Syllabus

Course Syllabus

Information

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday from 10:30 – 12:18 in Schoenbaum 230. I will be available ten minutes before each class in our assigned classroom. You can use this opportunity to ask me questions, or schedule a time to meet with me outside of class. In addition, I will hold office hours on Monday and Wednesday from 12:30 – 1:15 pm in Fisher 544. If these times are not convenient for you we can arrange an alternative time to meet.

If you need to contact me outside of class I can be reached at 292-0568, or you can send me an e-mail at (west@cob.osu.edu). I monitor my e-mail regularly and do my best to respond in a timely manner. If you need to get an assignment to me, the department fax is available 24 hours a day at 292-0879. Please be sure to put my name on the first page so the office staff can get your fax to me.

Materials

Textbook: Consumer Behavior, 9th edition, by Roger Blackwell, Paul Miniard, and James Engel. This classic textbook was originally written here at The Ohio State University. If you are having a hard time "getting into" the chapters when you read them before class, try reading them following class to reinforce it. You don't need to memorize all the definitions and details; it is usually clear from class discussion which ones are most important. If not, ask.

Other Readings: I may periodically assign articles (e.g., from newspapers and trade magazines) that supplement the text material, especially when there is a hot "current event" which is relevant to the topic of the day. These will be passed out in class. It is your responsibility to obtain these readings if a class session is missed for any reason. Other materials may be delivered via e-mail, so make sure to check your e-mail periodically.

Overview

To introduce and maintain a new product or service requires the marketer to make and remake at least a dozen key marketing decisions. These include the target market, positioning, product design, pricing, advertising message, distribution type and level, media spending, media mix, media schedule, promotion spending, promotion mix, and promotion schedule. Each of these decisions can and should be informed by consumer research and understanding. In this course, we concentrate on the first five of these decisions. We study aspects of consumer behavior that impact these judgments and we examine ways to obtain the information needed for making good decisions in the five areas. In addition, we discuss current topics in marketing, such as creating buzz, relationship marketing, customer loyalty, brand community, and customer satisfaction.

This course combines current consumer research with a managerial decision-making objective. The most effective way to develop managerial decision making skills is with extensive practice. A "learning-by-doing" approach is emphasized in this course; a combination of class discussions, assignments, and projects will allow you to apply many of the concepts and techniques covered in assigned readings and class presentations.

The objective of this course is to prepare you to better understand how to deal with your customers. To achieve this goal, a number of sub-goals have been established. These goals include:

Fostering strategic thinking in applying concepts and theories to deal with a variety of marketing management situations;

Developing your skills for planning, assessing and interpreting consumer research;

Enhancing your job performance by improving your ability to work effectively with your peers to manage projects;

Improving your ability to critically analyze information, and defend your position both orally and in writing.

Requirements

Component

Points Possible

Individual:

350 points (70%)

Course Participation

50 points (10%)

Memos

100 points (20%)

Exams

200 points (40%)

Team:

150 points (30%)

Project

150 points (30%)

Total Possible

500 points (100%)

Don't think of this as a class in marketing; think of this as a marketing company in which you are employees trying to get ahead. When you prepare for class, imagine you are preparing for an important meeting with your boss. Don't miss a chance to advance your career because of sloppy preparation. Try to be the most informed person in the room!

A corollary of this idea is the following: we must treat each other with the professionalism and respect required of us in our careers. In other words, make sure your documents show respect and pride in your work (rewrite them, edit them, proof them, then do it all again); don't expect the “boss” (namely me) to look kindly on absences or under-preparation caused by other commitments in your life. As a rule of thumb, do not ask for favors you would not ask of your employer.

Inappropriate conduct (i.e., tardiness or stepping out during class, use of laptops, eating food, sidebar conversations, and cellular phones) is frowned upon. Each of these tend to pose distractions to your fellow classmates and thus detract from a learning environment.

I will return your consideration by treating you with respect, listening to your opinions, returning assignments quickly, by offering as much feedback as possible, and by being accessible for questions whenever possible. If you cannot attend my office hours, I will happily make an appointment at a time more convenient to you.

Grading Policy

Nobody likes being graded, even when the outcome is a good one. I will do everything in my power to make the grading experience a useful and fair one. To make it fair, I use blind grading. Please be sure to put a cover sheet including your name and Social Security number on every assignment you submit. When grading your work I will not look at your name until I have evaluated the work. To make it useful, I will try to provide as much feedback as possible.

Missed Exams or Assignments. Make-up examinations will only be given if you notify me prior to the exam. Please understand that you are responsible for arranging your schedule to accommodate your classroom obligations. Only if unforeseen circumstances seriously compromise your ability to complete an obligation will permission be given to postpone taking an exam. Zero points will be awarded to any exam that is not completed on schedule without prior approval. Turning in a written assignment late will results in a 10% grade reduction for each 24 hour period following the due date.

Re-grading. Requests to have a grade reconsidered should be submitted in writing (via e-mail). Please do not approach me in class to discuss your grade on an exam or assignment. This tends to create confusion and I cannot make the necessary changes unless I have access to my computer. No re-grading will be considered more than 10 days after the assignment is returned to you, unless it is a matter of a math error, which will always be cheerfully corrected.

Extra Credit. If you are disappointed with your grade on an exam of individual assignment and would like to “fix” the problem, extra credit will be offered for those willing to participate in a “marketing research” study. You will be notified of any extra credit opportunities in class. Sign-ups will be on a first come first serve basis. If you fail to show up at an agreed upon time you will not eligible to participate in any other extra credit opportunities.

Examinations (40% of total grade)

Two in-class examinations will be given. Each will consist of a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Exam 1 will take place in class on Wednesday, January 28th, and cover material from weeks 1 - 4; Exam 2 will take place in class on Monday, March 15th, and cover material from weeks 5 - 9.

Course Participation (10% of total grade)

Participation is an important part of the learning process and I strongly encourage you to take be actively involved! Course participation does not just mean the amount of time you talk in class, or simply your presence in class. It means participation in the class as a whole, including involvement that occurs outside the classroom. Your class participation grade is weighted heavily in favor of quality over quantity. Given that daily participation is subjective, and because my memory is not perfect, I recommend that you keep a personal log of your own participation (jot down the date and comments you made). This will be useful if you feel that I have unfairly evaluated your participation. There are actually many ways to improve your participation grade, including:

In-Class Participation. Many people are intimidated by the "obligation" of speaking up in class. Don't be. Your anxiety will be reduced only through practice! Getting comfortable with public speaking will give you a HUGE career advantage. Here's the secret to cutting your stress level - BE PREPARED. I will call on people in class to share their opinions and perspectives. In addition you are welcome at any time to ask questions.

Be a good team member. A student who is a poor contributor to his/her team (i.e., missed meetings, was poorly prepared, or quarrelsome) will lose participation points. On the other hand, a student who makes a better-than-average team contribution may be rewarded with additional points.

Bug me with things you don't understand. Contact me for clarification on confusing topics. Not only will this let me know of your sincere interest in the course, but it will actually increase your chances of a good grade on the written work.

Current Events. Bring in a current event (an article from a newspaper or magazine, sometimes an ad, promotional material, or actual new product). It should be relevant to the topic we are discussing in class and always include a brief write-up from you explaining why you found it interesting and how it is relevant to the class. Reading the marketing and advertising columns of the newspapers and business press can provide great opportunities for class participation.

Participation Make-Ups. While you are expected to attend every class, however, I realize that other obligations can sometimes conflict with class attendance, despite your best efforts. If you must miss class, please notify me in advance when possible via e-mail. You are welcome to provide a one-page written summary of the material covered. This make-up assignment should be turned in by the BEGINNING of the following class.

Individual Memos (20% of total grade)

You will have the option of writing two of the three written assignments during the quarter. Each assignment is to be written as a MEMO, not to exceed 3 pages double-spaced typed prose (1” margins, 12-point type) plus exhibits.

Memo 1: Customer Depth Interviews

Memo 2: Shopping diary

Memo 3: Marketing Yourself

No one is allowed to write more than two assignments and use the higher scores. The purpose of offering three options is to provide flexibility in your course load to accommodate differing schedules and interests.

Team Project (30% of total grade)

You will join a collaborative team that will conduct research in an area of relevance to consumer behavior and marketing. Your team will consist of up to 5 students who will work together throughout the quarter. These teams may be used as study groups as well as work groups. Teams will be formed based on your expressed interest in a topic during the 2^nd class meeting, January 7^th. Potential research topics include:

Marketing Communications (Advertising & Promotions)

Brand Community

Cultural Differences

Customer Loyalty Programs

New Product Development

Product Pricing

Services Marketing

Each team will review current research on a topic of choice and either conduct an experiment based on the findings, or apply the research to a specific marketing problem. Teams will present their research to the class during weeks nine and ten. Projects will be evaluated on the basis of the thoroughness, originality, and analytical rigor of your research, relevance to consumer behavior, as well as your ability to clearly communicate. A significant component of the evaluation is how well you pull together a coherent, well-justified and concise presentation. Every attempt should be made to relate the analytical tools and approaches discussed in class to your research topic. Each team will have up to 20 minutes to present their research, followed by a 5 minutes for questions. Appropriate attire is required for research presentation.

Suggestions for Presentation.

1) Don’t feel obliged to have all team members present. There are many ways for others to contribute, such as preparing the materials and editing the talk.

2)     Be careful to budget your time wisely. You have ten minutes for presenting material, and five minutes for answering questions. Rehearse the talk several times to make sure that you have the “right” amount of material to cover (not too much or too little).

3)    Eye contact! Eye contact! Eye contact! – Know your material well enough that you can engage your audience and not rely on note cards. The key here is practice!

4)    Be more formal than casual in your speech, however personality or warmth should be evident. Write what you plan to say in advance and carefully select your words.

5)    I would recommend professional, but not interview ready attire. As you know appearances matter, in this case it signals credibility to your audience.

6)    I am sure that you are all aware of the things to watch out for with your slides, but I will mention some of the key points anyway.

Don't put too much material on one slide

Your font size should be at least 18 point - be careful when choosing your font because the machine in our room has a limited number of fonts loaded.

Don't put up spreadsheets with tiny numbers! This information should go into a handout for people to look at.

A twenty minute presentation should have no more than twenty slides. You should not be standing up and reading your slides...these are used as "talking points" where you fill in the content as you go along.

Don't forget to have a summary slide to wrap-up and hit the takeaways from your talk.

7) Prepare a handout for your audience. The handout should include the slides you present and some details such as sources.

Working Together Effectively. The single greatest cause of disappointing team assignments is the inability to work together effectively. The most important ways to prevent this are:

Picking meetings times that are convenient to all members of the team can be difficult. Try to be as accommodating as possible to other team members' schedules.

Have a team member take comprehensive notes of your meetings so it is clear what decisions the team has agreed to.

Plan time to edit your presentation and written work, especially if each team member is writing a different section of the talk or paper. Otherwise, the different sections are likely to discuss conflicting information or make inconsistent recommendations.

Check your ego at the door. Realize that your own contribution to the presentation is not reflected by airtime. Learn to treat ideas from others as attempts to improve the team's work rather than as personal criticism. If something you have described is confusing to team members, it is very likely to be confusing to others.

Make sure you take the time to rehearse your presentation. Know what you want to say well enough that you don’t have to rely on note cards. This allows you to have better eye contact, which makes for a more engaging presentation!

Team Conflicts. I will be available to mediate team conflicts but final responsibility for making sure everyone does his/her share of the work rests with team members only. Each team is entitled to issue a written warning to any member who is not contributing a fair share of the work, who is constantly argumentative, or who is disrespectful of other members of the team. This warning must: 1) specify the problem behavior and say what specific steps must be taken to fix it, 2) be signed by all other members of the team, and 3) a copy of this warning must be received by me.

No team members will be reassigned or "fired" on the basis of these warnings, but contentious and/or unhelpful team members will find their class grade severely reduced. Hard workers should be consoled by the fact that slackers in their team generally do poorly on individual assignments as well and thus do not represent a threat to your own final grades.

Peer Review

Each of you will be asked to evaluate the contribution of your peers at the conclusion of the course. These evaluations will be used in determining both course participation grades and project evaluations. Each student will receive a team project grade that is proportionate to their participation, as assessed by other team members. For example, if three members of a group feel that the fourth member only contributed 10% of the workload on a paper that received a grade of 92/100 then the grade assignments would be computed as follows. The contributing group members would each receive a score of 92, but the non-contributing individual would receive a score of (.25 + .25 + .25 + .10)*92 = 78.2.

[last updated January 1, 2004]

	Marketing Communications (Advertising & Promotions)
	Brand Community
	Cultural Differences
	Customer Loyalty Programs
	New Product Development
	Product Pricing
	Services Marketing