St. Joseph’s College of Commerce (Autonomous)

End Semester Examination – October 2014

 B.B.m. – v Semester

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR (ELECTIVE –II- MARKETING)

 

Time: 3 hrs                                                                                                      Marks: 100

Section – A

 

1. I) Answer ALL the questions. Each carries 2 marks.                       (10 x 2 = 20)

 

1. State the different buying roles in the consumer decision process.
2. Name any four basis for market segmentation.
3. Mention four possible responses of a dis-satisfied consumer.
4. What does ‘diffusion of innovation’ mean?
5. Reference groups influence consumer decision making”. Explain
6. Why have cross cultural influences increased in importance?
7. What is differentiated marketing?
8. What is meant by selective perception?
9. Give two examples of negative reinforcement.
10. Name one outstanding feature of four stages in the Family Life Cycle.

 

Section – B

 

1. II) Answer any Four Each carries 5 marks.  (4 x 5 = 20)

 

11. “The more complex the decision the more there is involvement and deliberation”. Explain with two examples for each, types of decision making of buyers.
12. Analyze the effect that social environment, personality traits of consumer, personal experience and marketing strategies of the firm have on attitude formation towards products.
13. From “awareness to being a loyal customers” a consumer passes through various stages. Analyze the thought process in each of these stages.
14. Customer satisfaction is the positive feeling about the “ownership experience”. What advice would you give a firm to enhance the satisfaction levels of its customers?
15. Analyze the loyalty status pyramid and give suitable examples.
16. How is VALS psychographic segmentation used as a marketing tool to explain consumer behavior.

 

 

 

 

 

Section – C

 

III) Answer any three questions. Each carries 15 marks.                  (3 x 15 = 45)

 

17. “Divergence in consumer behavior is due to differences in personality”. Use the Trait and Psychoanalytical theory to interpret consumer behavior.
18. Discuss the factors influencing consumer behavior. Illustrate with examples.
19. In the light of globalization, companies are forced to combine two or three basis for segmentation. Justify this statement with the help of two consumer products which have used 2 or 3 basis for sementation.
20. “Cross – cultural influences and social class have an impact on consumer behavior”. Explain and give examples
21. People respond to cues when they are driven. If they have a positive experience it leads to retention and reinforcement.  Explain this in the light of Learning Behaviour.

 

Section – D

 

1. IV) Case Study – Compulsory question. (1 x 15 = 15)

 

22. Galaxy Appliances is among the top five companies in the home appliance market and manufactures a range of products, such as refrigerators, washing machines, gas cooking range, television, and other smaller products such as toasters, blenders and irons. The company’s turnover had grown several fold in the last ten years.  Last year the company’s turnover was Rs.460 crore and the net profits were Rs.21 crore.  The main reason for this growth is the growing demand for home appliances and a nationwide network of 1,630 dealers.  The management is quite aware of the fact that competition in the market would intensify and the only way to stay ahead was to introduce products, which are customer friendly and of the highest quality.

 

Selling innovative products in a conservative market is not easy and Galaxy Appliances has a challenge ahead for its marketing team.  Family units is in the phase of transition today and two major trends are visible.  First, the rise of the nuclear families in the cities is here to stay.  Second, more and more women are opting for a career today and hence are seeking opportunities outside home.  The natural outcome of this shift in ambitions of women is that demand for domestic help is rising. But getting such help is becoming increasingly difficult and this situation is likely to become more pronounced with time.  Hence, the demand for products with automatic features is on the rise.  Women are hard pressed for time and are looking for technologically superior home appliances that can function with minimum human supervision.

 

 

 

The initial price for these products is high, but will certainly come down with growth in demand.  The prices for different load – capacity of dishwashers are in the range of Rs.16,000 to 21,000 for washing machines from Rs.7,000 to 30,000 depending on the features.  For the microwave cooking range, the basic model is priced at Rs.14,000 for 20 litre capacity and the highest price for the more advanced model is Rs.19,000 for 30 litre capacity.

 

 

Market segment details:

 

Double Income Families with 4 – 5 family members	Product Relevance	Category Recommended
Class – one cities Income Rs.6 lakh per annum and above	High	A+
Class – two cities Income Rs.3 lakh per annum and above	Low to moderate	A

Categories:

A+       =          Aggressive Promotion

A         =          Moderate Promotion

 

The products will be positioned on the following dimensions:

1. Convenience and time saving
2. Lifestyle product.

 

Analyze and answer the following:

 

1. Explain the possible involvement of the different people who would have taken part in the decision making process for purchase of the product.
2. What are the steps/process the consumer would have taken before the purchase of the product?
3. Analyze the factors that have led to the rise in demand for consumer durable goods in India.

 

 

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