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Consumer Behaviour 3rd Semester MBA, Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) - 2008 Syllabus

1. Introduction to Consumer Behaviour
Meaning & Definition of CB, Difference between consumer & Customer,
Development of the Marketing Concept-The Marketing concept, Implementing the Marketing Concept, Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning, The Marketing Mix
Nature & Characteristics of Indian Consumers, Consumer Movement and Consumer Rights, Marketing Ethics and Social Responsibility, Social and Societal Marketing Concepts, Consumer Movement in India, Rights of the Consumer, Responsibilities of consumers in India, Benefits of consumerism

2. Role of Research in understanding consumer behaviour
Consumer Research: Consumer Research Paradigms (Qualitative & Quantitative Research Methods, Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Research Findings) The consumer research process - Developing research objectives, collecting secondary data, designing primary research, data analysis and reporting research findings.
Input-Process-Output Model of Consumer Behaviour - Internal Influences: Motivation, Personality, Perception, Learning, Attitude, Communications,
External Influences - Social Class, Culture, Reference Groups, Family Levels of Consumer Decision Making - Complex Decision Making or Extensive Problem Solving Model, Low Involvement Decision Making or Limited Problem Solving Model, Routinised Response Behaviour, Four views of consumer decision making (economic, passive, cognitive, emotional)
Situational Influences- The Nature of Situational Influence (The communication Situation, The Purchase Situation, The usage situation, The disposition situation) Situational Characteristics and consumption behaviour (Physical features, Social Surroundings, Temporal Perspectives, Task Definition, Antecedent States)

3. Individual Influences on Consumer Behavior
A) Motivation
Basics of Motivation, Needs, Goals, Positive & Negative Motivation, Rational Vs Emotional motives, Motivation Process, Arousal of motives,
Selection of goals, Motivation Theories and Marketing Strategy -Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Critical evaluation of marketing hierarchy and marketing applications, McGuire’s Psychological Motives (Cognitive Preservation Motives, Cognitive Growth Motives, Affective Preservation Motives, Affective Growth Motives)
Discovering Purchase Motives, Marketing Strategies Based on Multiple Motives
Marketing Strategies Based on Motivational Conflict Frustration & Strategies to overcome frustration

B) Personality
Basics of Personality, Theories of Personality and Marketing Strategy(Freudian Theory, Neo-Freudian Theory, Trait Theory)
Applications of Personality concepts in Marketing, Personality and understanding consumer diversity (Consumer Innovativeness and related personality traits, Cognitive personality factors, Consumer Materialism, Consumer Ethnocentrisms)
Brand Personality (Brand Personification, Gender, Geography, Color), Self and Self-Image (One or Multiple selves, The extended self, Altering the self)


C) Perception
Basics of Perception & Marketing implications, Elements of Perception(Sensation, Absolute Threshold, Differential Threshold, Subliminal Perception)
Dynamics of Perception (Perceptual Selection, Perceptual Interpretation, Perceptual Organization)
Consumer Imagery, Product positioning and repositioning, Positioning of services, perceived price, perceived quality, price/quality relationship, retail store image, manufacturer’s image
Perceived Risk, Types of risk, How consumers’ handle risk


4. Individual Influences on Consumer Behavior:
A) Learning

Elements of Consumer Learning, Motivation, Cues, Response, Reinforcement, Marketing Applications of Behavioural Learning Theories Classical Conditioning(Pavlovian Model, Neo-Pavlovian Model)
Strategic Marketing Applications of Classical Conditioning), Instrumental Conditioning, Strategic Marketing Applications of Instrumental Conditioning, Modelling or Observational Learning, Marketing Applications of Cognitive Learning Theory
Information Processing (How Consumers store, retain and retrieve information, Sensory Store, Short-Term Store, Long-Term Store
Rehearsal and Encoding, Retention, Retrieval, Limited and Extensive Information Processing)
Involvement Theory (Media Strategy, Central & Peripheral Route to Persuasion, Elaboration Likelihood Model, Measures of Involvement), Measures of Consumer Learning (Recognition and Recall Measures)


B) Attitude
Basics of attitude, The nature of attitude, Models of attitude and Marketing Implication, (Tri-component Model of attitude, Multiattribute attitude models, Theory of trying to consume, Attitude towards the ad model),
Attitude change strategies, Attitude change based on the tri-component model(Changing the Cognitive Component, Changing the Affective Component, Changing the Behavioural Component)
Other attitude change strategies (Changing the basic motivational function, Associating the product with a specific group, event, or cause, Resolving two conflicting attitudes Altering components of the multi-attribute model, Changing beliefs about competitors brands, The Elaboration Likelihood Model)

C. Persuasive Communication
Communications strategy, Target Audience, Media Strategy, Message strategies, Message structure and presentation
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5. External Influences on Consumer Behavior:
A) Social Class

Social Class Basics, What is Social Class?(Social class & Social status, The dynamics of status consumption, Features of Social Class
Five Social-Class Categories in India, The measurement of social class (Subjective Measures, Reputations Measures, Objective Measures)
Social Class Mobility, Geodemographic Clustering, Social Stratification, Social class role and status differentiation and evaluation, Factors responsible for social stratification



B) Culture and Subculture - Major Focus on Indian Perspective
Culture: Basics, Meaning, Characteristics, Factors affecting culture, Role of customs, values and beliefs in Consumer Behaviour, The measurement of culture, Content analysis, Consumer fieldwork, Value measurement survey instruments
Subculture: Meaning, Subculture division and consumption pattern in India, Types of subcultures (Nationality subcultures, Religious subcultures, geographic and regional subcultures, racial subcultures, age subcultures, sex as a subculture)
Cross-cultural consumer analysis: Similarities and differences among people, the growing global middle class; Acculturation is a needed marketing viewpoint, applying research techniques
Cross-cultural marketing strategy: Cross-cultural marketing problems in India, Strategies to overcome cross-cultural problems

6. External Influences on Consumer Behaviour
Family, Reference Groups, Groups: Meaning and Nature of Groups, Types Family: The changing structure of family, Family decision making and consumption related roles, Key family consumption roles
Dynamics of husband-wife decision making,

The expanding role of children in family decision making, The family life cycle & marketing strategy, Traditional family life cycle & marketing implications, Modified / non-traditional family life cycle & marketing implications
Reference Groups: Understanding the power & benefits of reference groups, A broadened perspective on reference groups
Factors that affect reference group influence
Types of reference groups, Friendship groups, Shopping groups, Work groups, Virtual groups, Consumer-action groups, Reference group appeals, Celebrities, the expert, the common man, the executive and employee spokesperson, Trade or spokes-characters, Other reference group appeals

7. Consumer Influence and Diffusion of Innovations
Opinion Leadership: Dynamics of opinion leadership process, Motivation behind opinion leaders
The needs of opinion leaders and opinion receivers, Purchase Pals, Surrogate buyers vs. opinion leaders, Measurement of opinion leadership
Frequency and overlap of opinion leaderships, Market Mavens, Opinion Leadership & Marketing Strategy, Creation of Opinion Leaders Diffusion of Innovations: Diffusion Process (Innovation, Communication channels, Social System, Time)
Adoption Process: Stages, categories of adopters
Post Purchase Processes: Post Purchase Processes
Customer Satisfaction, and customer commitment: Post purchase dissonance, Product use and non use, Disposition, Product disposition and marketing strategy, Purchase evaluation and customer satisfaction, The evaluation process, Dissatisfaction responses
Marketing strategies and dissatisfied customers, Customer satisfaction, repeat purchases and customer commitment, Repeat purchasers, committed customers and profits, Repeat purchasers, committed customers and marketing strategy

8. CRM & Online Decision Making
A) Customer Relationship Management

Meaning and Significance of CRM, Types of CRM (Operational, Collaborative, Analytical), Strategies for building relationship marketing, CRM Vs Customer retention, CRM Process-Benefits, CRM process for marketing organisations, brand switching behavioure-CRM, Meaning, Importance of e-CRM, Difference Between CRM and e- CRM

B) On-line Decision Making
Meaning and Steps

Case studies in Indian context


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