LIFESTYLE & CONSUMPTION
VISION
During the second half of the 20th century, the disconnection between the spheres of production and
consumption reached a peak (Arnould and Thompson, 2005; Trentmann, 2006) and the later generations
have been immersed in a consumer society. However, the most recent technological and scientific
revolutions, the digital revolution in particular, have transformed the way these spheres are structured along
with the lifestyles of individuals (Sassatelli, 2007).
Under the influence of major technological changes (digitization, virtualization, miniaturization, robotization
and globalization) as well as cultural changes (the omnipresence of brands, the questions about climate
change and ethics) – our lifestyles have undergone a deep transformation, in particular our modes of
consumption, our use of technology and innovation and our relations with market structures. Individuals
‘make do’ with the resources made available to them and they engineer the lifestyle that suits them best.
For emlyon, the separation of production and consumption processes is the central characteristic of
modernity. In this context of transformation-transition, the Lifestyle & Consumption academic cluster
examines the dialectical relationships between market dynamics (spheres of production) and the facets of an
individual’s consumption (attitudes, behaviors, characteristics and dimensions), in particular any attempt to
make a rapprochement between the two spheres.
MISSION
The Lifestyle & Consumption cluster’s mission is to make an academic contribution, to produce actionable
knowledge and to inform emlyon stakeholders about issues related to lifestyles and consumption patterns.
Its goal is also to reveal the deep transformations that occur but generally go unnoticed, and to help
organizations, public agencies and associations to look beyond the apparent reality of day-to-day life.
Lifestyles vary greatly around the world, and nothing could be more simplistic than the notion that people
are the same the world over, as if ‘MacDonaldised’. The Lifestyle & Consumption academic cluster’s
approach is both cross-cutting and global, factoring in this diversity, while addressing convergence
dynamics. Its specialization lies in the mobilization and enhancement of both normative and reflexive
approaches: consumption is also ideological, an aspect that should not be overlooked.
In terms of disciplines, the Lifestyle & Consumption academic cluster is most closely tied to marketing. It
engages with traditional marketing and consumer behaviors methods and approaches, as well as more
sociological approaches (Consumer Culture theory), which call upon more cultural and anthropological
currents. Its digital component addresses the relationship between the individual and data, public-private
boundaries, and intimacy if such a thing still exists.
The Lifestyle & Consumption cluster is directed by Michel Phan and is based at emlyon’s Shanghai
Campus, Asia. This bold decision exemplifies emlyon’s global outlook and decentering policy.
2016-2017
FIELDS
The Lifestyle & Consumption academic cluster deals with four themes concerning an individual’s
relationship to society and how this affects their consumption. These themes break with academic, national or
cultural boundaries, making innovation their common ground.

Interactions and consumption. How do individuals interact with their external environment
(communities, family, friends, public and private institutions etc.) and their internal environment (selfidentity, social identity, pleasure, hedonism etc.)? And what effect do these interactions have on their
attitudes towards consumption?

Digital technology and consumption. How do individuals appropriate the digitization of their world
(virtual, social media, e-commerce/mobile commerce, the Internet of Things, including connected health
solutions etc.)? By contrast, what is our ‘new’ relationship with the non-digital world (sense of touch,
feelings and emotions, physical spaces, product designs and services etc.) and to the purchasing
experience.

Power and consumption. How do individuals adopt the modern consumer culture (consumerism, shared
consumption and ‘Uberisation’, shorter product and services lifecycles etc.)? What new forms of
engagement do they demonstrate? How does consumption work within an alternative culture (such as
sustainable consumption, de-consumerism, LOHAS [Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability] consumers,
recycling, the preservation of natural resources, anti-consumerism, DIY etc.)?

Lifecycles and consumption. How is the individual influenced by their relationship to time and their own
evolution? What do the phases of transformation and transition signify and what are the consequences
(precocious consumerism among youth, switching from professional hyperactivity to professional
inactivity, will an ageing population and increased life expectancy influence the demand for innovative
products and services etc.)?
ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES
RESEARCH CENTER
Directed by Lionel Sitz, the Transforming Markets, Changing Lifestyles research center aims at
enhancing our understanding of the relationships between markets and lifestyles. It focuses on four subjects:
usage and experience; technologies and innovations, infrastructures and business; institutions and
categories.
Technologies and innovations contribute to transformations in the lifestyle of an individual i.e. their usage
and experience (for example, the digital revolution has transformed modes of consumption), obliging
business infrastructures to adapt (for example, RFID chips have transformed logistics chains; BIMs are
transforming the property and construction market, and digitization is deeply transforming B2C interaction).
Technologies and innovations also distort institutions and categories (for example, the digitization of music
raises complex problems of categorization and legal, ethical and moral issues that have yet to be resolved;
actors such as Uber are deeply modifying standard market practices).
Members of this research center include: Eric Arnould, Klaus Heine, Hua Li, Gilles Marion, Michel Phan,
Robert Revat, Alice Riou, Jonas Rokka, and Handan Vicdan (Usages and Experience research group , with
both a mainstream and a Consumer Culture Theory approach) ; Bernard Calisti, Monica Grosso, Clément
Levallois, Paul Millier, Margherita Pagani and François Scheid (Technologies and Innovations research
group); Florence Mazet-Crespin, Gilles Neubert, Catherine Pardo, Philippe Portier and Robert Salle
(Business Infrastructures research group); and Philippe Monin, Hans Schlierer and Fred Seidel (Institutions
and Categories group)
Over the past five years, theses researchers have published academic contributions in leading international
journals:
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Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of
Marketing Management, Marketing Theory, European Journal of Marketing, Management Decision, Journal
of Consumer Culture, Journal of Brand Management, Management International, Journal of Business
Research, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Australasian Marketing Journal, Asia Marketing
Journal, Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, as well as French academic journalss : Recherche et
Applications en Marketing, Décisions Marketing; in managerial journalss: Financial Times, Strategies ; in the
national professional press: Les Echos, Le Figaro; and published books of reference ush as: L’ethnicité,
fabrique marketing andRegards croisés sur la consommation.
ACADEMIC
The Lifestyle & Consumption cluster is closely involved with three MSc programs: International Hospitality
Management (IHM); Sports Industry Management (SIM); and Luxury Management and Marketing (LMM).
emlyon Asian campus in Shanghai and the forthcoming emlyon Paris campus are the main geographical
platforms of the cluster’s development.
PARTNERS AND ACTIONS
The Transforming Markets, Changing Lifestyles research center works closely with the CGI (InterProfessional Federation of Wholesalers) in the context of a Research Chair (Cathy Pardo) created in 2010
addressing the consequences of digital technology for logistics chains. Researchers working on
Technologies and Innovations are currently running projects with IBM on retail (Monica Grosso and Hua
Li), big data (Clément Levallois and François Scheid) and the customer experience in education (Margherita
Pagani, Monica Grosso and Hua Li). In Usage and Experience, several workshops were organized on the
use of videography (Joonas Rokka, November 2015 and May 2016). Researchers from the Business
Infrastructures group presented their work on transformations in BtoB in the distribution sector and the
construction sector during the colloquium of the Association Française de Marketing (AFM) co-organized in
May 2016 by emlyon.
2016-2017