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Very interesting topic. I conducted an informal survey about 5 years ago, with some of my classes.

Several of my students of color were talking about this very topic, and I asked each of the students to write down the number of music CD's, albums, etc. they owned, broken down by black or white artists. I did the same.

They were surprised when I noted that my collection, dating back 30 years, had about a 65% white / 35% black mixture. The white students in class were mostly reporting about a 55% white / 45% black mix.

The black students in class reported about a 95% black / 5% white mix, with a few admitting that they had no white artists in their collections (there were no white students who reported having no black artists in their collections). The students were rather surprised at this too.

The point of the exercise of course was to just get them thinking (and discussing) about consumer topics.

Rod Runyan's observations are insightful. I have always wondered whether the implications of deviating from normative behaviors (within a given ethnic group) are strikingly different when one compares across ethnic groups. If these implications indeed differ across ethnic groups, it is important for researchers to focus on the direction and magnitude of those differences, and whether they change over time.

I think this topic could benefit from a case study of Toyota's growth into the #1 automaker in the world. As it has grown in the U.S., Toyota has cultivated the image of an all-American builder of tough work trucks (the Tundra line) and is fielding a NASCAR team. Despite this, I have read reports of overt racist attitudes toward Toyota's participation in NASCAR. It will be interesting to see how Toyota might respond using Mr. Ouellet's mitigation factors especially given that the second factor (renowned expertise in automaking) is at the heart of many of these racist attitudes.

Additionally, as a law student of color, I am often presented with law firm recruiting initiatives that emphasize diversity hiring under the logic that not only is it the right thing to do, but it is also increasingly demanded by clients to conform with clients' non-discrimination policies. I fear that Mr. Ouellet's last sentence about not associating with minority vendors will directly undermine firms' non-discrimination and diversity hiring policies at best, and be illegal at worst.

I am interested in Quellet's method but wondering why there are no construct and path on LISREL 8 output which can dispaly on this paper.
Please advice if Quellet has one and e-mail to me for my reference. Thank you!

I am somewhat puzzled. Ethnocentrism is ethnocentrism and by definition is ethnicallly oriented, so when one says 'ethnic ethnocentrism,' I wonder what they mean?!

Second, it's factual that many whites purchase products developed and produced by Black people; that's why Elvis Presley was so popular: he presented a Black product that whites accepted rather than accept the Black artist.

Black people tend not to purchase white-produced products because they simply prefer other products; it has virtually nothing to do with 'race.' It is directly related to socio-cultural phenomena, not so-called race.

It seems to me that many contemporary 'scholars' are producing areas of false concern to further their careers and produce
'original research.' There are areas in which their efforts would be more academically sound and perform a real service to society.

NB: I teach Sociology, Marketing and Advertising, as well as Organizational Theory and Behavior and Management.

I think we have to consider the differences that exist among generational groups. Recent research in 10 countries has shown that teens now rank US brands lower than other international brands.

Following are highlights of findings from a study by Energy BBDO.

The findings suggest that nationalism and "ethnic ethnocentrism" are complex, interwoven, and merit further study before we can draw any conclusive results.

"While Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Disney can still boast worldwide brand awareness, findings in the 13-nation GenWorld Teen Study recently conducted by Energy BBDO (http://www.energybbdo.com/) suggests that to a new generation of global teens, being well-known isn't enough to make a brand popular.

In fact, several American mega-brands appear to be slipping, with McDonalds and Disney leading the descent. McDonalds, while still #2 in recognition, has fallen off the charts in preference (a dismal showing at #32). While Disney's awareness is #9, positive ratings leave it at #23. Coca- Cola still ranks #1 in awareness; but its preference ratings have slipped to #8.

Top Global Teen Brands
Net-Positive Rating

Sony 72
Nokia 69
adidas 65
Nike 64
Colgate 63
Nestle 63
Cadbury 62
Coca-Cola 62
M&Ms 62
Kodak 58

Teen expert Chip Walker, executive vice president and director of planning at Energy BBDO explains, "It is unclear whether attitudes towards America are driving these ratings. There seems to be a great ambivalence towards America among global teens. About half admire America while half don't. Yet, it remains by a slim margin the country they would most like to visit."