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College of Business, Business Career Accelerator, Qualitative Research Study on Student
Involvement in Professional Development Activities
Madison L. Vincent
Honors Project (HNRS 4990)
Submitted to the Honors College at Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the
requirements to graduate with
UNIVERSITY HONORS December 13, 2019
________________________________________, Advisor
Phillip A. Titus, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing
Department of Marketing
College of Business
________________________________________, Advisor
DJ Kern-Blystone, Ed.S., Teaching Professor
School of Teaching and Learning
College of Education and Human Development
College of Business, Business Career Accelerator, Qualitative Research Study on Student
Involvement in Professional Development Activities
Abstract
The creation and execution of this project began by analyzing the honors project
specifications, to design a project that met the Honors College criteria. To meet these criteria, a
market research study was conducted to assist the College of Business’s Business Career
Accelerator management in understanding the student market of the College of Business. In
addition, the study’s goal is to make recommendations utilizing marketing and education
frameworks to maintain and increase student usage of the center. The project was executed using
traditional market research frameworks, which required conducting in-depth interviews of
College of Business students to determine student attitudes and behaviors towards professional
development and usage of the Business Career Accelerator. The College of Business student
market was then segmented based on typical usage behaviors. A ‘validity check’ was also
conducted with management of the Business Career Accelerator, which compared management’s
understanding of student attitudes and behaviors with the student responses received from the in-
depth interviews. After conducting the in-depth interviews, several barriers to student
participation in the Business Career Accelerator were identified. These barriers were identified
and analyzed by applying relevant marketing and education frameworks identified by
interviewing College of Education faculty and industry professionals at Root Inc., a center which
focuses on implementing strategic change in organizations.
Following marketing and education methods, tentative recommendations were made
based on the education frameworks, to address the barriers to student participation that were
identified in the qualitative interviews. Feedback was then sought on these recommendations, by
conducting a focus group with a group of senior level College of Business students. The focus
group sought student feedback that would help to adapt or further refine these career
development suggestions. Following the focus group, the career development suggestions were
adapted to reflect student input. Finally, the results of this study were presented to a market
research course of approximately fifty students. Students attending the presentation provided
more feedback on the recommendations prior to the development of this report, and its
presentation to the Honors College and Business Career Accelerator’s management for
implementation.
Honors Project Requirements and Execution
There are three key requirements identified in the Honors Project Handbook for the
Honors College at Bowling Green State University. First, the project must reflect original
scholarship, in other words “it requires you to develop, synthesize, and/or create ideas in new
and different ways” and it needs to be something that is “new for your discipline and area of
study” (“Honors Project Handbook” 2018). The qualitative research study of the College of
Business’s Business Career Accelerator fulfills this requirement by exploring student
involvement and barriers to participation in professional development activities which have not
been investigated in a qualitative research study here at BGSU before. The study reflects original
research by combining market research methods and education frameworks to understand
attitudes and behaviors of the College of Business student body from a new perspective. By
combining proven theoretical frameworks with student’s perspectives this research study has
provided the college with new ideas to address previously unexplored barriers.
The second requirement for the honors project is that the project must be
interdisciplinary, which is “an approach to scholarship that recognizes that some topics,
questions, and/or issues are too complex to be answered by a single academic discipline or field
of study (“Honors Project Handbook” 2018). The study meets this requirement by combining
traditional market research methods of a qualitative research study, through in-depth interviews
and focus group methods, with education frameworks. Only through the combination of both
marketing and education was the study able to meet its objectives. The first objective is
identifying student attitudes, behaviors, and barriers to participation in professional development
activities offered through the College of Business. The second objective is making supported
suggestions that will address these barriers and enable strategic change in the college that will
increase student participation in professional development resources. While conducting an
exploratory marketing research study provided an understanding of College of Business
students’ attitudes and behaviors, studying and understanding education frameworks that can
address these issues was pertinent to making suggestions to make valuable recommendations that
could lead to strategic change. Accomplishing the research study’s objectives would be too
complex to achieve with a singular field of study, and thus two were used to execute this
requirement.
The final requirement of the honors project is that it must “have a justification of theory/
methodology supporting it” (“Honors Project Handbook” 2018). The marketing research portion
of the study follows the eight-step marketing research framework commonly used in academia
today. This framework begins with problem definition, setting research objectives, research
design, research methods, sampling, data collection and analysis, presentation of results, and
follow up (McDaniel, Carl, and Roger H. Gates 2018). The marketing research framework was
adhered to when conducting both the in-depth interviews and the focus group portion of this
study. Education-based theory/frameworks were utilized when creating suggestions for the
Business Career Accelerator’s management, including the JDR framework, Self-Determination
Theory, Goal Setting Theory, Millennial Engagement techniques, and Career Self Efficiency.
The Honors project was also is developed with the primary goal of assisting the student’s
college or major in some way. The project achieves this goal by assisting the College of Business
with its primary educational objectives of increasing student participation in the Business Career
Accelerator. The College of Business’s learning objective is “Students graduating with a BSBA
degree will demonstrate competency in applying appropriate problem solving, decision making
and critical thinking skills” (“Objectives of the BSBA Program.”). The resources that students
learn through the Business Career Accelerator are commonly applied to business problems that
occur during a job search, interview, and job negotiation. These resources assist students in
developing skills to meet the College of Business’s learning objective. Common business
problems that the Business Career Accelerator can assist with are “how to find a job, resumes,
intro letters, the interview, recruiting, the job offer, internships and co-ops, portfolios,
networking and job fairs” (“Students.”). Increasing student participation in the Business Career
Accelerator demonstrates the College of Business is striving to become more effective at
accomplishing this strategic educational objective. The second College of Business objective that
the Business Career Accelerator assists with is “students graduating with a BSBA degree will
demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills” (“Objectives of the BSBA
Program.”). Students become more effective in oral communication skills by working with the
Business Career Accelerator’s management on networking and interview skills. The Business
Career Accelerator also assists with developing written communication skills, through improving
resumes and correspondence with employers (“Students.”). If more College of Business students
actively participate in developing these professional skills through the Business Career
Accelerator, the College of Business will be able to more effectively accomplish this second
College of Business learning objective as well.
Methodology
The marketing research portion of this study uses the eight-step market research
framework identified in McDaniel, Carter, and Roger H. Gates’ 2018 edition of “Market
Research”, including problem definition, setting research objectives, research design, research
methods, sampling, data collection and analysis, presentation of results, and follow up
(McDaniel, Carl, and Roger H. Gates 2018). The first two stages of this market research method
are most commonly identified as the most important to an effective market research study. With
assistance from marketing faculty, time was spent identifying the true research problem explored
and the learning objectives that the study sought to accomplish. The research problems that the
study seeks to resolve included: 1) maintaining and increasing student participation in the
Business Career Accelerator at Bowling Green State University; and, 2) assisting the Business
Career Accelerator’s management with the drive for quality and customer satisfaction that they
are tasked with by the College of Business. To address these problems, as identified, research
methods/objectives were set to obtain and understanding of both attitudes and behaviors of
College of Business students towards professional development activities. Education frameworks
that would be useful in addressing barriers to participation in professional development activities
that were identified after student attitudes and behaviors were understood. To accomplish these
objectives, a research study design method was chosen that reflected the nature of the study. The
study is exploratory, because the primary objective is to “get a better understanding of the
environment” (McDaniel, Carl, and Roger H. Gates 2018) by understanding students current
attitudes and behaviors towards professional development and the Business Career Accelerator.
The study is also descriptive, as it “seeks to understand attitudes, behaviors and perceptions…
measures attitudes and perceptions… [and] measures brand loyalty” (McDaniel, Carl, and Roger
H. Gates 2018) of students who have access to the Business Career Accelerator and its resources.
Next, a research method must be selected. The primary decision when selecting a
research study methodology is between a qualitative and quantitative inquiry. The research study
method selected for the purposes of this study was qualitative, because benefits of a qualitative
research study include being “better [for] understanding motivations, less structured, cheaper,
and faster” (McDaniel, Carl, and Roger H. Gates 2018). Given understanding student attitudes,
motivations, and behaviors was a primary research objective, a qualitative research study
methodology was deemed more appropriate. Additionally, limited resources of a sole market
researcher conducting this study with assistance from two advisors, made the benefits of a
cheaper and faster study necessary for the timely completion of this project. There are, however,
two key drawbacks of this method of study, including “weak generalizability and [that it] does
not distinguish small differences” (McDaniel, Carl, and Roger H. Gates 2018). Weak
generalizability means that the opinions, behaviors, and attitudes of the sample of College of
Business students interviewed for the study may not be reflective of the opinions of all College
of Business students in the market. For this reason modern market researchers often pair a
preliminary qualitative market research study, such as this one, with a follow-up quantitative
study. A quantitative study would also be helpful to addressing the research objectives of this
study, if resources are available to conduct this study in the future.
The next step of the marketing research methodology is sampling, the process of
selecting participants in the study. A set of sampling criteria was used when selecting a sample
for study participants. Participants were all College of Business students in their Junior year of
study at Bowling Green State University, either gender, and any specialization were interviewed,
to provide a sample that was representative of the College. A convenience sample of five
students meeting these criteria were ultimately recruited and interviewed. These five students
had unspecified usage behaviors, meaning that prior to the interview researchers did not know
how often the interviewee participated in professional development resources or the Business
Career Accelerator. A target sample was also taken of five additional students, who were
identified by the Business Career Accelerator’s management as ‘heavy users’ of professional
development services. This target sample was utilized to identify differences that may exist
between heavy users and students with unspecified usage habits. The samples were of the same
size to ensure that ‘heavy users were equally represented in the study.
After the two target samples had been recruited, the interview data was collected and
analyzed. Data was collected using the in-depth interview data collection method, utilizing the
‘In-Depth Interview Discussion Guide’ created with the assistance of College of Business
Faculty (Appendix A). In-depth interviews have several benefits, including eliminating group
pressures, the respondent being the focus of attention, encouraging the revelation of new
information, being easier to improvise in a new direction, receiving better nonverbal feedback,
and that they can be conducted anywhere (McDaniel, Carl, and Roger H. Gates 2018). The key
benefits for this study was that in-depth interviews can encourage the revelation of new
information, making it is easier to improvise in a new direction, and better nonverbal feedback is
received. Encouraging the revelation of more participant information was key, because the study
sought to understand student behaviors and attitudes not previously not explored. Understanding
student behaviors and attitudes is also more effective when nonverbal feedback is received and
improvising in a new direction by asking follow up questions is easier to do by the market
researcher. The limitations of this research method are that the researcher cannot leverage group
dynamics, conducting the interviews is time consuming, and there is less client involvement
(McDaniel, Carl, and Roger H. Gates 2018). These research limitations were considered, but the
research benefits of a qualitative study outweighed the drawbacks given the purpose of this
study.
After the in-depth interviews were conducted, further data analysis was conducted
included segmenting the market into student participation segments based on typical attitudes
and behaviors. These student segments typically had the same answers to questions asked in the
‘In-Depth Interview Guide’ (Appendix A), which highlighted key barriers to participation in
professional development activities. Further data collection and analysis involved the
Management of the Business Career Accelerator that was asked how they believed students
would respond to the questions on the ‘In-Depth Interview Discussion Guide.’ Researchers can
understand where gaps exist in the Business Career Accelerator’s management’s understanding
of their target market of College of Business students, and these gaps can be addressed. An
understanding of applicable education frameworks was undertaken to understand and interpret
the gaps in management’s understanding and the barriers to student participation identified
through in-depth interviews. Representative Brodie Hausch, a developer of training programs at
Root Inc., was also interviewed as part of this aspect of educational/industrry research. This
organization’s mission statement is to “launch strategies, change cultures, and transform
managers, altering the trajectory of organizations and accelerating success” (“Change Starts
Here.”), which aligns with the objectives of this study. The interview discussion guide utilized
for the Root Learning interview is provided at the end of this document (Appendix B).
After data collection was completed, information from the market research study,
education research and industry professionals at Root Inc. was combined to make tentative
suggestions that addressed barriers to participation in professional development activities and the
Business Career Accelerator at Bowling Green State University. The data was also analyzed to
assist management of the Business Career Accelerator with the drive for quality and satisfaction
that they are tasked with by the College of Business. These suggestions were then presented to a
final student focus group, utilizing the ‘Focus Group Discussion Guide’ (Appendix C). After
having student participants complete waivers to participate (Appendix D) with the goal of getting
further input and refining these suggestions while leveraging the group dynamics that a focus
group allows. Finally, to follow up with the findings of this study, these results were presented to
a BGSU marketing research course of approximately fifty students to get added feedback on the
suggestions from members of the target market of the Business Career Accelerator (Appendix F).
Some informal statistical data was gathered from students this course as well to further test the
validity of the results of the study. This final report of the study will be submitted to include a
detailed description of the Honors Project, the methodology, findings, and suggestions to the
Business Career Accelerator’s management, the Dean of the College of Business, and the Honors
College as the final follow up of this study.
Findings
After conducting in-depth interviews with 10 College of Business students, utilizing the
methodology identified above and the in-depth interview guide (Appendix A), student responses
were analyzed for similarities and grouped into two student participation segments that reflect
typical responses from each segment. A summary of representative answers to each of the sixteen
in-depth interview guide questions can be found at the end of this document (Appendix E). The
two segments identified by this research study in the College of Business student market were
labeled: segment 1) “Utilitarian’s;” and segment 2) “Continual Learners.” These segments were
named and characterized by the typical attitudes and behaviors which they harbor and embody.
“Utilitarians” are characterized by a typical usage behavior of going to the Business Career
Accelerator their freshman year through their introductory business course and not returning after
obtaining their first internship, and typical attitudes of thinking the Business Career Accelerator
helps with getting jobs and internships and professional development is very important, on average
9.4/10. The Utilitarians also identified two main pain points of using the Business Career
Accelerator were: 1) that they feel students aren’t guided to resources and 2) they must be sought
out and that the culture of the College of Business portrays professional development as an extra
responsibility and ‘going above and beyond.’
The second segment of “Continual Learners” can be characterized by typical usage
behavior of first going to the Business Career Accelerator when they transferred into the College
of Business, typically from another college or university, and continuing to visit the center at least
once per week. These students think of the Business Career Accelerator as a continuous guiding
resource that assists in answering career-oriented questions. These students also think professional
development is very important, slightly more so than the “Utilitarians” ranking professional
development a 10/10 in terms of importance. These students identified similar, yet slightly
different pain points in using the Business Career Accelerator, when compared to segment 1. These
pain points include that the resources aren’t explicitly advertised, networking with other students
and making friends is difficult, and requesting that more resources be available online.
When management of the Business Career Accelerator was interviewed, through the
‘validity check’ process, several differences were identified in how management anticipated the
students answering questions on the in-depth interview guide and how students actually responded.
These responses are also detailed in the same chart at the end of this document (Appendix E). Five
key gaps were identified through the ‘validity check’ process and discussed with management of
the Business Career Accelerator to determine possible reasons these gaps may exist. The first gap
was that management anticipated students would first go to the Business Career Accelerator for
resume help, or questions for their FIT certification, where students from both markets first went
to the center for career assistance, whether that be figuring out a career path or trying to obtain an
internship position. Our interview with management concluded this gap may exist because students
seek more resources on their own for resume help and classwork, but only engage the help of the
Business Career Accelerator for more strategic assistance that they could not develop
independently.
The second gap identified was that management believed that students have a clear
understanding of how the Business Career Accelerator can assist them, whereas students from both
participation segments could not clearly identify all the resources that are available to them.
Through a discussion with management regarding this gap, it was identified that it may exist due
to low involvement with e-mails, or a lack of direct communication of the resources available to
students. The third gap that was identified was about typical usage of the Business Career
Accelerator. Management believed that typical usage pattern would begin with students seeking
resume help, then improving written communication, followed by job offer negotiation and
contracts. This contrasts with typical student’s usage pattern of utilizing the center to obtain an
internship and resume help, and subsequently not returning after obtaining their first internship
experience. A conversation with management concluded this gap may exist because the College
of Business has a strong of a cultural focus on obtaining an internship, as opposed to a post-
graduation job and continual professional development. This conversation also revealed a concern
that relationships may be difficult to form due to limited personnel resources of the center.
The fourth gap reflected a difference between how important management believes
professional development is to their student target market. Management anticipated a 7-8/10,
whereas students believe professional development to be more important than management would
anticipate, a 9.4-10/10. This gap may exist because management of the Business Career
Accelerator does not see additional professional development activities students are involved in
outside the Business Career Accelerator itself. The last gap identified was the timeline of when
students become interested in professional development activities. While students recall first
becoming interested in professional development either during high school or their first year of
college, management anticipated this interest would not manifest until the students’ second or third
year of college. This gap may exist due to job seeking behavior not being visible to management
until later in their collegiate career, as more students seek internship positions, and enlist the help
of the Business Career Accelerator to do so.
From the findings of the in-depth interview process and the ‘validity check’ process with
Business Career Accelerator management, four key barriers to participation in professional
development activities were identified. The first barrier was that students would rather seek
resources on their own. This finding was found in both segments of the market when conducting
in-depth interviews, as “Utilitarians” mention having higher involvement in professional
development activities outside the Business Career Accelerator and the College of Business, which
they find of their own accord. Some possible causes of this participation barrier are that visiting
the center may be intimidating or take too much time. The second participation barrier identified
is that students are unsure of all the resources the Business Career Accelerator provides. This result
was evident in both segments of the market, as even heavy users of the center were unable to
identify all resources that were available to them. This participation barrier also reflects a gap in
management’s understanding of their student markets. Students have a much clearer awareness of
all professional development resources available to them.
The third barrier to participation was that the initial interaction with the Business Career
Accelerator did not prompt return. Unlike management’s expectation of typical customer usage
behaviors of their resources, the majority of students, who were not identified as ‘heavy users’ of
the center, did not feel inclined to return following their initial interaction. This presents a barrier
to providing student’s resources they need later in their collegiate career, such as job offer and
contract negotiations, by not providing a lasting impression after the first visit to the center. The
final barrier to participation our study identified was that, following students obtaining their first
internship, the majority of students do not return to the center. This is indicative of a cultural focus
on obtaining an internship, as opposed to a post-graduation job and the importance of long-term
professional development activities.
The study seeks to address these four identified barriers to participation in professional
development activities in the college. Theoretical education frameworks that were applicable to
these barriers were studied to help interpret the findings and make tentative and recommendations
to the Business Career Accelerator’s management. These barriers may be addressed to maintain
and increase student usage of the Business Career Accelerator, and help management improve the
quality of their service offerings and increase student participation in professional development
activities.
Tentative Recommendations
Tentative recommendations were made to address barriers to student participation in
professional development activities at the Business Career Accelerator, by using the information
gathered from in-depth interviews and research conducted on applicable education frameworks.
These recommendations are tentative, because while the recommendations do combine proven
education frameworks and market research methodology, further feedback was gathered from the
target market of College of Business students to adapt and refine these recommendations prior to
presenting the ideas to management of the Business Career Accelerator.
The first tentative recommendation was to address the barrier to participation that
students would rather seek resources on their own, as opposed to visiting the Business Career
Accelerator. This issue was identified as a barrier to participation, or a pain point, in both student
segments of the market. The tentative recommendation to address this barrier is to make
common Business Career Accelerator resources available online. Not only was this a request
from the “Continual Learner” market segment, but the idea is also supported by an education
resource, and utilized effectively by learning centers such as Root Inc. This participation
recommendation finds support from an education framework known as Self Determination
theory. The framework states that individuals have both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, but
individuals with intrinsic motivation have higher goal commitment and goal achievement.
Intrinsic motivations are those which are based on values and passions, and the theory argues
there are three ‘nutrients’ that lead to developing intrinsic motivation; autonomy, competence,
and relatedness. Autonomy is defined as feeling in control of the situation; the more in control of
a situation the individual feels the more intrinsic motivation they will have. Competence is the
feeling of being able to do something; counterintuitively, the more incompetent an individual
feels, the more likely they are to avoid a problem. Finally, relatedness is the ability to not feel
isolated in a problem; the less isolated a person feels the more intrinsic motivation they will
have. (“Motivating Students To Access Support Services In Higher Education: A Self-
Determination Theory Perspective.”)
Making resources available online nurtures each of the three nutrients of intrinsic
motivation. Having resources readily available to students will allow students to feel more in
control of their own professional development experience, allowing the students to explore
solutions on their own prior to seeking further guidance. Online resources also address the
counterintuitive issue of competence. Students who feel incompetent about a topic require
resources to become more competent, but if the students are less likely to seek help if they feel
incompetent, it may be helpful to develop a less interactive way for these students to receive the
help they need, without having to publicly seek the help of a professional development advisor at
the Business Career Accelerator. Finally, relatedness can be formed through online communities
of individuals utilizing the same resources. Instead of having a one-on-one appointment with an
advisor to discuss individual career needs, having common topics available online is a subliminal
reflection that other students are having the same questions, and that the student is not isolated in
the problem. The concept of putting common resources online applies Self Determination
Theory’s concept of developing intrinsic motivation to lead to higher goal commitment and goal
achievement. The idea is also supported by Brodie Hausch, Senior Learning Developer at Root
Inc., who’s opinion is that “meaningful e-learning is increasingly impactful if it is memorable,
consumable, digestible, and actionable.” We further sought to refine this suggestion through a
focus group to determine how the College of Business student market thought e-learning could
be the most impactful.
The second tentative suggestion addresses the barrier to participation that students are
uncertain of the resources that the Business Career Accelerator provides. Both student segments
of the market were unclear on all the resources that are available to them at the Business Career
Accelerator. This was also a gap in management’s understanding that believed that students
would be aware of the resources available to them. After discussing this barrier to participation
may have resulted from lack of student interaction with email campaigns or that resources are
not communicated directly, the tentative recommendation was created to develop a marketing
campaign in partnership with the Bowling Green State University Chapter of the American
Marketing Association. The idea was to have a simple poster campaign that placed
advertisements in the College of Business Administration Building demonstrating Business
Career Accelerator resources that students would benefit from utilizing at each class level
(Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior). This suggestion is supported both by the findings of
the in-depth interviews and an education concept centered on millennial engagement. The study
found that 86% of millennials would prefer not to engage with an organization until the middle
of their purchase process or later, and that interaction prior to the millennial client being ready
can be off-putting, because they prefer to explore various solutions on their own before engaging
a chosen organization. The concept also describes the high value millennials place on solutions
that are referred to them through their personal networks (“Building Relationships With
Millennials, One Life Stage At A Time.”). This suggestion seeks to address the low interaction
rate that the student body currently has with e-mail campaigns organized by the Business Career
Accelerator’s staff, by creating a more passive advertisement campaign to make students more
aware of the resources available to them. The goal of the suggestion is to reduce the impact of
being off-putting to a millennial audience by engaging them prior to the individual being ready
to communicate with the organization. By partnering with the American Marketing Association,
the recommendations would be provided by a group of the markets peers as well, as opposed to
management of the center. This may lead the student target market to place a higher value on the
recommendations, because it would be a recommendation from a peer within their social
network.
The third tentative participation recommendation seeks to address the barrier that
students’ initial interactions with the Business Career Accelerator did not prompt significant
student return. Feedback from in-depth interviews suggests students who first interacted with the
Business Career Accelerator through the required resume review in their introductory business
course were not inspired to return following the assignment, because after making corrections to
their resumes, students did not see a reason to return. The tentative recommendation is to adapt
the initial interaction with the Business Career Accelerator. The strategy here is to change the
emphasis of the assignment away from just improving the student’s resume; and instead conduct
a evaluation of the impact of activities the student is involved in, such as extracurriculars or part
time employment, on their future employability. Students could also have a conversation with
the Business Career Accelerator’s management on specific career goals that they have and
actions that can be taken to assist in achieving those goals. The first part of this recommendation,
to evaluate the impact of student activities on their future employability, is an application of the
Jobs Demand Resources (JDR) Model. The model argues that students have several competing
priorities that can help or hinder a student’s future employability. The model suggests
categorizing the qualities of a job or activity into relevant activities that require energy and effort
to manage, or demands, and activities which enable goal achievement, reduce demands, and
provide opportunities for development, known as resources. The professional development
activities students engage in, can compete with, or enhance a student’s future employability and
academic workload (Clements, Andrew James, and Caroline Kamau). Students would be able to
understand the impact of their actions today on their future employability and would leave with
an actionable career objective to achieve their future career goals after completing this exercise.
The evaluation would also change as students become interested in more activities, which may
inspire them to return to the Center for more guidance if the assignment was impactful.
The latter part of this recommendation, to set career goals and set steps students can take
to achieve these goals, is in line with the education framework of Goal Setting Theory. Goal
Setting Theory argues that people perform better when they have ‘high goals’ which are specific,
challenging, and achievable. The theory also argues that goal commitment is higher in people
who have not yet developed the skills to achieve their goals, and that people are more successful
when they set goals to achieve success, rather than avoid failure (Clements, Andrew James, and
Caroline Kamau). The framework suggests students would be successful by setting ‘high goals’
with the Business Career Accelerator during their initial meeting, by working to identify a
specific career goal the student would seek to achieve in their four-year collegiate career at
Bowling Green State University. These goals would be challenging, because the goal would be a
long-term goal that the student would work towards during their time in college, yet the goals
would be achievable, because the Business Career Accelerator would be able to provide steps
and guidance toward achieving these goals. The timing of this meeting is important, as the
meeting would need to occur prior to the student developing goal achievement skills to be most
effective. The focus group was consulted about when the best time would be for a meeting like
this to occur.
The fourth, and final, tentative recommendation seeks to address the barrier to
participation that students often do not return to the Business Career Accelerator following their
first internship. This behavior was identified with the “Utilitarian” segment of the market, whose
usage behavior varied largely with what management anticipated students would use the
Business Career Accelerator’s resources for throughout their collegiate career. Management of
the Business Career Accelerator expects that this gap occur, because relationships are difficult to
develop with limited staff and that their may be too strong of a cultural focus in the College of
Business on obtaining an internship, as opposed to the importance of long term professional
development. The tentative strategic recommendation to address this barrier is to require a post-
internship review meeting with students to discuss their internship experience and future career
path with the staff of the Business Career Accelerator. This strategic suggestion is supported by
the education theory of Career Self-Efficacy, which involved a study of college students who
participated in internship programs. The study showed that internships can often lead students to
become even more uncertain of their career path, and when an internship is not the experience
that the student anticipated the students form misconceptions of their industry and feel lost
regarding their career path (Tsai, Chen-Tsang (Simon), et al. 2017). This study highlights the
benefits that could result from a cultural shift in the College of Business, away from obtaining an
internship experience, and more toward professional development skills and life-long learning.
Focus Group Feedback
After making tentative suggestions using education frameworks, theories, and concepts to
address barriers to participation in professional development activities in the College of Business
at Bowling Green State University, this study sought further input on these suggestions from a
focus group of eight College of Business seniors using the below ‘Focus Group Discussion
Guide’ (Appendix C). The goal of the focus group was to get further input on the findings of the
study, and to refine suggestions before presenting them to the Business Career Accelerator’s
management. A focus group was conducted after participants completed a waiver (Appendix D).
The main benefit of conducting a focus group, as opposed to another market research method,
was that focus groups allow researchers to leverage group dynamics (McDaniel, Carl, and Roger
H. Gates 2018). The adaptions made to the final research recommendations as a result of the
focus group were thus a combination of ideas from student participants’ feedback.
The focus group confirmed our findings and understanding of the barriers to participation
that were identified through the in-depth interview process. Student participants in the focus
group noted having similar experiences to those identified as primary barriers to participation.
The focus group participants provided valuable feedback on the first tentative suggestion to
make resources available online. This feedback lead to an in-depth discussion of the benefits and
drawbacks of different leaning format options available for online resources, including video,
PowerPoint, voice overlays, links to examples, and split screen video options. The focus group
findings supported the second initiative to establish a marketing campaign with the American
Marketing Association, recalling that their experience was aligned with other students
interviewed, in that they were also unaware of all the resources the Business Career Accelerator
provides. The discussion on adapting the initial interaction with the Business Career Accelerator
provided more information of when this adapted interaction would be held. Students seemed to
be in agreement that the meeting would be most beneficial if it were held during the student’s
sophomore year, in a business core class such as Business Communication. Students in the focus
group found that this timing may be more beneficial to developing a career plan, because
students would have completed their ‘Bowling Green Perspective’ courses, and be more focused
on developing their business acumen and career paths at this time. Finally, the fourth tentative
strategic suggestion, to have a required post-internship review, was also heavily support by the
focus group. Student participants recalled their own internship experiences, some of which did
not meet their expectations, and noted that this would have been a helpful resource to reevaluate
their career path. The suggestions and feedback gathered from the focus group were utilized to
adapt a finalized list of recommendations for management of the Business Career Accelerator.
Final Recommendations
Final strategic marketing recommendations to address the barriers to participation in
professional development activities at the Business Career Accelerator at Bowling Green State
University are as follows: (1) Make common resources available online utilizing a split screen
video format, with half of the screen being an individual talking and the other half of the screen
being an example. Provide links to examples for students to review themselves. (2) Develop a
marketing campaign in partnership with the Bowling Green Chapter of the American Marketing
Association. The campaign should be a simple poster campaign advertising resources available
to students at each class level (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior). (3) Adapt the initial
interaction with the Business Career Accelerator to evaluate students’ participation in
extracurriculars and part-time employment on their future employability. Work with students to
set career goals in this initial meeting and develop steps to reach these goals. This meeting
should occur during students’ sophomore year in a business core class, such as business
communication. (4) Require a post-internship review meeting for students that register their
internship with the college. Focus on developing a career path post-internship, and long-term
professional development skills, as opposed to obtaining internship experiences.
References:
“Building Relationships With Millennials, One Life Stage At A Time.” 03/31/2017,
www.mediapost.com/publications/article/298135/building-relationships-withmillennials-
one-life.html.
“Change Starts Here.” Root Inc, www.rootinc.com/.
Clements, Andrew James, and Caroline Kamau. “Understanding Students' Motivation towards
Proactive Career Behaviours through Goal-Setting Theory and the Job Demands–Resources
Model.” Taylor &amp; Francis,
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2017.1326022.
“Honors Project Handbook”. 2018, www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/honors-
college/documents/Honors-Project-Handbook-2018.pdf#page20.
McDaniel, Carl, and Roger H. Gates. Marketing Research. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2018.
“Motivating Students To Access Support Services In Higher Education: A Self-Determination
Theory Perspective.” Semantic Scholar, 2019
pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a444/07927ba6e041f629adfad637e7b175fcd196.pdf.
“Objectives of the BSBA Program.” Bowling Green State University,
www.bgsu.edu/catalog/colleges-and-programs/college-of-business/objectives-of-the-
bsba-program.html.
“Students.” Bowling Green State University, www.bgsu.edu/business/business-career-
accelerator-office/students.html.
Tsai, Chen-Tsang (Simon), et al. “Career Decision Self-Efficacy Plays a Crucial Role in
Hospitality Undergraduates’ Internship Efficacy and Career Preparation.” Science Direct,
Nov. 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1473837617300473.
Appendix A: In-Depth Interview Discussion Guide
1) When did you first learn about the business career accelerator?
2) How did you first learn about the business career accelerator?
3) When did you first go to the business career accelerator? Why?
4) What resources does the business career accelerator provide you? What do you wish they
offered?
5) How often do you use the BCA resources?
6) How has your use of the BCA changed throughout your collegiate career?
7) How important is professional development to you on a scale of 1-10?
8) What professional development activities are you currently involved in? (Such as student
organizations, events attended, additional things such as reading, podcasts, blogs, online)
9) How active are you in professional development activities on a scale of 1-10?
10) What is your current field of study?
11) What are you hoping to gain from the professional development activities you are involved
in?
12) When did you first get an interest in professional development?
13) Have you experienced any pain points/things lacking/resources you wish you had to further
your professional development?
14) Were there any people that were the most helpful to furthering your interest in professional
development?
15) What other campus resources do you utilize? Outside resources?
16) Do you utilize any online resources for professional development activities? What resources?
How often
Appendix B: Root Learning Center Interview Discussion Guide
1) What is your role at the Root Learning Center? Please describe your day-to-day role and
responsibilities.
2) What is the Root Learning Center’s philosophy on the best way to educate business
professionals?
3) How was this philosophy developed?
4) What methods does the Root Learning Center utilize when developing solutions for
external clients?
5) Why are these methods utilized?
6) Which of these methods is the most effective when working with a large organization?
7) Why do you think these methods would be best for large organizations?
8) Has the Root Learning Center worked with large organizations to improve employees’
participation optional support services?
9) If yes, could you provide examples of solutions the Root Learning Center developed for
organizations looking to make these changes?
10) What feedback have you received from these organizations on the impact of these
solutions?
11) What common roadblocks to participation have your clients experienced when
implementing your solutions?
12) What methods are used to overcome these roadblocks?
13) How does the Root Learning Center get feedback from external clients about the impact
of your solutions?
14) Who is feedback collected from?
15) When is feedback collected?
16) How is this feedback used to adapt the solutions in the future?
Appendix C: Focus Group Interview Discussion Guide
1) When you think of professional development what do you think of? (Have participants write
down answers, then get everyone to speak)
2) Through our research, we have discovered several barriers to participation in professional
development activities. We would like your reaction to each of these issues.
a. Students are unsure of the all resources the Business Career Accelerator provides. (Is
this consistent with your personal experience?)
b. Students feel their initial interaction with the Business Career Accelerator in BA 1500
is not helpful to their professional development, and does not prompt them to return to
the center. (Is this consistent with your personal experience?)
c. Students feel that going to the Business Career Accelerator takes a lot of time, can be
intimidating, and that they would rather find resources on their own. (Is this consistent
with your personal experience?)
d. Students do not return to the Business Career Accelerator after obtaining their first
internship experience, because they feel they have accomplished their career goals. (Is
this consistent with your personal experience?)
3) We have four initiatives that we hope will increase student participation. We would like to get
your feedback to each possible initiative.
a. Establish a marketing campaign in partnership with the American Marketing
Association. The marketing campaign will include a quantitative research study and a
simple poster campaign in the College of Business. The poster campaign will have the
goal of demonstrating resources available to students at each class level (freshman,
sophomore, junior, senior). Do you think this would help students become more aware of
resources available to them? Why?
b. Adapt the initial interaction students have with the Business Career Accelerator in their
BA 1500 class. The assignment would be adapted to evaluate the impact of student’s
current employment and extracurricular involvement on their employability in a future
career. Students will also have a discussion of their career goals with BCA management,
and discuss specific actions that students can take to reach these goals. Do you think this
would be more effective in sparking students’ interest in professional development? If
not, what should be done? When should this initial interaction take place (during BA
1500 still or another course?)
c. Making common Business Career Accelerator resources available online. Would you
use it? Various formats were contemplated for these resources; which do you feel would
be most effective (PowerPoint, video, etc.)?
d. Require a post-internship review meeting with the Business Career Accelerator to
assist in developing a career path after your internship experience. Do you feel this would
be an effective way of helping students develop their involvement in professional
development? If not, what should be done?
Appendix D: Focus Group Participant Waiver
College of Business, Business Career Accelerator (BCA) Qualitative Research Study
on Student Involvement Participant Waiver
Purpose
This study investigates students’ attitudes about career professional development at
Bowling Green State University and their participation in activities and services related to
professional development. As a participant in this study, you will be asked to participate
in a focus group and answer structured and open-ended questions. This study will take
approximately 20 minutes.
Participants’ Rights
I understand that my responses will be kept in confidence and will be available to the
researchers and the Honors College at Bowling Green State University. No one will be
able to identify me when the results are reported and my name will not appear anywhere
in the written report. I also understand that I may skip any questions or tasks that I do not
wish to answer or complete. I may choose not to participate or withdraw at any time
during the study without penalty. I agree to have my verbal responses video-recorded and
transcribed for further analysis with the understanding that my responses will not be
linked to me personally in any way.
I understand that I am participating in a study of my own free will.
Consent to Participate
I acknowledge that I am at least eighteen years old, and that I understand my rights as a
research participant as outlined above. I acknowledge that my participation is fully
voluntary.
Print Name: _____________________________________
Signature: ______________________________________ Date: _____________
Appendix E: Summary of In-Depth Interview and Management Validity Check Findings
Segment A
“Utilitarian”
Response
Segment B
“Continual
Users” Response
BCA Hypothesis
Response
Differences/Findings
“When I started
freshman year,
intro business
classes.”
“When I switched
to the business
college.”
Before coming
to BGSU during
recruitment
-Students discovery the BCA
later than expected
-Students are given a lot of
information at orientation that
may not be maintained
“Word of mouth
and posters.”
“Some of my first
business classes
and word of
mouth.”
Referrals from
faculty
members, SOAR
orientation,
entry classes
-Good to know signage is getting
students’ attention
-BCA employees go into classes
when requested, but do not ask
to go into classes due to lack of
time and resources
“The job fair was
approaching and I
needed help
perfecting my
resume/interview;
help that I wasn’t
getting in my intro
classes and
couldn’t find
anywhere else.”
“I first went to
discuss my career
options. I was still
figuring out what
I wanted to do
and wanted some
help figuring that
out.”
Wanting their
first internship,
FIIT certification
questions,
questions with
resume, career
research or
job/internships.
Some not until
senior year
looking for jobs.
-The job expo is definitely a
main reason students stop into
the office
-Feel too much emphasis is
being placed on job expo
-How do we maintain people
stopping in for expo help to use
other resources? Do they
continue using services or stop
after expo?
“Help with getting
jobs and
internships. They
help me get things
done and get jobs
easier.”
“A guiding
resource that I
can go to with
questions about
how I can make
myself more
competitive. Help
with my job-
related skillset.”
Resume review,
job search
methods, cover
letters,
internship
registration,
career research,
job offer
negotiation,
creating emails,
events
- Definitely see both types of
students come into the office
-Nice to see that relationships
are driving target market, but
have staff/resource concerns
that these relationships can’t be
maintained
-How can we maintain these
relationships without people?
“I went for help
with my resume
freshman year,
but I haven’t been
“At least once
per week when I
have questions. I
attend events
Some “one and
done”, depends
on their initial
experience (if
they liked it
-If the BCA helps students to get
their job or internship, and they
do not come back, at least they
had some positive impact and
that’s okay
back since I got
my internship.”
when I have time
available.”
they would
come back),
some monthly
or weekly, but
on average
about once a
semester to
once a month
-Timing is important for their
visit
-If students have a lot of
questions, they are headed in
the right direction
“I went to the
career accelerator
to perfect the
tools I needed to
get a job/
internship. Now
that I have a
job/internship I
use the services
infrequently, but I
attend events if
they work with
my schedule, I
think they could
be useful.”
“I first started
going to the BCA
when I was trying
to figure out a
career path.
Then, I perfected
my
resume/interview
skills, and
attended events
when they
worked with my
schedule. Now, I
go to Tom with
specific questions
when needed.”
Start with
resume, written
communication,
then interview,
job offer
negotiation and
contracts.
- Maybe have a poster of ways
to maintain involvement at each
class level (Freshman,
Sophomore, Junior, Senior)—
something to get them thinking
- Try to think about what
students are thinking and what
they would like to know
Average= 9.4
Average= 10
7 or 8
- Surprisingly high importance
level
- Consider these are more
involved students
“Working part
time/has an
internship,
organization
related to career
path, attends
university events,
online forums and
videos”
“Holds
internship, high
involvement with
campus activities,
some other
strong leadership
skillset (such as
military, student
organization
leader, etc.),
online videos”
Professional
organizations,
workshops,
employer
spotlights,
department
events
- Thought more about
extracurricular activities and
less of work experience
- Not surprised students are
involved online, but BCA has
held online seminars with low
participation don’t know why
- Feels previous online
workshops were not visually
stimulating to viewers
Average= 7
Average= 8
7 or 8
- Matched up
- Every student felt they could
be doing more
Two sales, one
marketing, two
accounting
One outside
college of
business, two
supply chain, two
accounting
N/A
- BCA services mostly CoB
students, but students from
other majors are sometimes
referred by business students
- Complaints about Campus
Career Center
“A job or
internship”
“Answers to job-
specific questions
that I can’t get in
class and
developing my
skillset to
perform better in
my future career”
A job or
internship
- Interesting that BCA answer
aligns more closely with
utilitarian group, less with target
market of continual users
- The students who are frequent
users do want to take it above
and beyond college
- Transactional students more
common
- After students do their first
internship, they tend to be more
active with additional resources
(transformational process)
“High school, but
accelerated when
I came to college”
“When I first
started college, I
didn’t have a
strong interest in
professional
development
prior to college.”
Either after
their first
internship or in
their second or
third year. In
their first year
they are
probably more
concerned with
adjusting to
college life.
May gain an
interest after
their first
assignment to
get involved or
their first
interaction with
employers.
-Surprised interest occurred so
soon
-Motivated, excited freshman
-When they first see a resume
usually there is something listed
- Discussed potential bad advice
from faculty in regards to career
fair: “go talk to a couple
employers” is ambiguous, could
lead to a bad experience
- Rumor that no one hires
freshman and bad career fair
experiences may lead students
to not be proactive in career
search, procrastinate until later
years
“Students aren’t
guided to
resources; they
have to be sought
out. Professional
development is
viewed as
‘something extra’
and going above
and beyond when
it should be the
main focus.”
“Resources aren’t
explicitly
advertised.
Networking with
other students
and making
friends is hard.
More resources
should be
available online.”
That placement
into jobs wasn’t
done for them,
resume help
wasn’t
sufficient, job
locations are
only in Ohio
- Students seem more
concerned with the
advertising/awareness of
resources than the resources
themselves
-How do we improve awareness
and make resources more
transparent?
- Talked about student social
media activity, who’s reading
the emails, how we are reaching
people
“Individual
mentors and Kirk
Kern”
“Tom, Kirk Kern,
Advisors”
Tom
- Why is Kirk Kern a pattern for
all these students?
- Kirk was cited as an
inspiration/motivating force for
switching to business; teaches a
class that reaches all colleges
- How can we utilize Kirk Kern to
promote via word of mouth and
reach more of target market?
“Jobs and
internships, online
resources”
“Leadership
opportunities
offered through
student
organizations,
company visits,
networking
events
Career center,
professors,
internships
-Surprised nobody mentioned
the career center
Appendix F: PowerPoint Presentation