Divergence: A Source of Creative Thinking The outstanding job accomplished by Bernard, Gary, and Gilles is really praiseworthy: not only did they succeed in completing within a remark ably short span of time the editing of the contributions to the conference that marked the 20th Anniversary of the European Institute for Ad vanced Studies in Management; they have also managed to elicit numerous insightful comments from a host of dashing young scholars as well as from the fortunate few established authorities whose findings have long be come leading articles in the best academic journals, who now chair those journals' editorial boards, and after whom great scientific awards have been named. In so doing, our dedicated triumvirate has blended together pieces of diverse research traditions-some of them quite puzzling-and mixed significantly differentiated styles of expression. The controversial display of self-confidence by some distinguished colleagues, the amazingly emo tional "good old" memories revived by their peers, the scapegoat-finding and moralizing confessions produced by some of their disciples together with the detached systematic rigidity of some others all combine to pro duce a multivarious patchwork that may well prove the existence of a marketing scholar lifecycle. This cartoon-like four-class typology might even make it worth the reader's while to indulge in some guesswork to discover the sequence of the four stages as an exercise and then partition the author population accordingly.

This is a practical and accessible, yet sophisticated introduction to interpretive methods for doing qualitative research projects and dissertations. Bringing together concepts of qualitative research from ethnography, phenomenology, critical discourse analysis, semiotics, literary analysis, postmodernism and poststructuralism this textbook offers an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the subject. Utilising a uniquely pragmatic approach, it bridges the gap between advanced, specialised books on research traditions with more general introductory business research books. This new edition has been fully updated to include new examples, explorations of the field, and an improved pedagogy with better exposition of key issues and concepts, as well as more schematics and diagrams to aid understanding. The first half of the book considers the practicalities of research and writing a research project, including the craft of academic writing, the critical literature review, the role of the independent research project as part of university courses, suggested projected structures, standards of academic scholarship, and the main techniques for gathering qualitative data. The book’s second half deals with abstract concepts and advanced theory by looking at key theoretical traditions that guide the interpretation of qualitative data. It is perfect for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of marketing, management, consumer behaviour and research methods. It will also be useful as a primer for practitioners in qualitative research.

Aimed at both graduate and undergraduate students majoring in business administration and in other fields of social sciences, Qualitative Marketing Research unpacks the emerging cultural approach in the field of marketing and consumer research and provides an interesting and informed study for anyone interested in cultural approaches to economic and social theory. The book also provides insights for MBA students and other business professionals who work in the field of marketing, advertising, media planning and qualitative market research, offering methodological resources for keeping professional skills up to date and help with designing and conducting relevant and skillful market research which is sensitive to the cultural dynamics of the marketplace behaviour.

This book presents both theoretical research methods and practical uses of qualitative consumer and marketing research in Asia, as well as approaches to research with extended viewpoints and case studies on the specific research practices, identifying the distinctive characteristics and conditions of the Asian market. Starting with an introduction and a rationale for qualitative consumer and marketing research, which discuss interpretive research perspectives and key qualitative research traditions underlying the research, it then elaborates on research design, formulating research directions, research questions, research methods, research validity and reliability, as well as research ethics. The book goes on to cover various key data-collection techniques, such as interviews, focus groups, observation and ethnography, online observation and netnography, and other alternative tools like projective techniques, autodriving and diaries. These include design of research setting (samples and sampling strategy, context, time) and research procedures (from entry to access and completion of the research project) with resources planning. In addition, the book also addresses data analysis and interpretation as well as presentation, dissemination, and sharing of research results through both academic and practical courses. Lastly, it derives key concepts by reviewing classic research traditions and methods together with academic and practical studies.

Outlining the key themes, concepts and theoretical areas in the field, this book draws on contributions from prominent researchers to unravel the complexities of consumer culture by looking at how it affects personal identity, social interactions and the consuming human being. A field which is characterised as being theoretically challenging is made accessible through learning features that include case study material, critical reflection, research directions, further reading and a broad mix of the types of consumers and consumption contexts including emerging markets and economies. The structure of the book is designed to help students map the field in the way it is interpreted by researchers and follows the conceptual mapping in the classic Arnould & Thompson 2005 journal article. The book is organised into three parts - the Consumption Identity, Marketplace Cultures and the Socio-Historic Patterning of Consumption. Insight is offered into both the historical roots of consumer culture and the everyday experiences of navigating the contemporary marketplace. The book is supported by a collection of international case studies and real world scenarios, including: How Fashion Bloggers Rule the Fashion World; the Kendall Jenner Pepsi Commercial; Professional Beer Pong, Military Recruiting Campaigns, The World Health Organization and the Corporatization of Education. The go-to text for anyone new to CCT or postgraduate students writing a CCT-related thesis.