Course Syllabus MKTG 374 Consumer Analysis Professor: Dr. Akon Ekpo : akon.ekpo@rutgers.edu Office: Behavioral & Science Building, Room 333 Office Hours: By appointment only, students can book appointments directly at http://drekpo.simplybook.me Course Format: In-person Prerequisites Credit hours Course Description Learning Objective Course Materials Communication MKTG 201, Principles of Marketing This is a 3-credit hour course In this course, we will study various psychological, sociological, and anthropological variables that shape intentions, activities, and motivations of those engaging in the consumption process. We will explore individual and social influences of buying and other consumption behaviors. Students will use these lessons to conduct their own consumer research and learn to develop deeper insight into the consumer experience. By the end of this course, you should be able to: 1. Examine how consumers think, feel and behave when moving through the decision-making process 2. Consider the various personal, social and situational influences on consumer decision-making 3. Utilize your understanding of consumer behavior based on consumer research to enhance strategic marketing mix Required Textbook Consumer Behavior: Human Pursuit of Happiness in the World of Goods, by Avery, Jill, Robert Kozinets, Banwari Mittel, Priya Raghubir, and Arch Woodside (2012), Cincinnati, OH: Open Mentis Publishers. Sakai I use Sakai to upload supplementary readings, make announcements, and post grades. It is the student s responsibility to check Sakai on a frequent basis and keep up to date with new announcements. Cancellations and other announcements will also be posted here. You can set your preferences to notifications of items added to Sakai in the My Workspace > Preferences > Notification section. If you are not using your @rutgers.edu email account to contact me, please make sure it is a professionally sound email address (e.g., first.lastname@gmail.com). Furthermore, in order to maintain a professional tone with the class, please note that I may only respond to emails M-F 9am 5pm. Grading Policy Students grades are earned! Your grade is based on your overall performance on the course requirements. I do not round grades up nor down for any reason. So, do not ask me to round your grades upwards for any reason. Although I understand that your grade may be less than.01 away from a higher grade, I will not round it upwards. Likewise, if your grade is.01 away from a lower grade, I will not round it downwards. The following grading scale will be used to determine each student s performance in the course: A: 555-600 points (93-100%) B+: 519-554 points (87-92%) B: 495-518 points (83-86%) C+: 453-494 points (76-82%) C: 435-452 points (73-75%) D+: 393-434 points (66-72%) D: 375-392 points (63-65%) F: 0-374 points (0-62%) Grades reflect mastery of the subject, which requires a high level of skill and knowledge in the real business world. An A is given for exceptional work. Showing up for class regularly and completing assignments/exams does not constitute exceptional work. B is for above average, or good work. C is for average work, i.e. work done on time and acceptable. D is for poor work. F is for failing work. In companies very few employees are evaluated as exceptional, most are deemed good to average. Students desiring a different, easier grading system are advised not to enroll in this course. The workload for this course is intensive. 1
Course Requirements Activity Max Points (%) Quizzes (10) 120 20% Exams (2) 210 35% Assignments (5) 150 25% Group Project & Presentation 120 20% Total 600 100% Quizzes Quizzes are given on a weekly basis online (in Sakai) and will cover all required readings, videos, and discussions. There will be one quiz per week (unless noted otherwise) throughout the course (with topics covered noted in the course schedule). Quizzes are timed and students will have the opportunity to re-take a quiz once (i.e., a total of 2 attempts are allowed). Quizzes must be completed by day 7 for a given week. Due dates for quizzes are posted in the course schedule. There are NO make-ups for missed quizzes. No exceptions. Exams There are two (2) exams (midterm and final) for this course. Exams are intended to measure the student s ability to comprehend and apply learned content in problem-solving situations. The exam covers all readings, videos, lectures, discussions, assignments, and in-class activities assigned by the instructor. In-class exams are closed-book, open handwritten one page of notes. Exams are not to be missed by any student; make-up exams will not be given with exception for extreme emergency. In the case of an extreme emergency, the student must notify the instructor BEFORE the exam. Assignments Assignments for this course are meant to deepen your understanding of the course material and help you complete the Group Project for this course. All assignments are to be completed as a group and submitted via the Assignment section in Sakai. Assignments must be submitted by 11:59 PM on Day 7 of the applicable module week. Late assignments are NOT accepted. No exceptions. Group Project & Presentation The group project is designed to apply learnings from discussions, readings, videos, and assignments. Students will form groups of 5 or 6 members to conduct consumer research and develop a marketing strategy based on the findings from their study. Each group will develop and present their findings & strategy to the class and other business professionals. Group projects and presentations are due by 11:59 PM, Friday, April 22, 2016. Late projects are not accepted. No exceptions. Please see the course schedule for due date information. Course Policies Late Work Late work is not accepted. There are no exceptions to this policy. Course assignments are due at specific times of the week. Please note the week begins on Saturday. Thus, Day 1 is Saturday, while Day 7 is the following Friday. Due dates for assignments and quizzes are posted in the course schedule and are posted online in each module home page. The general schedule and due dates are listed below: Activity Readings &/or videos Assignments Quizzes Schedule Day 1-2 (Saturday - Sunday) Day 2-7 (Sunday - Friday), Due: 11:59 PM, Day 7 (Friday) Day 3-7 (Monday - Friday), Due: 11:59 PM, Day 7 (Friday) Extra Credit There is none. Accommodations Disability Services Any student in need of accommodations due to any disability should contact Timothy Pure at the Office of Disability Services, Armitage Hall, Room 240, : 856-225-6442, email: tpure@camden.rutgers.edu, to make arrangements. Writing Help In addition to the content, written assignments will be graded on writing quality. It is important in business writing to be clear, direct, and persuasive. Therefore, all papers should be written clearly, concisely, logically, and in keeping with rules of Standard English. Poor spelling, grammar, syntax, and punctuation will be penalized. If you have a writing weakness, you are strongly encouraged to seek help (free of charge) from the Learning Center, Armitage Hall Room 231, : 856-225-6442, http://learn.camden.rutgers.edu/writing-assistance 2
Tutoring There may be topics that are a bit difficult to grasp. However, if you feel you are having excessive trouble grasping material, you are strongly encourage to seek tutoring assistance from the Learning Center, Armitage Hall Room 231, : 856-225-6442, http://learn.camden.rutgers.edu/tutoring Other needs? The RSBC Student Experience Center may be able to help! The SEC serves to promote and provide resources for student success. BSB Room 212, : 856-225-6231, http://sec.camden.rutgers.edu/ Accessibility The accessibility features for technology used in this course for all participants, including those participants with special needs, can be found below: Accessibility for Sakai: https://confluence.sakaiproject.org/display/2acc/sakai+cle+current+accessibility Accessibility for VoiceThread: http://docs.voicethread.com/category/web-application/accessibility-web-application/ Accessibility for Adobe Reader: http://wwwimages.adobe.com/content/dam/adobe/en/accessibility/pdfs/accessing-pdf-sr.pdf Academic Integrity You (the student) are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submissions, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. These policies can be found at http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu in the Policy section. If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with your instructor if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or quiz. Expected Behavior Rutgers University is committed to providing courses that meet the highest standards of excellence with the mission of preparing participants to become productive members of society and good citizens of the world (Rutgers University Code of Student Conduct can be accessed at http://studentconduct.rutgers.edu/universitycode-of-student-conduct/). As such, participants are expected to maintain a standard of conduct. Ground Rules: Be Prepared. You are responsible for your education. Maximize your learning by completing readings, videos, and other preparation assignments BEFORE coming to class. This will make your and everyone else s learning time more productive. Be Present. You are expected to approach this course in the same manner as any other professional responsibility. Come to class on time and with limited interruption (this includes side conversations, cell phones, text messaging, not paying attention, unauthorized computer usage). Please be respectful of each other s time and commitment to learning. Be Professional. Your coursework is more than learning facts; you are preparing for a career. You are learning to interact with your classmates as you would in your future professional life. Your conduct in this course should reflect this. Have Opinions. Everyone is entitled to have an opinion. Be courteous while expressing them. Respect Disagreement. People have the right to disagree with you. However, disagreement should never be personal. Discussions (both online and offline) are a means to share ideas and practice the skill of persuasion. Persuasive speech cannot be achieved with hurtful, hateful or inappropriate language. Ask Questions. Cultural influences can influence communication in terms of phrasing and word choice. Before jumping to conclusions, ask for clarification. Be Forgiving. For the majority of participants, communication is straightforward. Sometimes unintended meanings are conveyed. Conflicts? Interpersonal behavior is not always perfect. In fact, it can venture into disrespectful and hurtful areas and needs to be addressed. If you experience any questionable or outright inappropriate behavior from your fellow classmates, please let me know. 3
Classmate Contact Information It is suggested that you find 3 classmates that you can call on to assist during the semester in cases of emergency. Jot down their contact information for your reference and refer to them when needed. Classmate #1 Classmate #2 Classmate #3 4
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE *I reserve the right to change any part of the course schedule, as deemed necessary Class Date Required Preparation BEFORE class Due Day 3 Topic Assignment Due Day 7 Quiz Due Day 7 1/19 Ch. 1 Intro to Consumer Analysis & the world of consumers 1 (1/22) 1/21 1/26 Ch. 2 Motivations, Emotions, & Involvement 2 (1/29) 1/28 2/2 Ch. 3 Perceptions 3 (2/5) 2/4 2/9 Ch. 4 Learning 4 (2/12) 2/11 2/16 Ch. 5, 6 Values, Personality, Self-Concept, Lifestyles & Psychographics 5 (2/19) 2/18 2/23 Ch. 7, 8 Attitudes & Persuasion 6 (2/26) 2/25 3/1 Ch. 9, 15 Culture, Ethnicity, & Religion 7 (3/4) 3/3 3/8 Ch. 14 Gender, Age, & Family 8 (3/11) 3/10 Midterm Exam (online); Timed; One-attempt only; Cannot review answers; One question shown at a time Exam covers all topics discussed before exam day 3/15 Spring Break 3/17 Spring Break 3/22 Ch. 11, 12 Decision Making & Post-Choice Behavior 9 (3/25) 3/24 3/29 Handout (available in Sakai) Conducting Consumer Research Assignment 1 (4/1) 3/31 10 (4/1) 4/5 Assignment 2 (4/8) 4/7 4/12 Assignment 3 (4/15) 4/14 4/19 Flex day Assignment 4, 5 (4/22) 4/21 Flex day 4/26 Project Presentations 4/28 Project Presentations 5/5 Final Exam 2:45 PM 5:45 PM (Cumulative; CLOSED BOOK; Open HANDWRITTEN notes (max. 1-8-1/2 x 11 sheet) 5