Marketing practice and theory is underpinned by in-depth knowledge of the purchasing and consumption behaviour of customers.  Students of marketing need to understand how consumers choose between brands and to develop ability to research consumer markets.  Consumer behaviour can be broadly defined as the process through which groups and/or individuals acquire, consume and dispose of goods, services, ideas and/or experiences.  Students are introduced to and will critically review key consumer concepts and learn how to apply these concepts.  This module seeks to develop an interdisciplinary, theoretically informed understanding of consumer behaviour.  It will examine decision processes, individual factors (eg. perception, motivation, personality, learning and attitudes) and social influences (culture and communication/reference groups) and their implications for marketing practice.

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

• critically appraise the importance of studying consumer behaviour for the implementation of the marketing concept;
• demonstrate a critical knowledge and understanding of the relevance of the academic subjects (psychology, sociology, anthropology and economics) that underpin the study of consumer behaviour;
• critically assess competing theories of consumer behaviour;
• systematically evaluate research methods, theories and concepts commonly used in exploring and understanding consumer behaviour;
• demonstrate critical reflexivity towards the subject matter.