Purpose While there is a large body of research looking at consumers’ perception of debt, much of this previous research focuses on older generations. Less is known about the perceptions and attitudes toward debt of younger consumers, specifically those from Generation Z who are from rural areas in the USA. The purpose of this paper is to identify young rural consumers’ perceptions and attitudes toward debt. Design/methodology/approach This quantitative research used surveys. A well-established scale for measuring consumer attitudes toward debt has been adopted and applied. Because of the sensitive and personal nature of debt, anonymous, self-reporting questionnaires were used to allow respondents to respond freely and minimize potential bias that could be caused by socially desirable responses. The young respondents who participated in the research were invited verbally or via email by the investigators to complete the survey online via QuestionPro. Findings This study found the majority of consumers from Generation Z reported that using credit is basically wrong. Also, these young consumers claimed that being in debt is never a good thing. Additionally, the authors found gender differences. Young male consumers were more likely to claim that they had their debt under control, and young female consumers were more likely to claim that financial debt had influenced their life. Originality/value These Generation Z perceptions provide constructive data for use in evaluating and amending marketers’ strategies to better connect with the young customers. Companies may want to stress how their products are risk adverse, provide a sort of financial security and will not leave the customer in debt. This is especially important following the COVID-19 pandemic as local businesses in a college community are trying to attract students back to their establishments.
Purpose The primary purpose of this study is to introduce the method of best–worst scaling (BWS) and explore how it can be applied to the field of communication sciences and disorders. Method Two hundred thirty-six participants (156 students and 80 instructors) responded to a survey using BWS to identify the most and least preferred features of a speech-language pathology graduate program. Results were analyzed with Sawtooth Software and best–worst values were transformed into a standardized ratio scale. Results The number one attribute that students were most concerned with when choosing a graduate program was clinical placements followed by financial aid/scholarships/graduate assistant positions, highly ranked/reputation of program, updated resources available in clinic, reputation of professors, elective coursework available in an interest area, proximity to home, research opportunities, completion of an undergraduate degree at the same institution, and, finally, the availability of online courses. Five of the 10 factors were statistically different from the adjacent factor as evidenced by nonoverlapping confidence intervals. The faculty accurately predicted the top three and bottom two attributes but distinguished less between the factors as evidenced by overlapping confidence intervals in eight of the adjacent pairs. Conclusions BWS is able to provide nuanced information relative to the strength of the preference over other types of importance measures. It has many applications in the field of communication sciences and disorders, and this pilot study revealed one way it can be utilized. Knowing what students most desire in a graduate program allows universities to tailor their marketing to highlight the attributes of highest importance to future applicants.
PurposeInternships are an integral part of a college curriculum, yet students are sometimes unaware of how to secure this opportunity. This research aims to determine efficient methods to provide information to students within the given majors, identify barriers on what is stopping students from seeking out internships earlier and identify the appropriate time for students to receive internship information.Design/methodology/approachThis study undertook descriptive research in a preliminary investigation of the undergraduate business students' attitude toward learning about the internship program offered by a business school of a state funded university in Michigan, USA. The data-collection instrument consisted of structured closed-ended questions relevant to undergraduate business students' perceptions and attitude toward learning about the internship program.FindingsThe results of this survey of 631 undergraduate students revealed a relationship between gender and the willingness to gain information about internships. Additional findings revealed that students who received information at the beginning of their schooling were more likely to plan for the internship in advance. Finally, students who preferred to receive information about internships multiple times were most likely to contact their academic advisor or internship director for more resources.Originality/valueTogether, the results of these findings can be used for current institution and other business schools with similar setting to reduce the barriers students face and allow undergraduate business students greater accessibility to internship positions.
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