Consumer Behavior: Course Syllabus
Consumer Behavior: Course Syllabus
Consumer Behavior: Course Syllabus
COURSE SYLLABUS
To recognize the different processes consumers experience whilst engaging in a variety of consumuption contexts. To apprehend the factors influencing consumer consumption and disposal conditions To comprehend, explain, analyze, connect, and critically reflect on the key consumer behavior concepts, principles, and theories To reason critically and independently around the mediating and moderating factors of consumption and disposal in a societal context.
Skills and abilities
Identify and describe consumers in context as well as identify factors which influence consumers decisions vis--vis consumption and disposal Demonstrate an ability to analyze the effects of e.g., subculture, culture, and group influence on consumer decision making processes To work with and use consumer behavior concepts, principles, and theories in order to analyze and explain consumption-related phenomena Demonstrate how research and concepts in consumer behaviour can inform and be applied to broader strategic marketing issues.
Judgement and approach
Critically reflect upon the choice of concepts, principles and theories in marketing decisions. Exhibit a thorough understanding of the research field of consumer behavior.
Contents
The Consumer Behavior course will start by contextualizing consumers in the marketplace. This is done by explaining the different consumer segments and discussing the roles consumers play in them. Once the context of consumers in the market is understood, we will move into describing the decisions consumers make as they buy and dispose of goods and how these decisions are influenced by e.g., social interaction
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and lifestyle. Finally, we will spend time understanding the role of subcultures and consumer culture on the key consumption processes. Throughout this course, students will be introduced to consumer behavior concepts, models, theories and tools in order to appeal to consumers. Furthermore, specific analytic tools and research methods in the field will be introduced and applied to various consumer decision making and disposal contexts.
Type of instruction
Class lectures provide a theoretical and practical framework for Consumer Behavior concepts Seminars provide a combination of cases and practical assignments used to integrate beliefs, develop ideas, and reflect on attitudes about consumer behavior. In connection with lectures and seminars, reading assignments are used to immerse students in the literature by enticing them to find, review and discuss recent articles from e.g. Journal of Consumer Marketing, Journal of Consumer Behavior, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing. Project work is used to get students out of the classroom and to apply themes on consumers in a real world setting. Students will collect primary data by way of e.g. observation, interviews, focus groups and experiments and analyze this data using the tools, methods and theories from the course. The teaching is conducted in English.
Prerequisites
90 credits completed in Business Administration including Marketing Management (or the equivalent)
Course evaluation
At the outset of the course the course coordinator ensures that course evaluators are elected (or exist) among the students. The course evaluation is carried out continuously and at the end of the course. At the completion of the course the course evaluators and course coordinator discuss the course evaluation and possible improvements. The result is reported to the Associate Dean for Education, the Committee of
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Undergraduate Education and the Board of Directors of JIBS. The course coordinator shall at the outset of the following course report results and measures from the previous course evaluation.
Other information
Consumer behavior is the field within marketing that provides concepts, theories and principles that can be used to study factors that influence how, when, and why people buy, consume and dispose of goods. This course will equip students with a greater appreciation of these principles and factors and enable them to make consumer behavior driven decisions and marketing strategies.
Course literature
Literature
Solomon, M., Bamossy, G., Askegaard, S., and Hogg, M. (2010). Consumer Behavior: Buying: A European Perspective. 4th ed., Financial Times Press. ISBN-13: 9780273717263