Marketing and Society
| Module title | Marketing and Society |
|---|---|
| Module code | BEM1015 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Steven Boyne (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 300 |
|---|
Module description
Summary:
The module aims to build on your current knowledge of marketing and consumer behaviour to provide you with a broad perspective on the role of marketing in society. You will learn to analyse and reflect on your own consumer behaviour and marketing-related decision-making. By examining current phenomena in production and consumption such as consumption patterns, sustainability, social responsibility, ethics and personal choices, you will develop your appreciation of marketing, business practice and the role of consumers in the world today. The module also helps you develop essential skills and knowledge by examining social science theory and how to use it and developing your critical analysis skills.
Additional Information:
Internationalisation
This module looks at the influences of marketing on society, and society on marketing, considering these from both positive and negative perspectives. The trends driving production and consumption often are manifest at the global scale.
Sustainability
Sustainability topics such as green consumerism, green marketing and sustainability, food waste and sustainable tourism development are covered. The module themes relate to nine of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
All of the resources for this module are available on the ELE (Exeter Learning Environment).
External Engagement
Learning materials from colleagues within the Business School explore topics such as food waste and McDonaldization.
Employability
Students are equipped with core marketing knowledge and also insights into consumer behaviour and models for consumer decision-making. Other practical themes that may be useful for the workplace are website evaluation, influencer marketing, marketing ethics and green marketing.
Module aims - intentions of the module
• To provide a broad perspective on the role of marketing in society.
• To encourage students to analyse and reflect on their own consumer behaviour, decision-making and consumption.
• To appreciate the role of marketing and business practice in the world today through examination of current trends including consumption patterns, sustainability, social responsibility, ethics and social choices.
• To provide students with transferable skills in:
o the use of theory in social science;
o the principles of critical analysis;
o essay writing;
o academic referencing; and
o reflective thinking and writing.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. identify specific principles and practices of marketing in relation to broader contemporary social trends
- 2. evidence your knowledge of how society is affected by marketing and how marketing is affected by society
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. apply your knowledge of relevant theory and analyse and discuss your own consumption behaviour and marketing experiences within a broader societal context
- 4. critically evaluate the models, theories and concepts commonly used in exploring marketing practice.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. demonstrate personal reflection skills;
- 6. exhibit critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
- 7. demonstrate independent research and writing skills;
Syllabus plan
- Principles of marketing
- Social Marketing
- Green marketing and sustainability
- Marketing ethics
- Food Waste
- The sharing economy
- Social media marketing
- McDonaldization
- Tourism and destination marketing
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 130 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 20 | Lectures and tutorials |
| Guided Independent Study | 18 | Revision for mid-term exam |
| Guided Independent Study | 30 | Asynchronous ELE page study and learning activities |
| Guided independent study | 82 | Essay writing |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discussions during seminars | Individual and class-based discussions | 1-7 | Verbal feedback |
| Mid-term online (ELE) practice multiple-choice question (MCQ) quiz | Not timed | 1-2 | ELE and in-class |
| Interactive Mentimeter quizzes | During lectures | 1-2 | In-class oral and presentation slides |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 20 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-Campus mid-term exam | 20 | 40 minutes | 1-2 | Class-wide feedback via ELE/email |
| Reflective Essay (individual) | 80 | 2,000 words | 1-7 | Turnitin Feedback Studio |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus mid-term exam (20%) | Exam (40 minutes, 20%) | 1-2 | Referral/Deferral Period |
| Reflective Essay (individual) (80%) | Reflective Essay (individual) (2,000 words, 80%) | 1-7 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Theory and practice
• Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., & Brennan, R. (2019). Marketing: an introduction (4th ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education.
• Ajzen, I. (2020). The theory of planned behavior: Frequently asked questions. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(4), 314-324. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.195
• Deery, M., Jago, L., & Fredline, L. (2012). Rethinking social impacts of tourism research: A new research agenda. Tourism Management, 33(1), 64-73. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2011.01.026
• Eagle, L., & Dahl, S. (2015). Marketing Ethics & Society. London: Sage. Gössling, S., Hanna, P., Higham, J., Cohen, S., & Hopkins, D. (2019). Can we fly less? Evaluating the necessity of air travel. Journal of Air Transport Management, 81, 101722. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2019.101722
• Groening, C., Sarkis, J., & Zhu, Q. (2018). Green marketing consumer-level theory review: A compendium of applied theories and further research directions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 1848-1866. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.002
• Guttentag, D. (2015). Airbnb: disruptive innovation and the rise of an informal tourism accommodation sector. Current Issues in Tourism, 18 (12), 1192-1217. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2013.827159
• Hastings, G., & Domegan, C. (2018). Social Marketing: Rebels with a Cause (3rd ed.). Abingdon and New York: Routledge.
• Heggde, G., & Shainesh, G. (Eds.). (2018). Social media marketing: Emerging concepts and applications. Singapore: Springer.
• Jeuring, J. H. G., & Haartsen, T. (2017). Destination branding by residents: The role of perceived responsibility in positive and negative word-of-mouth. Tourism Planning & Development, 14 (2), 240-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568316.2016.1214171
• Ottman, J. (2011). The new rules of green marketing: Strategies, tools, and inspiration for sustainable branding. Sheffield: Greenleaf Publishing Limited.
• Ritzer, G. (2015). The McDonaldization of society (9th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage. [print edition available]
• Steger, M. B. (2020). What is globalization? (5 ed.). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/https://encore.exeter.ac.uk/iii/encore/record/C__Rb4290072
• Tussyadiah, I. P., & Pesonen, J. (2016). Impacts of peer-to-peer accommodation use on travel patterns. Journal of Travel Research, 55 (8), 1022-1040. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287515608505
• Wilkie, W. L., & Moore, E. S. (2003). Scholarly research in marketing: Exploring the "4 eras" of thought development. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 22 (2), 116-146. doi: https://doi.org/10.1509/jppm.22.2.116.17639
Journal keeping and reflective writing
• Stevens, D. D., & Cooper, J. E. (2009). Journal keeping: How to use reflective writing for effective learning, teaching, professional insight, and positive change. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, LLC.
• Williams, K., Woolliams, M., & Spiro, J. (2012). Reflective writing: Macmillan International Higher Education.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | BEM1019 Fundamentals of Marketing |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 4 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/03/2014 |
| Last revision date | 14/04/2025 |
