Culture and consumption: a study of beer consumption in Australia

[Truncated] This thesis examined the relationship between culture and consumption through the in-depth analysis of beer consumption in the Australian context. The aim was to explore the extent to which consumption decisions and behaviours are individually-versus-culturally-determined. The literature pertaining to the bi-directional relationship-between culture and consumption was categorised into two perspectives: the Consumer-as King perspective and the Consumer as Pawn perspective. The choice of these titles-intentionally likens the consumption process to the game of chess, a game in which-power positions are all-important. Each perspective is characterised by a different-orientation towards the autonomy of the consumer relative to cultural imperatives. They-also differ in terms of their positions regarding consumer rationality, the nature of social reality, the importance of managerial relevance in consumer research, and the process of cultural meaning transfer. Due to the underlying theoretical differences between these perspectives, the choice and application of research methods differ between them.