Overview
Consumption is a universal phenomenon of human society, and understanding consumer behaviour is fundamentally critical to marketers and policymakers. This unit explores the science of consumer behaviour, an interdisciplinary field that integrates knowledge and discovery from marketing, psychology, anthropology, sociology, demography, and economics. In this unit you will examine models and frameworks of consumer decision making, as well as the impacts of internal and external factors on thoughts, feelings, and actions of consumers. Furthermore, you will learn to implement consumer behaviour principles to facilitate the development of successful marketing campaigns.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: MRKT20052.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student feedback.
Positive comments about the teaching staff involved in delivering this unit.
The teaching staff in the future offerings of this unit will be encouraged to keep delivering the unit contents in an effective, supportive, and engaging manner.
Feedback from Staff self-reflection.
The designing of assessments in this unit has been based on reaching a balance of involving valuable consumer behaviour theories and a high level of relevancy to the real-world scenarios.
The teaching staff in the future offerings of this unit will be encouraged to continue the practice of designing assessments that integrate critical consumer behaviour theories and are highly relatable to real-world contexts.
Feedback from Student feedback.
Student suggestion that the unit coordinator could ask questions to make students think.
The unit coordinator in the future offerings of this unit will be encouraged to embed more questions into the delivery of classes, particularly those questions which could motivate students to think.
- Assess critical situational influences that shape consumer behaviour
- Examine decision-process influences associated with consumer behaviour
- Analyse the influences of internal and external factors on consumer behaviour
- Use consumer behaviour principles to solve marketing problems
- Identify new trends in consumer behaviour theories and applications.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | |||||
| 2 - Presentation - 30% | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||
| 4 - Research | |||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | |||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | |||||||||
| 2 - Presentation - 30% | |||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||||||
Textbooks
Consumer Behaviour: Buying, Having, Being
- Edition: 4th edn (2019)
- Authors: Solomon, M, Russell-Bennett, R & Previte, J
- Pearson Australia
- Melbourne Melbourne , VIC , Australia
- ISBN: 9781488616952
- Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Microsoft Office
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
e.li@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 04 Mar 2024Module/Topic
Buying, having and being;
Consumer and social well-being
Chapter
1;
2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 11 Mar 2024Module/Topic
Perception
Chapter
3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 18 Mar 2024Module/Topic
Learning and memory
Chapter
4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 25 Mar 2024Module/Topic
Personality
Chapter
5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 01 Apr 2024Module/Topic
Motivation and values
Chapter
6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 08 Apr 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 15 Apr 2024Module/Topic
The self: mind, gender and body
Chapter
7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 22 Apr 2024Module/Topic
Attitudes and attitude change
Chapter
8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 29 Apr 2024Module/Topic
Individual decision making
Chapter
9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 06 May 2024Module/Topic
Buying, using and disposing
Chapter
10
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 13 May 2024Module/Topic
Groups and social influence
Chapter
11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 20 May 2024Module/Topic
Ethnicity, religion and age
Chapter
12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 27 May 2024Module/Topic
Lifestyle, income and social class
Chapter
13
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
Please answer the following question:
- Question: Please identify one online advertisement which does not utilise suitable colours in its design. Please discuss why the currently utilised colours are not suitable.
Important advice:
- This is an individual written assessment. Please ensure that this assignment is your own work and the answer is based on your own words.
- This assessment has a word limit of 200-400.
- Your argument and analysis in this assessment requires theoretical support from a minimum of 2 journal article references.
Week 4 Friday (29 Mar 2024) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 6 Friday (19 Apr 2024)
- Writing style and referencing - 5 marks
- Argument and analysis in answering the question - 15 marks
- Total - 20 marks
- Assess critical situational influences that shape consumer behaviour
- Knowledge
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
2 Presentation
- Packard, G., Berger, J., & Boghrati, R. (2023). How verb tense shapes persuasion. Journal of Consumer Research, 50(3), 645-660.
- Student information and presentation title;
- The research article: empirical studies;
- The research article: findings;
- The marketing recommendations based on the findings;
- Reference list.
- Each student will record her/his presentation through PowerPoint's “Record Slide Show” function, and submit her/his PowerPoint file (with recording) on Moodle by the due time of 5pm AEST Friday Week 7.
Week 7 Friday (26 Apr 2024) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 9 Friday (10 May 2024)
- PowerPoint design, referencing, and presentation clarity - 10 marks
- The research article: empirical studies and findings - 10 marks
- The marketing recommendations based on the findings - 10 marks
- Total - 30 marks
- Examine decision-process influences associated with consumer behaviour
- Use consumer behaviour principles to solve marketing problems
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
3 Written Assessment
- Personality
- Demographics (age, gender, family situation, income, ethnicity etc)
Week 12 Friday (31 May 2024) 5:00 pm AEST
As this unit has no exam, the formal results for this last piece of assessment can only be released to students on the Certification of Grades date (5 Jul 2024).
- Writing style and referencing - 10 marks
- Analyse the behaviour of chosen respondents using the theories of personality - 15 marks
- Analyse the behaviour of chosen respondents using the theories of demographics - 15 marks
- Recommendations - 10 marks
- Total - 50 marks
- Examine decision-process influences associated with consumer behaviour
- Analyse the influences of internal and external factors on consumer behaviour
- Use consumer behaviour principles to solve marketing problems
- Identify new trends in consumer behaviour theories and applications.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
