School of Business

Consumption, Markets and Society

Lead: Dr Winfred Onyas

Welcome to Consumption, Markets and Society – a dynamic research community based at the University of Leicester, School of Business. As the marketplace continues to evolve in response to the ever-changing forces of innovation, we push the boundaries of research and contribute to meaningful discussions on consumption and markets, as well as their broader impact on consumers, marketplace actors, and society. Our group brings together scholars with a shared passion for understanding the intricate intersections of consumption, markets, and society. With an interdisciplinary marketing research focus, our research group broadly draws on concepts from anthropology, cultural studies, market studies, gender studies, geographic area concentrations, history, media studies, philosophy, politics, political economy, psychoanalysis, rhetoric, and sociology, in addition to the business, organisational, and consumer research literature. The Consumption, Markets and Society group sees engagement with social and critical perspectives as producing original and valuable knowledge for businesses and society.  Our research focuses on the following three core themes:

1. Consumer insight

We investigate the complexities of consumer behaviour, experiences, and identities. Our work delves into how individuals and communities engage with brands, products, and services, considering psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of consumption.

Some of our recent work

  • Chen, W.F., Wang, X. and Shao, C., 2025. When to Appeal to Cultural Capital in Advertisements? Cultural Capital Appeals Increase Purchase Intentions for High-But Not Low-Priced Products. Journal of Advertising Research, pp.1-12.
  • Cronin, J., Fitchett, J. and Coffin, J., 2024. Market mutton dressed as ÜberLamb: Diagnosing the commodification of self-overcoming. Marketing Theory, 24(3), pp.525-544.
  • Hoang, Q., & Lascaux, A. (2025). ‘It’s so hard to control it’: Navigating responsible digital consumption in an age of individualisation. Sociology, 00380385251388548.
  • Hoang, Q., Cronin, J., & Skandalis, A. (2025). Digital detox and the ‘app-blocking app’: abstinence as a desire-regenerating force. European Journal of Marketing, 1-28.
  • Oliver, S., Marder, B., Lavertu, L., Cowan, K., Javornik, A. and Osadchaya, E., 2025. The hustle is real: an examination of the self-related consequences of consuming idealized self-promotional content on LinkedIn. Information Technology & People, 38(5), pp.2220-2248.
  • Truong, H.B., Jesudoss, S.P. and Molesworth, M., 2022. Consumer mischief as playful resistance to marketing in Twitter hashtag hijacking. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 21(4), pp.828-841.
  • Zakariah, A., Hosany, S. and Cappellini, B., 2021. Subjectivities in motion: Dichotomies in consumer engagements with self-tracking technologies. Computers in Human Behavior, 118, p.106699.

Current projects

  • Voices from the margins: exploring care and parenthood with self-tracking technologies. Funded by British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants Awards 2025. Principal Investigator: Dr Amalina Zakariah.

2. Market dynamics

Markets are more than just economic structures; they are cultural arenas where values, norms, and power dynamics play out. We explore the making of markets, emerging business models, and the role of technology in shaping market interactions.

Some of our recent work

  • Hoang, Q. and Lascaux, A., 2025. Cyberspace-prompted consumption: Surrendering to technology in a ubiquitous digital era. Marketing Theory. https://doi.org/10.1177/14705931251335252.
  • Lascaux, A., 2025. The Dark Side of Coopetition and Its Implications for Interfirm Coopetitive Relationships. De Gruyter Handbook of Coopetition, p.193.
  • Onyas, W.I., 2023. Enacting overlapping exchanges to address market concerns: Evidence on sustainable and conventional coffee markets in Uganda. Marketing Theory, 23(3), pp.411-435.

Current Projects

3. Sustainability and governance

This stream bridges together research on how markets, consumer choices, and political actors influence environmental and social outcomes. Our work investigates the interplay between individual and collective actions, organisational practices, and policy frameworks that shape sustainable development. By critically analysing consumption patterns, corporate responsibility, and the role of governance in steering societal change, our work within this research stream seeks to understand how markets and institutions can be leveraged to address pressing challenges such as climate change, social inequality, and resource depletion.

Some of our recent work

  • Baines, P. (2025). Putin as Czar: On the Machiavellian Nature of a Modern Russian Despot. In: Harris, P., Lock, A. and Rees, P. (Eds.). Machiavelli, Marketing and Management Revisited. Oxford: Routledge.
  • Baines, P.; Harris, P.; Hejlova, D. and Panagopoulos, C. (Eds.) (2025). The Sage Handbook of Political Marketing. London: Sage Publications.
  • Fona, C., Melewar, T.C., Dennis, C. and Dinnie, K., 2025. ‘The Good Place’: investigating the social responsibility image of countries and its impact on the attractiveness of highly skilled workers. Journal of Brand Management, pp.1-18.
  • Grigore, G.; Molesworth, M. and Baines, P. (2025). The moral positions taken towards Zoos and Conservation. Annals of Tourism Research, 116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2025.104074
  • Grigore, G., Molesworth, M., Vontea, A., Basnawi, A.H., Celep, O. and Jesudoss, S.P., 2021. Corporate social responsibility in liquid times: The case of Romania. Journal of Business Ethics, 174(4), pp.763-782.
  • Jamalian, M., Kavaratzis, M. and Saren, M., 2020. A happy experience of a dark place: Consuming and performing the Jallianwala Bagh. Tourism Management, 81, p.104168.
  • Patsiaouras, G., 2024. Turning the invisible into the visible: exploring consumers’ perceptions towards sustainable water consumption. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 27(1), pp.61-82.
  • Suhomlinova, O. and O'Shea, S.C., 2024. Transgender and Non-binary Prisoners' Experiences in England and Wales. Emerald Publishing Limited.

 

Current projects

  • Twycross Zoo repositioning impact: ESRC Impact Accelerator A, 2025/2026. Project team: Dr Georgiana Grigore and Professor Paul Baines.
  • Tackling water scarcity in the Midlands (UK) through effective communication strategies. Georgios Patsiaouras. Academy of Marketing Research Funding, 2024/2025. Principal Investigator: Dr Georgios Patsiaouras.
  • Technological solutions to tackle water shortage and low school attendance in rural Uganda. Economic and Social Research Council Impact Acceleration Account, 2023/2024. Project team: Dr Georgios Patsiaouras (Principal Investigator). UoL Co-Investigators: Dr Winfred Onyas, Professor Kevin Tanswey. Dr Anthony Gidudu (Makerere University Co-Investigator).

List of Members

Academic staff

PhD research

  • Asad Tahir: The utilisation of decentralised social media for crisis communication management in the public sector.
  • Hoang Viet Cuong V.C.: Exploring consumers’ lived experiences and practices within resistant communities: A multi-sited ethnographic study of intentional communities in the UK.
  • Leila Masoomi: Green product consumers' insight: the way that social media interactions affect motivation toward green consumption.
  • Shiffa Zakria: Redefining the relationship between state control over information and citizen empowerment: the role of AI-driven digital media.
  • Thuy Duong Tran: Corporate philanthropy at Higher Education Institutions in Vietnam.

Back to top
MENU