MKT 450 – Consumer Behavior and Marketing
Spring 2012
Revised: December 15, 2012
Professor:
Office:
Phone:
E-Mail:
Office Hours:
T/R
T/R
T/R
Gülden Ülkümen
HOH 516
(213) 740-3852
ulkumen@marshall.usc.edu
Tuesday 5:30-6:30 pm, Thursday 5:30-6:30 pm, and by appointment.
12:00 - 01:50 pm
02:00 - 03:50 pm
04:00 - 05:50 pm
Room: HOH 422
Room: HOH 422
Room: HOH 422
Note: E-mail is the best way to contact me outside of class.
COURSE GOALS
We are all consumers. We buy groceries, computers, and cars. We purchase services ranging
from bank accounts to college educations. However, we also know that consumers are
different from one another. We buy different clothes, drive different cars, and eat different
foods. Moreover, even the same consumer can make different decisions depending on the
situation. So how are we to construct coherent marketing strategies?
In this class we will try to learn how and why consumers behave the way that they do. We
will explore our intuitions about our own behavior. We will learn about theories developed
in marketing, psychology and other behavioral sciences. And we will learn to use these
theories to predict how consumers will respond to different marketing activities.
The goals of this class are:
 To acquire a framework for analyzing consumer behavior problems
 To learn how consumer behavior can be affected by different marketing strategies
 To show how behavioral evidence can be used to evaluate alternative marketing
strategies
 To develop a deeper understanding of consumer behavior by learning about relevant
psychological and sociological theories
 To acquire experience in applying these theories to real-world consumer behavior
problems
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COURSE RESOURCES
Required Text
Consumer Behavior (2007, 5th edition), by Wayne D. Hoyer, and Deborah J. MacInnis,
Houghton Mifflin Co: Boston: MA.
Course Reader
Includes the following HBS cases:
 Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service (9-504-016)
 Boston Beer Company: Light Beer Decision (9-899-058)
 TiVo in 2002 (9-502-062)
Readings & Assignments
Additional exercises, journal articles, and recent news from the popular business press will
be provided throughout the semester. The journal articles will provide you with a deeper
insight into selected topics and methods of consumer behavior research. The business news
articles and exercises will give you the opportunity to apply the textbook’s conceptual
framework to current real-world marketing problems.
Make sure that you have read the readings assigned for each class. This will help you to
better understand the material discussed in class and to actively participate in class
discussions. These readings and assignments will be handed out in class or posted on the
class website. It will be the student’s responsibility to obtain these materials if a class session
is missed for any reason.
Course Website
https://blackboard.usc.edu
This website is an important part of the course and you will want to refer to it frequently for
information on each session. It contains important announcements, course syllabus, copies
of the PowerPoint slides we will use in class each day, readings and other handouts and
assignments. Please check this website regularly. It is your responsibility to check this
website once before every class for important announcements and updates.
Class Notes
A subset of the PowerPoint slides for each class will be available for downloading from the
website by 10 am the morning of the relevant class session. I will post a subset of the slides I
use in class on Blackboard. These slides only present an outline of the class discussion. You
will still need to take additional notes to fully capture the material discussed in class. It is the
student’s responsibility to print out lecture notes and bring them to class.
Prerequisites
None.
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COMMUNICATION
The best way to reach me is via email. I access my email many times a day – a lot more often
than my phone messages. The office hours are on Tuesday and Thursday 5:30-6:30 pm. If
you cannot make it to the regularly scheduled office hours, please email me and set up an
appointment for a different time.
I will use Blackboard’s email system to contact you individually or as a group about the class
(e.g. changes in the syllabus, assignments, etc.). It is your responsibility to make sure that
emails sent via Blackboard can reach you at an email address you check on a regular
basis.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE
Out of respect for the other students in the class, it is important for you to focus your full
attention on the class, for the entire class period. While most students do observe proper
decorum, it takes only a few to bother the entire class. In a busy, electronic age, proper class
etiquette means observing the following standards:
o Arrive for class on time.
o Once you have arrived, you should leave the classroom only if absolutely necessary.
Leaving to make or take phone calls, to meet with classmates, or to go to an
interview, is not considered appropriate behavior.
o The only material you should have in front of you is reading concerned with the
class. Reading of any other material, such as newspapers or magazines, or doing
work from another class, is not acceptable.
o Turn off and put away your laptop - you are not permitted to use your laptop in
class. The only exception to this is if I explicitly ask you to bring your laptop to class
and use it for an in-class exercise (I will, of course, let you know well ahead of time).
o Turn off your cell phone - You are not permitted to use your cell phone for calling,
text messaging, or for any sort of instant messaging, during class. Please switch it off.
Any violation of these standards for laptops and other electronic gadgets will be
considered as very serious.
ADD / DROP PROCESS
http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2011/academic/policies.html
In compliance with USC and Marshall’s policies classes are open enrollment (R-clearance)
through the first week of class. All classes are closed (switched to D-clearance) at the end of
the first week. This policy minimizes the complexity of the registration process for students
by standardizing across classes. I can drop you from my class if you don’t attend the first
two sessions. Please note: If you decide to drop, or if you choose not to attend the first two
session and are dropped, you risk being not being able to add to another section this
semester, since they might reach capacity. You can only add a class after the first week of
classes if you receive approval from the instructor.
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ATTENDANCE POLICY
I expect everyone to attend all classes. Aside from being an essential part of the learning
experience, regular attendance is a prerequisite for contributing to class discussions.
Moreover, please keep in mind that:
o Attendance is an important component of your class participation grade.
o You do not need to notify me if you cannot make it to class, unless it’s an exam
day or if you are not able to attend for an extended period of time.
o Absences will be excused only due to documented medical reasons, or when
accompanied by a note from another USC instructor. Absences due to job interviews
or other reasons will not be excused.
o Assignments are due at the beginning of class and late assignments will be penalized.
o If you have to miss class you are responsible for getting notes from other students,
and in general understanding the material covered, and for knowing any changes or
assignments announced in class.
EXTRA CREDIT POLICY
Please note that there will be no opportunities to improve your grade through the
completion of extra credit work. If you keep up with the class during the semester there
should not be any need for this either.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic
honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation
that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the
obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to
avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide
by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code
in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/
Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards
for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review
process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/ Failure to adhere to
the academic conduct standards set forth by these guidelines and our programs will not be
tolerated by the USC Marshall community and can lead to dismissal.
No cheating, plagiarism, or dishonest behavior will be tolerated. Copying the work of a
current or past student, plagiarizing in any way, or performing any other act of academic
dishonesty will be dealt with in a manner consistent with University policy.
Individual work, either in the form of an individual assignment or on an exam, must be
yours and yours alone. In group projects, I expect the members of each team to contribute
equally. Keep in mind that part of your grade from group projects depends on peer
evaluations.
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RETURN OF PAPERWORK
Returned paperwork, unclaimed by a student, will be discarded after 4 weeks. Students who
miss class sessions when assignments are returned are responsible for arranging an
appointment to retrieve their materials. To keep things fair for future students, I do not
allow students to take their actual exams out of the classroom. You may look over your
exams in my office during office hours, or by appointment.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS/COURSE CONTINUITY
In case of emergency, and travel to campus is difficult, USC executive leadership will
announce an electronic way for instructors to teach students in their residence halls or
homes using a combination of Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technologies.
Instructors should be prepared to assign students a "Plan B" project that can be completed
at a distance. For additional information about maintaining your classes in an emergency
please access: http://cst.usc.edu/services/emergencyprep.html
Please activate your course in Blackboard with access to the course syllabus. Whether or not
you use Blackboard regularly, these preparations will be crucial in an emergency. USC's
Blackboard learning management system and support information is available at
blackboard.usc.edu.
STATEMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to
register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification
for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is
delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open
8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Thank you for your co-operation in these very important rules. I am looking forward to an
exciting class and semester!
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STUDENT EVALUATION
Final grades represent how you perform in the class relative to other students. Your grade
will not be based on a mandated target, but on your performance. Historically, the average
grade for this class is about a (B). Three items are considered when assigning final grades:
1. Your average weighted score as a percentage of the available points for all assignments
(the points you receive divided by the number of points possible).
2. The overall average percentage score within the class.
3. Your ranking among all students in the class.
Your evaluation will be based on 2 midterms, 1 final exam, an individual assignment, three
case study reports, a final project, and your class participation:
Case Reports:
Individual Assignment:
Final Project:
Midterm 1:
Midterm 2:
Final Exam:
Class Participation:
Case Study Reports
6%
10%
17%
15%
15%
25%
12%
6%
You will be asked to prepare 3 Harvard Business School cases for class discussion. To make
sure that you have read and thought about the cases in advance, I will ask everyone to bring
to class a (max) 2 page report on the day we discuss the case in class, in the beginning of
class. Each case report will contribute 2% towards your final grade. More detailed
information on the case preparations will be posted on the Blackboard at a later date.
Individual Assignment
10%
Evaluation & Choice Assignment is designed to help you better understand and remember
the issues discussed in class. This assignment should be done individually.
Please turn in a hard copy of each assignment in the beginning of class, on its due date
(indicated in the class schedule). Students are responsible for knowing when the
assignments and case reports are due. If you are unable to turn in an assignment on or before
the due date, for whatever reason (e.g., illness), you must contact me prior to the due date.
Final Project
17%
A significant part of your course grade will be determined by a final project, which will be
completed in groups. As professionals interested in marketing, you are all going to be part of
teams that work together in finding solutions to common marketing problems. Therefore, as
part of this course, you will be required to carry out a team project in which you focus on a
particular product, service, or non-profit cause, conduct research to examine this product
and its customers and discuss your findings. More information on the final project will be
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posted on Blackboard at a later date. You are responsible for selecting your team members,
coordinating schedules, and communicating your expectations about division of labor. At
the end of the semester, each team member will be asked to evaluate the
contribution of every other member in their teams. Part of your grade on the final
project will be based on these peer evaluations.
Midterms
30% (Midterm 1: 15% & Midterm 2: 15%)
The two midterms will be based on the lectures, class discussions, assigned readings, and
class assignments. They may include multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. The
midterms will include material primarily covered in lectures, but material from the textbook
and assigned readings may also be included. There will be no makeup exam. If you cannot
take one of the midterms due to a documented medical condition, the other midterm will
count for 30% of your course grade. If you fail to take both midterms due to a documented
medical condition, your final exam will count for 55% of your course grade.
Final Exam
25%
The exam may consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. The exam will
primarily include material covered in lectures, but material from the text, fellow students’
group presentations, and assigned readings may also be included. No student is allowed to
take the final exam early or to skip the final exam. There will be no makeup exam.
Class Participation
12%
I expect that you all realize the importance of attending the classes. Attending classes is not
optional. It will substantially increase your understanding of the assigned readings and
provide you with insight into issues beyond those covered in the readings. It will also give
you the opportunity to actively participate in class discussions and obtain a better class
participation grade. Note, however, that your mere presence is not sufficient to earn points
for class participation. What matters more is the quantity and, especially, the quality of your
contributions to class discussions.
All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Please turn in a hard copy of each
assignment at the beginning of class on their due date. Assignments submitted by email will
not be accepted. Assignments handed in late will lose points. Your grades will be posted on
our course page on Blackboard. Please check there from time to time to make sure all your
points are recorded properly.
GRADE REBUTTALS
If you feel that a calculation or judgment error has been made in the grading of an assignment
or exam, please write a formal memo describing the error, within one week after the grades are
posted. Also include documentation in support of your opinion. If you submit a written appeal,
I do not promise to change your grade, but I promise to consider your appeal carefully and
fairly. Please note that any request for re-assessment of a grade usually results in re-grading the
ENTIRE assignment or exam. (This means that if errors are detected in the grading of other
sections, they will also be corrected, whether they are in your favor or not.)
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PROJECTED CLASS SCHEDULE SPRING 2012
updated 12/15/11
Please note that this is a tentative class schedule – it may change in the course of the semester. You are responsible
for any changes announced in class or posted on Blackboard.
DATE
DAY
TOPIC
01 / 10
Session 1
Tuesday
Introduction to the Course
01 / 12
Session 2
Thursday
Overview of Consumer Behavior
01 / 17
Session 3
Tuesday
Measuring Consumer Behavior
(Qualitative Methods)
01 / 19
Session 4
Thursday
Measuring Consumer Behavior
(Quantitative Methods)
01 / 24
Session 5
Tuesday
Consumer Behavior and Marketing
(Segmentation & Targeting)
01 / 26
Session 6
Thursday
Case Discussion: Starbucks
Consumer Behavior and Marketing
(Positioning)
ASSIGNMENT
Read Chapter 1
DUE: Personal Profile
Read Enrichment Chapter
DUE: Starbucks Case Report1
PART I: The Consumer Decision Making Process
1. Overview
01 / 31
Session 7
Tuesday
The Consumer Decision Making
Process
Read Chapter 2
DUE: Form Groups for Final
Project
2. Pre-Purchase Processes
02 / 02
Session 8
Thursday
Need Recognition & Search
02 / 07
Session 9
Tuesday
Exposure & Attention
1
Case reports are due in hard copy, in class on the day we discuss the case.
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Read Chapter 8
Read Chapter 3
02 / 09
Session 10
Thursday
Perception
Read Chapter 4
DUE: Select 3 Candidate Products
for Final Project
02 / 14
Session 11
Tuesday
Case Discussion: Boston Beer Company
Course Review
DUE: Boston Beer Company Case
Report
02 / 16
Session 12
Thursday
MIDTERM 1
02 / 21
Session 13
Tuesday
In-Class Research Workshop
Note: Students can use laptops in
this session
3. Purchase & Post Purchase Processes
02 / 23
Session 14
Thursday
Opinion Formation
02 / 28
Session 15
Tuesday
Opinion Formation
03/01
Session 16
Thursday
Storage & Retrieval
Read Chapter 7
DUE: Report Summarizing
Selected Product, Research on
Target and Alternative Segments,
and Hypotheses for Final Project
03/06
Session 17
Tuesday
Evaluation & Choice
Read Chapter 9
03 / 08
Session 18
Thursday
Evaluation & Choice
03 / 13
Tuesday
Spring Break - No Class
03 / 15
Thursday
Spring Break - No Class
03 / 20
Session 19
Tuesday
Decision Biases
03 / 22
Session 20
Thursday
Course Review
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Read Chapters 5 & 6
Read Chapter 10
DUE: Evaluation & Choice
Assignment (Individual
Assignment)
03 / 27
Session 21
Tuesday
MIDTERM 2
03 / 29
Session 22
Thursday
Consumption & Evaluation
Read Chapter 11
Read Hoch & Ha (1986)
04 / 03
Session 23
Tuesday
In-Class Workshop
DUE (04/02): Report on Suggested
Research Methods & Materials for
Final Project
PART II: Individual & Environmental Influences on the Decision Making Process
04 / 05
Session 24
Thursday
Individual Influences on Adoption
Culture and Consumer Behavior
Read Chapter 16
04 / 10
Session 25
Tuesday
Demographics
Read Chapters 12, 13
04 / 12
Session 26
Thursday
Psychographics
Case Discussion: TiVo 2002
Read Chapters 14
DUE: TiVo 2002 Case Report
PART III: Improving Consumers’ Decisions
04 / 17
Session 27
Tuesday
Consumer Welfare
Read Chapter 18
Final Project Presentations
04 / 19
Session 28
Thursday
Project Presentations
04 / 24
Session 29
Tuesday
Project Presentations
04 / 26
Session 30
Thursday
Course Review
Section:
T/R 12:00 - 01:50 pm
T/R 02:00 - 03:50 pm
T/R 04:00 - 05:50 pm
Final exam date & time
Wednesday, May 9, 2-4 pm
Thursday, May 3, 2-4 pm
Thursday, May 3, 4:30-6:30 pm
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DUE: Final Project
for All Groups
PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM
MKT 450 – Consumer Behavior and Marketing
Professor Gülden Ülkümen, Spring 2011
Your Name: _____________________________________________
Please staple
your photo here
Cell phone number: _______________________________________
Name you prefer to be called: ________________________________
(One that looks like you!)
Major(s): ________________________________________________
Expected graduation date:___________________________________
Please read the following statement and indicate your agreement by providing your signature below.
(Before signing you should be sure to read the syllabus thoroughly).
“I have read the syllabus thoroughly. I understand and agree to the requirements associated with this course.”
___________________________________________
Signature
_________________
Date
1) List any class you might miss for religious observance.
2) List any classes you are currently taking, or have taken in the past that is relevant to our course (e.g.,
Marketing, Psychology, Communications)
3) What is your recent work experience?
4) What do you expect to get from this course? How does the course fit your career goals?
5) Tell me something about yourself that is important to you and/or makes you unique (your interests,
hobbies, background, talents, collections, etc.) Use the back of the form if you need more space.
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