MAN-30049 - Module Specification
Keele Business School
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2021/22

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

MAN-20061

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2021/22

The study of marketing and consumer behaviour has traditionally been rooted in the logic and practices of economic psychology and has over-emphasised the notion of the consumer as an individual whose attitudes and intentions can be identified and measured using large-scale survey methods and whose behaviour can thus be predicted, controlled and exploited through marketing interventions. More recently, the academic discipline of marketing has become more receptive to ideas about consumption from other disciplines, most notably sociology, anthropology and philosophy, all of which emphasise the social, cultural and symbolic foundations of consumption. Attempts have therefore been made to overcome the conceptual divide between production and consumption that is prevalent in mainstream marketing and much of management theory, through emphasising the interdependencies between the two. This module reflects a trend to interdisciplinary approaches in marketing, and it complements existing courses in the management area. The rationale of the course is to provide a critical introduction to theories and ideas about contemporary consumer society emanating from fields other than (as well as) management and mainstream marketing.

The study of marketing and consumer behaviour has traditionally been rooted in the logic and practices of economic psychology and normative science. This has led to an over-emphasis on the consumer as an individual whose attitudes and intentions can be identified and measured using large-scale survey methods and whose behaviour can thus be predicted, controlled and exploited through marketing interventions. The rationale of the course is to provide a critical introduction to theories and ideas about contemporary consumer society emanating from fields other than, as well as, management and mainstream marketing.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Define and analyse the meaning of key terms such as consumption and consumer society, drawing upon a wide range of literature from sociology, anthropology, philosophy and management.
will be achieved by assessments: 1,2, class participation
Contrast and evaluate producer and consumer led theoretical accounts of developments in consumer culture. will be achieved by assessments: 1, class participation
Critically analyse the relationships between consumption, power, gender and identity. will be achieved by assessments: 1,2, class participation
Describe and critically evaluate the role of consumption in the construction of gender, sexuality, worldview and everyday life. will be achieved by assessments: 1,2,class participation
Evaluate the potential of consumption/consumers as a source of resistance in a consumerist society.
will be achieved by assessments: 1,class participation
Reflect critically upon the key issues involved in constructing and conducting a piece of consumption research. will be achieved by assessments: 2, class participation

Study hours

Lectures/seminars - 20 hours
Preparation/reading for class discussions on specified journal articles (2 per week) - 30 hours
Preparation and reading for literature review - 50 hours
Preparation for poster presentation and data gathering - 50 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment