Business
Administration Department
BA342 Consumer Behavior
Dr.
Geoffrey
PERIODICAL ARTICLE REVIEW
OVERVIEW
For
students choosing to do two short written papers this semester, in lieu of one
of the two written textbook experiential applications exercises you may instead
find, read, summarize and critically analyze a periodical article
on some aspect of consumer behavior. In
the standard grading plan, this completed assignment will constitute from 6 to
12% of your grade, depending on your individualized weights. The due date will be that assigned to your
group for the written textbook experiential applications exercise that you
elect not to do.
OBJECTIVES
The
purposes of this assignment are that you:
·Become familiar with consumer
behavior literature that is either academic/scholarly or
practical/applied/trade (real world), since after graduation it is important to
know where current information can be found.
·Develop your written
communication skills and ability to think and write critically and clearly.
·Be exposed to
viewpoints of and information from sources other than those of the professor
and textbook authors.
PROCEDURE
First,
find
a recent (last 2 years) article that interests you.
You
may choose an article from the academic marketing literature, i.e.,
from a professional "scholarly" journal authored primarily by
university professors. This includes:
Advances in Consumer Research Journal of Experimental Psychology
Advertising and Consumer Psychology Journal of International Consumer Marketing
Association of Consumer Research
Proceedings Journal
of Macromarketing
Family and Consumer Sciences Journal
Journal of Marketing
Harvard Business Review Journal of Marketing Research
Journal of the
Journal of Advertising Journal of Public Policy and Marketing
Journal of Advertising Research Journal of Product Innovation Management
Journal of Applied Psychology Journal of Personal Selling and Sales
Journal of Business Strategy
Management
Journal of
Communication Journal of Professional Services Marketing
Journal of
Communication Research Journal of Research for Consumers
Journal of Consumer Affairs Journal of
Retailing and Consumer Services
Journal of Consumer Behaviour Journal of Services Marketing
Journal of Consumer Policy Journal of Services Research
Journal of Consumer Marketing Journal of Social Psychology
Journal of Consumer Psychology Journalism Quarterly
Journal of Consumer Market Research Psychology and Marketing
Journal of
Consumer Research Psychometrika
Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Psychological Review
Dissatisfaction, and Complaining Behavior Public Opinion Quarterly
Review
of Marketing Research
I
advise that you avoid highly quantitative and/or difficult-to-read articles.
Alternatively,
you may select an article from the applied marketing literature, i.e.,
from a trade or practitioner publication authored by "real-world"
practitioners. This literature includes:
Advertising Age Product Marketing
Adweek Management Review
American Demographics Marketing Communications
Brandweek Marketing and Media Decisions
Direct Marketing Marketing Research: A Magazine of Management
Inc. and Application
Marketing News Sales
and Marketing Management
Stores.
Such literature also
includes any other commercial/business magazines or newspapers containing a
substantive in-depth (several pages) article on consumer behavior. These publications include:
Barron's Industry Week
Business Horizons Marketing and Media Decisions
Business Week Nation's Business
Business Month Psychology Today
Forbes The Wall Street Journal
Fortune USA
You should look for a relatively substantive, in-depth article; for example, a feature article in Fortune or Business Week, a front-page story in column 1 or 4 on page 1 of the Wall Street Journal, or a “cover story” from USA Today..
Second,
read
the article and take notes on and/or highlight its major points and ideas. The purpose of note taking is to help you
identify, organize, and recall important information, ideas, and details. This means that you must be able to
recognize, in context: dates, names, and places; important or unusual details;
key words and phrases; definitions; and examples. Do not get bogged down in minutia, e.g.,
statistical calculations, methodological issues, etc. Your notes and/or highlights will serve as
the basis for your written summary of the article. A summary is a brief statement of the
article's main points (items 2 and 3 below).
It omits long descriptions and detailed examples.
Third,
digest
this material. Read over your summary
notes and think about the article critically, jotting down your own ideas. This will form the basis for your analysis
of the article (items 4, 5, and 6 below).
An analysis or critique describes what is right as well as what is wrong
with something, and it can offer suggestions for improvement.
The summary and analysis of your article should discuss each of the following six areas: (Pick and choose within each area, depending on available information).
1. Who is the author(s)? What are his or her qualifications for
writing on this topic? How credible is
the writer?
* Education
* Scholarly achievements
* Business or administrative
experience
*
Other published work
*
Viewpoint/perspective (e.g., pro-business vs. pro-consumer, conservative vs.
liberal, religious vs. secular, etc.)
Note: Background information
can be found in Who's Who, The New York Times Biographical
Index,
Contemporary Authors, or other
biographical references, on university/corporate Web
pages, or by typing the author’s
name in a search engine.
2. What is the author's message?
* Major theme (in one sentence, if
possible)
* Purpose of the message/author's
motives for writing
* The major issues raised or questions
addressed
*
What the author wants the audience to do, think about, or believe. What are the
article's objectives?
* Does the author identify and clearly
explain key concepts or ideas we need to understand in order to understand the
writer’s line of reasoning?
* What factors might have influenced
the author's viewpoint based on his or her background?
* Conclusions drawn by the author: Do
they logically follow from the evidence and assumptions? Do you agree or disagree with the author’s
conclusions?
* What other conclusions, if any,
could be drawn from the same information?
* What are the implications and
consequences that follow from the author’s conclusion? How were these reached?
3. What evidence is offered to support
the author's message?
* What is the most important
information in the article? Cite three
or four key points, examples, anecdotes, references, facts, quotes,
experiences, data, or aspects of a research study that support the theme. (Consider, where relevant, possible faults in
research methodology; qualifications of the people the author quotes; and prior
research studies or articles cited.)
* Is the article balanced, i.e., is information
presented that opposes the author’s viewpoint as well as information that
supports it?
*
Is the evidence clear, accurate, and relevant to the question at issue?
*
Is there sufficient evidence?
4. How well is the argument presented?
*
Is the article clearly organized and easy to follow (e.g., logical flow,
sections tied together, use of exhibits, etc.)
*
Is the article clearly written? Explain.
* Is the article interesting? Why or why not?
* Does the author have a particular
point of view/perspective that is shaping his or her argument? If so, describe this perspective. Is there another viewpoint that should be considered?
* Explain how well the argument
incorporates the following critical thinking/intellectual standards:
· Clarity:
Is further elaboration/explanation needed?
Are examples or illustrations needed?
(E.g., “Something should be done to improve direct marketing efforts” is
very vague.)
· Accuracy/truthfulness:
Does the author present true information?
Does the writer verify statements?
(E.g., “Most consumers are over 200 pounds in weight” is incorrect.)
· Precision:
Is the author specific, providing sufficient details? (E.g., “The typical American consumer is
overweight” doesn’t tell by how much.)
· Relevance:
Is everything connected to the article’s theme? (E.g., how well a company is
performing shouldn’t be measured by the efforts of its employees since performance
is an output, not an input, measure.)
· Depth:
Does the argument address the complexities of the issue? (E.g., “Just say no”
is a superficial answer to dealing with our nation’s drug problem.)
· Breadth:
Do we need to consider another viewpoint or perspective besides the
author’s? Does the article only
recognize the insights of one viewpoint on a debatable issue? Does it consider and respond to objections
framed from other relevant viewpoints?
· Logical
consistency/logical fallacies/faulty reasoning (vs. compelling arguments). When the thoughts are mutually supporting and
make sense in combination, the thinking is logical (not contradictory). Does the evidence support the author’s
claims?
* Limitations and/or assumptions that
might need to be tested What is the
author taking for granted that might be questionable (this is often unstated)?
* Facts vs. opinions—are opinions or
preferences presented as though they are facts?
* Use of propaganda techniques to influence opinions and to avoid the truth (often by omitting significant information or distorting it).
* Are the article's objectives clear
and are they successfully met?
*
What is your opinion—do you agree or disagree with the author(s)?
5. How does this article relate to other
work, things you know, or things you can discover in this area of marketing? These can include other authorities (compare
and contrast with other articles, books, etc.), personal experience of yourself
or others you know, concepts learned in BA342 or in other marketing and/or
business/college courses, etc. Does the
article add something new to our existing knowledge?
6. What is the significance of this
article for marketing management?
* Is the topic timely and
important? For whom?
* What consequences are likely to follow if
people take the author’s line of reasoning seriously?
* Usefulness of the author's ideas,
findings (facts discovered), conclusions (inferences from the
findings), and recommendations (actions suggested
from the conclusions). For example, what
are the major implications for target marketing and positioning and for decisions
on the “4 P’s,” public policy, or consumer decision making? Are there any take-aways for consumers to
use? (These can be both ideas stated as
well as unstated by the author.)
* Does the article contribute to our
knowledge of consumer behavior?
* Did the author neglect anything
important? What other information might
be necessary to know
before making any judgment on the value and importance of this article?
FORMAT OF PAPERS
Each
report is to be approximately four to five pages of typewritten, double-spaced
pages of 10-to-12-point font size text, plus any exhibits that you might wish
to add. Include a title page with the
name of the article, name of the periodical in which you found that article,
the date of publication, your student number, the course name and number plus
your section letter, the professor's name, and due date. Please attach a photocopy of your article to
your paper. Cite any sources of
information consulted in addition to the article itself (especially those
related to item 5 above). Follow all
other format procedures noted on the syllabus and on the Experiential
Applications Exercises Assignment handout.
Evaluation of Papers
Your
papers will be evaluated on the following criteria:
Relative
Criterion
Importance
1.
Content – Quality and
thoroughness of your summary of the article’s major points and ideas (highly
informative/sufficiently detailed).
Creativity, originality, and logic of your analysis of the article. This should include application of material
learned in BA 342 or in other marketing, business, and non-business courses,
and can include outside sources. 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, and use of exhibits and illustrative charts).
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 (typographical errors,
if present, should be corrected in pencil).
15%
100%
DUE DATE:
Your paper is
due on the date either your first or second written experiential exercise is
due (whichever one you choose not to do).