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4.2.3 Research Context: Unit of Analysis and Research Sites
The unit of analysis for this study was defined as multicultural marketplace that was conceptualised in Chapter 2 as a multi-dimensional environment where multiple cultural forces converge at one point of simultaneous interaction with mainstream (i.e. autochthonous individuals of non-migrant/diasporic descent ‘born into’ a marketplace) and migrant/diasporic consumers. Two countries were selected as representative of multicultural marketplace conceptualisation: the United Kingdom (UK) and Ukraine, and two in-country sites selected were West Midlands region of the UK and Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. The rationale for the choice of countries and in-country sites is three-fold.
First, the researcher sought to study multicultural marketplaces of different backgrounds and cultural influences. The body of knowledge on consumption behaviours of multicultural persons so far has been largely derived from the studies conducted in a variety of countries in Western hemisphere, such as USA, Canada and Western Europe (Jamal, 2003; Askegaard et al., 2005; Wamwara-Mbugua et al., 2008; Holliday, 2010).
Less is known about whether similar multicultural trends are observed among consumers in emerging markets, although these markets are of increasing attractiveness to businesses due to rapidly growing consumer spending power. Obtaining greater knowledge about consumers in emerging markets is considered paramount for advancement of international marketing science (Douglas and Craig, 2001; Burgess and Steenkamp, 2006; Broderick, Greenley and Mueller, 2007). Therefore, selection of research sites was guided by sampling one Western European and one Eastern European country with a comparable range of ethnic migrant/diasporic groups co-residing with mainstream populations. UK and Ukraine population statistics indicate that both countries are multi-ethnic in composition, with six and seven major ethnic groups identified to co-reside with mainstream population in the UK and Ukraine respectively (UK Population Census, 2011; Ukraine Population Census, 2001). The in-country sites
102 chosen for research are generally comparable by ethnic composition to the overall country populations, as shown in Tables 4-3 and 4-4.9
Second, both countries are participating in the global market economy, and therefore populations are exposed to cultural experiences through trade and media. The UK is an industrialised nation that has historically always been a key contributor to international trade. Ukraine opened its market to international trade after the fall of the Soviet Union, which resulted in intensified trade, global and foreign companies’ entrance to its’
market, and increasing short- and long-term travel of its’ citizens abroad. In 2012 the UK was the 5th importer in the world, with total imports volume = $777.6 billion and volume of imported goods = $639.794 billion (CIA World Fact Book, 2014;
IndexMundi, 2014a). In 2012 Ukraine was 38th importer in the world, with total volume of imports = $87.21 billion and volume of imported goods = $80.414 billion (CIA World Fact Book, 2014; IndexMundi, 2014b). Based on considerations of population composition and participation in the global economy, there is scope to consider both the UK and Ukraine as multicultural marketplaces.
Finally, the choice of countries was justified by the need of contextualisation. The researcher is English-Russian bilingual (Russian is a language of a regional status spoken in Ukraine). Collecting data using subjects’ vocabulary is useful as it achieves comprehension of social contexts, maximises contextualisation of the data collection, allows for greater translation equivalence and understanding of the emerged meanings (Burgess and Steenkamp, 2006; Crouch and McKenzie, 2006). In addition, the researcher established a collaborative relationship with two marketing academics from two major universities in Ukraine, to act as local experts throughout the project. Their contextual knowledge was an important research resource (Phillips, 1971).
9 For clarity, from this point throughout the thesis the research sites will be referred to by country name, i.e. UK and Ukraine
103 Table 4-3: Comparative Population Statistics by Ethnic Origin (UK-West
Midlands)10
Population Statistics UK West Midlands
Overall population, thousand 63,182 5,602
% %
Asian/Asian British: Indian 2.3 3.9
Asian/Asian British: Pakistani 1.9 4.1
Asian/Asian British: Bangladeshi 0.7 0.9
Asian/Asian British: Chinese 0.7 0.6
Asian/Asian British: Other Asian 1.4 1.3
Black (African/Caribbean/Other Black) 3 3.2
Mixed Ethnicity 2 2.3
Other Ethnic Group 0.9 0.9
Source: UK Population Census 2011, UK Office for National Statistics
Table 4-4: Comparative Population Statistics by Ethnic Origin (Ukraine-Kiev)11
Population by Ethnic Origin Ukraine Kiev
Overall population, thousand 48,457 2,503
% %
Ukrainian 77.8 82.2
Russian 17.3 13.1
Belarusian 0.6 0.6
Moldovan 0.5 0.1
Tatars (incl.Crimean tatars) 0.7 0.2
Polish 0.3 0.3
Jewish 0.2 0.7
Other ethnic group 2.6 2.2
Source: Ukraine Population Census 2001, Ukraine State Office for National Statistics
10 Note: reproduced as given by the source; source indicates that totals may not add up to 100% due to aggregation
11 Note: reproduced as given by the source; source indicates that totals may not add up to 100% due to aggregation
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4.3 Phase 1 (Study 1)
This section details the data collection and analysis strategies adopted in Phase 1 to address propositions 1 and 2 (see Table 4-1). Phase 1 consisted of a qualitative study in the selected research sites (Study 1). The main aims of Study 1 were to obtain data to explore people’s perceptions of Local, Global and Foreign cultures against these constructs’ new conceptualisations (see Chapter 3, Section 3.2, p:61), and to obtain initial insights into whether and how cultural identity orientations hypothesised in Consumer Multicultural Identity Orientation (CMIO) Matrix are manifested in the multicultural marketplaces selected for the study (UK and Ukraine). In light of these exploratory aims, collecting data through in-depth interviewing was deemed best suited.
Qualitative input is useful to explore adequacy of the concepts derived theoretically (Laurent, 2000; Malhotra and Birks, 2007; Fischer and Otnes, 2006). In-depth interviewing in particular captures complex associations and meanings that give
“culturally honoured” (Miller and Glassner, 1997: p99) insights into people’s perceptions of a phenomenon. Two main research questions pursued were as follows:
How do consumers perceive cultures they encounter in their social environments?
What is the role of Local, Global and Foreign cultures (LC, GC and FC) in consumers’ sense of self and identity?