Consumer Research - 5 ECTS (partially hybrid)

 
Prerequisite

Participants are required to submit a short paper (maximum 2 pages) outlining their motivation to participate in the course and their research area.  
 

The course aims to build a broad foundation in consumer research across key content areas; to cultivate the skills to critically evaluate theoretical and empirical work in behavioral research; to deepen knowledge in students’ specific areas of interest; and to strengthen the ability to identify, develop, and present original research ideas in preparation for life as a scholar. 

 

 

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:  
1.    Critically evaluate theories in consumer behavior, including psychological, sociological, and economic perspectives on decision-making, attitudes, motivation, and social influence.  
2.    Evaluate methodological approaches in consumer research, including experimental design, qualitative methods, field studies, and big data analytics.  
3.    Generate and refine original research ideas, articulate them as viable research questions, including research approaches and designs.  
4.    Communicate research ideas through academic writing and oral presentation effectively.   

 

 
Course content

This PhD course consists of three parts: 

In the first part, Introduction to Consumer Research, students will learn what consumer research is, ethical considerations in consumer research, paradigm shifts in consumer research, and how to decode consumer research. 

 

In the second part, Theoretical Work, students will work with research papers and discuss and reflect on research questions, relevance, theories, and methods in the study of consumer behavior in selected areas, including human–technology interactions, social inferences and asymmetries, and consumer behavior under threats and constraints. Specifically, the course is organized around core themes in consumer research: 
1.    Conceptualization for Consumer Research (quantitative and qualitative) 
2.    Human–Technology Interactions (AI aversion and acceptance; influencer-generated content; eWOM and sharing) 
3.    Social Inferences and Asymmetries 
4.    Consumer Behavior under Threats and Constraints (e.g., social exclusion threats, mortality threats, financial scarcity) 

 

In the third part, Applied Work, students will apply theoretical insights to their own research ideas — presenting their research idea, receiving feedback, and providing feedback to others. 
 

Interactive lectures, student presentations, classroom discussion, teacher feedback, peer feedback 
 

Each day will have approx. 5 lecture hours (interactive approach) and will begin with a lecture by the indicated teacher, proceed with student-led discussions, and end with a summary lecture by the teacher. All teachers will read and provide feedback on each presentation and hand-in (two sets of eyes). All teachers will be actively involved during all student activities. 
 
 
Preliminary lecture plan 
 
Day 1: Introduction to Consumer Research - 31 August (ONLINE)
 
Day 1 provides an online, lecture-based introduction to the foundations of consumer research. The day begins with a general introduction to the course, followed by a series of lectures that outline what consumer research is, how it has evolved over time, and the ethical considerations involved in conducting such research. The final session offers practical guidance on how to interpret and evaluate consumer research. Because this is an online session, the format consists solely of faculty-delivered lectures, with no student presentations. 
 

Time	Theme	Lecturer	Facilitator
10.00-10.45	Introduction	Gülen Sarial Abi
10.45-11.00	Break
11.00-11.45	Lecture: What is Consumer Research?	Gülen Sarial-Abi
11.45-12.30	Lunch
12.30-13.15	Lecture: Paradigm Shifts in Doing Consumer Research	Georgios Halkias
13:15-13:30	Break
13.30-14.15	Lecture: Ethical Considerations in Consumer Research	Georgios Halkias
14.15-14.30	Break
14.30-15.15	Lecture: Decoding Consumer Research: Hints and Tips	Johannes Hattula

 
Day 2: Conceptualization for Consumer Research - 14 September (CBS)
 
Day 2 focuses on conceptualization in the context of quantitative and qualitative consumer research. The day begins with a lecture introducing the overarching theme of consumer research and well-being. In the context of quantitative consumer research, students will be introduced with the tenets of conceptual models that succinctly and visually summarize consumer theories. Students will learn the building blocks (boxes and arrows) of conceptual models, will study how theory and conceptual model are intertwined, and they will receive a non-technical primer on endogeneity as a threat to causal inference in the context of consumer research. In the context of qualitative consumer research, students will be introduced to dominant paradigms, which determine the roles that extant theory, data collection and data analysis take when building new theory and which impact the way conceptualizations are presented in qualitative research. Being less constrained and less “template”-driven than conceptual models in quantitative research, we will discuss the variety – and the challenges that come with it – of qualitative conceptualizations. 
 

 

Day 3: Human-Technology Interactions - 15 September (CBS)
 
Day 3 focuses on consumer behavior vis-a-vis or mediated by technology or technological entities, including social media, AI, and virtual influencers. We will discuss papers that illuminate different aspects of how technology shapes consumption, addressing not only diverse contexts but also a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to such topics. Faculty will introduce the overall topic and contextualize the papers. Students will prepare, present and discuss the different papers. Paper-specific and more general discussions will alternate with presentations.  
           

Day 4: Social Inferences and Asymmetries - 16 September (CBS)
 
Day 4 focuses on how social inferences, social influences, and structural asymmetries shape individuals; behavior in the marketplace. Recent research has documented various forms of bias, differential treatment, and other influences across disadvantaged and dominant social groups. Such social asymmetries often translate into important differences in consumption choices and marketplace experiences. This session explores multiple forms of intergroup influences and social inequalities (e.g., issues related to gender, socio-economic status, race), discussing how these impact perceptions, social inferences, decision-making, and interactions in the marketplace. Faculty will introduce the topics, and students will present and discuss assigned papers. Feedback and discussion about the content, method, and more general issues will alternate with student presentations. The day will conclude with a lecture that synthesizes key insights and implications of the session. 
        
 
Day 5: Consumer Behavior under Threats and Constraints - 17 September (CBS)
 
Day 5 focuses on consumer behavior under threats and constraints, including social exclusion threats, mortality salience, and financial scarcity. The day begins with a lecture introducing the overarching theme of consumer behavior under threats and constraints. This is followed by sessions devoted to the three focal areas, in which we discuss papers that illuminate how different types of threats and constraints shape consumers’ judgments, decisions, and behaviors. Faculty will introduce and contextualize each topic, while students prepare, present, and discuss the assigned papers. Paper-specific and more general discussions will alternate with student presentations, and the day will conclude with a lecture that synthesizes key insights and implications. 
 

        
Day 6: Student Presentations and Feedback - 26 October (hybrid)
 
Day 6 is organized as a hybrid presentation and feedback day, during which students present their work and receive input from the faculty. Across a series of sessions, students briefly present their projects in turn, followed by comments and constructive feedback from the teaching team (Gülen Sarial-Abi, Antonia Erz, Georgios Halkias, Johannes Hattula, and Constant Pieters). The focus of the day is on helping students refine their research ideas and sharpen their theoretical framing. Based on the feedback received during these hybrid sessions, students are expected to revise and finalize their exam. 
 

 

Course literature (preliminary)
1.    Holbrook, Morris B. (1987), “What is Consumer Research?” Journal of Consumer Research, 14 (June), 128-132.  
2.    Martin Eisend, Gratiana Pol, Dominika Niewiadomska, Joseph Riley, Rick Wedgeworth, How Much Have We Learned about Consumer Research? A Meta-Meta-Analysis, Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 51, Issue 1, June 2024, Pages 180–190, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad062  
3.    Pieters, Rik (2017), "Meaningful Mediation Analysis: Plausible Causal Inference and Informative Communication," Journal of Consumer Research, 44 (3), 692-716. 
4.    Zaefarian, Ghasem, Vita Kadille, Stephan C. Henneberg, and Alexander Leischnig (2017), "Endogeneity Bias in Marketing Research: Problem, Causes and Remedies," Industrial Marketing Management, 65, 39-46. 
5.    Mick, D. G., & Fournier, S. (1998). Paradoxes of technology: Consumer cognizance, emotions, and coping strategies. Journal of Consumer research, 25(2), 123-143. 
6.    Kozinets, R. V., De Valck, K., Wojnicki, A. C., & Wilner, S. J. (2010). Networked narratives: Understanding word-of-mouth marketing in online communities. Journal of marketing, 74(2), 71-89. 
7.    Kozinets, R., Patterson, A., & Ashman, R. (2017). Networks of desire: How technology increases our passion to consume. Journal of Consumer Research, 43(5), 659-682.  
8.    Villarroel Ordenes, F., Grewal, D., Ludwig, S., Ruyter, K. D., Mahr, D., & Wetzels, M. (2019). Cutting through content clutter: How speech and image acts drive consumer sharing of social media brand messages. Journal of Consumer Research, 45(5), 988-1012.  
9.    Zhou, X., Yan, X., & Jiang, Y. (2024). Making sense? The sensory-specific nature of virtual influencer effectiveness. Journal of Marketing, 88(4), 84-106.  
10.    Crolic, C., Thomaz, F., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2022). Blame the bot: Anthropomorphism and anger in customer–chatbot interactions. Journal of Marketing, 86(1), 132-148.    
11.    Heine, Steven J., Travis Proulx, and Kathleen D. Vohs (2006), “The Meaning Maintenance Model: On the Coherence of Social Motivations,” Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10 (2), 88–110.  
12.    Wan, E. W., Xu, J., & Ding, Y. (2014). To be or not to be unique? The effect of social exclusion on consumer choice. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(6), 1109-1122.   
13.    Sarial-Abi, G., Vohs, K. D., Hamilton, R., & Ulqinaku, A. (2017). Stitching time: Vintage consumption connects the past, present, and future. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 27(2), 182–194.  
14.    Hill, Sarah E., Christopher D. Rodeheffer, Vladas Griskevicius, Kristina Durante, and Andrew Edward White (2012), "Boosting Beauty in an Economic Decline: Mating, Spending, and the Lipstick Effect," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103 (2), 275-91. 
15.    Rifkin, Jacqueline R., Kelley Gullo Wight, and Keisha M. Cutright (2023), "No Bandwidth to Self-Gift: How Feeling Constrained Discourages Self-Gifting," Journal of Consumer Research, 50 (2), 343-62. 
16.    Ames, Daniel R. (2004), “Strategies for social inference: A similarity contingency model of projection and stereotyping in attribute prevalence estimates,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87(5), 573–85. 
17.    Hattula, Johannes D., Walter Herzog, Darren W. Dahl, and Sven Reinecke (2015), “Managerial empathy facilitates egocentric predictions of consumer preferences,” Journal of Marketing Research, 52 (2), 235–52.  
18.    Jacob, J., Vieites, Y., Goldszmidt, R., & Andrade, E. B. (2022). Expected socioeconomic-status-based discrimination reduces price sensitivity among the poor. Journal of Marketing Research, 59(6), 1083-1100.  
19.    D’Angelo, J. K., Dunn, L., & Valsesia, F. (2025). Is this for me? Differential responses to skin tone inclusivity initiatives by underrepresented consumers and represented consumers. Journal of Marketing, 89(2), 25-42. 
20.    Schnurr, B., & Halkias, G. (2023). Made by her vs. him: Gender influences in product preferences and the role of individual action efficacy in restoring social equalities. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 33(3), 510-528.  

 

 
Maximum number of participants

15 

 

Active participation, including submission of a 5-page research proposal, and active participation in classroom discussions. 

 

 

For course content related issues course coordinator: Gülen Sarial-Abi, gsa.marktg@cbs.dk

For adminastrive related issues: Bente S. Ramovic bsr.research@cbs.dk

 

Registration deadline and conditions
The registration deadline is 29 May 2026. If you wish to cancel your registration, it must be done by this date. By this deadline, we determine whether there are enough registrations to run the course or decide who should be offered a seat if we have received too many registrations.

Payment methods
Ensure you choose the correct payment method when finalizing your registration: