Consumer Information for Data-Driven Decision Making: Teaching Socially Responsible Use of Data

Abstract

The marketing field is undergoing dramatic shifts in the digital age. The increasing reliance on, collection, and use of data enabled by technological innovations requires teaching the responsible use of data for personalization, and marketing educators play a critical role. Students, universities, accrediting agencies, and employers demand curriculum that equips students with appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities to make data-driven decisions. We explore the curricular advantages of a unique marketing course that applies a social science lens to frame the emerging issue of socially responsible data usage. This type of curriculum fulfills students’ needs for current and relevant courses; provides key knowledge, skills, and abilities for prospective employers; meets department curriculum and resource requirements, all while addressing existing and newer AACSB guidelines for “Technology Agility” with a focus on “evidence-based decision making that integrates current and emerging technologies, . . . [the] ethical use and dissemination of data, including privacy and security of data.”