GRA 6446 Marketing for a Better World
GRA 6446 Marketing for a Better World
Marketing focuses on delivering value to consumers. However, many consumer decisions have detrimental impacts on themselves, other people, and the planet. In this course, we examine why people make decisions that are bad for themselves and others, and ways that marketers can influence consumer psychology and consumer behaviors to improve decision making.
This course examines how marketing and consumption impact social welfare, individual happiness, social cohesion, and sustainability, both favorably and unfavorably. We will draw on insights developed in marketing research, which include perspectives from psychology, sociology, and economics.
The course has two major objectives within the program portfolio. First, students will become familiar with critical perspectives and scientific findings about the (potential) impact of their profession on society. Second, students will learn how they can apply their marketing expertise to help firms succeed while also helping to transform society and create a better world.
The candidate:
- Understands economic, social, and evolutionary explanations for the impact of human consumption behavior on the world’s resources, on individual happiness, and on sociality.
- Understands a range of methodologies that have led to insight about the relationship between marketing, happiness, sociality, and sustainability.
- Can apply theories explaining the effects of marketing on the social and natural world, and the potential for marketing to create a better world.
The candidate:
- can analyze and deal critically with various sources of information and use them to structure and formulate scholarly arguments
- can independently analyze existing theories, methods and interpretations in the field and work on practical and theoretical problems
- will be able to view their own professional education and practice in the light of possible effects on society and the environment
The candidate:
- can communicate about academic issues, analyses and conclusions in the fields of marketing and sustainability, both with specialists and the general public
- can present ideas and positions in oral debates and in writing.
Issues covered in the course:
- Marketing’s positive contribution to society.
- Corporate social responsibility as a marketing practice
- Negative consequences of marketing for the world: materialism, sexual stereotyping, overconsumption, exploitation, impulsive & compulsive buying.
- Marketing, self-control, and the pursuit of happiness
- Evolutionary origins of unsustainable consumer behavior
- Social Marketing
- Behavioral economics: Nudging of sustainable consumer behavior.
- Moral balancing and rebound effects
- Political orientation and consumer behavior.
- Marketing and the sharing economy.
- Recyling - circular economy - upcycling
The course will be heavily research based. We will study academic research papers, related to each topic, at a rate of about 3 per session. These papers are the basis for the corresponding sessions; other materials used during class (powerpoints, papers, reports, videos, etc., ...) will be made available after the sessions, but are not required reading.
Class sessions will iterate between lecturing, activities, and discussion. Lectures will introduce theory and method of the research papers. Many lectures will be asynchronous. Most classes will involve one or more in-class activities, which as students to apply learning from readings and lectures. Activities will generally be group-based, with a deliverable that will be graded as part of your participation grade. More details will be given during the first session of class.
Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.
This is a course with two exam components. Students must pass both components to earn a pass grade. Further details on the two grading components will be provided on ItsLearning and discussed in class. Please note that it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.
- Portfolio (30%):
Written assignment composed of approximately 12-15 ppt slides.
Approximately once per class, students will be asked to work independently or with classmates to complete an assignment. These assignments may be completed outside of class. Assignments that are completed promptly (i.e., same day or same week, depending on assignment) will generally receive feedback, however, only the final portfolio will be graded.
Each student will be responsible for saving all of their assignments in their own files. At the end of the course, each student will compile all (~12-15) of their assignments into a single ppt file, then hand that in. Grading criteria will be posted on ItsLearning.
- Oral exam (70%):
Individuals (no groups) will prepare a discussion of a recent research paper, reporting on empirical research within the domain of the course. You will select the paper yourselves (from a list of journals given to you early in the semester) and have it approved by the instructor by a preset time. On the exam day you will present the paper for the instructor and an external grader and respond to questions. You will receive grading criteria and further instructions during the course.
The examination for this course has been changed starting academic year 23/24. It is not possible to resit the old version of the examination.
All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.
Disclaimer
Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.
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| Assessments |
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Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 30 Grouping: Individual Duration: 1 Semester(s) Comment: Written assignment, submitted as a portfolio at the conclusion of the course. Details provided in class. Exam code: GRA 64462 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination when next scheduled course |
Exam category: Activity Form of assessment: Oral examination Weight: 70 Grouping: Individual Duration: 30 Minute(s) Comment: Individuals (no groups) will prepare a discussion of a recent research paper, reporting on empirical research within the domain of the course. You will select the paper yourselves (from a list of journals given to you early in the semester) and have it approved by the instructor by a preset time. On the exam day you will present the paper for the instructor and an external grader and respond to questions. You will receive grading criteria and further instructions during the course. Exam code: GRA 64463 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination when next scheduled course |
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 36 Hour(s) | |
Prepare for teaching | 124 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.