Consumer Behavior is designed for students who have some basic knowledge of marketing behavioral aspects of consumers and their strategic implications to marketers. An understanding of consumers and their needs and purchase behavior is integral to a successful marketing. This course helps students to understand and examine consumer decision-making processes and the environmental influences on these processes and how to use this information to develop, implement and evaluate effective marketing strategies. Also the students study consumer buying behavior and the intricacies involved in the exchange process of acquiring, consuming and disposing of goods, services, experiences and ideas. The course will draw inputs from theories and concepts related to all the behavioral sciences such as economics, demographics, sociology, psychology, social psychology, anthropology, and marketing.
Course Catalogue
The objective of the course is to help students understand the principles and practices of marketing communications, involving tools used by marketers to inform consumers and to provide a managerial framework for integrated marketing communications planning. Topics: the role of integrated marketing communications, organizing for advertising and promotion, consumer behavior perspective, the communication process, promotional objectives and budgets, creative strategy, media planning and strategy, broadcast/print & support media, direct marketing, sales promotions, PR and publicity, personal selling, international promotion, business-to-business promotions, and regulations and ethics.
This course covers professional selling practices and philosophies, and provides an introduction to the basic activities of sales management: training and recruitment, performance evaluation, sales force compensation, budgeting, time and territory management. Personal selling skills including developing and qualifying prospects, creating a sales presentation, closing techniques and servicing the sale, will be covered. Sales ethics, account relationship management and aspects of motivating sales force will also be included.
An in depth understanding of the psychological aspects of consumers’ awareness, preference, and loyalty to brands is vital in developing strategies for long-term company growth. This course will provide appropriate theories, models and other tools on which to make better product and branding decisions. Particular emphasis will be placed on decision-making by consumers between brands and products, developing critical skills in building the product portfolio, measuring brand performance, and developing, implementing, and monitoring brand equity strategies.
At the heart of marketing lie the consumer and their marketing journey through the stages of awareness, intent, conversion and finally retention. In this course, we will learn how digital has revolutionized the interactions between firms and consumers along this journey.
This course is designed to provide students with knowledge and skills of conducting research with special emphasis on business market research. Topics include preparing a research proposal, problem formulation, research design, data collection methods and analysis, hypothesis testing (including non-parametric methods), correlation and regression analysis, and analysis of variance.