MKT 450 – Consumer Behavior and Marketing
Syllabus (Revised: 01/06/13)
Spring 2013
16496
16498
T/R
T/R
Professor:
Office:
E-Mail:
Office Hours:
12:00 - 01:50 pm
02:00 - 03:50 pm
HOH 303
HOH 303
Gülden Ülkümen
HOH 516
ulkumen@marshall.usc.edu
Tuesdays & Thursdays 11 am-12 pm.
24-hour advance notice, please.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
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.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES





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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REQUIRED MATERIALS
Textbook
Consumer Behavior (2012, 6th edition), by Wayne D. Hoyer, Deborah J. MacInnis, and
Rik Pieters, 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.
COURSE 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
This class does not have a prerequisite.
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ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING DETAIL
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:
Midterm 1:
Midterm 2:
Final Exam:
Final Project:
Class Participation:
Case Study Reports
9%
10%
15%
15%
25%
16%
10%
9%
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 3% towards your final grade. 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.
Final Project
16%
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 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
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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 grade. If you fail to take both midterms due to a
documented medical condition, your final exam will count for 55% of your grade. The
medical report should specifically mention that the student was affected/excused on the
day of the exam, or for a period that covers the day of the exam.
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, group
presentations, and assigned readings may also be included. There will be no makeup
exam. The current university policy is that no student may omit the final examination, or
request to reschedule the final examination date.
Class Participation
10%
Your class participation grade will be composed of your attendance and quality of your
participation (5%), and your preparation assignments (5%).
Attending classes 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.
Throughout the semester, I will ask you to prepare a series of short assignments, which
will prepare you for class discussions. A list of these assignments will be posted on
blackboard. These assignments will usually ask you to find examples of certain products
or situations, through observation or research. Having these short write-ups ready with
you in class will prepare you for more fruitful class discussions. Please come to class
with two copies, and hand one copy in at the beginning of class.
ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION POLICY
All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Please turn in a hard copy of each
assignments/case reports at the beginning of class on their due date. Assignments submitted
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by email will not be accepted. Late assignments will lose points. Students are responsible
for knowing when the assignments and 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. 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.
EVALUATION OF YOUR WORK
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.
You may regard each of your submissions as an “exam” in which you apply what you’ve
learned according to the assignment. I will do my best to make my expectations for the
various assignments clear and to evaluate them as fairly and objectively as I can. If you feel
that an error has occurred in the grading of any assignment, you may, within one week of
the date the assignment is returned to you, write me a memo in which you request that I reevaluate the assignment. Attach the original assignment to the memo and explain fully and
carefully why you think the assignment should be re-graded. Be aware that the re-evaluation
process can result in three types of grade adjustments: positive, none, or negative.
EXTRA CREDIT POLICY
Please note that there will be no opportunities to improve your grade through the
completion of extra credit work.
COMMUNICATION
The best way to reach me is via email. The office hours are on Tuesday and Thursday 11
am-12 pm. If you plan on meeting me during office hours, please let me know 24 hours
in advance. 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.
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.
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.
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o Absences will be excused only due to documented medical reasons (including the
specific date), or when accompanied by a note from another USC instructor.
Absences due to job interviews or other reasons will not be excused.
o All 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.
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.
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Laptop and Internet usage is not permitted during academic sessions unless otherwise
stated by the professor. Use of other personal communication devices, such as cell
phones, is considered unprofessional and is not permitted during class time. ANY edevices (cell phones, PDAs, I-Phones, Blackberries, other texting devices, laptops, Ipods) must be completely turned off during class time. Upon request, you must comply
and put your device on the table in off mode and FACE DOWN. You might also be asked
to deposit your devices in a designated area in the classroom. Videotaping lectures is not
permitted due to copyright infringement regulations.
ADD / DROP PROCESS
If you are absent six or more times prior to February 1 (the last day to withdraw from a
course with a grade of “W”), I may ask you to withdraw from the class by that date.
These policies maintain professionalism and ensure a system that is fair to all students.
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
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and is open 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is
(213) 740-0776.
STATEMENT ON 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,
(www.usc.edu/scampus or http://scampus.usc.edu) contains the University Student
Conduct Code (see University Governance, Section 11.00), while the recommended
sanctions are located in Appendix A.
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.
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.
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.
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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PROJECTED CLASS SCHEDULE SPRING 2013
updated 01/06/13
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 / 15
Session 1
Tuesday
Introduction to the Course
01 / 17
Session 2
Thursday
Overview of Consumer Behavior
01 / 22
Session 3
Tuesday
Measuring Consumer Behavior
(Qualitative Methods)
01 / 24
Session 4
Thursday
Measuring Consumer Behavior
(Quantitative Methods)
01 / 29
Session 5
Tuesday
Consumer Behavior and Marketing
(Segmentation & Targeting)
01 / 31
Session 6
Thursday
Case Discussion: Starbucks
Consumer Behavior and Marketing
(Positioning)
ASSIGNMENT
Read Chapter 1
DUE1: Personal Profile
Read Appendix
DUE: Starbucks Case Report
PART I: The Consumer Decision Making Process
1. Overview
02 / 05
Session 7
Tuesday
The Consumer Decision Making
Process
Read Chapter 2
DUE: Form Groups for Final
Project
2. Pre-Purchase Processes
1
02 / 07
Session 8
Thursday
Need Recognition & Search
02 / 12
Session 9
Tuesday
Exposure & Attention
Read Chapter 7
Read Chapter 3
All deliverables (i.e., forms, reports, assignments, etc.) are due in hard copy, in class, on the due date indicated in this schedule.
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02 / 14
Session 10
Thursday
Perception
DUE: Select 3 Candidate
Products for Final Project
02 / 19
Session 11
Tuesday
Case Discussion: Boston Beer
Company
Course Review
DUE: Boston Beer Company
Case Report
02 / 21
Session 12
Thursday
MIDTERM 1
02 / 26
Session 13
Tuesday
In-Class Research Workshop
Note: Students can use laptops in
this session
3. Purchase & Post Purchase Processes
02 / 28
Session 14
Thursday
Opinion Formation
03 / 05
Session 15
Tuesday
Opinion Formation
03/07
Session 16
Thursday
Storage & Retrieval
Read Chapter 4
DUE: Report Summarizing
Selected Product, Research on
Target and Alternative Segments,
and Hypotheses for Final Project
03/12
Session 17
Tuesday
Evaluation & Choice
Read Chapter 8
03 / 14
Session 18
Thursday
Evaluation & Choice
03 / 19
Tuesday
Spring Break - No Class
03 / 21
Thursday
Spring Break - No Class
03 / 26
Session 19
Tuesday
Decision Biases
03 / 28
Session 20
Thursday
Course Review
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Read Chapters 5 & 6
Read Chapter 9
DUE: Evaluation & Choice
Assignment
04 / 02
Session 21
Tuesday
MIDTERM 2
04 / 04
Session 22
Thursday
Consumption & Evaluation
Read Chapter 10
Read Hoch & Ha (1986)
04 / 09
Session 23
Tuesday
In-Class Workshop
DUE: Report on Suggested
Research Methods & Materials for
Final Project
PART II: Individual & Environmental Influences on the Decision Making Process
04 / 11
Session 24
Thursday
Individual Influences on Adoption
Culture and Consumer Behavior
Read Chapter 15
04 / 16
Session 25
Tuesday
Demographics
Read Chapters 12, 13
04 / 18
Session 26
Thursday
Psychographics
Case Discussion: TiVo 2002
Read Chapters 14
DUE: TiVo 2002 Case Report
PART III: Improving Consumers’ Decisions
04 / 23
Session 27
Tuesday
Consumer Welfare
Read Chapter 17
Final Project Presentations
04 / 25
Session 28
Thursday
Project Presentations
04 / 30
Session 29
Tuesday
Project Presentations
05 / 02
Session 30
Thursday
Course Review
Section:
16496
16498
Final exam date & time
T/R
T/R
12:00 - 01:50 pm
02:00 - 03:50 pm
Wednesday, May 15, 2-4 pm
Thursday, May 9, 2-4 pm
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DUE: Final Project
for All Groups
PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM
MKT 450 – Consumer Behavior and Marketing
Professor Gülden Ülkümen, Spring 2013
Your name: _____________________________________________
Cell phone number: _______________________________________
Please staple
your photo here
Major(s): ________________________________________________
Expected graduation date:___________________________________
Please read the following statement and indicate your agreement by providing your signature below.
“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 are your favorite brands? List four.
5) Who are your favorite celebrities? List four.
6) What are your favorite movies?
7) 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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