10455 Consumer Behavior

Credits: 6 intermediate credits in Management

Prerequisites: none

Recommended: Marketing Management, Introduction to Microeconomics, Research Methods in Social Sciences: Guiding Principles and Research Styles

Author: Aviva Geva

The course acquaints the student with basic theories that explain consumer behavior, with an emphasis on their implications for marketing management. A review of the various approaches reflects the inter-disciplinary nature of this young field which developed as a branch of marketing and draws on psychology, economics, sociology and anthropology. The course deals with consumer decision-making processes and the impact of the environment on consumer behavior. The materials include examples and case studies demonstrating the unique nature of consumer behavior patterns in Israel.

Topics: Introduction; Need recognition; Reasoned purchase – information search, attitude formation and alternative evaluation, consumer persuasion, purchase, post-purchase behavior; Low-involvement consumer behavior; The marketing environment – market segmentation, consumer culture, social influences.