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Papers by john desmond
Consuming Behaviour, 2003
Consuming Behaviour, 2003
Consuming Behaviour, 2003
Psychoanalytic Accounts of Consuming Desire, 2013
Psychoanalytic Accounts of Consuming Desire, 2013
Psychoanalytic Accounts of Consuming Desire, 2013
Since neo-liberalism finally came into its own towards the end of the 1970s, Western citizen-cons... more Since neo-liberalism finally came into its own towards the end of the 1970s, Western citizen-consumers have been constantly reminded that the world is their oyster. ‘You’ve Got It!’ was the slogan that united the calls of politicians, property developers, bankers and company directors, who between them inflated the biggest credit bubble in history, with many of them managing to walk off with the proceeds just before it burst.1 Rather than questioning and reforming the basis of this ruinous enterprise, the response has been generally to accelerate state withdrawal from key sectors of public life and to intensify the implementation of privatization, as national economies struggle to balance the books. The prevailing rhetoric of those heady years, about the centrality of consumer mastery and choice, rings hollowly for millions of consumers today.
Psychoanalytic Accounts of Consuming Desire, 2013
Organization, 2016
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License New... more This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License Newcastle University ePrints-eprint.ncl.ac.uk
Research in Consumer Behavior, 2014
Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate narcissism in relation to consumer i... more Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate narcissism in relation to consumer identity projects. Narcissism is rarely the focus of consumer culture studies, though it resonates with theories of individualistic, consumption-driven identities, and is argued to be a pervasive social trend within a hegemonic consumer culture that places the individual center stage. We explore these themes in the context of emerging adult identity projects given arguments about increasing narcissism in younger generations. Methodology/approach Identifying eight participants using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory – four with high and four with low scores – we conduct in-depth interviews to explore their identity projects, narcissistic traits, and brand relationships. Findings Through idiographic analysis, we find that those with lower narcissistic tendencies seem to have a communal orientation to both people and brands, whilst those with greater narcissistic tendencies tend to be individualistic and agentic. We relate the narcissistic consumer to Fromm’s “marketing character,” proposing four themes that emerge from the analysis: liquidity; an other-directed sense of self; conformity; and the commodification of self. Social implications This paper discusses the societal implications of individualistic consumer identity projects, highlighting narcissism, a concept relatively neglected within consumer culture theory. Narcissism carries with it a host of societal implications, not least of which is a focus on the self and a lack of concern with the wellbeing of others.
Encyclopedia of Consumer Culture
Psychology & Marketing, 2013
Two prominent areas of research to emerge in recent years are consumer relationships with brands ... more Two prominent areas of research to emerge in recent years are consumer relationships with brands and narcissism in society. Whilst each of these research streams has contributed valuable insights on contemporary consumer behavior, there has not yet been an in-depth comparative study of the relations that narcissists and non-narcissists have with products and brands, a gap that this study seeks to address. In the same vein as Fournier (1998), an idiographic qualitative study was devised to investigate whether there are consistent differences in orientation to (a) people and (b) brands between men scoring high and low on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. The findings show the agentic nature of the narcissist, as compared to the communal orientation of the non-narcissist, in dealing with both people and brands. Furthermore, the findings offer evidence of grandiose and fragile variants of narcissism.
Organization, 2014
In recent decades European meat consumers have confronted food scandals that have brought into sh... more In recent decades European meat consumers have confronted food scandals that have brought into sharp relief the dark side of their relations with animals. From the ‘Mad cow’ disease outbreak in 1989 to ‘Horsegate’ in 2013, industrial animal welfare and trading systems have been exposed and provoked public questioning of the treatment of animals. Alongside such scandals are wider challenges regarding the capture, treatment and slaughter of wild animals, the use of animals in human sport, laboratory testing and abuse of companion and domesticated animals. Much of the critical academic study of our organized relations with animals is found in sociology and geography, and particularly science studies (Callon, 1986; Haraway, 2003). Despite the promise that such work holds for addressing questions of power, accountability, ideology and ethics, organization studies has paid scant attention to this work. This special issue is a response to this gap and we invite works that describe, explain and theorize the problematic of ‘organizing animals’. There are many possible routes into such work. One way would be to address the assumptions and character of contemporary management practices, organizational processes and boundaries as they relate to production, companion and wild animals. In relation to production animals, recent research suggests that some animals are active participants in organizational practices (Budiansky, 1999). Ethnographies of cows, for example, suggests that they actively participate in farm work (Porcher and Schmitt, 2010). Another route would be to investigate the ethical relationship between organizations and the natural environment through animal-human relations rather than broader ecological studies. For example to what extent do organizations in post-industrial capitalism reflect a disavowal of the ‘animal other,’ or in contrast, develop alternative relations with animals? While animal-human relations are often associated with violence and domination it may be a mistake to consider this as purely one-directional. What alternatives are possible? John Desmond (2010) argues, drawing upon Derrida’s critique of the disavowal of the ‘animal other’, for an ethics of the animal’s point of view. Derrida proposes an ‘animalaise’ in which we are not in a relationship of sympathy with the animal other, but are ‘naked’ in relation to this other. Work on ‘organizing animals’ could draw from a diverse range of theoretical frameworks including theories such as Actor Network Theory (Böhm et al., 2008; Callon, 1986; Latour, 2005) social movement analysis (Böhm et al., 2008; Davis et al., 2005), business ethics (Desmond, 2010; Jones et al., 2005), post-humanist perspectives (Haraway, 2003), and critical management studies more generally (Burrell, 1997; Clegg et al., 2006).
Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 1997
Considers the relations between warfare, gender and marketing, and asks “Are we witnessing the fe... more Considers the relations between warfare, gender and marketing, and asks “Are we witnessing the feminization of marketing?” Draws on Deleuze and Guattari’s (1988) conception of warfare to illustrate contemporary patriarchal organization of society, war and marketing. Some might argue that a shifting balance of power in society and in marketing is reflected in developments such as relationship marketing and postmodern marketing which signal a shift away from “male” values, and that we are currently witnessing the resurgence of more “feminine” values. Concludes that despite these grand claims, prevailing “patriarchal” relations of power are still intact.One could argue that such developments are further acts of appropriation of the “female” space. That said, this space can never be totally appropriated. To locate the “female” principle, one must look beyond the regulating structures of society and the academy to the fringe, for this is the domain of the war machine, a territory which c...
Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2013
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to draw from: Freud's Interpretation of Dreams, citing th... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to draw from: Freud's Interpretation of Dreams, citing the Dream of Irma's Injection, to illustrate psychic organization and the relation of psychic to social organization; The Dream of the Failed Dinner Party, to illustrate the inter‐individual context of dreaming; and finally The Dream of the Burning Child, to briefly discuss analogous processes to dreams in relation to the ethics of organization.Design/methodology/approachThe paper consists of a critical conceptual review of literature in the fields of psychoanalysis and organization.FindingsA psychoanalytic focus on dreams acknowledges the importance of the organization of the psyche, highlighting the continuing importance of childhood experience and of repressed desire for adult neurotics. The social organization of the psyche illustrates the importance of understanding that different character types produce different phantasies of organization. It is argued that the inter‐individual ...
Journal of Marketing Management, 2004
... Bureaucracy as a Form of Control The concept of bureaucracy was coined by Weber (1947) to des... more ... Bureaucracy as a Form of Control The concept of bureaucracy was coined by Weber (1947) to describe the mode of organisation best suited to the demands of capitalism. ... Page 6. 214 JohnDesmond 6. Careerisation; striving to be bigger cogs in the organisational machine. ...
Journal of Marketing Management, 2009
This short discussion piece represents an exploratory attempt to apply Lacan's four discourse... more This short discussion piece represents an exploratory attempt to apply Lacan's four discourses, comprising the master's discourse, the university discourse, the hysteric's discourse and finally the discourse of the analytic discourse as means to figure the relations of knowledge and desire to critical marketing. Critical marketing is itself placed under erasure in the title (refer to printed copy for exactitude) to signify that just as there can be no pure marketing, there can likewise be no purity of critique.
Journal of Marketing Management, 2013
Abstract This paper develops a proposal on the original offered by Swift in seeking to address th... more Abstract This paper develops a proposal on the original offered by Swift in seeking to address the marketing challenges presented by the requirement to feed nine billion humans by the year 2050. Although Swift was aware of the centrality of the customer to the success of his enterprise, his proposal would have benefited from a knowledge of marketing exemplified by the formulation of the marketing concept, which takes the customer as the heart of the enterprise and by the more recent development of Service-Dominant Logic, which recognises the customer as co-producer and even co-creator of value.
Consuming Behaviour, 2003
Consuming Behaviour, 2003
Consuming Behaviour, 2003
Psychoanalytic Accounts of Consuming Desire, 2013
Psychoanalytic Accounts of Consuming Desire, 2013
Psychoanalytic Accounts of Consuming Desire, 2013
Since neo-liberalism finally came into its own towards the end of the 1970s, Western citizen-cons... more Since neo-liberalism finally came into its own towards the end of the 1970s, Western citizen-consumers have been constantly reminded that the world is their oyster. ‘You’ve Got It!’ was the slogan that united the calls of politicians, property developers, bankers and company directors, who between them inflated the biggest credit bubble in history, with many of them managing to walk off with the proceeds just before it burst.1 Rather than questioning and reforming the basis of this ruinous enterprise, the response has been generally to accelerate state withdrawal from key sectors of public life and to intensify the implementation of privatization, as national economies struggle to balance the books. The prevailing rhetoric of those heady years, about the centrality of consumer mastery and choice, rings hollowly for millions of consumers today.
Psychoanalytic Accounts of Consuming Desire, 2013
Organization, 2016
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License New... more This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License Newcastle University ePrints-eprint.ncl.ac.uk
Research in Consumer Behavior, 2014
Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate narcissism in relation to consumer i... more Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate narcissism in relation to consumer identity projects. Narcissism is rarely the focus of consumer culture studies, though it resonates with theories of individualistic, consumption-driven identities, and is argued to be a pervasive social trend within a hegemonic consumer culture that places the individual center stage. We explore these themes in the context of emerging adult identity projects given arguments about increasing narcissism in younger generations. Methodology/approach Identifying eight participants using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory – four with high and four with low scores – we conduct in-depth interviews to explore their identity projects, narcissistic traits, and brand relationships. Findings Through idiographic analysis, we find that those with lower narcissistic tendencies seem to have a communal orientation to both people and brands, whilst those with greater narcissistic tendencies tend to be individualistic and agentic. We relate the narcissistic consumer to Fromm’s “marketing character,” proposing four themes that emerge from the analysis: liquidity; an other-directed sense of self; conformity; and the commodification of self. Social implications This paper discusses the societal implications of individualistic consumer identity projects, highlighting narcissism, a concept relatively neglected within consumer culture theory. Narcissism carries with it a host of societal implications, not least of which is a focus on the self and a lack of concern with the wellbeing of others.
Encyclopedia of Consumer Culture
Psychology & Marketing, 2013
Two prominent areas of research to emerge in recent years are consumer relationships with brands ... more Two prominent areas of research to emerge in recent years are consumer relationships with brands and narcissism in society. Whilst each of these research streams has contributed valuable insights on contemporary consumer behavior, there has not yet been an in-depth comparative study of the relations that narcissists and non-narcissists have with products and brands, a gap that this study seeks to address. In the same vein as Fournier (1998), an idiographic qualitative study was devised to investigate whether there are consistent differences in orientation to (a) people and (b) brands between men scoring high and low on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. The findings show the agentic nature of the narcissist, as compared to the communal orientation of the non-narcissist, in dealing with both people and brands. Furthermore, the findings offer evidence of grandiose and fragile variants of narcissism.
Organization, 2014
In recent decades European meat consumers have confronted food scandals that have brought into sh... more In recent decades European meat consumers have confronted food scandals that have brought into sharp relief the dark side of their relations with animals. From the ‘Mad cow’ disease outbreak in 1989 to ‘Horsegate’ in 2013, industrial animal welfare and trading systems have been exposed and provoked public questioning of the treatment of animals. Alongside such scandals are wider challenges regarding the capture, treatment and slaughter of wild animals, the use of animals in human sport, laboratory testing and abuse of companion and domesticated animals. Much of the critical academic study of our organized relations with animals is found in sociology and geography, and particularly science studies (Callon, 1986; Haraway, 2003). Despite the promise that such work holds for addressing questions of power, accountability, ideology and ethics, organization studies has paid scant attention to this work. This special issue is a response to this gap and we invite works that describe, explain and theorize the problematic of ‘organizing animals’. There are many possible routes into such work. One way would be to address the assumptions and character of contemporary management practices, organizational processes and boundaries as they relate to production, companion and wild animals. In relation to production animals, recent research suggests that some animals are active participants in organizational practices (Budiansky, 1999). Ethnographies of cows, for example, suggests that they actively participate in farm work (Porcher and Schmitt, 2010). Another route would be to investigate the ethical relationship between organizations and the natural environment through animal-human relations rather than broader ecological studies. For example to what extent do organizations in post-industrial capitalism reflect a disavowal of the ‘animal other,’ or in contrast, develop alternative relations with animals? While animal-human relations are often associated with violence and domination it may be a mistake to consider this as purely one-directional. What alternatives are possible? John Desmond (2010) argues, drawing upon Derrida’s critique of the disavowal of the ‘animal other’, for an ethics of the animal’s point of view. Derrida proposes an ‘animalaise’ in which we are not in a relationship of sympathy with the animal other, but are ‘naked’ in relation to this other. Work on ‘organizing animals’ could draw from a diverse range of theoretical frameworks including theories such as Actor Network Theory (Böhm et al., 2008; Callon, 1986; Latour, 2005) social movement analysis (Böhm et al., 2008; Davis et al., 2005), business ethics (Desmond, 2010; Jones et al., 2005), post-humanist perspectives (Haraway, 2003), and critical management studies more generally (Burrell, 1997; Clegg et al., 2006).
Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 1997
Considers the relations between warfare, gender and marketing, and asks “Are we witnessing the fe... more Considers the relations between warfare, gender and marketing, and asks “Are we witnessing the feminization of marketing?” Draws on Deleuze and Guattari’s (1988) conception of warfare to illustrate contemporary patriarchal organization of society, war and marketing. Some might argue that a shifting balance of power in society and in marketing is reflected in developments such as relationship marketing and postmodern marketing which signal a shift away from “male” values, and that we are currently witnessing the resurgence of more “feminine” values. Concludes that despite these grand claims, prevailing “patriarchal” relations of power are still intact.One could argue that such developments are further acts of appropriation of the “female” space. That said, this space can never be totally appropriated. To locate the “female” principle, one must look beyond the regulating structures of society and the academy to the fringe, for this is the domain of the war machine, a territory which c...
Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2013
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to draw from: Freud's Interpretation of Dreams, citing th... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to draw from: Freud's Interpretation of Dreams, citing the Dream of Irma's Injection, to illustrate psychic organization and the relation of psychic to social organization; The Dream of the Failed Dinner Party, to illustrate the inter‐individual context of dreaming; and finally The Dream of the Burning Child, to briefly discuss analogous processes to dreams in relation to the ethics of organization.Design/methodology/approachThe paper consists of a critical conceptual review of literature in the fields of psychoanalysis and organization.FindingsA psychoanalytic focus on dreams acknowledges the importance of the organization of the psyche, highlighting the continuing importance of childhood experience and of repressed desire for adult neurotics. The social organization of the psyche illustrates the importance of understanding that different character types produce different phantasies of organization. It is argued that the inter‐individual ...
Journal of Marketing Management, 2004
... Bureaucracy as a Form of Control The concept of bureaucracy was coined by Weber (1947) to des... more ... Bureaucracy as a Form of Control The concept of bureaucracy was coined by Weber (1947) to describe the mode of organisation best suited to the demands of capitalism. ... Page 6. 214 JohnDesmond 6. Careerisation; striving to be bigger cogs in the organisational machine. ...
Journal of Marketing Management, 2009
This short discussion piece represents an exploratory attempt to apply Lacan's four discourse... more This short discussion piece represents an exploratory attempt to apply Lacan's four discourses, comprising the master's discourse, the university discourse, the hysteric's discourse and finally the discourse of the analytic discourse as means to figure the relations of knowledge and desire to critical marketing. Critical marketing is itself placed under erasure in the title (refer to printed copy for exactitude) to signify that just as there can be no pure marketing, there can likewise be no purity of critique.
Journal of Marketing Management, 2013
Abstract This paper develops a proposal on the original offered by Swift in seeking to address th... more Abstract This paper develops a proposal on the original offered by Swift in seeking to address the marketing challenges presented by the requirement to feed nine billion humans by the year 2050. Although Swift was aware of the centrality of the customer to the success of his enterprise, his proposal would have benefited from a knowledge of marketing exemplified by the formulation of the marketing concept, which takes the customer as the heart of the enterprise and by the more recent development of Service-Dominant Logic, which recognises the customer as co-producer and even co-creator of value.