There will be four mini-application exercises, two presentations and two short multiple choice exams. Each mini-application is an assignment in applying text and lecture material to an actual problem faced by a firm. The "problem" may be identified in the press (i.e., Business Week, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, American Demographics, etc.). Your task will be to apply the material assigned and suggest ways to solve the problem in question in the context of the behavior principles studied. For each application, you will identify an article or set of articles that you will use as a context to apply a total of four concepts from the chapters assigned for that application. Your assignment is to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts by actually applying them in a real-world context. The format for each application is as follows: (1) identify each of the four concepts you will analyze and identify its chapter; (2) give a book definition and your own definition for each concept; (3) demonstrate your understanding of the concept by applying it in the context of an article drawn from the business press (e.g., Fortune, Business Week, Forbes, Advertising Age, Wall Street Journal, American Demographics etc.); and (4) discuss how the concepts are integrated. The assignments are due on Thursday of the week identified under "assignments."(5 plus pages)
Each of you will be responsible for making two oral presentations. The presentations. Your presentations should focus on some aspect of consumer behavior that has been addressed in either the business or popular press (you may not use concepts that you have used on your applications). I also recommend that you consider using an advertisement as a vehicle to apply the concepts you have learned. At the time of your presentation, you will submit a 2 to 4 page analysis of the concepts and the article that you are presenting. These presentations may be conducted in groups, not to exceed three people, if you so choose. These presentations must involve the use of PowerPoint as a communications tool. (Presentation length is about 3 minutes per group member). The presentation should follow the following outline: (1) identify presenter(s); (2) identify the article used and the concept(s) analyzed; (3) define the concept(s) to be analyzed; (4) provide a brief overview of the article; and (5) demonstrate your understanding of the concept(s) through an analysis of the article.
Finally, you will be given two multiple choice exams consisting of forty questions per exam; the second exam is not cumulative. The purpose of these exams is to test your understanding of the concepts addressed in the text. Approximately three to four days before each exam I will send a review sheet to the class listserv to help you prepare for the exam. Your grade will be computed by simply multiplying the weighting factor for each assignment times your assignment grade. Grades will be assigned on the basis of a straight (90= A, 80=B, 70=C, 60=D, below 60=F) scale.
Mini-applications 50% (12.5% each)
Presentations 10% (5% each)
Exams 40% (20% each)