2024/2025 BA-BPSYO2401U Consumer Behaviour
English Title | |
Consumer Behaviour |
Course information |
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Language | English |
Course ECTS | 7.5 ECTS |
Type | Mandatory |
Level | Bachelor |
Duration | One Semester |
Start time of the course | Spring |
Timetable | Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk |
Study board |
Study Board for BSc/MSc in Business Administration and
Psychology, BSc
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Course coordinator | |
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Main academic disciplines | |
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Teaching methods | |
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Last updated on 24-06-2024 |
Relevant links |
Learning objectives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
To achieve the grade 12, students should meet the
following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or
errors:
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Course prerequisites | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
This course builds partially on some of the courses of the preceding semesters, including cognitive psychology and personality and social psychology. Students will have to move their focus from the organization to the market and consumer and should be open to different applications of already learned theories and to learning about new theories and models. This is a blended learning course, and students are expected to come prepared to all on-campus classes, and engage with the teacher and their fellow classmates on-campus and online. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Examination | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Course content, structure and pedagogical approach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The overall goal of the course is for students to gain a deep, fundamental, both theoretically and managerially relevant, understanding of consumer behaviour, based on psychological, sociological, economic, and cultural perspectives. Moreover, students’ analytical skills are trained by analysing cases, examples, and anecdotes based on the application of theoretical models, concepts, and constructs, and by discussing their commonalities, differences, and potential ambiguities. In addition, students of this course acquire the skills and abilities to contextualize their expert knowledge in consumer behaviour and its study in relation to marketing as a business function, and in relation to the wider context, including society, the environment, and the individual. Overall, this course takes a market-driven perspective on business and management with a focus on the consumer, leaving room for critical reflection of its implications, both more generally and from an ethical perspective.
More specifically, the course will deepen consumer behaviour knowledge gradually in order to build up the foundation based on which students can critically assess the knowledge in relation to the broader context. The course starts with the individual decision-maker, addressing decision-making processes, perceptual processes, learning and memory, attitude and persuasion models, and identity and personality. It then moves on to approach the individual decision-maker embedded in a context influenced by others, addressing the role of groups, social processes, and culture. Considering the ever-increasing role that technology takes in changing the ways and extent of consumption (and as such, business), the course also addresses the digital consumer to touch upon the applicability of well-known theories and the rise of new phenomena yet to be studied. Lastly, the course deals critically with the general and ethical implications that (the study of) consumption has vis-à-vis marketing as a business function and the wider context, including environment and society, and vice versa, in order to extend students’ understanding and assessment of critical challenges ahead. |
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Description of the teaching methods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
This course is offered as a blended learning
course. This means, lectures will mostly take place online and
exercises on-campus. In addition to engaging with online lectures,
students are expected to prepare for the on-campus exercises during
online time before coming to the on-campus exercise classes. These
exercise classes will follow a schedule and will include both
individual and group work, where students are asked to work with
the concepts, theories, and constructs of the course by applying
them to cases, anecdotes or examples of different extents and
formats.
Students are expected to have prepared the assigned material before joining the on-campus exercises. This home preparation is vital to maintain an interactive mode in the on-campus classes, where students are encouraged to ask questions to their peers and the teacher and help each other (re-)learn. Students are also encouraged to interact online with both the teacher and their peers and contribute to the success of the course by asking questions and providing feedback. The syllabus, schedule, and material will be available on Canvas at the beginning of the semester. |
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Feedback during the teaching period | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Students will receive feedback online and/or during on-campus classes in written or oral format (e.g., through written solutions, quizzes, or plenum presentations and discussions), both by peers and by the teacher. Students are particularly encouraged to help each other, both through online forums offered on Canvas and group work during on-campus exercises. The teacher will be available for individual feedback in office hours/by email and during/after on-campus exercises during the teaching period. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Student workload | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Expected literature | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mandatory:
Specific reading instructions will be given at the beginning of and throughout the course on Canvas. |