AMB200 Consumer Psychology


To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.


Unit Outline: Semester 1 2027, Gardens Point, Internal

Unit code:AMB200
Credit points:12
Pre-requisite:48 credit points of completed studies
Equivalent:AMX200
Coordinator:HS Jin | hs.jin@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

A fundamental component of effective and successful marketing activity is an understanding of consumers, their needs and behaviours. Studying the behaviour of consumers in a wide range of situations and circumstances provides marketers with clear guidelines for the development of marketing strategy. This unit provides you with the foundation theories for the marketing major.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

  1. Explain and analyse consumer behaviour theories. [KS 1.1, HO 2.1]
  2. Apply theoretical and practical knowledge to investigate real world consumer behaviour problems and to recommend strategies and tactics that address the complexity and variability of consumer behaviour. [HO 2.1, 2.2, PC 3.1]
  3. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of socially responsible behaviour in relation to consumer behaviour issues. [KS 1.1, SE 5.2]
  4. Communicate thoughts and opinions in written form effectively and to a professional standard. [PC 3.1]

Content

This unit covers the purchasing process of consumers by examining both the internal and external influences on the consumer.

Internal influences refers to:

  • perception

  • learning

  • memory

  • personality

  • motivation

  • emotion

  • attitudes

  • culture

  • situational factors

  • groups

  • demographics

External influences refers to:

You will use philosophical paradigms to also examine the ethics of marketing to consumers in terms of the level of freewill and choice they are able to exercise. The generic capabilities this unit develops are knowledge of the topic area, communication skills, problem-solving skills and critical thinking.

QUT Business Capabilities (Undergraduate)

The content and assessment in this unit are aligned to a selection of the following set of QUT Business Capabilities, also known as Assurance of Learning Goals (AoLs). Developing these capabilities will assist you to meet the desired graduate outcomes set at QUT and equip you with the knowledge and skills to succeed in your chosen career.

Knowledge & Technical Skills (KS)
1.1 Demonstrate and apply integrated business knowledge, combining disciplinary depth and interdisciplinary insight, to address complex and evolving business challenges.
1.2 Apply technical and digital capabilities, including emerging technologies such as AI, and data analytics, to solve real-world business problems and drive innovation and transformation.

Higher Order Thinking Skills (HO)
2.1 Investigate complex business issues by critically analysing, evaluating, and synthesising theory and practice to generate evidence-based insights.
2.2 Exercise independent judgment and initiative to adapt and apply knowledge and skills for strategic planning, creative problem-solving, and effective decision-making in diverse, dynamic, and technology-enabled contexts.

Professional Communication (PC)
3.1 Communicate effectively and professionally in written forms, demonstrating information literacy and the ability to craft clear, purposeful, and audience-appropriate messages using suitable media and formats across diverse business contexts.
3.2 Communicate effectively and professionally in oral forms, demonstrating information literacy and the ability to engage, inform, and influence diverse audiences using appropriate technologies and presentation formats across varied business contexts.

Teamwork & Self (TS)
4.1 Engage in reflective practice and demonstrate responsibility and accountability for your own learning, professional development, and performance in a rapidly changing world of work.
4.2 Collaborate effectively in diverse and digitally enabled team environments, applying teamwork knowledge and skills to achieve shared goals.

Social, Ethical & Global Understanding (SE)
5.1 Demonstrate and apply knowledge of ethical and legal principles to analyse and respond to business issues with integrity, professionalism, and accountability.
5.2 Demonstrate and apply knowledge of socially responsible and sustainable business practices to address national and global business challenges in ways that create long-term value.

Learning Approaches

This unit adopts experiential teaching pedagogy that enables you to learn the main consumer behaviour theories, concepts, frameworks, and models, and apply them to analyse and solve real-world consumer and marketing challenges. You will gain knowledge of the key theories, concepts, frameworks, and models (objective 1), as well as opportunities to practise them through experiential learning activities, allowing you to link theory to practical marketing and business environments (objective 2). You will also develop communication skills through workshops (objective 3). This balance between theory and practice is also reflected in the assessment.

This approach is designed to foster critical enquiry and intellectual debate of consumer behaviour theories, as well as creativity to solve marketing problems.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Students will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester which may include:

  • Informal: worked examples, such as verbal feedback in class, personal consultation
  • Formal: in writing, such as checklists (e.g. criteria sheets), written commentary
  • Direct: to individual students, either in written form or in consultation
  • Indirect: to the whole class

Assessment

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Consumer Behaviour Portfolio

You will undertake activities in the tutorials that require an insightful understanding of your own consumer behaviour. You will select three activities to compile into a portfolio. You are required to bring a laptop to class to complete this assessment item.

This assessment item requires your attendance at your scheduled class.

The late submission period does not apply, and no assignment extensions are available as the assessment is completed and submitted in your scheduled tutorial. 

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

Formative or Summative: Formative and Summative

Business Capabilities (AoL goals): KS (1.1), HO (2.1), PC (3.1)

Weight: 40
Length: 1600 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Multiple weeks between Week 4 and Week 11
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 4

Assessment: Final Exam

You are required to analyse consumer behaviour-related cases, provide and justify marketing recommendations based on the consumer behaviour theories you learned from the unit. This is an open-book examination, with students permitted to bring one A4 page of notes. See more details via Canvas.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

This invigilated examination requires attendance on campus or at an assessment centre, regardless of your attendance mode for the unit.

This assessment item is a Verified Identity Assessment. Requirements are provided on the Unit Canvas site.


Formative or Summative: Summative

Business Capabilities (AoL goals): KS (1.1), HO (2.1, 2.2), PC (3.1), SE (5.2)

Weight: 60
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): During central examination period
Central exam duration: 2:10 - Including 10 minute perusal
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Solomon M. R., Russell-Bennett, R. & Previte, J. (2023). Consumer Behaviour: Buying, Having, Being (5th edn.). Pearson: Australia.

Students are required to have their own copy.

Other resources
Additional Readings will be available on the Unit Canvas site.

Other

Technology requirements:

On campus students: If you are studying on campus, to support interactive learning and in-class activities, you are expected to bring a fully charged laptop (or compatible device) to each scheduled class. This ensures you can participate in digital exercises, access online resources, and collaborate effectively with peers. Check your device meets QUT's minimum technology requirements.

Online students: If you are studying online, you require the following to participate and engage in learning:

  • Access to a computer with a reliable internet connection
  • A webcam
  • A headset and microphone

Check your device meets QUT's minimum technology requirements.

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with learning and teaching activities in this unit.

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

QUT Business Capabilities (Undergraduate) 2027

HO (2.1): Critical Analysis

Relates to: ULO1, ULO2

HO (2.2): Independent Judgement and Decision-Making

Relates to: ULO2

KS (1.1): Discipline Knowledge

Relates to: ULO1, ULO3

PC (3.1): Professional Communication (Written)

Relates to: ULO2, ULO4

SE (5.2): Global Social Responsibility

Relates to: ULO3

Course Learning Outcomes

This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.

BS05 Bachelor of Business

  1. Demonstrate and apply integrated business knowledge, combining disciplinary depth and interdisciplinary insight, to address complex and evolving business challenges.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  2. Investigate complex business issues by critically analysing, evaluating, and synthesising theory and practice to generate evidence-based insights.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  3. Exercise independent judgment and initiative to adapt and apply knowledge and skills for strategic planning, creative problem-solving, and effective decision-making in diverse, dynamic, and technology-enabled contexts.
    Relates to: ULO2, Final Exam
  4. Communicate effectively and professionally in written forms, demonstrating information literacy and the ability to craft clear, purposeful, and audience-appropriate messages using suitable media and formats across diverse business contexts.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO4, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  5. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of socially responsible and sustainable business practices to address national and global business challenges in ways that create long-term value.
    Relates to: ULO3, Final Exam

BS06 Bachelor of Business

  1. Demonstrate and apply integrated discipline (including technical) knowledge across the broad field of business with depth in one or more core business disciplines.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  2. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of socially responsible behaviour in analysing and addressing business issues in national and international business contexts.
    Relates to: ULO3, Final Exam
  3. Investigate real world business issues and situations through the effective analysis, evaluation and synthesis of theory and practice.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  4. Exercise independent judgement and initiative in adapting and applying knowledge and skills for effective planning, problem solving and decision making in diverse contexts.
    Relates to: ULO2, Final Exam
  5. Use information literacy skills, and communicate effectively and professionally in written forms and using media appropriate for diverse purposes and contexts.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO4, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam

BS08 Bachelor of Business - International

  1. Demonstrate and apply integrated business knowledge, combining disciplinary depth and interdisciplinary insight, to address complex and evolving business challenges.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  2. Investigate complex business issues by critically analysing, evaluating, and synthesising theory and practice to generate evidence-based insights.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  3. Exercise independent judgment and initiative to adapt and apply knowledge and skills for strategic planning, creative problem-solving, and effective decision-making in diverse, dynamic, and technology-enabled contexts.
    Relates to: ULO2, Final Exam
  4. Communicate effectively and professionally in written forms, demonstrating information literacy and the ability to craft clear, purposeful, and audience-appropriate messages using suitable media and formats across diverse business contexts.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO4, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  5. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of socially responsible and sustainable business practices to address national and global business challenges in ways that create long-term value.
    Relates to: ULO3, Final Exam

BV99 Bachelor of Business

  1. Demonstrate and apply integrated business knowledge, combining disciplinary depth and interdisciplinary insight, to address complex and evolving business challenges.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  2. Investigate complex business issues by critically analysing, evaluating, and synthesising theory and practice to generate evidence-based insights.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  3. Exercise independent judgment and initiative to adapt and apply knowledge and skills for strategic planning, creative problem-solving, and effective decision-making in diverse, dynamic, and technology-enabled contexts.
    Relates to: ULO2, Final Exam
  4. Communicate effectively and professionally in written forms, demonstrating information literacy and the ability to craft clear, purposeful, and audience-appropriate messages using suitable media and formats across diverse business contexts.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO4, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  5. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of socially responsible and sustainable business practices to address national and global business challenges in ways that create long-term value.
    Relates to: ULO3, Final Exam

KC40 Bachelor of Communication

  1. Demonstrate capacity to understand and critique the historical, cultural, technological, and regulatory implications of digital media, entertainment, communication, and news industries.
    Relates to: ULO1, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  2. Demonstrate effective communication skills with the ability to adapt strategies across different media and professional settings and for diverse audiences.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO4, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam
  3. Critically interrogate the economic and cultural power of digital media, communication, entertainment, and news to make ethical, sustainable, and inclusive contributions to diverse workplaces, communities, and audiences.
    Relates to: ULO3, Final Exam
  4. Create authentic and professional-quality communication outputs that reflect an application of academic content, critical thinking skills, and social awareness.
    Relates to: ULO4, Consumer Behaviour Portfolio, Final Exam