Harmonization Processes and Relational Meanings in Constructing Asian Weddings

Thuc-Doan T. Nguyen and Russell W. Belk

Journal of Consumer Research, 2013, vol. 40, issue 3, 518 - 538

Abstract: Using multimethod data on wedding consumption, this research highlights the pursuit of harmonization as a dynamic and never-ending process that can happen within individuals, between human beings, and among different entities in the world. While prior research on harmony has treated the construct as a core value of Chinese culture or a set of abstract principles that guide consumer behavior, the focus here is on how harmonization happens, the conditions under which harmonization is either promoted or defeated, and the benefits resulting from harmonization that keep people involved in the process of creating it. This examination of Vietnamese weddings demystifies the myth that Asian consumers sacrifice individual preferences and bow to collective interests, explains how face influences Asian consumer behavior, and provides an extension of Richins's categories or levels of consumption meaning.

Date: 2013
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