KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR....

29
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY College of Business Administration MARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR Tentative Syllabus FALL Semester Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: 650-5758 Office-516 BSA Office Phone: 672-1266 Office Hours: 4:15 to 5:15 MTWH and by appointment. Required Text: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 9th edition, Leon G. Schiffman and Leslie Lazar Kanuk, New Jersey: Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2007. Optional (but STRONGLY recommended: Printed Course Outline and Project Information available on line at http://personal.kent.edu/~lmarks). PURPOSE: This course is designed to introduce you to the field of consumer behavior. The primary purposes of the course are to increase your understanding of consumer behavior concepts and to help you to think about them from a managerial perspective. Thus, you will be learning both the theoretical concepts of consumer behavior and their application to marketing strategies and decision making. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Regular class attendance is strongly recommended. The classroom lectures are an important part of the course. You are encouraged to read the material prior to class as this will facilitate in-class discussion and increase your comprehension of the lecture. You will be required to participate in the group assignments. Of course, all examinations must be taken. PREREQUISITE FOR THIS COURSE IS COMPLETION OF MKTG 25010. Students who have not successfully completed the course prerequisite must withdraw from this class. You risk deregistration if you have not completed the prerequisite. GRADING PROCEDURES: 1

Transcript of KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR....

Page 1: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

KENT STATE UNIVERSITYCollege of Business Administration

MARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIORTentative Syllabus

FALL Semester

Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: 650-5758Office-516 BSA Office Phone: 672-1266Office Hours: 4:15 to 5:15 MTWH and by appointment.

Required Text: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 9th edition, Leon G. Schiffman and Leslie Lazar Kanuk, New Jersey: Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2007.Optional (but STRONGLY recommended: Printed Course Outline and Project Information available on line at http://personal.kent.edu/~lmarks).

PURPOSE:This course is designed to introduce you to the field of consumer behavior. The

primary purposes of the course are to increase your understanding of consumer behavior concepts and to help you to think about them from a managerial perspective. Thus, you will be learning both the theoretical concepts of consumer behavior and their application to marketing strategies and decision making.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Regular class attendance is strongly recommended. The classroom lectures are an important part of the course. You are encouraged to read the material prior to class as this will facilitate in-class discussion and increase your comprehension of the lecture. You will be required to participate in the group assignments. Of course, all examinations must be taken.

PREREQUISITE FOR THIS COURSE IS COMPLETION OF MKTG 25010. Students who have not successfully completed the course prerequisite must withdraw from this class. You risk deregistration if you have not completed the prerequisite.

GRADING PROCEDURES: There will be a series of group assignments and four examinations. In addition class participation will be counted. These are weighted as follows:

Percentage ofFinal Grade

Exam 1 18%Exam 2 20%Exam 3 22%

Group Assignment 1 15%Group Assignment 2 15%

Quality of Individual Participation 10%

1

Page 2: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

TENTATIVE SCHEDULEMonday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 2:15 to 4:10 p.m. 208 BSA (Section 030)

GroupCHAPTER Assignment

DATE TOPIC READINGS Due July 17 M Introduction & Overview of C.B Chapter 1 None

18 T Consumer Research 2 & 4 (pgs. 108-109)19 W Market Segmentation I and II 3 Form

20 H Culture and Subculture 12, 13, 14 Groups24 M EXAM 1 1, 2, 3, 12, 13, 1425 T Social Class 1126 W Reference Groups & Family 10

27 H Personality 5 31 M Personal Influence 15Aug 1 T Innovation 15

2 W Motivation and Involvement 43 H Information Processing I 6 Project 17 M Information Processing II 78 T EXAM 2 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 15

9 W Attitudes 810 H Changing Attitudes 8 and 914 M Problem Recognition and Search 1615 T Evaluation and Choice 16

16 W Post-Purchase Evaluation 16 Project 217 H EXAM 3 (Final examination) 8, 9, 16

The final will be given in the final class period, at the assigned time. It is non-cumulative and will cover chapters 8, 9 and 16. Please note that the deadline date for single course withdrawal (without a grade being reported) for Summer III is Monday, July 7. You may not withdraw from a single course after the deadline unless you can document extenuating circumstances (from a third party on official stationery) and get it approved by the Undergraduate Programs Office.

2

Page 3: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMINATIONS

The purpose of the examinations is to provide a measure of your knowledge of the terminology, concepts, and application of the material covered in the textbook and in the lectures. The examinations are not comprehensive.

Examinations will be briefly reviewed in class as soon as they are graded. You are welcome to discuss any question with me BRIEFLY in class or extensively during my office hours. It is to your advantage to discuss any problems you may have with a test soon after it is reviewed. NO adjustments will be made in grades after the next examination is taken.

All make-up examinations will be ESSAYS (approximately 10 questions). Make-up dates will be assigned as needed.

GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

The group assignments are a key component of this course. They are designed to help you apply the theories and concepts which you learn to the realm of marketing. These assignments must be typed/word processed using double-spacing and they must be ready on the assigned day e-mail submissions are acceptable). Assignment sheets are at the back of this syllabus.

Selecting Group MembersBe CAREFUL in picking your group members. Make CERTAIN that you can all

meet at the same time. Perhaps the greatest problem you will run into will be scheduling meeting times, so double check this before you form a group. One of the reasons for group assignments is to allow you to develop inter-personal working skills. However, if you have problems with your group that cannot be worked out on your own, talk to me immediately. Do not ignore the problem and hope it will go away. If you have irreconcilable differences in your group, you may change groups immediately after the first assignment. Let me know about any changes which you make.

Rationale for the Group Assignments Why group assignments? These have been included in the course for four specific reasons. First, they give you a chance to think about and apply the material to a specific product. The work involved in these assignments could overload any one individual. Second, the group format gives you a chance to "brainstorm” ideas and thus see various perspectives about consumer behavior and your product. Third, in many work environments you will be expected to be a part of a team. This classroom situation simulates the problems and the rewards of such work groups. Finally, the group assignment gives you an opportunity to work on your writing skills. A complaint that many potential employers have today is that students cannot write or communicate their ideas. During the course you will have the opportunity to write material which will be reviewed and critiqued. This should be a valuable learning experience for many students.

3

Page 4: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

Format for the Written Group Assignments

ALL assignment MUST have four parts:

PART 1. The first part is a single page "EXECUTIVE SUMMARY” describing the major results and findings of your assignment. Ask yourself what are the KEY issues or questions to be answered in the assignment, then summarize what you found out about EACH key point. Do not explain what you DID, but what you FOUND.  This should be in the form of an inter-office memo to Larry Marks, Director of Marketing.

PART 2. The second part of the assignment is a detailed WRITTEN REPORT on the assignment. This section will specifically answer the questions asked in a logical and clear style. Follow these guidelines:

a) Use a series of headings and sub-headings that match each of the items in the assignment. This will help you to be certain that I follow your work and to help me see that you have covered all the issues.

b) Do not provide lists of data or to use figures without explaining them in the body of the report. When you use a table or list or figure label it with a heading (e.g., Table 1, A List of Competitors’ Products), REFER to it in the body of the report (e.g., see Table 1) and place it AFTER you refer to it (NOT BEFORE).

c) Whenever you use data, information, or ads which you got from an article or a text CITE the source of that information in the body of the report. Do not use footnotes; they are too hard to create. Instead use this format: "The VALS typology has proven to be very useful to the insurance industry” (Ad Age 2001), or "According to Kotler (2006...)”. Then the names you cite will appear in the bibliography.

PART 3. The third section will include all DOCUMENTATION which is necessary to support your assignment. This might be a bibliography of research sources, the completed questionnaires, advertisements you used, and so forth. When you do a survey supply the actual completed questionnaires in this section.

PART 4. The final section of each assignment is a PEER RATING FORM. This form will rate the contribution of each group member to each task. Examples are provided on the next pages. It is very important that the form accurately and realistically rate each member's ACTUAL contribution to each assignment.

Please, REVIEW the above information BEFORE EACH assignment.

4

Page 5: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

Criteria for Grading Written Group Assignments

The group assignments will be graded on three criteria. The first criterion is the CONTENT. Did you read and understand the assignment and does your paper completely fulfill the requirements? Is your report clear and do your ideas demonstrate logical reasoning? The second criterion is writing STYLE. In business (as in most fields) effective communication is critical to success. For these assignments, you must use proper spelling, grammar, and proper sentence structure. These are NOT “informal communications.” If you are not sure about the quality of your writing, check a style manual, have someone proofread your work, or take your assignment to the Writing Center (http://dept.kent.edu/english/writingcent/) until August 5th (by appointment, 10 a.m. to 12, Monday through Thursday in 318 Satterfield, call 330-672-1787 or in the Library Information Commons area, Monday through Thursday, 12 to 2 p.m.). The third criterion involves the PRESENTATION of the assignment. This is the equivalent of "packaging.” Are the assignment neat, the tables well formatted, the diagrams clear, etc.? The assignment you turn in should be a product that you would be able to show to a potential employer as a demonstration of the quality of your work.

A Comment on Sources of Materials

In some of the assignments you are asked to obtain advertisements to demonstrate a concept. As hard as it is to believe, in the past some people have gone to the library and cut ads (or articles) out of our magazines. Needless to say this is totally unacceptable and will result in disciplinary action. If you can not find an ad in a current edition of a magazine feel free to copy an ad (or article) from library or other sources. You must cite the source of your ads either in the paper or on the advertisement itself. That is, for every ad you use, you must provide a bibliographic note on the magazine or the web site that it came from. If it is more than a year old, also note where you got the magazine.

A Comment on Rating the Group Members

You cannot receive full credit for the project by simply writing a section on your own. It is assumed that each project is a group effort requiring meeting discussion planning organization "research,” typing, printing/coping, binding, etc. Thus, in addition to doing the writing each member must participate in the other tasks as well. It is YOUR responsibility to keep in contact with the group members and to be sure that you know when meetings are held what your part in the assignment is etc. I will NOT accept the excuse that, "They never called me.” To assess the participation of the members in these tasks each group member will rate each of the other members and themselves on a separate form like the one on the following page. These should be kept confidential (that is, secret). One way of doing this is to place your rating forms in an envelope when you turn them in. If a problem arises with one group member we may have to discuss the ratings but what you assigned them will be kept confidential.

In doing your ratings of the other group members please consider both the quantity of the members’ participation (e.g. number of meetings attended; amount of work done)

5

Page 6: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

and the quality of their participation (did they contribute anything to the meeting? was the quality of their work good?).

EACH member of the group will turn in a rating form like the one below. Please note the following points:

1) the form has the assignment number included on it; this should be changed for

each assignment; 2) the group members’ names are listed in alphabetical order (this makes it much

easier for me to calculate your score and to get it posted to the grade book); 3) the individual turning it in has indicated above his name that this is his form (me);4) you must provide a written explanation of all ratings lower than 3; 5) you are signing a statement that these scores reflect an accurate evaluation of

each member's participation-BE CERTAIN that the other members know exactly what your contributions to the assignment were;

6) Finally if you have ANY questions about any of this talk to me.

6

Page 7: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

Group Rating Form -- Group Assignment 1 [change to for each assignment]

Group Members (Me)

Chip Larry Skip ChuckChoco Marks Round Wagon

Participation Score 4 4 2 5

Participation Scale:

5=Full Participation; Deserves full credit.

4=Almost Full Participation; Deserves 4 points less than full credit.

3=Moderate Participation; Deserves one letter grade less.

2=Less than Moderate; Deserves 1.5 grade less.

1=Minimal Participation; Deserves two grades lower.

0=No participation; Deserves to fail this assignment.

The above ratings are an accurate evaluation of each member's participation in this assignment:

________________________________(Signature)

Explanation of ratings of 2 or less, if applicable (continue on back if necessary):

Name Explanation Skip Round Skip was not around for two of the group meetings. Otherwise he did a good job.

7

Page 8: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

Group Project Assignments for

Marketing 35035 Buyer BehaviorDr. Lawrence J. Marks

Inter-office MemoFrom: L.J. MarksTo: The New Products Research GroupSubject: Initial Research on Project 35035

Congratulations on being selected for this new research group. As you know you will be developing important information that will both help us to enter a new market and to better understand our consumers and their decision processes.

In your initial research I would like you to do a quick overview of how consumers feel about our competition. What do they like and dislike about their products? The objective is to determine consumers’ attitudes about our competition's brands and to determine the competitions’ strengths and weaknesses.

As a secondary objective let me know which of the research techniques we have talked about work the best. Please refer to the attached material for specific details on what is to be done for this project. If you are unclear about any of the details, talk to me.

_______________________________________________________________________

NOTE: The above is merely a simulation of a memo asking for the project to be done. The key points to be addressed are detailed in the following pages. If you have any questions talk to me.

8

Page 9: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

GROUP ASSIGNMENT 1 -- PART I

OBJECTIVES: To select a product category to focus on during the class.

NOTE: Use the following three guidelines in selecting your product.

Pick a product:

(a) which is an involving one for the consumer. This would include products which are expensive, risky, complex, OR which make a statement about the person buying and using it,

(b) which you can find information on and advertisements for. Assignments require you to find ads for your product or brand,

(c) which is used by people you can talk to. Assignments require you to interview users of the product.

Refer to the examples on the next page for some ideas (not all equally good). When you pick a product category to focus on remember you will be dealing with it all term, so it should be of interest to all the group members. BEFORE you make your final decision, take a look at the assignments and see if you think you will be able to do them with the product you have selected. For example, if you decide to use luxury cars can you find enough subjects who actually own or use them to complete the assignments? If you select microwave ovens check through some past and recent magazines or web sites to see if they are being advertised. Thinking ahead at this point will make your job easier throughout the term. At this time, you are NOT choosing to represent a particular existing brand. You work for MARKS, INC. who is considering making a new entry into this market. So all you are doing at this time is selecting the general product category or product market you will be investigating. Therefore, if, for example, you decide on hairdryers, you are NOT deciding to be a Black and Decker brand hairdryer, but only to investigate the hairdryer market.

9

Page 10: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

POSSIBLE PRODUCT CATEGORIES

Household AppliancesAutomobiles Motorcycles, Trucks, Vans and their Major AccessoriesBicycles, SkateboardsBanks, Investment ServicesHome Computers, Computer Software, VCR's, DVD’s, DVR’s, MPEG playersPersonal Care Products and AppliancesPerfume and ColognesMen's or Women’s CosmeticsHome FurnishingsPiano, OrganJewelry Men’s or Women’s Apparel Photographic Equipment (film or digital)Sports and Leisure Equipment, and so on.

These are simply possible product categories. If you would like to work on some other products, feel free to talk to me about them.

GROUP ASSIGNMENT 1 -- Part II

OBJECTIVE: To design and conduct a research project to determine consumer attitudes about the competitive BRANDS in your product category using three different research techniques.

1. Select a specific type (not brand) of product in your industry to focus on in this and future assignments (e.g. luxury cars or import cars; premium beer or lite beer). 2. Design and conduct a research study to determine consumer attitudes about THREE SPECIFIC BRANDS (e.g., Dell laptop, Gateway laptop, Toshiba laptop). For this study you will create three separate questionnaires. In each questionnaire you will ask consumers questions regarding their likes, dislikes, and attitudes about (the same) three brands of your product. Each questionnaire will use one of the techniques listed below. Use 10 different consumers for EACH questionnaire (a total of 30 people). Each questionnaire will attempt to determine consumers’ attitudes about ALL THREE of the brands but each questionnaire will use only ONE of the following three techniques: a. Word association or sentence completion (see text, page 108), b. Thematic Apperception Test (Cartoon Technique -- see text, page 108), c. Semantic differential or Likert scales (see text, pages 32 and 33).

BEFORE creating a questionnaire, REVIEW these methods in Chapters 2 and 4 of your text and in your lecture notes.

10

Page 11: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

3. To keep things consistent, within each questionnaire you should ask the SAME questions about each brand. For example, if you use the Likert scale, then you might have subjects respond to this statement for the first brand: "Sears’ stores are generally well stocked.” Then you would use the same statement for the other two competitive brands (e.g., Wal-Mart and J.C. Penney's) just replacing Sears’ with the other brand names.

4. In reporting the result, note that for the word/sentence completion technique and the projective test the results will be based on your interpretation of what the subjects say. To do this, you must “code” each response to indicate how you interpreted it. To report the results, you must provide the NUMBER and/or PERCENT of people who make a particular comment. For example, "The majority (58%) of the subjects thought J.C. Penney was stylish. So that I can see how you got your numbers or percentages, include the questionnaires and indicate on the questionnaires how you coded the responses (for example, which of the responses did you code as meaning “stylish"?).

For the Semantic differential you would provide a summary profile showing all three brands on a single form (see page 33, Figure 2.3¸ of the text for an example).

If you use the Likert scale you must show the average score for each question for the brands and an AVERAGE SCORE for each brand. If you use the Likert scale, be aware of how you word each statement. Be sure that a rating of "strongly agree” is positive (or negative) for all of the statements. Otherwise the total numerical score will be meaningless. This is important; be sure you understand it.

5. Keep in mind that this assignment is meant as a DEMONSTRATION and not as a reliable research study. In an actual study your questionnaire would be pre-tested your sample size would be representative of the population of interest and it would be larger. In general I am not going to grade you on the quality of the research instrument. The point of the assignment is to get you thinking about consumer behavior issues not to train you in marketing research (there is a separate course on that topic). However, even though you are not going through all of the steps of good research you must carefully think about the OBJECTIVE in designing your questions (refer back to the memo and to the objective statement above).

11

Page 12: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

Group Assignment 1 -- Part III

Inter-office Memo

From: L.J. MarksTo: The New Products Research GroupSubject: Subcultural Analysis

To better understand how we might position our offering, I have been thinking about specific subcultures which we might target. Are any of our competitors doing anything currently in this area? How effective are their efforts? If we decide to market to one or more subcultures is there anything we might do better than the competition?

Please see the attachments for details as always if you have any questions talk to me.

Group Assignment 1 -- Part IIIOBJECTIVE: To understand the variations which are required in marketing to subcultures.

1. EITHER select a subculture and compare it to the mainstream American culture OR select two subcultures for analysis (e.g. Black and Hispanic; Youth and Older). The brands can be the same ones or new ones (if you cannot find appropriate ads for the brands). 2. Look through some magazines/web sites which are oriented toward the mainstream consumer and the consumer in the sub-culture (or oriented to the two subcultures) and find (and include in the report) an ad for a brand in your product category which is aimed at each group. Provide a comparison of the ads for the two groups explaining the differences between them. The IDEAL situation would be to find the identical brand advertised to the two groups although this is not always possible. 3. Now report what you find about advertisements aimed at these two groups: a. Report on the specific differences in the wording of the ads in product usage in the situation in the models etc. b. Explain WHY these differences are appropriate or are not appropriate. c. Describe what, if anything, marketers could do to improve their advertising to the subculture(s) you have investigated.

NOTE: It is very important that your written report uses the format described at the beginning of the syllabus. So please review those instructions before you begin to write.

12

Page 13: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

For example be sure to: a. Create a one page executive summary that covers all of the issues (i.e., those listed in 6 and in 8 a, b, and c, below).

b. Start the report with an introduction and then use headings and sub-headings in the report that correspond to the various sections you are working on.

6. For the first part of the project report the following:

a. Describe the results for EACH of the three questionnaires. What are the attitudes about each of the competitive brands according to each of the techniques? What do you conclude about each brand? b. Describe the differences you found in the results using the different approaches. How do the techniques differ in what they measure?

c. Evaluate the techniques explaining their good and bad points for your situation. Discuss which you feel is the most appropriate and explain why. Finally discuss what you would change or do differently the next time you do this type of research.

7. The documentation section must include your raw data (i.e. the actual questionnaires filled out by the respondents). The best approach for these is to put them into Appendices label each appendix and then to refer me to them in the body of the report (e.g., The first questionnaire (see Appendix A) used the word association technique to measure consumers’ attitudes about three brands of compact disk players).

8. With appropriate transition in your writing, for the second part of the project report on:

a. Report on the specific differences in the ads.

b. Explain WHY these differences are appropriate or are not appropriate. c. Describe what, if anything, marketers could do to improve their advertising to the subculture(s) you have investigated.

9. An outline of your project would look like this:I. Executive SummaryII. Introduction A. Purpose of the projects B. Product Selected (explain how it meets the criteria listed for selecting a product).III. The Attitude Study A. The techniques used B. Consumers’ attitudes about the brands 1. Based on Questionnaire 1. 2. Based on Questionnaire 2.

13

Page 14: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

3. Based on Questionnaire 3. C. Differences in the techniques D. Evaluation of the techniques E. Conclusion about the attitudes towards the brandsIV. The Subculture Study

A. Selected SubculturesB. Results of Ad analysisC. Suggested Improvements

V. Documentation for each partVI. Peer Evaluations

14

Page 15: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

GROUP ASSIGNMENT 2 -- Part I

Inter-office Memo

From: L.J. MarksTo: The New Products Research GroupSubject: Consumers' attitudes towards product attributes and brands

To help us develop a new product in this area, it would be very useful to find out more about the key attributes how consumers feel about these and how the existing brands "stack up.” I think we need something more sophisticated than what was used in the investigation of the product category. Look into this as soon as you can.

In addition, I have just told the president that we can be ready to make a presentation to her of the results of our efforts to date. She would like to see a mock-up advertisement for our new brand. This is quite important to us and I don't want to be caught off guard so in your written report explain and justify all aspects of the concepts in the ad. That way we'll be prepared for ANY questions which she might have during your verbal presentation.

See the attached pages for further information and check with me if you have any questions.

15

Page 16: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

Group Assignment 2--Part 1 OBJECTIVE: To better understand the application and usefulness of attitude models.

1. Based on what you know about your product select five or six key, relevant attributes which people might use in forming an attitude about the brands in the product class. Explain specifically WHY you have selected EACH attribute. 2. Using Fishbein's Original Attitude model as a basis, have ten subjects rate the value of those characteristics in their decision to buy the product.

For example: "Use the numbers from the following scale to evaluate each characteristic of running shoes."

Neither Extremely Moderately Slightly Positive nor Slightly Moderately ExtremelyPositive Positive Positive Negative Negative Negative Negative (+3) (+2) (+1) (0) (-1) (-2) (-3) A LOW PRICE for running shoes is ____

HIGH STATUS in a running shoe is _____

DURABILITY in a running shoe is _____

WIDE COLOR SELECTION in a running shoe is _____ Now, calculate an average rating score for EACH characteristic across the ten subjects (SHOW your calculations). Based on these averages, rank the attributes. Which attributes are the most valuable to these consumers? Discuss these results and their meaning to marketers. 3. Have the ten subjects rate FOUR brands (PLUS their own if it is not one of the four) to indicate their beliefs about the brands’ possession of the characteristics. For example, “Use the numbers from the following scale to rate each brand of running shoe on its possession of the characteristic.”

Neither Extremely Moderately Slightly Likely nor Slightly Moderately Extremely Likely Likely Likely Unlikely Unlikely Unlikely Unlikely (+3) (+2) (+1) (0) (-1) (-2) (-3) NEW

BALANCE NIKE PUMA REEBOK Your OWN brand (If not here)Low price _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

High status _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

Durability _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

A wide color selection _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

16

Page 17: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

4. Use Fishbein's original attitude model (attitude toward the object is equal to the sum of the beliefs about the object multiplied by the evaluations of the beliefs) to: (a) compute the attitude score for each brand (SHOW me your calculations); these do not have to be typed, though an Excel spreadsheet could be an easy way to do the work, (b) calculate an average attitude score for EACH BRAND across the ten subjects (show your calculations), (c) Report the results and what they mean for marketers of these brands.

5. In your questionnaire, ask the subjects to indicate which brand(s) they PREFER and which brand they ACTUALLY buy. Create a table (and include it in your report) that shows which brand the model predicts each person will prefer (i.e., the brand with the highest attitude score), which brand they say they prefer, and which brand they actually buy. Then report these results (e.g., “The model correctly predicted the subjects’ preference 60% of the time”).

6.  Perform the same study on five new subjects using the behavioral intentions model and report the results in the manner described as above.

7 a. Use the same attributes but carefully reword them to reflect the "consequences of behavior” (refer to the classroom example of Fishbein's Behavioral Intentions Model). For example: Use the numbers from the following scale to rate the value of each characteristic to you in your decision to buy running shoes.

Neither Extremely Moderately Slightly Positive nor Slightly Moderately ExtremelyPositive Positive Positive Negative Negative Negative Negative (+3) (+2) (+1) (0) (-1) (-2) (-3)

Buying a pair of running shoes for everyday wear which:

is expensive is _____

has a high status is _____

is durable is _____

has a wide color selection is _____

7 b. Use the SAME BRANDS as you did with Fishbein's original model AND include room for the brand currently purchased if not one of those listed.

For example, “Use the numbers from the following scale to rate each brand of running shoe on its possession of the characteristic.”

Neither Extremely Moderately Slightly Likely nor Slightly Moderately Extremely Likely Likely Likely Unlikely Unlikely Unlikely Unlikely (+3) (+2) (+1) (0) (-1) (-2) (-3)

Buying a pair of NEW BALANCE running shoes for everyday wear:

17

Page 18: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

will be expensive _____

will give me shoes with high status _____

will give me durable shoes _____

will provide me with a wide color selection _____

c. To measure the Normative Belief component, first have the person list three people who would influence their decision about which brand to buy. For example, “In the spaces below, please list three people who you feel might influence your decision about which brand of running shoes to buy (e.g., Mom, Dad, Boyfriend, Coach, etc.)

Next, have the subject indicate how each person feels about each brand. For example, "Please use this scale to indicate how each person you have listed feels about you buying each brand of running shoe:"

Definitely Probably Might No Might Probably Definitely Should Should Consider Opinion Not Should Not Should Not +1 +2 +1 0 -1 -2 -3

d. To measure the Motivation to Comply component, use a statement like this: "Please use the numbers from the following scale to indicate how much do you want to do what EACH person wants you to do."

Not at all Slightly Moderately Strongly 0 1 2 3

d. Don't forget to ask which brands they prefer and actually buy so that that you can judge how well the model predicts consumers’ preferences.

e. Note that you will have to supply the two weights for this model and discuss them in the body of your report. One good way to get these weights is to ASK each person. For example, you might say: "When people buy running shoes there are two influences on them, what they think about the brands and what other people think of the brands. Please divide 100 points between these two factors to indicate how much you think they would influence your decision to buy a particular brand of computer (e.g., 50-50, 64-35, etc.).

My own beliefs_____ Other peoples’ beliefs _____.

Then you could use their responses as the weights or as a guide in selecting your own weights (people do not always know or tell the truth).

f. Calculate and report the averages for (1) the evaluation of the consequences of buying the product, then rank these consequences and discuss them; (2) the attitudes about purchasing the brands; (3) the normative beliefs; and (4) the motivation to comply (SHOW all calculations). Explain what these results mean and their marketing implications.

18

Page 19: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

g. Calculate EACH PERSON'S Behavioral Intention score, and as you did with Fishbein's original attitude model create a table, showing me how well the Behavioral Intentions model predicts what the consumer prefers and what the consumer actually buys.

h. Based on how well they predict what the consumer's said they prefer and they own tell which model does a better job. Explain why.

GROUP ASSIGNMENT 2 -- Part II

OBJECTIVES: To integrate the material discussed during the term and apply it to a marketing problem.

For the final part of the assignment you are to create a new brand of your product and to develop a print advertisement for it.

You are to turn in both your print ad and a written explanation of the factors you considered in developing the brand and the advertisement. The assignment should cover the topics mentioned below. In creating your new brand and advertisement you should carefully consider what you have learned about the factors which influence consumer behavior. These factors should STRONGLY influence all aspects of your effort and be discussed in your assignment. In developing your brand and ad first select define and describe the market segment. Think about and describe the important characteristics norms and values of this market segment's culture culture-culture social class and reference groups as appropriate. These should be used in developing an appropriate advertising message. Also you should think about and describe the life style of this market segment as this will influence your message. Think about the attributes that your brand should have based on all of these factors and discuss them.

As you create the print ad and the copy think about what you have learned about information processing and perception and attitude formation and change. You should EXPLAIN how your ad addresses these aspects of consumer behavior (i.e. attention, comprehension, yielding, and retention). Also, think about the decision process. How does your brand name ad and copy spark problem recognition and influence search, the evaluative process, and the final decision? What beliefs should the consumer have about your brand based on the visual and copy aspects of your ad? How should this affect the consumer's alternative evaluation, behavioral intention, and choice? In what media would it run to aid exposure and search given the life style and media habits of your market segment? You must turn in both your print advertisement and a written explanation and analysis of your work based on the topics mentioned above. You will not be graded on your artistic ability but rather on how you justify your brand ad and copy in terms of the material covered. This should suggest to you that you carefully consider the various factors and

19

Page 20: KENT STATE UNIVERSITYlmarks/ConsumerBehavior/Sum…  · Web viewMARKETING 35035--BUYER BEHAVIOR. Tentative Syllabus. FALL Semester. Dr. Lawrence J. Marks Home Phone: ... 18 T Consumer

present them in the assignment in an acceptable manner (i.e., good grammar and style as well as content).

Please GO BACK AND REVIEW the format for the written assignments to be sure that you follow the correct format. The project must have an executive summary an introduction a detailed written report a conclusion a documentation section and peer evaluations. Creating an OUTLINE like that shown for Project 1 will help you to be certain that you understand the assignment and have not left anything out. See me if you have any questions.

Finally all of the above is part of a SINGLE report so go back and REVIEW the proper format. Be sure that your executive summary includes both parts of the assignment. Create an OUTLINE to help you with the headings and sub-headings. Include the confidential peer rating forms at the end.

20