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NATION BRANDING IN A GLOBALIZED COMPETITIVE WORLD: HOW CAN COUNTRIES UTILIZE NATION BRANDS TO FOSTER THEIR POTENTIAL?
Abstract
Abstract
This thesis explores how countries can utilize nation brands in a globalized competitive world to foster their potential, and in so doing, how they can achieve the financial benefits referred to in different fields, including attracting tourists and foreign investors. To answer this research question, this study reviews the subject of nation branding, what constitutes a nation’s brand, and what makes a brand a positive one, to then comprehend the significance of effectively communicating the brand globally in order to achieve a positive perception.
Qualitative research was conducted within an interpretive epistemology, with the data collected using two methods. The first method was interviews, in which eleven relevant actors from the field were interviewed to discuss various aspects of the topic. This includes what constitutes a positive brand, previous anecdotes with global brands, influential elements in nation branding, and effective brand communications. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was applied to analyze the data collected in the interviews. Promotional digital campaigns conducted by the study’s chosen nations, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Spain, were examined through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a second method in the empirical section. This was to access concrete materials of media actions and comprehend the communication themes and elements used to promote nations and attract foreigners.
After analyzing the interviews, the researcher identified themes that define a nation’s brand builders, as well as the importance of both internal and external communications, followed by an analysis of the intersection of politics and nation branding, based on the consensus view of participants. Furthermore, through the reviewed communicated brands’ narrative and elements, CDA enhanced the researcher’s understanding of how nations attempt to impress and attract
visitors, investors, and tourists.
The findings of the investigation led to the thesis that nation branding is an ongoing and consistent process that is more complicated than what has been described in the literature up to now. The author submits that countries can foster their potential by first developing a competitive brand and then effectively communicating the brand’s narrative and competitive edge using several types of communications channels continuously in order to impress and successfully attract tourists and investors.
In the process of branding themselves, nations must sustain a well-built and a competitive brand. Based on the analysed themes from the interviews with global actors in nation branding, and on the analysis of the campaigns within the theoretical framework, the author identified the brand-building elements that comprise a competitive and attractive nation brand. Vision,
policies, the nation’s role and contributions in social, humanitarian, and environmental global issues, infrastructure, culture, history, people, sports, and location are among these elements.
Sustaining a competitive brand requires effective and continuous internal and external communications: internally, by informing all stakeholders about the nation’s vision and objectives, and combining its resources to achieve those goals; and externally, by effectively communicating the nation’s narrative, competitive edge, and uniqueness to various global audiences using a variety of communication tools and strategies. The significance of using a variety of communication tools stems from the aim of minimizing any distortion namely from global media platforms mainly due to political or economic motivations. While results from this study indicate that regional political and economic agendas can influence a nation’s brand, nation branding is shown to be ineffective at influencing political agendas.
Keywords:
Nation branding, nation brand, country marketing, place marketing, brand communications.
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Nation branding is collected efforts conducted by governments, occasionally in collaboration with private sector, local and/or international agents. This is to communicate in cooperation with local and international media providers a particular shiny image about the country in order to be perceived positively by other nations and foreign citizens, this is, with the aim of political, social, and economic prosperity as an outcome of the positive brand. This image and/or reputation of a nation can be influenced positively or negatively by communications , after all, it is often about communications and information management. While policy making is an action that governments make, in corporation with the nation in some countries, and while this process has a heavy weight in the scale of nation branding according to Simon Anholt, 2003, 2009, and 2011, the recent leaks over the past few years about some governments' activities in terms of surveillance and privacy in the nation have been under the spotlight. More and more attention has been given to the subject, especially after Snow-den's leak of the National Security Agency (NSA) in the United States, since then there have been some privacy concerns related to mass surveillance in some nations including, USA, Europe, UK, China, and other countries (Lyon, 2014). The paper explores how such activity could negatively affect a nation's reputable brand. This is by introducing mass surveillance concept and background, surveillance activities conducted by governments, and explore the given justifications of security, anti-crime, and terrorism, compare data and crime rate, and finally measure the credibility of the justification which in turn could positively or negatively influence a nation's brand and reputation.
This study examines how the rise in energy prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine (which began on February 24, 2022) has spread to other sectors using the monthly input–output model (56 sectors in 44 countries). The estimated results demonstrate that if prices increase by 20% exclusively in Russia’s mining and quarrying (M&Q) sector, there will be almost no global effect. However, if prices increase by 20% in every M&Q sector around the world, global prices (the weighted average across all sectors) will rise by 3.15%, damaging 6.83% of monthly GDP at the pre-invasion level as a surplus loss ($551,080 million per month). Because oil prices rose for almost five months from February 28 to August 3, 2022, the world suffered five times this damage, or 2.85% of annual GDP ($2.7 trillion). This scenario is roughly equivalent to a price change of 5 times in the Russian M&Q sector alone.
Chinese soft power in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Nation branding efforts are the means through which many countries attempt to influence how foreign publics perceive them. However, in a media landscape that now includes not only traditional one-way media but also two-way social platforms, countries undertaking these efforts are presented with a series of new challenges. This environment makes it more difficult to manage the issues associated with a nation brand, challenges countries to better communicate their advantages, and allows the public to create its own, potentially competing, messages about a country. Building on previous work on nation and destination branding, this chapter discusses the changing media environment in which nation-branding efforts are taking place, and—through a combination of DICTION®-assisted, manual, and qualitative content analyses—provides evidence of the new media landscape in which nation branding is taking place. The challenges and opportunities created by this new context are detailed, and potential avenues for further research are discussed.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review state-of-the-art literature on product/brand positioning to re-examine the positioning concept and developing a more comprehensive definition from a theoretical viewpoint.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review of positioning was conducted. The review conformed to a rigorous set of core principles: it was systematic (organized according to a method designed to address the review questions), transparent (explicitly stated), reproducible and updatable and synthesized (summarized the evidence relating to the review question).
Findings
The literature review reveals that there is lack of coherent definition for positioning, and there is no mutual agreement among marketing scholars and practitioners about the exact meaning of the concept. Therefore, comprehensive definition of positioning encompassing the five underlying positioning perspectives (competition; empty slot/mind; consumers’ perception, differentiation and competitive advantage) is suggested.
Research limitations/implications
This paper will be useful for academicians to analyze the current nature of academic research in this area and will provide an added advantage to managers to design and implement positioning strategies for their product/brands that will allow their organizations to gain competitive advantage. This study acknowledges limitations with respect to its exclusive search criteria, which might affect its generalizability.
Social implications
Position and positioning is of relevance in society in broad terms, e.g. in sports, politics and culture. Positioning strategy is discussed and implemented in different industries (business-to-business and consumer), for all kinds of brands (including, for instance, corporate brands) and for “brands” in the very widest sense (such as places or people).
Originality/value
This is the first systematic review of positioning that provides a detailed understanding of the current state of positioning research on a single platform and also draws a comprehensive positioning conceptualization.
This research analyzes the advertisement of Japanese beauty products through perspective of the critical discourse analysis as stated by Fairclough (1995). The discussed issues are linguistic features used in the advertisement of Japanese beauty products and the strategies used by advertisers to manipulate consumers who are women. Through three dimensions of the critical discourse analysis, it is known that the choices of vocabularies, grammar, modality, and rhetoric serve to bring psychological effect to consumers. Besides, the strategies used by advertisers to manipulate consumers for purchasing or using the offered products are puffery (exaggerating the quality of product), social proof (showing that their products are popular), liking (posting the positive reviews by celebrities for the related products), scarcity (limiting the quantity of product), emotional appeals (playing with the emotion of consumers), and scientific evidence (showing the scientific evidence). Analysis shows the result that advertisement is made based on the beauty myth in society. Besides, advertisement plays a role in creating and propagating the beauty myth in society.
The rapid spread of the internet and internet-based technologies is reshaping how companies build and manage global brands. While specific platforms and technologies change rapidly, what does not change quickly are the underlying trends. This article identifies the implications of five core underlying digital trends for global brand building and management: (1) rise of digital global sales channels, (2) cocreation of global brand strategy, (3) global transparency of brand activities, (4) global connectivity among the brand’s consumers, and (5) the Internet of Things. For each trend, the author discusses key changes taking place in the marketplace and directions for future research.
Cambridge Core - Political Sociology - Globalization Matters - by Manfred B. Steger
ABSTRACT
Nation branding strategies are gaining priority as an area of research due to increasing market complexities and the rising importance of national competitiveness ranking. The sustainable development of a nation brand, when properly managed, will provide the economic incentive to attract investors, tourists, and generate income for local communities. To this end, researchers are calling for a more eclectic approach in examining a wider range of factors such as sustainability and market competitiveness in order to develop a synergistic nation brand. These research studies included sustainable tourism factors such as culture, heritage, environmental as well as an integration of internal and external stakeholder groups from the public and private sectors. For nation brands to remain competitive, it is essential to understand key determinants of market competitiveness. Therefore, this paper provides a framework for the analysis of sustainable market competitiveness factors of the nation brand. Also, it provides implications for nation branding and future research agenda.
Keywords: Nation branding; sustainability; market competitiveness; nation branding strategy
The use of theory in science is an ongoing debate in the production of knowledge. Related to qualitative research methods, a variety of approaches have been set forth in the literature using the terms conceptual framework, theoretical framework, paradigm, and epistemology. While these approaches are helpful in their own context, we summarize and distill them in order to build upon the case that a balanced and centered use of the theoretical framework can bolster the qualitative approach. Our project builds on the arguments that epistemology and methodological rigor are essential by adding the notion that the influence of theory permeates almost every aspect of the study—even if the author does not recognize this influence. Compilers of methodological approaches have referred to the use of theory as analogous to a coat closet in which different items can be housed or a lens through which the literature and data in the study are viewed. In this article, we offer an evaluative quadrant for determining the appropriate use of theory in qualitative research and a diagram of the qualitative project that points to the central role of a theoretical framework. We also caution against the overreliance on theory in the event that it begins to limit the ability to see emergent findings in the data.
Globalization is a very common concept used to characterize the current state of the world economy, but differently understood by those who characterize it as a phenomenon. Some perceive it as a complete uniformity, others, on the contrary, as a diversification of proportions, based on the observance of common principles. The aim of this paper is to present current understanding of globalization as well as environmental changes in the context of globalization and its influence on demographic evolution, population and the global environment. For impartiality in presenting the pros and cons of globalization have been considered both meanings of the concept, as found in literature but also in international operations, as well as positive and negative effects of the phenomenon. © 2018, SRAC - Romanian Society for Quality. All rights reserved.
Since the late 1990s, nation branding has attracted a lot of attention from academics, professional consultants and government actors. The ideas and practices of nation branding are frequently presented by branding advocates as necessary and even inevitable in the light of changing dynamics of political power and influence in a globalised and media-saturated world. In this context, some have argued that nation branding is a way to reduce international conflict and supplant ethno-nationalism with a new form of market-based, national image management. However, a growing body of critical studies has documented that branding campaigns tend to produce ahistorical and exclusionary representations of the nation and advance a form of ‘commercial nationalism’ that is problematic. Importantly, the critical scholarship on nation branding has relied primarily on sociological and anthropological theories of nationhood, identities and markets. By contrast, the role of the media – as institutions, systems and societal storytellers – has been undertheorised in relation to nation branding. The majority of the existing literature tends to treat the media as ‘neutral’ vehicles for the delivery of branding messages to various audiences. This is the guest editors’ introduction to the Special Issue ‘Theorizing Media in Nation Branding’, which seeks to problematise this overly simplistic view of ‘the media’ and aims to articulate the various ways in which specific media are an integral part of nation branding. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach and problematises both the enabling and the inhibiting potentialities of different types of media as they perpetuate nation branding ideas, images, ideologies, discourses and practices.
Culturally, a country is recognized internationally as representing a significant aspect of country branding and destination branding. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore culture’ and its associations for Brazil as a country brand dimension, which is the unit of analysis for this interpretive study in England. Thus, after focus group and thematic analyses exploring and interpreting the findings, Brazil was perceived as having a diverse and positive culture’. The most surprising finding concerns the participants’ awareness of the diversity of associations with Brazil’s brand image. Initially, football’, Carnival’ and Rio’ were the prevalent themes of the discussion, followed by music’. Brazil’s next most recognized unique cultural aspects were flip- flops’, the Amazon’, carnival parades’, Brazil nuts’ and the Brazilian native indigenous people’. Nevertheless, Brazil’s brand image is, to some extent, more favourable than unfavourable. Thus, this study can orientate strategies for branding campaigns while fomenting business and tourism for a reputable, sustainable and successful country brand.
Globalization characterizes the economic, social, political, and cultural spheres of the modern world. Tourism has long been claimed as a crucial force shaping globalization, while in turn the developments of the tourism sector are under the influences of growing interdependence across the world. As globalization proceeds, destination countries have become more and more susceptible to local and global events. By linking the existing literature coherently, this study explores a number of themes on economic globalization in tourism. It attempts to identify the forces underpinning globalization and assess the implications on both the supply side and the demand side of the tourism sector. In view of a lack of quantitative evidence, future directions for empirical research have been suggested to investigate the interdependence of tourism demand, the convergence of tourism productivity, and the impact of global events.
Branding represents the instrument through which an entity communicates and identifies itself in the consumer’s perception. National branding is a similar mean employed at country level. Nation branding is crucial in order to attract investment, boost exports and attract tourists and talented workforce. Nation branding stands between public diplomacy and economic benefits. An adequate policy of Nation Branding-based on a positive, credible and economically reliable image- can be able to extend the range of potential customers and of potential investors. With the aim of better understanding the new challenges, opportunities and threats existent in a globalized economy, the paper evaluates nation branding in the context of UAE and Qatar. The paper examines nation-branding as a driver for boosting the economy, taking into account that clichés and stereotypes (especially in the context of the Middle East) can influence our perception towards one country or another. The analysis explores the strategy adopted in order that Dubai becomes the flagship-brand of the UAE. Abu Dhabi complements this strategy, driving UAE to the position of the most valuable brand in the Middle East. The paper further enquires the case of Qatar and compares it with the branding process of the UAE. Qatar has established various branding resources such as the Al Jazeera news network, international sport events and several cultural and educational exchange programs with international profile. The UAE strives to become an influencer in the global economy, overriding its dependence on hydrocarbon reserves. Qatar is richer in hydrocarbon reserves than the UAE; nevertheless, it shares the interest of detaching itself from the rentier economy. The study explores the fact that from 2014-onwards the global oil economy was hit hard, as the price of the oil barrel is at an historic low, thus it has become stringent for the Persian Gulf countries to diversify the revenue sources. As a result, their branding strategy has become even more salient. The processes employed for establishing nation-brands in the Gulf are noteworthy and constitute the focal point of the paper.
This article traces the limits of branding as a tool for (re)constructing nations as 'imagined communities' (Anderson 1983). Drawing on examples from post-socialist Eastern Europe, I analyse discourses and practices of nation branding from a critical perspective, rooted in the theoretical traditions of political economy and cultural studies. Focusing more closely on branding campaigns implemented by post-Soviet Ukraine and post-war Kosovo — two nations seeking to assert themselves as independent actors on the global stage — I consider the impact of nation branding on national identities and democratic governance. I identify three interconnected limits of the branded national imagination as a structuring discourse for nation building. First, the branded national imagination is structured through its subjection to a foreign gaze; second, it is heavily dependent on commercial transnational media; and third, it produces branded national subjectivities that contradict the lived experiences of national populations. I argue that while nation branding effectively depoliticises national (re)definition, it may in fact serve to reinvigorate ethnic nationalisms in the post-socialist region. Finally, I suggest that although we must be aware of local histories and legacies, the post-socialist experience can inform our understanding of the structuring limits of the branded national imagination in other post-conflict and post-colonial contexts as well.
As a research methodology, qualitative research method infuses an added advantage to the exploratory capability that researchers need to explore and investigate their research studies. Qualitative methodology allows researchers to advance and apply their interpersonal and subjectivity skills to their research exploratory processes. However, in a study with an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach, the advantageous elements of the study quadruple because of the bonding relationship that the approach allows for the researchers to develop with their research participants. Furthermore, as a qualitative research approach, IPA gives researchers the best opportunity to understand the innermost deliberation of the ‘lived experiences’ of research participants. As an approach that is ‘participant-oriented’, interpretative phenomenological analysis approach allows the interviewees (research participants) to express themselves and their ‘lived experience’ stories the way they see fit without any distortion and/or prosecution. Therefore, utilizing the IPA approach in a qualitative research study reiterates the fact that its main objective and essence are to explore the ‘lived experiences’ of the research participants and allow them to narrate the research findings through their ‘lived experiences’. As such, this paper discusses the historical background of phenomenology as both a theory and a qualitative research approach, an approach that has transitioned into an interpretative analytical tradition. Furthermore, as a resource tool to novice qualitative researchers, this paper provides a step-by-step comprehensive guide to help prepare and equip researchers with ways to utilize and apply the IPA approach in their qualitative research studies. More importantly, this paper also provides an advanced in-depth analysis and usability application for the IPA approach in a qualitatively conducted research study. As such, this paper completely contrasted itself from many books and articles that are written with the premise of providing useful and in-depth information on the subject-matter (phenomenology, as a qualitative approach).
Keywords: Interpretative phenomenology analysis, IPA, qualitative research method approach
In contemporary globalized societies, the capitalist productive system triggers phenomena of extreme competition, which leads to complex processes of value incorporation in products. Today's consumers do not primarily buy objects; instead, objects are acquired as signs of identity, lifestyle or image. As such, objects are transformed into a code that indicates social positions and cultural preferences. In the market of the symbolic value of products, a factor of great importance is the difference the product provides in relation to others which are similar. Among many other issues, the national origin of the product is a key factor, since the country is associated with reputational capital that is also linked to the products it manufactures. Therefore, in today's globalized world, where cultural references are increasingly global and hybrid, it is of great importance to analyze the assessment process of nation-states by international public opinion. The aim of this paper is the discussion of central concepts, such as cultural globalization and nation branding. Two indices of global brand will also be briefly examined in order to understand how the brand "Portugal" may contribute to the success of the Portuguese footwear industry.
If nation branding is about constructing and promoting national identity, what kind of ‘identity’ could it possibly be? This article analyses how the branded nation qualitatively differs from earlier forms of imagined communities by focusing on the tension between inward- and outward-directed dimensions of nation branding. A particular focus is placed on the concept of ‘identity’, which, it is argued, is insufficiently problematized in previous research. The discussion takes its departure in a case study of Ukraine, where all nation branding attempts came to an abrupt halt when political unrest broke out in late 2013. The political unrest led to a rapid shift in forms of concern over Ukraine, since nation branding can only be conducted in times of relative social harmony. The case further illustrates the argument that collective identity is not a main issue when branding a nation, and it is argued that a perspective of cosmopolitanism can bring new insights to the phenomenon.
Nation branding is a rapidly developing practice for promoting images of a nation-state for tourists or investors, sometimes with the secondary goal to foster nation building. It has also attracted a fair amount of scholarly attention. Analyses have focused on various themes, including national identity and neoliberal approaches to nation building. Given that the practice of nation branding presupposes the orchestration of mediated
campaigns, surprisingly few studies have specifically focused on the role of the media.
This article argues that a focus on the media (as technologies and organizations) can shed light on the dynamics of nation branding. The article reviews previous research, then presents a specific case of nation branding in Ukraine. This case study reveals the different types of media involved and how this involvement may have varied consequences for the analysis of branding campaigns.
This study examined beauty advertisements in local English magazines from a Critical Discourse Analysis perspective. This study mainly focused on the use of language in beauty advertisements and strategies employed by advertisers to manipulate and influence their customers. The analysis is based on Fairclough's three-dimensional framework. It demonstrates how the ideology of 'beauty' is produced and reproduced through advertisements in popular local women's magazines. A qualitative research was conducted on beauty product advertisements in two popular local women's magazines, Cleo and Women's Weekly. The findings indicated that advertisers used various strategies to manipulate women. The advertisements promote an idealised lifestyle and manipulate readers to a certain extent into believing whatever that is advertised is indeed true. This study revealed how the ideology of beauty is constructed and reconstructed through magazines by stereotyping how beauty products are synonymous with a better life. Advertising language is used to control people's minds. Thus people in power (advertisers) use language as a means to exercise control over others.
Globalization: A Very Short Introduction looks at the interconnected and accelerated processes changing how we see and experience the world. Is globalization really a new phenomenon? Is increased connection between people and nations inevitable, or are we witnessing the beginning of an era of ‘deglobalization’ or ‘anti-globalization’? Updated with new developments including advancing climate change, the Trump presidency, and the Mexico–USA border, this VSI explores the history and impact of globalization. Chapters on the cultural, economic, political, and ecological dimensions of globalization investigate the impact of new technologies, economic deregulation, and mass migration on our world and consider what we might expect from the future of globalization.
The chapter discusses how transborder broadcasts – i.e. those explicitly aimed at audiences located outside national borders – were used as tools of propaganda or public diplomacy, disseminating political ideologies and worldviews abroad. Covering the period between the 1920s and the 1990s, the chapter addresses how broadcasting was perceived since its inception, as a powerful medium to promote national interests abroad. In the interwar period the major players were the Soviet Union determined to spread Bolshevism, and the European imperial nations that used radio to connect with the white settlers living in the colonies. During the Second World War and the Cold War radio became a central medium to gain support among the audiences of enemy countries, which led the belligerents to invest in transborder broadcasts in a wide variety of foreign languages. As the chapter debates, even though it remains difficult in most cases to assess who was actually listening, governments acted as if large audiences were tuning in and available to be persuaded.
Despite the vast amount of research on country image, extant country-of-origin (COO) literature remains ambiguous about which of the country image dimensions, cognitive country image (CCI) or affective country image (ACI), is more important in driving purchase. Drawing on the primacy of affect theory, this research develops a nomological framework that clarifies this ambiguity and explains whether, when, and why ACI/CCI takes precedence in determining purchase decision. With a large-scale study on Chinese consumers responding to two types of products from four countries, the findings unveil the asymmetric dominance of CCI and ACI in influencing purchase intention via consumer cognitive product judgment and affective product evaluation, which is conditioned by the dyadic effects of country cognition-affect intra-valence nature and product type. This research contributes through illuminating the differential roles of CCI and ACI in influencing consumer reactions to foreign products, the boundary conditions and underlying mechanism of the differences.
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an integrative review on nation branding literature and to identify new avenues for future research on embedding nation equity into commercial brands.
Design/methodology/approach
Integrative review and analysis with conceptual development and future research directions.
Findings
The authors firstly identify conceptualizations and measurements of nation brand as national identity and as national image. Consistently, three theoretical perspectives investigating nation branding were given: first, the macro view focusing on nation brand broadly as political and cultural identity; second, the micro view focusing on nation brand as a country image; and finally, the integrative view using the emerging construct of nation equity. Inspired by the last theoretical view, the authors discuss four research foci that examine nation equity in commercial brands for future research.
Originality/value
The paper provides an integrative understanding of nation branding and identifies novel research opportunities to study this research field – building the connection between nations and commercial brands through nation equity.
Branding is l about brands in both the packaged goods and the services industries - how to develop them, how to protect them, how to use them effectively. It combines the practical experience of marketing executives, trade mark lawyers, designers, advertising agents and others.
Place branding is happening. A new field of practice and study is in existence and whatever we choose to call it there can no longer be any doubt that it is with us. This collection of intuitive and well-reserached articles examines how places and regions see themselves, and how they reflect this in their branding.
City branding is a topic of significant interest to both academics and policy makers. As cities compete globally to attract tourism, investment and talent, as well as to achieve many other objectives, the concepts of brand strategy are increasingly adopted from the commercial world and applied in pursuit of urban development, regeneration and quality of life. Much of the published research into city branding originates in the disciplines of marketing and urban studies, two fields that have tended to follow parallel rather than interdisciplinary paths. By drawing upon a range of contributors from diverse theoretical backgrounds, the chapters in Part I of the book aim to provide richly differing perspectives on the theory of city branding. This chapter highlights some of the key themes in the city branding literature, provides an overview of the core concepts addressed by the authors of the chapters that appear in Part I of the book, and links these themes and concepts to the examples of city branding practice that appear in Part II.
The United Arab Emirates comprise seven territories at the southern end of the Persian Gulf bordering Saudi Arabia. They are made up of Abu Dhabi, which is by far the largest, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaywayn, Ra’s al-Khaymah and Al-Fujairah. Of these, only Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah have significant oil resources, with those of Abu Dhabi being by far the largest.
What does the world admire most about America? Science, technology, higher education, consumer goods-but not, it seems, freedom and democracy. Indeed, these ideals are in global retreat, for reasons ranging from ill-conceived foreign policy to the financial crisis and the sophisticated propaganda of modern authoritarians. Another reason, explored for the first time in this pathbreaking book, is the distorted picture of freedom and democracy found in America's cultural exports. In interviews with thoughtful observers in eleven countries, Martha Bayles heard many objections to the violence and vulgarity pervading today's popular culture. But she also heard a deeper complaint: namely, that America no longer shares the best of itself. Tracing this change to the end of the Cold War, Bayles shows how public diplomacy was scaled back, and in-your-face entertainment became America's de facto ambassador. This book focuses on the present and recent past, but its perspective is deeply rooted in American history, culture, religion, and political thought. At its heart is an affirmation of a certain ethos-of hope for human freedom tempered with prudence about human nature-that is truly the aspect of America most admired by others. And its author's purpose is less to find fault than to help chart a positive path for the future.
How do the media affect public support for democratic institutions in a fragile democracy? What role do they play in a dictatorial regime? We study these questions in the context of Germany of the 1920s and 1930s. During the democratic period, when the Weimar government introduced progovernment political news, the growth of Nazi popularity slowed down in areas with access to radio. This effect was reversed during the campaign for the last competitive election as a result of the pro-Nazi radio broadcast following Hitler’s appointment as chancellor. During the consolidation of dictatorship, radio propaganda helped the Nazis enroll new party members. After the Nazis established their rule, radio propaganda incited anti-Semitic acts and denunciations of Jews to authorities by ordinary citizens. The effect of anti-Semitic propaganda varied depending on the listeners’ predispositions toward the message. Nazi radio was most effective in places where anti-Semitism was historically high and had a negative effect in places with historically low anti-Semitism.
Although a considerable amount of research in personality psychology has been done to conceptualize human personality, identify the ''Big Five'' dimensions, and explore the meaning of each dimension, no parallel research has been conducted in consumer behavior on brand personality, Consequently, an understanding of the symbolic use of brands has been limited in the consumer behavior literature. In this research, the author develops a theoretical framework of the brand personality construct by determining the number and nature of dimensions of brand personality (Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication, and Ruggedness). Tc, measure the five brand personality dimensions, a reliable, valid, and generalizable measurement scale is created. Finally, theoretical and practical implications regarding the symbolic use of brands are discussed.
Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a qualitative approach which aims to provide detailed examinations of personal lived experience. It produces an account of lived experience in its own terms rather than one prescribed by pre-existing theoretical preconceptions and it recognises that this is an interpretative endeavour as humans are sense-making organisms. It is explicitly idiographic in its commitment to examining the detailed experience of each case in turn, prior to the move to more general claims. IPA is a particularly useful methodology for examining topics which are complex, ambiguous and emotionally laden. Pain is a prime exemplar of such a phenomenon: elusive, involving complex psycho-somatic interactions and difficult to articulate. In addition to the 1998 article, published in this Special Issue, two further papers are suggested that the interested reader might wish to look out for.