Group evaluations

Dear students,

As part of your final project grades, you are required to fill out an evaluation form for your team members.

This will allow me to evaluate each person's individual contribution to the finished work product that you will be presenting during finals.

Each student should fill out a separate eval for his/her team members; I'll collect these at the time you make your presentations next week.

Opportunities, part 2

Dear 341 students,

Mike Kroff is in need of research subjects. Please consider completing his reasonably-sized survey online, out of the goodness of your hearts:


http://lsu.qualtrics.com//SE?SID=SV_6A9I0gQM4rj8RSI&SVID=Prod

Please note, there is NO extra credit associated with this survey (despite the language on the first page).


X*X*X*X*X*X*X


Dear 343 students,

If you've enjoyed learning about consumer behavior in the classroom this semester and would like to do more advanced (and fun!) research projects, please consider enrolling in an independent study in the spring (MKTG 470).

I'm also looking for a teaching & research assistant for next semester to help with grading, data entry, research data collection & analysis, writing, etc.

There is university funding available for students who submit projects for consideration to the Undergraduate Scholars Program by Jan 22, so time is of the essence if you wish to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity!

In the past two years, CB scholars working with me 1-on-1 or in small groups have gotten to travel around Montana, as well as to conferences in San Diego and (we hope!) London, as well as working with groups such as the Bozeman Boulders Initiative.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Finally, the Development Committee of the Greater Gallatin Watershed Council is looking for a marketing intern for the spring semester.

Students who have successfully completed 341 should consider applying for a great hands-on fundraising & event planning experience with a local, science-based, non-profit organization!

Still need to do a wiki?

Dear 343 students,

Many of you have discovered, to your dismay, that all of the last section's wiki topics have been claimed by your classmates who were quicker on the draw than you were.

Do not despair. Instead, you may select a topic from another section, to be presented in class on Dec. 8.

Good luck,
Graham

Marketing Humor assignment

Dear 343 students,

You are not required to write an essay for the Marketing Humor assignment which is on the syllabus for tomorrow.

Please be prepared to discuss the information related to consumers & culture. We'll discuss those wikis this week.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

~Graham

BUS 341 -- Deadline change

For those groups who need extra time to work on your projects, you may turn in your IMC assignments on December 8.

Please note: although this gives you an additional weekend to create the work product that's due, it means you have substantially less time to incorporate suggestions/edits/changes into your final projects.

The time grows short; use it wisely!

343 -- Book review

Click here (or in the sidebar) to get detailed instructions for your book reviews (i.e., Case #4)

All grades are updated

Click here to see how you're doing at this point in the semester.

Please let me know if you see any mistakes. Google docs is a great product, but far from perfect, especially when it comes to cleanly importing data from another source...

BUS 341 -- IMC, final project guidelines

Hello Principles students,

I've posted the instructions for the IMC assignment, which is due December 3rd/8th. If you're going to be in town next week, I highly recommend working on this with your group during the normally scheduled class time.

I've also posted instructions for the final project & presentation, so that you can get started on that as well.

Good luck, and have fun!

Extra credit for all!

Hello to all my students,

I'm in the midst of collecting data for a project I've been working on, and need your help!

The project is related to people's attitudes and behaviors related to gift cards, and my co-authors and I have developed a survey to try to measure some of the effects that we uncovered in a focus group last spring. (Sound familiar? Qualitative research... quantitative research... primary data...)

This would be a great way to spend some time on Black Friday, when gift shopping is often on the minds of those who choose to shop, and those who choose to sit it out.

Click Here to take survey

In order to get people interested and excited about filling in our rather long survey, we're offering incentives to complete it.

First, any of my students who complete it and provide a montana.edu address at the end will receive a whopping 3 extra credit points.
Second, everyone who completes it and provides an email address at the end will be entered into a drawing for one of two $25 Amazon.com gift cards.

We're asking anyone who takes the survey -- or just knows about the survey -- to spread the word and encourage others to take it as well. (Sound familiar? Convenience sample... snowball technique... word-of-mouth...) Tell your family, your friends, your Thanksgiving dining companions!

If you provide me with a valid list of email addresses from other people whom you can convince to complete the survey, I'll give additional extra credit points.

I really, really appreciate your help!

Wow

What do y'all think about this? Read the original post and the comments for some interesting perspectives on Americans' Christmas shopping... There's a lot of other news/commentary about this on the web, if you want to chase it down and keep up with what's happening.

And CB, if you'd like to use this in your next case study, you're welcome to do so!

Lots of info here for all 3 classes

BUS 341:

You have the ad analysis assignment due on Tuesday, 24 November. In order to get credit for the assignment, you need to do BOTH of the following:

• Email that assignment to me by 5:00 pm on 24 November.
• Bring a hard copy to me in class on 1 December.

MKTG 343:

If you haven't already selected a book to read for your book report (due 10 December), you should get on it.

Select one of the following:
Nudge, Thaler & Sunstein
Predictably Irrational, Ariely
The Tipping Point, Gladwell
The Paradox of Choice, Schwartz


Case #3 is due on 24 November. In order to get full credit for the assignment you must do all of the following:

• Include only your code name on the case.
  
• Submit your case to TurnItIn by 2:00 pm on 24 November.
• Bring a hard copy to class on 1 December.
  

Exam #3

Hi BUS 341 students,

The exam on Thursday will cover product concepts, new product development, diffusion, branding, packaging, service marketing, and nonprofit orgs and marketing.

In other words, you're responsible for all the material that we've covered since the last exam.

Good luck!
Graham

New product development + Branding = A great article

Now that you've acquired some marketing knowledge and opinions, what do you think about the Vegemite Saga? Brilliant ploy, or shameful failure?

TurnItIn -- Case #2, again

Dear CB students,

Please note that until you turn your cases in to TurnItIn, you will not receive a grade for these cases.

I've re-opened Case 2 for the 3rd (and final) time. You have until Thursday to submit your cases. If you do not electronically submit your case studies by that time, you will receive a 0 for this assignment.

Get to it!

CB assignment

Attention MKTG 343:

You can get a jump on the essay entitled "My Green Event" by clicking here.

Please note -- there are a lot of links in this document. They're very fun sources of information related to the new directions that sustainable development is going. Don't freak out when you see how many there are! (On the other hand, try not to become catatonic, either.)

Course expectations

Dear students,

Let me refer you to the following excerpt from the syllabi for both 341 and 343:

1. I will not accept late papers. The end of the class period is the deadline for submitting work.
2. I cannot accept emailed assignments. All work must be turned in to me as a hard copy.
3. If you're having trouble with something, please let me know sooner rather than later!
   

In addition, I would like to remind you of the MSU College of Business PRIDE Code of Ethics, also found in the syllabi:

PRIDE

• Professionalism: I am responsible for my own learning and conduct.
• Respect: I treat with respect all members of my community, including peers, staff and faculty.
• Integrity: I am ethical in all that I do.
• Diligence: I do my best work at all times.
• Engagement: I am actively engaged in my academic, professional and personal development.
  

My course rules and expectations are in place for your educational benefit. You don't have to agree with them, but they're not debatable, and you must adhere to them if you expect to do well in my classes.

If you want to talk to me about this, I'll be happy to set up an appointment with you.

Pink is for boys?

Re our discussion today in CB: here's a good history of the pink/blue phenomenon.

For Consumer Behavior

Reminder:

No class on Thursday, November 5. Please use this time to work on your group projects. You are not required to report to class, if you choose to meet elsewhere.

I will be in my office if you have any questions.

Good luck and have fun!

A note on Wikipedia

Dear 341,

One of your classmates questioned the fact that I occasionally use Wikipedia as a source of supplemental information in my slides. I thank him very much for doing so!

This is one of those "do as I say, not as I do" situations.

I know that you've probably been taught (and rightfully so) that Wikipedia isn't a trustworthy or reliable source of information. I agree with this assessment, especially w/r/t written documents such as term papers, marketing research reports, etc.

However, there are times when I'm prepping my lectures and I want to include more information that the book provides, but still want it to be a gloss/overview/snapshot. In these cases, a Wiki entry might be the best way to convey the information in a concise but fairly comprehensive manner. Before I include the page, I make sure that the information contained therein is unbiased and well-sourced.

I know that it might make your other instructors' hair stand on end, and I apologize to you and to them if I've led you astray. I never use Wikipedia as a final source in any other "official" capacity.

Please feel free to discuss this with me further in/out of class, during my office hours, or here on the blog.

BUS 341 -- Packaging assignmnent

Hello to the Principles students,

You have an individual assignment due on Thursday. Click here to get the instructions and an example of how to do it right.

Good luck, and have fun!

TurnItIn -- Case #2

Hi CBers,

Those of you who haven't submitted your last case to TurnItIn need to do so before I can assess & post your grades.

I've re-opened TII for the next few days. Please note that you will be docked one point for not turning in your papers on time. You will also be docked one point if you did not use your code name on your cases.

Older consumers = laggards?

Today's New York Times has published a timely article, in light of today's discussion in 341 about who comprises the "laggard" segment of the consumer population...

Opportunities

(Trash the dress photo courtesy John Michael Cooper)

Extra credit available for 341 students:

Watch the film Iron Man, and list all the branded products (goods, services, ideas) you can spot.

(At the risk of sounding like a teenage girl, I am sooo excited about the sequel...)

***
Here are the ideas/guidelines for the group assignment for the 343 students (sorry, not as fun, I know... but still pretty fun, right?)

Zappos article

Here's a great article about retail strategy, customer service, distribution modeling, etc.

Enjoy!

~Graham

Survey writing tips

Hi 341 --

I just found some information from Qualtrics that gives very good basic directions for writing useful, user-friendly survey questions. These "pitfall" tips are also excellent.

If you're planning on creating a survey (or surveys) for the primary data portion of your research, I highly recommend reading these first!

Have a great weekend,
Graham

343 Case study

Hi to the CB students!

Case study #2 is now posted.

Please come to tomorrow's class prepared to watch a great video, pay close attention, and take good notes!

341 Research assignment

Hi marketing students!

Click here to access the instructions + a few examples for your group research assignment.

Click here to look at more examples.

Good luck and have fun!

Weekend fun

"People don't know what they want. They only want what they know."

Does this collection of awesome inventions prove or disprove this statement? Which are your favorites?

I really wish the Flying Platform and the Illuminated Tires (and the Dog Restrainer, pictured above) were available in stores!

PostSecret at YAM

Hi everyone,

Check out what's opening today in Billings -- the traveling PostSecret exhibit.

It runs through mid-January, so I hope everyone who wants to gets a chance to see it!

Oct. 1 -- office hours

Greetings to all!

I'll only be in my office this afternoon until 3:00 pm.

I will be in tomorrow afternoon, from 12:00-3:00, if you need to see me.

And as always, you're welcome to make an appointment if there's another time that works better for you.

Contesting an answer on an exam

Hi 341 students!

From the syllabus, the correct way to contest an answer on an exam:

"If you believe I've made an error in grading or recording an assignment you've completed, please give me a written request for review, providing a full explanation and referring to specific wording in the text or course materials to support your request....

Example: "On Thursday's quiz, 'A' was listed as the correct answer for question #5. However, according to the book on p. 344, 'C' could also be considered correct because..."

***

In other words, if you want me to reconsider particular questions from Exam 1, your appeals must have more support than simply, "I think..." statements.

(Therefore, everyone who has submitted an appeal so far will need to revisit the issue(s) a little more diligently.)

Thanks, and good luck!
Graham

Love story assignment -- consumer behavior

Hi CBers,

You've got a 1-2 page essay due on Tuesday -- don't forget!

Please describe something that you would run back into a burning building to save, something that is or has been priceless to you. Did you buy this special item or was it a gift (or a find…)? Is this item still in use, a thing of the past, or something you could use in the future? If you don't have it anymore, tell me what happened to this item. Most importantly, WHY is this item so meaningful for you?

Please DON'T write about your first girl/boyfriend (or your current gf/bf), your mother, or your dog. I don't doubt you have much love for all of them, but the point of this exercise is to dig into how consumers interact with inanimate objects, and to examine why certain items become so important to certain people.

Having said that, and knowing how much people looooove their computers (me too!), please DON'T write about your computer, either. It's sort of like claiming to love your brain, i.e., a given, and not very interesting to think or read about.


Finally, you all need to find, print, read, and be ready to discuss Russ Belk's 1988 article entitled "Possessions and the Extended Self," published in the Journal of Consumer Research. This is homework, so be prepared! It's a long article, but interesting and well written, so be sure to budget adequate time to go through it and digest it.

Good luck, have fun, and have a great weekend!

BUS 341 classes

I've posted the segmentation assignment instructions here and in the sidebar of this blog.

Above, you can see segments of grandparents in the UK, from research conducted by SAGA.
These researchers used geographic, demographic, and psychographic variables to segment the market in to clearly identified groups.

We'll discuss this assignment in class on Tuesday, but I know some of you wanted to get a head start.

Good luck and have fun!

Industry self regulation

Here are various people's takes on the new "Smart Choices" front-of-the-box nutritional information program that launched last year...

The Smart Choices website

New York Times

Progressive Grocer -- A side

Progressive Grocer -- B side

Pretty interesting, huh? What do you think about this program?

Early-mid-semester fun pack

Well, hel-lo ladies!

At this point in the semester, you're probably ready for some marketing fun.

The following links all relate to product marketing to different segments of consumers. Check 'em out!

A completely awesome take on an already awesome song

A completely different take on online dating. (Take a look at their money-back guarantee!)

A completely different take on the stars of la Revolución and Spongebob

Discussion questions

Hi students,

Please take notes while watching "The Persuaders" in class this week. We'll discuss the following questions when we finish watching the film.

341: Be ready to talk.
343: I want you to turn in your notes/answers (as well as discuss). These can be very informal.

Hey consumers

What do you think of this?

341 Extra credit: Farmer's market edition

Sorry for the late posting, but I realized that some people might want a little guidance before they set out on Saturday.

While you're at the farmer's market, look for the 4 Ps. What's interesting?
Take note of what people are getting right, and what they might be doing better.
Are there particular target markets that different vendors are appealing to?
Do you see any aspects of the "dynamic environment" at work?

That's the kind of stuff I'm looking for. Nothing needs to be in-depth, unless you want to go there, but you should put some analytical thought into your analysis -- don't just describe what you observe.

Have fun, and happy shopping (and eating)!

343 First assignment

Here's what you should do before class on Thursday:

1. Read "My Missspent Youth" by Meghan Daum.
2. Write a reaction paper (~2 pages, double spaced) about this essay, thinking about these types of questions:

• What motivated the author to make the consumption decisions that she did?
• Does she remind you of anyone you know (including yourself)? How?
• Do her decisions seem rational? Why/why not?
• Do you think she could have predicted/averted her financial crisis? Why/why not?
• Did you enjoy reading this story?

Great first day of class!

Watch here for the best of the roll calls

Welcome back!

I hope everyone had an excellent summer, and is ready to learn some marketing!

Please explore this weblog and get familiar with using it. Throughout the semester, you'll be able to find the syllabus, assignments, due dates, reference materials, grades, and all kinds of fun stuff related to marketing right here!

I'm looking forward to getting to know you, and to working on interesting projects that we're going to collaborate on.

Please let me know if there's anything you'd like to see added to help make this website more interesting, helpful, fun, useful, or in any other way better.

Thank you!
Graham

Case #4

Hi everyone,

The final assignment is actually not a case study at all, but rather, an analysis of a single text (i.e., a book of your choosing from the list).

Using what you've learned about CB this semester, but focusing especially on the information about consumer purchasing decisions from the last several chapters of the textbook, write a detailed essay about the book that you've chosen to read, concentrating on the following concepts:
1) Does this book make a strong argument for the case it's trying to make? Why/why not?
2) Is this argument persuasive? Why/why not?
3) Does this book reinforce the concepts in the Solomon textbook? Why/why not?
4) What does this book get right/wrong, based on other research in the CB field?
5) Is this book entertaining? Why/why not?

As you can see, I'm not interested in having you merely summarize the "plots" of these books -- if you do so, it will be a waste of your time (and mine). I want you to present a thoughtful, well-supported analysis of this text as a whole.

Therefore, you SHOULD NOT answer in 1,2,3,4,5 format as you have in the previous cases.

Write a single, cohesive judgment of how this book fares as a consumer behavior text. I think the length should be ~5 pages, as with all the other cases. Also, as with all the other cases, make sure to:
1. Cite all sources for ALL ideas that are not your original thoughts. ALL. All. Allallall.
This will be a combination of ideas from the book you choose, the textbook, and possibly other source material.
2. Use your code name
3. Submit to TurnItIn

Best of luck!
Graham

Great opportunities from the Bracken Center

1. Here's the chance to get some leadership experience under your belt and on your resume. The marketing club is looking for some leaders to help run their club next year. Open positions include, President, VP, Treasurer, and Secretary. If you are interested in applying, please send an email to msumarketing@gmail.com explaining which position you are interested in and why you would excel at that particular position (market yourself!).

You can email them to find out more about what kinds of activities the club has done. Omar Shehryar, omar@montana.edu is the current advisor for the club.

2. Internship flyers are posted by the Bracken Center door and electronically on myportal: Go to: Groups -->CoB Bracken Group --> Files --> Marketing Files. (Sorry I can't post the link -- MyPortal isn't being MyFriend today...)

Internships include:
Cody Dieruf Benefit Foundation. Help plan a summer event.

Target Brand Ambassador. Help plan a back to school event this August.

Schedulicity Intern. Work with a on-line internet marketing firm in Bozeman.

Bobcat Sports Properties Athletics summer (and maybe fall) internship.
NOTE: This is different than the athletics internship I had posted. So you MUST apply separately if you are interested.

My Green Event instructions

Dear CB,

Here are the instructions for the short essay that's due next Wednesday (Earth Day).

Please note, the websites I included at the bottom are just to help you get started. You don't have to read all of them (though I think they're all good, which is why they're on the list), and you should strike out on your own in order to access the best, most relevant information for YOUR particular event.

Book list for Case #4

Dear CBers,

Click here to see which books you can choose from for the final case study.

If you have another one you'd like to use, I'm open to suggestions. They have to be about behavioral economics, and they have to be fact-based and solidly researched, but other than that, the field is pretty wide open.

Good luck,
Graham

TurnItIn: Case #3

You may now submit your cases to TurnItIn.

"Base of the Pyramid" conference

Hello CB scholars,

In class the other day, we talked about marketing products and services to the least wealthy segments of global society.

The next day, I received a call for papers for an international conference that addresses this exact issue.

"Prahalad and Hart (1998) initiated a stream of research and activity that has presented the world’s poor as an opportunity for innovation, partnerships and profitable growth. Others have raised concerns with this market-development approach and pointed to limited empirical research (Karnani, 2007; Landrum, 2007). Some initiatives have begun tracking the efforts of MNCs [multinational corporations] in the base of the pyramid (BoP) and suggest a second generation of corporate BoP strategies that include “co-invention and business co-creation” (Simanis and Hart, 2008, 2).

This conference will bring together academic researchers, especially those working across Southern Africa, to deepen our understanding of how organisations can more effectively engage in the BoP. The conference will provide an opportunity for researchers to present conceptual and empirical papers across a range of topics related to the BoP context."

Cool, huh? I guess that's the reason they keep coming out with new versions of the textbook every year or so...

Have a wonderful weekend,

Graham

Class on 4/8

Dear CB students,

In lieu of the case study, we'll have a special guest speaker coming to both classes. Jim Frisk is the internship coordinator for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee (which is chaired by Montana's own Max Baucus).

Please come ready to listen and ask questions regarding one of the most important and influential units of our Federal government!

Case #3

Due to the strenuous and persuasive lobbying of the 9:30 class, case 3 will now be due on

Monday, April 13.

Good luck, and happy long weekend!

Message to Marketing Juniors from Mike Gold

If you are contemplating a career in marketing, advertising, brand management or a related discipline you should consider taking Mktg 489/490 . This is a full academic year's commitment that leads to 6 credits.

5 graphic design students join the class in Spring 2010.

These classes lead to participation in the NSAC (National Student Advertising Competition) run by the AAF (American Advertising Federation).This competition is entered by some 180 schools nationwide.

The AAF gives the student teams a “client briefing” for which the students produce an entire “Integrated Marketing Campaign” from start to finish; this includes conducting research, determining the marketing strategy, planning the media both traditional and non traditional, producing all the advertising from TV to direct mail. The teams then present their work at the regional competition, which will be held in Spokane next year.

We are in a very strong region, competing against Univ. of Oregon, Portland State, MSU -Billings, Oregon State, Idaho State, Washington State, University of Idaho, BYU, Univ. of Washington, Boise State.

The standard is extremely high, the class does not have any, quizzes, tests or exams but is likely to be one of the most demanding classes you take at MSU; it will however be one of the most rewarding, if you are up to the challenge. I can guarantee you an experience that is the closest thing to real life that you will get while at university.

If you would like to know more about this class please e-mail me to arrange a time to meet and discuss.

The class will be limited to 10 marketing seniors.

Those not prepared to work all night if necessary need not apply!

Thank you for your time,

Mike Gold

Reid 311

mgold@montana.edu

Internship opportunity

Athletics Administration Intern at Montana State University

Job Title:
Athletics Administration Intern

Duties and Responsibilities:
• The Athletics Administration Intern will report to the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing.
• Assist the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing with the implementation of all marketing for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at Montana State University.
• Assist in the fulfillment of corporate sponsorship activities for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics; maintain and service existing clients.
• Work with the Montana State University Spirit Squad coach with implementing promotions for specific athletic events.
• Develop and assist with the implementing the marketing and promotion strategies for the Athletic Department.
• Assist in the promotion of special events; the Big Sky Conference and NCAA Championship events.
• Supervise the distribution and sales of game day programs for home football events.
• Assist and formulate a fan identity program with the Montana State University student-athletes and coaches.
• Supervise the distribution of all Montana State University Athletics promotional printed material.
• Responsible for complying with all Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Montana State University, NCAA and Big Sky Conference rules and regulations.
• Attendance at all home athletic contests, and assists with game management duties as assigned.
• Perform all other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing.


Required Qualifications:
• Progressing towards a degree in business, marketing, public relations, sports marketing or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience interacting with a diverse constituency using interpersonal communication skills, both written and oral.
• Candidate must have a great work ethic and must be detailed oriented.
• Demonstrated problem solving skills
• Thorough knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Demonstrated knowledge of basic NCAA rules and regulations.
• Position will be based on a 20 hour a week commitment


Compensation:
• Tuition waiver


To Apply:
Qualified candidates should submit the following: cover letter specifying the position of interest; current resume; three professional references with telephone and email contact information.

Mail to:
Drew Ingraham
Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing
Montana State University
#1 Bobcat Circle
PO Box 173380
Bozeman, MT 59717-3380

For Wednesday (April Fool's Day)

Dear CB students,

Please check out this stash of marketing-related cartoons and think about what they mean.

In your reaction paper, you can note:

• what the cartoons get right and wrong about the way marketing is practiced in the US today,
• what the public perception of marketing (and marketing professionals) seems to be,
• how/why these cartoons are funny (and not funny)
• what impact cartoons like these have on consumer behavior
• etc...

Have fun!

Internship opportunity

Want to help out with the Gallatin Earth Celebration? They're looking for a marketing intern.

If you have 2-4 hours per week available between now and the end of April, you could be the lucky one!

From the recruiting email:

"You would be charged with Web site up keep, following through with various project chairs, coordinating with volunteers, marketing, etc. There would be a fair amount of administrative work, but also some creativity involved.

Passion and dedication are the biggest job requirements. I will be selecting someone by March 27^th so contact me asap. An emailed letter stating your interest and abilities would be a perfect application."

For more info, or to apply, contact:

Jodie DeLay

Assistant Director of Public Relations

Montana State University

406.994.2502

jdelay@montana.edu

A markeing SuperFunPack (TM)!

Hi CBers,

There's a lot that's good an interesting and useful in the world right now, including right here in Bozeman. Take a look...

Want to know more about America's favorite food? The Procrastinator is showing the documentary King Corn tonight at 7:00 pm. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the FREE and interesting show!



Tomorrow is the College of Business's annual Entrepreneur Day! The keynote address will be at 1:00 in SUB Ballroom B, and the speaker is Montana-based social entrepreneur, Cloe Medina Erickson. Cloe, a recent grad of MSU's architecture program, and her husband, a North Face-sponsored climber and photographer, have created a fascinating organization that does community development work all over the world. Currently they are organizing and managing an effort to build a library in a remote part of Morocco.

And finally, there's an article about people's treating themselves to candy -- lots and lots of candy! -- in Monday's NY Times.

Case #3

Hi CB,

The third case is on subcultures, and the primary source you'll be using is Murderball (or another film of your choosing).

Cheers,
Graham

TurnItIn: Case #2

Hi everyone,

If you haven't already, please make sure to submit case #2 to Turn It In. The submission period is open until March 15, but you should go ahead and get that in ASAP (so you don't forget during spring break...).

Thank you!

Treats in the news

Okay, it's actually not the news, but a blog on a newsmagazine website:

The Happiness Project (from Slate.com)

Interesting...

Don't have a group for the project?

Dear CB students,

So many people are sick (or have sick kids) that it's rather alarming! Is this year a worse one than most for the mid-winter bugs?

In any case, all these absences have resulted in quite a few people not being in groups yet for the treat project.

To fix this problem, I recommend that the group-less students post a comment on THIS blog post -- include your name, your email, your class time (8:00 or 9:30), and put a virtual group together that way.

Note: Once you've posted your info, don't assume that someone else will do the work of putting the group together -- be proactive, and make sure it happens!

Best of luck,
Graham

Treat notes

Hi CB students,

You can see the notes that I've been making regarding people's consumption of treats during tough economic times (micro- and macroscopic examples).

Please use these, and other sources, to create your groups' definitions of what a "treat" is.

Have fun, and be prepared to discuss these (and turn something in) on Monday.

~Graham

Wiki "upgrade"

Dear Students,

I'm so sorry that so many of you have been having trouble getting into the wiki to work on your Show & Tell assignments! I don't know why some, but not all of you are being denied access. I've approved every request that the server sent me yesterday, and hope this helps.

I was in Helena all day yesterday, which is why I couldn't respond sooner to your requests.

My daughter has the flu, so I won't be at work today. I WILL be working from home, though, and checking email frequently, so please email and let me know if the system still isn't working, and I'll try to fix it ASAP.

I'll be in Helena again tomorrow (interviewing the Governor, ooh la la), so out of email contact for most of the day as well. My apologies!

Schedule switch

The second case will be due next WEDNESDAY, March 11th.

On Monday, you'll need to bring in and be ready to discuss your group's definition of what a treat is.

Case #2

Hey CB scholars,

Here's Case #2, on consumer psychology. Have fun!

Packaging, perception, and consumer loyalty

Tropicana is having a "d'oh" moment right now...

Office hours

Hi CB classes,

In order to get ready for the conference I'm going to this weekend, I need to cancel my office hours tomorrow.

I'll be around campus getting things together, but won't necessarily be in my office. Please let me know if you need to talk to me before I leave town. Otherwise, I'll likely be out of touch until I get back next week.

Thanks!

A good potential reference

This is a project from Western Illinois University that's quite similar to our wiki CB glossary.

You might want to check to see if there's anything here that you can use when working on your pages and/or case studies.

See y'all tomorrow,
Graham

Book in library

Hi all,

I've put a copy of the textbook on reserve in the library.

Since there were a few people who requested this, I put it on 2-hour checkout. I hope this works, as far as letting everyone who needs to have a chance to use it.

(Unfortunately, the only options are 30 min, 2 hr, and 24 hr checkouts. If only there were a 4 hour option... Alas!)

Good luck with your cases, and I'll see you on Wednesday!

TurnItIn

Hi everyone,

You'll need to submit all your case studies to TurnItIn before you give them to me.

You'll note that there are two sections of this class -- make sure you're in the right place!

The ID # for the 8:00 class is 2604157 and the password is "montana"
The ID # for the 9:30 class is 2604159 and the password is "turnitin"

Please set up your TurnItIn account THIS WEEK. In order to safeguard the secrecy of the course information, I'll be deleting this blog post this weekend, so it's important that you go ahead and get into the system ASAP.

When you submit your papers to TurnItIn, they should have only your code name and class time on them. Do NOT use your real name, SSN, Banner ID, or any other identifying information!

Case #1

Hi everyone,

Now that we're well into the semester, you can get crackin' on the first case study.

Please note that you'll need to do a lot of reading from the text, and/or from the wiki, as well as reading the articles I've provided, in order to answer the questions.

Also, please note that chapter numbers & topics might change, depending on the edition of the book that you're using. Therefore, I've provided subject information in addition to the chapter numbers to guide your reading.

Also, please note that students who don't budget enough time to work on this assignment (i.e., start working on it at 10:00 pm the night before it's due) are usually cranky and tired the next day. I'm just saying...

ALSO, please note that your participation in the discussion regarding the case is crucial. You can't just drop off your case and not come to class. (Well, you can, but your absence will be noted.)

FINALLY, please note that I don't/ can't/ never have accepted emailed assignments.

Super Bowl Madness

Hi CB scholars,

I'm so glad that there are motivated (or procrastinating) graduate students in the world, who spend time compiling information that benefits us all...

What am I talking about? This excellent resource for all the Super Bowl ads that debuted during yesterday's game.

Happy viewing!

A good read

Hi CB students,

Here's more food for thought about consumption in these leaner times...

Have a wonderful weekend!

Assignment for 21 Jan

Hi everyone,

Here's what you should do before class next Wednesday:

1. Read "My Missspent Youth" by Meghan Daum.
2. Write a reaction paper (~2 pages, double spaced) about this essay, thinking about these types of questions:
What motivated the author to make the consumption decisions that she did?
Does she remind you of anyone you know (including yourself)? How?
Do her decisions seem rational? Why/why not?
Do you think she could have predicted/averted her financial crisis? Why/why not?
Did you enjoy reading this story?

Have a wonderful weekend!
Graham

Welcome to Spring 2009!

Hello to all my students in Consumer Behavior!

Please explore this weblog and get familiar with using it. Throughout the semester, you'll be able to find the syllabus, assignments, due dates, reference materials, grades, and all kinds of fun stuff related to marketing right here!

I'm looking forward to getting to know you, and to working on interesting projects that we're going to collaborate on.

Please let me know if there's anything you'd like to see added to help make this website more interesting, helpful, fun, useful, or in any other way better.

Thank you!
Graham