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Buyer Behavior
Business Administration 367
Spring 2011
Instructor: Dr. T.K. Clarke
Office: 2023 Stevenson
E-Mail: TK.Clarke@sonoma.edu
Prerequisite: Principles of Marketing.
Course Description
Drawing upon material from marketing and the behavioral sciences, this course
looks at the factors that facilitate, impinge, and/or guide the behavior of
the consumer in the marketplace. The viewpoint will be that of the marketer
who wishes to market more effectively and better serve the consumer by
understanding more about why consumers behave as they do. The Consumer
Decision Model will provide the focus for this course.
Course Objectives
1. To be able to deal with an unstructured situation and through the use of
consumer decision model and consumer behavior concepts, be able to recognize
the important considerations and their possible resolutions. Case analysis
will demonstrate this learning.
2. An appreciation of the complexity of consumer behavior. A broad, yet
shallow understanding will be demonstrated through exams.
3. To gain a deep yet narrow understanding of one area of consumer behavior
and its ethical dimensions. Success here will be demonstrated through a
project looking into one aspect or area (selected by the students) of
psychology and relating it to consumer behavior (approved by me). Intra-group
grading may be used to help assess the performance of the individuals within
each group.
4. Appreciate that consumer behavior is one aspect of cultural behavior. An
understanding of cultural issues in contemporary America will be demonstrated
through discussion and exams on "A Conflict of Visions" and
Readings.
Texts for Course
Consumer Behavior for Dummies, by Laura Lake, Wiley, 2009
A Conflict of Visions, by Thomas Sowell, Basic Books, 2002
Grading
1. The grading scale will be:
A = 90 B = 80 C = 70 D = 60 F < 60
2. This course will be taught by lecture and discussion. Grades will be
based on the following:
Project...................……….…..... 25%
Project presentation...................... 5%
Midterm...............………........... 25%
Final.......................…….…….... 25%
Class participation...…............... 20%
3. If I find anyone cheating on exams or papers, I will do what I can to have
you removed from the University. Cheating is unacceptable behavior.
4. All outside of class assignments are to be typed. No type, No credit, No
exceptions. They are all also to have a cover memo or letter.
5. All papers will be due at the beginning of class periods on the day they
are assigned due. Late papers will not be accepted, full stop. No make-ups,
No extra credit, No exceptions.
6. Project papers are not returned. If you wish a copy, make one.
7. I am going to be using the 4 C's approach to grading your papers. This is
a non-compensatory system in which each C must be successfully passed before
the next C is considered. They are as follows:
C1 Composition Required to pass.
C2 Content Required to get a C
C3 Conceptual framework Required to get a B
C4 Convincing Required to get an A
Composition refers to the grammar, spelling and general rules of English. If
you do not know the difference among to, too, and two, or between our and
are, you will fail the paper. It does not matter how well the rest of the
paper is, if the composition is unsatisfactory, the paper is unacceptable for
a university student.
Content refers to the basic level of learning. You must demonstrate that you
read the required material, and can at least recite back relevant pieces of
information. This level means that you at least attempted the work required
and can demonstrate a 'book report' level of understanding.
Conceptual framework refers to a higher level of understanding than mere
content. At this level you must demonstrate the ability to put a structure on
the material you have studied. This is where you show the ability to analyze
and synthesize material and show what the 'facts' mean.
Convincing refers to the style of your writing. This is more than being
merely grammatically correct; it must foresee objections, answer them, and
demand to be accepted. At this level you are communicating as a marketer, not
a student. Your paper must 'sing' to be truly convincing. The reader must
come away from the reading knowing that you have provided them with C2 and C3
above and be convinced that your interpretation is correct.
General Points
1. I enjoy discussing consumer behavior concepts, marketing, and generally
any other topic with students. Although I have set office hours, feel free to
come visit anytime you see me. If I am really too
busy I will let you know, but generally I love an opportunity to break away
from what I am suppose to be doing. I do not re-give lectures to those that
elected to miss class nor deal with questions that ought to have been asked
in class.
2. If you have a learning or other disability that
you want to be considered by me in this class, please see me within the first
two weeks [two classes during the summer] of class. If I don't hear from you
within the first two weeks, no consideration will be given.
3. All papers are to be on only one side of 8 1/2 x 11 paper,
properly collated. To do otherwise is to receive a zero.
4. I am not responsible for handouts or returned assignments once I have
presented them to the class. If you miss one, see someone from the class or
look through the 'used papers' selection in my office.
5. You are expected to have basic math skills.
6. Life consists of making decisions. You are responsible for yours. If you
elect to put other priorities ahead of this class, that is your right. Your
responsibility is to accept the consequences of those decisions. You may fail
the course if work, play, or other concerns take too much of your time.
Class Participation
Students are expected to have read the required material prior to the first
class in which it is to be covered. Students may be asked any questions
dealing with the reading material including summarizing or critiquing it.
Students are expected to display clear and logical thinking. Much of the
material in the marketing area is not subject to a RIGHT answer, though some
answers are clearly inappropriate. Participation is expected to be thoughtful
and reasoned. In all cases, common sense is required. I wish to make it clear
that grading in this area is not dependent upon agreeing with the instructor
but rather in having support for whatever position the student elects to
take.
Each chapter of both texts, handouts, and each case will be assigned to
students for presentation to the class. That is, in front of the class, not
merely from your seat. Presentation skills only improve with practice. As
well, this will require you to be prepared for all material to be covered.
On the day of cases, a person may be selected at random to present
"The Facts" of the case, (as selection will be by the roll sheet,
risk of scoring zero remains even if your are
absent). Following this, others may be called upon to present their analyzes and solutions. After the presentations,
students will be called upon to critique the presentations. Presenters will
have a maximum of twenty minutes to present their positions. Every student is
expected to turn in a one page (maximum) typed analysis of the case at the
beginning of class. These write ups show your ability to relate text and
lecture material to the specific case situation. It is expected that you will
indicate this through reference to material presented in the text and in
lecture. Cases will receive either credit or no credit. Your performance on
the cases, chapter presentations, and case write ups, reading presentations,
as well as general discussion during lectures, will determine your
participation grade. If you are not present during other group's project
presentations, your participation grade will suffer greatly.
Project
Briefly, the project will be done by groups of about 5 people. It is to be an
investigation of some aspect of psychology and its relationship to Consumer
Behavior. This is to be an empirical project.
You will select some area of psychology, research the library about that
area, and then do your own analysis of how marketers are doing, given what is
known about basic behavior. Of especial interest is the
ethical implications of the way that basic knowledge is used in the
marketplace. References cited in the course text should provide you with the
way such a report ought to be written; the Journal of Consumer Research
provides excellent guidelines. Use the Journal of Consumer Research as your
style guide for items such as citations. At the end of the semester, each
group will give a presentation based on their research and findings. This
project is to be centered on a consumer behavior concept and NOT on a
particular situation. For instance, I would accept a paper looking into
supermarket shopping behavior, but not one merely looking at who shops at
Safeway. Be sure I have approved your topic. I expect your report to include
references to at least 5 - 10 academic journal articles. Copies of all
articles are to be included with your paper[books
need only have their title page and copyright page].
If members of any given group find that they are having problems with a
member of their group, and that problem is of a serious enough nature [as,
for instance non-participation by a member], the remaining group members may
fire their problem member. In order to do this all other group members must
give the offending member a written - and signed - notice of complaint and
warning, with a copy given to me. The group shall keep a copy of this notice.
If the offending member continues to be a problem, the group may then fire
the member and give me a second copy of the original warning and a copy of
the final firing notice. That member will no longer be part of the original
group and will be responsible for doing their own project.
Be aware, your paper is to be your paper. Cutting and pasting other
people's words is not your paper. Do not make unsupported claims. If an idea
is not general knowledge, cite where you found it. If you use other people's
work without proper citation, you are committing academic dishonesty [i.e.
cheating]. I want an electronic copy of your paper on disk so that I may
submit it for plagiarism checks.
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