BUSI3431: Consumer Power

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• To explore the social criticisms of marketing practice and the factors that drive consumer activism.
• To understand the ethical, political, sustainable and social issues and values of the consumer and their relationship with marketing practice and consumption behaviours.
• To engage at a critical level with the latest research into the role of ethics, sustainability and responsibility in marketing practice, consumer empowerment and consumer culture.

• Introduction to Consumer Power and Anti-Consumerism
• Social Criticisms of Contemporary Marketing Practice
• Consumer Activism: Boycotting and Buycotting
• The Ethical Consumer (Ethical Consumerism)
• The Political Consumer (Political Consumerism)
• The Sustainable Consumer (Sustainable Consumerism)
• The Vulnerable Consumer (Consumer Vulnerability)
• Corporate Social Responsibility: Impacts on Marketing and Consumers
• Consumer Empowerment
• Consumer Culture and Wellbeing.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Subject-specific knowledge: By the end of the module students should be able to have:
• An understanding of the social criticisms of marketing practice and resulting drivers of behaviours relating to consumer activism and critical consumerism.
• A critical awareness of the ethical, political, sustainable and social influences within the decision-making processes of consumers and the models that attempt to interpret this behaviour.
• An appreciation of how and why these values and beliefs held by consumers informs marketing approaches.

Subject-specific Skills:

• An ability to observe, interpret and evaluate the conscious choices that result in consumer activism and critical consumption behaviours.
• An ability to develop, critically analyse and evaluate the marketing activities and strategies of organisations seeking to influence and address ethical, political, sustainability, and social issues.
• An ability for students to become critically aware of their own behaviours as responsible consumers.

Key Skills:

• Critical thinking, assessment and evaluation
• Creativity and problem solving
• Active and reflective learning
• Group work and teamwork
• Presentation skills.

• This module is delivered via a series of lectures and seminars. The lectures introduce key concepts and frameworks, while the seminar series builds on these ideas through the combination of supported readings, group work and discussions to demonstrate the ways in which consumer research of this type inform marketing activities in the commercial and not-for-profit worlds along with evaluating the causes for consumer activism and critical consumption.
• The module is assessed by means of a written assignment. Specifically, students identify a real-world issue relating to ethical, political, sustainability, or social problems, and, on the basis of a comprehensive literature review and desktop research, offer an analysis of what is driving particular consumer behaviours in this context and offer a proposed marketing solution.

Students identify a real example relating to consumer activism or critical consumption, as introduced within the module content, for analysis in the summative assignment and are to submit a proposal of 1000 words of how it will be investigated, for feedback and review.

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