This is the assignment that is listed as "Restaurant Reviews Content Analysis" on the syllabus.  The subject of analysis was changed from restaurants to colleges on the expectation that student reports might actually provide some valuable insights for a current issue.  Review the online notes for Week 3 with special focus on the last two links ("Qualitative Analysis With a Spreadsheet" and "sample qualitative analysis").  Check the class discussion board for more information regarding how to do a content analysis using the "spreadsheet" method. 

Case Background

Our client for this project is Texas A&M University-Texarkana.  Until recently, we have been constrained as a two year upper division school - we could not accept students directly out of high school.  A recent change in state law now allows us to offer lower division courses as a full four year university.  We also have a new campus on Bringle Lake, allowing us to physically expand, with one building that is holding classes and more construction to be started soon.

The first freshman class will start in the Fall 2010 semester.  Dormitories are in the planning stage with hopes of completion for the 2010-11 school year.  Our student population is currently made up of local, part time commuter students - 70 percent female, average age 33.  Growth required to make the new campus viable will have to come from a much wider geographic region, so we must start targeting high school students and parents who are shopping for a residential (live on campus) four-year university experience. 

This change in target market requires that we make dramatic changes in the way that we do our recruiting.  We are going to have to deal with window shoppers who are doing multi-state college campus visits.  When those high-school students and parents see our website, read our brochures, and visit our campus, what will they want to know?  What will they expect to see?  What factors will they be using to compare us to other schools?  What should we be emphasizing when we use these various modes of communication?

Assignment

Visit CollegeConfidential.com and do a content analysis of College Visit Reports that students and parents.  These can be found at:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visits/report_browse_letter.html

Assess the oldest ten reviews for each of the following three colleges:

• Bowdoin College
• Middlebury College
• Vassar College

If you have to dis-include any reviews, your report must indicate how many were skipped and why they were skipped (discussed in the methodology section).  For example, you don't want to include any review that could have a bias (e.g., states that a family member is an employee) or that is focused on issues that are not an assessment of the organization (e.g., is a commentary on what is wrong with someone else's review).  I haven't read through all reviews, but I did notice that under the list for one college, two reviews are posted by the same person.  You will have to decide whether to toss one, toss both, or combine both reviews and will have to explain this in the methodology section.

Your report MUST include the following format, not necessarily with any sort of headings:

1. objectives of the research

2. source of the data

3. discussion of the methodology

4. discussion of the findings

5. discussion of the conclusions
   (implications / recommendations)

The report should not include or reference the spreadsheet itself; the spreadsheet is merely a working document that is a tool to assist in your analysis.  That is, the report should be understandable without your spreadsheet and your report should not refer the reader to your spreadsheet.  Study the example that is posted in the Week 3 notes for guidance.

However, your spreadsheet must be readily available if a research client wants to see it and absolutely must be submitted to me as your boss.  That is, for the sake of grading your report for this class, you must submit your spreadsheet as a separate (independent) document.  If you have compiled your spreadsheet electronically, attach it to your electronic submission. 

If you have compiled your spreadsheet with paper, pencil, and lots of tape, that's OK and might be easier for you - the spreadsheet is a work document and only the report must be spotlessly neat.  However, this will require that you physically submit your report and attached spreadsheet either to me or to the College of Business staff support folks by the deadline or ensure that is postmarked five days before the due date if mailed. 

Again, be sure to watch the discussion board for more insights and information and be sure to ask questions if there is anything that you don't understand.