Exam 12: Income, Social Class, and Family Structure

Correct Answer:

Verified

Students can draw on various examples:
Japan is a highly status-conscious society where upscale designer labels are incredibly popular.The Japanese love affair with top brands started with the 1970s when the economy was booming and many Japanese could buy Western luxury accessories for the first time.Single working women are largely responsible for fueling Japan's luxury-goods spending."Office ladies" save money by living at home and have discretionary income for luxuries.
In contrast to the Japanese,few Arab women work.This makes a search for the latest in Western luxury brands a major leisure activity for those with money.Dressing rooms are large,with antechambers to accommodate friends and family members who often come along on shopping sprees.A major expansion of Western luxury brands is under way across the Middle East,home to some of the fashion industry's best customers.High-end retailers,such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Giorgio Armani,operate opulent stores to cater to this growing market.However,fashion retailers must take cultural and religious considerations into account.Missoni makes sure that collections include longer pants and skirts,and evening gowns with light shawls to cover heads or bare shoulders.And advertising and display options are more limited: Erotic images don't work.
England is an extremely class-conscious country,and,at least until recently,inherited position and family background predetermined consumption patterns.Members of the upper class were educated at schools such as Eton and Oxford.We can still find remnants of this rigid class structure: "Hooray Henrys" (wealthy young men)play polo at Windsor,and hereditary peers still dominate the House of Lords.
However,the supremacy of inherited wealth appears to be fading in Britain's traditionally aristocratic society as British entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson (of the Virgin empire)redefine the economy.And the United Kingdom,which was particularly hard hit by a recession much like that which occurred in the United States,puts a new emphasis on frugality that has altered people's priorities.
Some big marketers,such as Unilever and Groupe Danone,have set their sights on a more lower-class group the British call chavs-young,lower-class men and women who mix track suits with flashy brands and accessories from big names such as Burberry.Their style icons include soccer star David Beckham and his wife Victoria.Despite the group's alleged tackiness,marketers like chavs,because they spend a lot of their disposable income on fashion,food,and gadgets.