This paper examines the legal conflict between a property owner’s right of control under Article 211 of the Civil Act and the exclusive right to use a trademark under Article 89 of the Trademark Act in the context of luxury goods refurbishment. It analyzes the extent to which the burgeoning refurbishment industry can be justified under the exhaustion doctrine or whether it infringes upon the essential function of a trademark as an indicator of source. This study evaluates whether refurbishment activities constitute “processing” (Article 259 of the Civil Act) or “substantial remanufacturing” under the Trademark Act. It critically reviews the lack of clear legal standards in the Supreme Court’s decision (2024Da311181), which denied infringement by characterizing refurbishments for personal use as private services. Furthermore, it argues that the Court’s interpretation adopts an unduly narrow view of post-sale confusion, thereby weakening the protection of the trademark owner’s inherent right of trademark affixation. As an original legal criterion for establishing the boundaries of illegality, this study proposes the “Original Trademark Limitation Doctrine.” This doctrine recognizes that modifying the shape of a product through refurbishment is a legitimate exercise of property rights within the scope of the exhaustion doctrine. However, it establishes an objective standard under which infringement arises only when the aggregate amount of trademark symbols is increased beyond its original level by affixing new trademarks or re-affixing trademarks from other products. In addition, this study proposes prospective guidelines for future judicial practice, including remand proceedings before the Patent Court. These guidelines recommend exempting liability for damages for past acts due to the absence of clear legal standards, while mandating the institutionalization of refurbishment labeling to ensure transparent transactions. Ultimately, this study aims to resolve past uncertainties and achieve a fair balance between trademark protection and consumer sovereignty.

Artificial intelligence-driven hyper-personalization has revolutionized marketing efficiency but simultaneously erodes consumer sovereignty through structural constraints on information exploration pathways. This study proposes the Information Foraging Autonomy Score (IFAS) - a novel metric operationalizing consumer decision autonomy within algorithmic recommendation ecosystems. Analysis draws from Cisco Consumer Privacy Survey 2024 (n=3,400 global consumers), Korea Consumer Commerce Association survey 2025-2026 (n=1,000 Korean consumers), EU Digital Services Act consumer impact study (n=2,300), and comparative firm cases including ZARA (SVD+RNN inventory optimization), Sephora Virtual Artist (AR personalization), and Coupang Rocket Membership (domestic subscription benchmark). A Difference-in-Differences model (n=1,247 matched pairs, 2024Q4-2026Q1) demonstrates subscription economies increase IFAS by +23.5 points (p<0.01) versus performance marketing environments. Key findings reveal hyper-personalization reduces choice autonomy by 30% through daily ad exposures exceeding 5,000 impressions (CTR decline -25%, brand avoidance +76%, privacy distrust 91%), while subscription models recover +40% autonomy at modest efficiency cost (ROAS 5.5x→4.9x). Performance marketing exhibits structural exploration suppression (IFAS=35), whereas subscription architectures occupy optimal Autonomy-Efficiency Matrix quadrant (IFAS=70, ROAS=4.9x). Korean food e-commerce applications demonstrate viability: regional specialty producers can implement "default box + 3 alternatives" structures maintaining diversity while leveraging subscription lock-in benefits. Theoretical contributions include IFAS framework extending information foraging theory to algorithmic marketing, practical Autonomy-Efficiency Matrix for strategy positioning, and Korea-specific PIPA/AI Basic Act 2026 compliance roadmap linking consumer rights (explanation/opt-out) to marketing KPIs. Findings challenge the personalization=utility paradigm, demonstrating autonomy preservation as long-term LTV prerequisite amid escalating privacy fatigue and regulatory pressures.

Amid the growing digital economy—where core sectors account for approximately 10% of China’s GDP in 2025—and increasing consumer influence, China’s film and music streaming industry grapples with content homogenization, pricing challenges, and ambiguous collaboration models. This study examines differentiation and pricing strategies within film streaming platforms, focusing on iQiyi and Tencent Video as primary cases. Employing a mixed-method approach that integrates Porter’s Five Forces Model, case analysis, and comparative data—supplemented by theories of two-sided markets and reputation—the research reveals a highly oligopolistic market structure. iQiyi and Tencent Video collectively control over 70% of market share, with significant entry barriers. Platforms utilize tiered memberships, bundled packages, and dynamic pricing, yet face persistent difficulties such as high user price sensitivity (39% of subscribers recently canceled plans) and recurrent “churn-and-return” behavior. The study concludes that effective pricing fences aligned with perceived value, optimized advertising exposure gradients, and compliance-aware strategic design can alleviate current industry pain points. These findings contribute to theoretical discourse on two-sided markets and offer practical insights for platform pricing and regulatory governance.

Truthful mechanism for task allocation with lowest revenue limit in spatial crowdsourcing

This study analyzes seven years of social media data, from December 2014 to December 2021, to empirically examine the motivations and emotions underlying participation in tourism boycotts. Keyword network analysis revealed core terms such as boycott, Japan, Korea, forced labor, export restrictions, economic retaliation, Lotte boycott, owner risk, Cho Hyun-ah, and Chairman Shin Dong-bin. These findings indicate that tourism boycotts are not simply cases of avoiding travel to a certain destination but are triggered by political and diplomatic conflicts, corporate misconduct, and historical events. Sentiment analysis further showed that positive emotions were associated with keywords such as good, recommend, expect, growth, best, whereas negative emotions were more often linked to rejection, fear, and anxiety rather than anger. In addition, CONCOR analysis categorized diverse motivational factors for boycott participation, including civic and patriotic motives, economic and policy-driven responses, consumer sovereignty, historical responsibility, and relational motivations. These results provide an important basis for expanding theoretical discussions on the social role of tourism and for deepening the academic understanding of consumer resistance behavior in the tourism context.

ABSTRACT This paper offers a theory-oriented, narrative review and conceptualisation of degrowth in the fields of sustainable marketing and consumer research. We trace how environmental concerns have been addressed across successive marketing approaches, showing how such initiatives remain tethered to the growth imperative. We then introduce the growth paradigm and synthesise three critiques levelled against it: the ecological limits, the diminishing social returns, and the postcolonial critique. Building on this, we conceptualise degrowth for marketing and articulate key thematic research areas in the field: demarketing and selective downscaling, sufficiency-oriented policy, consumer sovereignty and the culture of limits, plural post-growth imaginaries, and politically engaged scholarship. We conclude by highlighting the broader implications of a degrowth turn for rethinking the ideological foundations and normative assumptions of marketing.

Abstract With reference to Elon Musk’s FinTech strategy for X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, this essay critically interrogates the evolution of North American and European FinTech economies toward what is typically called ‘embedded finance’; that is, the technological integration of monetary and financial services into discrete social interactions and economic transactions by nonfinancial companies. We argue that embedded finance furthers the disappearance of FinTech as an evident market domain of technologically facilitated monetary and financial relations. Specialist FinTech startup intermediaries are receding into the background of an institutional and digital landscape shaped by strong monopolization tendencies. FinTech economies are increasingly dominated by major platform firms with the assistance of banks. Relatedly, FinTech services have become ubiquitous to the extent that they are taken for granted by people who are configured as platform users that are ripe for rent capture, rather than as sovereign consumers searching for products. The disappearance of FinTech should not be confused with its demise, however. Disappearance is the fullest expression of the transformative appearance of FinTech in people’s everyday monetary and financial lives over the last quarter century.

Abstract Co-creation has become a compelling concept in innovation involving companies and customers. Communication between companies and consumers is now seen as a central factor in the success of both existing and new products or services. Numerous studies have emphasized the importance of co-creation through active customer participation. In today's era of consumer sovereignty, social media platforms and corporate websites have become major enablers of user-generated content. This study explores customer co-creation through social media, using Coca-Cola's “Share a Coke” campaign as a case study. This campaign, recognized as one of the most iconic co-creation initiatives, was launched in several countries, including Indonesia. The research applies a qualitative method to examine how social media platforms facilitated the interaction between brand and consumer, allowing customers to become co-creators of value. In Indonesia, the campaign replaced the Coca-Cola logo on bottles with 70 popular local names, encouraging consumers to share their personalized experiences online. The study finds that co-creation in this campaign was driven not only by promotional incentives but also by emotional, social, and psychological motivations. It also highlights how digital marketing and social media have shifted power from companies to consumers, positioning the consumer as an active participant in branding and innovation.

This paper theorizes “bunkerization” as an organizing principle in American society that emerged after the atomic bombings of Japan and continues through contemporary crises. Bunkerization reconfigures domestic space as a defensive fortress through consumer choices, inverting Schmitt’s definition of sovereignty from “the sovereign is he who decides in the exception” to “the sovereign is he who is decided by the exception.” Three key arguments are advanced: (1) bunkerization explains how Americans oriented themselves post-1945 and manifests distinctively in American society; (2) bunkerized society transforms citizens into consumer-sovereigns managing personal micro-states while maintaining American identity; and (3) this consumer sovereignty fantasy reveals how America conceptualizes its katechontic function—restraining apocalypse while envisioning post-collapse futures. Bunkerization is critiqued as a neoliberal fantasy that individualizes collective threats, making them manageable through market choices rather than collective action, leaving citizens to purchase their way to an illusory safety.

This reflective piece presents a critical examination of consumer research and proposes a shift beyond the conventional consumer paradigm. Drawing from a decolonial queer phenomenological approach – to embrace cuir possibilities – we emphasise its potential to challenge power hierarchies and foreground the experiences of peripheral lives . We do so by reflecting upon the life story of Carolina, a domestic worker in Brazil, whose experiences serve as a lens to interrogate traditional notions of consumer agency and sovereignty. Our take reveals the limitations of existing consumer orientations, particularly in addressing power dynamics and structural inequalities. By disorienting ourselves from normative frameworks and reorienting towards the lived experiences of peripheral lives, without reducing them to an othered consumer , we propose a shift in consumption research – one that embraces the multiplicity of identities and experiences beyond the conventional consumer paradigm. One that embraces cuir possibilities. Through this dis/reorientation, we aim to open new opportunities for critical inquiry within the field, inviting scholars to challenge the dominant narratives and explore other possibilities in the study of consumer culture and the politics of consumption.

The development of network equipment and sensing technology has led to the increasing popularity of spatial crowdsourcing (SC). This paper addresses the spatial task allocation problem in the SC system, where workers perform spatial tasks allocated to them at the designated location. Existing studies typically focus on one worker who can only perform one task type at a time. Unfortunately, this approach significantly reduces the efficiency of workers’ output in practical applications. Hence, we propose a multi-type adaptability service model wherein a worker can simultaneously perform multiple types of tasks. Considering mutually exclusive task types, we propose a compatible allocation of task types. Furthermore, we propose a work capacity that enables a worker to perform multiple tasks simultaneously within the work capacity limits. An auction-based pricing model is proposed to provide scalable services and maximize the value of spatial tasks. We propose an efficient allocation mechanism and show that it achieves strategy-proof and group strategy-proof. In addition, the proposed mechanism achieves voluntary participation, individual rationality, consumer sovereignty, and budget balance. Moreover, the approximation of the proposed mechanism is analyzed. Finally, we use comprehensive simulations to verify the performance of the proposed mechanism.

Abstract There is no consensus on how to infer welfare from inconsistent choices. We argue that theorists must be explicit about the values they endorse to characterize individual welfare. After formalizing a set of values and their relationship with context-independent choices, we review the literature and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of each approach. We demonstrate that defining welfare a priori may violate normative individualism, arguably the most desirable value to maintain. To uphold this value while addressing individuals’ errors, we propose a weaker version of consumer sovereignty, which we label ‘consumer autonomy’.

This article discusses the development of lifestyle and value studies in the market research industry in relation to changing understandings of the consumer in late twentieth-century Sweden. It uses the analytical notion of the ‘sovereign consumer’ to argue that the market research industry both exploited and reinforced this perception of consumers through lifestyles as a means for categorisation. The analysis draws on material from the leading Swedish market research company at the time, Sifo, including its connections to the European industry. The results show how the industry sought to break up the supposedly homogenous postwar Swedish consumption landscape by constructing new consumer types that suited a more market-oriented society, and it was the confident, individualised consumer who sought self-fulfilment that was portrayed as the most attractive type. The article argues that the politics of marketing and advertising played an important part in shaping Swedish consumer culture during the market turn.

Abstract This paper reexamines the continued relevance of “consumer sovereignty” as first exposited by William Harold Hutt. As an economist who sat in the seat of Adam Smith, Hutt understood that the driving force of production in the market process is the discovery and satisfaction of consumption ends. The greater is the amount of this satisfaction, the greater is the amount of production. Under the conditions of exchange and production in anonymity, the only reliable source of information about how much satisfaction is generated by different production activities is market prices. Only insofar as consumers are sovereign– that is, only insofar as individuals as consumers are free to spend their incomes as they choose and businesses are free to compete as they choose for these expenditures– is there a flow of reliable information to guides businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, and workers to ‘produce’ in ways that are truly productive.

Abstract The digital transformation of media ecosystems, characterised by algorithmic curation, platform monopolies, and AI-generated content, poses unprecedented challenges to liberal democracies. This paper develops an updated ordoliberal framework to identify four systemic risks: (1) erosion of traditional media business models, (2) loss of consumer sovereignty in algorithm-driven environments, (3) market concentration among global tech platforms, and (4) geopolitical weaponisation of disinformation. Through the lens of Musgrave’s theory of merit goods, we argue that unregulated digital markets risk subverting media’s essential democratic functions as public informant and watchdog. Our policy framework proposes solutions at the European level, including structural separation of platform monopolies, AI transparency mandates and a truly unified internal market.

Objective: The objective of this study is to add value to previous studies on the effects of consumer protection in EU countries, over the time of Covid-19, and challenges to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), mainly Goal 12 on wise use and making of goods. Theoretical Framework: In this topic, the main concepts and theories that underpin the research are presented. The Consumer Sovereignty, the theory of consumption vulnerability and consumer protection theory are used, providing a solid basis for understanding the context of the investigation. Method: The methodology adopted for this research comprises a comparative analysis basing of literature of recent years and official documents produced by the EU and legal institutions. As a case study, we focused on countries as Germany and Italy. Results and Discussion: The results show that unlike Italy, the application of the directive has been more effective in Germany, especially in preventing problems in online sales. However, the debate converge on the effective enforcement of their rights, and this is particularly seen in cases involving cross-border purchases of goods and digital services. Research Implications: This study highlights the need for consumers to exercise their rights, enhance transparency, promote regulatory adaptability and cross-border cooperation, and align business practices with consumer rights to advance SDG 12 in the digital market. Originality/Value: The originality value of this paper is to identify the effectiveness of the applicability of Directive (EU) 2019/771 to the challenges faced by EU consumers due to the transformations into the digital market and its contribution to achieving the SDG objectives.

PurposeEthical issues surround and permanently reside in the discipline of marketing and have been examined within multiple schools of thought. However, despite the prevalence of the topic and significant scholarly attention and theoretical development since the 1980s, the Hunt–Vitell general model has not been subject to a substantial revision in decades. This paper aims to undertake the significant task of augmenting and advancing the general theoretical framework of marketing ethics through a number of revisions.Design/methodology/approachThis paper synthesizes the conceptual and empirical work on marketing ethics to date to extend the seminal Hunt and Vitell (1986, 2006) model of marketing ethics.FindingsThe revised model expands upon the Hunt–Vitell model by incorporating additional factors that influence ethical decision-making in marketing. Key additions include cultural orientation, socialization, individual characteristics (relativism, demographics, goals, position), means, contracts, consumer sovereignty, self-respect, respect from others and context. These additions create a more comprehensive framework for understanding ethical behavior in marketing, enhancing the model’s validity and applicability.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper offers numerous research avenues, including: 1. Examining how marketers and entrepreneurs make decisions, focusing on the alignment of their processes with ethical principles. 2. Revisiting research on gender and ethics, exploring the interplay of various social identities in ethical decision-making. 3. Developing new measures for personality traits like idealism and relativism within marketing and entrepreneurship contexts. 4. Investigating the impact of information availability and different types of information on consumer perceptions and ethical behavior. 5. Exploring the disconnect between ethical orientations of marketing managers and consumers. 6. Examining the influence of socialization processes on ethical orientations. 7. Incorporating psychological constructs like self-respect and desire for respect into models of ethical decision-making. 8. Conducting context-specific research to understand the relationship between ethical judgment and action. 9. Empirical testing using both vignettes and structural equation modeling to validate the model and explore its implications for both marketers and consumers, especially in the context of brand activism and public relations crises.Practical implicationsPractitioners should be mindful of how their actions and intentions influence ethical judgments. They should integrate ethical considerations into all aspects of business, including CSR initiatives and training. Promoting diversity and transparency fosters ethical decision-making and builds trust with consumers. Entrepreneurs should model ethical behavior, create an ethical culture and provide clear information about their practices.Social implicationsThe revised model highlights the significant social implications of ethical decision-making in marketing and entrepreneurship. By considering not only the outcomes but also the means used to achieve them, businesses can avoid negative impacts on society. This includes prioritizing transparency, fairness and responsible practices. Understanding the influence of cultural, individual and contextual factors on ethical behavior can lead to more ethical business practices, ultimately contributing to a more just and sustainable society.Originality/valueThe revised model constitutes a meaningful improvement to the seminal Hunt–Vitell general model of marketing ethics. Seven new research propositions, a simplified measurement model, research and practitioner implications and an Appendix that offers an overview of four decades of marketing ethics research are also provided.

In September 2025, the renowned Chinese restaurant chain Xibei became embroiled in a “pre-made food” accusation storm initiated by online opinion leader Luo Yonghao. The incident rapidly escalated from a personal consumer dispute into a nationwide public issue, profoundly touching upon societal sensitivities regarding food safety, business integrity, and consumer sovereignty. This study employs Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework to conduct an in-depth analysis of four core news reports surrounding this event. The analysis reveals that the discursive practice of this event was essentially a fierce contest among official technical definitions, corporate legitimacy defense, and consumer lived experience perceptions. At its core lies a structural power conflict between the efficiency logic pursued by capital and the value logic desired by consumers. This study aims, through systematic discourse deconstruction, to reveal the implicit power asymmetries and ideological manipulations in public communication, offering a new theoretical perspective and practical case for understanding consumer rights movements and corporate social responsibility discourse under China’s contemporary market economy.

The proliferation of information in the social media era, particularly the increased circulation of visual content, has emerged as a significant concern for contemporary society. The study focuses on analysing the communication characteristics and expressions of visual information in social media platforms, and on analysing its impact on consumers. This analysis posits that visual information exerts a multifaceted influence on consumers, encompassing aspects such as attention, information memory, emotional arousal and empathy, behavioural intention and decision-making drive, brand awareness, and attitude change. Nevertheless, such a high level of visual stimulation has been shown to engender a number of undesirable consequences, including, but not limited to, cognitive bias, consumption anxiety, aesthetic fatigue and impact on self-identity. The present paper proposes a framework for the ‘reconstruction of consumer sovereignty’, which is predicated on the following three tenets: the improvement of consumers’ media literacy, the strengthening of platforms’ responsibility, and the establishment of norms for the use of visual information. The purpose of this proposed framework is to assist consumers in their right to know and their right to choose, and to enable more autonomous consumption decisions in the visual information-driven social media environment.

Russian football is currently excluded from international competitions as a political sanction due to the military conflict. Despite this, matches in the national football leagues are continuing, and fans still attend professional football matches in the Russian Premier League (RPL). As fans’ attitudes toward aspects of Russian football governance are largely unexplored, the question arises how fans evaluate the governance of the Russian Premier League. Therefore, this article presents evidence from the first large survey of RPL supporters (N = 4,090) with a focus on consumer culture and requests for reforms of the RPL. The regression results reveal an attitudinal pattern toward the governance of the RPL in line with recent findings on Chinese football fans, which may be characterized as a post-socialist fan culture restricted by an authoritarian league governance. Hence, unlike European fans, Russian supporters associate more consumer sovereignty with commercialization because they mistrust the politicization of the RPL.