Dr Yuanyuan Zhou is an Assistant Lecturer in Management (Digital Marketing) within the Business School at QMU.
- Overview
- Research Overview
- Research Publications
- Teaching & Learning
Yuanyuan holds an MSc in International Strategic Marketing from the University of Glasgow and a PhD in Marketing from the University of Strathclyde, with a focus on consumer behaviour. In her doctoral thesis, she explored effective behavioural interventions to promote green consumption, focusing on the impact of perceived norms.
Yuanyuan was a tutor at the University of Strathclyde, where she delivered the online course ‘Multidisciplinary Perspectives of Sustainable Development’ to both undergraduate and postgraduate students from various disciplines, while also tutoring several modules for business school students in the International Business programme, including International Business Environment & Strategy, The Reflective Manager, and Managing Across Cultures and Frontiers.
As an experimental researcher, her expertise lies in consumer behaviour and sustainability/green marketing. Her research focuses on behavioural interventions, consumer decision-making, and their effects on consumer wellbeing, aiming to support marketing practitioners in developing marketing strategies and communication plans.
Her review experience includes the following:
- Abstract peer review for the 2nd Strathclyde Doctoral School Multidisciplinary Symposium, May 2020
- American Business Review
- Asian Journal of Marketing Management (AJMM)
Affiliations (including memberships) to other organisations:
- Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
- Member, British Academy of Management (BAM)
- Member, UN Innovation Network-UN Behavioural Science Group (UN BeSci)
- Member, Responsible Research in Business & Management (RRBM network)
Within the fields of sustainability/green marketing, and consumer behaviour, my primary research interest lies in changing consumer behaviour towards sustainability through the application of behavioural science approach.
My interest in promoting green consumption aligns closely with UK Research and Innovation’s strategic goals for ‘A Green Future’, aiming to achieve net zero emissions in the UK by 2050. Additionally, utilising behavioural science approaches responds to the UN’s 2021 agenda on applying behavioural science approaches to address Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Specifically, my research combines insights from social and behavioural science disciplines, such as psychology, economics, and sociology to explore how informational behavioural interventions influence consumers decision-making.
I aim to extend our knowledge on key theories of consumer behaviour, mechanisms of behavioural interventions, and underlying processes of consumer decision making. I also seek to understand the interventions’ effects on consumer wellbeing and to assist marketing practitioners in developing marketing strategies and communication plans for promoting products and services.
Through my Ph.D. studies, my expertise in this area has grown, with a focus on green consumption behaviour. This expertise is transferable, and I am also interested in how the identified mechanisms of behavioural interventions can be leveraged to influence decision-making among policymakers, managers, and employees for contributing to sustainability.
Active Research Interests:
- Consumer Behaviour
- Green Consumption
- Nudge intervention
- Personal norms and social norms
- Green preference
- Self-consciousness
- Norm-Activation-Model
- Value-Belief-Norm Theory
- Theory of Planned Behaviour
- Green attitude/intention-behaviour gap
My primary teaching areas focus on marketing and consumer behaviour, where I guide students through foundational concepts, fostering critical thinking and practical application. I emphasise both theoretical knowledge and real-world application, helping students bridge the gap between academia and professional practice.
In my courses, students explore key topics such as consumer behaviour, decision-making process, marketing communication, digital marketing, marketing research, branding, market segmentation, targeting, positioning, and the marketing mix. Additionally, they examine the impact of macro and microenvironments on the marketing landscape, building a comprehensive understanding of how external forces shape marketing decisions.
I ensure students gain practical experience by encouraging problem-solving through case studies and group discussions. Through all my courses, I use a student-centred approach, integrating research-driven insights and encouraging collaborative learning to equip students with the tools needed for real-world challenges in business and marketing.
I teach Marketing and Consumer Behaviour as a module coordinator and also teach seminars for Consumer Behaviour and Global Branding and Digital Marketing Analytics.
