Practice the Compensatory
Decision Rule
   


This is a Compensatory Decision Rule table, similar to Module 1. In this table, however, you have the opportunity to enter comparable items, their attributes, the rating of each attribute, and the weights of the attributes for whatever product you choose.

You can compare job opportunities, automobiles, or laundry detergent - whatever you want!

Instructions

1. Under each Alternative heading, enter identifying names for five comparable items.

2. Across the top of the matrix, enter five Attributes of the items you will compare.

3. Beneath each column of attribute headers, enter attribute ranking numbers as numbers between 1 and 10.

4. Below in the row Student Input Attribute Weight enter attribute weights (e.g., importance ratings) for each attribute. The combined value of these weights must add up to 100.

5. Click Calculate.


 Attribute 1
 Attribute 2
 Attribute 3
 Attribute 4
 Attribute 5
 Calculated
Score
Alternative 1
--
Alternative 2
--
Alternative 3
--
Alternative 4
--
Alternative 5
--
Student Input
Attribute Weight
100

The compensatory and elimination-by-aspects rules are commonly applied by individual consumers and organizational buyers in their purchase decisions, but they are not the only decision rules that people use. Variations that require more or less effort have been identified, and you can learn more about decision rules by taking the consumer behavior elective, or from a good consumer behavior textbook. It should be clear from these exercises that consumer decisions do not always follow the rules of logic, and that there is much still to be learned about consumers in general.