spring 2020 BED-2145 Consumer Behaviour and Active Retailing - 10 ECTS

Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 December for the spring semester. Exchange students and Fulbright students: 1 October for the spring semester.

Type of course

This course can be taken as a singular course.

For exchange students, the full time autumn semester consists of the following courses:  BED-2100, BED-2136 and BED-2137. Spring semester: BED-2144, BED-2145 and BED-2208.


Admission requirements

Higher Education Entrance Qualification. Application code 2199.

Course content

The objective is to improve students abilities in discovering, generating, communicating and capturing value with the aid of marketing metrics, consumer psychology, active retailing, measurements and evidence-based practice.

Knowledge:

Collection of facts, concepts, theories and techniques acquired by the degree holder. Knowledge can both be theoretical and applied. The student should:

  • Understand the importance of marketing metrics and evidence-based practice
  • Be able to account for selected concepts, theories, methods and practice in consumer behaviour and active retailing (see e.g. the aim of the course and the course outline)
  • Acquire consumer centric focus and awareness of ethical challenges in shopper marketing

Skills:

Entail the ability to apply knowledge. Skills can indicate general skills that are not limited to a certain scientific field or profession, as well as specific skills.

  • Can understand and tackle issues in retailing marketing in a professional context
  • Use the conceptualisation and methodology of active retailing to develop in-store research and marketing strategy

Competencies:

Entail the ability to apply knowledge and skills to work and study.

  • Can initiate marketing research and strategies
  • Are capable of presenting and describing marketing management issues and research findings in English


Objectives of the course

The aim of the course is to provide a comprehensive understanding of consumer behaviour and in-store marketing, where special attention will be given to the methods of active retailing. Students will learn the essentials of marketing strategy, consumer psychology and in-store marketing. Students will advance their understanding of key concepts and methods mostly focusing on marketing strategy with an emphasis on choosing the right marketing metrics and methodology. This evidence-based framework building should prove a challenging intellectual task requiring the flexibility to change, adapt and incorporate concepts as we learn to apply them through interactive lectures, simulations, cases and group-work. This involves topics such as customer metrics, consumer behaviour analysis, behavioural economics, observations, in-store experiments, analytics, customer satisfaction, decision making, involvement, attention, memory, attitudes, intentions, classical conditioning, and operant conditioning. Students will learn how to apply their knowledge to solve marketing problems with simulations, and practical exercises. By the end of the course students should know important behavioural principles and methodology, and how they can be used when making customer investments.

Language of instruction and examination

English

Teaching methods

The course will generally consist of the following parts: First, interactive lectures on theory and practice, explanation of approaches, techniques, and discussions about marketing managerial issues. Second, presentations by students and case analysis. Third, workshops, short exercises and group-work.

Assessment

Students will work in groups, and as individuals, on two compulsory assignments: 1) Marketing Strategy Simulation and 2) An Exercise in Active Retailing, to enhance their understanding of customer-centricity. Both will also involve oral presentations during class hours. These assignments must be passed before students qualify for examination. The assignments are better explained below: 

  • Marketing Strategy Simulation:

Students will work in groups on a marketing simulation (Customer Centricity) to enhance their understanding of a customer-centric view of firms and organisations. The simulation mimics some of the challenges faced by executives and the importance of investing in customers, and involves active participation, decision making, debriefs and an oral presentation, describing rationalities for decisions taken. 

  • An Exercise in Active Retailing

To increase collaboration, skills and competencies in retailing marketing, students will work together on a particular exercise related to in-store marketing and give a short (concise but deep) presentation and submit an executive summary (see below). The group will need to make a formal presentation for about 15-minute lecture, plus questions.

Deliverables for the group analysis is:

  • An executive summary, to be handed in at the end of the class [Max 1 page + 1 page of supporting analysis] (it is possible to include an appendix if needed). The summary should contain a description of main issues faced by the company and a clear recommendation. Students should state the problem(s) and the solution(s) clearly.
  • The group creates a short Power Point presentation (around 6 to 12 slides). 

The final course grade will be made up of a four-day home case exam (individual). Grading ranging from A-F, where F is failure to pass the exam.

Language of examination is English.


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  • About the course
  • Campus: Harstad |
  • ECTS: 10
  • Course code: BED-2145