EBMT4003

Business Seminars 1: Understanding Consumers

Unit Tutors :
Dr Xiao (Lucia) Lu (xiao.lu@uca.ac.uk)
Kathleen Hinwood (kathleen.hinwood@uca.ac.uk)
Dr Yue Wang (402622382@qq.com)

© Xiao Lu (2020), Business School for the Creative Industries, University for the Creative Arts
 UNIT TITLE Business Seminars: Understanding Consumers

Unit Code EBMT4003

Location Epsom

Level Level 4

Duration 12 weeks

Credit Value 15

Total Learning Hours for Unit 150

Date of approval of this version

Course(s) to which this unit contributes BA / BSc (Hons) Advertising

BA / BSc (Hons) Advertising with Professional Practice Year
BA / BSc (Hons) Business and Management
BA / BSc (Hons) Business and Management with Professional Practice
Year
BA / BSc (Hons) Digital Marketing and Social Media
BA / BSc (Hons) Digital Marketing and Social Media with Professional
Practice Year
BA / BSc (Hons) Event and Promotions Management
BA / BSc (Hons) Event and Promotions Management with Professional
Practice Year
BA / BSc (Hons) Fashion Business and Management
BA / BSc (Hons) Fashion Business and Management with Professional
Practice Year

BA / BSc (Hons) Music Business and Management

BA / BSc (Hons) Music Business and Management with Professional
Practice Year

CONTENT

With the rise of global consumerism, recent studies aim to deepen the knowledge of consumer
behaviour to enhance organisations’ commercial performance. In the 21st century, sociology,
anthropology, psychology, economics, and marketing studies pay special attention to consumers and
the emerging or contemporary forms of consumption, ranging from services, tourism, and
entertainment to high technologies.

From a theoretical perspective, Baudrillard, Bourdieu, and Veblen’s arguments on consumption play
a crucial role in social distinction, tastes and consumer identification. Their theories have a profound

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influence on today’s business research and strategies. However, the power of the internet facilitates
the rapid change of consumer choice, purchase and experience. The internet is revolutionising
consumption patterns and consumer behaviour in contemporary societies. Online platforms are
becoming more important in terms of the impact that digital and social media alter people’s
behaviour.

This unit provides an insight into consumer studies with a focus on the experiential, social, and cultural
aspects of consumption in the digital age. This unit applies marketing and consumption theories to
understand consumers especially highlighting the role of consumers in creative sectors.

Syllabus
• Introduction to understanding consumers
• Key debates in consumer studies
• Socio-cultural aspects of consumption
• Consumer society, culture, and identity
• Consumer tastes in the 21st century
• Experiential and cultural consumption
• Online communities and consumers
• Consumers and brands
• Consumer privacy in the digital age
• Consumer research methods
• Consumer analysis practices

AIMS

The aims of this unit are:

A1 To introduce consumer and consumption studies in relevant disciplines;

A2 To explore the role of consumers in digital platforms and how new technologies shape consumer
experience and decision making;

A3 To develop practical skills and abilities to analyse and evaluate consumer behaviour and its
relationship to marketing/branding strategies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

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LO1 Understand key theories of consumers and consumption from the social, cultural and
experiential aspects;

LO2 Apply theoretical concepts to practical business environments dealing with consumer and
market challenges and opportunities;

LO3 Understand and identify appropriate theories and methods to analysing consumers.

INDICATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

No. of hours of scheduled activity 1 48 hours

No. of hours of independent activity 102 hours

No. of hours of placement activity

This will comprise: Lectures; Workshops; Tutorials

ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS

Table A1- Assessment Components

Assessment Weigh- Typical Indicative Assessment Type Word Count Approx

Component ting (%) Assessment tasks For each word count where
List all separate Where the component component double applicable
components comprises more than one click in the box to
assessment task see options.
The options equate
to the assessment
types in table A2
1. Essay 100% An essay showing Coursework 2,000 words
sufficient reading and an
understanding of
knowledge as required in
Learning Outcomes.
2. Oral assessment and 0% Group presentation Practical 10 minutes
presentation (formative)

Table A2 –Categories for Assessment

Assessment Type % of assessment Category

Written exam Written
Set exercise (under exam conditions but not
Written
testing practical skills)
Written assignment, including essay 100% Coursework

1
This data is required for CMA/published information purposes. Further guidance about classification of ‘scheduled’
activity can be found in the Unit Descriptor Guidance in Annex 5 of the QAH

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 Report Coursework
Dissertation Coursework
Portfolio Coursework
Project output (other than dissertation) Coursework
Set exercise (not under exam conditions, e.g. critiques) Coursework
Oral assessment and presentation 0% Practical
Practical skills assessment (including production of an
Practical
artefact)
Set exercise testing practical skills Practical

Table A3 – Summary of Table A2 data

Assessment Category Total % for Unit

Written
Coursework 100%
Practical 0%

Table A4 – Assessment Criteria

CRITERION MAPS TO LEARNING OUTCOME

There should be at least one criterion against
each learning outcome for the unit

Knowledge of: LO1

Key concepts and theories of consumer and
consumption studies

Understanding through the application of: LO2

Interdisciplinary approaches to understanding
consumers

Technical and applied skills through: LO3

Using appropriate methods to conduct
consumer research in commercial settings

READING LIST

Essential Reading
Beer, D. and Burrows, R. (2010). Consumption, Prosumption and Participatory Web Cultures: An
Introduction. London: Sage.

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Carù, A. and Cova, B. (2006). How to facilitate immersion in a consumption experience: appropriation
operations and service elements. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 5(1), pp. 4-14.

Chan, T.W. and Goldthorpe, J.H. (2007). Social stratification and cultural consumption: The visual arts
in England. Poetics, 35 (2), pp. 168–190.

Gabriel, Y. and Lang, T. (2008). New faces and new masks of today’s consumer. Journal of Consumer
Culture, 8 (3), pp. 321–340.

Mooij, M. (2010). Consumer Behaviour and Culture: Consequences for Global Marketing and
Advertising. London: Sage.

Recommended Reading
Allen, D.E. (2002). Toward a theory of consumer choice as sociohistorically shaped practical
experience: the fits‐like‐a‐glove (FLAG) Framework. Journal of Consumer Research, 28 (4), pp.515–
532.

Baudrillard, J. (1998). The Consumer Society: Myths and Structures. London: Sage.

Bauman, Z. (2001). Consuming Life. Journal of Consumer Culture, 1 (1), pp. 9-29.

Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. London: Routledge.

Chua, B.-H. (2002). Consumption in Asia: Lifestyle and Identities. London: Routledge.

Davies, A., Fitchett, J. and Shankar, A. (2003). An ethnoconsumerist enquiry into international
consumer behaviour. European Advances in Consumer Research, E-06, pp. 102-107.

Denny, R.M. and Sunderland, P.L. (2016). Handbook of Anthropology in Business. London: Routledge.

Featherstone, M. (2007). Consumer Culture and Postmodernism. London: Sage.

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Freshwater, H. (2012). Consuming authenticities: Billy Elliot the musical and the performing child. The
Lion and the Unicorn, 36 (2), pp. 154–173.

Fung, A.Y. (2009). Fandom, youth and consumption in China. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 12
(3), pp. 285–303.

Halliday, S.V. and Astafyeva, A. (2014). Millennial cultural consumers: co-creating value through brand
communities. Arts Marketing: An International Journal, 4 (1-2), pp. 119–135.

Miller, D. (1987). Material Culture and Mass Consumption. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

O’Reilly, D. (2012). Maffesoli and consumer tribes: developing the theoretical links. Marketing Theory,
12 (3), pp. 341–347.

Peter, J.P. and Olson, J.C. (2010). Consumer Behaviour & Marketing Strategy. New York: McGraw-Hill
Irwin.

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