Peer Review

Consumer Behavior

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Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This open textbook was designed for students studying business or marketing at an undergraduate level. It draws on the fields of marketing, business, communications, media studies, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. The book invites readers to examine the internal forces that shape consumer decision making, such as perceptions, motivations, personality, and attitudes as well as the external ones, such as social and situational influences, culture, and subcultures. This text centres the lived experiences of today’s consumers, specifically, undergraduate students. The author has also made efforts to decentre whiteness and dominant culture perspectives wherever possible to ensure a broader and more accurate representation of diverse consumers. This OER contains content created by students from Kwantlen Polytechnic University and is best used alongside the Ancillary Resource Guide that contains several essays, case studies, assignments, and project outlines, and an accompanying multiple choice test bank.
Type of Material:: Open (Access) Textbook
Recommended Uses:: Outside-of-class reading or assignments, in class assignments or homework assignments.
Technical Requirements:: Internet Browser
Identify Major Learning Goals:: Author supplies learning goals at beginning of each chapter.
Target Student Population:: College Upper Division, Graduate School
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Students should have a basic understanding of marketing.

Rating:
Strengths:: This module has many quality features. It covers 8 sections of Consumer Behavior content (similar to other texts), and each offers Learning Objectives, a glossary of Key Terms, and what appears to be well-researched information that builds upon itself throughout. There are many illustrative examples provided, along with suggestions for continued learning. Additionally, the author indicates that care has been taken to relate to “lived experiences” for students, as well as a concerted effort to reflect diverse customers in discussion. The content also uses relatively recent events like Coronavirus in cases/assignments along with issues that have affected consumers for years. The content appears to be complete and appropriate for the topic. Application of this resource can be flexible depending on the course, instructor and student. The author demonstrates the concept via information, pictures, etc.
Concerns:: The module may need additional assignment support depending on how it is used.

Rating:
Strengths:: This module included more features that typically seen in online texts. In addition to the Learning Objectives, there is a centralized chapter-list of key terms and interactive links to those terms throughout the content. The text’s author is based at a British Columbia university, but there is clear evidence that multi-cultural and international content was included. Also offered to the user are immediate download/use of Cases and Essays and Assignments (which include the author’s tips as well as grading rubrics), and a Test Bank that can be requested. The author supplies learning goals at beginning of each chapter. Chapter information can be integrated into course assignments and/or assessments.Material increases the potential for students to learn and better understand the topic.The material promotes the conceptual understanding of the topic of consumer behavior.
Concerns:: As with all text support, the assignments may need modification for instructor use.

Rating:
Strengths:: This module is very readable, but also includes an accessibility statement if needed. The text can be read online, downloaded, or a hard copy ordered. If the text is read online, “tips” are provided for how to navigate the pages. There are graphics and the use of color to break up the content and move the eye along to different sections. Plenty of examples are provided to enhance understanding. The site was in working order at time of review. There is information addressing users with disabilities. There are pictures, graphs and charts provided in the material.
Concerns:: The majority of content is in paragraph form with less graphic features to break up that content than observed in other texts. As a reader, it seemed that it took longer to get through the passages in this way. Additionally, there is minimal interactive content.