1 Marketing 320 – Consumer Behavior
Winter 2016 Section B1
Course Syllabus
Class Time: 10:00 – 10:50, MWF Class Location: BUS 1-6 Instructor: Dr. Utku Akkoç Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Mon-Wed-Fri, 12:00-
12:30 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. (2014). Consumer Behaviour, 6th Canadian Edition. Toronto, ON: Pearson Canada, Inc. ISBN:
9780132161114.
Course Objectives:
Understanding the consumer is crucial for the marketing manager, public policy maker, and individual consumer.
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 interactions influence the consumers themselves, marketing activities of firms, as well as the public at large.
2 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 related to 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 25%
Exam II 25%
Group Project 35%
Individual Presentation 10%
Research participation Overall Course Grade
5%
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 (%25 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 (5 minute) 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 the company could work to create consumer memory for a product/service of your choice). 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 kids may affect parents’ 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 Research Participation (5%)
One of the key factors influencing both the national and international reputation of a university is the academic research that it produces. You will be given an opportunity to participate in a number of research projects conducted by members of the School of Business. The purpose of this is two-fold: (1) to familiarize you with a number of procedures and methods used in academic research and (2) to provide you with an awareness of the types of research conducted by faculty members.
Confidentiality & Consent
All research projects conducted at the University of Alberta are carefully screened by an ethics committee to ensure they meet the University of Alberta’s ethical standards. Any information collected will be held in the strictest of confidence.
Further, all such research is premised on informed consent. This means that the person conducting the study must provide you with sufficient information to enable you to determine whether or not you wish to participate. For example, if a person were evaluating the impact of graphic violent imagery in advertising, they would be obliged to let you know the nature of the materials prior to you viewing them. Note that at any time during the course of a session you have the right to discontinue participation without penalty. Further, even if you initially consent to participate, you may choose to stop participation at any time without any loss. Using the above example, you might consent to participate, even after being told about the graphic imagery, but after viewing one image you may feel that you no longer wish to participate.
Research credits
Research credits are worth 5% of your final grade. In order to obtain the full 5%, you must participate in five studies for credit throughout the course of the term:
one online study, and four lab/field studies.
In order to receive a grade for this component of the course, you must complete ALL FIVE studies. Partial credit will NOT be provided (e.g., for just doing one study).
• MARK 301/320 Online Study **Required** (1 credit)
This required online study is to be completed early in the term; you will complete this study through the Sona Research Participation website (described below), and will be able to see when you have been granted credit.
• Lab/Field studies (up to 4 credits)
Four additional lab/field studies of your choice must be completed. Over the semester, various studies will be made available through the Sona Research Participation website, and you may choose which studies you want to sign up for and participate in. Studies that are one hour or less are worth one credit, while studies that are two hours long are worth two credits. The study location will be specified when you sign up. Most studies take place in the basement of the Business School, in B-10 or B-06.
5 For the lab/field studies, you will not receive credit for participation alone. After each lab session, you will complete a form with a series of questions regarding the research project(s) in which you participated; information relevant to these questions will be provided in a debriefing at the end of the session. For each study, credit will be awarded based on your answers to these questions. Answers are graded on a pass/fail basis. Credit will be awarded within 72 hours of the study session.
Research Participation Website (SONA)
To gain access to the Sona Research Participation website, you DO NOT need to sign up. You will be automatically signed up on January 4, and you will receive an email with login information. Please DO NOT create your own account.
** If you register after January 4, please contact IST ([email protected]) with your name, CCID, and course section, and request a “Sona Research Participation”
account. If you drop the course, please email to have your account removed.**
Once you have received your login information, you can sign up for the
“MARK 301/320 Online Study” and for other available lab or field studies here: https://ualberta-business.sona-systems.com. You can also use this site to track the number of credits you have earned.
You will receive notification emails to your UAlberta email when new studies are posted; please keep an eye out for these.
Researchers will also post notifications to the following Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/UofAResearchParticipation.
Regularly checking the Sona Research Participation website yourself is also a good idea, so that you can keep on top of which studies are currently available.
There is a Sona Research Participation app, called “Sona Mobile”, available for Apple and Android phones. If you’d like to download it to sign up for studies and to check or update your scheduled studies from your phone, please feel free! Note that this app does NOT offer “push” capabilities, so it won’t notify you when new studies are available. For that, remember that you will receive emails at your UAlberta account, or you can check our Facebook page, as above.
If you have any problems with the Sona Research Participation website, please contact IST at [email protected] (Subject line: Sona Research Participation Problem) or visit https://ist.ualberta.ca/contact and fill out the form.
6 Please note that this research component pertains to studies conducted by members of the Department of Marketing, Business Economics and Law. As such, you will not receive credit for studies you participate in for other courses (e.g., psychology).
Alternatives to Research Participation
This research participation experience is intended to be educational. You are not required to participate in any of the research projects. If you choose not to participate and wish to receive equivalent credit, you are asked to write a short paper regarding specific research methods. This paper will be structured so that it takes approximately the same amount of time as participating in the studies and answering the questions. If you wish to pursue this option, please discuss it with me.
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 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.
7 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.
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.
8 Class Schedule
Changes to this schedule can be made if needed and will be announced in advance.
Date Topic Reading Notes
January 4 Class Introduction - -
January 6 Intro to Consumer Behavior Chapter 1 -
January 8 Perception Chapter 2 -
January 11 Perception Chapter 2 -
January 13 Learning and Memory Chapter 3 -
January 15 Learning and Memory Chapter 3 -
January 18 Motivation and Affect Chapter 4 -
January 20 Motivation and Affect Chapter 4 -
January 22 The Consumer Self Chapter 5 -
January 25 The Consumer Self Chapter 5 Group Names Due
January 27 Personality, Lifestyles, Values Chapter 6 - January 29 Personality, Lifestyles, Values Chapter 6 -
February 1 Attitudes Chapter 7 -
February 3 Attitudes Chapter 7 -
February 5 Catch-up/Exam Review - -
February 8 Exam 1 (Chapters 1-7) - -
February 10 Attitude Change Chapter 8 -
February 12 Attitude Change Chapter 8 -
February 15,
17, 19 Reading Week-No classes - -
February 22 Individual Decision Making Chapter 9 Project Outlines Due February 24 Individual Decision Making Chapter 9 Presentations 1-3 February 26 Buying and Disposing Chapter 10 Presentations 4-6
February 29 No class Presentations 7-9
March 2 Buying and Disposing Chapter 10 Presentations 10-12
March 4 No class Presentations 13-15
March 7 Group Influence and Social Media Chapter 11 Presentations 16-18 March 9 Group Influence and Social Media Chapter 11 Presentations 19-22 March 11 Income, Social Class, Family Chapter 12 Presentations 23-26
March 14 Subcultures Chapter 13 Presentations 27-30
March 16 Cultural Influences Chapter 14 Presentations 31-34 March 18 Cultural Influences & Creation
and Diffusion of Culture Chapters
14- 15 Presentations 35-38 March 21 Creation and Diffusion of Culture Chapter 15 Presentations 39-42 March 23 Catch-up / Presentations - Presentations 7-9; 13-15;
43-46
March 25 Good Friday-No class - -
March 28 Easter Monday-No class - -
March 30 Exam 2 (Chapters 8-15) - -
April 1 Group Project Prep- No class
- -
April 4 Group Presentations 1-3 - Project Report Due
April 6 Group Presentations 4-6 - -
April 8 Group Presentations 7-10 - -
9 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, 21,22 Attitude Change
23,24,25, 26 Individual Decision Making 27, 28, 29, 30 Buying and Disposing
31, 32, 33,34 Group Influence and Social Media 35, 36, 37, 38 Income, Social Class and Family
39, 40,41,42 Cultural Influences
43,44,45,46 Creation and Diffusion of Culture
