School of Management
Buyer Behaviour - MN2111
Semester 2 - 2010/11

Finally, 80% of the course will be awarded on the basis of a 2,000 word individually written essay. The essay will answer one of the three questions set out below:
 
1. Retailers pay a great deal of attention to the positioning of products in their stores.  Do these techniques work?  If so, how?  Or are the retailers wasting their money?
2. A real Louis Vuitton handbag has been a must-have item for many years.  It costs around £500.  On ebay a fake Louie Vuitton handbag sells for over £200.  Why are some consumers happy to pay such a high price for a fake branded fashion item?
3. Statistics show us that binge drinking has significant social consequences.  One in three sexual offences, one in three burglaries and one in two street crimes are related to excessive alcohol consumption.  In addition, the detrimental effects of binge drinking on individual psychical and mental health are clear.  As a consequence, the government and health service in the UK have invested in social marketing campaigns designed to decrease the rates of binge drinking.  Yet binge drinking statistics show us that more and more people are willing to drink to excessive levels.  Using the theories of consumption discussed on this course explain why people continue to binge drink in spite of these social marketing campaigns.

There are certain mandatory requirements, listed below, that underpin this assessment and essays that fail to meet these will not be assessed.

• Essays must contain at least ten items within their bibliographies
• Books and journal articles are preferred to website references although the latter may be included where appropriate
• Essays must be based on appropriate academic evidence
• Essays must be correctly referenced according to the Harvard system of citation
• Although 2,000 words is the stated word count for this assignment, students may deviate by up to, and no more than +/- 10% (the word count does not include words within the references section).
• Essays must be double-spaced throughout
• It is highly recommended that students work on this essay throughout the duration of the module rather than leaving things late
• Plagiarism, in any form or guise, is absolutely prohibited  

The deadline for the individually written essay is May 13th, 2011.

READING LIST & COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Please note: since this module is not assessed on the basis of an examination, students are expected to conduct background study of at least ten hours per week.  Failure to demonstrate adequate preparation for lectures and seminars will be treated severely.

The core readings for this course are available in the module compendium.  It is strongly recommended that you acquire a copy as all students are required to read these texts in preparation for the weekly lectures.  If you do not have a copy you MUST source the materials from elsewhere.

The core readings indicate the minimum level of preparation expected for each lecture.  Secondary texts are listed below.  A useful complementary text for the course is: Gabriel, Y. & Lang, T. (2006) The Unmanageable Consumer, London: Sage.  However, this and other secondary texts do not mark the limit of buyer behaviour literature.  There are a number of other sources including books, journals and documentary films that address the issue of buyer behaviour.  Students would benefit greatly were they to investigate other materials through independent research. 

In addition to readings, the course involves a series of practical activities.  In order to complete these tasks, students taking this course must have access to Word, Excel, SPSS and Nvivo software packages (both available through CFS).  Advice on how to access these packages will be provided in the lectures with further assistance available through IT Services.  Failure to license these packages will be treated severely.

MODULE CONTENT AND SCHEDULE
Week 1: Doing Research into Buyer Behaviour
Core Reading:
No reading
Secondary Reading:
No Reading
ACTIVITY ONE & ACTIVITY TWO

Week 2: Thinking about Buyer Behaviour: perspectives and paradigms
Core Reading:
Gabriel, Y. & Lang, T. (2008) ‘New Faces and New Masks of Today’s Consumer’, Journal of Consumer Culture, 8(3): 321-340
Secondary Reading:
Bauman, Zygmunt (2007) Consuming Life, Cambridge: Polity
Calder B. J. and Tybout, A. M. (1987) ‘What Consumer Research Is…’, Journal of Consumer Research, 14(1): 136-140.
Clarke, D. B., Doel, M. A. and Housiaux, M. L. (2003) The Consumption Reader, London: Routledge (Part 1, ‘History’, pp. 25-76)
Gabriel, Y. & Lang, T. (2006) The Unmanageable Consumer, London: Sage (Introduction and Chapter 1, ‘The Emergence of Contemporary Consumerism’, pp. 1 – 24)

Week 3: Economics: supply and demand
Core Reading:
Levitt, S.D & Dubner, S.J., (2006) Freakanomics, London: Penguin (Chapter 1, pp 15-48)
Secondary Reading:
Frank, R. H. (2008) The Economic Naturalist: Why Economics Explains Almost Everything, London: Virgin
Gabriel, Y. & Lang, T. (2006) The Unmanageable Consumer, London: Sage (Chapter 2, The Consumer as Chooser, pp. 25-43)
Thaler, R. H. & Sunstein, C. R., (2008) Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, London: Yale University Press (Chapters1-4, pp. 17-81)

Week 4: Marketing: the manageable consumer
Core Reading:
Kotler, P. and Levy, S. J. (1969) ‘Broadening the Concept of Marketing’, The Journal of Marketing, 33(1): 10-15
Secondary Reading:
Ellis, N., Fitchett, J., Higgins, M., et al. (2010) Marketing: A Critical Textbook, London: Sage
Hackley, C (2009) Marketing: A Critical Introduction, London: Sage
Kotler, P. (1972) ‘A Generic Concept of Marketing’, The Journal of Marketing, 36(2): 46-54
Levitt, T. (1960) ‘Marketing Myopia’, Harvard Business Review, 38(4): 45-56.
Levitt, T. (1980), "Marketing Success through Differentiation of Anything’, Harvard Business Review, 58(January-February): 83-91.
Ries, A and Trout, J. (2001) Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, London: McGraw-Hill Professional

Week 5: Psychology, Social Psychology and Psychoanalysis: depths and surfaces
Core Reading: 
Skinner, B. F. (1974) About Behaviourism, London: Jonathan Cape (Chapter 2, ‘The Causes of Behavior’, pp. 9-20)
Secondary Reading:
Bernays, E. L. (1928) Propaganda, New York: Liveright
Bernays, E. L. (1928) ‘Manipulating Public Opinion: The Why and The How’, The American Journal of Sociology, 33(6): 958-971
Berne, E. (1973) The Games People Play, London: Penguin
Dichter, E. (2002) The Strategy of Desire, London: Transaction Publishers
Packard, V. (1957) The Hidden Persuaders, London: Longmans, Green
Lunt P. (1995) ‘Psychological Approaches to Consumption – Past, Present and Future’ in Daniel Miller (1995) Acknowledging Consumption: A Review of New Studies, London: Routledge (pp. 238-263)

Week 6: Sociology: rules and roles
Core Reading:
Bourdieu, P. (1986/1994) Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, London: Routledge (‘Introduction’, pp. 1-7)
Secondary Reading:
Becker, H. S (1963) Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, New York: The Free Press (Chapter 3 and 4, ‘Becoming a Marihuana User’ and ‘Marihuana Use and Social Control’, pp. 41-72) 
Campbell, C. (1995) ‘The Sociology of Consumption’ in Daniel Miller (1995) Acknowledging Consumption: A Review of New Studies, London: Routledge (pp. 95-125)
Dawe, A. (1970) ‘The Two Sociologies’, The British Journal of Sociology, 21(2): 207-218
Jones, P (2003) Introducing Social Theory, London: Polity (Chapter 1, ‘An Introduction to Sociological Theories’, pp. 1-27)
Mills, C. W. (1957) The Sociological Imagination Oxford: Oxford University Press

Week 7: Design: space, sales and the science of shopping
Core Reading:
Underhill, P. (2008) Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, New York: Simon and Schuster (‘Introduction’, pp. 3-27)
Secondary Reading:
Bitner, M. J. (1992) ‘Servicescapes: The impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees’, Journal of Marketing, 56(April): 57-71.
Ewen, S.(2001/1976) Captains of Consciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture, New York: Basic Books
Gabriel, Y. & Lang, T. (2006) The Unmanageable Consumer, London: Sage (Chapter 7, ‘The Consumer as Victim’ pp. 112 – 133)
Grayson, R. A. S. & McNeill, L. S. (2009) ‘Using atmospheric elements in service retailing: Understanding the bar environment’, Journal of Services Marketing, 23(7): 517-527
Kotler, P. (1973) ‘Atmospherics as a marketing tool’, Journal of Retailing, 49(4): 48-64

Week 8: Anthropology and Cultural Studies: identity, communication and interaction, value
Core Reading:
Belk, R. W. (1985) ‘Materialism: Trait Aspects of Living in the Material World’, The Journal of Consumer Research, 12(3): 265-280
Secondary Reading:
Barthes, R (1972/2000) Mythologies, London: Vintage (‘Myth Today’, pp. 109-159)
Bradshaw, A. and Brown, S. (2008) ‘Scholars who stare at goats: The collaborative circle cycle in creative consumer research’, European Journal of Marketing, 42(11/12): 1396 – 1414
Douglas, M. (1972) ‘Deciphering a Meal’, Daedalus 101(1): 61-81
Frank, T. (1998) The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture and the Rise of Hip Consumerism, Chicago: Chicago University Press
Gabriel, Y. & Lang, T. (2006) The Unmanageable Consumer, London: Sage (Chapter 5, ‘The Consumer as Identity-seeker’, pp.78-95)
Miller, D. (1995) ‘Consumption Studies as the Transformation of Anthropology’ in Daniel Miller (1995) Acknowledging Consumption: A Review of New Studies, London: Routledge (pp. 264-295)
Miller, D. (1998) A Theory of Shopping, New York: Cornell University Press
Mauss, M. (2001) The Gift: Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies, London: Routledge

Week 9: Politics: choosing not to choose
Core Reading:
Schwartz, B. (2005) Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, London: HarperCollins (Chapter 11, ‘What to Do About Choice’, pp. 221-236)
Secondary Reading:
Gabriel, Y. & Lang, T. (2006) The Unmanageable Consumer, London: Sage (Chapters 10 and 11, ‘The Consumer as Citizen’ and ‘The Unmanageable Consumer’, pp. 172 – 198)
Harrison, R., Newholm, T. and Shaw, D. (2005) The Ethical Consumer, London: Sage
James, O. (2007) Affluenza: How to be Successful and Stay Sane, London: Random House (Chapter 1, ‘New York’, 3-48)
Lasn, K. (2001) Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge - and Why We Must, London: HarperCollins
Nader, R. (2004) In Pursuit of Justice: New and Collected Writings, New York: Seven Stories Press