Professor Steven Silver
Spring 2007
Thursday 6:00PM - 8:45PM
Office: BT759
Hours: TR 1520 to 1620 & 2045 to 2145
Phone: (408) 924-3525
1. Source Readings for Business 231: Advanced Consumer Behavior
S. Silver (available as a packet from Maple Press, 481 E. San Carlos St.)
2. Recommended: Consumer Behavior 10th Edition. Hawkins, Motherbaugh and K.A. Coney. Plano, Texas: BPI 2007 (HMB). Chapters from this text will be keyed to modules in the course for those who want a textbook reference.
3. Videos available online (No charge).
This course studies the behavioral processes involved in market exchange between buyers and sellers with an emphasis on managerial perspectives. Our intention is to work with selective topics in consumer behavior in their market applications.
There will be 6 modules as listed under Outline Course Organization. For 4 of the modules, there will be team exercises that apply the content of the module in a brief study. In addition to these exercises, methods of application in this course include teamwork on a case and one-time leading class discussions of a set of relevant articles. Interaction in the class will be in classroom meetings and communication between team members in an online team site. Each team will have its own site. There will be two exams in the class.
1. Course Readings. This is an advanced course and will not be textbook based, although topics will be keyed to an available textbook. The course will be organized in 6 core topics which are important in current management.
Each of the core topics will have a several readings and a case. Teams in the class will lead a discussion of one of the core topics.
2. Team Project. As members of teams, students will also do a research project on an application in consumer behavior. This will be on a survey study as listed under Multivariate Measurement.
3. Class Meeting. This course is a WebCT supported course. Teams also will be able to interact online in their own site.
4. Team Technology. Students in the course participate as members of a team. These teams will go beyond what most online classes do in terms of using current technology to bring about a virtual team. We will be use an advanced collaborative shell from Microsoft that is currently used in industrial team management.
Class participation will be through the class meetings and electronic communication procedures.
It is anticipated that most of the time required to prepare team class exercises other than the team project will be during the time that the class is scheduled to meet.
Two examinations are scheduled. Each exam will be about 40 objective questions and 4-5 short answer questions. Additionally, completing the weekly assignments and group projects will contribute to the overall grade.
The major team project will be an empirical study with a semantic differential measuring instrument. You will be able to pick the companies that will be studied by your team. The procedures to do this study will be available electronically online. The teams will develop a video presentation of about 15 minutes from results of this study. Recording equipment can be borrowed from IRC without a charge, call (408)-924-2888 to reserve.
Provision is not ordinarily made for make-up exams. In the extraordinary and verifiable circumstances when students are unable to complete a scheduled exam, a make-up exam will replace the class exam.
An objective of the course is for students to acquire both a conceptual foundation in advance consumer behavior and some experience at practical implementation of course concepts. Grades therefore are based on assessments of these competencies as calculated from the following weighting of course requirements:
| Exam I | 20% |
| Exam II | 20% |
| Project Study | 20% |
| Team exercises | 20% |
| Discussion leading exercise | 10% |
| Participation | 10% |
Exam results and relative grade standings of individual scores will be generally provided in the week following the exam. Class members are encouraged to record and track their exam performance.
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Week of: |
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JAN 21st |
Introduction to Course and Formation of Teams Instructor discussion: Introduction to consumer behavior |
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JAN 28th |
Demographics and Reference Groups Recommended HMB chapters: 4, 7 (228-249) Readings: Socialization through Consumption: Teenagers and the Internet. Lee, C. and Conroy, D.M. (2005) Consumption, Identity, and the Sociocultural Constitution of “Preferences”: Reading Women’s Magazines. Starr, M.A. (2004) Special Issue of Time Magazine, October 2006 How We Spend Time America by the Numbers Tracking America’s Journey Who We Are Case: Harley-Davidson Teams prepare Exercise 1 |
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FEB 4th
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Team led discussions of demographics and reference groups articles Presentations: Yum! Brands, Mazda Protégé Teams prepare Exercise 1 |
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FEB 11th
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Consumer learning under high-involvement and low-involvement condition Recommended HMB chapers: 9 Readings: Low-Involvement Learning: Memory Without Evaluation. Hawkins, S.A. and Hoch, S.J. (1992) Low involvement Learning: Repetition and Coherence in Familiarity and Belief. Hawkins, S.A., Hoch, S.J., and Myers-Levy, J. (2001) Attitudinal Effects of Ad-Evoked Moods and Emotions: The Moderating Role of Motivation. Batra, R. and Stephens, D. (1994) Case: Advertising examples of low and high-involvement ads-Mountain Dew Teams present Exercise 1. Prepare Exercise 2. |
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FEB 18th |
Team led discussions of Learning Articles Cases: Teams prepare Exercise 2 |
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FEB 25th |
Multivariate Measurement: Semantic Differential, Multi-Dimensional Scaling and Conjoint Analysis Readings: A Positioning Analysis of Hotel Brands. Dev, C., Morgan, M., and Shoemaker, S. (1995) – Multi-dimensional scaling Confirming Satisfaction as an Attitude within the Service-Buying Process. Clarke, G. (2001) – Semantic differential Price as a Variable in Online Consumer Trade-Offs. Karlsson et al. (2005) – Conjoint analysis Case: Launching a Detergent Brand Introduction to Exercise 3: Design
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MAR 4th |
Team Led Discussions of Multivariate Measurement Articles Presentation: Exercise 2 Prepare Exercise 3
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MAR 11th |
Exam 1 Prepare Exercise 3: Data Entry |
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MAR 18th |
Diffusion of Innovations; New Products. Recommended HMB chapters: 7 (250-260) Readings: Children as Innovators and Opinion Leaders. Hansen, F. and Hansen, H. (2005) Impact of Personality on Technology Adoption: An Empirical Model. Vishwanath, A. (2004) An Investigation of the Diffusion of Online Games in Taiwan: An Application of Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Cheng, J. et al. (2004) Case: Zara Team prepare Exercise 3: Data Analysis
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MAR 25th |
Spring break
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APR 1st |
Team Lead Discussions on Diffusion of Innovations and HBS Gourville Cases Complete Exercise 3 Begin Exercises 4: Identifying Opinion Leaders |
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APR 8th |
Consumer Search and Alternative Evaluation Recommended HMB Chapters: 15-16 Readings: Lessons About Markets from the Internet. Ellison, G., and Ellison, S.F. (2005) A Review on Consumer External Search: Amount and Determinants. Guo, C. (2001) Determinants of Online Information Search: A Critical Review and Assessment. Kulviwat, S., Guo, C., and Engchanil, N. (2004) Case: Mini Present Exercise 3 |
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APR 15th |
Team Led Discussion on Consumer Search and Alternative Evaluation Case: Rollerblade: Segmenting on Evaluative Criteria Turn in Exercise 3 Document Prepare Exercise 4: Map Decision Rules and Alternative Evaluation |
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APR 22nd |
Globalization and Consumer Behavior Readings: Understanding the New Bases for Global Market Segmentation. Hassan, S. S., Craft, S., and Kortan, W. (2003) Global Consumer Tendencies. Keillor, B.D., D’Amico, M., and Horton, V. (2001) Young Consumers’ Perceptions of Multination Firms and Their Acculturation Channels Towards Western Products in Transition Economies. Lee, J., and Tai, S. (2006) Case: MacDonald’s Adopting Globally |
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APR 29th |
Team Led Discussion of Globalization and Consumer Behavior Case: Heineken, Breathe Right Strips Go Global Present Exercise 4 |
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MAY 6th |
Exam 2 Last day of class, May 10th |