Consumer Behaviour

Paper Code: 
MMM 323
Credits: 
04
Contact Hours: 
60.00
Objective: 

Understanding consumer behaviour is the key to becoming effective marketing manager. This paper equips the students with the knowledge of psychological aspect of a consumer and helps one understand why a consumer behave in a particular manner.

12.00
Unit I: 

Consumer behaviour: Concepts, consumer research-Quantitative research, Qualitative research, consumer research process, consumer decision making model, types of consumer decision making (Extensive problem solving, Limited problem solving, Routinized problem solving)

Market segmentation: Meaning, bases, criterion for effective segmentation, concentrated vs. differentiated segmentation, countersegmentation, patterns of market segmentation (Market specialization, Product specialization, Selective specialization, Segment specialization, Full market coverage)
 
12.00
Unit II: 

Consumer motivation: Meaning, types of motivation, hierarchy of needs, rational vs. emotional motives.

Consumer perception: Meaning, absolute threshold, differential threshold, subliminal perception, perceptual selection, perceptual organization, perceptual interpretation, product positioning, product repositioning, positioning of services, perceived price, perceived quality, price/quality relationship, retail store image, manufacturer’s image.
 

12.00
Unit III: 

Consumer learning: Elements of consumer learning, theories of learning (Classical conditioning, Instrumental conditioning), measures of consumer learning (recognition and recall measures)

Reference groups and family influences:  Meaning, types of reference groups, family life cycle (Traditional, Non-traditional), relationship between family life cycle and consumer behaviour
 

12.00
Unit IV: 

Social class: Meaning, social class categories, measurement of social class, (subjective, reputational, objective measures), social class mobility, applications of social class behavior pattern on consumer behavior

12.00
Unit V: 

Influence of culture: Culture-Meaning, characteristics, enculturation and acculturation, measurement of culture, cultural relevance to marketing decisions, subculture, nationality subculture, religious subculture, geographic and regional subculture, racial subcultures, age subcultures, gender as subculture.

Essential Readings: 
  1. Schiffman, Leon G. and Kanuk, Leslie Lazar, Consumer behavior, Pearson Education, New Delhi, 2007, 9th ed. 
  2. Loudon, David L. and Bitta, Albert J. Della, Consumer behavior, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd., New Delhi, 2002, 4th ed.
References: 

1.    Solomon, Michael R., Consumer behavior Buying, Having and Being, Pearson Education, Delhi, 2003, 5th ed.
      2. Chunawalla, S.A., Commentary on Consumer behaviour, Himalaya Publishing House,  
          Mumbai, 2005, 2nd ed.
    
 

Academic Year: 
2018-2019
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