Context of Luxury

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Courses / Modules / ARTD6245 Context of Luxury

When you'll study it: Semester 1
CATS points: 15
ECTS points: 7.5
Level: Level 7
Module lead: Deborah Coney Pinder
Academic year: 2025-26

Module overview

This module provides the context in which luxury brands are constructed and perceived. You will explore a range of historical and contemporary issues affecting luxury, which form the fabric of the idea of luxury today. Areas such as luxury consumption, luxury marketing and management, technology and luxury, and the relativity of luxury, constructs the significance of luxury, and the role and impact it plays within the global business environment. The module will also examine the issues that impact sustainable and ethical luxury and develop strategic luxury management and leadership skills to a high level in a global luxury context. The internal and external factors that have impacted and influenced luxury businesses in the past, present and future will be explored.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

critically analyse examples and case studies relevant to luxury brand management.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

demonstrate accurate and effective academic research and communication skills.

Disciplinary Specific Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

demonstrate critical understanding of the context of luxury through an exploration and analysis of luxury ideas, formulating your own explanation of luxury today.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

how to critically examine academic ideas and debates related to luxury brand management.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include: • Lectures • Seminars • Tutorials • Research workshops Learning activities can include: • Reflection on verbal or written feedback: this may be verbal or written offered during seminars, tutorials, group activities • Evaluation of feedback: this may take the form of reflective formative tasks • Group and collaborative projects and tasks • Independent research and investigation • Online reference material research • Peer group learning and peer assessment tasks • Problem-solving activities • Class discussion/critiques • Student presentations

��TV time
Type	Hours
Teaching	24
Independent ��TV	126
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Journal Articles

Harvard Business Review.

Journal of Brand Management.

European Journal of Marketing .

International Journal of Market Research.

Journal of Marketing Communications.

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management.

Journal of Marketing.

Journal of Business Research.

Journal of Consumer Research.

Business Horizons.

Luxury: History Culture and Consumption.

Textbooks

Ricca, M. & Robin, R (2012). Meta-luxury: Brand and the Culture of Excellence. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Hoffmann, J, & Coste-Maniere, I (2011). Luxury strategy in action. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Calefato, P (2015). Luxury: fashion, lifestyles and excess. London, UK: Bloomsbury.

Gardetti, M. Giron, M & Maria, E (2016). Sustainable Luxury and Social Entrepreneurship Volume II: More Stories from the Pioneers.. London, UK: Greenleaf Publishing Limited.

Thomas, D (2007). Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. New York, US: Penguin Press.

Chevalier, M & Gutsatz, M (2012). Luxury retail management: how the world's top brands provide quality product and service support. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons.

Silverstein, M., Fiske, N & Butman, J (2005). Trading up: why consumers want new luxury goods-and how companies create them. New York, US: Portfolio.

Kapferer, J.N. & Bastien, V (2012). Luxury Strategy: Break the Rules of Marketing to Build Luxury Brands. London, UK: Kogan Page.

McNeil, P. & Riello, G (2016). Luxury: A Rich History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Armitage, J & Roberts, J (2016). Critical Luxury Studies: Art, Design & Media. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Hoffmann, J, & Coste-Maniere, I (2012). Global luxury trends; Innovative strategies for emerging markets. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Group work

Assessment Type: Formative
Feedback: Verbal feedback via tutor and peers
Final Assessment: No
Group Work: Yes

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Illustrated essay	100%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Illustrated essay	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Illustrated essay	100%

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