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MAN-10067 - Module Specification
Keele Business School
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

MAN-10067 - Understanding the Contemporary Consumer
Coordinator: Rachel Lee Tel: +44 1782 7 33112
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office: 01782 733094

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

The ‘Understanding the Contemporary Consumer’ module will develop your understanding of consumer behaviour and its central position within the discipline of marketing. Through this module you will use contemporary theories and concepts to delve into the mind of the consumer to gain valuable insight into how and why people choose to consume different products and services. You will be challenged to reflect on your own consumption behaviour to discover how consumer behaviour works in practice and informs marketing decisions.

Aims
This module aims to introduce students to the study of consumer behaviour and its central position within the discipline of marketing for both individuals and organisations. Students will be presented with a number of different perspectives from multiple disciplines, including psychology and sociology, to examine how and why people choose to engage in different forms of consumption behaviour. To help students determine how consumer behaviour works in practice using contemporary theories and concepts, students will be required to reflect on their own consumption activities as consumers before moving to studying actual consumer behaviour in the marketplace and considering the opportunities and challenges this presents to organisations and wider society.

Intended Learning Outcomes

describe the central role of consumer behaviour theory in marketing.: 1
demonstrate how psychological and sociological factors relate to aspects of consumer behaviour.: 1
apply principles and theories from psychology, sociology and consumer theory to individual and organisational buying behaviours.: 2
assess the impact of consumer behaviour on organisational marketing activities and the opportunities and challenges this presents for wider society.: 2

Study hours

Interactive lectures - 24 hours
Tutorials - 24 hours
60 hours lecture/tutorial prep
96 hours assignment prep
96 hours private study which includes additional reading, online activities, working of feedback, thinking time, discussing ideas with other students, etc.

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Portfolio weighted 50%
1500-word individual portfolio
Students will be asked to write a 1500-word portfolio that explores the central role consumer behaviour theory has in marketing by identifying how psychological factors and theories covered on the module relate to their own consumption behaviour.

2: Video Blog weighted 50%
10-min recorded video presentation
Students will be asked to produce an individual digital video presentation of around 10 minutes that applies principles and theories from psychology, sociology and consumer theory to assess the impact of a specific area of consumer behaviour on organisational marketing activities and the wider society. Students will be supported and advised on digital presentation software to produce the presentation to help develop their digital capabilities to disseminate insight through digital technology.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025