NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

NANYANG BUSINESS SCHOOL

BM2501
MARKET BEHAVIOUR
______________________________________________________________________

Academic
: 2018/19 Semester : 1
Year
Pre-requisites : AB112/AB1501
No. of AUs : 4

Course description and scope

This course is an introduction to the world of consumer behaviour. The discipline borrows
from several social sciences including psychology, sociology, and anthropology to explain
behaviour in the marketplace. For instance, have you ever wondered why cosmetic
surgery is so popular in Korea? Or why obesity rates vary so much by country? Or how
companies design memorable and meaningful experiences for consumers? This class
will blend online learning, lectures and discussion to answer these questions and, more
broadly, try to understand the behavior of consumers and organizations as key actors of
the marketplace.

Instructor details

Dr. Julien Cayla (Jcayla@ntu.edu.sg)

Office: S3-B2B-46, Office Tel.: 6790 5670
Consultation: send email to make an appointment

Course Learning objectives

The objectives of this course are to:

1. Enhance students’ abilities to utilize market behaviour concepts in making

marketing decisions.

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 2. Introduce students to concepts and theories from various disciplines
(psychology, sociology, political science, and anthropology) and to demonstrate
their relationship to market behaviour.

3. Develop students’ abilities to engage with and understand academic research

on market behaviour.

4. Develop a better understanding of the various ways culture impacts market

behaviour

Learning and Teaching Methods

We will focus on the way market behaviour concepts can be applied to two different
themes: 1) food (developed during the first half of the course) and 2) beauty (developed
during the second half of the course).

We will apply different levels of analysis to each theme. The approach we take in this
course is that, when you apply a different focus or level of analysis, to an issue, you are
bound to see and understand things differently.

Hence at a micro level, we focus on the individual, on cognition and psyche. For beauty,
it means analyzing the way people think about beauty, how they imagine ideal beauty
and how such thinking affects their sense of self.

At a meso level of analysis, we look at the same individual but interacting with peers
and family. For beauty, it may mean looking at the way peers influence beauty practices
and the products one may buy.

Finally at a more macro level of analysis, we may study the same individual as
belonging to a group such as a nation or a specific social class, and how such
belonging influences her or his beauty practices.

Overall, the approach in this course is designed to help you by mobilize various scales
of analysis and various disciplines (psychology is more micro; sociology and
anthropology are more macro) to analyze market behaviour questions.

In addition, the rationale for looking at food and beauty, is that regardless of your
gender background, you can all relate to topics such as grooming, making decisions
about food, or trying to lose weight. The objective is to show you the relevance of what
we see in class, outside of the classroom.

The group project you will have to work on this year, on the challenges people face in
eating and staying healthy, is a unique opportunity to develop hands-on qualitative
research experience, but also, potentially, for the winning group, to add a line to their

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 CV. There will be opportunities for groups who do very well with their group project to
further work with HPB in the context of professional attachment / internships.

Readings and references

Solomon, Michael R. (2018), Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being (12th
Global ed.), Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education/Prentice Hall.

Buying the latest edition of the textbook is advised but not mandatory. You should be
able to find the same content and do well in quizzes with previous editions of the
textbook. All page numbers I refer to, are from the 12th edition.

Course Assessments

There is no final exam for this subject. But you must have a passing grade on all course
components in order to pass the course. You will be evaluated on: 1) class participation
(10%); 2) a group research question (15%); group project presentation and executive
summary (35%); 4) a quiz (40%).

Components Marks Individual/Group

Class participation 10 Individual

Group research question 15 Group

Group project 35 Group

Quiz 40 Individual

Total 100

Class participation (10%)

During the seminars, you will be called upon to share your views, and/or present
your answers to assigned readings and discussion questions. Outside of seminar
time you will also be invited to contribute to the class blog (details to be provided
during the semester). Beyond just commenting on the blog, you will be given an
opportunity to create your own blog entries. High marks will be awarded to the
student who attends all classes, gets involved in class discussions and regularly
contributes to the class blog.

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Group research question (15%)

Overview: At the beginning of the semester (week 2), you will be asked to pick a
research question (full list of questions in appendix 1). You will then work as a group
of 4 to 6 people (same group as for your group project) to answer that question and
present your answer to the other students (more details in appendix 1)

Group project (35%)

A major component of your grade is the group presentation or film you will deliver on
the last day of class, and the executive summary you will have to submit (see details
in appendix 2).

Individual quiz (40%)

At the end of the course, you will be tested individually on your understanding, retention,
and application of the concepts learnt during classes and from the textbook. It will be a
closed-book assessment with multiple-choice questions and/or short-answer questions
and/or essays. The quiz will take place on Wednesday 21st of November between
12.30-13.30pm in the Lecture Theatre at the Hive (LHS-01-04 52).

Assessment Plan

Learning Goals Course Learning Assessment Method NBS Standard

Objective Rubrics

Acquisition of Understand major Quiz N.A.

Knowledge concepts, theories and
frameworks in consumer
and market behavior. Research question
presentation
Oral Communication The ability to communicate Group project Oral
well with others verbally presentation communication

Research question
presentation
Written Communication The ability to communicate Executive summary of Written
well with others in writing group project Communication

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Proposed Weekly Schedule

Week 1

The objective of this first session is for you to better understand the course’s approach.
The HPB team will present the group project you will be evaluated on at the end of the
course. Please make sure you read the course syllabus before this introduction.
Exceptionally we will meet in a large lecture theatre to accommodate the two sections of
market behaviour I am teaching (LT 28).

Agenda:
• Course introduction
• Presentation of the group projects by HPB

Before-class preparation:

• Read course syllabus

• Form a group of 4 to 6 students to start your group project work

Venue and timing: 15th of August between 12:30 and 13:45 (Venue: Lecture Theatre
28-South Spine- Block SS2 SS2-B1-17)

Week 2
Agenda:
• Lecture: Perception
• Picking a research question
Before-class preparation:

• Read Solomon chapter 3

• Read: Tybout, Alice M. and Brian Sternthal (2015), “Developing a Compelling
Brand Positioning,” in Kellogg on Marketing, 73–91.

Week 3
Agenda:
• Lecture: Decision making
• Lecture: Interviewing consumers
Before-class preparation:

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 • Read Solomon chapter 9
• Read: Portigal, Steve (2013), “Getting Ready to do your Interviews,” in
Interviewing Users, pp.29-49, Rosenfeld Media

Week 4

Online learning (Lams): Decision Making under low effort (lesson 1) + Family Decision
Making (lesson 2)

Week 5

Agenda:
• Lecture: Eating together: The social context of consumption

Before-class preparation:

• Read Solomon chapters 11 and 12

• Read: Higgs, S. (2015). Social norms and their influence on eating
behaviours. Appetite, 86, 38-44 (available on NTU learn)

Week 6

Agenda:
• Lecture: Consumer experience

Before-class preparation:
• Read: Pine B. Joseph, I. I. and James H. Gilmore (1998), “Welcome to the
Experience Economy,” Harvard business review, 76(4), 97–105 (available on
NTU learn)

Week 7

• Online learning (Lams): The Self (Part I) + The Self (Part II)

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 RECESS

Week 8

Agenda:
• Review and Group Project Workshop

Week 9 23rd August

Agenda:

• Lecture: Consumption and identity

Before-class preparation:

• Read Solomon chapter 6

• Read: Holt, D. B. (2003). What Becomes an Icon Most?. Harvard business
review, 81(3), 43-49.

Week 10

Online learning (Lams): Group and Situational Effects (Part I and II) + Culture (Part I
and II)

Week 11

Agenda:

Lecture: Networked Consumer Behaviour

Before-class preparation:

• Read: Berger, Jonah (2013), “Introduction: Why Things Catch

On,” in Contagious: Why Things Catch On, pp. 1-27.
• Read Solomon chapter 11

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Week 12

Agenda:
• Lecture: Cultural influences on consumer behaviour
• Review of the class

Before-class preparation:
• Read Solomon chapter 14

Week 13
Group presentations will take place at the usual class time and will be limited to 15
minutes maximum per group.

Venue: Health Promotion Board Lecture Hall Level 1 (3 Second Hospital Avenue,
S’pore168937; closest MRT is Outram Park).

Agenda:
• Group presentations

Week 14

QUIZ: Wednesday 21st November between 12:30 and 13:30 (Venue: Lecture Theatre at
the Hive)

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Appendix 1: Group Research Questions

Overview: At the beginning of the semester (week 2), each group (same group as
for your group project of 4 to 6 people will be asked to pick a research question (full
list of questions in appendix). You will then work as a group () to answer that
question and present your answer to the other students.

To do well you will have to dig into academic research available online (e.g. Google
scholar), in the NTU library’s databases (JSTOR, EBSCO etc...) as well as books, to
try and find published academic research that helps you understand the topic. You
are encouraged to contact one of the business librarians to help you do this.

In the spirit of the “flipped classroom,” the objective here is to have you develop new
knowledge and communicate that knowledge to other students1.

Your presentation should try to cover at least some theory. I have given for each
week a list of concepts you may want to focus on. These are just examples of
concepts and theories that can help answer each research question. Feel free to
focus on these or introduce new theories. The objective is to help your fellow
students understand the world of consumption differently through exposure to
theories and examples. Your main task is to try to make these theories accessible,
understandable and have students be able to remember them. The best
presentations are ones that focus on one or two theories or concepts and explain
those in detail.

In the end, you will have to develop a structured presentation answering the
research question which will be 1) interesting and easy to understand from your
fellow students’ perspective; 2) drawn primarily from academic research2; 3) help
them understand at least one concept or one theory that is relevant to the research
question.

Format: your presentation will not last more than 15 minutes. You will be rewarded
for being concise and straight to the point. Try to focus on a few (2/3) key points with
some examples.

You should also prepare 1) a one-page hand-out for your fellow students (with a
copy to the instructor) that will be designed to help them understand and remember

1
Malcom Gladwell does this particularly well and is an example to imitate if you want
to learn how to make academic research more accessible (see
http://gladwell.com/the-ketchup-conundrum/ or look for his talks on www.ted.com).
2

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 the main theories or concepts related to your question; 2) a hard copy of your
presentation slides with names of all group members and their email (so I can email
you your feedback and assign a grade).

Evaluation: You will be evaluated on: 1) your ability to draw from, understand and
synthesize academic research (50%); 2) deliver a concise and easy to understand
presentation on the question you were asked (30%); 3) provide an easy to
understand one-page hand out to every student that enhances their learning (20%).

List of Research Questions

Week 3 What does academic research tell Examples of concepts

us about ways to break a bad habit
such as snacking late at night? Self control
Self depletion
Habitual Decision Making
Decision fatigue

Week 3 Does food packaging influence the Examples of concepts

way we make decisions about food
products? How? Extrinsic versus intrinsic cues

Week 5 Are we influenced by what others Examples of concepts

around us eat? How?
Social norms
Social impact theory
Homophily
Social network

Week 5 Does social class impact the way Examples of concepts

people eat and if so, how?
Cultural capital
Habitus

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Week 6 What does research tell us about Examples of concepts
the kinds of experiences we are
more likely to remember? Peak–end rule
Absorption
Immersion
Customer participation

Week 9 Does celebrity endorsement Examples of concepts

actually work for brands and if so
Source attractiveness
how?
Halo effect

Week How do fashion trends emerge and Examples of concepts

11 spread?
Trickle down theory
Conspicuous consumption
Acceptance cycles

Week Why are Korean media products Examples of concepts

12 (e.g. pop songs; television series)
so popular in other parts of Asia? Cultural proximity theory
Globalization

Week Is it ethical for companies to Examples of concepts

12 advertise skin whitening products?
Social prejudice
Ethical decision making
Racism

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Appendix 2: Group Project Guidelines

As the governing agency overseeing the nation's health promotion efforts, HPB
implements a variety of programs that reach out to the Singaporean population. Some
of its programmes include The National Steps Challenge
(https://www.healthhub.sg/programmes/37/nsc) and “I Quit campaign”
(https://www.healthhub.sg/programmes/88/IQuit). These programmes are aimed at
encouraging Singaporeans to kick bad habits and adopt healthier ones.

Your group project this semester, will focus on trying to help understand various groups
of consumers (and influencers) in Singapore, so that HPB can devise more successful
strategies.

These groups are: 1) teenagers; 2) fathers; 3) parents with young children; 4) ethnic
minorities.

Your main task is to attempt to give HPB a better understanding of people in these
different groups.

Option 1: Teenagers

All over the world there has been an upsurge in the rate of youth obesity. Partly, this
has been explained by a rise in the consumption of fast foods, sweetened drinks, and
unhealthy3 snacks. At the same time, this is exacerbated by a decline in their physical
activity patterns, with more time in front of screens and less time exercising.
Your brief is to help HPB understand Singaporean teenagers when it comes to their
current practices and ways of thinking about food and physical activity and the roles
these play in their lives, and identify ways that could better resonate with the teenager
group to nudge and encourage them to lead healthier lifestyles. Your project can focus
on contrasting teenagers who have limited physical activity/sports engagement with
those who are more engaged but this contrast is not mandatory.

Additional reads:
Publications by the National Youth Council

3
Eating healthy for HPB, means “consuming below the recommended caloric guidelines
of 2200cal for males and 1800cal for females; consuming 4 or more servings of fruit
and/or vegetables per day; consuming 1 or more servings of wholegrain per day” while
being physically active refers to “150min or more of physical activity a week”

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Option 2: Fathers

Whenever research has been done on the influence of parents on the eating habits of
children, researchers have tended to focus on the role of mothers. But recent research
argues that at least in the American context, “fathers can undermine mother's’ efforts to
provision a healthy diet”. In the Singaporean context, given the high female workforce
participation rates, coupled with the increasing involvement of fathers in their children’s
lives, it is important to examine the role of fathers in shaping dietary as well as physical
activity habits of young children below 12 y/o. Your project will focus on understanding
the roles played by these Singaporean fathers with young children and examining how
HPB could better support these families in leading healthy lifestyles. You could structure
your project by contrasting fathers in dual-income families (where both parents work)
and families where only the father works full time, but that is not mandatory.

Additional reads: Fielding-Singh, Priya. "Dining with dad: Fathers' influences on family
food practices." Appetite 117 (2017): 98-108.

Option 3: The “juggling” family

Singaporean families face a rising number of challenges. Singaporean workers work

some of the longest hours in the world and the female workforce participation has been
steadily going up. Singaporean families, it seems, are increasingly juggling with various
demands on their time. In this context, your job is to try to “bring to life” this particular
segment: parents with young children, where both parents are working. Your main task
is to try and depict the daily life, struggles, and challenges these families face,
especially as they try to lead a healthy life. You could use a contrast in order to structure
your project (for instance compare families where grandparents are at home/ help with
child-rearing versus families who have little support) but this is not a requirement. Your
main goal is to get a clearer picture of the “juggling family” and identify ways in which
HPB could better support and encourage healthier lifestyle habits among these busy
young families.

Option 4: Ethnic minorities

There are significant differences in behaviours and attitudes towards health and well-
being among different ethnic groups in Singapore. The goal of this project is for you to
focus on one ethnic minority group (either Indians or Malays) and help us better
understand their attitudes, perceptions and practices towards food, physical activity,
smoking and health screening and follow-up, and to explore their key drivers and

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barriers to leading a healthier lifestyle. Given the wide diversity of people within each
community, you may want to focus on a population that is especially at-risk. Part of this
project will also be to try and understand how ethnic minorities relate to health related
messages targeted at the general population, in terms of whether these resonate within
their ethnic context and propose customisations that may be required to reach out to
these groups effectively.

DELIVERABLES

You will have the option of either developing a presentation of 15 minutes, or produce
and present a film of 5 to 8 minutes. The students who choose to produce a film are
likely to work more hours than those who decide to do a presentation, but students
generally also have more fun making a film. This is completely up to you to decide.
Eventually, we believe a film is more likely to have an impact within HPB, but we do not
want to force you to make a film. While the evaluation criteria will be slightly different for
films and presentations, the main skills we want to evaluate will be similar: Are you able
to do long interviews with consumers? Are you able to make us empathise with
consumers?

Structure of your presentation

Your presentation should cover:

- Findings: Take us through the key highlights and findings. Do include key
quotations from your respondents, which illustrate the points you want to make,
and which support your overall argument. This section should lead naturally into
the recommendations and implications.
- Implications: Outline your recommendations for HPB. These could be policy
recommendations for the government to implement; programmes that HPB could
launch to better tackle a specific problem; changes to existing programs; other
recommendations. Important: you are not to make any recommendation about
communication / advertising (this is because in this exercise we want to see if
you can think about other types of actions beyond communication that help
tackle the problem)
After your presentation you will have to submit a 1-2 page executive summary of your
main findings and recommendations.

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Structure of your film

If you decide to produce a film, your film should be structured to help us understand and
empathize with your research participants. So the main requirement for your film is to
spend time talking to research participants and helping us understand their life. In terms
of final output, the films students produced last year provide a good example of what
your research film could look like. Of course, we are aware of the fact that you do not
have easy access to equipment to produce your film. This will be taken into account
when evaluating your films.

Apart from a 5 to 8 minute film, you will be asked to write a 1-2 page executive
summary. This will be a document that 1) summarises the main findings from your
research and 2) the moves that HPB should make to best react to the research findings.
This is typically the only document that a senior manager will read from a market
research report.

EVALUATION

Your group evaluation will depend on 1) your group presentation / film; 2) an executive
summary of your findings to be submitted at the end of week 13.

Criteria: there will be slightly different criteria, for the evaluation of presentations and
films.

For presentations, you will be evaluated on:

1. Research Skills (20%)

• Do we get a sense, through the presentation, that the team was able to
get a deep (not superficial) understanding of the research participants?

2. Findings (30%)
• Do we get a sense, through the presentation, that the team was able to
get a deep (not superficial) understanding of the research participants?
• Are we able to get a sense of the research participants’ life?
• Are the findings illustrated with relevant quotes from the participants?
• Through this presentation are we able to empathize with the consumer’s
point of view?

3. Recommendations (20%)

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Is the team able to give HPB some recommendations that are realistic (can be
implemented without an outlandish budget) and connected to the findings?

4. Presentation skills (20%)

• Is the team able to present the findings in a concise and structured

manner?
• Is there a clear structure to the presentation?
• Do we come away from the presentation understanding what the key
findings of the research are?

5. Executive summary (10%)

• Is your executive summary concise and well-written?
• Is your executive summary focused? Does your executive summary focus
on your most important findings and recommendations?

For films you will be evaluated on:

1. Research Skills (30%)

• Do we get a sense, through the presentation, that the team was able to
get a deep (not superficial) understanding of the research participants?

2. Findings (50%)

• Are we able to get a sense of the research participants’ life?

• Through this presentation are we able to empathize with the consumer’s
point of view?
• With this film, would managers at HPB be able to empathize with your
research participants?

3. General quality of the film (10%)

• Is the film able to hold the audience’s attention?

4. Executive summary (10%)

• Is your executive summary concise and well-written?
• Is your executive summary focused? Does your executive summary focus
on your most important findings and recommendations?
• Is the team able to give HPB some recommendations that are realistic
(can be implemented without an outlandish budget) and connected to the
findings?

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Frequently Asked Questions about the HPB Project

Since we have already ran the HPB project in 2017, I have listed a number of frequently
asked questions below, regarding the project.

Can groups do other research apart from interviewing?

Yes but in my experience surveys (which is what students usually try to add to their
project) do not add much to the group project. Instead, think of different things apart
from interviews that could help you better understand the life of your research
participants. You can ask to go eat with them, or go exercise with them, to help you
better understand their relationship to food and/or exercise. More than face to face
interviews you can try to dive deep into their life context in different ways.

How much emphasis should be given to recommendations?

Recommendations are important for this group project but my experience is that
students usually do quite well on this part of the project. Before thinking about
recommendations, try to develop an interview guide and a research design that helps
you understand the life context of the research participants. Try to remember that a
main objective for this project is to help you bring to life specific groups of consumers.

The syllabus mentions doing an executive summary, what is this about?

On the day of the presentation you will also hand a few copies, for HPB ad for myself, of
your executive summary. An executive summary is basically a 1 to 2-page summary of
your main findings and recommendations. It basically summarises what you would
share with HPB if you only had 2 minutes to talk about: what interesting findings do you
have? what do you recommend HPB can do based on your results? There are lots of
tips online to do an executive
summary:(http://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/2013/05/write-better-
executive-summaries.html)

No need to write a ton of stuff in your executive summary. Your executive summary is
really the document you would give a CEO or an executive with no time who just wants
to know the essential take-away from your project.

If my group does a film, how do we write recommendations?

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If you do a film, you are already spending a lot of time on the making of the film, and it
just does not make much sense to do recommendations in the film. Leave your
recommendations for the executive summary.

How do we handle ethical and confidentiality issues?

You need to be open with your research participants about what you will do with the
data. If you do a film, make sure they understand you are going to show the film to other
students. If possible, make your participants sign a release or consent form.

Do we have to show every research participant if we do a film?

No you do not. You could even just focus on a few participants.

How do we deal with the sensitivity of the issues addressed?

You have to be clear with people you approach that your project is about trying to
understand the challenges people face in staying healthy. You will also have to be clear
that their names will be changed and that this is just for a student project. Be sensitive
about the feelings of your research participants in the way you ask questions and make
sure they understand that you will do everything to protect their anonymity.

What is the difference in showing research skills, as compared to findings?

Research skills are interviewing skills: does your video show that you were able to do
good interviews? Findings is different: are you able to showcase your findings in a way
that we are able to empathize with the research participants i.e. see their life from their
point of view

The rubrics for the video leaves out the assessment criteria of recommendations.
Does this mean that we do not need to include recommendations in the video?

For films, recommendations have to be included as part of your executive summary, not
your film. They are given a low importance to help you focus on the film. See evaluation
criteria

Are there any funds for participant recruitment or other financial incentives?
Unfortunately we cannot provide financial incentives for the research participants due to
the size of the class. We will have prizes for the best teams though. Two types of prizes
will be awarded: 1) Best Research Video (chosen by judging panel): $200 + priority for
internship selection; 2) Audience Award (voted by the audience): $50

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Appendix 3: Expectations and policies

(1) Communication. Important announcements will be made in class and/or via email.
Make sure to check your university email addresses on a daily basis. If you are using
other email addresses, mare sure that emails are forwarded to that address, because
we are unable to send mails to other than your university accounts. Lecture notes,
along with other relevant materials, will be uploaded on the NTU Learn e-learning
portal. You should access NTU Learn at least once a week to keep abreast of any
important developments in this course.

(2) Preparation and Homework. Please be sure to read the chapters from the book very
carefully, as it will be the basis of class discussion. One purpose of homework
assignments is to enhance class discussion. If not stated otherwise, homework (e.g.
preparation of weekly questions and cases) have to be uploaded to NTU Learn at
least one day before class.

(3) Class Participation. Most of the learning in my class will occur through discussion (on-
line and off line). Meaningful participation requires having carefully read and thought
about the day’s material, but that is not enough. You also need to speak up. Key
insights are appreciated, and you can also contribute by asking questions, politely
disagreeing with comments, or following up on another student’s comments with
further insights or evidence.

(4) Attendance and Punctuality. You cannot contribute to our learning if you are not in
class, and that is why I will keep track of attendance at the beginning of every class.
At the same time, I understand that you have other responsibilities. If you need to miss
one class for certain reasons, send an email to seek approval from us one week in
advance. If you miss a class because you are sick, you will need to provide a medical
certificate from the doctor. If you miss a class without any valid reason, marks may be
subtracted from your participation grade.

(5) The same rules apply to punctuality, because a person who enters the classroom after
the official starting time is disturbing the class. Note that you may not be allowed to
enter the classroom if you are more than 5 minutes late.

(6) Technology. You will need to use your laptops during class, but only during specific
exercises, usually in the second half of class. Unless the instructor asks you to turn
your laptop on, all electronic devices need to be turned off during lectures. We know
that this brings some re-adjustments for people who usually use their laptops for taking
notes. However, experience from previous semesters has shown that turning off all
electronic devices significantly improves the quality of class interaction, since nobody
is distracted through chatting, reading or writing emails.

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(7) Plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when a student presents materials (e.g., books, articles,
web materials, assignments) developed by another person/organization as his/her
own, without due acknowledgement of such usage. Plagiarism will be heavily
penalized; if proven guilty, students will be assigned a “zero” mark for the piece of
assessment in question and/or a fail grade for the subject. Every severe case of
plagiarism will have to be forwarded to the university which might put further legal
actions against the person.

Please read the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures at the following
URL: http://academicintegrity.ntu.edu.sg/policy/.

(8) Group Work. Working in groups can sometimes be more difficult than working on
your own. However, teamwork and organizational skills associated with group work
are highly valued by employers. With careful management and on-going
communication, you can have a successful and rewarding experience working in a
team. I take contribution to group work very seriously. If it is proven by fellow
teammates that a student has failed to contribute his/her fair share to the group
project, then this student will not receive any marks for the group assignment.
Important: If you experience difficulty with a member of your group, you must contact
the instructor as soon as possible. Do not leave issues unresolved until just before
or after your group assignment is due.

(9) LAMS online learning: a significant portion of your learning in this class will happen
through the LAMS system on NTU learn. The LAMS portion of the course should run
smoothly (we have tested it several times), but in case you encounter some
problems going through the LAMS sequence, please contact CITS. Do not wait until
the last minute to complete the various LAMS sequences. Try to complete them as
outlined in the course schedule.

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Appendix 4: Assessment of Participation

The assessment of your class participation will be made using the following five criteria.
Each criterion describes a type of behavior that will facilitate group learning in the class
setting.

You are expected to attend all of the class sessions, and a part of the participation
assessment mark is obviously contingent on your attendance. The other criteria are
listed below, with some explanation of the components of it.

Your ability to synthesize and add to others’ comments

This ability is concerned with a preparedness to listen to others comments, respect their
ideas and add constructively to the group understanding. It is concerned with skills of
analysis and synthesis.

Low High

Your level of preparedness.

At a basic level, I expect you to be familiar with assigned readings but to obtain
maximum participation points, you will need to synthesize and critically analyze
information contained in the readings. Overall, the emphasis will be on knowledge
creation rather than simply knowledge acquisition.

Low High

Your ability to apply theoretical frameworks to class questions and problems

This focuses on your ability to move from the practical to the theoretical, and to offer
theoretical underpinnings to explain real world phenomena.

Low High

Your active participation to the class blog

This criteria focus is designed to measure your contributions to online class discussions
including your ability to direct the class to relevant resources

Low High

Your active participation in all classes

This criteria focus on your demonstration of a positive attitude to learning and the
subject including interest and motivation, attentiveness in class, a willingness to
contribute to discussion, and the support for those with initial difficulty.

Low High

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Appendix 5: Instructor Profile

Julien Cayla is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Nanyang Technological

University (Singapore) and a Visiting Professor at Kedge Business School (France). His
work on branding and global marketing has been published in outlets such as the
Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing, Organization Studies, MIT
Sloan Management Review, the Journal of International Marketing and the International
Marketing Review. He serves on the editorial board of several academic publications,
including the Journal of Consumer Research, the most prestigious publication in
consumer research. Professor Cayla received his PhD from the University of Colorado
(Boulder, United States) where he majored in marketing and minored in cultural
anthropology. He has worked, studied and lived on four continents (France, United
States, Australia, India, Singapore).

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Appendix 6: Weekly Schedule

Teaching
Topic Research questions Readings
Week
Course Introduction in LT 28 (Block SS2 SS2-B1-17)
1 Presentation of the group projects by HPB

Solomon
Pick a research question in class chapter 3
2
Perception (see list in appendix 1)
Sternthal and
Tybout article

Research Question: What does

academic research tell us about
ways to break a bad habit such
Solomon
as snacking late at night?
3 Decision making chapter 9
Portigal
Research Question: Does food
packaging influence the way we
make decisions about food
products? How?
Online Learning (LAMS): Decision Making under low effort (lesson 1) + Family
4 Decision Making (lesson 2)

Research Question: Are we Higgs

influenced by what others around
us eat? How?
5 Eating together: the social Solomon
context of food chapters 11
Research Question: Does social and 12
class impact the way people eat
and if so, how?

Research Question: What does

research tell us about the kinds of Pine and
6 Consumer experience
experiences we are more likely to Gilmore article
remember?

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Teaching
Topic Research questions Readings
Week

7
Online Learning (LAMS): The Self (Part I and II)

Recess

Review and Group Project Workshop

8
Research Question:

Research Question: Does Solomon

9 Consumption and Identity celebrity endorsement actually Chapter 6
work for brands and if so how? Holt

10 Online Learning (LAMS): Group and Situational Effects (Part I and II) +
Culture (Part I and II)

Berger
Research Question: How do
Networked Consumer Solomon
11 fashion trends emerge and
Behaviour chapter 11
spread?

Research Question: Why are

Cultural influences on
12
consumer behaviour
Solomon
Korean media products (e.g. pop
songs; television series) so chapter 14
popular in other parts of Asia?
Research Question: Is it ethical
for companies to advertise skin
whitening products?

Week 13 Group Presentations (Health Promotion Board Lecture Hall)

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 Teaching
Topic Research questions Readings
Week
Wednesday 21 November between 12.30- and 1.30: Quiz (for all students). Classroom: LHS
Lecture Theatre at the Hive (LHS-01-04 52)

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