Jamal is having trouble figuring out his taxes on paper. Walk through

QUESTION

Jamal is having trouble figuring out his taxes on paper. Walk through Jamal’s experience with the five steps in the consumer buying process for what Jamal needs to think through as far as getting help on his taxes.

What will be an ideal response?

ANSWER

Answer: Sample answer: (1) Jamal first recognizes his problem: I am having trouble doing the taxes this year. (2) So then he looks into possible solutions, such as continuing to struggle by himself, going to a professional tax preparer, or getting a tax software program to help him. (3) He evaluates the options. He may think things like “A professional tax preparer may get me the biggest refund. Software is cheaper than a tax preparer, but I don’t know how to use it. I could continue on by myself, but will I really get any better at this?” (4) Then Jamal makes a decision—to try again by himself, to go to a professional tax preparer, or to use tax preparation software. (5) After the taxes are done, Jamal thinks back over the experience and decides whether he would proceed the same way again some other year.
Explanation: The five steps in the consumer buying process are problem recognition, information search, evaluating alternatives, purchase decision, and postpurchase evaluation.