College of Business Administration Faculty Publications

Being Critical in Marketing Studies: The Imperative of Macro Perspectives

Nikhilesh Dholakia — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:18:39 PST

In this article, I argue that an elevated macro-level perspective is imperative for conducting critical studies in the fields of marketing and consumer research. There are epistemic barriers to operating in this manner, and I offer several suggestions for overcoming these barriers. Finally, I review the research spaces for critical studies of marketing in various global settings and conclude that United Kingdom and Nordic Europe have the best epistemic climate, and this region needs to take leadership in promoting greater range of macro and critical studies of marketing in the rest of the world.

Finanzkapital and Consumers: How Financialization Shaped Twentieth Century Marketing

Nikhilesh Dholakia — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:02:09 PST

Purpose – By tracing the history of the links of financialization to consumer behaviors and marketer actions in the twentieth century, this paper aims to show that consumer market phenomena are often shaped by the imperatives of finance.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs selective historical overviews, mainly focusing on the USA, of four tranches of the past century: the run up to the Great Depression; from post-Depression to the Second World War; the post-Second World War Bretton Woods system and its collapse in the 1970s; and the increasingly risk-charged last three post-Bretton Woods decades of the twentieth century.

Findings – The historical review shows that the financial sector's interest in profiting from consumer markets emerged and grew fairly early in the twentieth century, experienced some slowdown and forced retrenchment due to the military-industrial build up prior to and during the Second World War, and re-accelerated in the post-Second World War period – reaching an unsustainable risky zenith by the closing years of the century.

Practical implications – Findings and arguments from this paper can be of value to citizen and consumer advocates seeking to bringFinanzkapital activities under popular and democratic control.

Social implications – Insights from this paper should motivate us to study in greater depth how established and seemingly autonomous consumer and marketer behaviors, in the ultimate, may be guided by, and have to conform to, the dictates of financial capital.

Originality/value – The main contribution of this paper is an elaboration of how financial capitalism has shaped consumption styles and marketing practices in the last century.

Borderless Bits: Electronic Globalization and its Social Consequences

Nikhilesh Dholakia — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:47:15 PST

Finanzkapital in the Twenty-First Century

Nikhilesh Dholakia — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:34:19 PST

Purpose – Drawing inspiration from the 1910 book Finanzkapital by Rudolf Hilferding, this paper seeks to explore the nature of financial capital in the early twenty-first century from a political-economic and culture theory perspective. It aims to offer suggestions for transcending the crises-prone contemporary economic systems.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper reconceptualises the notions of Finanzkapital in the contemporary context, drawing selective evidence from current and twentieth century economic and business history.

Findings – The nature of contemporaneous Finanzkapital is elaborated by presenting seven “theses” that probe the nature of Finanzkapital prior to, during, and after the Great Recession of 2007-9.

Originality/value – Through succinct articulation of the major characteristics of contemporary Finanzkapital, the paper suggests some ways to resist and transcend politico-economic and business systems based on massive but quicksand-like foundations of financial capital.

Bringing the Market to Life: Screen Aesthetics and the Epistemic Consumption Object

Detlev Zwick et al. — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:02:42 PST

This article argues that the new ‘visuality’ (Schroeder, 2002) of the Internet transforms the stock market into an epistemic consumption object. The aesthetics of the screen turn the market into an interactive and response-present surface representation. On the computer screen, the market becomes an object of constant movement and variation, changing direction and altering appearance at any time. Following Knorr Cetina (1997, 2002b) we argue that the visual logic of the screen ‘opens up’ the market ontologically. The ontological liquidity of the market-on-screen simulates the indefiniteness of other life forms. We suggest that the continuing fascination with online investing is a function of the reflexive looping of the investor, who aspires to discern what the market is lacking, through the market-on-screen that continuously signals to the investor what it still lacks. Implications for existing theories on relationships and involvement are discussed.

India’s Emerging Retail Systems: Coexistence of Tradition and Modernity

Nikhilesh Dholakia et al. — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:47:15 PST

India’s retailing sector is expected to remain in a transition spiral for the foreseeable future. Because of India’s unique context—in terms of history, regulation, institutions, demographics, geography, and traditions—available theories of retail evolution have limited applicability to the retail situation in India. Drawing from the literature, as well as from empirical research and practical experiences of over a decade, this article presents a conceptual frame for understanding the retail sector of India and the likely future trajectory of this sector.

The Epistemic Consumption Object and Postsocial Consumption: Expanding Consumer‐Object Theory in Consumer Research

Detlev Zwick et al. — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:20:51 PST

We introduce the concept of the epistemic consumption object. Such consumption objects are characterized by two interrelated features. First, epistemic consumption objects reveal themselves progressively through interaction, observation, use, examination, and evaluation. Such layered revelation is accompanied by an increasing rather than a decline of the object’s complexity. Second, such objects demonstrate a propensity to change their “face‐in‐action” vis‐à‐vis consumers through the continuous addition or subtraction of properties. The epistemic consumption object is materially elusive and this lack of ontological stability turns the object into a continuous knowledge project for consumers. Via this ongoing cycle of revelation and discovery, consumers become attached to the object in intimate and quasi‐social ways. Therefore, the concept of the epistemic consumption object brings the “object” directly into theorizations of consumer‐object relations, extending current theories of relationship, product involvement, and consumption communities. We draw from research with individual online investors to illustrate the theory of the epistemic consumption object.

Cultural Contradictions of the Anytime, Anywhere Economy: Reframing Communication Technology

Nikhilesh Dholakia et al. — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:43:05 PST

Technology-aided ubiquity and instantaneity have emerged as major goals of most information technology providers and of certain classes of users such as “road warriors”. New mobile technologies promise genie-in-a-bottle type near-magical qualities with anytime, anywhere access to information and services. While the complex science, systems, and economics of such technologies receive considerable attention from industry executives and researchers, the social and cultural aspects of these technologies attract less attention. This paper explores the oft-contradictory promises and pitfalls of anytime, anywhere technologies from a cultural standpoint. It makes suggestions for reinterpreting these technologies for greater human good.

Consumer Subjectivity in the Age of Internet: The Radical Concept of Marketing Control Through Customer Relationship Management

Detlev Zwick et al. — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:24:16 PST

In this paper, we present a poststructuralist analysis of customer database technology. This approach allows us to regard customer databases as configurations of language that produce new and significant discursive effects. In particular, we focus on the role of databases and related technologies such as customer relationship management (CRM) in the discursive construction of both customers and customer relationships. First, we argue that organizations become the authors of customer identities, using the language of the database to configure customer representation. From this perspective, we can see the radical innovation that the customer database brings to the organizational construction of its market: the emergence of the individualized customer. The cultural novelty of the database—ignored by instrumental analyses of information technology—also requires a theoretical reconceptualization of the notion of virtual identity. Against existing positions, we posit a non-essentialist theory of virtual identity where the subject is constituted outside the immediacy of consciousness and thus emerges as the result of the technological and linguistic context in which it was produced. Second, we take our analysis of the discursive construction of the customer further by proposing that the emergence of the individualized customer was the prerequisite of the social construction of CRM as one-on-one affair between the customer and the organization. We suggest that this is a limited and limiting understanding of the concept of customer relationships especially if the one-on-one relationship is placed in a computer-mediated environment (CME). By mobilizing theories of play developed in the fields of human–computer interaction and consumer research, we propose that organizations would benefit from opening up the current discourse on CRM to include relationships between customers, customers and non-customers, and customers and the virtual organization.

Mobility and Markets: Emerging Outlines of M-commerce

Ruby Roy Dholakia et al. — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:27:19 PST

Mobile commerce—or m-commerce—is characterized by the emerging class of location-based commercial services delivered by a variety of handheld terminals such as mobile phones and palmtop devices. At the Conference on Telecommunications and Information Markets (COTIM)-2001, an international conference held in Karlsruhe, Germany, academic researchers and business practitioners shared their experiences and frameworks about m-commerce. Selected papers based on COTIM-2001 presentations are included in this Special Issue. This paper introduces the preconditions that led to the emergence of m-commerce, the main dimensions of m-commerce that distinguish it from e-commerce, and the key arguments from the contributions on m-commerce in this Special Issue of the Journal of Business Research.

Disney: Delights and Doubts

Nikhilesh Dholakia et al. — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:25:51 PST

Disney and its spectacularly successful theme parks are analyzed through the lens of its consumers. We focus on how Disney manages the consumption experience and discuss Disney strategies from several perspectives. Disney provides a paradigm for contemporary consumption. A framework is presented to understand consumption in Disney and Disneyesque settings. Finally, we offer cautions and critiques regarding such strategies-a guide for the informed consumer.

E-Commerce Patterns in South Asia: A Look Beyond Economics

Nir Kshetri et al. — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:53:26 PST

Conflicting and complex forces are shaping the diffusion patterns of the Internet and e-commerce in South Asia. Drawing upon the literature on institutional theory, we explore the drivers and inhibitors of the Internet in South Asian countries. We examine the influence of the three pillars of institutions (Scott, 1995) on the digital world of South Asia. The paper discusses how regulatory, normative, and cognitive institution–such as laws, relationships, culture, and habit–have shaped the diffusion patterns of the Internet and e-commerce in South Asia.

Hype, Hope, and Hit in Movies: A Contribution to the Metatheory of Bubbles

Nikhilesh Dholakia et al. — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:40:23 PST

Professional and Trade Associations in a Nascent and Formative Sector of a Developing Economy: A Case Study of the NASSCOM Effect on the Indian Offshoring Industry

Nir Kshetri et al. — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:15:48 PST

As important sources that shape institutional structures in an economy, professional and trade associations play significant roles in bringing and legitimating institutional changes. This paper examines the roles of professional and trade associations' impacts on institutions associated with a nascent and formative sector of a developing economy. In empirical terms, the paper offers an in-depth case study of India's National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) on institutional changes related to the offshoring industry. The NASSCOM case shows that under appropriate conditions, professional and trade associations represent an alternative to the state in shaping the industry landscape.

Some Underpinnings For A Radical Theory of Consumption

Nikhilesh Dholakia — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:51:08 PST

Observing the existence of radical streams in the parent disciplines of consumer behavior, this paper examines the extent to which consumer research satisfies the requirements of radicalness. It is found that a radical theory of consumption is viable. Some substantive directions for such a theory are suggested.

Observations on Observation in India's Dynamic Urban Markets

Nikhilesh Dholakia et al. — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:33:39 PST

Urban India is witnessing a rapid revolution in its commercial retail spaces. These transforming commercial landscapes constitute a rich arena for qualitative research using, among others, observational methods. In this paper, we present observations about the changing urban retail scene of India. We provide emergent themes that we have already found in observations so far, and also reflect on the challenges of carrying out such observations in the Indian context.

Novos Serviços de Informação e Comunicação: Um Quadro de Referência Estratégico

Nikhilesh Dholakia et al. — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:18:40 PST

From the late 1960s onwards, the range of information and communication services available to residential consumers and business users in the technologically advanced nations has been growing. The future of information services will depend on the strategic and structural interactions of firms specializing in content, conduits and components.

Privacy and Consumer Agency in the Information Age: Between Prying Profilers and Preening Webcams

Nikhilesh Dholakia et al. — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 07:36:24 PST

This article is about the ability of the consumer to control his or her destiny in the new electronic marketspace. Two seemingly opposite phenomena – the need for privacy and the desire for exhibitionism and voyeurism – are vying for attention on the media landscape. We believe the simultaneous occurrence of privacy concerns and ultraexhibitionism is not coincidental. Indeed, exhibitionism and voyeurism seem to offer new tools for consumer resistance against the electronic surveillance systems in networked markets and are inextricably linked to consumers’ desire for control over their intimate personal information.

National Sources of Leadership in 3G M-Business Applications: A Framework and Evidence from Three Global Regions

Mark Lehrer et al. — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 06:53:24 PST

Countries such as Finland and Sweden have exhibited long-established patterns of leadership in mobile telecommunications in general, while Japan's NTT DoCoMo represents an early national-level exemplar of a major m-commerce business system. The task of identifying and profiling the types of national leadership patterns likely to prevail in 3G wireless networks of Europe, Asia, and elsewhere, however, is a challenging one. This is because new technological and other forces are coming into play in the post-GSM world. In this paper, we present a framework and some evidence to show the potential national leadership patterns in 3G mbusiness applications in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Latin America.

Mobile Technologies and Boundaryless Spaces: Slavish Lifestyles, Seductive Meanderings, or Creative Empowerment?

Nikhilesh Dholakia et al. — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 10:51:11 PST

According to the instrumental theory of technology, mobile technologies - what McLuhan's refers to as electronic prostheses - promise opportunities for greater freedom, creativity, leisure, and productivity by enhancing organic bodily functions. Correspondingly, as (Cavallaro, 2000) would argue, objects such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable physiotherapy units, laptops, and portable stereos - to name just a few - seem to impart a sense of solidity to consumers' lives. Just like prostheses, they are inserted into our everyday lives, helping our "inadequate" bodies along in fulfilling practical tasks. Phenomenologically, these kinds of mobile technologies supposedly support the subject's sense of ontological completeness and security. On the other hand the substantial theory of technology draws together less optimistic commentators. Among a host of other things, they stress the "panoptic" nature of new information and communication technologies (Clarke, 1994; Marx, 1999; Poster, 1995; Webster, 1995). The emphasis in these accounts is on the potential for surveillance and monitoring that these technologies place in the hands of the powerful. Mobile technologies according to this view is but the latest incarnation of capitalist (the Marxist view) or state (the libertarian view) power and control fantasies. Far from empowered and freed, the subject becomes captured and enslaved by these mobile communication devices. Phenomenologically, the networked worker and consumer subject is the disciplined and docile slave of the information matrix.