Student Engagement at MSU

While MSU has had consistent increases in enrollment over the past semesters, student engagement in and out of the classroom could be improved. But how can the academy go about doing this? Many students that seem to have this issue are those that are new to the college atmosphere such as freshmen and sophomores. But more and more often, students seem to be keeping this behavior into their junior year, and maybe even into their senior year as well. While these students are aware that they are paying for this education, they seem to feel that getting by with a C is sufficient for a degree. Many students don't seem to understand that a degree is just half of getting a job in the future. If there is a lack of knowledge that the degree signifies, how can one expect obtain and keep a job?

The question is: How can an institution improve student engagement? One potential way to influence the student to attend class more often could include conducting research to make classes more appealing to students. Many students, myself included, can get lost in a bland and routine presentation or lesson. If the information was presented in a way that would appeal more to the audience, the information could be better retained. The tricky part here would be to find out what would appeal enough to the audience to keep them engaged in the lesson plan.

Learning has been done the same general way for more than the past 100 years. Some innovators are now finding new ways to teach such as online school, hands-on learning, and much more. The way I see it, there are better ways of learning out there, and we are just breaking the surface. What the same principles from marketing were applied to the classroom? Through behavioral analysis and other marketing tactics, the learning experience could potentially be vastly improved.

Innovative Idea Presentation

Today was the unveiling of our product to the rest of our class and a few representatives from the Blackstone Launchpad, a global entrepreneurship program. After the presentation, questions from the audience brought up some points that we had considered, but should further refine. Ways in which to launch the app were discussed among the group, but were never definitive on how we would launch. What we had concluded is that we would pair with pre-established smart-pay platforms such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. These are already well established companies and would be far easier to pair with rather than to compete against. Another group that presented a similar idea had an excellent idea to pair with a specific big bank. Not only would the bank most likely find the services that we provide useful and innovative, but they would also attract new customers because the bank would offer something unique that other banks do not have. Banks could potentially pay a very large sum for this service.

Innovative Idea Revisited

Today, we further discussed ways in which we could better our product. One main thing that we were concerned about was the security of the wearables. After some critical thinking, we landed on integrating fingerprint scanning technology. This would be used in the inexpensive watch option that we would offer and potentially in the future with other smartwatches. This would nearly eliminate the potential of others accessing the user's accounts through the use of our products.

We also had to address how to secure the accounts on smartwatches without fingerprint scanning technology. We had to put some extra thought into this one as the screen on smartwatches are too small to type in a password (especially when one is intoxicated). To solve this issue, we decided to use a simple combination of upward, downward, left and right swipes that  would allow users to enable their smartwatch for payment. 

Innovative Idea

For the past few weeks, my consumer behavior group and I have been discussing ways that we could improve the lives of young adults and to help ease the transition to adulthood. The products that we were coming up with were not targeting any type of young adult in particular, they could be a college student, full-time worker, ski bum, or any other type of person. To come up with ideas, we initially looked at problems that this generation was facing. We tried to look deeply into the issues to find problems that we may not have even realized existed.

Once we found some common key issues with achieving goals, we started exploring ways of helping young adults get into a good habit of meeting and exceeding their goals. We thought about current ways to encourage individuals to meet their goals. One way includes individuals holding each other accountable for meeting goals like going to the gym. I have a friend that was trying to get to the gym more often. She and a friend made a deal that if one missed a day at the gym, they would have to buy the other a gift. This encourages the two of them to go to the gym because money is on the line. Similarly, some websites offer the same type of service. You can put an amount of money to your credit card to encourage yourself to meet a goal. If you haven't met your goal by a deadline that you set, the site will charge the amount to your card and donate it to a charity that you do not like.

We thought that converting a similar system to an app could be very useful and easier to use than a website. The app would also include some sort of rewards system to encourage participation. Later on down the road, we would introduce some wearable technology to track heart rate, calories burned, blood alcohol content, and many other dimensions. Unfortunately, after some concept testing through product pitches, we found that the app and associated technology may not be as successful as we had initially hoped. Many were confused on how the app would be able to accurately track how well one was meeting their goals. It would be easy to cheat the system.

After hearing this, we decided to again brainstorm. We eventually landed on a new and innovative idea. As a college student, I have found that it is very tough to control spending when going out for the night. One drink could easily turn into two or even two for everyone that you are with. Spending over $100 downtown is not out of the question. A correlation can be found between intoxication and amount spent. Once you are fairly drunk, you have far less control over your wallet. In order to combat this issue, we decided to introduce an app that would allow you to link to your checking account and set a spending limit for a certain period of time. The limit could not be exceeded unless you were able to solve some sort of varied problem. If you did elect to exceed your preset limit, you would be reminded that you set the limit there for a reason in order to nudge you to spend less.

Along with this, we took note that many places including convenience stores, grocers, and restaurants are starting to use smart payment technologies such as Samsung Pay and Apple Pay. We began thinking of a way that we could incorporate this technology into our venture. We decided that we could further improve the ease of payment by using wearable technology to pay rather than having to pull a phone out of your pocket. To do this, we decided to go with a wrist band or smartwatch. For those with smartwatches, they could simply download an app for the wearable that would enable access to various cards and allow you to use it to pay straight from the watch. Down the road, we would introduce an affordable alternative for those that do not want to purchase an expensive smartwatch. There would be various models ranging from a very basic model that stores payment information for one card to a deluxe model that included a screen and storage for multiple forms of payment.

This is still a work in progress, and there is much work to be done, but this idea shows huge potential as more and more business move toward smart pay technologies. Is it too early to introduce this product? How much should our app cost? Should we charge a one-time fee for the app or should we charge it as a monthly service? There are still many questions that need to be answered in order to determine the viability of this product. Keep posted for further progress.

What the Consumer Does and Doesn't See Revisited

Ok, I had one final thought pertaining to the previous two posts. Looking further into how my family and I act at Pizza Hut and at other restaurants, I came to the conclusion that a business can better attract and cater to it's customers if they create a persona for the business or an environment that encourages different types of behavior that may make the customer feel more at home or more inclined to spend money. In the case of Pizza Hut, they have very successfully created a spot for families and friends to gather to have a good time and a tasty meal. This isn't just achieved with the somewhat playful nature of pizza alone. In order to complete the cycle and fully adopt the personality of a "McDonald's Playplace" for all ages, they must carefully hire and train their employees to help foster and add to the fun.

For instance, when we eat at the Pizza Hut in Hamilton, MT, my family and I have had the same waiter for almost all of the times that we have been there for the past 5+ years and if not him, than another waitress. Both of these individuals have mastered the art of crafting the atmosphere that Pizza Hut wishes to achieve. They have always had a smile on their face and a cheerful attitude while waiting our table. Yes, obviously the way they treat the customer will directly impact the tip that they receive, and one can even argue that they aren't trying to create this atmosphere and are solely competing for a better tip, but look at it this way. View the tip as a nudge to help the waiter or waitress create the desired atmosphere for a certain restaurant. For instance, if you take your family to a steakhouse or a pricier restaurant rather than Pizza Hut, you would probably further enjoy your experience if the one taking care of your meal was acting in a still personal, but more professional manner.

Take for example a time that my family went to a steakhouse to celebrate a birthday, While we could've gone to a Pizza Hut or similar restaurant for some inexpensive food and a good time, we elected to go to an establishment that provided a very high quality and well presented meal. For myself, I could say that subconsciously I wanted my waiter or waitress to act in the same high quality and professional manner. Though the waitress was well presented with regards to looks, she acted very bubbly and energetic personality, much like you may find at a Pizza Hut. She stood out like a sore thumb for this reason and to this day, my family will recollect this meal and make fun of her behavior. Had she been a waitress at a Pizza Hut-type restaurant, we would probably not have found her behavior to be out of the ordinary. But by going to a more expensive and higher quality restaurant, we expected a certain type of environment and held the appearances and actions of those in the establishment to a higher standard.

All-in-all, the way your business comes across to consumers, whether it's a restaurant, auto parts store, or whatever, will affect the amount of business you receive. Be sure to assess what type of person your business is catering to and allow your business to foster the behavior that that person typically has through like-minded employees and an environment that encourages the consumer to choose your business over another.

What the Consumer Does and Doesn't See

Looking back on the previous blog, I can say that how an establishment presents them self and how they act can greatly impact how much business they will get from consumers. This seems obvious, but there are many factors that can influence a consumers decision to give a company their business. For instance, location is a huge factor that will determine if a company will be successful, but it can go even further than that. If you offer a distinct service or have little competitors, your location will not be as important.

For instance, many steakhouses in Montana are far out of the way. The Broad Ax is a prime example. This steakhouse is located near Sula, MT (Which is barely a town on it's own). The nearest town with a grocer is about an hour away. How do they stay in business? Not only do they offer great meals, but they also provide an extraordinary atmosphere. They are located in a canyon surrounded by nothing but mountains, trees, and wildlife with the exception of a few homes. They embrace this and, in my opinion, made their surroundings a part of their business. Not only do they provide food to their consumers, but they also provide their customers with a pair of binoculars to allow them to get a better view of the deer, big-horn sheep, and other animals that make frequent appearances.

For locations that have immediate competition, there are far more factors that can influence how much business you will get. For instance, the way you upkeep your establishment can greatly impact whether or not a customer will walk through the front door. An eatery with a clean parking lot, facade, and neat landscaping will gather far more customers than an eatery with just a few pieces napkins in the parking lot and finger-print covered windows (the finger-prints may not have an immediate impact, but could hinder one to be a repeat-customer as they may have a subconscious feeling that they would be returning to a dirty facility).

By expanding on the facade, I will provide another example. Materials, colors and logos will also greatly impact an establishment with many competitors. Certain colors evoke certain feelings and are a more important factor to the success of a business than one might think. For instance, imagine if Subways colors were red and yellow instead of green and yellow. You may not think it, but it's not far fetched to say that you would eat there less often. The colors green and yellow symbolize a clean and fresh feeling while red and yellow symbolize something more along the lines of a classic feeling. Fast food establishments such as McDonald's and Burger King can capitalize on using the red and yellow color scheme because they provide more classic fast food entrees and have had those colors since their beginnings. In terms of materials, it is important that establishments refresh their look occasionally to keep up with the times. A face lift is a great way to signify innovation and success within a company to the consumer. For instance, Taco Bell has used stucco siding on their buildings to express their Mexican nature, but more recently have started to use new materials and colors on their buildings. They are starting to go for a clean, modern look by using more metal on the exteriors of their buildings.

Those are just a few examples of the endless factors that will both consciously and subconsciously impact how consumers view an establishment. This is a very interesting area of study that is really starting to reveal ways to capitalize on consumers, especially in the food industry.

When I went back home for Thanksgiving, my family and I went to Pizza Hut the night I got back. This can almost be considered a family tradition. Before college, we would go to Pizza Hut every once and a while, and we would never have a bad time. There was something about the atmosphere of the eatery that allowed us to be out playful selves. We would talk, crack jokes, laugh and have a great time every time that we went, even if we brought others with us. Now, whenever my brother and I return home to visit, we go to Pizza Hut to truly reunite.

What is it about that Pizza Hut that inspires us to reveal our jovial roots? I can count on one hand, in fact, one finger, the number of times that I didn't have a great time at a Pizza Hut. This time was in Bozeman and there were a few factors influencing why I actually had a somewhat poor experience. First off, when we were seated, the staff was extremely slow and couldn't decide which waitress would seat us (which was weird because we weren't a large party and there were only two other people seated in the establishment). Little did I know that this was just a gentle segue into what would be my worst experience with a Pizza Hut.

Once we were finally seated, we ordered our beers and the waitress rightfully checked our IDs. She then returned to the kitchen to allow us time to browse the menu. After a few minutes, a new waitress came to our table rather than our beers. She, for some reason, also took our drink orders and again checked our IDs. This redundancy subtly added to the frustration. Now, we were quite thirsty and were still without our beers. At this point, a large group with more than enough young children entered this ever so classy establishment. Not only was this a group of youth softball players, but it became apparent that it was also someone's birthday. That being said, it became quite clear that the parents had absolutely no intentions of trying to contain the children to act in a civilized manor while in public.

Shortly after their arrival, we finally got our beers. This was nice as we at least able to find some comfort in our scotch ales. After the baseball birthday clan got their drinks, the kids were quick to unwrap one end of their paper covered straws. The Pizza Hut which was once used to feed hungry customers quickly evolved into a war zone. Straw wrappers and even a few spitballs started flying across the restaurant. One even happened to land on our table. At that point, we were lucky enough to see a stereotypical parent put a stop to what I consider to be the largest paper straw wrapper that I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the type of person that gets pissed when others are having fun, but I just about popped a bottle of champagne when that display finally came to a halt.

To add fuel to the fire, this was all happening on Sunday, July 5th. As I'm sure you already know, this was the day that the US Women's World Cup team beat Japan, the team that they had lost to 4 years before. I kept receiving notifications on my phone: 3-0, 4-0... I scanned the various TV screens around the restaurant and was disappointed to find that none of them had the game on! To add fuel to the fire, they for some reason elected to air a Texas college football game from the '80's over one of the year's largest sporting events.

The poor service continued as we were now finished with our first beers and had just ordered our pizza and our second beers were emptied before we could take our first bite pizza. We finally got our food and ate a few slices. To my surprise, the pizza was actually average! After we were finished with our meal, we boxed up our food, quickly paid, and got the hell out of there. One thing that I will never forget is that it started raining just as we left the establishment. I thought that was very fitting to the situation as that was the death of that Pizza Hut in my eyes. I have never returned to that location.

That does not hold true for all Pizza Hut establishments as again, I have a positive view of the franchise and still enjoy their food, but I refuse to eat at the Bozeman Hut based solely on the single experience that I've had there.