Marketing 3410: Consumer Behavior
Consumer
Theories for Marketing Decisions
Professor
Herbert Jack Rotfeld
Fall Semester 2011
Class time: Tuesday/Thursday, 8-9:15
office hours
during Fall
semester
classes: Monday through Friday, 7-7:30
a.m.; Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.; plus whenever the
door is open
→ not available
for questions just prior to start of class due to time needed to set-up
computer and presentation
other class obligations: MKTG
4320, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 8:00-8:50 a.m.
→ (On
campus most weekdays from before 7 a.m.)
Course
Prerequisites
Grade of C or better in MKTG 3310. Credit will not be given for both
MKTG 3410 and
CAHS 3800.
Students
will be dropped
from the class at any point during the semester whenever it is
discovered that they do not meet the requirements,
regardless of how far along the term has progressed or
any test scores at that point.
Required
Purchases
+Consumer Behavior, 10th edition, by Schiffman
& Kanuk, Prentice Hall, 2009. ISBN-10: 0135053013
+ Copies of most slides that might
be used in
class & sample study questions at SOFY Copy Center,
145 W. Magnolia
→caution: cash or check only, no credit
cards are accepted
Tests
and Final Exam
dates
Test 1: September 8
Test 2: September 27
Test 3: October 18
Test 4: November 10
Comprehensive final exam: Thursday, December 8, 8-:10:30 a.m.
Test scores will be returned before the start of the next
class meeting after each test date, except for test 2 because class
will not meet on September 29, Rosh Hashanah 5772.
The dates of any of the four
tests might be postponed to the next class meeting as
circumstances warrant, and all changes of schedule will be announced
in class. The tests or final exam will not
be administered at a different time for students wanting to depart for
jobs, job
interviews, graduate school interviews, family vacations, or to witness
astronomical events (see
excused absences below). Students with a
schedule conflict for any
of the tests or for the final exam
must meet with me in my office in person and with
written
documentation
no later
than August 30. Students with an excused
absence from the
final exam will have a grade of "incomplete" for the class to be
changed to a letter after completion of the makeup exam during the
start of the Spring semester.
Grades
To
take any tests, and thereby to pass the course, students must have
turned in a satisfactory completion of the day one assignment and class
contract.
The final grade will
be determined by the sum of the raw scores
on four 30-point tests and on the 80-point comprehensive final exam.
Scores on
each test and the final exam will be added together and grades will be
based on total points, not averages
or percentiles. There might
be
extra points possible on any of the
four tests or the final exam, but the availability of extra points on
any tests will not alter the
number of points required for each
letter grade as described below, with one significant exception: a
minimum passing score of 50 on the comprehensive final exam is required
for passing the course. Anyone who scores 49 points or lower on the
final exam will receive a grade of F regardless of the point total.
In addition, as indicated below under the subheads "General
Policies" and "Tests & Final Exam," a student's
point
total can be lowered for
repeatedly arriving late, leaving/returning to the room during the
period, any use of cell phone during class (e.g. texting; web surfing)
or failing to bring a valid AU student ID to
tests.
A
= 180 or higher
B = 160-179
C = 140-159
D = 120-139
F = 119 or
lower
Course
Objective
This course builds upon the basic background from Mktg
3310, "Principles of Marketing," and is
a required course for all marketing majors. This "foundations"
course reviews the extensive published
research that has focused on how consumers
think, act and respond to
variations of the marketing mix and the resulting psychological
theories of how consumers respond to marketing tools which are
important perspectives for
evaluating decision alternatives . The
same as in other marketing courses,
students are required to make a shift of perceptual
focus and can't view marketing activities as a consumer who buys
products, but instead, as marketing managers. What this means is that
strategy must be based on
what present or potential customers understand, not in terms
of what you might personally "like." In
addition, since we will discuss possible decisions for
products you might not buy, in contexts for which you would never be in
the target market, we will cover topic areas and use examples that
you might find personally offensive. This is unavoidable. Similar to
marketing managers who must deal with customers who are people unlike
themselves, you must put aside your
personal tastes.
General
Policies
Classes will always
start on time in the business
sense of the
term: at 8 a.m., the time designated for the start of class, you
are
expected to be in your seats and
ready to work.
It is understood that you might come
late once without
having a valid documentable excuse, but every unexcused late
arrival
after the first one will result in a subtraction of two (2) points from
your course total. The same penalty will be imposed for
departures (and returns) from the room
for phone calls or other urges that are not a medical necessity, as
well as cell phone usage
(e.g. texting; web surfing) during
class.
Documentation for an excused late arrival must be
provided
within two days. Since the class is the first one of the day,
there
should not be any reason for being
late due to problems walking from a prior class. Crowded parking
lots or town traffic are not acceptable excuses, nor is a hangover. As
a more basic
matter, it is disrespectful to your
classmates when you repeatedly drift in late and a distract those
present.
In business, you get fired. On a
sports team, you literally "miss
the bus." This is also covered in the Auburn
University policy on
classroom behavior under which
students can be permanently removed from the class.
Specific day-to-day assignments
might be made or amended
at any class meeting.
If you miss all or part of any
lecture because you are absent or late, it is your responsibility to
find out from your classmates
what materials were covered, what announcements were made, and what
items may have been
distributed in class. Assignment updates,
additional explanations on lecture topics, or answers to student
questions will
sometimes be sent to all registered class members via the Auburn
University email addresses that
are provided for all students. You are expected to make
a daily check of university email for class related messages and
information.
No make up exams
will be given without a
university-approved excuse.
Prior notice and approval must be obtained for any planned events;
unexpected
emergencies require
direct notification as soon as possible by phone or email, with
documentation and verification
contacts provided as soon as you return to campus. Do not wait till the
next class day to drift in
with an excuse, since such delayed notifications will not
be accepted. If you miss a test and do not have documentation for an
excuse under one of the
categories listed below, you will receive a zero on that test.
As per Auburn University Policy, the following are the only conditions
considered excused absences from class and/or exams, and
they do not include job interviews, field trips, jobs and illnesses not
requiring the attention of a physician:
- Personal or family health conditions, certified by a physician
and approved by the instructor
- Personal or family legal conditions, warranting your attention
during class time and certified by an attorney or judge and approved by
the instructor
- University business certified by a university official and
approved by the instructor
- Instructional activities of another class as certified by a
faculty member and approved by the instructor
- Religious holy days that ban work activity for purposes of
personal observance.
Attendance,
Reading
Assignments & Class Participation
The
classroom experience is
considered an
integral aspect of this course and your
attendance is an important
part of the learning experience.
Every
semester, students tend to perform poorly in
the course
if they have a semester
of erratic attendance, a chronic propensity to come to class
without reading the assigned chapters and/or an inability to take notes
on anything other
than what appears on a screen. (For additional
insight, see how
to fail.)
Materials
provided by the textbook publisher will not be used as the basis
for
lectures. None of the visual slides,
videos or examples used in class are pulled directly from the
textbook.
However, the substance of
lectures builds upon the textbook materials, so pre-class
knowledge and understanding from the assigned
readings is critical -- you need to study
each chapter before class. Coming to class unprepared makes it
difficult to
understand lectures and an ongoing semester-long practice of textbook
reading that should make preparation for tests and final exams easier.
Since you need to study the
reading assignment before, not during, the class in which it
will be discussed, books are to be closed during class. You are sold
copies of the
lecture slides in order to maximize the value of our time together. You
should not be reading the text or copying the screen during class, but
instead, listening, asking questions and taking notes.
If you find it difficult to take notes and be an active
mentally-involved participant in
class at the same time, bring a tape recorder and take notes from it
later.
Tests
& Final Exam
On test days, you
must bring your
current Auburn University student ID. Everyone's ID
pictures will be checked by an assistant for each test and at
the final exam. Anyone
failing to meet this simple requirement will have the score
reduced by 5 points
on the test.
The
four tests and final exam will be a combination of essay, short answer
and
multiple choice. For
essay questions, paper will be provided at the test time. For any
multiple choice questions on tests or the final exam, you must
bring a SCANTRON #882-ES or #882-E (the
smaller sized forms) and
a #2 pencil. If you have the wrong
scantron, you can't take the test and receive credit. Students who
arrive
late for class on a test day will not be allowed to take the exam once
anyone
finishes and
leaves the room. Therefore, even if you believe you were "not very
late" for class that day, you
could still find yourself with a grade of zero for your score. For
tests or exams missed for this
reason, documentation must be provided for the tardiness the same as
any absence.
Test scores will be
returned before the start of the next
class meeting after each test date. If you are absent from class, you
must see me in my office to pick-up your score information. After each
test, class time will not be spent going over the test
answers. On test days, the essay answers will be at the front table for
student reading before leaving the test room. In addition, prior to the
day of the second test, students may come
to my office to read (not write) the answer key. After
the second test, the first test will no longer be available for
review, the second test will not be available after the third test, and
so on. During last week of classes, the only key
available for reading will be from test #4.
Each of the four tests
will only deal with materials assigned and discussed in the period
since the prior test. The
comprehensive final exam covers
all materials from the entire semester. The final exam is the
single
most important item that pulls together all material and is a crucial
education tool that actually increase long-term retention of the
content of this core required course. All assigned readings
from the
textbook, additional handouts,
regular lectures, guest speaker presentations, video programs or
discussion
by other students (everything covered from
the first minute of the first class) could be the basis for
exam questions. If you feel that there
is a difference between lecture materials and the textbook content, the
lecture materials should be used as the basis for answering exam
questions. Since readings
and lectures are
interrelated, it will be impossible to say how much of the questions
will come from one or the
other. Therefore, do not ask what to emphasize when you
study, or whether you should focus more on lectures or the reading
assignments. Do not ask
what is more
important in preparing for
tests or the final exam. It is all important. And it is important
to understand what you study, since questions may apply the
materials to novel situations.
Other Important Concerns
- Students are expected to do their own work on written
assignments, quizzes and tests. Alleged violations of the Student
Academic Honesty Code will be reported to the Academic Honesty
Committee.
- I prepare for
every class and I
expect you to do the same. Questions & comments relevant to the
topics under discussion
are encouraged. (For additional
insight, see
the general directions on "how to fail")
- The study questions in the
packet from Sofy Copy Center are important study aids to provide
ongoing
daily assistance in helping you understand course material. However,
they are near useless if you put them aside and wait till just before
the tests or final exam. I will not answer pre-exam
questions asking "the answer" to a question from packet.
- You will be held
responsible for the texts and lecture material covered in the
prerequisite courses.
- Make sure cell
phones, beepers, etc. are turned off before class starts. Students who
spend
class time texting messages to family or friends are engaging in a
class disruption under the AU
Policy on Classroom Behavior.
- Test scores will be returned before the start of the next
class meeting after each test date. If you are absent from class, you
must see me in my office to get your score.
- I would be happy to
discuss the course, your progress, the most recent test answers or any
other
issues that concern you on an individual basis.
- If you have a
disability, contact me to
discuss possible accommodations.
Course requirements will
not be waived, but accommodations will be made to assist in meeting the
requirements, provided
you are timely in working with me to develop a reasonable accommodation
plan.
Lecture
topics & reading assignments
The required
textbook by Schiffman and Kanuk (S&K)
is the foundation of material for the course and all sixteen chapters
will be covered on the final exam, as will be all readings that are
noted as "required." Specific
day-to-day assignments will be made as we go along and announced in
class. Some
additional required reading assignments will be distributed in class or
via email. The
"recommended" optional readings listed below are made available via the
syllabus
as a study aide to help
you
understand the materials.
All articles listed below can be accessed via links to the titles.
Since some links
require subscriptions, free access can be provided only by use of a
computer
on the AU network that has access via the Auburn University library, or
another system
has a similar electronic subscription to the publications. Other items
for general interest (or amusement) are linked to the pictures at
various parts of the syllabus.
Basic
Perspectives
1) Definitions and
uses of consumer theory:
S&K, ch 1
Required video: Rory
Sutherland: Life Lessons from an Ad Man
recommended: scientific
method on TV
recommended:
Theory,
Data, Interpretations & More
Theory
1a) abuses of consumer theory:
S&K, ch 16
Required: Historical
Perspective on the 4th Wave of Consumer Protection
recommended: Mistaking
a Marketing Perspective for Ethical Analysis
2) Research
interpretation: S&K, ch
2
Required:
"Errors
in
Research" & generalizability, reliability & validity
definitions (in Sofy packet)
Required:
What
Social Science Does - & Doesn't - Know
recommended: Metric
Mania
recommended: Mistaking
Precision for
Reality
3) Segmentation
& target selection: S&K, ch 3
recommended: Consumers,
People and Kim
recommended: Fear
of Audience Segmentation
recommended: Mistaking
Demographic Segments for People
Test #1
Biology
4) Personality,
drives & monsters from the id: S&K, ch 4 &
5
Required: Drinking
Games
recommended: Addiction and Freedom
recommended: Brain Candy
recommended: Dangerous Minds
5)
Psychology of perception:
S&K, ch 6
Required:
Misplaced
Paranoia Over Subliminal Advertising (free
access by computers
on the AU network)
recommended:
Myth
of Multitasking
recommended: Picture Problem
Core
Paradigms
6) Behaviorism:
conditioning & learning: S&K, ch 7
Required:
Cautions
and Concerns in Experimental Research on the Consumer Interest
recommended:
Financial
Aliteracy
recommended:
Brand
Image of Company Names
7) Attitudes: S&K, ch 8
Required: How
Facts Backfire
(if a problem, paste address below into browser)
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/milton/articles/2010/07/11/how_facts_backfire/?page=1
Test #3
Data
Collections & Popular Explanations
8) Persuasive communication & opinion leaders: S&K, ch 9 &
14
Required: How
Responsible Are "Responsible" Drinking Campaigns (free
access by computers
on the AU network)
Required:
Understanding
Communications Research Findings
recommended:
Fear
Appeals & Persuasion
9)
Family, social
class and decision making: S&K, ch 10 &
15
Required:
Inconspicuous
Consumption
Test #4
11) Subcultures
& identity: S&K, ch 12
-- what is ethnicity of the bird pictured to the right?
Required:
Identity
is That Which is Given
recommended:
Short History of
the Bagel
recommended:
Training
Book for the New Store Clerk
Why It
Matters
12) Beyond theory and
research
recommended: How
Do You Know That?
recommended:
Can
You Really Say That?
recommended: Noticing
the
Students' Notes Not Written
Comprehensive
Final Exam