PERSONAL TASTE AND FAMILY FACE - LUXURY CONSUMPTION IN CONFUCIAN AND WESTERN SOCIETIES

East Asia is currently the biggest market for luxury and prestige bran ds from the West. This article examines the cultural factors that lie behind this phenomenon and, based on distinctions between Southeast As ian and Western cultures, explores how the practice of luxury consumpt ion differs in these cultures. As part of this examination, self-conce pt theory is reviewed and integrated in a cross-cultural consumption m odel. Conceptual linkages between existing theories of materialism and conspicuous consumption, are noted. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.