Global Consumer Culture

As Don Slater observes, (global) consumer culture implies a fundamental paradox. On the one hand, it posits the existence of a universal and eternal culture that consumers would share on a global scale. This depends on a plethora of phenomena including consumer mobility, global brands, new technologies and digitalization, and emergence of dominant taste regimes. On the other hand, global consumer culture posits the perennial newness of the meanings and forms of consumption. This is the reflex of acceleration, planned obsolescence (both cultural and technological), and materialism.

The Course is structured around thematic seminars, including: (1) the complexity of consumer culture; (2) Hofstede’s and post-Hofstedian approaches to cultural analysis in marketing; (3) shifting cultural landscapes and marketing strategies of transnational companies; (4) contexts of production of global consumer culture; (5) the construction of taste; (6) digitalization and global consumer culture; and, (7) consumer culture and migration (market acculturation and cross-over consumption).

The Course aims at sharpening understanding of what global consumer culture is, how it functions, and its implications for consumers and marketers.

Assessment

Assessment is based on both an individual written exam (50% of the final grade) and group assignments (50%).

Textbook

Students will receive various articles grounding class discussion.

Suggested reading:

Nakata, Cheryl (ed.) (2009). Beyond Hofstede. Culture Frameworks for Global Marketing and Management. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.