%0 Thesis %1 comegys_consumer_1991 %A Comegys, Charles %D 1991 %K ADMINISTRATION, BUSINESS EDUCATION, Higher, MARKETING %T Consumer buying roles and decision attributes in the college choice process: Implications for marketing a small private college based on prospective students' and parental perceptions %X Institutions of higher education are currently confronted with the grim realization that the number of traditional-aged college bound students is declining significantly, a trend that started in 1980 and is projected to continue at least into the mid-1990's. College and university administrators are therefore becoming increasingly interested in marketing strategies and particularly in the college choice process in order to gain or at least maintain a more competitive edge in recruiting from a dwindling pool of potential high school applicants. This study relates two key marketing concepts, the Consumer Buying Process and the Buying Center Concept to the college choice process. The investigation centers on 29 widely recognized institutional attributes as well as the influence of parents in the student's college choice decision. A small private liberal arts college in Massachusetts was used to gather empirical data. Questionnaires were randomly distributed to 184 accepted students and to 82 of their parents. The data were analyzed to determine the most important college decision attributes by students and by parents. The chi-square test for two independent samples was used to test for differences between students' and parents' perceptions of the primary college and the competitive colleges. The analysis of data indicated that applicants' and parents' perceptions of the primary college did not differ significantly, with the exception of male/female ratio, social activities and the institution's reputation for research. Also, it was found that the two samples' ratings of competitive colleges did not differ significantly except in the areas of distance from home, social activities, parents' preference, general reputation and athletic facilities. Respondents' perceptions of the primary college when compared with the competitions' were determined to be significantly different on 22 separate dimensions. With respect to parents' influence in the college choice process, a comparison between students' and parents' perceptions of the influence of fathers during the Information Gathering stage of the Consumer Buying Process was found to be significantly different.

@phdthesis{comegys_consumer_1991, abstract = {Institutions of higher education are currently confronted with the grim realization that the number of traditional-aged college bound students is declining significantly, a trend that started in 1980 and is projected to continue at least into the mid-1990's. College and university administrators are therefore becoming increasingly interested in marketing strategies and particularly in the college choice process in order to gain or at least maintain a more competitive edge in recruiting from a dwindling pool of potential high school applicants. This study relates two key marketing concepts, the Consumer Buying Process and the Buying Center Concept to the college choice process. The investigation centers on 29 widely recognized institutional attributes as well as the influence of parents in the student's college choice decision. A small private liberal arts college in Massachusetts was used to gather empirical data. Questionnaires were randomly distributed to 184 accepted students and to 82 of their parents. The data were analyzed to determine the most important college decision attributes by students and by parents. The chi-square test for two independent samples was used to test for differences between students' and parents' perceptions of the primary college and the competitive colleges. The analysis of data indicated that applicants' and parents' perceptions of the primary college did not differ significantly, with the exception of male/female ratio, social activities and the institution's reputation for research. Also, it was found that the two samples' ratings of competitive colleges did not differ significantly except in the areas of distance from home, social activities, parents' preference, general reputation and athletic facilities. Respondents' perceptions of the primary college when compared with the competitions' were determined to be significantly different on 22 separate dimensions. With respect to parents' influence in the college choice process, a comparison between students' and parents' perceptions of the influence of fathers during the Information Gathering stage of the Consumer Buying Process was found to be significantly different.}, added-at = {2018-06-19T15:18:45.000+0200}, author = {Comegys, Charles}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2be1b7ac918a1fcb731ba8531516b889e/prophe}, interhash = {a02c6c2f79fbe273316ba56cbd821938}, intrahash = {be1b7ac918a1fcb731ba8531516b889e}, keywords = {ADMINISTRATION, BUSINESS EDUCATION, Higher, MARKETING}, school = {Boston College}, shorttitle = {Consumer buying roles and decision attributes in the college choice process: {Implications} for marketing a small private college based on prospective students' and parental perceptions}, timestamp = {2018-06-19T15:18:45.000+0200}, title = {Consumer buying roles and decision attributes in the college choice process: {Implications} for marketing a small private college based on prospective students' and parental perceptions}, type = {{PhD} {Thesis}}, year = 1991 }