MARKETING 320 -- CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Professor: Dr. Laura Flurry Office Phone: 257-3768 Email: lwflurry@latech.

edu Office: Office Hrs: COBB 341 8:00a.m.-11:30a.m. MWF, and by appt.

COLLEGE POLICY: CAB students must earn a C or better in all courses in their major area. Thus, if you are a marketing major, you MUST earn a C or better in this course. If you do not earn a C, you will be required to repeat the course to receive credit. Prerequisite: Marketing 300 No exceptions. Please be advised that you are responsible for taking courses in the proper order and with the appropriate prerequisites. If you take a course without the designated prerequisite(s), you will NOT be given credit for the course. COURSE DESCRIPTION: A review of the basic concepts of consumer behavior. Emphasis will be placed on issues surrounding consumers' search for, purchase, and use of products. The social and psychological influences on these various behaviors will also be explored. TEXT: Consumer Behavior. Tenth Edition, Leon G. Schiffman and Leslie Lazar Kanuk, 2010, Prentice-Hall. EXAMS: Three exams will be administered during the quarter. Material for the exams will come from class discussions / lectures, articles discussed in class, videos shown in class, class exercises, and assignments. For this reason, class attendance is strongly encouraged. CLASS PARTICIPATION: Many class sessions will involve experiential activities that require class participation. During these class sessions, you will be asked to turn in materials that will serve as evidence of participation. Participation will also be assessed during group presentations at the end of the quarter. INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS: Throughout the quarter, you will be given individual assignments. These assignments are designed to enable you to observe consumer behavior concepts discussed in class and to promote class discussion. The assignments will be given during class and in many cases will be due in the following class period. If you miss class, you are still responsible for completing the assignment before the appointed time. COURSE GRADE DETERMINATION: Exams (100 points each) Group Project Individual Assignments and Class Participation 300 points 100 points 50 points

GROUP PROJECT: A quarter-long group project will enable all students to develop analytical and social interaction skills in a group setting by applying consumer behavior concepts to a business situation. To do so, each student will serve as a member of a new product development team. Each team must design and develop a new product or service and complete an introduction and promotional plan for the new product / service. The plan must be submitted in both a written report and a formal presentation. Groups should assume that the client is either a CEO of their company or an interested investor. Groups: Each group should be composed of no more than 6 members. Students are encouraged to form their own groups. To do so, submit a list of preferred group members in class on December 3. Students who have not self-selected group membership will be assigned a group on December 5. The product: Groups must create a new product or service to which there exists a need and a viable target market. The product must not be an existing product! Students are encouraged to be creative in their product selections. At least 3 product ideas must be described in written form and submitted for approval

by December 14. For the formal presentation, groups must develop a prototype of the product, including packaging and brand name. Grading criteria: creativity, originality, and market viability Written report: Each group must submit a report summarizing their product proposal. Included in the report must be a description of the new product, identification of the target market for the product, and a discussion of the promotional strategies and corresponding consumer behavior concepts used to support the choice of promotional campaign. Grading criteria: theoretical appropriateness of strategy, quality of secondary market analysis, organization, clarity (expresses ideas clearly and makes reasoning for points clear), appearance (typed, double-spaced, no typos/ liquid paper), and grammar. An outline of the required content is attached. The report is worth 50 points and is due on February 15. Formal presentation: Each group will be expected to give a 15-20 minute presentation of their new product. The presentations should be concise and effectively demonstrate the product, its market potential, and proposed marketing strategies. For the formal presentation, groups must develop a prototype of the product, including packaging and brand name. Groups are encouraged to be creative and to use any medium (i.e., videotape, slide show, theatrics, etc.) to convey their ideas. Grading criteria: creativity (originality, use of multi-media presentation format), organization (concise, informative presentation which does not exceed the time limit), quality of responses to questions, presentation medium appropriateness, and appearance (quality of product prototype, slides or other presentation materials and group members dressed appropriately). The presentation is worth 50 points. Groups presentation order will be randomly assigned. Group participation: Each student will be expected to evaluate their own and other members' participation / contribution to the group assignment. Evaluation forms will be handed out during class and are to be returned the day of your presentation. A composite of each persons group evaluation will be utilized to weight each students final group project grade.
College of Administration and Business Writing Standards Policy Business students must demonstrate professional standards in writing if they are to be successful in the business world. To help reinforce this necessary skill, all written assignments in the CAB must meet minimal standards to be acceptable. These standards address spelling, punctuation, basic grammar, and appropriate format. Unacceptable grammatical errors and errors of form include the following: misspelled words sentence fragments run-on sentences or comma splices mistakes in capitalization serious errors in punctuation errors in verb tense or subject/verb agreement lack of conformity with assignment format improper citations Papers with more than five of the aforementioned errors marked by the instructor on any one page, or more than fifteen in the entire document are unacceptable. The instructor may stop reading when either figure is exceeded and may return the paper to the student without a grade. If an individual paper is returned because of significant errors, it must be corrected and returned to the instructor by the next class meeting. Grades on all papers that are returned because of poor written communication skills will be reduced by one letter. It is, therefore, in a students best interest to carefully review all written assignments and to use available help before submitting a paper the first time. Failure to produce an acceptably written document may result in an F on the assignment.

Date November 28 November 30 December 3 December 5 December 7 December 10 December 12 December 14 December 17 December 19 December 21 January 7 January 9 January 11 January 14 January 16 January 18 January 21 January 23 January 25 January 28 January 30 February 1 February 4 February 6 February 8 February 15 February 18 February 20 February 22 February 25 February 27

CLASS SCHEDULE Topic Chapter Learning Objectives: Course Overview Introduction to Consumer Behavior 1 To define consumer behavior Marketing Environment To evaluate impact of external factors Consumer Research 2 To understand steps in and use of research Market Segmentation 3 To understand bases of market segmentation Problem Recognition, Information Search 15 and criteria for target markets Group Work Day Finalize Product Ideas Alternative Evaluation, Purchase, Outcomes 15 To overview consumer decision-making Decision-Making Types process, including influencing factors Exam 1 Merry Christmas no class Motivation 4 To learn dynamics of needs and motivation Personality 5 To discuss aspects of individuals personality Perception 6 To introduce strategic applications of perception Learning 7 To introduce learning theories Communication 9 To review persuasive communication strategies Attitudes 8 To review theoretical approaches to attitude MLK Holiday No Class Exam 2 formation and change Reference Groups and Family 10 To discuss external group influences Social Class 10 Culture 11 To evaluate the impact of cultural groups Subculture 12 To identify subgroups within U.S. culture Innovation and Personal Influence 14 To learn diffusion of innovation and adoption Exam 3 theory Group Work Day Group Presentations and ALL Groups Written Reports Due Presidents Day Holiday No class Group Presentations Group Presentations Group Presentations Grades Due for Graduating Seniors

THE PROFESSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THIS SCHEDULE WITH NOTICE TO THE STUDENTS
Academic Misconduct: University policy with respect to academic misconduct will be strictly enforced. Academic misconduct will not be tolerated. Cheating on exams, plagiarism, or copying another students assignments will result in a grade of zero. In accordance with the Academic Honor Code (www.latech.edu/tech/students/honor-code.pdf), students pledge the following: Being a student of higher standards, I pledge to embody the principle of academic integrity. Any attempts at cheating, plagiarism, or facilitating academic dishonesty will be penalized. Students are advised to read the Academic Misconduct section of the current University Bulletin. Please be aware that misrepresentation of an excused absence is grounds for academic misconduct. Accommodation for Special Needs: Students needing testing or classroom accommodations based on a disability are encouraged to discuss those needs with the professor as soon as possible. Required documentation from the DSS office (e.g., appropriate DSS memorandum) should be provided.

Consumer Behavior Group Product Paper Title Page Table of Contents Executive Summary I. Introduction of Product A. What is your product? (provide a name and a detailed description) **NOTE: you will be required to develop a prototype of your product for the presentation. B. What type of problem will your product typically satisfy? C. What type of innovation is your product? D. What is the expected diffusion rate of your product? (Evaluate your product using the characteristics which influence the adoption rate of a new product.) II. Target Market A. What is the target market for your product? Utilize the appropriate segmentation approaches (demographic, psychographic, usage, benefits, and geographic) to identify the target market for your product. Be sure to refer not only to the introductory class discussion of market segmentation, but also to the specific discussions on the individual and environmental influences which may be applicable to your product (i.e., personality and lifestyle, family life-cycle, culture / subculture, social class, etc.). B. Why is the selected target market the most appropriate segment? (Use the criteria for successful segmentation to justify your choice of target market.) C. What is your intended target market strategy (i.e., undifferentiated, concentrated or multi-segment)? Why? III. Situational Analysis Conduct secondary data analysis for your proposed product and market. This information should provide a justification as to why your product is needed in the marketplace and why your product has a competitive advantage. You will need to thoroughly examine the forces in the environment that may affect your ability to reach your target market. A. Situational Environment i. Demand / demand trends industry trends ii. Social and cultural environment and trends iii. Demographic environment and trends iv. Economic environment and trends v. Technological environment and trends vi. Political and legal environment and trends B. Competitive Environment (What existing products currently satisfy the same need as your product? Is there any information about these products available to help formulate your strategy?) i. Detailed competitive evaluation, including strengths and weaknesses ii. Evaluate marketing mix strategy and tactics of competition, including detailed assessment of product, price, promotion and distribution IV. Decision-Making Analysis A. What type of decision-making type should be associated with your product? (i.e., extensive, limited, etc.) B. What are the marketing implications of this decision-making type for your product? 1. Where and how will consumers search for information about your product? 2. What types of perceived risk will be associated with your product? 3. What level of involvement will your product have? 4. How will consumers likely evaluate your product? (i.e., evaluative criteria, importance, decision rules, etc.) 5. How likely are consumers to suffer from cognitive dissonance after the purchase of your product? How will you propose to manage consumers cognitive dissonance?

V. Individual factors Influencing Likelihood of Purchase A. What will be the consumers likely needs and motivations for purchasing your product? (Maslows hierarchy of needs) B. How will the consumer learn about your product? (Be sure to think not only in terms of learning theory, but also about sources of information such as reference groups, etc.) C. Which components of attitude will be most relevant to your product? (i.e., cognitive, affective, behavioral) VI. Promotional Strategy A. What components of the promotional mix do you intend to use to promote your product? (i.e., advertising, sales promotion, public relations, personal selling) Why? 1. What is your message? 2. How will you get the consumers attention? 3. Provide examples of your promotional materials and provide justification for your selection of promotional strategy. You may wish to examine the compatibility of your target market and your chosen promotional strategy for appropriateness. You need not be concerned with creating a budget or evaluating your selections based on cost. Your grade will depend on your creativity and the plausibility or appropriateness of your selections given your target market and product type. VII. Pricing Strategy A. At what price to you intend to offer your product? Why? VIII. Distribution Strategy A. Through what type of distribution channel do you plan to make your product available? Why? IX. Appendix (reference list, etc.)