Gift-giving is an economically significant area of consumer behavior. For we are constantly buy gifts: for Christmas and Mother’s Day, for birth and baptism, for the start of school and exams, for engagements and weddings, for birthdays or as souvenirs. Moreover, gift-giving is a very important psychological phenomenon, based on voluntariness, but also representing a duty and requiring compliance with rules. Thus, gift giving is by no means always associated with joy, but also with stress in the search for a perfect gift and disappointment when gifts fail. The book presents central results of psychological research on gift-giving. These provide answers to the following questions, among others: What ‘secret’ rules of giving and receiving do we follow? What messages do we send with our gifts? How do certain characteristics - such as the amount of the price or empathy - influence satisfaction with a Gift-giving is an economically significant area of consumer behavior. For we are constantly buy gifts: for Christmas and Mother’s Day, for birth and baptism, for the start of school and exams, for engagements and weddings, for birthdays or as souvenirs. Moreover, gift-giving is a very important psychological phenomenon, based on voluntariness, but also representing a duty and requiring compliance with rules. Thus, gift giving is by no means always associated with joy, but also with stress in the search for a perfect gift and disappointment when gifts fail. The book presents central results of psychological research on gift-giving. These provide answers to the following questions, among others: · What ‘secret’ rules of giving and receiving do we follow? · What messages do we send with our gifts? · How do certain characteristics - such as the amount of the price or empathy - influence satisfaction with a gift? · What mistakes should we avoid when giving gifts in romantic relationships? · When is a monetary gift appropriate and when is it not? The Author Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. em. Bernd Stauss held the Chair of Service Management at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. What mistakes should we avoid when giving gifts in romantic relationships? When is a monetary gift appropriate and when is it not? The presentation of psychological gift-giving research is supplemented by references to gift-giving episodes in fiction by authors such as Paul Auster, Jonathan Franzen, Margaret Mitchell, and Thomas Mann. These illustrate the scientific findings and allow us to emotionally comprehend the experience of giving and receiving. The Author Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. em. Bernd Stauss held the Chair of Service Management at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.

First published in 1990. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Does it feel like you work in a "red ocean filled with sharks?" Eat or be eaten. Fierce competition. Continual battling over scarce resources. What if there was another path? What if you could create your own blue oasis where profits are higher, marketing is as natural as breathing, and competition is nearly nonexistent? This nirvana can be a reality when you practice the principles of Giftology. In this unusual un-marketing resource you'll discover... *Why Giftology isn't an expense...it's an investment that can pay off with huge dividends. *How to practice Giftology on a tight budget... it's easy and very effective. *How Giftology turns existing clients into your best salespeople. *Why (and how) gifts with a relatively low value can trump something expensive. *When is the best time to send gifts? (The answer may surprise you.) *How to unleash a "Referral Factory," a small army of influencers vouching for you--no gimmicks, no catches. *Find out how Giftology can transform your supply chain. *The ten worst gifts... definitely avoid these. (This info's available in the expanded bonus resource. Just click the link inside! It's my gift to you.) The average person is hit with at least thirty thousand messages a day, courtesy of that "red ocean filled with sharks." Giftology neutralizes that deadly philosophy and equips you with every tool you need to make your message a priority. Every time. Get your copy today!

Marriage should be based on love, right? But does it seem as though you and your spouse are speaking two different languages? #1 New York Times bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman guides couples in identifying, understanding, and speaking their spouse's primary love language-quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch. By learning the five love languages, you and your spouse will discover your unique love languages and learn practical steps in truly loving each other. Chapters are categorized by love language for easy reference, and each one ends with simple steps to express a specific language to your spouse and guide your marriage in the right direction. A newly designed love languages assessment will help you understand and strengthen your relationship. You can build a lasting, loving marriage together. Gary Chapman hosts a nationally syndicated daily radio program called A Love Language Minute that can be heard on more than 150 radio stations as well as the weekly syndicated program Building Relationships with Gary Chapman, which can both be heard on fivelovelanguages.com. The Five Love Languages is a consistent New York Times bestseller - with over 5 million copies sold and translated into 38 languages. This book is a sales phenomenon, with each year outselling the prior for 16 years running!

Economist Joel Waldfogel illustrates how our consumer spending generates vast amounts of economic waste--to the shocking tune of $85 billion each winter. He provides solid explanations to show us why it's time to stop the madness and think twice before buying gifts for the holidays. Gift giving is different than shopping for our own needs: we make less-informed choices, max out on credit to buy gifts worth less than the money spent, and leave recipients less than satisfied, creating what Waldfogel calls "deadweight loss." And this waste isn't confined to Americans--most major economies share in this orgy of wealth destruction. While recognizing the difficulties of altering current trends, he offers viable alternatives. By reprioritizing our gift-giving habits, Scroogenomics proves that we can still maintain the economy without gouging our wallets, and reclaim the true spirit of the holiday season.--From publisher description.

What moves us to give gifts to other people? The Gift brings together perspectives on gift exchange and reciprocity from different social scientific disciplines. The first part of this book contains anthropological and sociological 'classics' on gift giving and reciprocity. In the second part the focus is on social psychological theories, and on empirical research on gift giving in Western society. Finally, the main concepts underlying gift exchange - reciprocity, self-interest and altruism - are discussed. Here, the focus is on fundamental assumptions about human nature. Altruism and self-interest turn out to be much more interwoven than we are inclined to think.

This book decodes the ambivalence of gift-giving. It examines its socio-ethical and integrative potential. Following a short recollection of contemporary gift-giving, its motives, occasions and its rules, the reader is invited to travel back in time and space examining ′sacrifice′, ′food-sharing′, and ′gift giving′ as those basic institutions upon which symbolic orders of ′traditional′ society rely. The historical invention of hospitality is considered and paves the way to an analysis of the anthropology of giving. Berking goes on to explore the transition from traditional society to the market, self interest form. He questions the view that our societies are dominated by individualism and explores the contemporary interplay between self interest and the common good.