Consumer Life-course Studies Group (CLSG)

CLSG Objectives and Scope

Consumer Life-course Studies Group (CLSG) is a global network of academic researchers who study the buying and consumption habits of people at different stages in life. It represents a research initiative aimed at increasing its members’ effectiveness and efficiency of their research efforts to generate information of interest to academic journals, government, industry, and nonprofit organizations. The Group's research addresses issues of potential interest to corporations, legislators, educators, and organizations that wish to improve the efficiency of their efforts to satisfy the needs of consumers globally and enhance their well-being It focuses on topics such as consumer vulnerability to various types of marketing practices, the effectiveness of communication strategies in increasing preventive health care behaviors, and the effects of various consumption activities on the person's physical, emotional, and economic well-being.

CLSG attempts to achieve its main objectives by undertaking, supporting, and facilitating activities that create and disseminate knowledge, contribute to the professional development of its members, and enhance the reputation of its members’ institutions. Such activities include: conducting/collaborating in cross-national studies, sharing data bases and information, organizing international programs (such as special conference sessions and workshops), seeking and forming various types of partnerships with educational institutions (such as student/faculty exchanges and visiting scholars), and facilitating access to various other types of financial, human, and physical resources (such as funding, access to libraries and databases, training of doctoral students and junior faculty).

Unlike most other academic research entities that may seek similar goals (e.g. Centers, Institutes) and are confined to a particular geographic location, CLSG has a global and non-territorial scope. However, for administrative purposes, it is housed within the College of Management of Mahidol University (CMMU), Bangkok, one of Thailand’s most prestigious universities.

CLSG Members

CLSG is presently a network of more than 30 researchers who are affiliated with the Center for Mature Consumer Studies, Georgia State University, as well as with more than two dozen other academic institutions located in nearly 20 countries in all five continents. Below is a tentative list of CLSG members, as the list of participants in this research initiative expands or changes in time. Click here for list of group members and bios.

Management Team

George P. Moschis (Director)

George P. Moschis (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin) is Alfred Bernhardt Research Professor of Marketing and the founding director of the Center for Mature Consumer Studies (CMCS) at Georgia State University, USA. He is also an adjunct professor at College of Management, Mahidol University, Thailand, where he has founded and directed the Consumer Life-course Studies Group (CLSG), a global network of academic researchers. Prof. Moschis’ research is globally known to academics and industry, and his CMCS been recognized over the years by American Demographics as one of the best sources of marketing information in the United States. As a guest of various types of organizations around the globe, Prof. Moschis lectures annually in several countries in the five continents and is considered by practitioners as one of the world’s foremost authorities on topics related to consumption habits of different generations. His list of publications includes hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and papers, dozens research monographs, and seven books. Based on his impact on academic research, he has been cited as one of the most influential figures in consumer research today.

Randall Shannon (Co-Director)

Randall Shannon, Associate Professor, is the full time faculty member at College of Management, Mahidol University. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics (studying Chinese, Japanese, German and Spanish), an MBA in Engineering and Technology Management, and a Ph.D. in Marketing. He specializes in cross-cultural consumer behavior and retailing. Dr. Shannon has conducted market research in the region for over fifteen years and has been teaching since 1997. He has published over 40 papers in international conferences and journals. Prior to becoming a full time academic, Dr. Shannon worked as a market researcher with AC Nielsen (Thailand). Randall has worked on projects with McKinsey consulting and Temporal Brand Consulting, as well as a wide variety of other projects for private companies, government, or NGOs. He enjoys constantly learning and challenging traditional beliefs through the support of empirical research.