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March 7, 2012
Course Title
MKT 420 Consumer Behavior
Course Description
This course introduces a wide range of behavior concepts, and explores the strategic implication of customer
behavior for marketers. The course challenges students to explore the realities and implications of buyer
behavior in traditional and e-commerce markets.
Prerequisite
MKT300
Credit Units/Hours
Upon successful completion of this course, you will earn 3 semester hours of college credit. This course
represents the equivalent of learning outcomes normally achieved through 45 hours of student classroom
study or through distance learning instruction.
Textbook
Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being
Text Title:
Prentice-Hall
Publisher:
Solomon, M. R.
Author(s):
9th (2011)
Edition:
978-0-13-611092-7
ISBN:
Be sure that you have the correct edition of the course textbook. Check the ISBN number for the most
accurate edition.
Supplementary Readings & Resources
As assigned by the instructor.
Grade Scale
95% +
=A
90 94%
= AA
B
C
D
F
87 89%
83 86%
80 82%
= B+
=B
= B-
77 79%
73 76%
70 72%
= C+
=C
= C-
67 69% = D+
63 66% = D
60 62% = D0 59%
=F
The student exceeded expectations; worked above what is required.
The student met all expectations as specified for the class very well.
The student met minimum class requirements satisfactorily.
The student met minimum requirements poorly.
The student failed to meet minimum requirements.
Grading Criteria
Lesson 1
Chapter 1: Consumers Rule
Chapter 2: Perception
Discussion
Quiz
Lesson 2
Chapter 3: Learning and Memory
Chapter 4: Motivation and Values
Discussion
Quiz
Lesson 3
Chapter 5: The Self
Chapter 6: Personality and Lifestyles
Discussion
Quiz
Lesson 4
Chapter 7: Attitudes and Persuasion
Chapter 8: Decision Making
Discussion
Quiz
Lesson 5
Chapter 9: Buying and Disposing
Chapter 10: Groups
Discussion
Quiz
Lesson 6
Chapter 11: Organizational and Household Decision Making
Chapter 12: Income and Social Class
Discussion
Quiz
Lesson 7
Chapter 13: Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Subcultures
Chapter 14: Age Subcultures
Discussion
Quiz
Lesson 8
Chapter 15: Cultural Influences and Consumer Behavior
Chapter 16: Global Consumer Culture
Discussion
Final Examination
Points
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
Total Points
100
400
1,900
Lesson 1
Lesson 1 Activity
Discussion Questions. Please post in the Discussion Forum by Friday 12:00 am (PST).
1. List the three stages in the consumption process. Describe the issues that you considered in each of
these stages when you made a recent important purchase.
2.
3.
4.
Read Case Study Will Consumers Consume? (p.48) and answer questions at the end of the case.
Do you believe that marketers have the right to use any or all public spaces to deliver product
messages? Where would you draw the line in terms of places and products that should be off-limits?
Read Case study The Brave New World of Subway Advertising (pp. 88-89) and answer the
questions at the end of the case.
Lesson 1 Assignment
Online Quiz: Complete Online Quiz for Chapters 1 and 2 and post to Dropbox by Sunday 12:00 am
(PST).
Lesson 2
Lesson 2 Activity
Discussion Questions. Please post in the Discussion Forum by Friday 12:00 am (PST).
1. What is the difference between an unconditional stimulus and a conditioned stimulus? Give an
example of a halo effect in marketing. How can marketers use repetition to increase likelihood that
consumers will learn about their brand?
2.
3.
4.
Some die-hard fans were not pleased when the Rolling Stones sold the tune Start Me Up for about
$4 million (USD) to Microsoft, which wanted the classic song to promote its Windows 95 launch. The
Beach Boys sold Good Vibrations to Cadbury Schweppes for its Sunkist soft drink. Steppenwolf
offered his Born to Be Wild to plug the Mercury Cougar, and even Bob Dylan sold The Times They
Are A-Changin to Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers). Other rock legends have
refused to play the commercial game, including Bruce Springsteen, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin,
Fleetwood MAC, R.E.M., and U2. According to U2s manager, Rock n roll is the last vestige of
independence. It is undignified to put the creative effort and hard work to the disposal of a soft drink
or beer or car. Singer Neil Young is especially adamant about not selling out; in his song, This
Notes for You, he croons, Aint singing for Pepsi, aint singing for coke, I dont sing for nobody,
makes me look like a joke. What do you think about this issue? How do you react when one of your
favorite songs turns up on a commercial? Is this use of nostalgia an effective way to market a
product? Why or why not?
Core values evolve over time. What do you think are the three to five core values that best describes
your culture today?
Read Case Study Campaigning for More Than Beauty (pp.160-161) and answer the questions at the
end of the case.
Lesson 2 Assignment
Complete online quiz for Chapters 3 and 4 and post to Dropbox by Sunday 12:00 am (PST).
MKT 420 Consumer Behavior - Syllabus
Page 5 of 11
Lesson 3
Lesson 3 Activity
Discussion Questions. Please post in the Discussion Forum by Friday 12:00 am (PST).
1.
2.
3.
4.
List three dimensions that describe the self-concept. Compare and contrast the real versus the ideal
self. List three products for which a person is likely to use each type of self as a reference point when
he/she considersr a purchase. Do Eastern cultures view how people think of self differently from
Western cultures?
How might the creation of self-conscious state be related to consumers who are tying on clothing in
dressing rooms? Does the act of preening in front of a mirror change the dynamics by which people
evaluate their product choices?
Behavioral targeting techniques give marketers access to a wide range of information about a
consumer when they tell them what Web sites he/she visits. Do you believe this knowledge power
presents any ethical problems with regard to consumers privacy? Should the government regulate
access to such information? Should consumers have the right to limit access to these data?
Read Case Study The Magic of iPod (pp. 250-251) and answer the questions at the end of the case.
Lesson 3 Assignment
Complete online quiz for Chapters 5 and 6 and post to Dropbox by Sunday 12:00 am (PST).
Lesson 4
Lesson 4 Activity
Discussion Questions. Please post in the Discussion Forum by Friday 12:00 am (PST).
1.
2.
3.
4.
How can an attitude play an ego-defensive function? Describe the ABC model of attitudes. List the
three hierarchies of attitudes, and describe the major differences among them. How do levels of
commitment to an attitude influence the likelihood that it will become part of the way we think about
a product in the long term?
A marketer must decide whether to incorporate rational or emotional appeals in its communications
strategy. Describe conditions that are more favorable to one or the other.
Technology has the potentionl to make our lives easier as it reduces the amount of clutter we need to
work through in order to access the information on the Internet that really interests us. However,
perhaps intelligent agents who make recommendations based on what we and others like us have
chosen in the past limit usthey reduce the chance that we will stumble on something (e.g. a book
on a topic weve never heard of before or a must group thats different from the style we usually
listen to). Will the proliferation of shopping bots make our lives too predictable by only giving us
more of the same? If so, is this a problem?
Read Case study Dominos Dilema (pp. 339-340) and answer the questions at the end of the case.
Lesson 4 Assignment
Complete online quiz for Chapters 7 and 8 and post to Dropbox by Sunday 12:00 am (PST).
Lesson 5
Lesson 5 Activity
Discussion Questions. Please post in the Discussion Forum by Friday 12:00 am (PST).
1.
2.
3.
4.
Conduct naturalistic observation at a local mall. Sit in a central location and observe the activities of
mall employees and customers. Keep a log of the non-retailing activity you observe (e.g., special
perfromances, exhibits, socializing, etc.) Does this activity enhance or detract from business the mall
conducts? As malls become more like high-tech game rooms, how valid is the criticism that shopping
areas only encourage more loitering by teenage boys, who dont spend a lot in stores and simply
scare away other customers?.
Name two dimensions that influence whether reference goups impact an individuals purchase
decision. List three types of social power, and given an example of each. Which tend to influence our
behavior more: large formal groups or small informal groups? Why?
Although social networking is red-hot, could its days be numbered? Many people have concerns
about privacy issues. Others feel platforms like Facebook are too overwhelming. As one media
executive contends, Nobody has 5,000 real friends. At the end of the day it just becomes one big
cauldron of noise. What is your opinion? Can we have too much of a good thing? Will people start to
tune out all of these networks?
Lesson 5 Assignment
Complete online quiz for Chapters 9 and 10 and post to Dropbox by Sunday 12:00 am (PST).
Lesson 6
Lesson 6 Activity
Discussion Questions. Please post in the Discussion Forum by Friday 12:00 am (PST).
1.
2.
3.
4.
The promotional products industry thrives on corporate clients that order $19 (USD) billion per year
of T-shirts, mugs, pens, and other branded items in order to keep their organizations at the forefront
of their constomers minds. As a result of the voluntary ban on these products by the pharmaceutical
industry, these businesses will lose aobut $1 billion (USD) per year in sales. What do you think about
this initiativeis it fair to deprive an industry of the livelihood in this way? Why or why not?
Read Case study Children: The Final Frontierfor Cell Phones (pp. 448-449) and answer the
questions at the end of the case.
Define discretionary income. How have women contributed to the overall rise in income in your
society? How does consumer confidence influence consumer behavior?
Read Case study Affording Junk Food (pp. 484-485) and answer the questions at the end of the
case.
Lesson 6 Assignment
Complete online quiz for Chapters 11 and 12 and post to Dropbox by Sunday 12:00 am (PST).
Lesson 7
Lesson 7 Activity
Discussion Questions. Please post in the Discussion Forum by Friday 12:00 am (PST).
1.
2.
3.
4.
How is a sub-culture different from a micro-culture? What is the difference between a high-context
and low-context culture? Provide an example of this difference. What is acculturation? How does it
differ from enculturation?
Several years ago R.J. Reynolds announced plans to test market a menthol cigarette called Uptown
specifically to African-American consumers. According to the company, about 70% of African
American smokers prefer menthol, more than twice the average rate. After market research showed
that blacks tend to open cigarette packs from the bottom, the company decided to pack Uptowns
with the filters facing down. Reynolds cancelled its plans after private health groups and government
officials protested. Does a company have the right to exploit a sub-cultures special characteristics,
especially to increase sales of a harmful product such as cigarettes? What about the argument that
virtually every business that follows the marketing concept designs a product to meet the needs and
tastes of a preselected segment?
List three basic conflicts that teens face, and give an example of each. What are tweens, and why
are so many marketers interested in them? What are some of the most efficient ways for marketers
to connect with college students?
Read Case study Scions Quest to Crack Gen Y (pp. 534-535) and answer the questions at the end of
the case.
Lesson 7 Assignment
Complete online quiz for Chapters 13 and 14 and post to Dropbox by Sunday 12:00 am (PST).
Lesson 8
2.
3.
4.
If your culture were a person, how would your describe its personality?
Interview a person(s) who collect some kind of object(s). How do they organize and describe their
collection(s)? Do you see any evidence of sacred versus profane distinctions?
Read Case study Mobile Phones Invade the World (pp. 568-569) and answer the questions at the
end of the case.
Because of higher competition and market saturation, marketers in developed countries try to
develop markets in lesser developed countries. Asian consumers alone spend $90 billion (USD) a
year on cigarettes, and U.S. tobacco manufacturers push relentlessly into these markets. We find
cigarette advertising that often depicts glamorous Western models and settings, just about
everywhereon billboards, buses, storefronts, and clothingand tobacco companies sponsor many
sporting and cultural events. Some companies even hand out cigarettes and gifts in amusement
areas, often to pre-teens. Should governments allow these practices, even if the products may be
harmful to their citizens or divert money poor people should spend on essentials? If you were a trade
or health official in a lesser developed nation, what guidelines, if any, might you suggest to regulate
the import of luxury goods from developed nations? Provide rationale behind your decisions.
Lesson 8 Assignment
Complete Final Examination and post to Dropbox by Sunday 12:00 am (PST).