Course Contents
Unit I: Introduction to Consumer Behavior 4 hours
Meaning and nature of buyer behavior. Differences between consumer buying and organizational buying in terms of characteristics and process. Strategic use of consumer behavior knowledge in marketing and public policy decisions. Modern consumerism and the global consumer movement.
Unit II: Consumer Decision Process: Problem Recognition 4 hours
Types of consumer decisions. Purchase involvement levels and the decision process. Problem/need recognition by consumers. Types of consumer problems. Marketing strategy and problem recognition.
Unit III: Information Search and Evaluation 12 hours
Nature of consumers’ information search: internal and external search, passive and active search. Types of information sought by consumers: evaluative criteria, alternatives available, alternative characteristics. Sources of consumer information. Marketing strategy in the information search process. Consumers’ evaluative criteria and its measurement. Consumer decision rules: conjunctive and disjunctive decision rules, lexicographic decision rule, and compensatory decision rules. Marketing strategy in the evaluation process.
Unit IV: Consumers’ Choice and Post-purchase Behavior 8 hours
Consumers’ choice: Brand choice and store choice factors. Rational choice, affective choice, attribute-based choice, and attitude-based choice. Post-purchase dissonance: reasons and remedies. Product use and non-use. Product disposition: disposition methods. Satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Consumer complaint behavior. Satisfaction and brand loyalty. Strategic implications of the post-purchase evaluations.
Unit V: Individual Influences on Consumer Behavior 12 hours
Consumer motivation: nature, process and sources of consumer motivations. Consumer learning: nature and sources of consumer learning; learning and consumer memory. Consumer perception: nature and process of perception. Personality: nature and types of consumer personality. Consumer personality and brand personality congruence. Consumer attitudes: nature and functions of attitudes; attitude components: component consistency among cognitive, affective and behavioral; Communication strategy for attitude change.
Unit VI Socio-Cultural Influences on Consumer Behavior 8 hours
Reference group influences: nature and degree of influences, marketing strategies based on reference group influences. Family influences: structure of household, family decision roles, family life cycle. Consumer socialization: how children learn to be consumers. Social class influences: social class hierarchy and consumption behavior in Nepal. Cultural and sub-cultural influences: nature of culture, cultural dynamism, values, norms, myths. Cross cultural marketing.
