AD3CIC: Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing

Module code: AD3CIC

Module provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Credits: 20

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Daniele Asioli , email: d.asioli@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE AD1EEN OR TAKE AP1EE4 (Compulsory)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 14 July 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Firstly, this module will also introduce students to contemporary issues in consumer behaviour and marketing. First, the theories, practices, discourses, and institutions which characterise ‘consumer culture’ will be introduced and discussed. Consumption is best considered as a complex economic, social, and cultural set of practices connected with the spread of the market economy, a developing globalisation, a succession of technological innovations, etc. Second, relevant contemporary issues in consumer behaviour and marketing such as ‘Societal marketing’ (i.e. Corporate Social Responsibility vs environment/sustainability/green marketing), ‘Brand organisation’ (i.e. brand architecture vs brand extension/growth), ‘Product availability’ (i.e. product assortment/choice vs limited editions/scarcity) and ‘Communication’ (i.e. celebrity advertising/endorsement vs negative word of mouth) will be described, discussed, and critically reflected with case studies. Finally, challenges in ‘consumer behaviour and marketing’, ‘consumer culture’ and ‘global branding’ will be introduced and discussed with case studies. The lectures will include discussion and workshops on contemporary issues in consumer behaviour and marketing. 

Secondly, this module will provide students with a basic understanding of how the concepts of ethics, globalisation and consumerism has and continues to shape the new regulatory state in the UK. Students will develop a greater awareness of how changes in the theory and practice of regulation affect consumer markets. Market failure analysis and behavioural economics will provide students with a theoretical framework to better understand rationales for consumer policy and techniques of regulation. The module also confronts the issue of empowering and protecting consumers in different sectors, for example, in the case of unfair advertising or post-purchase quality problems.     

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Understand the relationships between consumers’ welfare, companies’ aims and society and analyse, discuss and apply contemporary issues in consumer behaviour such as ‘societal marketing’, ‘brand organisation’, ‘product availability’, and ‘communication’. 
2. Discuss challenges in ‘consumer behaviour and marketing’, ‘consumer culture’ and ‘global branding’. 
3. Identify factors influencing frameworks and forms of regulation of consumer markets and explain rationales for consumer law and policy. 
4. Articulate and criticise approaches to empowering and protecting consumers on a variety of contemporary issues with reference to specific sectors and summarise and critically reflect the current discussion on ‘consumer culture’ 

Module content

1. Introduction to Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing. 
2. Consumer Culture I: Development of Consumer Society or Consumer Culture. 
3. Consumer Culture II: Images of the Consumer in Western Discourse. 
4. Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing I: Societal marketing. 
5. Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing II: Brand organisation. 
6. Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing III: Product availability. 
7. Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and