Consumer Behavior MKTG312 Assessments

The aim of this project is to identify the buying behaviour of a product’s target market. There are two parts to the project:

• Assignment 1 involves conducting two in-depth interviews and analysing the answers and comparing them to the evidence in the literature. You will be applying concepts from Topics 1 to 4.

• Assignment 2 involves using the information gained from Assignment 1 and the concepts from Topics 5 to 9 to analyze the internal and external influences on a consumer’s decision-making process and the implications to marketing.

You should focus on a specific product and specific buying situations. Choose these carefully – again to afford your scope to really demonstrate your knowledge and application of course concepts.

Other points to note:

• The assignments are in report format. Report format means using an executive summary, introduction, conclusion and referencing which, in this case, will be outside the word count.

• Because of the nature of these assignments, it is difficult to be prescriptive about the number of references requir

• Failure to reference appropriately will result in loss of mark

Assignment 1: Researching the consumer decision making process

Due:               Wednesday February 12 2020 (Week 5)

Length:         approx. 1,200 – 1,400 words

Weighting:  20%

In this assignment you will be gathering and analyzing information (qualitative data) on a product’s target market, to gain an in-depth understanding of how a consumer goes through each stage of their decision-making process.

Essentially you will interview two people who have purchased the same product within the last six months. This product can be either a good or a service.

At the outcome of your assignment you will have examined the answers to your interviews in relation to the different concepts of the decision-making process. The information that you have gathered will also be used in Assignment 2.[unique_solution]

Part 1. Concise background information on the product/service/organization selected (approx. 100 words) (1 mark)

Provide a brief background to the product you have chosen, and include a brief discussion on the brand/s.

Part 2. Primary research (7 marks)

You need to interview two consumers who have purchased the same product (good or service) in the last six months. It can be the same brand or different brands.

For the interviews, discuss:

• What was bought
• What kind of purchase it was (habitual, limited, extended) and whether it was a low involvement or high involvement decision
• The decision making process. Include in your answer:
  1. What triggered the problem recognition
  2. Time (costs and benefits) associated with the information search, and what was involved in the information search
  3. The evaluative criteria and the consideration set of the consumer and how the consumer made their decision
  4. Where and how it was purchased and the environmental triggers

happening at this stage of the decision making process

5. What happened at the post evaluative stage.

Part 3. Compare the primary research with academic literature (7 marks) How does the behaviour of your interviewees compare with consumer behaviour

literature? In your discussion support your answer with evidence from the literature by referring to at least five different academic articles (at least one for each of the five stages of the decision making process). Discuss any differences between your analysis and the literature.

Appropriate academic journals include:

• Journal of Consumer Research
• Journal of Consumer Behaviour
• Psychology and Marketing
• Journal of Consumer Marketing
• Journal of Advertising

Part 4. Summary of the purchasing behavior (5 marks)

Based on your discussion from Part (2) summarize the purchasing behavior. Which stage of the decision-making process appeared to be the most important for each of the interviewees?

Other information

Please use report writing style (structured with headings and subheadings) and provide a list of references.

The assignments are in report format. Report format means using an executive summary, introduction, conclusion and referencing which, in this case, will be outside the word count.

PLEASE NOTE: You will need to provide a transcript of your interviews in the Appendix of your assignment. The assignment will not be marked if you submit it without a transcript of your interviews.

Suggested structure

The body of your report will be your analysis from Part 2 and discussion from Part 3, so the different stages of the decision-making process can be used as sub headings, with parts 1 and 4 forming their own sections.

Be sure to acknowledge all sources in-text (Harvard-style referencing, please). Marks will be deducted for poor referencing. General marking criteria includes:

• extent and quality of research
• originality of analysis
• presentatio

Assignment 2: Understanding the influences on a consumer’s buying behavior

Due:               Wednesday April 1 2020 (Week 12)

Length:         1,800 – 2,000 words

Weighting:  20%

This assignment continues on from Assignment 1. The aim of this assignment is to understand the buying influences on a consumer when they purchase a particular product and use this information to identify the implications to marketing.

The assignment is in three parts.

Part (i) – primary and secondary research (1,400 words)

You are to analyse the internal and external influences on consumers who purchased the product that you discussed in Assignment 1.

In order to complete your analysis you will need to research the information available, including collecting marketing intelligence, and any other relevant resources (like the research you gathered in Assignment 1).

If you have access to the consumers from Assignment 1 you are free to interview them again to assist in providing further information for this assignment. If you don’t have access to the interviewees again, use evidence from the organization’s marketing collateral or information from credible sources to assist in answering the question.

Credible sources can include journal articles, media reports, qualitative information gained from Assignment 1 and industry information.

Using this information:

• explain the different internal influences on the consumer’s decision-making process (6 marks)
• explain the different external influences on the consumer’s decision-making process (6 marks)

Don’t limit your answer to a description; it is important that you provide evidence to support your answer. Remember, ‘explain’ means you need to think critically; focusing on the ‘why’ and the ‘how’.

Part (ii) – Summary of the target market (100 words)

Provide a profile of the target market based on your findings in Assignment 1 and your analysis from Part (i) above.  (2 marks)

Part (iii) – conclusions on the implications to marketing (400 words)

From your analysis from part (i) on the internal and external influences on the decision-making process, and your findings in assignment 1, create a table which summarizes the internal and external influences in one column and provide corresponding marketing implications/tactics, to reach the target market, in the other. (6 marks)

Marking criteria

General marking criteria include:

• extent and quality of research
• originality of analysis
• presentatio

Please use report writing style (structured with headings and subheadings) and provide a list of references. Be sure to acknowledge all sources in-text (Harvard-style referencing, please). Marks will be deducted for poor referencing.