The Country of Origin (COO) Effect by Doreen Soutar

This literature review is divided into three main sections: This section looks at The Country of Origin (COO) Effect…

Introduction

Complementary to research on internal and external influences on purchase behaviour motivation, research has also been carried out which looks at the intrinsic and extrinsic cues individuals use when making purchasing decisions. The intrinsic cues are based on the product itself, such as the quality of the materials it has been make from. The extrinsic cues are those which are not directly related to the product, such as the brand label or the price. Some researchers (Lantz & Loeb, 2006; Okechuku, 2004) suggest that the country of origin of a product can be a stronger cue for purchasing behaviour that brand name, price, or quality. Scottish whisky or Egyptian cotton are prime examples of the COO effect. Read more…

Piyush Roy Introduces Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish by Rituparno Ghosh

On Monday 5th May Piyush Roy gave the following introduction to the Indian film Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish (2012). It is one of contemporary Indian cinema’s most empathetic engagements with gender expression and trans-experience.

A son contemplates changing his gender because it will allow him to adopt a baby with his male lover. But how does he take into confidence his parents, and the society around. His mother offers, “I gave birth to this body, which is yours… I have a right to know, whatever goes on in this body. I have a right to know, if it is changing, transforming…” Read more…

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things was recommended by John Morrison

As part of the Ragged Library, John Morrison, Lecturer in Digital Media and Interactive Design at Edinburgh Napier University recommended ′Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by Michael Braungart and William McDonough…

This is in my top 5 favourite books! I came across it while studying product design in Glasgow. The book is jointly authored by an architect and a chemist. However is very accessible, a kind of manifesto for a radically different philosophy, I found reading it revolutionised my thinking in many areas. The authors proffers a paradigm shift from what we take for granted in our every day lives, suggesting the next major revolution should be a green one.
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Podcast: On A New Understanding Of Human Beings by Ciaran Healy

This is a podcast of Ciaran Healy talking about ‘ On A New Understanding Of The Nature Of Human Beings’ part of Strange Terrain, the philosophy which he has developed over the years and is soon to be publishing. This is the first part of three talks he gave at the Ragged University called “On A New understanding Of The Nature Of Human Beings”
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Stories Of A Poacher: Bob In His Mid Twenties by Bob Redwater

We kept any pheasants or partridges and hare but got fed up of eating rabbits however they were cooked. I made pate with the livers. Rabbits were my mainstay and I traded them with the local butcher for a selection of butcher meat, eggs and tomatoes. He gave me a generous exchange rate and I went home with a bag of meat and no rabbits that I had to skin.

Video: Memoirs Of A Poacher by Bob Redwater

Bilingual: Life and Reality was recommended by Dr Madeleine Beveridge

As part of the Ragged Library, Dr Madeleine Beveridge, Research Coordinator for Bilingualism Matters at the University of Edinburgh suggested ‘Bilingual: Life and Reality′ by François Grosjean (Cambridge, MA :Harvard University Press, 2010)…

I would like to recommend “Bilingual: Life and Reality” to anyone who is interested in languages and how we learn them. François Grosjean is a huge name in bilingualism research. In this book, he explores what it means to be bilingual. In particular, he argues that bilingualism is not about speaking two langauges with perfect fluency, but about using more than one language – whether or not you sound like a native speaker. Read more…