| CODE | MRK5016 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Behavioural Science for Business | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Marketing | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit challenges the usual way of assessing consumer behaviour. It offers students a set of tools (in the form of theories and models, for example) that can be used in business settings to better understand consumers, influence their behaviour, and improve their consumer experience. On one hand, the study-unit is rigorous, and describes behavioural science as a discipline based on the scientific process, where hypotheses and solutions are derived from experimental evidence. On the other hand, the study-unit offers various examples of how this rigour can be translated into practical implementations and describes how it is currently being applied by various international organisations. The study-unit also offers students the opportunity to practice designing their own behavioural solutions. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: - Challenge the conventional way of thinking about consumer insights, and offer an evidence-based, practical alternative. - Immerse students in the complexity of behaviour, and equip them with the tools needed to influence such behaviour, in a way that both profits businesses and pleases consumers. - Merge the rigour of the scientific method with practical implementations of the discipline. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify the need for behavioural science in specific business situations, when appropriate. - Formulate a behavioural objective in accurate terms, so that it can lead to actionable solutions. - Research theories, models, and other resources that are relevant to a behavioural objective, for designing solutions. - Discriminate between well-implemented behaviour change interventions, and other inaccurate or incomplete ones. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Argue for the need for behavioural science in particular situations with colleagues and other stakeholders, in a convincing manner. - Assess the complexity of a behavioural challenge in light of the available resources, to determine whether it is possible to change the behaviour. - Effectively design a complete behaviour change intervention. - Combine theory with practical applications in business settings to drive behaviour change. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Text: - Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M., & West, R. (2011). The behaviour change wheel: A new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation science, 6(1), 42. Supplementary Readings: - Dolan, P., Hallsworth, M., Halpern, D., King, D., & Vlaev, I. (2010). MINDSPACE: influencing behaviour for public policy. - Fox, J. (2015). From Economic man to behavioral economics. Harvard Business Review, May 2015, 78-85. MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. - Gino, F. (2017). The rise of behavioral economics and its influence on organisations. Harvard Business Review, October 2017. MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. - Martin, S., Ferrere, A. (2017). Building behavioral science capability in your company. Harvard Business Review, December 2017. MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. - Michie, S., Atkins, L., & West, R. (2014). The behaviour change wheel: a guide to designing interventions. Silverback Publishing. - Michie, S. F., West, R., Campbell, R., Brown, J., & Gainforth, H. (2014). ABC of behaviour change theories. Silverback Publishing. - Michie, S., Richardson, M., Johnston, M., Abraham, C., Francis, J., Hardeman, W., ... & Wood, C. E. (2013). The behavior change technique taxonomy (v1) of 93 hierarchically clustered techniques: building an international consensus for the reporting of behavior change interventions. Annals of behavioral medicine, 46(1), 81-95. - Rubinstein, H. (2017). Behavioral science – Do people do what they say they’ll do. White Paper. Cambridge: Innovia Technology. - Rubinstein, H. (2017). Behavioral science in the private sector: guidelines for avoiding misuse. White Paper. Cambridge: Innovia Technology. - Rubinstein, H. (2017). Creating breakthrough opportunities with ambient intelligence. White Paper. Cambridge: Innovia Technology. - Service, Hallsworth, Halpern, (2014). EAST: Four Simple Ways to Apply Behavioural Insights. London: Behavioural Insights Team. - Tantia, P. (2017). The new science of designing for humans. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Spring 2017. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Tutorial | ||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Kora Muscat |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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