Topic outline



  • Course objectives


    This course has a number of goals and objectives, including:

    1. To appreciate how understanding consumers leads to competitive advantages
    2. To introduce current knowledge of both substantive findings and theory about consumer behavior
    3. To provide concepts for understanding consumer reactions to marketing stimuli
    4. To improve the ability to identify potential applications of consumer behavior concepts and to utilize those concepts in analyzing marketing problems and determining marketing strategy
    5. To foster connections between consumer behavior variables and marketing research techniques.

    Additionally, this course will teach you to read and understand academic research and to apply its methods to more pratical market and consumer research.

    Out of all the subjects that you as a business student might encounter during your studies, consumer behavior is the one you have the most intimate first-hand knowledge of. You were a consumer long before starting your studies - you might even be an outright expert in some consumption field, such as your favorite hobby. Yet this familiarity with consumption sometimes makes it difficult to develop a necessary critical or analytical distance.

    Though the concepts presented during the course will be numerous, I will actively encourage reflection, criticism, deeper exploration, and creative applications based on your own interests. This should also sensitize you to understand that when it comes to understanding consumer behavior, there is no one correct answer; rather different perspectives and explanations are often complementary.


    Course format and requirements


    The course will consist of lectures, discussions, a group project, presentations, and article analyses. There is no final exam, but the 6 credits equals approximately 160 hours of work. Lectures make up only for 24 hours, so you will spend 136 hours reading, writing, and doing assignments.

    In the table below is a likely allocation of the hours:

    Activity
    Hours required
    Class
    24
    Independent work: preparing for class and reading, participating in discussions in Perusall*, writing the 3-2-1 quizzes*, and other independent study 35
    Group project* (incl. group meetings, review of
    relevant literature,preparing for the pitch session and the final presentations
    and writing the final report)

    101
    * see Assignments

    In the course schedule there is ample time set aside for independent work and tutoring sessions. The tutoring sessions are booked through a scheduler (see Lectures and materials) which comes available two weeks prior.

    Attendance and participation

    Attendance will not be formally tracked, but after each week you are expected to write the 3-2-1 quizz, which carry 25 points towards your final grade.

    Meaningful participation in class can earn you up to 5% extra points towards you final grade. At the end of the course you will return a Class activity sheet (see the template under Lectures and materials). You will record your contribution to each of the classes and grade your own activity.

    Course policies in and out the classroom

    To ensure a pleasant Zoom environment:

    • Please mute your microphone when you are not speaking.
    • Please remember to express your ideas in a way that is respectful to others.
    • Please be active! Ask questions, give your opinions. All ideas are welcome in the classroom and are open to debated. If you want to comment or ask a question, please use the raise-hand feature. (You may also use the chat).
    • While not compulsory, turning on your camera is higly appreciated.
    • Please do not take screenshots, cell phone pictures, or otherwise record the meeting, your classmates, or your instructor without express permission to do so.
    Outside the classroom:
    • Be courteous towards you class mates: when doing group work, pull your own weight: participate equally, follow mutually agreed upon deadlines, do your very best. You are not only responsible for your own grade, but for your mates' as well!
    • Be courteous in your communication with the instructor(s): before you email the instructor to ask about practicalities, read the syllabus. If the question regarding practicalites or assignments is not answered in the syllabus, or if you need clarification, please use the discussion forum in MyCourses. Only send email in personal matters.
    • No cheating of any kind will be tolerated - this includes plagiarism, but any other forms of cheating such as:

      • Buying written papers or analyses from suppliers online or offline
      • Writing with fellow classmates on assignments meant to be done individually.
      • Copying other group's work, including their ideas, and turning them in as your own
      • Not using citations when referring to other people's work, or not using quotation marks for any direct quotes

      If you are not sure, ask!

      All individual written assignments are to be done individually.They are not a collaborative effort.  Any work turned in with the same answers and showing a clear pattern of collaborative effort will be considered cheating and will be dealt with according to the rules dictated by Aalto University.

    Assignments

    There will be four types of assignments of this course:

    1. Perusall readings
    2. Learning diary
    3. Group project


    Please refer to the section Assignments on the navigation pane on the left for detailed description and due dates.


    Readings

    Recommended texts

    • Ariely, Dan. (2008) Predictably irrational. New York: HarperCollins.
    • McCracken, Grant. (2011) Chief culture officer: How to create a living, breathing corporation. Basic Books

    In addition, a selection of compulsory readings of journal articles have been assigned. These readings are accessable in Perusall.

    Grading

    On the course you can earn max. 100 points, ie. 100% of the grade.

    Here's a rough breakdown for the grade (please check the assignment section for more details):

    Assignment   % of the final grade
    Compulsory readings
    25%
    Learning diary
    25%
    Group project
    50 %
    Active participation in class can earn you extra 5%.

    The precentages will be converted to points toward the final grade as follows:
    Points (percentage)
    Grade
    90 points and over 5
    80 to 89 points 4
    70 to 79 points 3
    60 to 69 points 2
    50 to 59 points 1
    49 points and under
    Fail

    Communication


    • All "official" course communication from the instructorz will take place through News forum. Anything posted in that forum will be forwarded to your Aalto email, so please make sure you check it periodically.
    • Please use the Discussion forum if you have any questions or feedback regarding course topics, lectures, materials, assingments etc.
      • The instuctors will not be answering any inquiries regarding anything that can be easily found in the syllabus via email.
      • Please only use email if the matter is very personal or very urgent (ie. you are missing a class because you are home sick, or there is a problem with MyCourses when you need to submit your work).


    Indicate that you have read and understood the syllabus by sending the instructor (ilona.mikkonen@aaltio.fi) a picture of a puppy.