Business Administration Department

BA342 Consumer Behavior

Dr. Geoffrey Lantos Spring, 2008

ORAL AND WRITTEN EXPERIENTIAL APPLICATIONS EXERCISES ASSIGNMENTS

Overview

During the course of the semester we will be discussing as a class, you will be individually writing up, and teams will be presenting in class a series of experiential applications exercises from your textbook. The exercises to be written up and/or discussed, with their dates of completion, are indicated on your syllabus and on this handout. (A separate handout discusses the in-class team presentations based on the textbook experiential applications exercises.)

As the textbook’s Preface explains in more detail, these exercises have you think about and apply the concepts, principles, and theories discussed in the textbook and in class. Many exercises involve analyzing advertisements for their use of behavioral science concepts, some have you investigate short scenarios for application of these concepts, others have you introspectively examiner your own consumer behavior, several have you explore websites, a few involve small-scale consumer research fieldwork to give you experience in behavioral research methodologies and techniques, a couple are quantitative in nature, and several have you creatively apply concepts in marketing decision making.

You will be randomly assigned a student group number (1 through 8). Depending on the grading plan you select, on the dates noted on the syllabus you will either complete two textbook written applications exercises assigned to your student group or do one textbook written applications exercise and one periodical article review (see separate handout), one textbook written applications exercise, or no written assignments at all. (Other options are to complete the term paper [see separate handout], participate in a classroom debate [date to be determined], or do none of these.)

Fir each applications exercises write-up, you may choose from among the two or more exercise options assigned to your group. You will answer some or all of the questions in the Written Applications section of your assigned exercise—however many and whichever ones it takes to have a quality paper of about four to five pages. In the standard grading plan, your completed, individually written assignments (although you may, as always, discuss with others) will each constitute 6 to 12% of your final grade (12 to 24% total for two), depending on your individualized weights. For those exercises that you will be writing up, you might find it helpful to do some additional background reading on the subject of the exercise, which can be found in any consumer behavior textbook or journal either in the library or in my office. Be sure to cite all sources of information consulted!

Most of the exercises assigned for write-ups are also assigned to the whole class to think about for general class discussion. For each such exercise, all students are to read and prepare (either mentally or by taking notes) answers to the In-Class Applications questions appearing in the textbook.

Objectives

The purposes of these assignments are:

· To allow you to experience deriving and applying to specific situations consumer behavior theories, concepts, and principles introduced in the textbook so as to sharpen your understanding and aid your retention of these ideas.

· To demonstrate the practicality of the material, both professionally (as future marketing decision makers) and personally (as consumers and in living everyday life).

· To permit you to solidify and test your understanding of the material.

· To serve as springboards for in-class presentations as well as catalysts to encourage in-class participation, involvement, and exchange of information.

· To provide outside-of-class involving applied activities and writing assignments, helping you to develop your written communication skills and ability to think and write critically and creatively.

· To make learning fun, enjoyable, entertaining, and relevant.

Format of Papers

· Your written reports should be approximately four to five typewritten double-spaced pages of 10-to-12-point font size text, excluding any supportive data, ads, or other exhibits. One-inch margins should be used on all four sides.

· Do not waste space providing basic definitions and information that have been presented in class or in the textbook. Instead, demonstrate that you can apply and analyze these concepts in specific situations. However, don’t forget to include a brief introduction and conclusion.

· Be sure to use endnotes/source citations where appropriate. Any standard reference format may be used. I recommend you list the references alphabetically at the end of the paper. Then, in the paper’s text, place the reference's number when you refer to it (e.g., 6, p.59).

· All ads used for your write-ups must be recent (past twelve months). Cite the periodical or Website address (URL) and date for each ad, either on the ad’s exhibit or in your discussion of the ad.

· Attach exhibits of ads where appropriate. If you have the originals (not photocopies), you may attach them with a paper clip rather than with staples. This way, I will have an unspoiled copy of any ads I think are excellent enough to use in a possible second edition of my textbook or for overhead transparencies. I will add one additional point to your paper grade for each ad I decide to use. I might also ask you to either e-mail me the file containing your assignment or to provide it on disk so I can incorporate your answer into my instructor’s manual.

· Include a title page with the title of the assignment, your student number (to be assigned), course name and number plus your section letter (A or B), the professor's name, and due date.

· All pages should be numbered, with the exception of page one and the title page (which is, in effect, page 0).

· Staple your paper in the upper left-hand corner. Please do not use paper clips or other fasteners, and please do not use plastic or other covers.

· To avoid potential loss of papers, all reports should be copied or stored electronically before the original is handed in to me.

Evaluation of Papers

Each assignment will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Relative

Criterion Importance

1. Content - conciseness, correctness, and completeness of answer (highly informative/sufficiently detailed); application of course theory; originality of ideas and creativity; logic of analysis; use of examples and evidence (including a sufficient number of outside sources where appropriate).

70%

2. Organization, Presentation, and Appearance - Organization includes: a) coherence - the paper is sequentially logical; paragraphs and sentences are in the right order; topics are developed within paragraphs; topic transitions between sections, paragraphs, and sentences flow smoothly and logically; b) unity - introduction and conclusion (summarizes and provides closure); the theme is clear; everything in the paper defends or explains the theme.

Presentation and appearance involve matters such as neatness and proper formal paper format (including title page, endnotes, headings and subheadings, page numbers, margins, use of exhibits and illustrative charts, etc.).

15%

3. Clarity of Communication - a) Writing style - the paper is clearly and concisely written, not to impress, but to make the reader understand; active voice; verb tense consistent; professional tone (absence of contractions, appropriate vocabulary, etc.); interesting style b) Mechanics - grammar, syntax, spelling, punctuation, word divisions.

15%

100%

Specific Written Assignments

The following group of Written Applications exercises is from the Lantos textbook. For those exercises asking you to analyze ads from the book, you should as a rule of thumb choose three (not all) of those ads to analyze, unless your paper’s length suggests you do one or two more or less than three.

Exercise 5, 6, or 7 – Student Group #1 – February 5

Exercise 9, 10, 14, or 15 – Student Group #2 – February 7

Exercise 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 – Student Group #3 – February 14)

Exercise 11, 12, or 13 – Student Group #4 – February 19

Exercise 21, 22, or 23 – Student Group #5 – February 21

Exercise 24, 25, or 26 – Student Group #6 – March 11

Exercise 27, 28, or 29 – Student Group #7 – March 13

Exercise 30, 31, or 32 – Student Group #8 –March 18

Exercise 33 or 34 – Student Group #1 – April 1

Exercise 35 or 37 or 39– Student Group #2 – April 3

Exercise 39 or 40 – Student Group #3 – April 8

Exercise 38 or 41 – Student Group #4 – April 15

Exercise 42 or 43 – Student Group #5 – April 17

Exercise 44 or 45 – Student Group #6 – - April 22

Exercise 45 or 49 – Student Group #7 – April 22

Exercise 47, 48 or 46 – Student Group #8 – April 24