module specification

The module will enable you to gain an in-depth understanding of the buyer decision-making process and the factors influencing consumer buying behaviour. You will examine relevant consumer behaviour concepts, principles, and frameworks applied across business sectors and cultural boundaries. The main focus is to develop the link between theory and practical application.

The module aims and learning outcomes have been formulated in relation to these QAA benchmark statements.

The aims of the module are to:
• Critically explore the marketing implications of psychological personal and group influences of consumer behaviour from a customer perspective.
• Enable students to select and apply appropriate tools for analysing consumer behaviour, and evaluate the links between consumer analysis and marketing strategy.
• Foster a critical awareness and understanding of contemporary issues and trends in consumer behaviour studies and their application to marketing campaign.
• Enhance students’ cognitive, transferable and applied decision-making skills needed for a successful career in marketing and consumer analysis.

N/A

The module is organised around five principal blocks reflecting the learning outcomes.

1. Understanding trends of consumer behaviour in the 21st century
- The emergence of a different types of consumption patterns 
- Organisation buying behaviour and the factors influencing how organisations buy

2. Consumers as individuals- affect/cognition concepts and applications 
- The concept of self, personality, identity and image applied to consumers 
- Needs and motivation; perception and attitudes formation and Learning
- Customer Experience 1 - Consumer persona
- Customer Experience 2 – the use of Artificial Intelligence in understanding and
   predicting the purchase behaviour of the target customer.

3. Consumers in their social and cultural setting  
- Classification and analysis of culture driven values
- Social class, consumer social and family influences in consumer consumption

4. The consumer decision making process
- Models of consumer decision making
-  Consumer learning and involvement process; adoption/diffusion of innovation

5. Consumer analysis and marketing strategy
- Market segmentation and marketing strategy based on consumer behaviour
- Product, promotion, pricing and on-line and off-line channel influences
- Ethics, social responsibility and environmental issues; public policy and consumer protection

The module will be delivered through 12 weekly interactive and teaching sessions of 3 hours.

The weekly workshops may be enhanced through the use of external speakers during the course of the academic year. The workshops also provide the opportunity for students to engage in complex and varied activities.  This consists of a combination of theoretical input and problem-based tasks, supported by multimedia, including videos and student-centred discussions. The teaching section will focus on key theories, concepts, models and frameworks of consumer and buyer behaviour.

Weblearn: will be used for the distribution of the Module booklet. It will also be used as an interactive mechanism between students and tutors, for example, to direct students to particular readings or to provide news about the module or the module content.

On completion of the module, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of theories and concepts of consumer behaviour and be able to differentiate between various consumer types and develop appropriate tools and strategy to reach them effectively.
2. Critically analyse and evaluate the key factors influencing buyer behaviour and their application to managerial decision-making.
3. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding and use of appropriate models of consumer analysis for developing an effective marketing strategy.
4. Critically evaluate current issues in consumption behaviour, including legislative, ethical and social responsibility issues.
5. Develop a critical awareness of consumer behaviour from a cross-cultural perspective.

The assessment has been designed to test the achievement of the module’s learning outcomes and it requires students to think critically and apply the knowledge gained during the module. The focus will be on enabling the student to theorise about consumers and organisation buying behaviour, to apply the principles to case studies and use appropriate research techniques to undertake a comprehensive study of consumption behaviour in different business sectors. Accordingly, the module is assessed based on individual coursework where students will be required to demonstrate their understanding of social, cultural, psychological and behavioural aspects of consumers buying behaviour as well as knowledge of commercial application and managerial decision-making.

Core text:
Schiffman, L.G. and Wisenblit, J.L. (2019 ) Consumer Behavior,  12th Edition, Pearson Education.

Supplementary readings
- Close, A.G. (2017) Online Consumer Behavior: Theory and Research in Social Media, Advertising and E-tail, 1st Edition, Routledge.
-Chaffey, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F., (2019). Digital Marketing. Strategy, Implementation and Practice. 7th ed. Harlow: Pearson.
-De Mooij, M (2019) Consumer Behaviour and Culture: Consequences for Global
Marketing and Advertising, 3rd Edition, Sage Publication Ltd.
- Foxall, G. (2017) Advanced Introduction to Consumer Behavior Analysis, Edward Elgar
  Publishing, Inc.
-Norton, M.,Rucker, D. and Lamberton, C. (2015) The Cambridge handbook of consumer
  psychology, e-book. 
- O'Shaughnessy J. (2013) Consumer Behaviour: Perspectives, Findings and
   Explanations Palgarve Macmillan.
-Peppers, D. and Rogers, M., 2017. Managing Customer Experience and Relationships. 3rd ed. [e-book] New Jersey: Wiley
- Salmi, A.C (2013) International Consumer Behaviour in the 21st Century:
Impact on Marketing Strategy Development, Springer Publication, USA.
- Solomon, M.R. (2020) Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being, Global Edition,
13/E, Pearson Education.
- Solomon, M.R., Hogg, M., Askegaard, S. and Bamossy, G. (2019) Consumer Behaviour,
  A European Perspective, 7th Edition, Pearson Education.
- Szmigin, I. and Piacentini, M. (2018) Consumer Behaviour, 2nd Edition, Oxford University
  Press.
-Watkinson, M., 2013. The Ten Principles Behind Great Customer Experiences. Harlow: Pearson.

Journals
· Journal of Consumer Research
· Psychology and Marketing
· Journal of Consumer Behaviour
· Advances in Consumer Research
· Journal of Marketing Research
· International Marketing Review
· Journal of Advertising Research
· European Journal of Marketing
· Journal of International marketing
· Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics 
· International Journal of Consumer Studies
· International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research
· Journal of Targeting, Measurement and Analysis for Marketing