SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND CONSUMPTION PROFILES OF ANKARA: A CASE STUDY IN ANKARA RESIDENTIAL AREAS This dissertation attempts to develop a social stratification model considering its spatial dimension for the households in the city of Ankara. The spatiality of social class has rarely been in the agenda of scholars and has not been explored empirically. For this reason, the study aims to test the hypothesis that social segregation in Turkish cities is empirically measurable and manifests itself in the common patterns of behaviours and similar conditioning of existence in the urban space. The focus of attention of the thesis is based on the relationship between the material inequalities of different social strata within its territorial context. If a class becomes a social reality, this must be shown in the formation of common patterns of behaviour and attitude, and manifests itself in urban space. In short the scope of the study is a twofold: Thesis questions are: (1) how and upon what basis social groups and strata can be located in the economic and socio-cultural structure of the society. This part of the study deals with the objective &amp / #8216 / &amp / #8217 / set&amp / #8217 / &amp / #8217 / of criteria / thesis question (2) whether the same coherency can be coincided in the space. This part deals with the analysis of the spatial dimension of social &amp / #8216 / &amp / #8217 / class&amp / #8217 / &amp / #8217 / which means segregation. Thesis findings provide sufficient evidence that the differences stemmed from the material possessions and consumption patterns of the urban households cannot be understood by employing the conventional instruments as such rural/urban, traditional/modern as the division of axes. New conceptualisation urgently is needed and consumption studies offer prospective and highly potential issue.

[pt] Esta tese examina as articulações entre as dinâmicas do consumo e a formação das classes médias, através do estudo de duas importantes experiências históricas do capitalismo: o surgimento dos grandes magazines nos centros urbanos europeus entre a segunda metade do século XIX e o início do XX; a emergência dos shopping centers nos subúrbios norte-americanos em meados do século XX. De maneira mais específica, pretende-se analisar as formas pelas quais esses movimentos do consumo em expansão impulsionaram o recrutamento de grupos sociais e sua aproximação com o mundo dos bens e, nesse processo, geraram imagens, ideias e representações de classes médias consumidoras. Vamos investigar as particularidades dessas experiências, explorar as características de seus contextos e observar as permanências de seus projetos. Parte-se da premissa que o consumo é um elemento central na cultura moderno-contemporânea e, portanto, estudar suas lógicas, estruturas e significados pode contribuir para a compreensão dos valores e ideologias que orientam nossa vida social. Em um exercício de antropologia histórica, esta tese busca destacar que, além das questões e temas relacionados à economia e à produção, as experiências e sensibilidades ligadas à cultura, ao simbólico e ao universo do consumo também podem fornecer ideias, apresentar descobertas e decifrar estruturas fundamentais para o entendimento do capitalismo. / [en] This thesis examines the relation between consumption dynamics and the formation of middle classes, through the study of two important historical experiences of capitalism: the unveiling of the great magazines in the European urban centers between the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century; the rise of the malls at the north-american suburbs in mid-20th century. In a more specific manner, the thesis aims to analyze the ways through which these expanding consumption movements pushed the recruitment of social groups and their getting closer to the world of goods and, in this process, generated images, ideas and representations of consumer middle classes. The thesis will consider the particularities of those experiences, explore the characteristics of their contexts and observe the maintenance of their projects. The thesis starts from the premise that consumption is a central element in the modern-contemporary culture and, therefore, the study of its logics, structures and meanings can contribute to understanding the values and ideologies that orient our social lives. In an exercise of historical anthropology, this thesis aims to highlight that, beyond the questions and themes related to economy and production, the experiences and sensibilities connected to the culture, to the symbolic and to the universe of consumption may also provide ideas, present discoveries and decipher fundamental structures to the understanding of capitalism.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly progressing and could be the next technological revolution we see. The idea of AI is no longer farfetched and is becoming more present; individuals are showing a very diverse set of opinions regarding AI. We are currently being the first generation of people to be introduced to AI assets. As this striving new topic is developing the research existing today regarding AI is predominantly based on a technical perspective, and a gap concerning consumer values and AI, applied on millennial’s consumer values is present. The purpose of this study is to explore Millennial consumption values regarding AI with the use of The Theory of Consumption Values as a base theory. When concluded the study will add value to the field and will benefit from future research. The purpose of this study is conducted from a consumer perspective. The study is of qualitative method and the primary, empirical data is gathered through 19 semi structured interviews with millennial. An abductive approach is taken. The finding s of this study show results of the exploration of millennial consumptions values on AI. Furthermore, the study also showed the most important consumption value regarding AI and the one most talked about. Lastly, additional values were found as well as extensions to existing consumption values.

De bilder som omger oss i vardagen är alla en del i hur vår identitet formas och utarbetas. Kläder och mode kan betraktas som en del av dessa bilder och har således stor påverkan på hur identitetsprocesser ser ut och och uppvisas. Den första introduktionen av oss själva sker genom de plagg vi bär och att konsumera plagg är en vikig del i skapandet av sig själv och sin identitet.  I den här studien har jag genom en designpedagogisk workshop fått ta del av fyra gymnasieungdomars taktila och verbala utsagor kring modekonsumtion och identitetsuttryck. Med utgångspunkt i sina egna garderober har deltagarna genom praktiskt arbete utmanats till att omvärdera och uppdatera ett plaggs egenskaper och genom samtal synliggjort individuella och kollektiva konsumtionsmönster. De har utifrån egna erfarenheter diskuterat plaggets relation till stilen och jaget och hur den relationen förändras över tid och i olika situationer. Tre primära diskurser framträder i studien där den första diskursen ringar in stilen som identitetsuttryck. Den andra placerar stiluttrycket i en konsumtionsdiskurs med hänsyn till identitet och grupptillhörighet. Den tredje sätter stil och identitetsuttryck i förhållande till hållbarhet samt etik och moral.

M.Sc. / This study compares the electricity consumption of two buildings, of similar architectural design, in Simba Office Park, Sandton, in Johannesburg. One of the buildings (Block AB) has not been retrofitted for energy efficiency, whilst the other building (Block C) is a retrofitted building. The hypothesis postulates that the retrofitted building would use less energy than the non-retrofitted one. The research methodology employed has been used internationally, as in the case reported by Levine et al. (1996), who did a study in the United States of America on retrofitting for achieving energy efficiency. Dong et al. (2005) investigated the energy savings due to the retrofitting of old Singaporean commercial office buildings. In this case, six buildings were compared before and after retrofitting, using utility bill and weather data. There have also been similar studies in China (Xu et al, 2006) and Budapest (Urge-Vorsatz & Novikova, 2008). The Budapest study also unpacked the cost of retrofitting. Using methods advocated by Probst (2004), Yalcintas (2008) and Yalcintas & Kaya (2009) for collecting data on floor space, building parameters and design, this study also collected electricity consumption data based on meter readings for the same blocks over the period March 2009 to April 2010. The retrofitting measures were documented and the associated costs noted. Interviews were conducted with key personnel such as the Central Energy Fund (CEF) House executives, the site electrical engineer, the developer, and Simba Office Park managers. Block AB had the least number of energy-efficient installations. Block C was found to be fully retrofitted, at a cost of more than R4 million. However, the energy management system, required to manage and monitor energy use, was only fully installed by November 2009. The results of this study are significant. It was found that energy consumption for Block C far exceeded that for Block AB. Thus, in this case, retrofitting did not reduce electricity consumption. The results demonstrate that in order to fully understand energy use, data collection and analysis must be ongoing. This verifies the findings of Ali (2008), Armstrong (2009) and Yalcintas & Kaya (2009) who found that we need to shift from managing buildings to managing energy use and assess and verify any recorded savings to ensure energy conservation. Computer-based building management systems play a major role in such management. Such a system was only partially in use in Block C for the duration of the study period. Thus, another finding was that the energy management system needs to be fully operational in real time, or else energy efficiencies cannot be achieved and data sets will be incomplete. This conclusion reflects the findings of Hirst (1980).

In today’s globalised world, everyday life becomes increasingly “liquid” - changing and fragile - as individuals continuously adapt their lifestyle and behaviour to global influences (Bauman 2000). To provide a general framework for understanding this world, Appadurai (1996) introduces five “dimensions” of global flows in his seminal work Modernity At Large: ethnoscapes, financescapes, mediascapes, ideoscapes, and technoscapes. One of them, the ethnoscapes, refers to the increased mobility of individuals and peoples, impacting their cultural affiliations and social networks. <p>The focus of this thesis lies on international, cross-border migrants, the primary representatives of these uprooted individuals. Studying migrants’ consumption behaviour provides a better understanding of the issues faced by all members of liquid life in terms of consumption behaviour, whether they are migrants or not, by referring to its most extreme cases.<p>The present dissertation addresses migrant consumer research through an original angle. It suggests that international migrants position themselves in the global mediascapes of cosmopolitanism and transmigrant communities by activating different consumption discourses. This approach offers a solution to previous ambiguous categorisations of international migrants by relying on self-categorisation across national and cultural boundaries instead of outside-defined sociodemographic or geopolitical criteria. In addition to providing a typology based on the migrants’ strategies of positioning that explains global consumer acculturation, the results allow for a disambiguation of the notions of immigrants, globals and cosmopolitans.<p>The contribution of the dissertation lies in its contrast to existing research, and is therefore more adapted to the liquidity of our modern world. Indeed, the field of consumer research as much as political discourse or companies tend to categorise international migrants according to socioeconomic or geopolitical criteria, such as education, duration of stay or ethnic origin. While consumer research often views low-skilled immigrants in light of specific ethnic groups (Peñaloza 1994, Oswald 1999, Üçok 2007), cross-cultural samples represent the preferred approach to highly-skilled expatriates (Thompson and Tambyah 1999). Consumer research addresses and considers these categories of migrants differently, a questionable postulation in light of global flows which render movement across nations more complex and lead to mixed and multiple cultural affiliations. <p>The main research question to answer in the present thesis is: How do international migrants use consumption behaviour to make sense of their experience? Its broad character allows for new insights and approaches to emerge, both on the side of existing literature and on the empirical side. <p>The dissertation initiates the answer by a first review of the literature. The review highlights gaps and contradictions which can be found in the literature centred on international migrants and their consumption behaviour. The explanation of the context of this research encompasses the definition of consumer culture as well as of globalisation. Indeed, consumption as a discourse plays a role especially in terms of the subscription to a particular group; individuals use consumption to communicate, to express their affiliation with a family, or a place, to situate their identity in their universe (Douglas and Isherwood 1979). These issues change in the global context, and therefore need review. Migration research constitutes the second chapter of the literature review. It presents on the one hand the people endeavouring migration, and on the other, illustrates the various models explaining migration as a process. <p>Based on this review, the research question transforms, splitting it into three elements, each focusing on one element: cultural affiliations, migrant networks and consumer acculturation. The consequent empirical part aims at answering these three questions through three separate, though complementary, research phases, which rely on in-depth interviews, focus groups and observations. Each phase predominantly addressed one research question, though all three elements remain present in all phases. <p>Different types of consumption discourses emerge; in the case of a focus on products of home and/or host culture, three locality discourses develop. Seven globality discourses integrate global and other foreign products in the equation. International migrants seem to use these locality and globality discourses to position themselves in today’s liquid world. They can consequently be compared to the twelve worlds that are presented by Rosenau (2004) as positioning strategies resulting from global “fragmegration”, that is, the difficulty of integrating fragmented and contradictory elements of global societies. <p>The contribution of this dissertation lies in the integration of more diversity in the concepts of cultural affiliations, migrant networks and consumer acculturation. Consequently, the locality and globality discourses provide indications as to the acculturation strategies possible for its members.<p>Doing so, this thesis integrates debates of the local and the global, immigrants versus expatriates, integration versus acculturation, a comparison of interest to both researchers and marketers. On a theoretical level, the thesis provides thus a more generalised view on international migrants, incorporating previous categories. It provides practical solutions, both on a political and on a managerial level. The provided typology enables policy-makers and managers to better understand the new tendencies and problematics inherent to international migration and to address migrants in a way taking into account their actual affiliations and networks. <p> / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Resultatet visar oss att människors konsumtionsvanor påverkas av våra beteenden. Både attityden mot beteendet, subjektiva normer och vår upplevda kontroll över köpet påverkar det slutliga utfallet av konsumtionen av märkeskläder. Det gäller framförallt för klädköp som är avsedda för att förbättra individens självbild. Vi kan också se relativt tydliga indikationer på att konsumtionen av märkeskläder som är avsedda att förbättra individens självkänsla har störst inverkan av individens attityd. Om individen har en positiv inställning mot att köpa märkeskläder för att öka sin självkänsla kommer den också i större utsträckning genomföra köpet. / The result shows us that people's consumption habits are affected by our behaviors. Both the attitude towards the behavior, subjective norms and our perceived control over the purchase affect the final outcome of the consumption of branded clothing. This is especially true for clothing purchases that are intended to improve the individual's self-image. We can also see relatively clear indications that the consumption of branded clothing intended to improve the individual's self-esteem has the greatest impact on the individual's attitude. If the individual has a positive attitude towards buying designer clothes to increase their self-esteem, it will also make the purchase to a greater extent.

The concept sharing economy (collaborative economy or collaborative consumption) has recently gained attention in several cities over the world, with its promotion offering a prospective new path to sustainable development. In current research, most scholars cover global initiatives or initiatives in larger cities, but very few to none of them seem to have investigated the situation and potential in smaller cities. This empirical study therefore investigates both existing initiatives and work with collaborative consumption as well as the future potential and possible challenges for further promotion in a small town context, using Norrtälje town in Sweden as a case study for exploring the topic. In this study, a sharing economy is defined as a socio-economic system enabling consumers to gain access to commonly under-utilized physical assets in collaborative practices of sharing, borrowing, bartering, swapping, renting, redistributing, buying second-hand, repairing and rebuilding goods, instead of consuming new goods and/or owning privately, taking place either via online platforms or through physical infrastructure, possibly in exchange for financial compensation. A mixed method approach, including both qualitative and quantitative methods, was used in this study. The data collection included semi-structured interviews with both sharing economy initiators and the Norrtälje municipality Sustainability strategist, an online survey shared with residents in Norrtälje, as well a qualitative desk-based study. The collected results were then analysed though the lens of a formed theoretical framework, covering the themes of conditions for success and important stakeholders in a sharing economy context, as well as drivers for starting or using these initiatives and possible environmental, social and economic benefits of implementing a sharing economy. The findings showed that 11 initiatives currently exist in Norrtälje, and that the Norrtälje residents generally are very positive towards using sharing economy services. Further, it was found that the municipality is not actively working with collaborative consumption, but has been, and still is, involved in a few sharing economy activities. The findings of this study contribute to discussions on the actual role of the municipality in a sharing economy context, suggesting that the involvement of the municipality indeed is very important in regards to sharing economy initiatives, but that it is unclear from a municipal perspective whether it is actually included in the role of the municipality to promote and work with sharing economy initiatives. The results from this study suggests that the future for sharing economy initiatives in Norrtälje town looks bright. However, some challenges were found in relation to the promotion of a sharing economy in a small town context, including the current political situation not prioritising municipal involvement, the economic situation of the municipality not being able to prioritise municipal involvement, difficulties in understanding the concept among those who work for the municipality, negative mindsets among municipal workers, and lack of funding to existing and possible future initiatives. These challenges might have to be overcome in order for sharing economy initiatives to be able to grow and thrive. Further, this study found that it is believed from a small town municipal perspective it most likely is easier for a larger city to work with sharing economy initiatives, while on the contrary existing scholars suggest that the small town context might indeed be more beneficial for these types of initiatives.

This thesis employs interpretive research via ethnographic fieldwork to explore the complex relationship between the postmodern self and consumption symbolism. In postmodernity, where society becomes more global but simultaneously decentred, pastiche-like and hyperreal, the self is encountering a number of dilemmas propelled by the looming threat of personal meaninglessness. In order to attain a sense of existence, the self appears to seek the meaningfulness of life from and through symbolic consumption. Indeed, postmodernity is primarily a consumer culture where consumption is central to the meaningful practice of our everyday life. The postmodern self makes consumption choices not only from the products' utilities but also from their symbolic meanings, the function of which operates in two directions: outward in constructing the social world, social-symbolism; and inward in constructing our self-identity, self-symbolism. To understand these phenomena, ethnographic fieldwork of four distinctive groups - a group of male femaling transgenders, a group of young nouveaux riches, a group of young extremist Buddhists and a group of young provincial women - are conducted in Bangkok, Thailand. Principally, the research explores how the informants employ everyday consumption symbolically in their self-creation processes. It also examines how the informants appropriate symbolic meanings through and from their lived and mediated experiences, and incorporate these meanings into their symbolic self-projects by means of everyday consumption. Moreover, it observes how the informants negotiate their self-social symbolism through the process of self-others identification within their friendship groups. The interpretations unfold a number of surprising outcomes which provide insight into the informants' self-projects and their consumption experiences. To conceptualise the interpretations, a model - Consumption Symbolism and the Harmonising Self - is proposed.

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