Buyer Behaviour

Convenor: Dr Wendy Hein
Assessment: This module will be assessed by exam (75% of the final mark) and a 2500 piece of coursework worth 25% of the final mark. The deadline for the coursework is March 30th 2012. The Absolute Cut-Off deadline is the 20th April 2012.

Aims

This module aims to develop a practical understanding of processes and factors that influence the behaviour of buyers before, during, and after purchase. The focus will be upon consumer behaviour, but organisational buying behaviour will also be reviewed. By learning about how buyers make decisions, what motivates them, and how context variables influence the decision and consumption process, students will be better able to gear marketing action towards creating customer value. Students will be able to evaluate how various studies on buying behaviour have been undertaken and will develop their intellectual and analytical capability vis‐à‐vis interpreting cultural and societal trends but also psychological processes from a Marketing decision‐making perspective. Overall, the course provides frameworks that enable students to address the issue of understanding buyers responsibly, systematically, and creatively.

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, students will:

• develop their analytical skill base and Marketing decision-making ability;
• develop their intellectual appreciation of the factors that affect the consumer and organisational decision-making processes;
• be able to reflect critically on the crosslinks between individual factors, current social and economic issues, and marketing practice;
• be able to relate theory and practice through the application of case studies;
• develop individual reflective, teamwork, and problem-solving skills;
• be able to apply the knowledge gained to Marketing theory and in particular, place the knowledge gained in the context of strategic Marketing frameworks and processes;
• be able to take different patterns of Buyer Behaviour into account when forming strategic marketing decisions

Content

The course encompasses a (i) micro‐level analysis, which relates to processes situated within the buyer and a (ii) macro‐level analyses, which relates to how the environment influences those processes (e.g., economic conditions, cultural trends and family size). To enable an holistic and practically relevant appreciation of all factors involved students are required to relate all sessions to a specific product/ service from the perspective of a product manager.  Weekly sessions combine lecture elements, case studies, audio-visual input, hands-on-exercises and group discussions in order to develop a range of skills that will allow students to question, critically appraise, and formulate Marketing practice and policy.

Background Reading

• Hawkins & Mothersbaugh (2009/2010). Consumer Behavior. Building Marketing Strategy (11th, International edition). New York: McGraw‐Hill.