Changes

Who's version of "Changes" is cooler:

Tupac's

 or

Bowie's?

Please note the following changes to the Consumer Behavior schedule for the next few weeks:

(W) March 28:  Start Beckham

(M) April 2: Finish movie and discuss
(W) April 4:  Case 2

(M) April 9: Individual and family decision making wikis (chapters 8 & 11)
(W) April 11:  Watch Babies

(M) April 16: Finish any decision making wikis. Consumers & culture wikis (chapter 15)

****

Regarding changes to the grading policy of this class, you have 2 options:

1)  No change from the syllabus -- submit all assignments, and have your grade taken as a percentage of points out of a possible 250.

2)  Drop your lowest grade (book review or case study), and have your final grade taken as a percentage of points out of a possible 230.

Case 2, Q 1

 Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything!

Here's the first (take-home) question for Case 2.  I strongly advise you to familiarize yourselves with the information from the Solomon book before we watch the movie next week -- it'll really help you know what to look for / take notes on when we're watching it.

Please let me know if you need more explanation to help you answer it.

Good luck, and have fun!
Graham

***

In Bend it Like Beckham, Jess is shown being a member of two subcultures -- Indian Britons and female soccer players.    

*Using substantial information from your textbook to support your answer*, identify and discuss defining elements of these subcultures  (e.g., diet, religion, clothing/fashion, romance, family structure, career/education expectations, leisure activities, household décor, etc.). 

Then, *using substantial information from your textbook to support your answer*, discuss how the members of these subcultures (not just Jess) use consumption to help create identities for themselves and express their personalities and lifestyle preferences.

Finally, please note whether you think these portrayals are stereotypes, and justify your opinion, *using substantial information from your textbook to support your answer*.

The good ol' days

I first came across this cola ad (actually, a parody of '50s advertising created by The City Desk) while taking a stroll through a feature called "Ads We Will Never See Again."  Even though it's really well done, the ad immediately set off my, uh, "satire detector"  because it's just a little too over the top.

Other ads in the series are real, however.  I actually own have a larger version of this PEP ad: 

It was a gift, naturally, from my first husband.  You can stop by my office and see it for yourselves, if you'd like!

Back to selling sugar to kids, this one is real, from 1971...

... as is this one, a shout-out to Bozemanites if there ever was one!

Image sources:
Photos 1, 2 & 4 from http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2012/02/01/ads-we-will-never-see-again/photo-86020/
Photo 3 from http://www.ed4wb.org/?p=169

Celebrate good times, come on!

Congratulations to everyone for completing your first case study!

You should reward yourself (i.e., self-gift) by taking some time to relax and treat yourself to something special...

SPIKE
Hot Dog Tea
www.spike.com
Spike Full Episodes Spike Video Clips Spike on Facebook

Image source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eQ6SG5qNy0c/TOqUn_c6wdI/AAAAAAAADLY/4R8IiYcxFWE/s1600/disco-dancing-sil.jpg

Case 1, Question 1

Hi everyone,

Here's the first question for the first case study (due next Wednesday, Feb 29).

Obviously, it requires a lot of reading, and a lot of thinking, before you can really start writing.  Be sure to give yourself enough time to do a good (or great!) job on this assignment.  If you leave it to the last minute, you might find yourself freaking out...

Remember, you need to submit both your answers to Turnitin.  Also, you'll be using your code names on the copies you turn into me to grade.

Finally, please consider visiting the BBCC to sharpen up your answer to Q1; I guarantee it'll help you answer Q2 as well!

Image source: http://artsyspot.com/img/misc/steampunk-computer-made-from-antique-organ/steampunk-computer-made-form-antique-organ02.jpg

(Baby) sick day

Hi everyone,

Sorry to cancel at the last minute -- I have a sick baby at home, and my schedule could flex more than my husband's today.

If you're reading this at home before class, please note the following re turning in your book reviews:

·    Put only your code name on the hard copy

·    Hard copy in the file folder on my office door – Reid 347

 PUT YOUR PAPER IN THE FOLDER, BECAUSE...

·    Katrina (the TA) will pick up all the papers at the end of each class

·    Submit to Turnitin

I'll post materials & additional instructions for case study #1 here either today or tomorrow.

In the meantime, enjoy your week(end)!

Image credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLvF3FEJ62VFxlcR9OePoz1rJD5r26k3tnQqlAu05ZPA9ZdLsfCA0RB_kkM4ga8ayfjdVkp0UZvJSEofV_9vDmjUq-xMUFfjfrY_wQxdJeLfxBzNhp75eBcCMmjOK0bH-N0cVegj0HsTZ/s320/sick_baby.jpg

An article published this month in the premiere CB journal, the Journal of Consumer Research, is totally relevant to the material we've been discussing in class recently.

Here's the opening paragraph:
       Stephanie, a first-year MBA student, is shopping for a new suit to wear to her internship   
       interviews. She finds a suit she likes and decides to try it on. As she approaches the dressing
       room, she sees another customer standing in front of a three-way mirror wearing the same suit
       she has in her hands. The customer is beautiful and looks stunning in the suit. Stephanie tries on
       the suit, is  not satisfied with how it looks on her, and decides to keep looking at another store.
       The question we examine in the current research is whether or not Stephanie’s evaluations of the
       suit would have been different had she not seen the other customer wearing it and what factors
       might influence this social comparison process.

From "Social Information in the Retail Environment: The Importance of Consumption Alignment, Referent Identity, and Self-Esteem," by Darren W. Dahl, Jennifer J. Argo, Andrea C. Morales

If you're on campus, you should be able to link to the full-text article seamlessly.  If you're off-campus (or if the on-campus link is sticky), you can access it through our wonderful library website (note: you have to log into the lib site to have access to any paid-for material).

********

Why am I pointing you in this direction, hoping that you'll read, or at least skim, the article?  Why is research important in general?  Why is research important at Montana State University?  Why should research be important to you, as an undergraduate?