Trained as a philosopher, Thomas Anker is Professor of Marketing at the University of Stirling whose work brings together marketing, consumer research, ethics, and AI studies. His research examines consumer autonomy, meaning-making and value creation within contemporary market systems, with a particular interest in how AI is transforming consumer culture, knowledge production, and cognitive authority.
He is also developing AI-assisted cultural diagnostic systems designed to help organisations assess cultural resonance and market alignment across international contexts through an ESRC-funded innovation project.
His earlier research focused on social marketing and pro-social behaviour change.
Thomas previously held leadership roles at the University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School and the University of Dundee School of Business, including Head of Department, Research Lead, Associate Dean of Research, and Chair of Social Marketing. He served as Vice Chair of the European Social Marketing Association and has been Associate Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the European Management Journal.
His research has been published in journals including the Journal of Business Ethics, Tourism Management, European Journal of Marketing, Marketing Theory, and the British Medical Journal.
His teaching has been nominated for outstanding contribution to cultural awareness in the classroom at the SAMEE Awards (Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators).
Research interests: consumer autonomy | consumer culture research | post-human consumption | human-AI cognition | applied epistemology
Preprint
The Architect of Knowledge: Cognitive Authority in Human-AI Cognitive Systems
Anker T (2026) The Architect of Knowledge: Cognitive Authority in Human-AI Cognitive Systems. Conceptual Blueprint, 1. SSRN. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6648381; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19766294
Article
Everyday ethical decisions in business – A structure and agency perspective
Fenech C, Anker TB & Keston-Siebert S (2026) Everyday ethical decisions in business – A structure and agency perspective. European Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2026.04.003
Article
Business continuity management in the sharing economy: Insights from Airbnb online reviews
Chen B, Anker TB & Liang X (2025) Business continuity management in the sharing economy: Insights from Airbnb online reviews. Tourism Management, 107, Art. No.: 105067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.105067
Article
Meaningful choice: Existential consumer theory
Anker TB (2024) Meaningful choice: Existential consumer theory. Marketing Theory, 24 (4), pp. 591-609. https://doi.org/10.1177/14705931231207317
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