Summarize some of the major approaches we can use to understand fashion from the perspectives of psychologists, economists, and sociologists.
> What is an example of a meme?
> How do you differentiate between “old money” versus “nouveau riche” consumers?
> What is a taste culture?
> Give an example of a marketer who uses the principle of binary opposition.
> Define a cultural gatekeeper, and give three examples.
> What is deethnicization? Give an example.
> What is a ritual? Describe three kinds of rituals and provide an example of each.
> What one variable is the best indicator of social class? What are some other important indicators?
> Go to www.seventeen.com/cosmogirl and www.cosmopolitan.com. How are these two sites different? What are their two target markets? What messages and values are being transmitted by the two websites? How can age and gender be combined by marketers to ensur
> Who are acculturation agents? Give two examples.
> What is the difference between a high-context and a low-context culture? What is an example of this difference?
> Go to www.alloy.com and www.teensplatform.com. These are portals geared toward teens. How do these sites differ from Yahoo or Google for information search, ecommerce, and the presentation of other information?
> Why is it difficult to identify consumers in terms of their ethnic subculture membership?
> Define discretionary income.
> Go to www.burberry.com. How does this prestige fashion label use social class and status to sell its products? Comment on their approach. Does this approach make you want to buy such products? Explain.
> Have groups find good and bad examples of advertising targeted toward “seasoned citizens.” To what extent do these ads stereotype the elderly? Do you think that the elderly would like or resent the implications? Are there any elements in these ads that m
> Assign student groups to visit two local supermarkets to find out if either has segmented their market based on the subculture or ethnic background of their customers. How many subcultures does each supermarket recognize? Have the students talk to the st
> Who are innovators? Early adopters? Laggards?
> What is a cultural formula? Give an example.
> Describe the difference between arts and crafts.
> Ask a student to bring in an ad in which the brand being marketed was at one time a status symbol, but fell out of fashion for a time (e.g., Cadillac, Parker Pen, Izod-Lacoste, etc.). Have the student discuss whether the ad still attempts to create that
> What is culture? List three dimensions social scientists used to describe a culture and give an example of each.
> Why are Asian Americans an attractive market segment? Why can they be difficult for marketers to reach?
> Describe the processes involved when a person assimilates into a new host culture.
> What is acculturation? How does it differ from enculturation?
> Why are Hispanic American consumers attractive to marketers?
> What are tweens, and why are so many marketers interested in them?
> What is an age cohort, and why is it of interest to marketers?
> What is the FLC, and why is it important to marketers?
> What is a nuclear family, and how is it different from an extended family?
> Describe what we men by the term mass class and summarize what causes this phenomenon.
> Go to the following: www.bet.com, www.jetmag.com, www.ebony.com, and www.vibe.com. What do these African American interest websites have in common? How do they use desire for ethnicity to their advantage? Would members of other races be attracted to thes
> What is a current example of parody display?
> Describe the difference between a restricted and an elaborated code. Give an example of each.
> Define social mobility and describe the different forms it takes.
> What is social class? Is it different from income and if so how?
> What is a pecking order?
> How does consumer confidence influence consumer behavior?
> What is a subculture?
> How have women contributed to the overall rise in income in our society?
> Describe a culture production system and list its three components.
> What is collective selection? Give an example.
> Go to www.catholic.org, www.lds.org, www.scientology.org, and www.baptist.org. Each of these sites expresses thoughts about religion and religious freedom. What techniques do the sites use to stimulate their audiences to follow their messages and commit
> How is a collection sacred? What is the difference between collecting and hoarding?
> What is the difference between sacred and profane consumption? Provide one example of each.
> List the three stages of a rite of passage ritual.
> A myth is a special kind of story. What makes it special? What is an example of a modern myth?
> What is the difference between a fad, a fashion, and a classic fashion life cycle?
> What is the trickle-down effect? List some reasons why it is no longer as valid as it used to be.
> What is the difference among the terms fashion, a fashion, and in fashion?
> Is it practical to assume that people age 55 and older constitute one large consumer market? How can marketers segment this age subculture? What are some important variables to keep in mind when we tailor marketing messages to this age group?
> What are some of the positives and negatives of targeting college students? Identify some specific marketing strategies that you feel have been either successful or unsuccessful at appealing to this segment. What characteristics distinguish the successes
> Go to www.margaritaville.com, www.fblegacy.com, and www.anime.com. What techniques learned in the chapter is used by these websites to attract their audiences? What evidence of ethnicity do you observe? Is there anything “cultish” about the websites? If
> Religious symbolism appears in advertising, even though some people object to this practice. For example, a French Volkswagen ad for the relaunch of the Golf model showed a modern version of the Last Supper with the tag line, “Let us rejoice, my friends,
> When they identify and target newly divorced couples, do you think marketers exploit these couples’ situations? Are there instances in which you think marketers may actually be helpful to them? Support your answers with examples.
> Discuss the pros and cons of the voluntarily childless movement.
> Research suggest that social class influences how much compassion people show to others who need help. For example, one study reported that luxury car drivers were more likely to cut off other motorists instead of waiting for their turn at the intersecti
> Thorstein Veblen argued that men used women as “trophy wives” to display their wealth. Is this argument still valid today?
> Describe the progressive learning model and discuss why this perspective is important when marketing to subcultures.
> How do you assign people to social classes, or do you at all? What consumption cues do you use (e.g., clothing, speech, cars, etc.) to determine social standing?
> What consumption differences might you expect to observe between families characterized as underprivileged versus those whose income is average for its social class?
> What are some of the obstacles to measuring social class in today’s society? Discuss some ways to get around these obstacles.
> Sears, JC Penney, and Walmart tried hard in recent years to upgrade their images and appeal to higher class consumers. How successful have these efforts been? Do you believe this strategy is wise?
> Go to www.maxlang.com. How much would you pay for a belt for casual or business wear? How much does Max Lang charge? Is Max Lang selling belts or status? How can the Max Lang website overcome problems such as sizing and the desire to personally see prest
> Should members of a religious group adapt marketing techniques that manufacturers customarily use to increase market share for their secular products? Why or why not?
> Geodemographic techniques assume that people who live in the same neighborhood have other things in common as well. Why do they make this assumption, and how accurate is it?
> How do religious subcultures affect consumption decisions?
> What roles do status symbols play in purchase decisions?
> How are Gen Yers different from their older brothers and sisters?
> What is cultural capital, and why is enrolling in an etiquette class a way to accumulate it?
> Ask students to use a product example (i.e., food products, automobiles) to illustrate how the marketer might promote to youths to take advantage of the influence they exert on family purchase decisions.
> What are boomerang kids?
> How does the worldview of blue-collar and white-collar consumers tend to differ?
> What are some of the problems we encounter when we try to measure social class?
> This material can be used to illustrate how reference groups also have status symbols. 1. Using the “4A’s” framework in Figure 12.1, analyze the considerations that went into the development of the Gillette Guard razor for the Indian market? 2. Are comp
> Charles Bradley is a Finance student who loves to play the stock market in his spare time. He likes the thrill of rapid price movements and he knows that if he can catch the right price to buy and sell he will make lot of money. Charles has a strong inte
> Given the situations below, (a). Discuss with reasons, whether they will fall into the category of Applied or Basic research, and (b). For scenario 1 explain with reasons, who will conduct the research. Scenario 1: Companies are very interested in acqui
> What is epistemology and why is it important to know about different perspectives on research and how it should be done?
> Academic researchers usually develop more complex and elaborate models than applied researchers. Discuss this statement.
> Develop a conceptual model for the scenario below. Incidence of smoking in movies has started to increase again, after having declined for several decades. According to the National Cancer Institute smoking is seen in at least three out of four contempo
> Discuss the following statement: The hallmarks of scientific research do not/cannot apply to inductive research.
> The exact purpose of a critical literature review depends on the research approach that is taken. Discuss this statement.
> When is applied research, as distinct from basic research, useful?
> For what specific purpose is Basic Research important?
> Why should a manager know about research when the job entails managing people, products, events, environments and the like?
> Give two specific instances where an external research team would be useful and two other scenarios where an internal research team will be deployed, with adequate explanations as to why each scenario is justified for an external or internal team.
> Research in behavioral finance has shown that overconfidence can cause investors to underreact to new information. What is the dependent variable in this case?
> A manager of an insurance company finds that “fear appeals” in commercials are positively associated with consumers’ behavioral intentions to insure their house. This effect is particularly strong for people with a high inherent level of anxiety.
> A marketing manager believes that selecting physically attractive spokespersons and models to endorse their products increases the persuasiveness of a message.
> An investor believes that more information increases the accuracy of his forecasts.
> A marketing manager believes that limiting the availability of a product increases product desirability. What is the dependent variable here?
> Avatars are virtual characters that can be used as representatives of a company that is using the Internet as a distribution channel. For instance, avatars can be used as shopping assistants, website guides, or as identification figures. A manager of an
> You are interested in how person–organization fit relates to employees’ affective commitment and intention to stay with an organization during the early stages of a strategic organizational change.
> Define the problem statement (the why and the what) in the following situation: Employee loyalty Companies benefit through employee loyalty. Crude downsizing in organizations during the recession crushed the loyalty of millions. The economic benefits of
> How would you go about doing literature survey in the area of corporate social responsibility?
> A typical examples of causal research questions is: “What is the effect of reward system on productivity?” And What is the problem here, according to the researcher? And what is a possible solution to the problem, according to the same researcher?
> Do the project assigned below, following the step‐by‐step process outlined: Compile a bibliography on any one of the following topics, or any other topic of interest to you, from a business perspective: (a). service quality; (b). product development;
> Offer a clearly focused problem statement in the broad area of corporate culture, job satisfaction or risk-seeking behaviors of investors.
> Describe a situation where research will help you as a manager to make a good decision.
> The problem definition stage is perhaps more critical in the research process than the problem solution stage”. Discuss this statement.
