BUSML 4201 Consumer Behavior
Syllabus
Professor Xiaoyan Deng
Autumn 2012
FISHER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
BUSML4201: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
COURSE SYLLABUSi
Instructor:
Dr. Xiaoyan Deng
Class Location:
Schoenbaum Hall 205
Email:
deng_84@fisher.osu.edu
Class Time:
TuTh 9:35-10:55AM
Office:
534 Fisher Hall
Office Hours:
Fri 130-230 or by appointment
Course Materials:
Required text: Consumer Behavior, 5th Edition, by Wayne D. Hoyer and Deborah J. MacInnis,
ISBN-10: 0547079923, ISBN-13: 9780547079929.
Supplementary Course Materials:
All other course materials such as supplementary readings and assignment instructions will
either be available on CARMEN or given out in class.
Course Objectives:
Marketing begins and ends with the consumer, therefore it is essential that anyone wishing to
understand marketing understand the consumer. This course is designed to give you an
overview of consumer behavior and is intended to acquaint you with both what it means to
be a consumer in a market-oriented society and what a marketer needs to know to
understand the role of meeting the consumer’s needs in the development of marketing
strategy. To this end, we will explore processes involved in consumption and ways in which
marketers are better able to predict and influence behavior.
Learning Objectives:
To understand the concepts, theories, and principles from the social sciences that apply to
consumers and their purchase behavior.
To learn how to make appropriate marketing decisions based on a sound knowledge of
consumer behavior concepts.
To become a more knowledgeable consumer, understanding how consumer behavior
principles may affect your own buying patterns.
i
This syllabus is subject to change when necessary.
1
BUSML 4201 Consumer Behavior
Syllabus
Professor Xiaoyan Deng
Autumn 2012
Course Evaluation:
o Group assignment
1. Perceptual maps
2. Attitudes
3. Memory
4. Decision rules
5. Innovations
o Individual assignment
1. Creative ads
2. Creative products
10 points
10 points
10 points
10 points
10 points
10 points (10%)
5 points
5 points
o Exam
40 points (40%)
1. Exam 1
2. Exam 2
TOTAL
50 points (50%)
20 points
20 points
100 points (100%)
Important notes:
Assignment:
o There will be five group assignments throughout the semester. For these assignments, the
class is broken up into small groups of five students and given a project to work on together
during the class period. You may form your own groups for each assignment. Groups may
change or stay the same throughout the semester (it is up to you).
o For all five group assignments, you will be asked to write up the solution your group
develops to turn in at the beginning of the following class period. One assignment will be
turned in per group. If you miss a day when we do group work, your name will not be
on the write-up and you will not receive credit for that group assignment. If you let
me know prior to class that you are going to miss a group day (for a valid reason) you will
have an opportunity to turn in an individual assignment to make up this missed group
assignment. These individual make-up assignments are due on the same day that the group
reports are due.
o There will also be two individual participation assignments, as outlined in the syllabus; details
will be given in class.
o All assignments must be turned in on time. Turning in an assignment late will result in a 10%
grade reduction for each 12 hour period after the due time. All written assignments must be
typed. Any written assignment which is not typed will receive a 20% grade deduction.
2
BUSML 4201 Consumer Behavior
Syllabus
Professor Xiaoyan Deng
Autumn 2012
Exam:
o There will be two exams. Both exams will include material from the textbook, classroom
discussion, and any supplemental material provided by the instructor. You are responsible
for all material in the text, even if we do not cover it in class. The exams will only cover the
information presented during the portion of the class stated on the syllabus and will not be
cumulative. That being said, it is important to note that some overlap will occur between
exams. As a result, although earlier information will not be tested directly on the second
exam, it is to the student’s benefit to be comfortable with this material before proceeding in
the course.
o Both exams MUST be taken in class at the scheduled time. A make-up exam is only
permitted with a written doctor’s excuse or in an extreme personal situation. Notification of
the need to take a make-up exam must be given 48 hours prior to the exam. Missing the
exam without providing this notification in advance will result in a grade of 0 for the exam.
Class attendance and participation:
o Your ability to benefit from the course and contribute to the class is largely dependent upon
your class attendance and participation. Learning is maximized when all students come
prepared to class, participate actively in the class discussion, and demonstrate critical and
analytical thinking skills.
o Fisher College of Business strongly enforces University attendance policies. As per
University rule 3335-8-33, any student may be disenrolled from a course for failure to attend
by the first Friday of the term, or by the 3rd instructional day of the term, or by the second
class meeting, whichever occurs first.
Attending classes regularly is extremely important. If you are unable to attend class on any
occasion, please notify me via email in advance, unless it is an unforeseen emergency.
Moreover, you will be responsible for everything covered or announced in class on that day.
Finally, “attending classes” means attending the entire class, not part of it. Arriving late or
leaving early is impolite and distracting to the instructor and your classmates. My personal
pet peeve is that students leave in the middle of the class. Please try to avoid that unless
there is indeed an emergency.
Grade appeal policy
Grades on assignments are intended to reflect the overall quality of performance of the student(s). If
you think your grade on an assignment does not reflect the quality of your performance, you may
submit a clear, written explanation of your reasoning within one week following the return of your
assignment or test. The written document need not be long but it must clearly identify the problem
or issue of concern. I will consider such appeals carefully. There will be no grading appeals after the
one-week deadline has expired.
3
BUSML 4201 Consumer Behavior
Syllabus
Professor Xiaoyan Deng
Autumn 2012
Grading Scale:
Grade
A
AB+
B
B-
= 93-100 %
= 90-92.9 %
= 87-89.9 %
= 83-86.9 %
= 80-82.9 %
GPA
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
Grade
C+
C
CD+
D
F
= 77-79.9 %
= 73-76.9 %
= 70-72.9 %
= 67-69.9 %
= 60-66.9 %
= below 60
GPA
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
Honor Code:
Academic integrity is essential to maintaining an environment that fosters excellence in teaching,
research, and other educational and scholarly activities. Thus, The Ohio State University and the
Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM) expect that all students have read and understand
the University’s Code of Student Conduct and that all students will complete all academic and scholarly
assignments with fairness and honesty. Students must recognize that failure to follow the rules and
guidelines established in the University’s Code of Student Conduct and this syllabus may constitute
“Academic Misconduct.”
The Ohio State University’s Code of Student Conduct (Section 3335-23-04) defines academic
misconduct as: “Any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the University, or
subvert the educational process.” Examples of academic misconduct include (but are not limited to)
plagiarism, collusion (unauthorized collaboration), copying the work of another student, and
possession of unauthorized materials during an examination. Ignorance of the University’s Code of
Student Conduct is never considered an “excuse” for academic misconduct, so I recommend that you
review the Code of Student Conduct, specifically, the sections dealing with academic misconduct.
If I suspect that a student has committed academic misconduct in this course, I am obligated by
University Rules to report my suspicions to the Committee on Academic Misconduct. If COAM
determines that you have violated the University’s Code of Student Conduct (i.e., committed
academic misconduct), the sanctions for the misconduct could include a failing grade in this course
and suspension or dismissal from the University.
Other sources of information on academic misconduct (integrity) to which you can refer include:
o The Committee on Academic Misconduct web pages (oaa.osu.edu/coam/home.html)
o Ten Suggestions for Preserving Academic Integrity (oaa.osu.edu/coam/ten-suggestions.html)
o Eight Cardinal Rules of Academic Integrity (www.northwestern.edu/uacc/8cards.html)
Disability Policy:
Students with disabilities or requiring special accommodations should work directly with The Ohio
State University Office of Disability Services (ODS). ODS is located in 150 Pomerene Hall. The
ODS phone number is (614) 292–3307.
4
BUSML 4201 Consumer Behavior
Syllabus
Professor Xiaoyan Deng
Autumn 2012
Session Week Date
1
1-2
8/23
R
PART ONE: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CORE
Topic/Assignment
Reading
Introduction, Syllabus, and Overview: What is Chapter 1
Consumer Behavior?
2
2-1
8/28
T
Consumer Behavior Methods
Enrichment Chapter
3
2-2
8/30
R
Motivation, Ability, and Opportunity I
Chapter 2
4
3-1
9/4
T
Motivation, Ability, and Opportunity II
5
3-2
9/6
R
Exposure, Attention, and Perception I
6
4-1
9/11
T
Due Date
Chapter 3
Individual Assignment 1 (IA1)
Exposure, Attention, and Perception II
In-Class Group Assignment 1 (GA1)
Categorization I
7
4-2
9/13
R
8
5-1
9/18
T
Categorization II
9
5-2
9/20
R
Attitudes I
Chapter 5
10
6-1
9/25
T
Attitudes II
Chapter 6
11
6-2
9/27
R
Attitudes III
IA1 due
In-Class Group Assignment 2 (GA2)
Guest speaker
GA2 due
12
7-1
10/2
T
13
7-2
10/4
R
Learning and Memory I
14
8-1
10/9
T
Learning and Memory II
15
8-2
16
9-1
In-Class Group Assignment 3 (GA3)
10/11 Midterm review
R
Chapter 4
GA1 due
Chapter 7
GA3 due
10/16 Midterm exam
T
9:35-10:55AM
Schoenbaum Hall 205
5
BUSML 4201 Consumer Behavior
Syllabus
Professor Xiaoyan Deng
Autumn 2012
PART TWO: THE PROCESS OF MAKING DECISIONS
Session Week Date Topic/Assignment
Reading
17
9-2
10/18 Decision Making Process I
Chapters 8&9
R
18
10-1
10/23 Decision Making Process II
T
19
10-2
20
11-1
10/25 Decision Making Process III
R
In-Class Group Assignment 4 (GA4)
10/30 Post-Decision Processes
T
21
11-2
11/1
R
22
12-1
11/6
T
23
12-2
11/8
R
24
13-1
11/13 Consumer Psychographics
T
Chapter 14
25
13-2
11/15 Consumer Cultures
R
Chapters 12&13
26
14-1
11/20 TBA
T
27
14-2
11/22 Thanksgiving Day—no class
R
28
15-1
11/27 Symbolic Consumption
T
29
15-2
11/29 Exam 2 review
R
30
16-1
12/4
T
The Decision to Adopt an Innovation I
Due Date
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
GA4 due
Chapter 16
Individual Assignment 2 (IA2)
The Decision to Adopt an Innovation II
In-Class Group Assignment 5 (GA5)
Social Influences on Decision Making
Chapter 15
Chapter 17
GA5 due
IA2 due
Final exam
9:35-10:55AM
Schoenbaum Hall 205
6