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2014/2015  KAN-CCMVV4016U  Children as Consumers

English Title
Children as Consumers

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Course period Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Max. participants 60
Study board
Study Board for MSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Jeanette Rasmussen - Department of Marketing (Marketing)
  • Thyra Uth Thomsen - Department of Marketing (Marketing)
Main academic disciplines
  • Communication
  • Marketing
Last updated on 20-05-2014
Learning objectives
At the end of the course the student should be able to:
  • Describe, and be able to discuss the theories related to the study of children as consumers.
  • Independently reflect and discuss the public discourses regarding children as consumers; “competent” vs “vulnerable”.
  • Apply and justify choice of relevant theory, concepts, and models presented during the course to concrete cases and problem areas.
Course prerequisites
It is recommended that students have a basic knowledge of marketing and consumer behaviour
Examination
Individual written assignment:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual
The individual home assignment is case-based
Size of written product Max. 15 pages
1 page is counted as 2275 taps including spaces
Assignment type Case based assignment
Duration 2 weeks to prepare
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Autumn Term and December/January
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Course content and structure

Over the past several years there has been an increasing interest in children as consumers; both from companies and consumer organizations but also from the general public. Today children live in a more commercialized childhood and children are to a greater extent than previously considered independent consumers. They are constructed as “Tweens”, “Teens”, “Digital natives” etc., and are related to concepts like “cradle to grave marketing”. The course will focus on children as consumers from a cross disciplinary theoretical perspective based in consumer research, media research and childhood research. The theoretical framework will be linked to several forms of practice such as businesses and organizations/councils.

Course topics include consumer socialization, marketing to children, children’s influence in the family, children’s media culture, children’s perception and understanding of advertising (off-line and online), and children as informants.

The overall aim of the course is to give students insights and a deep understanding of theories concerning children as consumers including marketing, legal and ethical issues regarding children’s participation in consumer society. Furthermore, the course aims at giving the students competencies to understand, analyze and discuss some of the public discourses regarding children as consumers.  


The student will develop competencies within the field of consumer behavior and communication related to children as consumers. With these competencies the student will be able to understand and solve relevant practical problems regarding communication and marketing to children.
 

Teaching methods
The course is given in 3-hour lecture form by academic staff and selected guest lecturers, including cases, in-class discussions and group work.
Further Information
Changes in course schedule may occur
Tuesday 10.45 - 13.20, week 36-41, 43-47
Expected literature

Marshall, David et al (2010): Understanding children as consumers. Sage Publications
Buckingham, David (2011): The material child – growing up in consumer culture. Polity Press
John, D. Roedder (1999): Consumer socialization of children: A retrospective look at twenty-five years of research: Journal of Consumer research. Vol. 26.
Andersen, Lars P.; Birgitte Tufte; Jeanette Rasmussen; Kara Chan (2008): The tween market and the responses to advertising in Denmark and Hong Kong. Young consumers. Vol. 9 (3), p. 189-200
Wright, Peter; Marian Friestad; and David M. Boush (2005). The Development of Marketplace Persuasion Knowledge in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 24 (2), 222-33.
Ali, Moondore; Mark Blades; Caroline Oates; Fran Blumberg (2009). Young children’s ability to recognize advertisements in web page designs. British journal of developmental psychology, vol. 27(1), p. 71-83
Holsanova, Jana; Kerstin Gidlöf; Nils Holmberg and Helena Sandberg (2012). The use of eye-tracking and retrospective interviews to study teenagers' exposure to online advertising. Visual Communication, Vol. 11(3), p.329-345
Parreno, José Marti; Silvia Sanz-Blas; Carla Ruiz-Mafé; Joaquin Aldás-Manzano (2013). Key factors of teenager’s mobile advertising acceptance. Industrial Management & Data systems, Vol. 113(5), p. 732-749
Van den Beemt, Antoine; Akkerman, Sanne; Simons, Robert-jan (2010). The use of interactive media among today’s youth: Results of a survey. Computers in Human Behavior. Vol. 26(5), p. 1158-1165
Montgomery, Kathryn; Jeff Chester (2009). Interactive Food and Beverage Marketing: Targeting Adolescents in the Digital Age. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vol 45(3), p. S18- S29
Wartella, Ellen A. & B. Reeves (1985): Historical trends in research on children and the media: 1900-1960. Journal of communication, vol. 35
 

Last updated on 20-05-2014