Welcome to HK2011 Buyer Behaviour: In the pursuit of knowledge of how and why people behave in the marketplace, marketers have applied the theories and findings from many of the social sciences — psychology, sociology, economics and anthropology. The study of consumer behaviour is based on the need to integrate the social science disciplines into a practical approach to understanding how people's needs are determined and influenced both by internal and external factors, such as perception, learning, family and culture. Consumer behaviour also looks at how needs are translated into purchase behaviours and how marketers can facilitate this process to serve consumers more effectively. The subject will be studied from both a marketing management and applied social sciences perspective with the aim of assisting you in using your knowledge of consumer behaviour to make better marketing decisions