MSc in Consumer Behaviour

Course

In London

Price on request

Description

  • Type

    Course

  • Location

    London

  • Duration

    1 Year

  • Start date

    Different dates available

The MSc in Consumer Behaviour equips you with a comprehensive grounding in approaches to understanding consumer preferences, judgements, decision-making and behaviour. You will learn how to use this knowledge to improve organisational strategy and success, in terms of targeting, product placement, advertising, marketing, influencing and protecting consumers. The programme aims to enhance your employability by fostering the development of the real-life and job-relevant competencies and skills that are required to succeed in today's competitive job market. You will be provided with the strong knowledge base and hands-on research experience needed for succeeding in careers such as marketing, media, communications, advertising, consumer research, entrepreneurship, and public relations. You will develop the skills necessary to conduct independent research and to understand: the psychological impact of various types of media. the psychological processes underlying consumer behaviour. the psychology of consumer preferences. psychological theories of attitude change, persuasion, and influence. the psychology of branding. behavioural economics (including the psychology of pricing). The Institute of Management Studies at Goldsmiths benefits from staff who conduct high impact, applied research and who have excellent links with industry. For example, recent speakers in our Innovation Case Studies series have included fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, 'city super woman' Nicola Horlick , and editor of

Facilities

Location

Start date

London
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New Cross, SE14 6NW

Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open

About this course

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard in a relevant/related subject. Appropriate work experience will be considered in place of an undergraduate qualification on a case-by-case basis. This may include (but not be limited to) sufficient experience within a design agency, and/or marketing or advertising department. International qualifications We accept a wide range of international qualifications.

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Subjects

  • Media
  • Communication Training
  • Project Management
  • Technology
  • Systems
  • Project
  • Advertising
  • Branding
  • Digital Marketing
  • Marketing
  • Innovation
  • Economics
  • Design
  • IT Project Management
  • Market
  • Leadership
  • Coaching
  • Management
  • Decision Making
  • Psychology
  • IT
  • Consumer Behaviour
  • IT Management

Course programme

What you'll study Overview The MSc in Consumer Behaviour consists of: five core modules (90 combined credits). two optional modules (30 combined credits). a research dissertation (60 credits). The modules are organised within the IMS and most have a strong practical component. All lecturers on this programme have a strong research profile, which they bring to bear when presenting the theoretical, technical, and applied components of consumer behaviour. Module title Credits. Consumer Behaviour Consumer Behaviour 15 credits This lecture course will introduce you to the fundamentals of consumer psychology and behavioural economics. It will give you an understanding for the fundamental decision making processes and the factors that influence these processes. It covers topics such as prospect theory and classical economics, brain structures and information processing, heuristics and rules of thumb, and framing and influencing techniques. It also discloses the various strategies used by marketers to differentiate their products, leverage brands, set strategic prices, reduce the effectiveness of consumer search, and it compares the effectiveness of each. The course covers topics such as the types and effectiveness of pricing strategies, individual differences in uptake of pricing strategies, value perceptions and subconscious influences (priming), and ethical and legal issues around influencing consumer choice. The lectures in this course will be supplemented by several assignments designed to develop and enhance practical skills, and further develop familiarity with consumer psychological methods and theories. 15 credits. Psychology of Marketing and Advertising Psychology of Marketing and Advertising 15 credits The traditional view of marketing: targeting, differentiation, loyalty, buying behaviour. How people buy and what they buy. Emerging marketing views: physical and mental availability. Packaging of products. The future of marketing.. Three ways of communicating information to consumers. Advertising effectiveness. Different types of media: online, TV, radio, print. Communication strategies and cognitive psychology. 15 credits. Research Design and Applied Statistics Research Design and Applied Statistics 15 credits This module covers skills required for effective research design and analysis of data in work environments to enable inferences about cause and effect relationships. You will also learn to critically evaluate the research appearing in academic and business literatures. Lecture topics include the following: Basic principles of research design, scientific method, role of theory. Sample selection, data cleaning, data screening, descriptive statistics. Association: correlation and covariance. Design of experiments: one way and two way ANOVA, contrasts, repeated measures. Regression: simple, multiple, logistic, time series, awareness of multi-level modelling. Measurement: classical test theory, reliability, validity, factor analysis and item response theory, structural equation modelling. 15 credits. Marketing Strategy Marketing Strategy 15 credits How do managers discover attractive market opportunities? How can they tackle these market opportunities by creating impactful marketing strategies, based on a powerful market positioning? How is marketing strategising different in established versus new market arenas? This module introduces students to the state-of-the art in marketing strategy formulation. Students will work with an entrepreneurial, London-based company to develop and implement a real-world marketing plan. 15 credits. Creating Customer Experiences Creating Customer Experiences 15 Credits Over the past three decades, customers have gained centre stage in marketing education and practice. Establishing close and intimate relationships with customers is considered to be key to marketing success, and customer equity has become an important marketing performance indicator. The advent of digital technology and social media have had a major impact on the nature of customer relationships. Today, companies are seeking to engage the customer by creating interactive, participative marketing landscapes which will be the focus of this module. Based on a solid understanding of traditional customer relationship management and contemporary customer engagement theories, this module discusses the creation of customer experiences from two perspectives. First, the module will teach students how managers involve customers throughout the marketing process. Existing technology allows customers to participate in product design (for example online product customization), pricing (for example pay-what-you-want), and marketing communications (creation of viral online content). 3D printing may revolutionize the distribution of material goods, with customers designing products online and printing them at home. Virtual Reality will add further customer touch points to our existing marketing landscapes in the near future. Specifically, Virtual Reality has the potential to transform retail environments and create entirely new marketing communication channels. Furthermore, companies are increasingly engaging customers in brand building, especially via brand communities. The merits as well as the limitations of participative customer experiences will be discussed in this module. Also, the potential impact of other emerging technologies on the customer experience will be examined. Second, this module focuses on customer involvement in the innovation process. Companies are increasingly involving customers directly in the development of novel products and services. On the one hand, this occurs via crowdsourcing efforts and product idea competitions. On the other hand, selected customers may work directly with engineers and managers during the innovation process. Furthermore, customers often innovate on their own, which is well-documented in the lead user and market creation literature. The module demonstrates how managers can create fertile grounds for successful customer co-creation of new products and services. Also, it will debate the value and limitations of customer engagement in companies’ innovation efforts. 15 Credits. Research Project (60 credits). You'll undertake an independent piece of research related to consumer behaviour. The dissertation should be no longer than 10,000 words. You'll be allocated to an appropriate supervisor. Option modules You can choose optional modules up to the credit value of 45. The list of approved modules will include those run by the Institute of Management Studies and by other departments at Goldsmiths that have modules relevant to Consumer Behaviour. Module title Credits. Assessment and Selection Assessment and Selection 15 credits Overview, unscientific versus scientific methods. Interview, references, biodata and GPA. General mental ability. Personality traits. Creativity, leadership, and talent. Theories of motivation. Job satisfaction and engagement. Using motivational rewards. Employee relations, fairness and decisions. 15 credits. Organisational Behaviour and Health Organisational Behaviour and Health 15 credits This module introduces students to the psychological theories and research that address questions concerning how both organisational and individual characteristics affect productivity and mental health in the workplace. Topics will include: organisational behaviour. organisational development. and occupational health psychology. organisational structure and effectiveness. work organisation theories. work organisation and individual differences. individual differences and the stress process. leadership and organizational behaviour. health promotion programs. employee engagement. 15 credits. Training and Development Training and Development 15 credits Introduction to training and development. Performance appraisal and identifying training and development needs. Needs analysis. Role of cognitive psychology in training design and delivery. Training evaluation. Individual differences in training and development. Modern careers. Technology in Training I. Technology in Training II. Applying theory: considering your professional development.. 15 credits. Training, Coaching and Counselling Training, Coaching and Counselling 15 credits This module aims to provide an introduction to the ways in which individuals learn and develop within organisations. Lecture topics include the following: Training: the learner and learning processes. Training: training design and delivery. Stress management training. Coaching: introduction and theoretical underpinnings. Coaching II: evidence and professional issues. Careers I: career development models and career counselling. 15 credits. Leadership and Talent Management Leadership and Talent Management 15 credits Learn the extent to which leadership skills and behaviours are universal or different in their relevance across cultures. Understand individual differences, strategic approaches, and assessment methodologies. Understand leadership development: approaches and practices. Learn about technology and talent management. 15 credits. Innovation Theory Innovation Theory 15 credits Innovation is a defining feature of novelty in complex technological, sociocultural, and biological systems. Theories of innovation offer principles on which the practices of innovation are based as well as the connections between theory and practice. As the psychologist Kurt Lewin wrote there is “nothing more practical than a good theory”. Innovation theories help explain the features of systems that make them capable of innovating and how the mechanisms that create novelty help us better understand and shape our world. Building on empirical, modelling and theoretical research, Innovation Theory, introduces a diverse variety of interdisciplinary theories explaining how innovation systems are formed, evolve, and transform in particular conditions and disciplines. 15 credits. Design Thinking Design Thinking 15 Credits Design Thinking encourages individuals to act as creative catalysts with a systemic approach to innovation challenges. It can be applied in the workplace, at home, and in any sector of socio-economic life, though the focus of this course is the application of Design Thinking to challenges and opportunities specifically related to the management of innovation. The course introduces the concepts of design thinking applied to product development but does so as an exemplar of, and entry into, how those design thinking concepts can be applied to conceptualising changes in organisational culture, structure, processes, and systems. The core set of skills in Design Thinking, from understanding your customer to defining problems, ideation, prototyping, journey mapping, iteration and testing, are introduced in the course through both theory and practice. Design Thinking involves a step-by-step process that can be activated in a linear or non-linear fashion as there are no explicit dependencies between the skills. The foundational agenda of the course is providing students with a theoretical framework and toolkit for surfacing, defining, and refining viable ideas quickly and then executing on high-impact business and social interventions with a lean human-centred design mindset aimed at solving problems and creating opportunities. In the management of innovation, this applies to everything from actionable strategies for workplace or workforce challenges to the leadership skills for developing and nurturing high-performance teams or organisations poised to innovate using, indeed, Design Thinking strategies. Students are taught to approach real-world problems from the point-of-view of their target audience, demonstrating the kind of audience-led and lead-user that translates inventive ideas into business-ready concepts and encourages making small bets fast, constructive evaluation of failures, and exploiting and harnessing breakthroughs to propel organizational growth or social good. The course structure features 10 lectures focused on learning and applying theories of Design Thinking and two labs where students gain exposure to and experience with software tools used to augment and accelerate application of design thinking theories to real-world challenges. 15 Credits. Project Management Project Management 30 credits Find out about project management and its application to a range of project environments. Critically evaluate project management theories as they relate to practical application. Understand and act upon the role of the project manager in relation to project stakeholders. Develop an understanding of appropriate project management methods, tools, and techniques, and their application for problem-solving and decision-making in project environments. 30 credits. Innovation Case Studies Innovation Case Studies 15 credits You'll have access to executives from industry, who'll discuss and debate the merits of different approaches to the management of innovation. Recent speakers have included fashion designer Paul Smith, 'city super woman' Nicola Horlick , and editor of Monocle Tyler Brûlé.. Learn about a variety of innovation approaches and challenges. Translate conceptual and theoretical implications of innovation to practical applications. Understand current and future potential issues reshaping commercial and non-profit practices. Critically evaluate debates on the value and potential of intersections between disciplines and emerging innovation practices, particularly as these relate to transformation and change. Understand the challenges and opportunities for applying or piloting early stage digital, media, and marketing in commercial and non-profit organisations. 15 credits. Technological Innovation & Market Creation Technological Innovation & Market Creation 15 credits What is technology and how does it evolve? How can managers stimulate technological innovation in organisations? How can managers use technology to disrupt existing markets, and create entirely new ones? These questions lie at the heart of this module. Students will learn how to appreciate the potential commercial and social implications of emerging technologies, and how to orchestrate marketing processes for the creation of new markets. 15 credits. Digital Marketing & Branding Digital Marketing & Branding 15 Credits How do you build compelling brand identities in the digital age? How do you create viral communication campaigns using social media? How will the Internet of Things impact marketing landscapes of the future? This module will discuss potential answers to these and other questions. Students will be equipped with essential digital marketing skills, and the ability to assess the risks and opportunities emerging from ever-changing digital marketing environments. 15 Credits. Marketing Analytics Marketing Analytics 15 credits Digital technologies have led to the creation of an unprecedented amount of data on consumer behaviour that now informs marketing decision-making. This module will introduce students to the rapidly growing field of data science, and it will demonstrate how the combination of big data analytics and netnography can lead to the creation of radically new product ideas. This module conveys the skills students will need to work in the data-driven world we live in. 15 credits. Download the programme specification for the 2018-19 intake. If you would like an earlier version of the programme specification, please contact the Quality Office. Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

MSc in Consumer Behaviour

Price on request