The course introduces students to consumer behavior and seeks to illustrate the relevance of this discipline and its centrality for marketing, policy choices and for consumers themselves.

1) Knowledge and Understanding. This course provides advanced knowledge and analytical resources that will enable students to understand the psychological processes and various aspects of culture that influence consumer attitudes, decision-making, and subsequent behaviors. 2) Application of Knowledge and Understanding. Students will be able to: • apply knowledge of consumer behavior to marketing strategy; • examine the impact of marketing on consumers. 3) Making judgments We expect students to be able to integrate knowledge on consumer behavior and to manage the complexity of the different theoretical approaches involved in this field. These skills are extremely relevant for decision-making in organizations. Students are also expected to be able to discuss and evaluate controversial issues in consumer behavior, including reflections on the social and ethical dimensions of such issues. 4) Communication skills This course will give students the opportunity to acquire and understand tools and concepts in order to communicate their ideas, proposals, analyses and critical reasoning in the field of consumer behavior in the most effective and appropriate way possible. 5) Learning skills This course will help to empower students by providing them with the tools to understand why consumers adopt certain behaviors and to evaluate the explanatory power of different theoretical models with respect to such behaviors independently.

Two main approaches can be identified for the study of consumer behavior: a micro approach that focuses on the individual psychological processes that consumers use for their daily decisions and the resulting behaviors; and a macro approach that focuses on the role of groups and aspects of a symbolic nature. Both of these approaches are represented in this course. Aspects of analysis and application aspects will be integrated in the course.

TEXTBOOK: Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having and Being - 13th Global Edition, Michael Solomon, 2020, Pearson. Mandatory and supplementary readings are available via the Luiss Learn on-line platform. Considering the definitions reported in the University's Didactic Regulations (Regolamento Didattico di Ateneo) and the Graduate School student handbook, ‘compliant’ students have to refer to the textbook and the ‘mandatory’ materials; the ‘supplementary’ readings become mandatory for ‘non-compliant’ students (hereinafter referred as ‘integrated program’).

Students’ active participation during classes is strongly encouraged. In-class activities are synergically complementary to conceptual classes.

• ATTENDING, COMPLIANT STUDENTS: 1/3: continuous assessment (two team assignments) 2/3: final exam (written exam) • NON-COMPLIANT STUDENTS: ONLY FINAL EXAM (WRITTEN EXAM, on the ‘integrated program’)

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