic music.…”

“…The ability of individuals to self-fashion an evolving identity has been termed elective identity (Cornwell and Drennan, 2004). Much of this identity is communicated through outward appearance with clothing sometimes communicating the wearer's cultural background.…”

Micro-Macro Linking Using System Dynamics Modeling: An Examination of Eco-Labeling Effects for Farmed Shrimp

“…Recently Cornwell and Drennan (2004) argued that consumer behavior research, especially research regarding the environment, could benefit from micro-macro linking. This linkage is described by Gerstein (1987, 86) as "how to create theoretical concepts that translate or map variables at the individual level into variables characterizing social systems, and vice versa."…”