| Course | BUSI 332 Consumer Behavior (BUSI332) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 1 |
| Assignment | Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread |
| Paper type | Discussion thread |
| Length | about 409 words (thread and replies). Course guide: a thread of 400 to 500 words responding to the prompt, demonstrating course-related knowledge and incorporating at least 2 peer-reviewed resources, in current APA format |
| Format | APA 7 citations and reference list |
| Points | 60 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 1 in Liberty's published BUSI 332 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 332 Week 1
Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread: Utilitarian and Hedonic Value in Consumer Choices
BUSI 332 Consumer Behavior, Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread
Thread by [Student Name]
The forum prompt and the coffee examples are composites; the textbook and research cited are real.
Babin and Harris (2016) place value at the center of consumer behavior, defining it as a personal assessment of the net worth obtained from an activity: what the consumer gets compared with what the consumer gives up. They distinguish two forms. Utilitarian value comes from accomplishing a task, solving the problem that prompted the purchase. Hedonic value comes from the experience itself, the enjoyment, emotion or sense of escape that consumption provides. Most purchases deliver some of each, but customers often weigh one more heavily.
Research shows the distinction is real and measurable. Babin et al. (1994) developed scales for both kinds of shopping value and found that shoppers could describe the same trip as successful in getting what they needed and, separately, as enjoyable or not. A trip could be efficient but joyless, or delightful but unproductive. Chitturi et al. (2008) then showed that the two kinds of benefit produce different feelings after purchase. Meeting utilitarian expectations mainly produced satisfaction and avoided disappointment, while exceeding hedonic expectations produced delight, a stronger positive emotion connected to word of mouth and loyalty. Satisfaction keeps a customer coming back out of habit; delight gives the customer a story to tell.
Two coffee businesses on the same street illustrate the point. The drive-through chain competes on utilitarian value: speed, consistency, a mobile order waiting at the window. Its customers judge it by whether the morning routine stayed on schedule. The neighborhood café competes on hedonic value: the smell of fresh roasting, a barista who remembers names, a comfortable chair for an hour of reading. Its customers judge it by how the visit felt. Each can fail by imitating the other. If the café rushed customers to raise turnover, it would erode the very value that justifies its higher prices.
For marketers, the lesson is to know which kind of value a target customer cares about most and to deliver it reliably before trying to add the other. The drive-through chain can add a small hedonic touch, such as a friendly greeting at the window, without slowing service, and the café can add a utilitarian one, such as mobile ordering for regulars in a hurry, without losing its atmosphere. Problems begin only when a business forgets which kind of value its customers came for in the first place. Which kind of value do you think drives the purchases you make most often, and has a business ever lost you by getting it wrong?
References
Babin, B. J., Darden, W. R., & Griffin, M. (1994). Work and/or fun: Measuring hedonic and utilitarian shopping value. Journal of Consumer Research, 20(4), 644-656. https://doi.org/10.1086/209376
Babin, B. J., & Harris, E. G. (2016). CB7 (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Chitturi, R., Raghunathan, R., & Mahajan, V. (2008). Delight by design: The role of hedonic versus utilitarian benefits. Journal of Marketing, 72(3), 48-63. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.72.3.048
What the BUSI 332 Week 1 instructions ask
Consumer Behavior opens with Babin and Harris's first two chapters, which introduce the field and the idea of value as the center of consumption, along with a presentation, a website, the syllabus checklist, class introductions and Quiz 1. The Forum 1 thread answers the provided prompt in 400 to 500 words, demonstrates knowledge from the course and incorporates at least two peer-reviewed resources in current APA format. It is worth 60 points on its own, and replies to two classmates, each 250 to 350 words with one peer-reviewed resource, follow in Module/Week 2 for another 30 points.
How this BUSI 332 Week 1 example is built
The thread builds its answer in three steps. A first paragraph defines value as the textbook does, a comparison of what consumers get and what they give up, and introduces its two forms. A second paragraph draws on two peer-reviewed studies, one that measured utilitarian and hedonic shopping value and one that linked each to different post-purchase emotions. A third applies the distinction to two coffee businesses, a drive-through chain and a neighborhood café, showing how each wins on a different kind of value. A closing sentence leaves classmates a question about their own purchases. Both studies appear in an APA reference list. The closing question is designed to start a real exchange in the replies.
BUSI 332 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go
Instructors grade the thread on a direct response to the prompt, accurate use of the value framework from the first chapters, two or more peer-reviewed resources used to support the argument, a length of 400 to 500 words, and current APA format. The coffee-shop comparison is what lifts a value thread above a list of definitions. Popular articles and company websites do not count as peer-reviewed sources. Threads that run long, that cite only the textbook, or that list both value types without showing how they shape a decision earn fewer of the 60 points. Because classmates reply in Module/Week 2, a thread that ends with a debatable point or a question makes those replies easier and the conversation richer. Citing both studies by author and year in the text, and listing them fully at the end, is part of what the 60 points cover.
BUSI 332 Week 1 help: mistakes that cost points
Read the prompt and the first two chapters together, and answer using the textbook's terms. Find two peer-reviewed articles through the library databases, and describe in a sentence what each found. Choose an example you know well, such as a store or brand you use, and show how its customers experience value. Keep to the 400-500 word range, since the ceiling is enforced as well as the floor. End with a point or question classmates can respond to in Module/Week 2. Proofread before posting. A clear final question invites the replies that the second module/week requires.
Related BUSI 332 sample papers
Other BUSI 332 weeks
- BUSI 332 Week 2: Forum 1 Replies
- BUSI 332 Week 3: Forum 2 Thread and Replies
- BUSI 332 Week 4: Consumer Behavior Profile
- BUSI 332 Week 5: Forum 3 Thread and Replies
- BUSI 332 Week 7: Forum 4 Thread and Replies
- BUSI 332 Week 8: Marketing Plan
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BUSI 332 Week 1 questions, answered
What is the BUSI 332 Forum 1 Thread?
The 60-point opening thread of BUSI 332, due in Module/Week 1: 400 to 500 words responding to the prompt with at least two peer-reviewed resources in APA format.
Where can I find a free BUSI 332 Week 1 sample paper?
Read the full BUSI 332 Week 1 thread here, contrasting utilitarian and hedonic value, with two coffee businesses as examples. Two peer-reviewed studies support it.
What is the difference between utilitarian and hedonic value?
Utilitarian value comes from a purchase accomplishing a task, such as getting coffee quickly; hedonic value comes from the experience itself being enjoyable, such as lingering in a pleasant café.
Do hedonic and utilitarian benefits make customers feel differently?
Research found that meeting utilitarian needs mainly produced satisfaction and relief, while exceeding hedonic expectations produced delight, a stronger emotion linked to loyalty.
What else is due in BUSI 332 Module/Week 1?
Quiz 1, the syllabus checklist and class introductions are due, with Babin and Harris's chapters 1 and 2, a presentation and a website.
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