PERSPECTIVES ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR - 2026/7

Module Overview

Consumer Behaviour is evident in everyday life, therefore knowledge and understanding of this subject can be beneficial to personal decision-making as well as to marketing and strategy formulation, both in offline and online environments. The module Perspectives on Consumer Behaviour deals with a range of theoretical, practical techniques in understanding and researching consumer consumption behaviour and how such an understanding can be used to create successful and viable marketing strategies. This module gives students the opportunity to explore theories and leading-edge research findings and apply knowledge by conducting small group discussion and/or activities. Thus, reflective, and critical applications of relevant behavioural, cognitive, and socio-cultural approaches to consumption are discussed.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

PITARDI Valentina (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

• Relevance of consumer behavior and insights in the marketing realm
• Internal psychological processes factors influencing consumer behaviour
• Sociological factors and consumer behaviour
• Decision-making in technology-enabled markets including GenAI

• Consumer behaviour in the digital era (e.g. neuro-marketing, psychology of algorithms and GenAI)

   

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Individual presentation in lieu of Group presentation.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding on various consumer behaviour theories, and to critically apply these to investigate consumer behaviour phenomena.

• In the group project students will work on a nudge exercise. They will identify a consumer behavior that they want to change and apply consumer behaviour perspectives to nudge consumers toward different choices, informing  marketing strategies. 

• In the individual coursework, students will reflect on their own behaviour as consumers and will observe consumers in the reality of the business. They will reflect on one of their last purchases and will take a observation diary of real consumers within a store; they will then use relevant consumer behaviour theories to analyze such behaviors and identify marketing implications.

   

Formative assessment

Students will receive the assignment topic in the first weeks of the module and are expected to familiarise themselves with it. Prior to the assignment, lecture/seminar time will be spent discussing the assignment requirements, the assessment criteria, and the feedback process. Seminars time devoted to preparing students for the assessments aims to empower students to build self-evaluation into assessment process and to create space for students to reflect on own performance whilst receiving relevant guidance.

Module aims

• Develop an interdisciplinary and theoretically informed understanding of consumer behaviour
• Examine the managerial significance of consumer behaviour theory
• Enable students to illustrate multifaceted aspects of consumer behaviour in examining marketing problems/challenges

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The module is delivered through weekly lectures, seminars and guided learning activities. The teaching and learning strategy is designed to provide a framework of theoretical consumer behavior concepts supported by real world examples and practical applications. Students will be provided with a range of delivery methods to facilitate their learning and to address various levels within the cohort.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM546

Other information

Employability: This module provides students with a working knowledge of practices and approaches used by marketers in practice and in research. Students are equipped with theoretical and practical problem-solving skills, and transferable competencies that allow them to analyse and explain marketing cases from a consumer behaviour perspective. This is of value to employers as it contributes to understand complex marketing situations and make informed decisions.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: The approach of this module is one where students are experiencing the methods of assessment from both the consumer perspective and the researcher/marketer perspective. As a cohort, students in their group will be sharing consumer behaviour experiences, providing support and empathy, and supporting each other practically. Through these processes students are able to draw upon and develop their own resourcefulness and problem solving and building their own confidence and self-efficacy.

Digital Capabilities: Students will develop the capacity to manage information as well as to communicate with one another and to work collaboratively for their group project using SurreyLearn, Microsoft Teams, and other project management and document sharing platforms. As with all modules, students are expected to engage with online material and resources via SurreyLearn, and other digital platforms. Moreover, sessions dedicated to recent developments to Consumer Behaviour also contributes toward an understanding of how the digital world influences this marketing field and how this knowledge can inform the formulation of marketing strategies.

Sustainability: The module aims to promote reflection on consumer behaviour theories and applications in order to encourage students to analyse real-life marketing situations and apply sustainable business thinking. Ethical and sustainable dimensions underpin this module thus allowing students to explore how consumer insights can inform and lead towards sustainable marketing practices.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2026/7 academic year.