Essay Submission: 3000 Words
Learning Outcomes Assessed 1,2,3 and 4.
1.Critically understand the connectivity between marketing and consumption, customers & customer behaviour.
2.Assess and appraise customer behaviour theories and concepts from a critical perspective.
3.Apply this critical evaluation of customer behaviour theory to the creation of strategic and responsible marketing practice.
4) Critically investigate research evidence, theories and practice to evaluate change agents predicted to significantly influence the behaviours of customers and event participants in the future.
Your task is to write an essay that addresses the following question in 3000 words:
Evaluate the impact of the rising awareness of sustainable consumption on consumer behaviour in any country and one sector/industry of your choice. From your evaluation, draw conclusions and recommendations on how marketing to consumers will need to evolve in the future.
Please note, your choice of sector/industry can have products or services that are either considered sustainable or unsustainable or both. You must take a macroscopic view of the industry/sector (rather than being brand specific) and assess how consumer awareness of sustainable consumption influences their behaviour and how in turn this impacts marketing to them. While your assignment cannot be brand-specific, you can use examples from various brands in your narrative.
Your evaluation must include a critical appraisal of relevant theory to inform your arguments. Additionally, you must include evidence of relevant changing consumption behaviours and predictions from relevant experts and credible media sources.
What is this question asking you to do?
In this question you are being asked to evaluate how awareness of sustainable consumption is transforming the behaviour of consumers and consequently how marketing will need to adapt its interactions with its existing and prospective customers in the future. You should include an account of the chosen transforming/transformed behaviour. Focus on one only one sector/industry and one country.
Your paper must include a critical review of relevant academic theory and therefore must include a relevant theoretical framework/model to structure and present your analysis of consumer attitudes and behaviour. You should give a very brief explanation of the theory and then focus on critically applying and evaluating it.
We suggest you focus on the impact of this changing behaviour on a 5-10 year time period; however you may look further into the future if relevant to your selected industry/country.
To address this question you will need to review current evidence and ideas/future predictions from ‘experts’ and credible media sources in order to identify and frame your chosen influence. You will then need to evaluate the existing scholarship on your chosen issue, appraising it against the ‘future predictions’ evidence you have assimilated.
In your conclusion you must build on the argument presented in your paper (do not ignore it!) to evaluate how marketing will need to evolve, including specific examples of your chosen transforming/transformed behaviour. Additionally you must give recommendations to marketing practitioners on the adaptations to their thinking and practice that they will need to implement, this can be stated in your conclusion.
