Consumer Behavior

Course Prof. S.Ramesh Kumar

Term 3 PGP -Elective

Why is Consumer Behavior important?

*The dynamic marketing environment has experienced a shift towards
marketing orientation requires managers to analyze and evaluate consumers
before marketing strategies are formulated.
*Consumers reflect not just the need for utilitarian value: they reflect the need
for symbolism in their choices across product categories and
the interdisciplinary nature of consumer behavior (with its underpinnings in
psychology, sociology, anthropology and economics) enables a better
understanding of consumers in the market place.
*The success of several brands (in India and in other developed markets)
suggests that consumer behavior has significantly contributed to marketing
strategies of successful brand. This is especially important, given the diversity
of consumers in a context like the Indian context. .

Course Objectives
*To provide a conceptual orientation towards the subject of consumer
behavior to the students of the elective
*To enable the students apply the concept s of consumer behavior to the
Indian context.
*To enable students to clearly draw linkages between the application of a
concept to a given marketing situation and /or prioritize the application of
concepts to the respective marketing situation. (For instance to develop a new
concept category what kind of concepts are to be used or for repositioning a
brand, what concepts are to be used or how is culture associated with brand
associations)
*To enable the students to appreciate the managerial implications of
applying consumer behavior when such concepts are used in conjunction with
concepts of advertising, brand management, product management and
retailing management (meaning that concepts of consumer behavior will be
useful when applied with other sub-areas in actual practice).

Course Content
*Basics of consumer behavior and its implications to managers
Individual processes involved in consumer behavior-perception, learning
theories, attitudes, personality and motivation.

*Consumer decision making and the environment, diffusion of innovation

cultural aspects/group concepts in consumer behavior, consumer
satisfaction and dissonance
*Application of concepts to the Indian context

How will the course be conducted?

Course methodology
*Though lectures will form a part of the methodology, there will be a heavy
emphasis on self-learning through case studies and application exercise
(projects).
* There will be lectures on Foundation concepts followed by case studies
and group based application exercises. Ten sessions are
likely to be lecture sessions and the remaining ten will be consisting of group/
group work presentation and discussion.
Course evaluation (tentative)
*Quiz component- 20: Project work (group 10 and sub-group component 20)30: Case-20 : General participation -10 : case participation-10
Groups would be assigned by the PGP Office/Course Prof .
Attendance requirement
There is no minimum requirement. But any student who does not have sixty
five percent attendance will NOT be eligible for ANY kind of participation
marks (including any make up participation exercises that will be announced.)
Course Professors comments about the course
*The course is a rigorous one and a student will be required to spend about
sixty hours outside the class room for preparation/library work. Marketing
basics are a prerequisite for this course. And do not expect too many power
point (ppts) to be a part of the lecture or perceive ppts to be the structure of
the course .
One is expected to go through the class room experience of taking down
notes and relate them to the concepts. Given the nature of the coursed and
the level at which the course is attempted , students would be required to
think through the course work. Do not expect spoon feeding
*Text book (TB) Leon Schiffman , Joseph Wisenblit and S.Ramesh Kumar th
Consumer behavior, Pearson Education 10th edition, 2014.

*Reference book (RB) Ramesh Kumar S, Consumer behavior and Branding

Pearson Education, 2009.(subject to availability of prints)
Clarifications (if any) may be addressed to the Course Prof. S.Ramesh
Kumar at rkumar@iimb.ernet.in