Consumer Behaviour (BUSA90042)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

Availability(Quotas apply)
May
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Current approaches to business emphasize the importance of adopting a consumer focus. At its essence, marketing—and business more broadly—is an attempt to influence consumer behaviour. This subject seeks to provide insights into consumer psychology as a basis for developing powerful consumer-influence tactics and marketing strategies.

While all of us are consumers, our intuitions about our own behaviour, as well as that of others, are often inaccurate. Understanding our consumers—or ourselves, as consumers—is no easy task. A solid understanding of cognitive and social psychology can offer insight beyond business acumen and help guide a plethora of business decisions.

In this course you will learn about fundamental theories and concepts in consumer psychology and about new research findings to enhance your understanding of how and why people choose, use, and evaluate goods and services the way they do.

Intended learning outcomes

Upon completion of this subject, students will be able to:

Critically analyse how and why consumers behave as they do in terms of:

  • affective and cognitive factors (e.g., attention, product knowledge, attitudes),
  • "behaviour" factors (e.g., rewards, punishments, vicarious learning),
  • environmental factors (e.g., physical situation, culture, subculture);

And be able to:

  • Evaluate marketing actions in terms of their psychological and behavioural influences on consumers;
  • Use consumer psychology concepts to inform marketing management decisions;
  • Conduct consumer research and use the insights derived from this research to create effective marketing tactics and strategies;
  • Work effectively in a team and to cogently present team work in a limited period of time;
  • Address the ethical issues that arise as a result of adopting a consumer-influence orientation.

Last updated: 8 November 2024

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

Pre-requisite

Code Name Teaching period Credit Points
BUSA90480 Leadership
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
Summer Term (On Campus - Parkville)
June (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
 6.25
BUSA90481 Managerial Ethics & Business Environment
April (On Campus - Parkville)
June (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
Summer Term (On Campus - Parkville)
 6.25
BUSA90060 Data Analysis
January (On Campus - Parkville)
July (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90224 Managing People
April (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
July (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90093 Finance
September (On Campus - Parkville)
July (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90193 Managerial Economics
September (On Campus - Parkville)
July (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90001 Financial Accounting
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
July (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90243 Marketing
September (On Campus - Parkville)
July (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90227 Operations
April (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
July (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90026 Business Strategy
July (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5

AND

Code Name Teaching period Credit Points
BUSA90026 Business Strategy
July (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90227 Operations
April (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
July (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5

AND

BUSA90026 or BUSA90227 can be done concurrently with the subject

Corequisites

None

Non-allowed subjects

None

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.

Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Last updated: 8 November 2024

Assessment

DescriptionTimingPercentage

Attendance at lectures and workshops, instructor evaluation of contribution to class learning

Throughout the teaching period10%

5 Syndicate case preparations and discussions

  • 300 words (each)
Throughout the teaching period25%

Syndicate Project proposal

  • 300 words (equivalent)
Hurdle requirement: Students are required to pass the assessment to pass the subject		Week 210%

Syndicate Project Presentation

  • 800 words (equivalent)
Hurdle requirement: Students are required to pass the assessment to pass the subject		Week 515%

Syndicate Project Report

  • 1900 words (equivalent)
Hurdle requirement: students are required to pass this assessment to pass the subject		End of the teaching period40%

Last updated: 8 November 2024

Quotas apply to this subject

Dates & times

  • May
    Mode of deliveryOn Campus (Parkville)
    Contact hours
    Total time commitment170 hours
    Pre teaching start date12 May 2024
    Pre teaching requirementsstudents are required to complete approximately 15 hours of readings to prepare for the subject during the pre-teaching period
    Teaching period19 May 2024 to 16 June 2024
    Last self-enrol date 4 February 2024
    Census date24 May 2024
    Last date to withdraw without fail31 May 2024
    Assessment period ends16 June 2024

What do these dates mean

Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:

  • Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
  • And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
       -  Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
     

    Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.

Additional delivery details

This subject is only available to students admitted to MC-BA, MC-BAPT, GD-MKTG, 294PN, or students with permission of the MBA course coordinator

Last updated: 8 November 2024

Further information

Last updated: 8 November 2024