Archive for the ‘Universities’ Category
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
A recent study for Tufts University by market research specialist B2B International examines how universities can develop engineers and scientists into business leaders of the future.
One of the biggest challenges facing any higher education institution is attracting students through its doors. The Tufts Gordon Institute, part of Tufts University’s School of Engineering in Boston, Massachusetts, recently commissioned global market research specialist B2B International to research the views of potential masters degree students across North America. The project’s objective was to assist Tufts Engineering School in updating its innovative masters program in management specifically aimed at engineering and science graduates—the Master of Science in Engineering Management (MSEM).
The MSEM degree is a relatively new phenomenon, only recently appearing at various top universities across North America. Tufts University has been one successful school with this offering, and its directors were interested to learn more about potential students’ preferences so it could optimize the program further.
Eve Lenkowsky, Research Executive at B2B International explains, “Typically, science and engineering college graduates have been faced with the choice of either learning about business completely outside of their scientific fields, or simply continuing with an advanced engineering or science program like a masters or Ph.D. Few institutions give ambitious science graduates the chance to make their skills more applicable to the modern workplace and, in particular, management positions. Our project confirmed that there is a rising need for this kind of offering.”
The study was conducted among American and Canadian professionals who had all previously completed an undergraduate course in engineering or science. Nearly all are currently employed in an engineering, scientific or technical role and stated a possible interest in pursuing a graduate masters degree or Ph.D. in engineering or science. Carried out via e-survey, some of the key findings from the study include the following:
- A modern masters program will ideally provide a blend of distance learning and in-person contact. While students require the flexibility to learn as and when their schedules allow them to, they also demand the opportunity to meet and discuss subjects with professors and peers.
- Students have become more price-sensitive due to the economic recession, and are more insistent on combining studying with their employment. Successful universities need to provide flexible learning at a reasonable cost.
- The students most interested in MSEMs have strong business aspirations, and seek to use their technological knowledge to create practical, marketable products.
- The motivation to enroll in an MSEM derives more from a desire to gain applicable knowledge that enables them to advance professionally, as opposed to the desire to learn about theoretical technical topics that might be more suitable for academia.
Mary Viola, Engineering Management Program Director, concluded, “We were very pleased with the success of the research. The feedback from the participants reveals clear trends and preferences which we will build into our program to meet the needs of our potential students even more effectively. We look forward to better serving students who are looking to develop into leaders of technology companies.”
NOTES
About B2B International
B2B International is a specialist business-to-business market research consultancy that provides customized business-to-business market research and intelligence studies on a global scale. In the last decade alone, it has carried out over a thousand surveys in almost every industry for corporations, government departments, educational institutions, and medical specialists alike.
With 30 years’ experience in business-to-business market research, B2B International has built up an impressive client portfolio and has published books, white papers and articles on marketing and market research. It has offices in three continents (North America, Europe and Asia) where its research specialists have researched all the major geographical areas of the world.
B2B International’s offering includes market assessment and market entry studies, segmentation studies, product development studies, branding studies, customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction research, pricing strategy and advertising studies. B2B’s leading practitioners have also run a large number of training courses on marketing and market research.
About The Tufts Gordon Institute
Tufts Gordon Institute, a nationally recognized center within Tufts University’s School of Engineering, in Boston, MA, focuses on engineering leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship to help graduate and undergraduate students develop the tools they need to advance their careers, inspire teams, and bring innovative products to market.
Their focus on engineering leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship – in classes, hands-on projects and real-world experiences – gives students the practical leadership tools they need not only to advance their careers, but to inspire teams, and to encourage and develop innovative ideas that will make a difference in the world.
Posted in
Business Decisions, Business Development, Education Research, Eve Lenkowsky, Market Research USA, USA, Universities |
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Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
Market research specialist B2B International believes that current student dissatisfaction can be used to enhance educational experience in the future.
The current climate of student protests about minimal contact time, poor tutor feedback and shoddy lectures raises questions about the shift in students’ attitudes and behaviours related to their educational experience.
Much of this current unrest could be attributed to the requirement for students to pay higher fees. This has prompted discussions within the sector about the positioning of the student as a “customer” or a “consumer”. It has been argued that the term “customer” is not appropriate for the field of education as the relationship is completely different to that of the conventional commercial buyer/seller experience…yet students do purchase and experience education.
Carol-Ann Morgan is head of B2B International’s specialist education market research unit:
Whether or not we agree that an educational qualification can ever be thought of as a “purchased” product given the nature of the necessary relationship between the parties involved, the student protestations serve to remind us of two things. Firstly, the importance and power of the voice of the customer, consumer or service user (by whatever name we choose to use), and secondly, the perceived value for money of the product. The recent students’ action was an open demonstration that their expectations are not being met as far as the delivery of courses is concerned, and that they would like to place the issue on the management radar screen. In a similar situation, customers in commercial markets may simply switch to use competitor suppliers.
Such comments come from first-hand knowledge of the sector. B2B International has more than a decade’s experience in conducting bespoke student satisfaction studies amongst Britain’s leading educational establishments, working with organisations within the education and training sector – schools and colleges for 14-19 year olds, universities and HE, and awarding bodies. B2B International has also been approved as one of a small number of preferred suppliers to conduct research for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).
Morgan continues:
Higher education has undergone significant changes in recent years. It is globally more competitive than it has ever been. Educational establishments are under closer scrutiny than ever before, budgets are tight, and students are becoming increasingly discerning in the establishments and courses they choose. Against this backdrop, it is inevitable that higher education establishments are under ever-increasing pressure to raise student satisfaction levels with a view to improving their overall offerings and attracting a greater number and higher calibre of students.
In answer to demand from the HE sector and drawing on years of experience conducting student satisfaction studies, B2B International has developed its Independent Student Experience Programme (INSTEP), an independent, off-the-shelf, student e-survey package which complements the National Student Survey perfectly. This technologically advanced programme delivers understanding of student perception, overall satisfaction levels across the institution, identification of areas of strength and weakness, priorities for improvement, and potential for ongoing tracking of changes in satisfaction.
Morgan feels that the recent student protests have vindicated the need for a simple and cost-effective product such as INSTEP, the demonstrations having served to underline the obligation of educational institutions to take student satisfaction seriously:
Whether a huge multinational, an up-and-coming SME or an educational institution, taking care of our customers not only enables us to respond with offers and services which meet current and future needs, it also serves to protect the our reputation by ensuring we have a loyal base of advocates willing to spread the word – a valuable source of free PR.
Posted in
Carol Ann Morgan, Education Research, Higher Education, Market Research, Student Satisfaction, Universities |
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Friday, June 26th, 2009
They say that the customer is always right. But how exactly do you define a customer? Recent protests by British university students about the quality of the education they’re ‘purchasing’ have caused Carol-Ann Morgan to reflect on the lessons we can all learn in a wider business context.
Who would have ever thought it? …Students protesting about not enough teaching classes? However, this is exactly what has recently been seen at a number of well known UK universities, and reported in the national press. Thinking back to the days of my education, most students breathed a sigh of relief at the cancellation of any classes and headed for the nearest place of recreation. The recent actions from some students raise questions about the shift in students’ attitudes and behaviours related to their educational experience.
Higher education has undergone significant changes in recent years. Many of these changes have impacted directly on the perceptions of students themselves; not insignificantly the requirement for them to pay fees. This has prompted discussions within the sector about the positioning of the student as a “customer” or a “consumer”. It can, and has been argued that the term “customer” is not appropriate for the field of education as the relationship is completely different to that of the conventional commercial buyer/seller experience. The successful attainment of an educational qualification requires mutual investment from both sides of the equation. This said, many academics have directly observed a shift in student attitudes and behaviours in favour of the “customer” positioning; most recently in the very public protestations by students about both the quality and the quantity of the educational “product” they feel they have purchased.
Whether or not we agree that an educational qualification can ever be thought of as a “purchased” product given the nature of the necessary relationship between the parties involved, the student protestations serve to remind us of two things. Firstly, the importance and power of the voice of the customer, consumer or service user (by whatever name we choose to use), and secondly, the perceived value for money of the product. The students’ action was an open demonstration that their expectations are not being met as far as the delivery of the course is concerned, and that they would like to place the issue on the management radar screen. Customers in commercial markets may simply switch to use competitor suppliers.
Reputations take time to build, and taking our eye off the mainstream product, from which these reputations have been built, can have disastrous effects. Customers are generally unconcerned about internal operational or financial issues which can impact on the quality or delivery of a product to them; their satisfaction is rooted in expectation and direct experience. Taking care of our customers not only enables us to respond with offers and services which meet current and future needs, it also serves to protect the reputation of the company by ensuring we have a loyal base of advocates willing to spread the word – a valuable source of free PR.
B2B International offers an innovative student satisfaction package. Click here to read more about it.
Posted in
Customer Insight, Customer Satisfaction, Education Research, Student Satisfaction, Universities |
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