Post-Graduate Diploma in Management

(PGDM)

Area: Marketing

Course Title: Consumer Behaviour

Course Faculty: Dr Sita Mishra/ Dr Garima Saxena/ Dr Sheetal Jain

Faculty Contact Hours………………………(for students)

(Faculty needs to specify the day and time)

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Course Description:
A firm’s value generation activity is fundamentally affected by its ability to understand its
consumers. So, it is essential that managers understand the process of consumer decision making
so as to identify, craft and deliver appropriate customer value. This course builds up this
foundation to understand the managerial implications to generate meaningful value propositions.
Adopting Journal of Consumer Research (2009) definition, we may state that:

“Consumer behavior is the study of the acquisition, consumption, and disposal of marketplace
products, services, and experiences by people operating in a consumer role.”

The course focuses on the need to understand the customer and factors that influence their
decision-making. In this way, it highlights how effective marketing strategies are rooted in a
nuanced understanding about consumption behaviours.

Since you have consumed all of your life, you walk into this course believing yourself to be an
expert on consumer behavior. However, you are expected to question your predispositions during
this course. You will be able to find the answers by reflecting on your experiences as a consumer
and linking them to the concepts discussed. Furthermore, it is advised that you keep your eyes
and ears open for real time observations around you. Here we insist on ‘immersion’, more than
‘projection’.

Learning Objectives
(a) To increase students’ awareness of factors influencing consumer decision making and of
the decision processes involved, in both local and global context.
(b) To develop the ability of students to take marketing decisions and develop strategies
keeping in consideration different consumer characteristics
(c) To understand and delineate the implications of ethical dimensions on marketing
decisions (learning outcome aligned to sub-goal 2.2)

Note: If the course is not already mapped to any of the program sub-goals, the faculty can still
specify the sub-goal which closely aligns with their course objective. It is not mandatory to
specify the same in case, the learning objectives do not align with any of the program sub-
goals.

Pedagogy:
An array of pedagogical methods is utilized, including case studies, in-class presentations,
lecture-demonstrations & team projects.

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Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on the basis of case analysis, group projects, class participation, and
end-term exam. The weightage given to each of these units is listed below:
 Class Participation 10%
 Assignment/Case Analysis/Quiz 20%
 Group Project 30%
 End Term Exam 40%

Learning outcome to be assessed

Specific Assessment Weightage
a b c* d* e*
Method
Tentative Week/Date of
Assessment
Group Assessment
Methods
Group Project 20% √ √
Submission & activity
Group Project 10% √ √
Presentation

Individual
Assessment Methods
Assignment/Case 20% √
Analysis/Quiz
Class Participation 10% √ √
End-term Exam 40% √ √ √ √

*AACSB AOL sub goal 2.2 (Demonstrate ethical orientation while taking business decisions) to be assessed under
individual assessment methods only.
Note: 1. Assessment sheets other than the end term sheets for learning outcomes c, d, e needs to be submitted to
the AOL office.
2. The columns a, b, c, d and e represent the learning outcome.

Recommended Text Book

Consumer Behavior: Schiffman, Kanuk & Ramesh Kumar; Published by Pearson Education
(India Edition), New Delhi
Other Reference Books
 Consumer Behaviour: Blackwell, Miniard & Engel; Published by Cenage (India Edition),
New Delhi
 Consumer Behavior: Loudon & Della Bitta; Published by Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing
Company Limited, New Delhi

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  Shopper, Buyer and Consumer Behavior (Second Edition): Lindquist & Sirgy; Published
by Biztantra
 Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid – C.K. Prahalad
 We are Like that Only – Rama Bijapurkar
 Consumer behavior-Mothersbaugh et al.; McGraw Hill

Recommended Journals

 Journal of Consumer Research

 Journal of Consumer Marketing
 Journal of Consumer Behavior
 Journal of Consumer Psychology
 International Journal of Consumer Studies
 Journal of Customer Behavior
 Journal of Macro marketing
In addition to above mentioned journals, please keep track of other journals, websites, published articles
and papers on Marketing theory and practice.

Course Outline: Session/Topic/Reading Material/Reference

Session Topic References / Readings Cases
1-2 Consumer Behavior – Chapter 1 and 2 -
Nature, scope and
applications of CB in
marketing Reading: The Needs-
Adaptive Consumer:
Consumer decision-making Understanding Why and
framework How People Shop

3-4 Consumer Research and Chapter 3 and 15 -

Motivation
Customer Intelligence and
turning behavioral data into
psychographic data
Reading: Stories that
Deliver Business insights
Reading: The Dark Side of
Customer Analytics

5 Consumer Journey & Guest lecture

profiling
6-7 Consumer Perception Chapter 4 Case: L’Oreal of
Paris Bringing
Reading: The Science of “Class to Mass” with
Sensory Marketing Plenitude

8 Personality and self-concept Chapter 3 Guest lecture

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 Reading: What Marketers
Should Know About
Personality-Based Marketing

9-10 Learning and Memory Chapter 5 Case: Selling CFLs

at Walmart
Reading: Behavioral
Learning Theory: Its
Relevance to Marketing and
Promotions. Rothschild,
Michael L. Journal of
Marketing; Spring 1981; 45,
pp. 70-78

11-12 Attitude and Consumer Chapter 6 Case: Hindustan

Behavior Unilever: Broke
Reading: How Certainty Bond Red Label’s 6
Transforms Persuasion Pack Band

13 External Influencers- Chapter 9 and 10 Case: DMK:

Family and group influences Rebranding a
Reading: What would Footwear Brand to
Ashton do – and Does it Connect with
Matter? New Research Millennials and Gen
Reveals the Power and Z
Limits of “Influencers”

14-15 External Influencers- Chapter 11 and 12 Case: “No More

Culture and cross-culture Uncle”: Asian Men’s
Reading: Branding in the beauty in the
Age of Social Media marketing spotlight

Reading: Research: How

you feel about Individualism
is influenced by your social
class

16-17 Impact of Popular culture Guest lecture

CB in digital economy
18 Marketing Ethics and Social Chapter: 14 Case: Big Boom
responsibility Beverages: Fight or
Reading: Sustainability as a Flight?
Marketing Tool: To Be or to
Appear To Be?
19-20 Project Presentations -