79199 - Consumer Behaviour and Marketing

Learning outcomes

The first part of the course is designed to provide students with both theory about consumer behavior (CB) as well as an understanding of how CB concepts can be applied to marketing management, to our roles as consumers, and to everyday life. CB applies concepts, theories, and principles from the various social (behavioral) sciences to the study of factors influencing the acquisition, consumption, and disposition of goods, services, and ideas.

The second part of the course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive, conceptual and practical introduction to the field of marketing. Specifically, students will:

- discover how to specify information inputs needed for marketing decisions;

- learn to analyze the nature and extent of demand and the characteristics of market segments

- identify and evaluate market segments as potential opportunities

- develop and analyze alternative marketing strategies, i.e., decisions with respect to product offerings and their pricing, distribution and promotion

Course contents

1. Marketing, consumer behavior and strategic planning: links and intersections

2. Purchase paradigms: cognitive approach; reinforcement approach; habit approach.

3. Attitudes, beliefs, intentions and behavior

4. Predicting and explaining actions: theory of reasoned action; theory of planned behavior.

5. The marketing environment

6. Marketing segmentation, analysis, targeting and positioning

7. Managing product life cycles

8. Modifying attitudes and behavior: an information-processing perspective on communication

9. Marketing communication: advertising, sales promotion and publicity

10. Pricing: the managerial perspective

11. Distribution systems from a producer's perspective

Readings/Bibliography

1) R. East, M. Wright, M. Vanuele, Comportamento del consumatore, Apogeo, 2009, chapters 1, 2, 6, 8, 11

2) R. Wiener, R. Dhar, F. Mosca, Marketing management, 2 ed., Apogeo, Milano, 2013 chapters (1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12)

or, as a substitute of the Wiener et al. book::

2) R.P. Bagozzi, Fondamenti di Marketing, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2001 (chapters 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

Teaching methods

Classroom lectures/discussions, statistical laboratory seminars, student projects

Assessment methods

Oral and written examinations

Teaching tools

PC, overhead projector, statistical and IT labs

Office hours

See the website of Gian Luca Marzocchi