• University of Exeter Business School
• Module

Consumption, Markets and Culture

Module title	Consumption, Markets and Culture
Module code	BEMM164
Academic year	2023/4
Credits	15
Module staff	Miss Zahra Rebai ()

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	80

Module description

*Please note this module descriptor is for the 21/22 academic year*

Summary:

This module will equip future marketing practitioners with the skills and knowledge to understand the interactions that occur between the market, consumers and the marketplace. The focus of this module centres on cultural approaches to understanding the relationship between consumers and brands. By focusing on key themes such as trust, choice and sustainability we will explore marketing in its historical and socio-cultural context.

A key part of our approach will be the Book Club. With a choice of popular texts, the Book Club will seek to understand, explore and share our understanding of some of the fundamental themes that impact upon marketing in the 21^st century.  

Sustainability:

A key consideration to consumption practices is the notion of sustainability. In this course we will consider the ethics surrounding consumption practices and its relationship to sustainable environments.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will equip future marketing practitioners with the skills and knowledge to understand the interactions that occur between the market, consumers and the marketplace. By examining the core themes that underpin modern consumption, students will gain a rich and deep understanding of consumer needs, marketplace practices and future challenges.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. have an understanding of marketing not just as a management practice but also as highly influential and intersecting with political, economic, technological and societal issues;
• 2. devise, sustain and justify arguments relating to broader social issues relevant to marketing practice;
• 3. have a clear grasp of a wide range of literature and debates associated with consumption, markets and culture;
• 4. recognise the significance of particular theoretical and/or practical strands within recent marketing research.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. bring original ideas, and make some novel links between academic literature of a wide variety of forms and traditions;
• 6. relate theories to specific case studies, research data, literature bases and also to mainstream political, cultural and popular discourse;
• 7. sketch relatively large academic debates with clarity and coherence.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 8. have the practical ability to analyse, communicate and present ideas, theories and principles;
• 9. have the initiative and ability to make connections and synthesise ideas and issues from a much larger body of work;
• 10. develop independent/self-directed learning skills, including time management, working to deadlines, and keeping abreast of a wide range of literature.

Syllabus plan

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
26	124	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	20	Lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	6	Tutortials
Guided Independent Study	124	Reading, researching and writing assignments

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Participation in group work	Seminars and 20 minute report back	1-9	In-class Verbal Feedback

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	70	2,500 words	1-10	Written feedback
Reflection on group work	30	1,250 words	8-9	Written feedback
	0
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay (70%)	A re-submission of the Written Paper (2,500 words, 70%)	1-10	Referral/Deferral Period
Reflection on group work (30%)	Book report (1,250 words, 30%)	8,9	Referral/Deferral Period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Potential texts include:

Smart, B (2010) Consumer Society: critical Issues and environmental consequences. Sage. London

Sanborn, F.W. and Harris R.J. (2019) A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication: Second Edition. Routledge:Abingdon

 

Example Book Group texts include:

Carr, N G.(2010) The shallows :what the Internet is doing to our brains.  New York : W.W. Norton,

Schwartz, B. (2004) The paradox of choice : why more is less. New York :Ecco.

Botsman, R. (2018) Who can you trust. London: Penguin Books

Cialdini, R. B. (1993). Influence: Science and practice (3rd ed.). New York, NY, US: HarperCollins College Publishers.

 

Key words search

Consumption, consumer behaviour, marketing, consumer culture, marketing communications

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	Yes
Origin date	17/07/2014
Last revision date	25/01/2021