Master of ScienceConsumer Behavior and Decision Sciences

The visualization and communication of data is a core competency of analytics. This course takes advantage of the rapidly evolving tools and methods used to visualize and communicate data. Key design principles are used to reinforce skills in visual and graphical representation.

Human Behavior is the result of complex interactions between physiological and psychological processes. This is an accelerated course designed to give the student a firm understanding of these processes, as well as insight into how this knowledge can be used to garner unique insights which can be leveraged to influence behavior. Foundational topics such as perception, learning and memory, emotion, and cognitive biases and attempt to exploit them via nudging are covered through lectures, discussion or current applied research, and a team project developing an applied behavioral research plan.

The easiest way to find out about people is to ask them questions. As a result, a large amount of the data used to generate insights comes from simple survey questions. This course is designed to teach the student how to develop efficient questions and to deploy surveys in person, telephonically, or online (mobile). Statistical methods for determining question and construct reliability are covered. Course material is presented via lectures, texts (textbook and supplementary readings), and several projects.

Innovative ideas often come from spontaneous conversation and interactions. Focus groups (panels) and observational research methods facilitate the discovery of these unique consumer insights. This course provides an overview of the proper use of focus groups, panels, and observational designs in consumer research. Central topics include question design, planning, implementation, moderation/observation techniques, virtual panels, data processing, and qualitative and quantitative analysis strategies. Course materials are presented via lectures, guest lectures, and as well as individual and team projects.

To generate actionable insights and implement them effectively we need to know how consumers are distributed across the population, what segments will want a product or service, and how we can sample from relevant segments so that our data is representative of relevant populations. This is an advanced course designed to provide an overview of these topics from an applied analytic perspective. The first half of the course focuses on sampling methods for data collection such as: Stratification, cluster sampling, systematics selection, multistage sampling, and probability proportional to size sampling. The second half of the course focuses on analytic methods for the four main types of market segmentation: Demographic, behavioral, psychographic, and geographic. Material is presented via lectures, discussions, immersive labs, and an applied team project.

Bespoke marketing tools and methods of approach underly much of today’s marketing research. This course is separated into three sections related to appealing to your customer base: The first covers conjoint analysis tools used to determine the value of product/services features as viewed by the customer and to assess (attractive) market prices. The second provides an overview of market mix modeling allowing for an efficient marketing plan to be deployed. The final section covers customer relationship management (CRM). An overview of what CRM is, what CRM has and has not yet delivered, popular CRM technologies, and how analytic techniques can be employed to determine customer equity, customer lifetime value, and predict customer loyalty and churn is provided. Material is presented via lectures (guest lectures), discussions of current research and theory, case studies, labs, and applied projects.

Theories of human behavior and behavioral research methods are constantly evolving. This seminar is designed to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in applied behavioral research. Each session will consist of a discussion of recent advances in consumer research and/or a relevant story pulled from the headlines. Guest lectures from academia, industry, and the public sector will also present their work and their views on the future of applied behavioral research.

As technology advances so do applied behavioral research methodologies. This frequently updated course provides the knowledge and skills needed to conduct innovative applied behavioral research using emergent methodologies. Research applications covered include: Decision time analysis, mouse tracking, eye tracking, affect measurement, and practical neural measurement techniques (e.g., NIRS and ECG/EEG). Material is presented via lectures (guest lectures), discussions of transformative research, labs, and an immersive research project.

This seminar is designed to assist the student as they produce the final deliverable of their studies – an applied behavioral research project. In the first weeks the student will deliver an overview of their project and what stage they are currently in. During the following weeks the student will deliver status updates allowing them to seek out feedback and advice for how to approach issues encountered (e.g., implementation and analysis problems), while also benefitting from their classmates’ experiences. In the final weeks the student will give a presentation which will be in the format of a “mini-defense”.