European and global consumer behaviour (GEST801_EMBS)

Upon completion of the module students will

• understand the central role of customers and consumption and their cultural / societal background for management in general and marketing in particular (programme ILOs K1 and IP1)
• know a large of set of different theories (positivist and interpretativist ones) explaining the fundamentals of the consumption decision making process (programme ILO K1)
• be able to apply theories and interpret examples in order to explain concrete consumption patterns and design marketing approaches influencing them (programme ILO K2)
• be aware of ethical, environmental, and sustainability issues connected with consumption (programme ILO A2)

be able to analyse own consumer behaviour and consumption patterns of other individuals / cultures (programme ILO A1 and IP1)

• Factors influencing customer decision making: cultural, sociological, personal, psychological and situational aspects
• Theoretical stages of the decision-making process: from the perception of needs to post purchase feelings
• Consumption as a natural and ancestral human activity: why do we consume?
• Culture, lifestyles and consumption
• Impact of socio demographics on consuming priorities and purchasing patterns
• Sociological aspects in customer behaviour: the different persons involved in the decision process, group influence phenomena (including social classes) and opinion leadership
• Psychological explorations of customer behaviour, e.g. perception, learning, motivation, involvement, attitude,
• Purchase environment and shopping behaviour
• Basics of neuro-marketing analyses
• Symbolic consumption and identity (self-image)
• Post-modern customers and brand consumption
• Experiential consumption – consumer culture theory approaches to understanding consumption practices

Upon completion of the module students will

• understand the central role of customers and consumption and their cultural / societal background for management in general and marketing in particular (programme ILOs K1 and IP1)
• know a large of set of different theories (positivist and interpretativist ones) explaining the fundamentals of the consumption decision making process (programme ILO K1)
• be able to apply theories and interpret examples in order to explain concrete consumption patterns and design marketing approaches influencing them (programme ILO K2)
• be aware of ethical, environmental, and sustainability issues connected with consumption (programme ILO A2)

be able to analyse own consumer behaviour and consumption patterns of other individuals / cultures (programme ILO A1 and IP1)

-              Solomon R: Consumer Behavior, Prentice Hall, 2008.

-              Bagozzi R., Gurhan-Canli Z., & Priester J: The Social Psychology of Consumer Behaviour (Applying Social Psychology), Open University Press, 2002.

-              Sheth J. & Mittal B: Customer Behavior: A Managerial Perspective, South-Western College Pub, 2003.