NA_CB Consumer Behavior

University of Finance and Administration
Winter 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mirela Moldoveanu, M.Sc., Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mirela Moldoveanu, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Subdepartment of Social Sciences – Department of Social Sciences – Departments – University of Finance and Administration
Contact Person: Mgr. Petra Dovhunová
Timetable of Seminar Groups
NA_CB/cNCNPH: each even Thursday 15:45–16:29 E309, each even Thursday 16:30–17:15 E309, each even Thursday 17:30–18:14 E309, each even Thursday 18:15–19:00 E309, M. Moldoveanu
NA_CB/pNCNPH: each even Thursday 14:00–14:44 E309, each even Thursday 14:45–15:30 E309, M. Moldoveanu
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
Course objectives
The course covers multiple perspectives of investigating the phenomenon of consumer behaviour, such as anthropological, psychological, economic, and political. The presented frameworks of consumer behaviour teaches the student how to reflect on current behaviour of consumers to better understand its origins and possible future trends, and how to evaluate the benefits and limitations of consumption culture in its current form.
Learning outcomes
The student will be able to: - recognise the determinants of certain consumer behaviours - identify the various dimensions of consumer behaviour - evaluate the benefits and downsides of certain consumer behaviours - identify the interplay between individual agency and societal structure that determine or shape consumer behaviour.
Syllabus
The course is structured as twelve themes: 1. Production and consumption as two interwind phenomena and their changes with the evolution of technology. 2. Gift-giving and its social symbolism. 3. Sugar, a sweet addition to our diet with a bitter historical result. 4. Mass production: good intentions are situated in a specific social, economic, politic and cultural context. 5. The use of cultural creativity and its role in consumption and economy. 6. Travel and see - tourism a real fleeting experience with lasting consequences. 7. Being eco - who benefits from it? 8. The gravitational pull of brands - do they represent us? 9. Local production for global consumption. Choosing your position. 10. The extremes of the consumption phenomenon. 11. Interdependency of layers of influence on the shape of consumption. 12. Connected we stand apart - globalisation as a generator of local and global problems. Literature: Harari, Y. N. (2015). Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. HarperCollins. Harari, Y. N. (2017). Homo deus: A brief history of tomorrow. Signal. Hastie, R., & Dawes, R. M. (2010). Rational choice in an uncertain world: The psychology of judgment and decision making. SAGE. Mauss, M. (2000). The gift (W. D. Halls, Trans.). Routledge. Manovich, L. (2009). The practice of everyday (Media) life: From mass consumption to mass cultural production? Critical Inquiry, 35(2), 319-331. https://doi.org/10.1086/596645 Sanchez, A. (2017). The Novelty of the Gift: A British Anthropologist & the Trends of Ethnography. History and Anthropology, 28(5), 553-559. https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2017.1375489 Merleaux, A. (2012). The political culture of sugar tariffs: Immigration, race, and empire, 1898–1930. International Labor and Working-Class History, 81, 28-48. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0147547912000063 Sarlio-Lähteenkorva, S., & Winkler, J. T. (2015). Could a sugar tax help combat obesity? BMJ, h4047. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h4047 Williams, K., Haslam, C., & Williams, J. (1992). Ford versus `Fordism': The beginning of mass production? Work, Employment and Society, 6(4), 517-555. https://doi.org/10.1177/095001709264001
Teaching methods
Lectures, and seminars in which we will critically analyse information from journal articles and other mass media sources.
Assessment methods
Active participation in lectures and seminars, the completion and on time submission of seminar papers are a must for being able to take the exam. The course end with an exam.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is also listed under the following terms Winter 2024.
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