Global Consumer Behavior

Globalization is a leading force for industry worldwide, especially
the new technology sector. This presents both problems and
opportunities in the emergence of a new type of consumer and the
effects of globalization on industry in terms of culture,
economics, marketing, and social issues at every scale from local
to global.

The main aim of the book is to enhance the reader's
knowledge - especially from a multidisciplinary perspective
rather than from an individual functional perspective - of
international consumer behaviour. It also explores the role of
globalization in the evolving world of the new technology sector
and provides an overview of the development of international
consumer behavior from historical, geographical and social
perspectives, while focusing on new technology products and
services.

Professionals, students and researchers working in the fields of
new technologies and information and communication technologies
(ICT) as well as specialists of marketing and management are the
target audience for this book. At the same time, the book
will be pitched at a level so as to also appeal to a more general
readership interested in globalization.

Auteur
Chantal Ammi is a Professor at the National Institute of Telecommunications, Evry, France, head of MINT laboratory.

Résumé
Globalization is a leading force for industry worldwide, especially the new technology sector. This presents both problems and opportunities in the emergence of a new type of consumer and the effects of globalization on industry in terms of culture, economics, marketing, and social issues at every scale from local to global. The main aim of the book is to enhance the reader's knowledge especially from a multidisciplinary perspective rather than from an individual functional perspective of international consumer behaviour. It also explores the role of globalization in the evolving world of the new technology sector and provides an overview of the development of international consumer behavior from historical, geographical and social perspectives, while focusing on new technology products and services.

Professionals, students and researchers working in the fields of new technologies and information and communication technologies (ICT) as well as specialists of marketing and management are the target audience for this book. At the same time, the book will be pitched at a level so as to also appeal to a more general readership interested in globalization.

Contenu

Introduction xiii

PART 1. Topics of Themes 1

Chapter 1. E-Travel Agents Selling to Ethnic Customers 3
Euler G.M. de SOUZA and Tunc MEDENI

1.1. Introduction 3

1.2. Market structure 5

1.3. Customer relationship through the Internet 9

1.4. Electronic distribution channel 10

1.5. Services marketing 11

1.5.1. Management of the service delivery process 11

1.5.2. Nature of interaction between consumers and suppliers 12

1.6. Relationship marketing 14

1.7. Hypotheses and findings 18

1.7.1. Hypotheses 19

1.7.2. Findings 22

1.8. Conclusions, limitations and future research 23

1.9. References 25

Chapter 2. Local Advertising over the Product Life Cycle: The Product-Consumer Relationship in the International Context 29
Saku MAKINEN and Hanna-Kaisa DESAVELLE

2.1. Introduction 29

2.2. Background and objectives 30

2.3. Theoretical framework 33

2.3.1. Pronouns as relationship building units 34

2.3.2. Advertising and personal and possessive pronouns 35

2.4. Data and methods 36

2.5. Results and contribution 38

2.5.1. Mobile phones 39

2.5.2. Digital cameras 43

2.5.3. DVDs 44

2.6. Conclusions and limitations 47

2.7. References 49

Chapter 3. Culture and Diversity: A New Approach of Management 53
Chantal AMMI

3.1. Introduction 53

3.2. The notion of culture 54

3.2.1. Definition, content and properties 54

3.2.2. Properties, functions and process 55

3.3. Culture and globalization 55

3.3.1. Culture: orientation of values 56

3.3.2. Culture: a solution for global problems 56

3.4. Multiculturalism and the global economy 58

3.4.1. Global companies 58

3.4.2. Countries with ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic diversity 60

3.4.3. Countries with imported ethnic minorities 62

3.4.3.1. Integration or assimilation? 62

3.4.3.2. Ethnic marketing 63

3.5. Conclusion 65

3.6. References 65

Chapter 4. Is Behavior Prone to Social Influence? 67
Toufik KHARBECHE and Kaouther JELASSI

4.1. Introduction 67

4.2. The problem 68

4.3. Theoretical view: a psychoanalytical interactionist diagram 68

4.4. Culture in the sociological sense 69

4.5. Does behavior result from social identity? 70

4.6. Behavior and collective conscience 70

4.6.1. Social psychology 71

4.6.2. Cognitive approach of the individual: the personal and mechanical behavior of the individual 72

4.6.3. Phenomenological approach of the individual: individualist dominant of the behavior 72

4.6.4. Phenomenological approach of the social individual: priority of the interests of the group 73

4.7. Behavior: from individual identity to social identity 73

4.7.1. Covariance model 75

4.7.2. Social identity: the origin of social behavior 75

4.7.3. Social identity and membership group 76

4.7.4. The social link: regulator of community behavior 77

4.7.5. The social status of the individual: factor of specific behaviors 78

4.7.6. Social status: conformist behavior a source of social cohesion? 79

4.7.7. Deviance facing social standards: non-conformist behavior 80

4.8. Conclusion 80

4.9. References 82

PART 2. Applications at the National Level 85

Chapter 5. The Gender Approach to Understanding Time-Saving Durables Buying: Tunisian Women in 2000 87
Rafika BEN GUIRAT

5.1. Introduction 87

5.2. Gender approaches in marketing 89

5.2.1. Gender orientation of the roles/ideology of gender 90

5.2.2. Women's remunerated work 92

5.3. Housework 94 <p...