The social construction of the meanings of price

Sparke, Sarah

Abstract

The activity of translating something into a monetary amount - the price - is central to markets. Yet we know remarkably little about the practice of pricing beyond theories of economic rationale or market positioning and, as a construct, price has remained largely within the economists? domain. This research pushes for and contributes towards the need for more substantive studies of pricing. With particular emphasis on money-meanings, this research applies prior socio-economic research in an examination of discourses of the pricing process in order to better understand pricing as a social and meaning-full activity. In its focus on pricers this research contributes to the call for more studies of supply-side meaning-making within markets, and addresses the consumer-focussed imbalance in previously published price research.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Keywords: price, pricing, money, meaning, art
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/947917
• External URL: http://opus.bath.ac.uk/36140/
• Award Date: May 1, 2012