Transnational Consumer Research Articles

Transnational Market Navigation: Living and Consuming across Borders

Abstract Prior research has investigated global mobility through the lenses of consumer acculturation, identity, and possessions with a focus on consumers’ socialization and identity management in the host consumer culture. It has neglected, however, the ways that globally mobile consumers simultaneously navigate the multiple, cross-border markets in which they are embedded. We adopt the social network perspective to investigate the transnational consumer lifestyles of people who live and consume simultaneously in two or more countries and sustain multiple relationships of a diverse nature (e.g., market, social, financial, professional) across borders. Through a qualitative study, we dimensionalize the transnational social space inhabited by transnational consumers and demonstrate how it shapes their consumption. We introduce the concept of transnational market navigation, defined as the process of strategically and pragmatically selecting and leveraging social networks to engage simultaneously with multiple cross-border markets. We identify three transnational market navigation strategies: clustering consumption, embracing commercial lock-ins, and developing cluster-based competency. By mobilizing a network perspective to examine consumption in global mobility, we show that globally mobile consumers are also motivated by ways of being (the actual social and commercial relationships and consumption practices with which consumers engage), in addition to the identities associated with their consumption.

From Korea to the world: women’s role as peer-leaders in K-pop transnational online brand communities

ABSTRACT Focusing on online brand communities (OBCs) centred around K-pop music consumption, this study explores the influential role of women as peer-leaders. By analysing data from Twitter using social network analysis (SNA) and sentiment analysis techniques, we observe that (1) OBCs naturally form transnational consumer segments, (2) where peer leadership emerges organically, and (3) women often occupy these leadership positions due to their social capital and engagement in relevant conversation topics. This study contributes to demonstrating the increasing empowerment of women in a realm that has long been criticized for its portrayal of gender-related issues.

Data Trafficking and the International Risks of Surveillance Capitalism: The Case of Grindr and China

This article offers a framework to discuss when a community’s data is moved abroad without their informed consent, a practice I term data trafficking. I analyze Grindr, an LGBTQIA+ dating platform that has changed hands between China and the United States to demonstrate what data trafficking is, how it undermines national sovereignty, and how it erodes human rights. In the United States, corporate policies are the leading indicator for data governance practices, influencing a system known as multi-stakeholderism. In China, forced localization to government servers drives data governance practices. This article extends how we think about transnational consumer data security by examining how weak data security designed to support the growth of Silicon Valley firms amplifies the capacity of extra-territorial data governance practices asserted by the Chinese government.

The fetish economy of sex and gender activism: transnational appropriation and allyship

This article examines what happens when local gender rights activism is taken up by international allies and appropriators, using case studies of activism in Saudi Arabia and India. The relationship between local and transnational activists is shaped by histories of Euro-Americans writing about the gendered organisation of Eastern societies. In an economic system where nongovernmental activist groups compete for donor support, political causes are commodities with value, and value is generated through representations (e.g. of patriarchal oppression). These representations of the sexuality and gender organisation of other societies are fetishes in the Marxian sense, essential to the commodity-cause that generates value in circulation. These representations gain value through the accretion of cultural images and texts that adhere to the cause, e.g. the stereotype of the violent brown man and oppressed woman. Such images in the cultural repository allow transnational consumers to make sense of issues they are called to support. But such images also reify stereotypes that activists seek to undermine, even at the same time that these representations generate an international audience. We analyse this process and identify strategies for how transnational allies can show solidarity without overshadowing or devaluing the voices of local activists, with primary focus on the case of activism against male guardianship laws in Saudi Arabia.

Transnational Consumer Protection in E-Commerce

This article deals with the protection of consumers when they enter e-commerce transactions with foreign companies. Most states reacted to the growing importance of e-commerce by enacting data protection and consumer protection legislation and by requiring registration of e-businesses. Companies have found a way to circumvent the consumer legislation by offering the consumers to agree to a choice of foreign courts and laws which are included in their terms and conditions. Consumers give away the protection of their home state simply by clicking to accept the general terms and conditions on the company’s website. The purpose of this article is to examine if the solutions and the experience from the United States and the European Union could serve as a model for transnational protection of consumers in e-commerce. The authors discuss the different levels of protection offered in the United States and the European Union and consider unification of the standards by a multilateral convention.

Dancing the Butterfly: Trans-Caribbean Cultural Consumption in Special Period Cuba

This paper takes as its starting point memories of an encounter which saw a Jamaican dancehall queen perform on a locally produced television show in Santiago de Cuba at the height of the Special Period economic crisis. I propose that this encounter was a harbinger of subsequent experiences of popular culture consumption in contemporary Cuba, while also drawing from histories of regional connection that placed Santiago de Cuba in a constellation of trans-Caribbean exchanges. The moment shows how, during the Special Period crisis, media producers sought new paths through which to navigate the technological challenges of making television amidst material shortages, and in doing so created new imaginaries of a transnational consumer culture which featured (specific and appropriate) newly built spaces of leisure and distinctive brands of consumption. The television broadcast was a consciously crafted mediation of emerging consumer cultures that at once repudiated and represented the everyday experience of Cuban society as rooted in crisis, scarcity, and socialist taste hierarchies.

Women’s food work, food citizenship, & transnational consumer capitalism: a case study of a feminist food cooperative in South Korea

ABSTRACT This article joins studies of food citizenship and feminist food studies to examine complex ways in which women’s food work as domestic carework is connected to food citizenship in the context of transnational consumer capitalism. It defines food citizenship as practices of rights and responsibilities tied to food consumption. Specifically, drawing upon qualitative research spanning over a decade, it focuses on a feminist food cooperative (coop) in South Korea which experimented with food consumption as a vehicle for broader social change. Reflecting the mainstreaming of alternative food movements in the global North, this study contributes to feminist critique of the discourse of food citizenship in three ways. First, women’s food work, as a key feature of the gendered social organization of food production and consumption, does not automatically lead to food citizenship in the context of transnational capitalism; its development necessitates tapping on women’s desire for broader social recognition and connection. Second, a potential for women’s food citizenship is caught between the capitalism that is deeply fragmenting and individualizing and the coop’s goal of promoting local and deterritorialized solidarity. Finally, the study highlights the centrality of larger social and political contexts to the transformation of consumption.

Shin-Ōkubo as a feminine ‘K-pop space’: gendering the geography of consumption of K-pop in Japan

Studies of the global spread of South Korean popular culture have often neglected the role that space plays in this transnational fandom and consumer culture. Explicitly exploring the geography of Korean popular culture consumption in Japan, this article draws upon a walking ethnography of Tokyo's ‘Koreatown’ of Shin-Ōkubo and interviews with selected consumers to reveal how ‘K-pop spaces’ within Japan have become tied to young women's consumer culture. We argue that spaces of K-pop promotion and consumption within Tokyo are inherently ‘feminised’ due to their linkage to pre-established promotional strategies in consumer districts specifically targeting young women. Through an ethnography of Shin-Ōkubo and interviews with K-pop fans who regularly visit this district, we further reveal how this ‘ethnic enclave’ has been reconfigured as another ‘feminised’ consumer space that caters to particular behaviours and attitudes based in K-pop fandom. Overall, this article charts the emergence of ‘feminine’ consumer spaces in Tokyo and interrogates how the ethnic enclave of Shin-Ōkubo has transformed into a gendered space tied to Japanese K-pop fandom.

The Concept of Transnational Consumer Law in the Modern World

The article is devoted to the analysis of changes that have taken place in the regulation of cross-border contractual relations with the participation of consumers in connection with the development of information and telecommunication technologies and e-commerce. The author examines the concept of «transnational online contract» and the influence of a «digital element» on the characteristics of contractual relations. Also, the paper provides for the classification of online contracts with due regard to: 1) the subject matter of the online contract; 2) characteristics of the parties involved in the online contractual relationship; 3) the process of concluding and executing the online contract.Attention is drawn to the fact that new methods of conclusion of contracts has predetermined the emergence of new approaches to qualification of certain aspects of contractual relations between the parties, in particular, it concerns determining the moment of contract conclusion, distinguishing between offer and invitation to offer in online interaction, assessing the validity of online contracts and dispute resolution mechanisms online.The article analyzes the impact of globalization of trade on consumer markets, mechanisms of regulation of transnational consumer relations in the context of e-commerce. It is noted that globalization of trade has pointed to the need to develop a transnational approach to the regulation of e-commerce, to unify and harmonize relevant legal instruments. The author examines the steps taken in this direction within the framework of UNCITRAL, the EU, by the representatives of American business. It is concluded that the US policy concerning consumer protection is aimed at implementation of economic interests of business, which promotes competition and commercial prosperity in the market, but at the same time puts consumers at risk when concluding online contracts. This approach runs counter to the EU policies that promote implementation of social regulation in order to maximize consumer protection.The authors consider Lex mercatoria as a separate source of transnational consumer law.

Manhattan's Koreatown as a Transclave: The Emergence of a New Ethnic Enclave in a Global City

This article critically challenges scholarship on ethnic enclaves, from Chicago School scholars to the ethnic enclave debates of the 1980s and 1990s, and introduces a new type of ethnic enclave in an era of globalization: the “transclave.” By using Manhattan's Koreatown as a case study, I define transclave as a commercialized ethnic space that exists exclusively for consumption, leisure, and entertainment, differentiating itself from traditional ethnic enclaves that offer housing and jobs for newer immigrants. Instead, transclaves are spaces where transnational consumer culture and brands from sending nations are transferred to, negotiated with, and anchored in a geographic space in a global city, and shape the landscape of that space. Based on archival research, in–depth interviews, and participant observation, this article investigates how and why Koreatown serves as an intersection of where Korea's political, economic, and sociocultural influences meet New York City's diverse cosmopolitan mosaic and tourism industry.

Why do they boycott? Withholding consumption among London's Muslim Arabs

Many studies discussed consumers boycott in various contexts but they all agreed that it constitutes an undesirable behaviour from business firms' perspective. Consumer's buying and boycotting behaviour is influenced by various factors. Limited studies focused on consumer boycott from transnational consumers prospective. The current study examines the boycotting behaviour of London Arabs and the factors that influence it. An online survey was used for data collection. Four key measures adapted from the literature were used in this research and multiple regressions were applied to examine the factors influencing boycotting behaviour. The study found that London Arabs boycotting behaviour is characterised by their demographics, religion, transnationality and social capital. This paper offers an empirically tested foundation for understanding the boycotting behaviours of this largely uncharted segment of consumers. It is the first study that examines this transnational segment's boycotting behaviour where transnationality and connectedness are proven to be powerful factors in influencing boycotting behaviour.

The influence of transnationality on consumers boycotting behaviour

A considerable percentage of business organisations are boycotted by consumers. Boycotting has a long term impact on brand loyalty. Increasing mobility and connectedness across borders are markers of the globalisation today. Similar to organisations exploring business prospects overseas, a growing number of consumers are pursuing a life outside their native lands too. These are what we call transnational consumers. This study focuses on boycotting behaviour and the impact of transnationality among Arab consumers in London. Consumer boycotts create turbulence times for targeted firms. This study involves a questionnaire survey with 537 individuals carried out in London. It takes the 2006 Danish products boycott as a reference point to measure the participation and reaction to it. Boycotting behaviour is characterised by consumer's demographic, religiosity, and social capital as indicated in the literature. However, by using factor analysis we have also found that transnationality impacted on boycotting behaviour.

The influence of transnationality on consumers boycotting behaviour

A considerable percentage of business organisations are boycotted by consumers. Boycotting has a long term impact on brand loyalty. Increasing mobility and connectedness across borders are markers of the globalisation today. Similar to organisations exploring business prospects overseas, a growing number of consumers are pursuing a life outside their native lands too. These are what we call transnational consumers. This study focuses on boycotting behaviour and the impact of transnationality among Arab consumers in London. Consumer boycotts create turbulence times for targeted firms. This study involves a questionnaire survey with 537 individuals carried out in London. It takes the 2006 Danish products boycott as a reference point to measure the participation and reaction to it. Boycotting behaviour is characterised by consumer's demographic, religiosity, and social capital as indicated in the literature. However, by using factor analysis we have also found that transnationality impacted on boycotting behaviour.

Why do they boycott? Withholding consumption among London's Muslim Arabs

Many studies discussed consumers boycott in various contexts but they all agreed that it constitutes an undesirable behaviour from business firms' perspective. Consumer's buying and boycotting behaviour is influenced by various factors. Limited studies focused on consumer boycott from transnational consumers prospective. The current study examines the boycotting behaviour of London Arabs and the factors that influence it. An online survey was used for data collection. Four key measures adapted from the literature were used in this research and multiple regressions were applied to examine the factors influencing boycotting behaviour. The study found that London Arabs boycotting behaviour is characterised by their demographics, religion, transnationality and social capital. This paper offers an empirically tested foundation for understanding the boycotting behaviours of this largely uncharted segment of consumers. It is the first study that examines this transnational segment's boycotting behaviour where transnationality and connectedness are proven to be powerful factors in influencing boycotting behaviour.

Card usage by Turks when travelling abroad: shopping and Transnationalisation

In the 21st century, great progress with information and communication technologies brought a dizzyingly fast transformation. It is possible to say that reflections on some terms like glocalization and transnationality, emerging as a natural consequence of this transformation, are increasingly important in this connected world where everything is lived and consumed fast. While technological improvements and social transformations are blurring the boundaries between countries, the scope of transportability is widening. In this process, consumer as a concept was also affected from this expansion and the term of “transnational consumer” is to become more popular. This period of change has also reduced the differences between domestic or local shopping experience from shopping abroad which used to be perceived as luxury that only high income group can afford. Addition to this, with the help of credit cards physical difficulties stemmed from holding cash faded away and this facilitated shopping abroad without the hassle of currency exchange in a different country market. In this study, credit and bank card usages in shopping and cash withdrawals by Turkish consumers abroad have been investigated to understand whether there are specific patterns or trends.

The New Transnational Payments Law and Global Consumer Trade: Online Platforms as Providers of Private Legal Orders

This article uses the example of one of the best-known global payment systems provided by an online platform, PayPal, to analyze the role of private legal orders in creating new markets beyond jurisdictional borders. It shows that a relatively uniform legal order reduces risks involved in cross-border transactions and in this way enables transnational markets. While transnational law is more easily created by private entities (like online platforms) rather than states, it remains embedded in state laws. The continuous role of state law in shaping transnational private legal orders is guaranteed because the latter operate with the endorsement and support of states. In this way states facilitate globalization. At the same time, the impact of state laws is fragmentary and disintegrates the applicable global private legal framework. Finally, the scattered influence of state laws undermines the protection offered to consumers. This is particularly important, because mutual rights and obligations between transnational private rule-makers, like the online platform PayPal, and their ‘users’ tend to be strongly biased in favour of the former.

Understanding Consumer Animosity in the Politicized Global Market: From the Perspective of Young Transnational Consumers

ABSTRACTContextualized in the recent territorial dispute between Japan and China, this research examines consumer animosity from the perspective of transnational Chinese consumers. This study provides a multidimensional model of animosity and tests an integrative model that links cultural identification, antecedents (i.e., patriotism, nationalism, and internationalism), and moderators of consumer animosity (i.e., perceived symbolism and perceived threat). Transnational Chinese consumers’ cultural identification was found to significantly influence the mechanisms underlying their animosity against Japanese products.

Neoliberalising Feminism

There recently has been an avalanche of critiques of the way in which feminism has gone to bed with neoliberal capitalism and become an instrument of governmentality. In this paper, I look at these phenomena as processes of a ‘neoliberalisation of feminism'. I illustrate such neoliberalisation by introducing women's empowerment projects run by transnational consumer products companies, typically in partnership with public development actors. Under the label of ‘corporate social responsibility', these companies invest in women in their supply and marketing chains, seeking to empower them within a neoliberal rationality of government. The paper is an effort to go beyond the critiques of feminism as co-opted. Rather than inventing new feminisms or taking a break from feminism – as some have suggested, I propose that it is more fruitful and necessary to examine, in concrete contexts, the way in which select feminist movement ideas are being integrated into neoliberal rationales and logics, what is lost in the process and what is perhaps gained.

Transnational Consumer Law: Co-Regulation of B2C-E-Commerce

The nation states provide workable contract enforcement institutions for domestic commerce. Due to a lack of international cooperation the same does not hold true when it comes to cross-border situations. Thus, the institutional organization of international commerce is characterized by its reliance on private ordering or private legal services. Many believe that the emergence of a New Law Merchant can be observed in international commercial arbitration. This trend towards the privatization of commercial law, however, is believed to be limited to the sphere of corporate actors or merchants. When it comes to the protection of weaker contract parties like consumers, self-regulation is not held to be a viable option. In fact, consumers do shop increasingly across borders when engaging in e-commerce, often without noticing. The 1999 OECD Guidelines proposed to tackle the resulting consumer protection concerns by means of co-regulation. In this article, I intend to examine the potential role of private ordering and co-regulation in the area of cross-border consumer contracts. I start with a survey of the different mechanisms of private ordering, which have developed in e-commerce. This illustrates that electronic market places fulfil an essential role in bundling different means of private ordering into what I call transnational civil regimes for consumer protection. Finally, I aim at demonstrating how states, industry, and civil society actors can jointly contribute to the establishment of a civil constitution for such regimes.

Advances in consumer education: European initiatives

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to inform the reader of developments in consumer education in the European Union and to present future directions for policy and research. The article responds to a call for more consumer education and the promotion of sustainable consumption. It makes a case for the benefits of studying the dynamic multi‐country process of developing coordinated consumer education curriculum and resources involving academics, government officials and non‐governmental organizations, ultimately affecting millions of students. The review of select initiatives, questions posed and subsequent recommendations highlights the complexity of the issues surrounding economic viability and the pedagogical and social value of transnational consumer education initiatives.