ADMCIC: Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour

Module code: ADMCIC

Module provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Daniele Asioli, email: d.asioli@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Mr Nick Walker, email: n.walker@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Firstly, this module will provide students with a basic understanding of how the concepts of ethics, globalisation and consumerism has and continues to shape the new regulatory state in the UK. Students will develop a greater awareness of how changes in the theory and practice of regulation affect consumer markets. Market failure analysis and behavioural economics will provide students with a theoretical framework to better understand rationales for consumer policy and techniques of regulation. The module also confronts the issue of empowering and protecting consumers in different sectors, for example, in the case of unfair advertising or post-purchase quality problems.   

Secondly, this module will also introduce students to contemporary issues in consumer behaviour and marketing. First, the theories, practices, discourses, and institutions which characterise ‘consumer culture’ will be introduced and discussed. Consumption is best considered as a complex economic, social, and cultural set of practices connected with the spread of the market economy, a developing globalisation, a succession of technological innovations, etc. Second, relevant contemporary issues in consumer behaviour and marketing such as ‘Societal marketing’ (i.e. Corporate Social Responsibility vs environment/sustainability/green marketing), ‘Brand organisation’ (i.e. brand architecture vs brand extension/growth), ‘Product availability’ (i.e. product assortment/choice vs limited editions/scarcity) and ‘Communication’ (i.e. celebrity advertising/endorsement vs negative word of mouth) will be described, discussed, and critically reflected with case studies. Finally, challenges in ‘consumer behaviour and marketing’, ‘consumer culture’ and ‘global branding’ will be introduced and discussed with case studies. The lectures will include discussion and workshops on contemporary issues in consumer behaviour and marketing.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Identify factors influencing frameworks and forms of regulation of consumer markets and explain rationales for consumer law and policy.
2. Articulate and criticise approaches to empowering and protecting consumers on a variety of contemporary issues with reference to specific sectors and summarise and critically reflect the current discussion on ‘consumer culture’.
3. Understand the relationships between consumers’ welfare, companies’ aims and society.
4. Analyse, discuss and apply contemporary issues in consumer behaviour such as ‘societal marketing’, ‘brand organisation’, ‘product availability’, and ‘communication’ as well discuss challenges.

Module content

1. The development of new consumer regulation in the United Kingdom
2. Global and European influences
3. Rationales for consumer law and policy
4. Frameworks and forms of regulation of consumer markets
5. Ethics and regulation in different sectors and contexts
6. Introduction to Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
7. Consumer Culture I: Development of Consumer Society or Consumer Culture
8. Consumer Culture II: Images of the Consumer in Western Discourse
9. Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing I: Societal marketing
10. Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing II: Brand organisation
11. Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing III: Product availability
12. Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing IV: Communication
13. Challenges in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
14. Challenges in Consumer Culture and Global Branding

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching and learning will consist of a mixture of lectures, workshops, and interactive sessions which may include debates on topics such as, consumer ethics, policy issues, and contemporary issues in consumer behaviour and marketing.

Study hours

At least 40 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

MCQs test

Reassessment

Additional costs