Asian Studies Partnership:
Business and Economic Relationships with Asia
Since the Asian Economic Crisis

Institution:   DePaul University Libraries
Bibliographer:   Brian DeHart
Collection Focus:   
China: Marketing and Consumer Behavior

China has emerged in recent years as an economic powerhouse where rising standards of living have generated a burgeoning consumer class—an estimated 30 million citizens join the ranks annually. Foreign and domestic business interests compete for the hearts, minds and yuan of these new Chinese consumers and the millions who arrived before them. Marketing efforts are complicated because they must take into account traditional values exemplified by rural life that coexist with Western-influenced social expectations found in the vast urban centers. In relation to marketing, modern China has been likened to the United States of the early 20th century when product categories contained dozens of brands all vying for the public’s attention.

Tectonic shifts in the global economy require that curricula adapt in order to address the roles national cultures play on the world stage and, conversely, how globalization affects local economies. To meet the challenge of better understanding China in particular, DePaul University in 2006 began offering an undergraduate Chinese studies major. This interdisciplinary program is modeled after a successful Japanese studies major introduced in 1995 that currently enrolls 300 students; Chinese studies enrollment will most likely surpass this number. Additional interest in China is driven by undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in marketing electives whose projects often focus on the Chinese market. 

Books, dissertations and videos purchased through this award would be useful not only to students matriculated in formal Chinese studies degree programs or those taking international marketing courses, but all students who strive to understand China better. Furthermore, DePaul University’s commitment to providing an education that will keep its students competitive in the global arena ensures that its library collections will continue to grow and be maintained as an added benefit to the entire consortium.      

Titles ordered:

Bai, Junfei. Consumers' Preferences for Dairy Products in Alternative Food Store Formats in China. Washington State University, 2006.

Big Market for Small Electrical Appliances in Mainland China. Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2006.

Building a Brand for the Emerging Middle-Class in China. Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2003.

CEPA: Opportunities for Hong Kong Companies; Building a Brand in China.  Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2004.

Chen, Zhengyi. Chinese Retail Buyer-Seller Initiation and Maintenance of Relationships. Michigan State University, 2006.

Chen, Zishan. Food and Chinese Culture: Essays on Popular Cuisine. San Francisco: Long River Press, 2005. 

China: Seeking a Life of Abundance. Films for the Humanities & Sciences: Princeton, NJ, 2004. [video]

China's Licensing Market and Hong Kong's Role. Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2007.

China's Toy Market. Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2005.

Croll, Elisabeth J. China's New Consumers: Social Development and Domestic Demand. New York: Routledge, 2006.       

Crow, Carl and Ezra F. Vogel. 400 Million Customers: The Experiences--Some Happy, Some Sad of an American in China and What They Taught Him. Norwalk, CT: EastBridge, 2003.

Davis, Edward L. Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture. New York: Routledge, 2005.

Dikötter, Frank. Things Modern: Material Culture and Everyday Life in China. London: C. Hurst & Co., 2007.

Dong, Chunlian. Magical Transformations of the Self through the Consumption of Foreign Brands: The Identity Aspirations and Conflicts of Chinese Consumers in a Global Market. University of Kentucky, 2005.

Eckhardt, Giana Mancuso. Symbolic Consumption in China: Product Meaning and the Interdependent Self. University of Minnesota, 2000.

Entering Mainland's Automobile Supply Chain: Opportunities for Auto Part and Related Industries. Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2004.

Gamble, Jos. Shanghai in Transition: Changing Perspectives and Social Contours of a Chinese Metropolis. New York: Routledge, 2003.

Greater PRD: Bridgehead to the China Market. Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2004.

Hewitt, Duncan. Getting Rich First: Life in a Changing China. London: Chatto & Windus, 2007.

Hockx, Michel and Julia C. Strauss. Culture in the Contemporary PRC. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Hsu, Carolyn L. Creating Market Socialism: How Ordinary People Are Shaping Class and Status in China. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2007.

Hu, Angang. Economic and Social Transformation in China: Challenges and Opportunities. London: Routledge, 2007.

Kwan, Chui-yan. An Investigation on the Factors Affecting Young Chinese Consumers' Decision-Making Behaviour Towards Casual Wear Purchase. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2006.

Lam, N. Mark and John L. Graham. China Now: Doing Business in the World's Most Dynamic Market. McGraw-Hill, 2007.

Latham, Kevin, Stuart Klein and Jakob Thompson. Consuming China: Approaches to Cultural Change in Contemporary China. London: Routledge, 2006.

Levenda, Peter. The Mao of Business: Guerrilla Marketing Techniques for the New China. New York: Continuum, 2007.

Li, Jingya. Business Casual Clothing Market in China. University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2005.

Lin, I. Ling. Profit through Goodwill: Corporate Social Responsibility in China and Taiwan. University of Southern
            California, 2006.

Liping, Du. The Marketing of Traditional Medicines in China: The Case of Guangxi Province. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2005.

Luo, Jing. China Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the People's Republic. Westport , CT: Greenwood Press, 2005.

Mathews, Gordon and Dale Lü. Consuming Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2001.

New Generation of Mainland Consumers. Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2007.

Page , Nicholas Hines. Brand Equity of Professional Sports Franchises in Mainland China. California State University, Fullerton, 2005.

Practical Guide to Brand Promotion in China: How to Promote Your Brand? Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2005.

Practical Guide to Distribution in China: How to Launch Product Sales? Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2005.

Practical Guide to IPR Protection in China: How to Protect Your Brand? Hong Kong: Trade Development Council, 2005.

Shi, Anbin. A Comparative Approach to Redefining Chinese-Ness in the Era of Globalization. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2003.

Shiah, Jong-Shyan Summer. Critical Successful Factors for the Adoption of U.S. Customer Relationship Management Solutions in Chinese Markets: Exploratory Research in Taiwan and Shanghai. San Francisco, CA: Golden Gate University, 2005.

Skinner, G. William. Marketing and Social Structure in Rural China. Ann Arbor, MI: Association for Asian Studies, 2001.

Social Transformations in Chinese Societies Vol 1: The Official Annual of the Hong Kong Sociological Association. Boston: Brill, 2005.

Social Transformations in Chinese Societies Vol. 2: Sociology for Change. Boston: Brill, 2006.

To Have and Have Not: Wealth and Poverty in the New China. WNET: New York, 2003. [video]

Wei, Yinghong. Market Orientation and Successful New Product Innovation: The Role of Competency Traps. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006.

Wu, Hao. Beijing or Bust. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2005. [video]

Wu, Juanjuan. Chinese Perceptions of Western-Branded Denim Jeans: A Shanghai Case Study. University of Minnesota, 2005.

Xiao, Ge. The Chinese Consumers' Changing Value System, Consumption Values and Modern Consumption Behavior. Auburn University, 2005.