CONSER: Consumer Service Culture and the Economy – Narratives and Statistics / Palvelukulttuuri kuluttajien tarinoissa ja taloustilastoissa 2012-2014

CONSER: Consumer Service Culture and the Economy – Narratives and Statistics

The Finnish economy has, in recent years, moved into a post-industrial stage in which service production has overtaken industrial production. Service consumption continues to increase. However, Finland is lagging behind its competitors, such as Nordic Countries, the European Union average, and OECD countries. If we assume that the share of service products will continue to increase in the economy, the industrial structure as well as consumer culture will need to change in order to improve international competitiveness. Thus, it is important to study ordinary consumption experiences to understand changing modes of consumption in service culture. Our aim is to employ consumer narratives and interviews to explore how people understand and negotiate services ineveryday life contexts. We also use statistics to analyse the development of the service industry and service consumption in international settings.The project aims to present new understanding of consumers as service users, customers, and companies as service providers.