<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This empirical study analyzes the cultural basis of the United States market response to imported Spanish products that seem to violate strongly-held cultural taboos. Survey responses were obtained from students in two contrasting majors, Art and Business, in two distinct cities and universities, i.e. Little Rock at the University of Arkansas, and Dominguez Hills at California State University. The study focused on a baby doll marketed to piggy-back on the new movement towards breastfeeding babies. Although accepted in its original European market, the United States media reports strong moral objections to this product among U. S. citizens. The toy was overwhelmingly rejected in some, but not all, population sub-groups. This study attempts to discern the cultural basis for product rejection by comparing responses between regions, college majors, genders and gender/major combinations. Differences in acceptance between groups are correlated with specific cultural constructs.</p></abstract>

This empirical study analyzes the cultural basis of the United States market response to imported Spanish products that seem to violate strongly-held cultural taboos. Survey responses were obtained from students in two contrasting majors, Art and Business, in two distinct cities and universities, i.e. Little Rock at the University of Arkansas, and Dominguez Hills at California State University. The study focused on a baby doll marketed to piggy-back on the new movement towards breastfeeding babies. Although accepted in its original European market, the United States media reports strong moral objections to this product among U. S. citizens. The toy was overwhelmingly rejected in some, but not all, population sub-groups. This study attempts to discern the cultural basis for product rejection by comparing responses between regions, college majors, genders and gender/major combinations. Differences in acceptance between groups are correlated with specific cultural constructs.

Culture-Based Rejection of Taboo-Infringing Imports

California State University Dominguez Hills

Department of Information Systems and Operations, Management

International Journal of Management and Economics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Culture-Based Rejection of Taboo-Infringing Imports"}

This empirical study analyzes the cultural basis of the United States market response to imported Spanish products that seem to violate strongly-held cultural...

Culture-Based Rejection of Taboo-Infringing Imports

Published Online: Sep 29, 2017

Page range: 67 - 81

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijme-2017-0019

Keywords
culture-based, import rejection, taboo, taboo-infringing, international marketing, Spain, USA, culture dimensions, gender, International Journal of Globalization and Small Business

© 2017 William D. Brice et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Culture-Based Rejection of Taboo-Infringing Imports

Published Online: Sep 29, 2017

Page range: 67 - 81

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijme-2017-0019

Keywordsculture-based, import rejection, taboo, taboo-infringing, international marketing, Spain, USA, culture dimensions, gender, International Journal of Globalization and Small Business

© 2017 William D. Brice et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
culture-based, import rejection, taboo, taboo-infringing, international marketing, Spain, USA, culture dimensions, gender, International Journal of Globalization and Small Business