BE515-6-AU-CO:
Consumer Behaviour

The details
2020/21
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 08 October 2020
Friday 18 December 2020
15
17 September 2020

 

Requisites for this module
(BE400 or IA711) and BE511
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

BSC N2N5 Management and Marketing (Including Foundation Year),
BSC NN25 Management and Marketing,
BSC NN2M Management and Marketing (Including Placement Year),
BSC NNF5 Management and Marketing (Including Year Abroad),
MMANNN35 Marketing and Management,
MMANNN36 Marketing and Management (Including Placement Year),
MMANNN37 Marketing and Management (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

In contemporary culture the need for marketers to be flexible and adaptable to the rapidly changing world is ever growing. As competition in markets grows and consumers make ever more demands on the companies from which they choose to purchase, marketers must be increasingly sensitive to consumers. BE515 explores a variety of different theories of consumption relating to consumption in the marketplace, consumers as individuals, consumers as decision makers and consumers as social beings. The module will go beyond looking at the act of buying to consider the entire consumption cycle. This module explores how an understanding of buyer behaviour plays an essential role in marketing strategy formulation as we consider how marketers use and apply consumer behaviour theory. Given that consumption has an increasingly important role in our daily lives, students will also be encouraged to draw on their own experiences to aid understanding of the theoretical content of the class.

Module aims

To provide students with a thorough understanding of the main theories and principles of consumer behaviour, and to show how these concepts relate to the practice of marketing.

Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1. Identify and explain key consumer behaviour theories and their relationship to practice.
2. Understand consumer behaviour as complex phenomena worthy of study for managerial purposes and in its own right.
3. Apply the knowledge necessary for further advanced study on marketing and consumer behaviour courses.

Module information


Skills for Your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)

By the end of the module you should be able to:

* Think Critically
* Approach and solve problems creatively
* Reflect on their own practice in relation to marketing

Learning and teaching methods

In academic year 2020-2021 the delivery is likely to be different and involve online learning.

Bibliography

  • John W. Schouten. (1991) 'Selves in Transition: Symbolic Consumption in Personal Rites of Passage and Identity Reconstruction', in Journal of Consumer Research. vol. 17 (4) , pp.412-425
  • Eric J. Arnould and Craig J. Thompson. (2005) 'Consumer Culture Theory (CCT): Twenty Years of Research', in Journal of Consumer Research. vol. 31 (4) , pp.868-882
  • John W. Schouten and James H. McAlexander. (1995) 'Subcultures of Consumption: An Ethnography of the New Bikers', in Journal of Consumer Research. vol. 22 (1) , pp.43-61
  • (2018) The SAGE handbook of consumer culture, Los Angeles: SAGE Publications Ltd.
  • Morris B. Holbrook and Elizabeth C. Hirschman. (1982) 'The Experiential Aspects of Consumption: Consumer Fantasies, Feelings, and Fun', in Journal of Consumer Research. vol. 9 (2) , pp.132-140
  • Albert M. Muniz, Jr. and Thomas C. O’Guinn Albert M. Muniz, Jr. Thomas C. O’Guinn *. (2001) 'Brand Community', in Journal of Consumer Research. vol. 27 (4) , pp.412-432
  • Richard L. Celsi, Randall L. Rose and Thomas W. Leigh. (1993) 'An Exploration of High-Risk Leisure Consumption Through Skydiving', in Journal of Consumer Research. vol. 20 (1) , pp.1-23
  • Grant McCracken. (1986) 'Culture and Consumption: A Theoretical Account of the Structure and Movement of the Cultural Meaning of Consumer Goods', in Journal of Consumer Research. vol. 13 (1) , pp.71-84

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   ASSIGNMENT    100% 
Written Exam  PROVISIONAL EXAM MARK    0% 
Exam  Main exam: 120 minutes during January 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
40% 60%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
40% 60%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Stephen Murphy, email: sjmurphy@essex.ac.uk.
Stephen Murphy & Aneela Malik
ebsugcol@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
No
Yes
No

External examiner

Mr Ben Lowe
University of Kent
Professor of Marketing
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 1095 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
1095 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

 

Further information
Essex Business School

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