PELLISSIPPI STATE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE MASTER SYLLABUS
BUYER BEHAVIOR  MKT 2350
Class Hours: 3.0								Credit Hours: 3.0
Laboratory Hours: 0.0								Date Revised: Spring 99
Note:  This course is not designed for transfer credit.
Catalog Course Description:
	A investigation of consumer purchasing behavior and the psychological and sociological theories underlying buying .  Topics include identifying and utilizing marketing intervention strategies at each stage of the decision process.
Entry Level Standards:
	Basic competencies in logic, reading and English are presumed.  Students are expected to have a basic marketing vocabulary and familiarity with the four P's of marketing.
Prerequisite:
	MKT 2200
Textbook(s) and Other Reference Materials Basic to the Course:
	Required Textbook: Consumer Behavior, 6th edition, Schiffman & Kanuk. Reference Book:  Formats for Business Documents
I. Week/Unit/Topic Basis:
	Week					Topic
	1					Intro to Consumer Behavior
	2					Market Segmentation
	3					Motivation and Needs
	4					Personality and Consumer Diversity
	5					Exam I (Chpts. 1, 3, 4, 5)
	6					Perception and Info. Processing
	7					Attitudes
	8					Communication and Persuasion
	9					Reference Groups and Group Dynamics
	10					Exam 2 (Chpts. 6, 8, 10, 11)
	11					Family
	12					Social Class
	13					Culture/Subculture
	14					Decision Making
	15					Exam 3 (Chpts. 12-15, 19)
	16					Comprehensive Project Due
II. Course Objectives*:
	A.			Learn how consumers make buying decisions (consumer decision process).  I, VI, VII
	B.			Be able to connect cultural, social class, and family values directly to the buying process.  I, VI, VII
	C.			Understand how personal influence and situational characteristics impact buying behavior.  I, VII
	D.			Understand how individual differences in consumers - resources, involvement, knowledge, attitudes, and lifestyles - impact buying behavior.  I, VI
	E			Understand how psychological processes - information processing, learning attitudes and behaviors - impact buying behavior.  I, V, VI, VII
	F.			Integrate the understanding they have of the buying process with marketing strategies and develop marketing plans for specific products around the buying process.  I, II, III, VII, VIII
	G.			Clearly present information to peers orally and in writing.  III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII
	H.			Read and relate census, basic business, and local market area data to strategies necessary to develop effective marketing plans.  I, III, V, VI, VII, VIII
	I.			Integrate principles of economics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and social statistics into their understanding of why consumers buy.  I, II, VI, VIII
	J.			Integrate their understanding of marketing and particular problems, materials, cases or ads they are given.  They should then be able to synthesize and develop clear, concise evaluations or critiques of said problems, materials, cases, or ads and formulate solutions that reflect their understanding of consumer behavior.  I, III, VII, VIII
*Roman numerals after course objectives reference goals of the MKT program.
III. Instructional Processes*:
Students will:
	1.				Collaborate in teams to analyze and solve marketing problems. Problem Solving and Decision Making Outcome,Active Learning Strategy, Information Literacy Outcome
	2.				As a team, use “The Case Method” to formulate strategies for successful marketing plans. Active Learning Strategy, Problem Solving and Decision Making Outcome
	3.				Research an approved buyer behavior topic of their choice, and prepare a written report of findings, as well as an oral report to the class. Information Literacy Outcome, Communication Outcome
	4.				Learn elements of the work ethic, such as punctuality, professionalism, dependability, cooperation, and contribution. Personal Development Outcome
	5.				Through peer evaluations, impose and experience group sanctions on participation. Communication Outcome, Active Learning Strategy, Problem Solving and Decision Making Outcome, Cultural Diversity and Social Adaptation Outcome
	6.				As a team, conduct at least one formal presentation, using appropriate audio/visual aids to enhance the delivery of marketing concepts to the rest of the class. Transitional Strategy, Communication Outcome, Technological Literacy Outcome
*Strategies and outcomes listed after instructional processes reference Pellissippi State’s goals for strengthening general education knowledge and skills, connecting coursework to experiences beyond the classroom, and encouraging students to take active and responsible roles in the educational process.
IV. Expectations for Student Performance*:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
	1.			Identify, order and provide concrete examples of the consumer decision process.  A
	2.			Logically evaluate how each step of the consumer decision process impacts subsequent steps.  A
	3.			Identify marketer-dominated influences on the consumer decision process and evaluate their effectiveness.  A, F
	4.			Develop strategies a marketer could use to specifically impact decision making at each step of the consumer decision process.  A, F, G
	5.			Recant and explain major cultural changes in America.  B, G, I
	6.			Evaluate cultural differences in American and European markets, and develop alternative marketing strategies for products that reflect these differences.  B, F, G, I
	7.			Describe and provide examples of social class distinctions in American society.  B
	8.			Synthesize the relationship between social classes and buying behavior.  B, F, G, H, I
	9.			Integrate cultural, social class, and family value information about a specific consumer group into a marketing plan.  A, B, F, G, H, I
	10.			Comprehend how changes in family values have impacted market opportunities for particular product types.  B, H, I
	11.			Analyze the impact of reference groups on consumer behavior and formulate strategies for using reference group influence to encourage consumers to buy.  A, C, F
	12.			Distinguish among various types of reference groups and evaluate the relative influence of a particular type upon buying behavior for specific types of products.  A, C, F
	13.			Formulate strategies for using situational factors to influence consumer buying behavior.  A, C, F
	14.			Develop strategies designed to encourage positive word-of-mouth communication among potential customers.  A, C, F
	15.			Examine current business publications, statistical data, and Metro-Markets.  From this examination, evaluate and compare relative market potentials among different income and lifestyle segments.  D, F, H, I
	16.			Understand the concept "Lifestyle Marketing" and be able to isolate particular groups within the Knoxville market.  D, F, H, I
	17.			Develop a marketing plan designed to impact decision making of a particular lifestyle cluster in Knoxville.  A, D, F, H, I
	18.			Discuss how physical surroundings, social surroundings, time, task and antecedent states can influence each stage of the consumer decision process.  A, C, G
	19.			Analyze how marketers use cognitive capacity concepts in advertising.  Evaluate effectiveness of use in specific ads.  E, F, G, I
	20.			Develop strategies for increasing product involvement.  D, F, I
	21.			Integrate Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs into the development of marketing strategies.  D, E, I
	22.			Relate the dynamics of consumer motivation back to American cultural values, and discuss to develop marketing strategies that capitalize on this relationship.  B, D, I
	23.			Develop simple instruments for collecting data on consumer knowledge and attitudes.  D
	24.			Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the two most prevalent attitudinal measurement scales - Fishbein and Ideal Point.  D, H, J
	25.			Understand nine basic consumer types identified in VALS Lifestyle Segmentation, and be able to relate segments to particular cultural values and demographics.  B, D, I, J
	26.			Compose marketing strategies designed to appeal to a specific consumer type.
	27.			Explain how marketers use psychoanalytic theory to develop advertisements.  E, F, G, I, J
	28.			Discuss how personality can be used to explain consumer differences in the search and alternative evaluation stages of the consumer decision making process. E, F, G
	29.			Define and provide examples of the five stages of the information processing process.  E
	30.			Evaluate advertisements specifically critiquing methods used to gain attention, enhance comprehension, and encourage retention.  E, I, J
	31.			Evaluate advertisements specifically critiquing methods used to gain attention, enhance comprehension, and encourage retention.  E, I, J
	32.			Describe the learning process and demonstrate how marketers use learning theory to improve retention and comprehension.  D, E, I
	33.			Construct ad copy that utilizes pictures, concrete words, self-referencing, mnemonic devices, time-compressed speech and repetition to improve retention.  E, G, I, J
	34.			Differentiate between theories of classical conditioning and operant conditioning.  E, I
	35.			Design strategies marketers can use to reinforce consumer buying decisions.  E, F, I, J
	36.			Describe how marketers use elements of communication - source of claim, type of claim, etc. - to improve persuasion.  E, I
	37.			Define and describe source effects and message effects (strength of claims, number of claims, sidelines, comparative messages, and affective messages).  E, I
	38.			Critically analyze communication elements of advertisements and evaluate their impact on each stage of the consumer decision process.  E, F, H, I, J
	39.			Develop a model of consumer decision making for a familiar product that includes all influences studied during the term.  A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I , J
*Letters after performance expectations reference the course objectives listed above.
V. Evaluation:
	A. Testing Procedures:
			Three tests will be given.  45% of the student's grade (45 points on a 100-point scale) will be determined by test performance.  The remaining 55% (55 points) will be determined by performance on applications. All exams are essay and short answer.
	B. Laboratory Expectations:
		None
	C. Field Work:
		Students will be assigned two integrative cases during the term.  Each is to be submitted in standard case format (see attached), typed.  The class will discuss each in detail.  Active participation is required and expected.  Class participation will impact the student's grade on each case.  No late case will be accepted.
	D. Grade Breakdown:
		Exams 1, 2, and 3                  15 points each           45 pts. Comprehensive Project       25 points                    25 pts. Classroom Performance, including oral reports   30 pts.                                                                                    100 pts.
	E. Grading Scale:
		92 - 100     A 89 -  91      B+ 82 -  88      B 79 -  81      C+ 72 -  78      C 65 -  71      D Below 65  F
VI. Policies:
	Attendance Policy:
		Pellissippi State Technical Community College expects students to attend all scheduled instructional activities.  As a minimum, students in all courses must be present for at least 75 percent of their scheduled class and laboratory meetings in order to receive credit for the course.