Situated at the intersection of markets and development, this commentary aims to promote a cross-fertilization of macromarketing and Transformative Consumer Research (TCR) that directs attention to the sociocultural context and situational embeddedness of consumer experience and well-being, while acknowledging complex, systemic interdependencies between markets, marketing, and society. Based on a critical review of the meaning of development and an interrogation of various developmental discourses, the authors develop a conceptual framework that brings together issues of development, well-being, and social inequalities. We suggest that these issues are better understood and addressed when examined via grounded investigations of the role of markets in shaping the management of resources, consumer agency, power inequalities and ethics. The use of markets as units of analysis may lead to further cross-fertilizations of TCR and macromarketing and to more comprehensive theorizing and transformational impact. Two empirical cases are provided to illustrate our framework.

With a focus on highly skilled professionals who have moved and resettled in different countries for reasons related to work, the aim of this paper is to enhance understanding of the role of consumption practices in managing the temporal dimension of global mobility. Two related datasets are used: in-depth long interviews with globally mobile professionals and a multi-sited ethnography with a community of global expatriates. Findings show how these consumers manage their multiple temporal frameworks (through zoning, by developing and using temporal coordinating mechanisms and by projecting themselves into the future) and reveal new temporal frameworks created by global mobility (cycles of mobility, embodied mobility rhythms and distorted timelines). The research raises questions about the way consumption by globally mobile professionals shapes, and is shaped by, processes of globalization and the demands of flexible capitalism in late modernity.

Coffee is far more than just a beverage. It is a product that boasts an extraordinarily rich history, and its cultural identity has shifted over time. This article explores how coffee secured its status as a global marketplace icon. We argue that coffee is a metamorphic product based on its capacity to assume multiple and different cultural meanings over time. First consumed for its energizing properties and use as a medical treatment, coffee has morphed from a symbol of spiritual significance to a beverage representing conquest, independence, intellectual conversations, conviviality, hedonism, counterculture, prosperity, cosmopolitan lifestyle, and craft. In this article, we retrace the history of coffee to demonstrate its metamorphic qualities and its history of providing social value, which is critical to explaining its enduring global iconic status.

Purpose: This study explores digital risk perceptions – the perception of risk related to digital environments – among older adults. Specifically, it investigates how these risk perceptions influence older adults’ frequency of digital engagement in everyday activities. Design/methodology/approach: The research methodology involved conducting 22 interviews and administering 708 surveys among older adults living at home. The researchers examined how digital risk perceptions influenced older adults’ frequency of engagement in everyday digital activities. The study also explored the mediating role of digital risk perceptions in the relationship between older adults’ digital competencies and the frequency of everyday digital engagement. Findings: The study identified six distinct categories of digital risk perceptions among older adults. Furthermore, it found that older adults’ digital competencies significantly impacted the frequency of everyday digital engagement. However, certain digital risk perceptions, particularly those related to privacy and security concerns and concerns about financial impact, mediated the relationship between digital competencies and the frequency of everyday digital engagement. Older adults’ frequency of participating in digital activities was influenced by perceptions of risk, highlighting the complex interplay between digital competencies and digital risk perception in shaping older adults’ engagement with everyday digital activities. Originality/value: This study contributes to understanding older adults’ engagement in everyday digital activities by delineating six specific categories of digital risk perceptions. By identifying the mediating role of digital risk perceptions, particularly regarding privacy, security and financial concerns, the study sheds light on the nuanced factors influencing older adults’ willingness to participate digitally, which adds nuance and extends knowledge on digital and social inclusion among older adults.