Consumer acculturation theory: (crossing) conceptual boundaries

Consumer acculturation theorists have developed an insightful body of literature about the ways in which migrants adapt to foreign cultures via consumption. The present paper revisits 14 key studies from this field to highlight its most important contributions, critique its conceptual boundaries, and present cases of conceptual border crossings that indicate an emerging need for a broader conceptualization of the phenomenon. The paper closes by introducing a model that frames consumer acculturation as a complex system of recursive socio-cultural adaptation, and discusses its implications for future research

Consumer ethnicity three decades after: a TCR agenda

Research into consumer ethnicity is a vital discipline that has substantially evolved in the past three decades. This conceptual article critically reviews its immense literature and examines the extent to which it has provided extensive contributions not only for the understanding of ethnicity in the marketplace but also for personal/collective well-being. We identify two gaps accounting for scant transformative contributions. First, today social transformations and conceptual sophistications require a revised vocabulary to provide adequate interpretive lenses. Second, extant work has mostly addressed the subjective level of ethnic identity projects but left untended the meso/macro forces affecting ethnicity (de)construction and personal/collective well-being. Our contribution stems from filling both gaps and providing a theory of ethnicity (de)construction that includes migrants as well as non-migrants

The impact of social media on consumers' acculturation and purchase intentions

YesSocial media has emerged as a significant and effective means of assisting and endorsing activities and communications among peers, consumers and organizations that outdo the restrictions of time and space. While the previous studies acknowledge the role of agents of culture change, it largely remains silent on the role of social media in influencing acculturation outcomes and consumption choices. This study uses self-administered questionnaire to collect data from 514 Turkish-Dutch respondents and examines how their use of social media affects their acculturation and consumption choices. This research makes a significant contribution to consumer acculturation research by showing that social media is a vital means of culture change and a driver of acculturation strategies and consumption choices. This study is the first to investigate the role of social media as an agent of culture change in terms of how it impacts acculturation and consumption. The paper discusses implications for theory development and for practice

The impact of breast scarring on perceptions of attractiveness - An experimental study

This study explored whether breast scarring following a lumpectomy generated negative judgements using an experimental between subjects factorial design. Eight images of women varying in terms of breast scarring (present vs. absent), beauty (average vs. high) and celebrity (as a proxy for familiarity; present vs. absent) were rated by 232 participants. The results showed that scarring resulted in lower ratings of attractiveness and self esteem and higher ratings of femininity. Scarred celebrities were judged as particularly unattractive. Women's assumption that they will be judged more harshly following breast cancer surgery maybe reflected in the actual ratings of others

A Qualitative exploration of restraint decisions made by paramedics and advanced paramedics in the context of Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD) in the pre-hospital setting

Background - Acute behavioural disturbance, also known as excited delirium, is a medical emergency. Paramedics are required to balance competing concerns, including the risks of restraint to the patient, the need for diagnostic accuracy and the need for compliance with relevant legislation. Decisions take place in the context of challenging situations and paramedics are required to work closely with other professionals, such as the police. Method 17 semi structured interviews1 and focus group were undertaken with Paramedics and Advanced Paramedic Practitioners. This data is being analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006), informed by critical realism. Results We have identified five tentative themes: Professional identity and patient advocacy, adequacy of clinical management strategies, managing complexity and ambiguity, inter-professional relationships and fear of professional consequences. These candidate themes will continue to be developed and refined during the remaining analysis. Conclusion Restraint decisions take place in the context of high levels of complexity and ambiguity, limited clinical management options and rely on effective communication and collaboration with partner agencies, such as the police. Paramedics are motivated by patient-centred issues including advocacy and improving outcomes, and at times experience tensions with practitioner-centric issues such as fear of adverse professional consequences. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

Exploring the role of acculturation in brand choice: a new perspective for targeting Indians living in the UK

Indians are the largest UK ethnic minority, contributing significantly to the UK economy. Although this group's considerable spending power makes them of interest to marketing practitioners, greater insight into their consumer behaviour is required. An understanding of the influence of cultural factors on preferences and behaviour is a priority. This qualitative article considers how consumer acculturation affects the brand preferences of British Indian consumers. Berry's acculturation taxonomy and Mendoza's Cultural Life Style Inventory underpin the organisation of the data collection. The findings reveal distinctive brand choice patterns for individuals from different acculturation categories. Separated individuals use more of the ethnic brands than host brands; most integrated individuals are familiar with both ethnic and host brands; whereas assimilated individuals have a much narrower brand understanding, being familiar mainly with the host brands. The implications for researchers and practitioners are explored