Course Catalogue

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This course will provide an assessment of the key consumer behaviour concepts and the dynamics of the consumer-company interface in the globally- and digitally-connected world. It covers topics such as consumer information processing and decision making, consumer purchase and product usage patterns, consumer motivation and meaning, and consumer socialization and communities.

21 hours in total; six 3.5 hour sessions in Semester 2

Please refer to the current postgraduate prospectus at: http://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/

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Assessment is based in an individual field project that entails a short presentation and written report of 2,000-2,500 words.

The project is about assessing the impact of retail atmospherics on consumer behaviour. Students will carry out field research and conduct non-intrusive, direct observation of a pre-selected retail establishment.

Students will make a 10 minute presentation at the end of the course. The presentation will not be graded and is to provide feedback for the final report.

The report will detail the insights gained from the existing research on the topic and the findings of the field research. The insights will be used to develop the managerial implications of the study.

The assignment is revised and finalized based on the external examiner's recommendations.

Marketing begins and ends with the consumer - from determining consumer needs to ensuring customer satisfaction. Assessing how consumers behave in the marketplace and why in the ways they do constitutes the cornerstone of a successful and sustainable business. In today's complex, globally- and digitally-connected competitive environment, managers that develop an in-depth and critical assessment of consumer-marketer interface will succeed where others might fail. The primary goal of this course is to enhance your abilities to critically evaluate different dimensions of consumer behaviour and their potential impact on marketplace activities. Throughout the course, you will examine and compare and contrast different concepts and theories from various disciplines of the social sciences and apply them in assessing and managing consumer needs and consumption practices.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Compare and contrast basic analytic frameworks and concepts that inform consumer behaviour;

2. Evaluate and employ consumer research tools, with a particular focus on qualitative methods, in assessing consumer behaviour;

3. Assess how consumer behaviour impacts upon and shapes both process and marketplaces;

4. Apply knowledge on consumer behaviour in designing and managing effective, sustainable, and ethical marketing strategies and practices. 

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.