Understanding why consumers do the things they do is essential for all marketing. In this course, students will explore the many influences that affect individual purchase and consumption behavior.
The approach taken will be wide-ranging and will draw on current theory in psychology, sociology and anthropology. The practical application of consumer behavior theory to the students work and product experiences as well as to their own consumer behavior will be stressed throughout.
Obtain a usable managerial understanding of consumer behavior.
Leverage consumer behavior principles to develop marketing strategy for various marketing situations.
Become a good interpreter of different types marketing data.
Understand and be able recommend marketing tools to increase the likelihood of success.
Evaluate different marketing problems and challenges and come up with an action plan that is sound with limited resources.
Improve creativity and critical thinking.
Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy with DDB Life Style Study Data
Disk
Hawkins, Mothersbaugh
McGraw-Hill Irwin
11 th Edition/2010
9780077294106
MBA 666 Syllabus January 2012

Midterm and Final Case Assignments:
There will be two cases assignments from your textbook. Both cases present you with an opportunity to apply the concepts and ideas learned in this course into your paper. Both cases have a set of questions that you will need to research and answer. Each paper should no less than 5 pages and a maximum of 7 pages. You will have two weeks to complete each assignment.
Written Assignments:
There are weekly written assignments that will be a combination of internet, DDB Life Style Study
Data analysis (from the required CD), and marketing articles.
Discussion Assignments:
The discussion questions will be a direct application of the material covered that week.
Late Assignments: All assignments are to be submitted by the due date listed on the course schedule.
Late assignments and posts and will result in a loss of points. Weekly Discussion posts will only be graded if posted prior to Sunday, 11:00pm CST of the week they are due.
Each student is encouraged to ask any questions you may have regarding assignments, projects, and or miscellaneous topics in the Ask the Instructor Discussion Forum.
It is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor of any special circumstances that may have an impact on accomplishing the required assignments and discussions. The decision of any make-up work is based on the evaluation and decision of the instructor. It is in the student's best interest to plan ahead and prepare for the expectations of this course. Students are expected to interact through the
Angel course management system, at least 3-5 times each week, for discussions, announcements and assignments.
Week Title Assignments
- Hawkins, Mothersbaugh text,
Chapters 1-4
- Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategy
01
Marketing Strategy, Consumer
Behavior and Cultural
Consideration
We will start our weekly discussion off by reading Five Steps to Building a Cultural Brand by Harvey Hartman.
After reading the article:
Discuss how consumer behavior (cultural, lifestyle etc) can help determine brand or product strategy. Use current companies that you are familiar with in your everyday life.
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MBA 666
Describe how your behavior might relate to a specific brand or product strategy. Select a good strategy and describe why you believe the organization is on target or select a not so good strategy and make recommendations as to how to improve their approach. They can be examples used in the article but please expand on it.
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Definition of
Sustainability
Sustainability has been defined differently depending upon the cultures and its definition has changed over time. One can find multiple definitions of sustainability. Search the
Internet and come up with what you consider to be the most relevant definition for sustainability as it might apply to marketers concerned with the management of the consumer and understanding of consumer behavior? Please support your definition with outside resources that ultimately led you to that conclusion?
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
-
Customer Experience
Sustainability has been defined differently depending upon the cultures and its definition has changed over time. One can find multiple definitions of sustainability. Search the
Internet and come up with what you consider to be the most relevant definition for sustainability as it might apply to marketers concerned with the management of the consumer and understanding of consumer behavior? Please support your definition with outside resources that ultimately led you to that conclusion?
Syllabus January 2012

Submit your completed assignment to the drop box below. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Hawkins, Mothersbaugh text,
Chapters 5, 6, and 7
- Dreams and
Obstacles
This week's discussion revolves around the following article: Dreams and Obstacles .
Use the articles research findings and recommendations as a guide for your discussion. Provide additional insights for this discussion.
02
Subcultures, Families &
Households, Group Influences
What are your thoughts regarding the research findings?
What is your opinion of the articles recommendations?
What do you think some of today's marketing organizations are or are not doing to address this market segment?
Can you think of any good or bad examples of marketing efforts that have been made recently or in the past few years?
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Office
Depot
In your text, read Case 2-5: Office Depot
Leads in Green.
Using the concepts and information in the preceding chapters, answer Questions 1 thru 5 on page 270 in relation to the case.
Your paper should be 3-6 pages in length excluding coversheet and reference page.
Please remember to always submit your
MBA 666 Syllabus January 2012

assignment in APA format, and utilize concepts, theories, and terminology in your analysis in order to demonstrate mastery of the material. Use of citations is critical in demonstrating knowledge and application of theory and concepts.
Submit your completed assignment to the drop box below. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Hawkins, Mothersbaugh text,
Chapters 8, 9, and 10
- Product Positioning
The readings this week refer to product positioning and how it accomplishes the creation of image relative to the competition.
It is also discusses the tailoring of an image and presentation of a product or service that will appeal to a specific market.
For this week's forum, discuss the following:
How you would determine the best product position for a line of power tools targeting woman.
03
Perception - Learning Memory,
Product Positioning,
Motivation, Personality, and
Emotion
Think about the profile of the consumer. Come up with a possible profile of woman who would like to purchase power tools. Then consider the information that would help come up with the image and product position specific to this group of consumers. That image could be based on the lifestyles of women who are likely to buy a power tool. The creation of a perceptional map might help you formulate your approach.
A Perceptual Map example is shown in Figure
9-10 on page 345 of the text. Also consider the relationship between brand image and your perceptual map.
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
MBA 666 Syllabus January 2012

04
Attitudes, Influencing
Attitudes, Self-Concept and
Lifestyle
-
Starbucks
This week you will start your Midterm Case
Assignment. This assignment is due at the end of Week 4.
In your text, read Case 2-1: Starbucks Keeps it Brewing in Asia on page 264-265. Using the concepts and information in the preceding chapters, answer Questions 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 on page 265 in relation to the case.
Your paper should be 8-10 pages in length excluding coversheet and reference page.
Please remember to always submit your assignment in APA format, and utilize concepts, theories, and terminology in your analysis in order to demonstrate mastery of the material. Use of citations is critical in demonstrating knowledge and application of theory and concepts.
- Hawkins, Mothersbaugh text,
Chapters 11-12
- PRIZM
For this forum we will discuss how to use
PRIZM or similar tool to develop a marketing strategy. Let's approach the discussion this week as if we are a marketing management team and we know little about our current customers. It could be any product, so, it is product non-specific.
You should focus on the method or process of profiling and segmentation. You can refer to any source at your disposal. Given this scenario, focus on these four areas:
Identification of segments within the customer database.
The description of the database.
The rank ordering of the database by business metrics, sales and buying behavior, frequency of purchase, etc.
The customization or tailoring of communications, product positioning, etc.
MBA 666 Syllabus January 2012

05
Situational Influences,
Consumer Decision Process,
Problem Recognition
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Is Sustainability
Viable?
Is sustainability a viable concept for American business? Why or why not?
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
-
Starbucks
This week you are to submit your Midterm
Assignment Case 2-1: Starbucks Keeps it
Brewing in Asia, started in Week 3.
Submit your completed assignment to the drop box below. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Hawkins, Mothersbaugh text,
Chapters 13-14
- 1-800-FLOWERS
Let's talk this week about perception. Flowers are an appropriate gift for women for many situations but flowers seem to be appropriate for men only when they are ill.
On the 1-800-Flowers website, several products are targeted toward males. Is 1-800-
Flowers making the assumption that males simply do not like flowers or plants? How would you get at the answer? If you were able to determine there is a market for selling more varieties of flowers and plants for more occasions, how would you change the web site to become tailored to males as well as
MBA 666 Syllabus January 2012

females?
Website: 1-800-Flowers http://www.1800flowers.com
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Problem
Recognition
For this written assignment, visit several company websites. Find and describe one that attempts to trigger problem recognition.
Remember that companies often try to influence a desired state by demonstrating a benefit in their advertisement. For example: on page 510 of your text, Illustration 14-7 shows Invisilign advertisement that attempts to influence the hatred based on outcome or benefits
Once you have identified a site that qualifies, describe how you think they are triggering the problem recognition. It could be a packaging problem, an inconvenience problem, a service problem etc. There are many to choose from.
Your paper should be approximately 2-3 pages. You may include images (be cognizant of the file size with an image) and links.
Submit your completed assignment to the drop box below. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Hawkins, Mothersbaugh text,
Chapters 15-16
06
- Brand Choice
Information Search, Alternative
Evaluation and Selection
In Chapter Sixteen we read that marketers needed to understand which decision rules and evaluative criteria is being used by the consumer to position a product within the decision framework.
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MBA 666
For this discussion, describe a purchase decision for which you or someone you know used as an affective choice or attitude-based choice. Support your decisions with choice strategies.
What type of decision process was used? Does it vary?
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Sustainability and
Consumer Behavior
What role should marketers take in terms of understanding consumer behavior in order to advance the principle of sustainability in an organization that depends upon marketing and the understanding of consumer behavior to meet the needs of the target market?
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Internet
Use Trends
The demographic composition of Internet users in the United States and the activities they engage in is changing over time.
Visit http://www.pewinternet.org
and review information on trends. Compare those to what the text says starting on page 526.
Highlight and summarize in a paper the changes you can identify and comment on why you think those changes have taken place. Your paper should be 3-6 pages in length excluding coversheet and reference page. Please remember to always submit your assignment in APA format, and utilize concepts, theories, and terminology in your analysis in order to demonstrate mastery of the material. Use of citations is critical in
Syllabus January 2012

demonstrating knowledge and application of theory and concepts.
Submit your completed assignment to the
Drop Box below. Please check the Course
Schedule for specific due dates.
- Hawkins, Mothersbaugh text,
Chapters 17 and 18
- Online Strategy
Describe an appropriate strategy for an online retailer such as Target.com or Walmart.com for each of the motivational-based shopping orientations described in your text on pages
601-602.
Websites:
Target: http://www.target.com
Wal-Mart: http://www.walmart.com
07
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
Outlet Selection, Purchase and
Post Purchase
- Tapping the Ethnic Housing Market
This week you will start your Final Case
Assignment. This assignment will be due at the end of Week 8.
In your text, read Case 2-8: Tapping the
Ethnic Housing Market
Using the concepts and information in the preceding chapters, answer Questions 1,2,3,4 on page 272-273 in relation to the case.
There are tables in page 272 of the text that provides the details for this case. These tables will help you answer the questions.
Your paper should be 8-10 pages in length excluding coversheet and reference page.
Please remember to always submit your
MBA 666 Syllabus January 2012

assignment in APA format, and utilize concepts, theories, and terminology in your analysis in order to demonstrate mastery of the material. Use of citations is critical in demonstrating knowledge and application of theory and concepts.
- Hawkins, Mothersbaugh text,
Chapters 19 and 20
- ATT Strategy
In Chapter 19 of your text, the concept of
Macrosegmentation is introduced as a method of segmenting the businesses as opposed to consumers. This is simply the process of dividing the market into segments based on their Firmographics, discussed on page 680.
The topic for discussion this week is ATT.
Discuss how ATT might use a
Macrosegmentation strategy to sell the iPhone to businesses. How would you divide the market up? By size, industry (SIC), etc.?
Would the marketing approach be different for each segment?
08
Organizational Buyer Behavior and Marketing Regulations
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other students' post by the end of the week. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
- Tapping the
Ethnic Housing Market
This week you will start your Final Case
Assignment. This assignment will be due at the end of Week 8.
In your text, read Case 2-8: Tapping the
Ethnic Housing Market
Using the concepts and information in the preceding chapters, answer Questions 1,2,3,4 on page 272-273 in relation to the case.
There are tables in page 272 of the text that provides the details for this case. These tables will help you answer the questions.
Your paper should be 8-10 pages in length
MBA 666 Syllabus January 2012

excluding coversheet and reference page.
Please remember to always submit your assignment in APA format, and utilize concepts, theories, and terminology in your analysis in order to demonstrate mastery of the material. Use of citations is critical in demonstrating knowledge and application of theory and concepts.
Submit your completed assignment to the drop box below. Please check the Course
Calendar for specific due dates.
The primary mission of the Benedictine University Library is to provide library resources and services that support the Benedictine University community and meet its academic and research needs. To support our mission, the Library has made provisions for all students to gain access to important academic resources through the Benedictine Library Website. As you begin your academic journey please take note of these key concepts that will affect that access:
Entry into academic databases and most Library resources must be made through the
Benedictine Library Website at www.ben.edu/library
Within one week of your official enrollment your patron information will be automatically entered into the library system, where once entered, you will be able to check out books and access databases
When off-campus you will be prompted by authentication software (a proxy server) to provide your Library ID number and last name to access article databases and request books. This software proxy server confirms that you are a current Benedictine
University student and thus allowed access
Your Library ID number is a combination of the Benedictine Library prefix 2281100 and your seven-digit student ID number (also called your � b � number). Thus
2281100XXXXXXX is the Library ID number with X � s being the seven digit student number. This number is prominently located just below the barcode on your
Benedictine ID card
Tutorials on the Research Process including basic Library skills and Web-based
Resource Guides are available on the Library Website http://www.ben.edu/library/ .
Click on Reserves & course support or simply follow the link http://www.ben.edu/library/course_support/index.asp
MBA 666 Syllabus January 2012

Additional Library information and tutorials are available on the Library Website by clicking on How do I?...(Help & FAQs) or simply follow the link http://www.ben.edu/library/help/index.asp
For further information on any aspect of Library resources and access please call or write the Benedictine Library Reference Desk at 630-829-6057 or libref@ben.edu
.
Please take note of Library hours and staff directory located on the Library Website under About the Library and feel free to contact us about any concern or need you might have.
Per University policy, assignments cannot be accepted by an instructor after the last day of the course. In the event of extenuating circumstances, please see the information regarding the Incomplete Policies and Procedures.
Under extraordinary circumstances, when a student is unable to complete all course assignments by the final date of the session, a grade of 'I'(Incomplete) may be requested by the student and issued with the permission of the instructor. In order to be eligible for an
Incomplete, a student must be performing satisfactorily in the course, have completed a substantial portion of the course and be in good academic standing.
Online students may have as many as 28 days in which to complete their work and submit for a final grade from the instructor. Incomplete grades not addressed by students will become an “F” unless the student has removed it. It is the student’s responsibility to complete all course requirements.
The search for truth and the dissemination of knowledge are the central missions of a university. Benedictine University pursues these missions in an environment guided by our
Roman Catholic tradition and our Benedictine Heritage.
Integrity and honesty are therefore expected of all University students. Actions such as cheating, plagiarism, collusion, fabrication, forgery, falsification, destruction, multiple submission, solicitation, and misrepresentation are violations of these expectations and constitute unacceptable behavior in the University community.
To access the complete Academic Honesty Policy, which includes student responsibility, responsibility and authority of faculty, violations, reporting and communicating, responsibilities of the provost, appeals, composition of the academic appeals board, procedures of the academic appeals board, and records, please select the following link: www.ben.edu/ahp
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of
1990 prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities by standing provision of reasonable accommodations to make programs and activities accessible to qualified individuals with disabilities.
MBA 666 Syllabus January 2012

If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability, you may be eligible for reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, please contact the Student Success Center, Krasa Center - 012A, 630-829-6340. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements. The University will not waive any essential skill or requirement of a course or degree program.
MBA 666 Syllabus January 2012