C9173 - BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to understand the main psychological theories explaining decision-making, motivation, and behaviour in business and consumer contexts; analyse how cognitive biases, emotions, and social influences shape individual and collective consumption choices; apply behavioural insights and nudge principles to marketing, communication, and policy design aimed at promoting ethical and sustainable consumer behaviour; evaluate the psychological and ethical implications of persuasive strategies and consumer research in organizational and societal contexts.

Course contents

The course explores how psychology can contribute to understanding economic decisions and behaviours in business, organisational, and consumer contexts. Its main aim is to show how psychological theories and methods can be used to analyse business problems, design decision environments, and promote more effective, responsible, and sustainable behaviours.

The first part of the course will focus on the psychology of decision-making. Students will examine the limitations of models based on full rationality, the concept of bounded rationality, and the role of heuristics, cognitive biases, emotions, and social influences. Particular attention will be paid to Prospect Theory, loss aversion, framing effects, anchoring, escalation of commitment, and other processes that may influence economic, financial, and managerial decisions.

These concepts will then be applied to business contexts. The course will examine how individuals, customers, job applicants, and employees interpret information, form expectations, and make decisions when faced with complex or incomplete alternatives. Attitudes, values, motivation, social norms, trust, and reputation will be used to understand the relationships between individuals, organisations, and markets.

Specific attention will be devoted to employer branding as a point of intersection between organisational psychology, communication, and corporate reputation. The course will examine how organisations construct and communicate their identity as employers, the relationship between external image and employees’ internal experience, the alignment between individual and organisational values, and the role of digital platforms and online reviews in decisions to apply for, join, or remain with an organisation.

The applied part of the course will introduce Behavioural Business Design, Nudging, and choice architecture. Students will analyse how defaults, salience, framing, social norms, incentives, friction, and simplification can influence behaviour without relying exclusively on obligations or sanctions. Frameworks such as EAST and MINDSPACE will be used to analyse existing interventions and design solutions applicable to business, organisational, and societal problems.

The course will conclude by considering how behavioural interventions can be evaluated and the ethical issues they raise. Topics will include the definition of target behaviours, the selection of indicators, the comparison of different experimental conditions, and the distinction between nudging, persuasion, manipulation, and sludge. Students will be encouraged to consider not only whether an intervention works, but also for whom it works, whose interests it serves, and what consequences it may produce.

Readings/Bibliography

Preparation for the course and its assessment activities will be based on materials provided by the lecturer through the Virtuale platform.

These materials may include lecture slides, selected book chapters, scientific articles, business cases, reports, and readings on decision psychology, business psychology, employer branding, Behavioural Business Design, and nudging.

At the beginning of the course, a clear distinction will be made between mandatory materials required for assessment and recommended readings for further study. Complete information will also be available on Virtuale for non-attending students.

Teaching methods

The course combines interactive lectures, case discussions, and applied exercises. Theoretical models will be introduced through examples drawn from economic decision-making, organisational contexts, corporate communication, employer branding, and the design of products, services, and procedures.

During the course, students will work individually and in small groups to analyse decision problems, identify biases and contextual influences, and compare possible intervention strategies. Part of the teaching activities will be devoted to the progressive development of a Behavioural Business Design and Nudging project.

Regular attendance is strongly recommended, as the exercises and interaction among students are integral parts of the learning experience. Instructions, materials, and operational details concerning the activities will be presented during the course and made available through Virtuale.

Assessment methods

Assessment is graded on a 30-point scale. The minimum passing grade is 18/30.

• Attending students

Students who attend at least 70% of the course activities will be assessed on the basis of three components:

• tasks completed during the course: 30%, up to 9 points;
• final team project: 60%, up to 18 points;
• active participation in classroom activities: 10%, up to 3 points.

The final mark is the sum of the points obtained in the three components. There are no separate minimum thresholds for the individual components.

The tasks completed during the course will assess students’ ability to identify the main psychological processes involved in economic and organisational decisions and to apply the models presented during the course to concrete cases and problems. The activities may be completed individually or in small groups. Instructions will be presented during the course and made available through Virtuale.

For the final project, each team will analyse a relevant business or organisational problem and develop a Behavioural Business Design and Nudging proposal. The project will be presented orally by the team at the end of the course and will constitute the final assessment activity for attending students.

The project will be assessed according to the quality of the problem analysis, the appropriate use of theories and concepts from the course, the coherence and feasibility of the proposed solution, the definition of a possible strategy for evaluating the intervention, and the quality of the oral presentation. The organisation and delivery of the presentation will also make it possible to assess the individual contribution of each team member.

Active participation will be assessed through the completion of the required activities, the relevance of contributions to discussions and exercises, and constructive collaboration with other students. Attendance alone will not determine the participation score.

Detailed instructions, deadlines, team composition, and specific assessment criteria will be explained during the course and published on Virtuale.

 

• Non-attending students

Non-attending students, as well as students who do not attend at least 70% of the course activities, will take an individual written examination lasting 90 minutes. The examination will consist of:

• 30 multiple-choice questions, worth up to 30 points;
• 5 open-ended questions, worth up to 20 points in total.

Incorrect or unanswered multiple-choice questions will not result in a penalty. The multiple-choice questions will assess knowledge of the main concepts, models, and frameworks included in the mandatory materials.

The open-ended answers will be assessed according to the accuracy and completeness of their content, the clarity of the argument, and the ability to apply and connect concepts to economic, business, and organisational problems.

The maximum raw score is 50 points and will be converted into a mark out of 30. The result will be rounded to the nearest whole number. The examination is passed with at least 30/50, equivalent to 18/30. There is no separate minimum threshold for the open-ended questions.

Study materials, notes, and electronic devices may not be used during the examination. Registration through AlmaEsami is mandatory.

 

Assessment criteria

An essential and mainly descriptive preparation, accompanied by a limited ability to apply the course concepts, corresponds to a mark of 18–19. Adequate preparation, with the ability to apply the main models correctly to relatively simple problems, corresponds to a mark of 20–24. Broad preparation, a good ability to analyse and connect concepts, and appropriate use of disciplinary terminology correspond to a mark of 25–29. Complete, autonomous, and critically argued preparation, accompanied by the ability to integrate different perspectives and propose coherent and original solutions, corresponds to a mark of 30–30 with honours.

 

Use of generative AI

Regarding the assessment methods, limited, declared, and non-substantial use of generative AI is permitted for support activities, such as summarising and reformulating texts. Substantial use of AI to complete parts of the assessment is not permitted.

 

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please contact the responsible University office as soon as possible so that appropriate adjustments can be proposed. Requests for adaptations must be submitted to the lecturer at least 15 days before the examination date. The lecturer will assess their appropriateness in relation to the learning outcomes of the course.

Teaching tools

The Virtuale platform will be used to share lecture slides, readings, cases, exercise materials, project instructions, and organisational communications.

Audiovisual materials, digital interfaces, corporate materials, and collaborative tools may also be used during the course to analyse decision environments and develop prototypes of behavioural interventions.

Whenever possible, teaching materials will be provided in accessible digital formats. Students who require specific adaptations are encouraged to contact the relevant University services in good time.

Office hours

See the website of Marco De Angelis