Dr Sheila Malone
Lecturer in Marketing;
Associate Head for Learning, Teaching and Assessment; Director of Assurance of Learning
J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, University of Galway
Sheila's work explores consumers' consumption behaviours particularly those related to ethical consumption and sustainable tourism initiatives. She has collaborated with various UNESCO Geoparks across Ireland, England and Wales. Sheila worked with the UK's first sector-specific Environmental Management Scheme (EMS) for Higher Education, which was funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Sheila was recently awarded funding on the NetZero Cities Fund for the project Drammen City – Zero Emissions 2030, which aims to provide scientific evidence on the health and wellbeing co-benefits of nature-based interventions, with a particular emphasis on exploring the potential for different digital technologies in enhancing citizens' experiences with local natural environments. This project is a joint collaboration between the University of Galway, University of Southeastern Norway and Maynooth University, Ireland.
Sheila's work contributes to these SDGs
In 2022, Sheila won the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence. She is an experienced and innovative educator who adopts various teaching approaches and inclusive assessment types to address a range of student needs. Sheila uses infographics and podcasts as more inclusive modes of assessment that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter, deconstruct theoretical concepts and co-create knowledge in a fun, yet theoretically grounded manner. Instead of using podcasting as an inclusive learning tool to present audio content, she uses podcasting as the basis for assessment to allow students to channel their inner creativity and demonstrate their knowledge. Sheila encourages the active role of students in co-producing knowledge in the classroom as key to a deeper learning experience. In doing do, she helps equip the students with a range of transferable skills that are required beyond their university experience.
In 2017, Sheila was awarded the Pilkington Teaching Award (UK-based) for her innovative use of technology in the classroom to bridge theory and practice and to break down the barriers and challenges that are often present in large classroom environments.
Key Target: 8.9 Promote beneficial and sustainable tourism
Sheila previously led the Postgraduate Applied Marketing Summer School using a “Tech 4 Good” approach. The Summer School concentrated on an applied challenge that fitted the requirements of Tech 4 Good innovations based on the principles of Design Thinking. Tech 4 Good is an emerging movement that addresses how technology can be used for social good and promotes behavioural change and the importance of reconsidering the potential harms that can arise because of innovation and new technologies.
The Summer School required students to design, develop and execute a Tech 4 Good technological innovation to address some of our society's greatest challenges, e.g., environmental sustainability, social good purposes related to health, education, well-being, climate, equality, inclusion and ethics.
Teaching
Consumption and Society is a postgraduate module where students gain an understanding of the foundations of consumer behaviour. They learn to consider, compare and contrast the traditional approaches to customer behaviour as well as more contemporary perspectives. Specifically, they are introduced to a wide range of individual, social and group influences which impact consumers. They discover how different customer behaviour models and theories can be applied in a practical context. The module also assesses the impact of consumption in the lives of individuals (including ourselves) and on society.
Focused on Target: 12.8 Promote universal understanding of sustainable lifestyles, and also supports SDG 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all; 8.4 Improve resource efficiency in consumption and production; 11.6 Reduce the environmental impact of cities; 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Applied Marketing Project aims to provide students with a "practically relevant" experience of integrating and applying many of the concepts encountered in the various modules during the MSc programme. This Summer School is a five-day practical skills development programme. Using strategies learned during their programme from various modules, the students successfully created, designed and launched a new product and brought it to market with the aim of helping address societal challenges.
Supporting Target: 9.2 Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization
Consumption and the Consumerist Society is a module in the MSc in Sustainability Leadership; it provides students with a critical understanding of the foundations of consumption in society. Building on a socio-historical context, it draws upon various theorisations of consumption and cultural works which engage with issues related to sustainability and the role of consumers, businesses and governments in responding to everyday consumption challenges.
Focused on Targets: 12.8 Promote universal understanding of sustainable lifestyles, and also supports SDG 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all; 8.4 Improve resource efficiency in consumption and production; 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation; 11.6 Reduce the environmental impact of cities; 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts; 16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive and representative decision-making
Engagement
Sheila engages with diverse communities to explore how tourism can become more sustainable. She investigates the link between sustainable tourism development and community wellbeing and explores how local communities perceive and contribute to sustainable tourism practices.
Direct impact SDG Targets
4.7 - Education for sustainable development and global citizenship
8.4 - Improve resource efficiency in consumption and production
8.9 - Promote beneficial and sustainable tourism
9.2 - Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization
11.4 - Protect the world’s cultural and natural heritage
Indirect
11.2 - Affordable and sustainable transport systems
11.3 - Inclusive and sustainable urbanization
11.6 - Reduce the environmental impact of cities
11.7 - Provide access to safe and inclusive green and public spaces
12.2 - Sustainable management and use of natural resources
12.8 - Promote universal understanding of sustainable lifestyles
16.7 - Ensure responsive, inclusive and representative decision-making
17.16 - Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development
Research
Featured Publications
Sheila's current research projects focus on three main areas: 1) the interlink between sustainable practices and wellbeing through an ethic of community approach, 2) the role of ethics in luxury consumption, and 3) the temporal nature of place-making.
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References |
SDGs |
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Malone, S., Tynan, C., McKechnie, S. (2023). Unconventional luxury: The reappropriation of time and substance. Journal of Business Research, 163. |
12; 17 |
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Malone, S., McCabe, S. (2023) Emotion, action and tourists’ ethically motivated self-identity enactment behaviours. In Wells, V., Carrigan, M. and Athwal N. eds., Research Handbook on Ethical Consumption: Contemporary Research in Responsible and Sustainable Consumer Behaviour. Edward Elgar Publishing. |
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Cronin, J., Malone, S. (2019). Lifeway Alibis: The biographical bases for unruly bricolage. Marketing Theory. |
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Malone, S., McKechnie, S., Tynan, C. (2017). Emotion as a Resource for Customer Value Creation, Co-Creation and Destruction. An Investigation of the Customer Sphere. Journal of Travel Research (4 AJG). |
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Malone, S., Goodwin, H. (2017). Responsible Tourism. Second edn. Reviewed in: Tourism Management. |
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Malone, S. (2017). Emotion Experience in Ethical Consumption: An Exploratory Study in a Tourism Context. Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 73-76. |
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Malone, S., McCabe, S., Smith, A. P. (2014). The Role of Hedonism in Ethical Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 44, 241-254. |
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Malone, S. (2014). Ethical Tourism: The Role of Emotion. In Weeden, C. and Boluk, K. eds., Managing Ethical Consumption in Tourism: Compromise and Tension. Routledge UK. |
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