Understanding consumer behavior is essential for all businesses regardless of their size or industry. In this course you learned how consumer behavior forms the foundation for a wide range of activities in business from product and service development, to marketing and sales, and customer service. Businesses need to understand how consumers make decisions, develop perceptions of companies, evaluate prices, and companies. You also learned how the study of consumer behavior integrates concepts from various disciplines including research, psychology, and economics. In this assignment you will apply what you have learned by analyzing a consumer product or service in a 2500-3000 word paper.
In this analysis you should identify a consumer product or service that is commonly marketed to some segment of the general public. As the starting point in your analysis you should identify the primary target consumer for what you have selected. With that target in mind, research the product or service and analyze it from the perspective of consumer behavior. In your paper address all of the following:
Please write your paper in the APA format. As part of your research, you may refer to the course material for supporting evidence, but you must also use at least three credible, outside sources and cite them using APA format as well. Please include a mix of both primary and secondary sources, with at least one source from a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. If you use any Study.com lessons as sources, please also cite them in APA (including the lesson title and instructor's name).
If you're unsure about how to use APA format for your paper and sources, please see the following lessons:
Your paper will be graded based on the following rubric:
| Category | Unacceptable (0-2) | Needs Improvement (3-6) | Good (7-8) | Excellent (9-10) | Total Possible Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Decision-Making Forces (x1) | Does not explain relevant primary decision-making forces | Explains a few forces but with insufficient detail or relevance | Most of the primary relevant forces are explained and connected with decision-making | Clearly explains all primary relevant decision-making forces and connects them to their influence with buyers | 10 |
| Decision-Making & Buying Process (x2) | Does not analyze the decision-making or buying process | Analyzes the decision-making or the buying process, but not both | Analyzes both the decision-making and buying process with limited connection to the product or service | Fully analyzes both the decision-making and buying process with clear connections to the product or service | 20 |
| Microeconomic Factors (x1) | Does not identify any relevant microeconomic factors | Identifies some relevant microeconomic factors but does not connect them to consumer behaviors | Identifies relevant microeconomic factors with some connections made to consumer behavior | Identifies relevant microeconomic factors and clearly connects them to specific aspects of consumer behavior | 10 |
| Heuristics and Experiential Consumption (x2) | Does not explain the influence of heuristics or experiential consumption | Explains the influence of heuristics or experiential connection but not both | Explains how heuristics and experiential consumption influence consumers but supporting rationale is limited | Fully explains the influence of heuristics and experiential consumption on consumers and supports explanations with specific examples | 20 |
| Consumer Behavior Theories (x2) | Does not connect consumer behavior theories to the marketing of the product or service | Makes a basic connection between consumer behavior theories and the marketing of the product or service | Clearly connects consumer behavior theories with the marketing of the product or service illustrated with some examples | Fully connects consumer behavior theories with the marketing of the product or service and provides specific examples and detailed rationale for the connection | 20 |
| Information Development (x1) | Does not evaluate any information development methods | Evaluates an information development method but does not provide a rationale | Evaluates more than one method for development of information but rationale is limited | Fully evaluates multiple methods for information development with each clearly supported | 10 |
| Mechanics (x1) | Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax; organization confuses the reader and interferes with the communication of ideas | Submission has a number of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax; organization negatively impacts readability and interferes with the communication of ideas | Submission has a limited number of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax; opportunities exist to further improve organization to improve readability and the communication of ideas. | Submission has few or no errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax; organization enhances readability and the clear communication of ideas | 10 |
When you are done writing your essay, we suggest taking some time to check for any errors or to add some final touches. We also suggest that you use online plagiarism checkers such as PlagScan or DupliChecker to make sure that your essay is not too similar to any existing materials. Plagiarized submissions will NOT be graded.
When you are ready to submit your written paper, please fill out the submission form and attach it as a Microsoft Word, PDF or Text document. After turning in your paper, you may go ahead and take the proctored final exam. You do not need to wait for your written response to be graded. You should receive your essay grade within one week.
If you are not satisfied with the grade you receive on your papers, you may revise or rewrite your papers and resubmit them using the same submission form above. Keep in mind that the grade you receive on your paper is only a portion of your overall grade for the course and you are free to retake the proctored final exam as well if you choose. Please see the course syllabus for a more detailed breakdown of the grading policy.
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