What Good Moms Buy
The way advertisers target mothers has changed along with the social understanding of American motherhood, one sociologist found.
Why Americans Used to Hate Hotel Workers
In 1874, popular writer Henry Hooper called the hotel clerk “the supercilious embodiment of Philistinism.” What accounts for the nineteenth century hate?
What Makes a Company Worth Working For?
Academics are studying what makes a good company culture. These have involved everything from ranking hierarchies of needs to sociological explanations of group mentalities.
Rupert Murdoch’s American Legacy
Rupert Murdoch was born in Australia, and first made an international impact in Britain. He thrust himself into the U.S. market with his purchase of the New York Post newspaper in 1974.
The Rise of Shareholder Activism
Is a large publicly-trade company responsible only for making its shareholders the most money possible? Or is it also responsible for making the world a better place?
Stocks Hate Inflation–Here’s Why
While many blame the threat of inflation for the stock market crash, the real culprit may be concerns that the economy is about to slow.
The Feminist Evolution of the Iowa Porkettes
In Iowa, between 1964 and 1991, groups of women—the wives of pork farmers—boosted the supposed benefits of pork-heavy diets. They were the Iowa Porkettes.
Sex and the Supermarket
Supermarkets represented a major innovation in food distribution—a gendered innovation that encouraged women to find sexual pleasure in subordination.
An Ad Campaign for Ads
Back in the 1920s and ‘30s, the magazine Women’s Home Companion tried explicitly appealing to its readers to take the ads seriously.
Before Net Neutrality, There Was Radio Regulation
Before today's fight over net neutrality, the US government debated commercial profitability & popular access in the context of a different medium: radio.