Nowadays, more and more students decide to study abroad in order to enhance their language abilities and discover new cultures and lifestyles. As a French student who lived and studied in Paisley for a year, the author is aware that going abroad to study is an important and difficult decision to make and that one should think about it very carefully before making a choice. In Marketing, this kind of decision takes part in what is called the consumer behavior which can be defined as "the decision process and physical activity individuals engage in when evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of goods or services" (Lawson et al., 1996). Thanks to this process, it is possible to draw on models from economics, psychology, sociology or even anthropology. It is important to know that consumer behavior can be influenced by different variables such as external environmental (cultural and sub-cultural influences, social class influences, family and personal influences, etc) as well as individual determinants that establish how consumers proceed through the decision making process (information processing, personality, attitudes, motivation, etc).
[...] It has been proven that when consumers are satisfied, they recommend the product to five people whereas if they are unhappy, they complain about it to seven to twelve people. This is the reason why products must be good value for money. Moreover, the more expensive the product is, the most likely one is to be dissatisfied if it does not meet all their expectations. In order to prevent or to reduce dissatisfaction or dissonance, consumers will try to convince themselves that they made the right choice. [...]
[...] They can also better understand why each target group has such behaviours or such opinions. Moreover, they can also improve and introduce products that correspond to customers' values, and they are able to target marketing and advertising campaigns more effectively and more accurately. Finally, they can position their products more accurately on the marketplace. For example, group members share a common values' structure. If marketers find this market segment, they can suggest which advertising media and themes to use. This way, this group can be better reached. [...]
[...] If I wanted to go to UK I had to go to Paisley because my university has agreements only with the University of the West of Scotland What were your fears before leaving your country? Cultural clash. I was afraid of not being able to fit in my work groups Why did you decide to leave in spite of these risks? Being accepted in the Erasmus program was a very big opportunity for me and I thought that it would help me be more open minded on cultural differences Are you satisfied with your choice? And, if not, why? What more could you have done in your search for a university abroad? [...]
[...] Nevertheless, the intensity of the problem recognition depends on the importance that the consumer gives to the product. There are indeed two different types of products: the low-involvement products and the high- involvement ones. Low-involvement products are staple products, that is to say goods and services that one needs on a regular basis and which do not need much thinking. For instance when one buys food they do not usually think too much or pay much attention to the different brands etc.; they tend to skip some of the stages and go straight to the purchasing process. [...]
[...] Mostly disagree Somewhat disagree Somewhat agree Mostly agree 13. I like my life to be pretty much the same from week to week. Mostly disagree Somewhat disagree Somewhat agree Mostly agree 14. Sex: Male Female 15. Age: 18-24 25-29 30-34 35-44 45-54 55- or over 16. What is the highest level of formal education you have completed? Grade 8 or less Grades 9-11 High School 1-3 years of college College years) Attended or completed graduate school Executive summary L'analyse du comportement du consommateur ou de l'acheteur se révèle être un enjeu important du marketing. [...]
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