Course syllabus

Welcome to Consumer behaviour, 7.5 credits Fall 2020 - Online

Consumer behaviour

This fall, the Consumer Behaviour Course will be an entirely online course, in accordance with decisions at the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg. This means that all lectures, workshops, supervision and examination will be administered via the course homepage here in Canvas.

In the course, you will develop in-depth knowledge and understanding of consumer culture and the role of consumers in the marketplace. Offering a wide range of theoretical and methodological approachers as a platform, this course allows you to analyze the consumption of products, brands and advertisement to develop marketing research that critically informs strategic decisions in companies and other organizations.

The teaching consists of lectures, seminars and workshops. You will be examined through weekly assignments and a written exam at the end of the course. Program students, single subject students and exchange students will work together in the group assignments.

  • Lectures will be scheduled and live-streamed via Zoom (2 lectures per module/week + introduction and closing lecture). Links to lectures will be published in the schedule. There will be room for questions during lectures. Slides from lectures will be published at the course homepage.  
  • Workshops will be organised at Zoom, with break-out rooms for group discussions. Teachers will visit the rooms for discussions and supervision.
  • Drop-in supervisions will be accessible at Zoom.
  • Examination. Weekly quizzes and group assignments are administered via the course homepage (at Canvas). The individual assignment in the end of the course is a short paper to be handed in via the course home page.
  • Note! To participate in the course, you will need a Zoom-account connected to your student account at Gothenburg university (private Zoom-accounts will not work). Be sure to display your full name in your profile. You find information about Zoom for students here and information about student accounts here.

More information regarding the fall semester at the School of Business, Economics and Law: Link

Course Coordinator: Ulrika Holmberg, ulrika.holmberg@handels.gu.se

Administrative Coordinator: Emma Fröjd, emma.frojd@handels.gu.se

Course Representative: Jonas Dahlqvist, gusdahjoap@student.gu.se 

Course introduction: 31 of August 2020 time: 13:15-15:00 

Welcome!

Entry requirements

Admission to the course requires at least 105 credits, at least 45 of which must be from Business Administration, where at least 7, 5 credits in Marketing is included.

Schedule overview.pdf

Schedule

Link to syllabusFEK311

 

Course information

The aim of this course is to offer a platform for the study of four major areas of consumer behaviour. It is structured into four modules: 1. Consumer society, 2. Consumer practices, 3. Consumer psychology and 4. Consumer research in action. The first three modules consist of two to three lectures, one  workshop, a group assignment, and an individual assignment. The fourth module consists of two lectures, several workshops, supervision, a group assignment, an individual assignment and a seminar. At the end of the course, students will hand-in a written individual assignment. 

Module 1: Consumer society. Responsible: Ulrika Holmberg

Module 2: Consumer practices. Responsible: Benjamin Hartmann

Module 3: Consumer psychology. Responsible: Jonas Nilsson

Module 4: Consumer research in action. Responsible: Ulrika Holmberg & Lena Hansson

 

Literature Consumer Behaviour

Some of the articles are relevant for the concepts and theories discussed as well as the methods used. These articles are listed twice, under module 1-3 and 4.

General - Modul 1-3

Ekström, K.M., M. Ottosson & A. Parment (2017), Consumer Behavior: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives. Lund: Studentlitteratur.

Introduction

Chapter 1-3 and 14 in Ekström, K.M., M. Ottosson & A. Parment (2017), Consumer Behavior: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives. Lund: Studentlitteratur.

Module 1: Consumer society

Chapter 9 and 10-13 in Ekström, K.M., M. Ottosson & A. Parment (2017), Consumer Behavior: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives. Lund: Studentlitteratur.

Arnould, E., & Thompson, C. (2005). Consumer culture theory (CCT): Twenty years of research. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(4), 868-882. (Lecture I & II)

Arvidsson, A., & Caliandro, A. (2016). Brand public. Journal of Consumer Research, 42(5), 727-748. (Lecture II)

Cova, B., & Cova, V. (2012). On the road to prosumption: Marketing discourse and the development of consumer competencies. Consumption Markets & Culture, 15(2), 149-168. (Lecture I)

Cronin, J., McCarthy, M., & Collins, A. (2014). Covert distinction: How hipsters practice food-based resistance strategies in the production of identity. Consumption Markets & Culture, 17(1), 2-28. (Lecture II)

Firat, A. F., & Dholakia, N. (2017). From consumer to construer: Travels in human subjectivity. Journal of Consumer Culture, Vol 17(3), 504-522. (Lecture I)

Muniz, A.M. & O'Guinn, T.C. (2001). Brand Community, Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 27, Issue 4, March 2001, Pages 412–432 (Lecture II)

Ritzer, G. (2015). Automating prosumption: The decline of the prosumer and the rise of the prosuming machines. Journal of Consumer Culture, 15(3), 407-424. (Lecture I)

Schau, H. J., Muñiz, A. M., & Arnould, E. J. (2009). How Brand Community Practices Create Value. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 30–51. (Lecture II)

Zwick, D., Bonsu, S. K., & Darmody, A. (2008). Putting consumers to work: Co-creation` and new marketing govern-mentality. Journal of Consumer Culture, 8(2), 163-196. (Lecture I)

Module 2: Consumer practices

Chapter 10 and 13 (partly) in Ekström, K.M., M. Ottosson & A. Parment (2017), Consumer Behavior: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives. Lund: Studentlitteratur.

Ingram, J., Shove, E., & Watson, M. (2007). Products and Practices: Selected Concepts from Science and Technology Studies and from Social Theories of Consumption and Practice1. Design issues, 23(2), 3-16.

Shove, E., & Pantzar, M. (2005). Consumers, producers and practices: understanding the invention and reinvention of Nordic walking. Journal of consumer culture, 5(1), 43-64.

Warde, A. (2005), “Consumption and Theories of Practice,” Journal of Consumer Culture, July (5), 131-153.

Module 3: Consumer psychology

Chapter 4-8 in Ekström, K.M., M. Ottosson & A. Parment (2017), Consumer Behavior: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives. Lund: Studentlitteratur.

Bhagozzi, R.P., & Dholakia, U. (1999)Goal Setting and goal striving in consumer behavior. Journal of Marketing, Vol 63(4) 19-32

Jansson, J (2010) Consumer Eco-innovation adoption. Assessing attitudinal factors and perceived product characteristics. Business Strategy & the Environment. 20(1) 192-210

Peter, P.C., & Honea, H (2012). Targeting social messages with emotions of change: The call for optimism. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 31 (2) 269-283

Rucker, D. D & Petty, R. E (2006) Increasing the effectiveness of communications to consumers: Recommendations based on elaboration likelihood and attitude certainty perspectives. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. 25(1) 39-52

Module 4: Consumer research in action

Bryman, A & Bell, E (optional ed) Business Research Methods. Oxford University Press. (The research process - Ch 2, 4, 6; Quantitative method - Ch 8, 10, 11; Qualitative method - Ch 18, 19, 20; E-research - Ch 28, in 4th edition from 2015)

Flick, U (edition 5 or 6) An introduction to qualitative research. London: SAGE. (Ch 2, 3, 6-9, 12, 15, 19, 22 in 6th edition from 2018)  

Kozinets, RV (2015). Netnography: Redefined, 2nd ed. Sage, Thousand Oaks (305p) (Ch 5, 6, 7)

The following articles/chapter from the theoretical modules above show how the methods can be used in consumer research

- Arvidsson, A., & Caliandro, A. (2016). (Netnography)

- Cronin, J., McCarthy, M., & Collins, A. (2014). (Interviews and observations, cultural approach)

- Shove, E., & Pantzar, M. (2005). (Interviews and observations, practice theory approach)

- Jansson, J (2010). (Surveys, psychological approach)

Reference literature

Moisander, J. & A. Valtonen (2006), Qualitative Marketing Research: A cultural approach. London: Sage Publications.

Moisander, J. & A. Valtonen (2011), Interpretive marketing research: using ethnography in strategic market development. In Peñaloza, L., Toulouse, N. & Visconti, L.M. (red), Marketing Management: A Cultural Perspective. London: Routledge, ss. 246-260. (Finns på https://www.academia.edu )

Sassatelli, R (2007), Consumer Culture: History Theory and Politics. London: Sage.

Solomon, M.R., S. Askergaard, M.K. Hogg & G. J. Bamossy (2019), Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective, 7th ed. Pearson Education. (Or earlier editions)

Warde, A. (2014), “After taste: Culture, consumption and theories of practice,” Journal of Consumer Culture, November (14), 279-303.

 

 

 

 

Course summary:

Date Details Due