1 Marketing 320 – Consumer Behavior
Fall 2016 Section A2
Course Syllabus
Class Time: 14:00 – 15:20, T R Class Location: BUS 3-10 Instructor: Dr. Utku Akkoç Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Mon-Wed-Fri, 1:30-
2:00 or by appointment Website: http://ulearn.ualberta.ca (Lecture slides will be posted here)
Brief Course Description:
Official University Description: The study of the factors affecting the consumer decision process. Analysis of consumer behavior models and their application to marketing decision making with an emphasis on empirical research.
My Description: Consumer behavior is the study of how people consume including products, services, places, events, or even ideas. This includes all parts of the consumption cycle from acquisition to usage and final disposal. Drawing upon principles from various disciplines (such as economics, psychology, sociology, and anthropology) the study of consumer behavior investigates why people behave the way they do and explores its implications for marketing.
Required Text:
Solomon, Michael R., White, Katherine and Dahl, Darren W. (2017). Consumer Behaviour, 7th Canadian Edition. Toronto, ON: Pearson Canada, Inc. ISBN:
9780133958096.
Note: You can purchase a used book (i.e. the. 6th Canadian edition). If you wish, you can also purchase an electronic version of the textbook. The new textbooks come with a web access code for MyMarketingLab which provides optional materials for self-study and review. MyMarketingLab is NOT a required component and I will not use it for course purposes.
Course Objectives:
Understanding the consumer is crucial for marketing managers, public policy makers, and individual consumers.
My goal by the end of the semester is to familiarize you with the factors that shape consumer behavior, and help you understand how those factors and their
2 interactions influence consumers, marketing activities of firms, as well as the public at large.
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to…
Analyze consumer behavior for existing or new businesses operating locally and internationally.
Learn about and apply the consumer decision processes to develop a product, service, or retail outlet for chosen groups of consumers.
Identify the cultural and ethical issues influencing consumer behavior.
Analyze, interpret and report on data regarding consumer behavior.
Course Structure:
Class Sessions: Class time will be used for a combination of lectures, class discussions, and group presentations. Being prepared prior to a meeting and contributing to discussions is essential in business life; nobody gets credit for being absent. Likewise, students are expected to keep up with the assigned reading material for each session and contribute to class discussions by actively participating. From time to time, students are going to be given brief assignments or asked to have group discussions to be completed in class.
Team Work: Individual competency in marketing is important, but so is the ability to work in groups and accomplish tasks as a member of a team. The group project enables students to work in teams and apply the consumer behavior topics learnt in this course to business world.
Individual work: In addition to preparing for class sessions and group activities, students are going to make a short individual presentation to demonstrate their detailed understanding of an assigned consumer behavior topic.
Grading Components:
Exam I 27.5%
Exam II 27.5%
Group Project 35%
Individual Presentation 10%
Overall Course Grade 100%
The University of Alberta uses a letter grading system with a four-point scale of numerical equivalents for calculating grade point averages. Grade points reflect judgments of student achievement made by the instructor.
Final grades are determined based on a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance in class and are regulated by the University of Alberta Grading Guidelines (GFC Policy Manual 61).
3 Exams (%27.5 each):
The exams are designed to test your understanding of consumer behavior theories and concepts and your ability to apply them in various situations. There are two exams and no final exam. The exams will consist of multiple choice questions only and both are closed-book exams. Each exam will be completed in one class session (35-40 questions; 50 minutes).
All questions will be based on lecture materials. Exam 1 is based on all material to the end of Chapter 7 in the textbook. Exam 2 is based on all material covered after Exam 1.
Individual Presentation (10%):
During the semester each student is required to make a short (7-8 minutes) individual presentation. The purpose of this presentation is 1) to help you gain practice in making a presentation to a small audience. (2) to show your knowledge and thorough understanding of a specific consumer behavior topic.
Each student will be randomly assigned to a presentation date (see the course schedule), and each date will have a different theme (see the last page of the syllabus). You are free to choose your particular topic as long as it is educational and relevant to the theme of the date you are assigned to. For example, you may analyze/critique and attempt to improve a particular business, product, category, or advertisement in light of that particular theme (e.g. if the theme is memory, how a company could work to create consumer memory for a product/service). Or you may share an interesting personal experience or observation relating to that theme (e.g. if the theme is social influence, how shopping with friends may affect our own shopping behavior, etc.). Additional details can be found on ULearn.
Group Project (%35):
Working in teams of 4 (default) or 5 students, you will propose a product, service, or retail outlet for a certain group of consumers (your project topic cannot be the same as one you have done in another course). Your main focus will be on specifying your target consumers and investigating how they would identify a need for your product/service/outlet, go through the decision process of which alternative to consider and choose, acquire the selected alternative, consume it, and, if applicable, dispose of it.
At the end of the semester, you will submit a hardcopy report and make a group presentation in the classroom. Additional details about the group project can be found on ULearn.
4 Extra Credit: Class Participation (5%)
Class interaction is an essential component of learning. During the sessions, I am willing to give you opportunities to earn extra credit for your classroom
engagement and participation. While attendance to lectures is necessary, it is not sufficient; i.e. mere attendance does not earn you participation points. To earn extra credit for class participation, you are expected to make thoughtful remarks and give relevant examples. Right after each class, I will assign
participation points based on your engagement and the quality of your contributions to the learning environment.
Classroom Policy
To encourage an active and engaging environment in the classroom, general courtesies are expected and the following are NOT allowed (violations may affect your final mark):
Use of laptops (except for note taking)
Use of mobile phones (for any purpose)
Frequent tardiness
Personal conversations (except for course related discussions)
Late Work Policy:
Any missed exams shall be made up only if you are granted excused absence.
Please note than making up an exam is possible only in an emergency, and requires written documentation as to the reason for the absence. Personal travel and professional commitments (except those that are approved by the university) are not valid reasons.
Please respect the deadlines, since any submission made after the specified deadline, or any missed exam is at your own risk. Any work submitted after the specified deadline, if accepted, will be docked 20% for each day late.
Academic Integrity:
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect.
Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior (http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/) and avoid any behavior which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. With respect to assignments, all factual information taken from non-class sources (books, web pages, papers, etc.) should be referenced. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
5 Audio or video recording of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as part of an approved accommodation plan. Course material is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the instructor. Policy about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar.
A final note:
Though this syllabus is necessarily formal, class sessions themselves need not be.
My goal is to make this course engaging and interesting for everyone. Consumer behavior guides important marketing decisions, but it also covers many topics to which we all can relate. I will bring up such relevant examples as much as possible and I encourage you to do so! I hope that you will gain advantage in your future job interviews -and ultimately in your careers- by properly applying the concepts, frameworks, models and examples covered in this course.
If you have any questions, concerns, or improvement suggestions about the course please do not hesitate to contact me. Constructive feedback by email (please state the course name MARK 320 in the subject) is always welcome and I will respond to e-mails as soon as possible.
6 Class Schedule
Changes to this schedule can be made if needed and will be announced in advance.
Date Topic Reading Notes
September 1 Class Introduction - -
September 6 Intro to Consumer Behavior Chapter 1 -
September 8 Perception Chapter 2 -
September 13 Learning and Memory Chapter 3 -
September 15 Motivation and Affect Chapter 4 Group Names Due
September 20 The Consumer Self Chapter 5 -
September 22 Personality, Lifestyles, Values Chapter 6 -
September 27 Attitudes Chapter 7 Presentations 1-3
September 29 Catch-up/Exam Review - Project Outlines Due Presentations 4-6
October 4 Exam 1 (Chapters 1-7) - -
October 6 Attitude Change Chapter 8 Presentations 7-9 October 11 Individual Decision Making Chapter 9 Presentations 10-12 October 13 Individual Decision Making Chapter 9 Presentations 13-15 October 18 Buying and Disposing Chapter 10 Presentations 16-18 October 20 Group Influence and Social Media Chapter 11 Presentations 19-21 October 25 Income, Social Class, Family Chapter 12 Presentations 22-25 October 27 Subcultures Chapter 13 Presentations 26-29 November 1 Cultural Influences Chapter 14 Presentations 30-33 November 3 Creation and Diffusion of Culture Chapter 15 Presentations 34-37 November 7-
9-11 Reading week (no class) -
November 15 Catch-up / Exam Review - Presentations 38-39 November 17 Exam 2 (Chapters 8-15) -
November 22 Group Project Prep-No class -
November 24 Group Presentations 1-3 - Project Report Due November 29 Group Presentations 4-6 -
December 1 Group Presentations 7-9 - December 6 Catch-up / Concluding Remarks -
7 Individual Presentations
Presentations Theme & Related Chapter 1, 2, 3 Perception
4 ,5, 6 Learning and Memory 7, 8, 9 Motivation and Affect 10, 11, 12 The Consumer Self
13, 14, 15 Personality, Lifestyles and Values 16, 17, 18 Attitudes
19, 20, 21 Attitude Change
22, 23, 24, 25 Individual Decision Making 26, 27,28, 29 Buying and Disposing
30, 31, 32, 33 Group Influence and Social Media 34,35,36,37 Income, Social Class and Family
38, 39 Cultural Influences