Consumer Insight (301-0-20)
Instructors
Stephen I Hersh
Meeting Info
McCormick Foundation Ctr 3119: Tues, Thurs 1:00PM - 2:50PM
Overview of class
Focuses on social science theories that help explain why and how individuals, families, and groups acquire, consume, and dispose of goods, services, ideas, brands, and experiences. Emphasizes the goals and experiences people have to better understand them as consumers. Examines psychological, economic, communication, anthropological, and sociological perspectives on human action that provide insight into consumer behavior.
Class Materials (Required)
The following books are required and must be purchased:
Solomon, M. R. (2017). Consumer behavior, buying, having, and being. (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. [ISBN 9780134129938] Older, less expensive editions of the textbook are OK: Chapters are arranged differently for each edition, and chapter reading assignments are given for not only the 12th edition but also the 11th, 10th, and 8th editions in Section VII of this syllabus.
[Older editions or eBook editions are OK for the following required books:]
Holt, D.B and Douglas Cameron. (2012). Cultural Strategy: Using Innovative Ideologies to Build Breakthrough Brands. New York: Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (October 25, 2012) ISBN-
10: 0199655855 ISBN-13: 978-0199655854.
Harvard Course pack: The Coursepack from Harvard Business Publishing contains one required and several recommended articles. Find the Coursepack through a link near the top of the Modules section in Canvas. The articles cost about $5 each—and if the cost is an obstacle, check with the Northwestern Library to see if they have the articles for free (the articles have been available some years but not others).
Additional readings will be assigned and posted electronically and accessible through Course Reserves.
Class Materials (Suggested)
The following books are recommended (eBooks and older editions are OK):
Eagleman, D. (2011) Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. New York: Vintage. ISBN-13: 978-0307389923 Barabasi, Albert-Laszlo (2002) Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for
Business, Science, and Everyday Life. Philadelphia: Perseus Books Group (Basic Books). ISBN (e-book):
978-0-465-03861-9. ISBN-13 (paperback): 978-0465085736
Underhill, P. (2000) Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN-13: 978- 0684849140
Chapters are available on Course Reserves from the following books. The Course Reserves chapters are required reading, and it is recommended that you read the books in their entirety, so if you would like to own them, here is the info [older editions or eBook editions are OK]:
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. (Paperback edition 2013.) New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
ISBN-13: 978-0374533557
Brown, P.C.; Roediger, H.L; McDaniel, M.A. (2014) Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN: 978-0-674-72901-8 (any versions are fine--ebook, hardcover, paperback)
The following recommended book is available free as a PDF download from the university library website (library.northwestern.edu). The PDF from the library may be an older edition of the book, which is fine:
Korzenny, F.; Chapa, S.; and Korzenny, B.A. (2017) Hispanic Marketing: The Power of the New Latino
Consumer (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. Paperback: [ISBN-13: 978-1-138-91779-9]. eBook: [ISBN: 978-1-315-6882-4
Class Attributes
Attendance at 1st class mandatory
SDG Responsible Consumption
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for IMC Certificate Students only.