Authenticity in Markets: Organizations, Principals and Audiences

Abstract

The proposed symposium would explore authenticity in markets from three very different angles---(1) that of organizations strategically positioning themselves as authentic and producing authentic goods and services, (2) that of the principals (individuals or groups) involved in the creating and maintenance of authenticity, and (3) that of consumers seeking, valuing and buying authenticity. Producers might be either organizations or principals; most prior research does not make the distinction, lumping both together conceptually. Combining the three angles and addressing cutting-edge research questions promises to make the symposium interesting and highly insightful. We expect the comparisons achieved by simply juxtaposing the papers will prove eye- opening to many. However, we will also be enlightened by formal discussion of the ideas and papers from noted organizational theorist Ezra Zuckerman as the discussant. The research presented at the symposium comes from a diverse array of contexts, including distilled spirits, fine dining, music and pop-up/underground food venues. The research at the symposium also uses a variety of different methodologies, in-depth interviews, including econometric analysis of archival data, surveys, experiments, and qualitative participant observation. Some papers contain more than one method or study.