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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

1MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MOORHEAD


Marketing 421 Syllabus
Winter, 2007
06:00-08:30 p.m. T CB 106 Dr. Alexander
Introduction/Overview
01-09-07
Complete Before Class
Read syllabus
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 1
Complete During Class
Student Courses Survey
Introductions
Expectation exercise
Review syllabus
Discuss Introduction to Consumer Behavior
Discuss how to prepare for and write essay and multiple choice exams
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 1
01-16-07
Complete Before Class
Read Alexander Notes: The Interpersonal Influence Process
Read Alexander Notes: CDP Model
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 2
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 3
Prepare for Exam # 1: Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 1, 2, 3 ***
Complete During Class
Quiz on syllabus
Discuss Alexander Notes: The Interpersonal Influence Process
Discuss Alexander Notes: CDP model
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 2
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 3
Form groups
Group exercise
Exam # 1: Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 1, 2, 3 ***
Consumer Decision Making
01-23-07
Complete During Class
Send Journal #1
Read Alexander Notes: Problem Recognition
Read Alexander Notes: Search
Read Alexander Notes: Evaluation of Alternatives
Read Alexander Notes: Expectancy-Value Attitudes
Complete During Class
Quiz on steps in the consumer decision process
Quiz on Alexander Notes: Problem Recognition
Discuss Alexander Notes: Problem Recognition
Quiz Alexander Notes: Search
Discuss Alexander Notes: Search
Discuss Alexander Notes: Evaluation of Alternatives
Quiz Alexander Notes: Expectancy-Value Attitudes
Discuss Alexander Notes: Expectancy-Value Attitudes

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01-30-07
Complete Before Class
Read Alexander Notes: Purchase Decision
Read Alexander Notes: Consumption
Read Alexander Notes: Post-Purchase Evaluation
Read Alexander Notes: Divestment
Complete During Class
Quiz Alexander Notes: Behavior Prediction Model
Discuss Alexander Notes: Purchase Decision and Behavior Prediction Model
Discuss Alexander Notes: Consumption
Quiz Alexander Notes: Post-Purchase Evaluation
Discuss Alexander Notes: Post-Purchase Evaluation
Discuss Alexander Notes: Divestment
02-06-07
Complete Before Class
Prepare for Exam # 2: Alexander Notes—Consumer Decision Process ***
Complete During Class
Exam #2: Alexander Notes—Consumer Decision Process ***
Speaker: Heidi Wilcox, Holiday Inn (07:30-08:30) +++
Questions for the speaker
02-13-07
Complete Before Class
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 4
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 5
Complete During Class
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 4
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 5
Group exercise
Video
02-20-07
Complete Before Class
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 6
Prepare for Exam # 3 Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 4, 5, 6 ***
Complete During Class
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 6
Group exercise
Exam # 3: Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 4, 5, 6 ***
Video
Individual Determinants of Consumer Behavior
02-27-07
Complete Before Class
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 7
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 8
Read Alexander Notes: Life In 2010/2050
Complete During Class
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 7
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 8
Quiz on Life in 2010/2050
Discuss Life In 2000 and beyond
Group exercise
Speaker: Greg Gonz, Zambroz Variety (07:30-08:30) +++
Questions for the speaker

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03-06-07
Complete Before Class
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 9
Read Alexander Notes: Personality
Read Alexander Notes: Motivation
Send Journal #2
Complete During Class
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 9
Group exercise
Discuss Alexander Notes: Personality
Quiz on Alexander Notes: Personality
Discuss Alexander Notes: Motivation
Quiz on Alexander Notes: Motivation
03-20-07
Complete Before Class
Read Alexander Notes: Knowledge
Prepare for Exam #4: Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 7, 8, 9 ***
Complete During Class
Exam #4: Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 7, 8, 9 ***
Discuss Alexander Notes: Knowledge
Quiz on Alexander Notes: Knowledge
Speaker: Deneen Axeman, Wells Fargo Bank (07:30-08:30) +++
Questions for the speaker
Social-Cultural And Environmental Influences
03-27-07
Complete Before Class
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 10
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 11
Read Alexander Notes: Subcultures/Microcultures
Read Alexander Notes: Social Class
Complete During Class
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 10
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 11
Quiz on Alexander Notes: Subcultures/Microcultures
Discuss Alexander Notes: Subcultures/Microcultures
Quiz on Alexander Notes: social class
Discuss Alexander Notes: Social Class Differences in Behavior
Group exercise
Video
04-03-07
Complete Before Class
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 12
Read Alexander Notes: Family
Read Alexander Notes: Groups
Complete During Class
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 12
Quiz on Alexander Notes: Family
Discuss Alexander Notes: Family
Discuss Alexander Notes: Groups
Quiz on Alexander Notes: Groups
Group exercise

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04-17-07
Complete Before Class
Prepare for Exam #5: Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 10, 11, 12 ***
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 13
Read Alexander Notes: Information Processing
Read Alexander Notes: Nudity in Advertising
Complete During Class
Exam #5: Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 10, 11, 12 ***
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 13
Group exercise
Quiz on Alexander Notes: Information Processing
Discuss Alexander Notes: Information Processing
Discuss Alexander Notes: Nudity and sex in Advertising
Quiz on Alexander Notes: Nudity and sex in Advertising
Video
04-24-07
Complete Before Class
Send Journal #3
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 14
Read Alexander Notes: Communication Model
Complete During Class
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 14
Group Exercise
Quiz on Alexander notes: Communication Model
Discuss Non-verbal Communication
Speaker: Nick Bosh, Kmart (07:30-08:30) +++
Questions for the speaker
Influencing Consumer Behavior
05-01-07
Complete Before Class
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 15
Read Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 16
Complete During Class
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 15
Discuss Attitude Formation and Change
Discuss Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 16
Group Exercise
Course evaluation
Video
05-08-07
Complete Before Class
Prepare for Exam #6: Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 13, 14, 15, 16 ***
Complete During Class
Exam #6: Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel: 13, 14, 15, 16 ***
Peer evaluation
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS
Grade Distribution
90% to 100% = A 70% to 79% = C Below 60% = F
80% to 89% = B 60% to 69% = D

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Office Hours
TH: 07:30 to 09:30 a.m. T: 01:45 to 06:00 p.m. F: 12:00. to 02:30 p.m. And by appointment

Contacting Dr. Alexander


218.477.4650 mwalex@mnstate.edu www.mnstate.edu/alexand Office:CB 207 I
Point Totals
Points are assigned on the following basis. These point totals represent approximations only. The total number
of points may vary.
1. Exams: 6 @ 100 points 600
2. Quizzes: 20 @ 10 points each 200
3. Journals completed: 3 at 25 points each 75
4. Group exercises 10 @ 10 points 100
7. Questions for the speakers: 4 @ 25 points 100
Text
We use two books and several handouts. The text is Consumer Behavior (10th ed.) by Roger D. Blackwell,
Paul W. Miniard, and James F. Engel. I chose the text because (1) it covers the material better than other
books, and (2) I think you will find it interesting to read. Further, the book is accurate, timely, organized
properly, and as well written as most texts. The second book is a manual I wrote. You may purchase it in
the bookstore. It contains my notes.
Prerequisites
Please complete Principles of Marketing before enrolling in Consumer Behavior. Social Psychology is
strongly recommended.
Changes to the Syllabus
Changes to the syllabus may occur for three reasons. First, inclement weather may interfere with the
schedule. If the MSUM president cancels classes, any assigned material or exams will be due the next
class period held. Note that only the president can order classes canceled. Second, a mistake on the
syllabus may require changes. Third, the students and professor may reach a consensus about the need for
a change in the syllabus.
Justification
Consumer behavior examines the reasons why consumers choose the particular goods and services they
buy. For a marketer to achieve success, she must understand why consumers might purchase one brand
over another or from one firm instead of another. This knowledge enables her to better predict her
organization's environment.
Special Needs
I have experienced a gradual and permanent loss of hearing and wear amplifiers (hearing aids) to
compensate. Unfortunately, they amplify background noise as well as individual voices. Please be patient
when I ask you to repeat a comment or question. So that I can speechread, look at me when you speak to
me.

If you possess any type of disability (sight, hearing, mobility, etc.) or special need (learning problems, etc.),
inform me at the beginning of the semester. The university and I will attempt to handle your special need
in a way that maximizes your learning experience. Students with disabilities who believe they may need an
accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact the coordinator of disability services at 477.5859 or
800.627.3529 (MRS/TTY) or in CMU 222E as soon as possible.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge. At the end of the semester you will have internalized those concepts relevant to the consumer
decision process including the steps in the CDP and how psychological, sociological, social psychological,
anthropological, economic, and situational forces act upon the CDP. .
Application. You will have applied what you have learned by analyzing consumer behavior cases.
Speaking. You will have informally explained the influences upon consumers as they use the decision
process to purchase products/services.
Team Building. You will have learned to solve problems as a member of a team.

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Communication. You will have written journals to your professor on issues and topics of interest to him
and/or you.

Self-Directed Learning. You will gain experience in a learner-directed setting and develop life-long
learning skills.
Writing. You will write better at the end of the semester than at the beginning.
Methods
Exams. Preparations for exams help students internalize the vocabulary and concepts.
Text Reading Assignments and Supplementary Reading. The text and supplementary reading
assignments provide students with the concepts and vocabulary used in attempts to understand the
consumer decision process. Every student must read the assigned material by the dates listed above. The
exams cover the text and supplementary readings. Quizzes also cover the supplementary readings.
Lectures. Although I rely heavily on other methods to enhance learning, I occasionally lecture to
emphasize points not covered in you text or supplementary readings.
Class Discussions. Please participate in discussions of the assigned material. To participate fully, bring
questions about the assigned material to class and ask them.
Visuals. Videotapes and other visuals deal with consumer behavior concepts and provide a basis for
discussion.
Group Activities. In small groups, students will answer questions relevant to a chapter and explain their
answers. These discussions help you to develop your analytical abilities and provide team-building
experiences.
Oral Presentation. In an informal setting, group members will present the results of their in-class
exercises. This activity provides experiences in speaking to peers.
Journals
1. In the space for Subject include Mktg 421 and the journal number. For example, for the first
journal write Mktg 421, Journal 1. Journals without this will be deleted unread.
2. Journals will consist of one full page, double or single-spaced. Skimpy journals will not be given
full credit.
3. Journals are due on Wednesday of the week listed on the syllabus and must be forwarded by e-
mail within 48 hours of the due date. I will not accept early or late journals. Do not ask.
4. I do not evaluate your comments. You may complain, disagree, and/or inform but nothing you say
will be held against you or will it affect your grade. You receive credit for completing journals
rather than for their content. However, I often respond to journals with comments and
observations of my own.
5. Comments in your journals may be used as part of some type of publication. However, you are
guaranteed anonymity. Individual names will not be used.
6. I shall do my best to keep your journals private and secure. However, be aware that hackers may
be able to access my files.
7. Journal #1 consists of an introduction. Tell me as much about yourself as you want me to know.
Write this journal to help me understand you better.
8. Journal #2 requires you to, first, list three things you expected from your university experience
before you came on campus. Second, for each one tell me whether your expectations were, or
were not, met and why.
9. Journal #3 asks “What have I learned in this class?” List three of the most important lessons
learned.
10. The journals are not graded. If I receive them all, you obtain maximum points. If I don’t, you
don’t.
11. Use your own name on your e-mail accounts as it is listed in the Registrar’s office. Do not use
some made up name. I cannot file a journal without your name.
12. Do not send journals as an attachment. Because of virus problems, I don’t open attachments.
13. Do not use Yahoo or Hotmail to send journals.
14. I require journals for two reasons. First, I use them to learn more about my students and their

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generation. Second, journals provide a convenient and easy way for students to interact with me.
A visit to my office would probably be better, but some students have neither the time nor the
inclination to visit me personally.
Questions for the Speakers
During a speaker’s presentation, students will write questions on a form provided. Maximum credit is
given for five or more questions.
Exams
I shall administer exams on the dates indicated on the syllabus. One exam will consist of essay questions.
The remaining exams consist of multiple-choice questions. These exams cover the text, the Alexander
notes, and other reading assignments.

I permit two pages, one side, of hand-written notes for the essay exam only. However, each student must
prepare her/his own for the value of an exam lies with its preparation. Using someone else's notes or
allowing someone else to use your notes is considered academic dishonesty and will result in grades of zero
for the individuals involved.
Quizzes
The quizzes accomplish two goals. First, they motivate students to read the material assigned. Second,
they evaluate the students’ understanding of the material and provide feedback to me on the degree of
understanding.
Make-up Exams
Do not miss the regularly scheduled exams. Note the following points.
1. Only individuals who miss the regularly scheduled exams for reasons acceptable to the university
and professor can take a make-up exam. These reasons include your unavoidable illness when
verified by a physician and almost no others. Unacceptable reasons include weddings (yours or
anyone else), vacations, rides home, lack of preparation, loss of memory, sleeping in, a relative’s
illness or death, car trouble, and most all other reasons of a similar nature.
2. All make-up exams are administered no later than Thursday of the last full week of class at a
mutually convenient time.
3. You must inform me, in writing, of your need to take a make-up exam at least one full week
before the make-up exam date. The reason for missing the scheduled exam and the chapters on
the exam must be included in the request.
4. The make-up exams are essay.
5. Only one scheduled exam can be made-up. If you miss more than one exam, you will want to
drop the class and try again another semester.
6. The last exam can be made up only if the reason for missing it is unavoidable and extremely
serious. No make-up exams are given after grades have been submitted to the registrar.
7. If your job will take you out of town on an exam date, you may sit for the exam before you leave.
See me to arrange a time.
Attendance
You are responsible for all material covered in class whether you attend or not. Students with excessive
absences should drop the class. Failure to attend is not an excuse for anything. Students who miss the
quizzes/writing assignments or other things done in class cannot make them up.
Academic Dishonesty
Instances of academic dishonesty comprise a rare occurrence here. However, acts of dishonesty such as
using someone else's exam notes and/or submitting papers as your own when you have not composed them
should be avoided. The penalty for academic dishonesty may consist of a failing grade on the exam, paper,
etc. or a failing grade for the course, and/or charges brought before the university administration.
Courtesy
Do not place your feet on the seats of other desks because people do not wish to sit in the glop your shoes
might deposit. You may, however, sit on the floor if you feel extremely fatigued.
Dress for Success
You may wish to consider dressing for success when interacting with others in a public situation. Bixler

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(Professional Presence, 1992) suggests that you dress so that your clothes do not attract attention. People
will then perceive your face, attitude, and personality rather than your clothes. For example, sweat clothes
and a baseball cap don't create the impression you want others to develop of you.

Two reasons exist for removing a cap or hat when inside a building. First, experts on manners inform us
that we violate cultural norms when we wear head coverings inside a building. Please do not purposely
offend by wearing a hat in class. Second, because I cannot see your mouth when you speak I have
difficulty hearing you.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
MSUM Policy On Course Level
School of Business Mission
MSUM School of Business provides a quality undergraduate business learning experience designed to
prepare students for successful and responsible careers. The qualified faculty contributes to the practice of
business through intellectual scholarship while serving the community.
Upper Division Courses
Upper division courses are numbered 300 and 400. Typically they build on the background of the lower
division courses. They may have one or both of the following characteristics.
1. They require analysis, synthesis, and integration of knowledge and skills from several specific
areas in a discipline or from related disciplines.
2. They are built on a foundation of prerequisite lower division courses in liberal studies, a specific
discipline, or a related field of study.
Upper division courses enable students to study a major field in depth by building upon and integrating the
knowledge gained in lower division courses. Upper division courses may also serve as an introduction to
sub-fields within a discipline.

Upper division courses are characterized by a more flexible structure that allows for a variety of approaches
to the subject matter, a wide range of course material, an emphasis on independent study and/or research in
the laboratory, library, studio or community.
Students are expected to accept increasing responsibility for their own learning both inside and outside the
classroom. Upper division courses typically emphasize comprehension, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and
application of knowledge. Evaluation of student performance at this level stresses such outcomes as
comprehension and understanding of concepts, the ability to solve problems, and the ability to integrate
knowledge.
A Teaching Philosophy
Teaching and Learning Teaching Is More than Lecturing.
Traditionally, before the invention of the printing press, teaching required the instructor to stand in front of
a class and read from a book. That is, he/she lectured to his/her students who attempted to remember the
material. Even after the printing press became widely used and students bought their own books, faculty
persisted in their old habits for at least four reasons.

First, lecturing is easier and consumes less of the faculty member’s time than other methods of teaching.
Second, lecturing boosts a teacher’s ego, especially when students pay attention. Third, many teachers do
not know what else to do. And fourth, some teachers believe good teaching requires them to amuse their
students. Unfortunately, no direct correlation exists between student learning and amusing lectures by
faculty.

On the other hand, several problems exist with the lecture method that render it inappropriate for general
use. First, only a few people can efficiently process information received auditorially, in the form of a
lecture. Other people can process better that information presented visually, tactility, or in some other way.
The lecture, then, probably doesn’t represent the best method for all people, or indeed for very many
people, to receive information.

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Second, humans possess a limited attention span, for most people somewhat less than three minutes. After
that amount of time a person’s attention deviates from the material being presented. This fact is precisely
the reason TV programming and USA Today provide short sound/sight bites rather than long, in-depth
analyses of problems and issues.

Third, educators also know that people learn best what they use. Instructors who lecture learn the material
well because they use it when they lecture. Unfortunately, students who receive the lecture do not learn the
material because they can not use it and, often, can not relate it to any other material stored in memory. It
seems that the best way to teach, then, requires the student to use what he/she is to learn. Would the human
specie have survived if methods of procreation were taught only through the lecture method with no
opportunity for practical experience?
Some Students Prefer the Lecture
If the lecture generally fails to teach, why do some students like it? First, some people like the lecture
method because taking notes is easier than thinking. Learning requires the learner to think, to ask questions,
and to try and apply the material being presented. Sitting passively in class taking notes seems easier than
thinking.

Second, many students are accustomed to the lecture format. Our K- 12 teachers lectured. Many college
professors lectured. We like best that with which we become familiar.

Third, we want teachers to separate the unimportant from the important in the text because we don’t want
to read the whole thing. Unfortunately, no teacher can know which specific material out of a large volume
of material will become important for each student over the next 40 years of his/her work life.
What Is Teaching?
What, then, should teachers do if they don’t stand in front of a classroom of people and talk? If they don’t
lecture do they still work?

A teacher’s job is to create an environment within which students can learn. Teachers cannot force students
to learn, nor can teachers trick students into learning. Instead, learning is an active, participatory thing,
accomplished through commitment and hard work. The most a teacher can do is create a learning
atmosphere that does not stand in the way of learning. Of course, a teacher’s job also involves measurement
to determine whether that which should have been learned was, indeed, learned.

Once students leave college they will spend the rest of their working lives learning on their own. Their
employers will not lecture to them. Instead, their supervisors will probably hand them product manuals
with instructions to internalize the material in them by the next day. They will internalize the material
before they show up for work the next day because they need the information when they call on their first
client.
Teaching and Learning Will Change
Professional educators tell us that over the next few years teaching and learning will change. One scenario
depicts students sitting in front of monitors interacting with educational software written by teachers.
Periodically these students interact with teachers via e-mail. Indeed, this scenario already exists and is used
by Capella University, University of Phoenix, and others.

I think additional changes will come soon. For example, virtual reality hardware and software will probably
change the nature of teaching and learning within the next ten years. Before long students can experience
marketing concepts, for example, directly in a virtual world with virtual consumers buying virtual goods
and services.
How to Study
After attending universities for many years, after more than 30 years of university teaching, and after
attending a number of seminars in teaching and learning, I can recommend the following study suggestions.
1. Study with other people. Use your team members as a study group or select others in your class to

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study with. Of course, prepare answers to the essay exam questions alone, but check your answers
with others.
2. Read the text and prepare for the exams when the chapters are due rather than just before an exam.
3. When you read, interact with the text. That is, question what you read. Argue with the material.
4. Bring questions and issues to class for discussion.

5. Outline the chapters by reading a paragraph then summarizing it in one sentence, then reading
another and summarizing it, and so on.
6. Utilize the counseling center’s short seminars on study skills and exam preparation.
Last Word
I shall attempt to create an environment within which you can learn. If the environment isn’t working for
you, see me.

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