| Unit name | Consumption and Consumer Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EFIM20046 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lai |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Understanding consumption and consumer behaviour is an essential part of the marketing process and key to the long-term success of any organisation. The study of consumption and consumer behaviour focuses on the processes through which individuals or groups acquire, use and dispose of products, services or experiences. This unit aims to explore a range of approaches to consumption and consumer behaviour, encouraging students to critically evaluate their relative merits. Accordingly, insights will be drawn from a range of disciplines including psychology and economics, STS (Science and Technology Studies), sociology, cultural theory and anthropology. In addition to exploring the significance of consumer behaviour for commercial organisations, this unit aims to demonstrate how consumption is positioned as both a problem for and solution to a number of contemporary social and policy challenges. These include (but not limited to) public health, gambling, debt, trade justice and environmental sustainability. Students are thus required to consider the implications of differing and complementary insights into consumption for practical efforts to change and/or influence consumer behaviour.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This unit covers a core disciplinary competency. The unit focuses on understanding consumption and consumer behaviour as key drivers of marketing orientation. This unit is a pre-requisite for the following units:
An overview of content
This core unit will introduce students to the micro and macro perspectives of consumption and consumer behaviour. Students will learn theories drawn from a range of disciplines including psychology and economics, STS (Science and Technology Studies), sociology, cultural theory and anthropology. Particular attention is paid to how competing theories can be brought to life by thinking about our own behaviour as consumers. In addition to exploring the significance of consumer behaviour for commercial organisations, this unit demonstrates how consumption is positioned as both a problem for and solution to a number of contemporary social and policy challenges. Students are thus required to consider the implications of differing and complementary insights into consumption for practical efforts to change consumer behaviour. Finally, we will reflect upon the role of consumption and marketing in society, touching on important ethical issues associated with that.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will exercise critical thinking by reflecting on their own behaviour and practices as consumers. Crucially, students will harness analytical insights to research and evaluate the role consumption and marketing play in addressing social and civic challenges. In this way, this unit aims to inspire and equip students with the capacity to practice marketing in an ethical and sustainable manner as future practitioners. As an interdisciplinary unit, students will have the opportunity to develop a scholarly orientation, where they are able to articulate, debate and write in a manner that reflect the thoughts and practices of different disciplines.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the unit, students will be able to:
ILO1: Distinguish between and critically evaluate a range of approaches to consumption and consumer behaviour.
ILO2: Demonstrate an appreciation of how understandings of consumption and consumer behaviour contribute to effective marketing practice.
ILO3: Critically appraise the emphasis that is placed on consumption and consumer behaviour in contemporary policy debates.
ILO4: Devise a social marketing or behaviour change campaign that makes credible recommendations in response to a given social or policy challenge.
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, and asynchronous activities. The lecture
sessions will involve a mixture of content delivery and interactive activities with the emphasis placed on the use of
practical applications to bring complex concepts to life. The seminars will focus on students developing their
understanding of and critical engagement with ideas and topics. A range of techniques will be used including case studies, discussion of core readings, and quizzes, but the emphasis will be on ‘class debates’ around key issues. Students will receive lecturer and peer feedback on the preliminary ideas - directly relevant to the summative assessment - that they share in the seminars.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Students will have the opportunity to submit a proposal specifying their chosen consumption context of study and outlining the theories that they will use to frame their analysis for formative feedback. Tutorials will be designed to help students draw on key concepts introduced in the lecture and apply them to specific consumption and policy contexts. Each tutorial sessions will conclude with a reflexive section, where students are encouraged to share ideas and reflect on how the seminar and lecture discussions can inform their summative assessment. An assignment clinic will also be held to prepare students for the summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
This unit will be assessed via a 3,000-word Individual Essay.
Students will submit a 3,000-word individually written essay in which they will research a consumption context of their own choosing that has social/policy implications. In the essay, students are expected to: i) employ theories drawn from different perspectives of consumption and consumer behaviour to critically frame their analysis of their chosen context (ILO 1, ILO 2, ILO 3); and ii) draw on these insights to make practical recommendations in response to the consumption context as well as reflect on the social/policy implications identified (ILO 2, ILO 3, ILO 4).
When assessment does not go to plan:
Students will resubmit the individual essay based on the feedback received. However, students must choose a different consumption context to the one used in their first submission.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EFIM20046).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
