MKTG90008 Chap.9 Reference Groups and Social Influence

Reference Groups and Social Influence

Reference Groups and Social Influence frames a decision through normative influence, informational influence and identity and comparison.

The objective is to specify who influences whom, through which mechanism and in what setting, so the chapter should be read as a chain from problem definition to evidence, option comparison and accountable action.

Start with normative influence and name the decision owner, affected stakeholders and time horizon.

The same fact can matter differently across those positions, so the opening frame determines which evidence is relevant.

Groups social influence

In MKTG90008, groups social influence belongs with normative influence and informational influence because students use it to specify who influences whom, through which mechanism and in what setting.

A defensible use of groups social influence should define the term, connect it to the case evidence and test the conclusion through identity and comparison; repeating the phrase without that chain does not demonstrate understanding.

Use informational influence to explain how the present condition produces an opportunity, cost or risk.

A strong mechanism states what changes, for whom and through which organisational, market or institutional process.

Apply identity and comparison when comparing options. Keep criteria distinct, test trade-offs and ask which assumption drives the recommendation.

A score or matrix only helps when its criteria are justified by the case.

For the application — specify who influences whom, through which mechanism and in what setting — finish with an actor, action, rationale and review trigger. This turns analysis into a recommendation while keeping the decision open to new evidence.

Build a decision ledger for Reference Groups and Social Influence.

Separate the current condition, the stakeholder affected, the evidence supporting normative influence, the mechanism represented by informational influence and the criterion supplied by identity and comparison. If a recommendation cannot point back to one of those entries, it is probably preference dressed as analysis rather than a consequence of the case.

Compare at least two feasible options against the same criteria.

State who benefits, who bears cost or risk, what capability implementation requires and what evidence would reveal failure.

This comparison is essential when students need to specify who influences whom, through which mechanism and in what setting, because an attractive option is not yet a defensible choice until its trade-offs are made visible.

Rehearse the MKTG90008 response as a short briefing: one sentence for the decision, two for the evidence and mechanism, one for the alternative and one for the qualified recommendation.

Then expand only the move that needs more support.

This protects the argument structure when a report, presentation or timed case imposes a strict word or time limit.

A complete Reference Groups and Social Influence response should make the task visible before the detail: identify what must be decided, define the relevant terms, connect the evidence to informational influence, and use identity and comparison to test the result.

The final sentence should answer the question actually asked rather than merely repeat the topic.

The controlling limit is specific: Social visibility does not prove that a reference group caused the choice.

Keep that limit beside the worked example, because it separates a careful MKTG90008 answer from one that sounds confident but claims more than the task or evidence supports.

For revision, retrieve normative influence, informational influence and identity and comparison without notes, explain their relationship aloud, then complete a changed version of the application: specify who influences whom, through which mechanism and in what setting.

Record the first point at which your reasoning fails and repair that move before attempting another case.

What this chapter covers

• 01

  normative influence

• 02

  informational influence

• 03

  identity and comparison

• 04

  Applying normative influence

• 05

  Limits of informational influence and identity and comparison

Worked example: Reference Groups and Social Influence

Key terms

Subliminal perception; selective exposure, selective attention and perceptual blocking; Weber's Law

Subliminal perception concerns stimuli below conscious awareness; selective processes govern which stimuli are encountered or noticed, while Weber's Law relates a just-noticeable change to a constant proportion of the original intensity. In this chapter, use the concept when you specify who influences whom, through which mechanism and in what setting.

Classical vs operant

Classical conditioning learns an association between stimuli, whereas operant conditioning changes voluntary behaviour through reinforcement or punishment following a response. In this chapter, use the concept when you specify who influences whom, through which mechanism and in what setting.

Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986)

The Elaboration Likelihood Model predicts central-route persuasion through effortful argument evaluation when motivation and ability are high, and peripheral-route persuasion through cues when elaboration is low. In this chapter, use the concept when you specify who influences whom, through which mechanism and in what setting.

Reference Groups and Social Influence FAQ

Exam move

Reconstruct the relationship among normative influence, informational influence and identity and comparison; complete the chapter application without notes; then test the result against this limit: Social visibility does not prove that a reference group caused the choice.

Working through Reference Groups and Social Influence in MKTG90008? Sia is AskSia’s AI Marketing tutor — ask any MKTG90008 Reference Groups and Social Influence question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how MKTG90008 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.