Tribhuvan University
Faculty of Management
Office of the Dean
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
Course Objective
:The major objective of this course is to develop students’ understanding of the buying process of consumers and identify the various factors that influence the buying process.
Course Description
:This course covers an introduction to consumer behavior, consumer buying decision process, information search, alternative evaluation and choice, post-purchase behavior, individual determinants of consumer behavior, group and family influences, and social and cultural influences.
Course Contents:
Lecture hours show the approximate classroom time allocated to each unit.
Unit 1.Introduction to Consumer Behavior
Concept and nature of consumer behavior. Differences between consumer buying and organizational buying. Application of consumer behavior knowledge in business decisions, marketing management, social marketing, and public policy decisions. Consumer rights and movement.
Unit 2.Consumer Buying Decision Process
Consumer buying decision processes in high-involvement and low-involvement purchases. Problem/Need recognition: Types of problem recognition, results of problem recognition, problem recognition under low involvement conditions. Marketing implications of problem recognition: measuring problem recognition, activating problem recognition, and utilizing problem recognition information.
Unit 3.Information Search
Concept of information search. Types of consumer search activities: pre-purchase search, ongoing search, internal search, external search. The information evaluation process: evaluation criteria, alternatives available, alternative characteristics. Sources of consumer information. Information search on the internet. Marketing implications of the information search process.
Unit 4.Alternative Evaluation and Choice
Consumer’s choice: rational choice, affective choice, attribute-based choice, attitude- based choice. Criteria for Evaluation and its measurement. Decision rules for attribute-based choices: conjunctive and disjunctive decision rules, elimination-by- aspects decision rule, lexicographic decision rule, compensatory decision rule. Marketing strategies in evaluation and choice.
Unit 5.Post Purchase Behavior
Post purchase evaluation: consumer satisfaction and dissatisfaction, consumer complaint behavior, .Post purchases dissonance: reasons and remedies. Product disposition: Disposition methods and marketing strategies.
Unit 6.Individual Determinants of Consumer Behavior
Consumer Motivations: Nature and role of consumer motives. Consumer learning: concept of learning and principal elements of learning. Consumer perception: nature and process of perception. Personality: nature and types of consumer personality, consumer personality, and brand personality. Consumer attitude: concept and characteristics of attitude, sources of attitude development.
Unit 7.Group and Family Influences
Reference group influences: nature and degree of influences, marketing strategies based on reference group influences. Family influences: structure of household, family decision-making role, and family lifecycle.
Unit 8.Social and Cultural Influences
Characteristics of culture. Social class influence in consumer behavior. Social classes in Nepal and their consumption behavior. Cultural and sub-cultural influences. Characteristics of culture. Cultural and sub-cultural influences. Nepalese core cultural values and adopted cultural values and their implications in consumer behavior. Suggested Books David L. Loudon & Albert J. Della Bitta, Consumer Behavior. McGraw-Hill Education, David L. Mothersbaugh & Del I. Hawkins, Consumer Behavior. McGraw-Hill Education, New York. P. C. Jain & Monika Bhatt, Consumer Behaviour. New Delhi: S Chand and Company Pvt. Ltd.