Professional Higher Education Bachelor's Programme European business Studies

Marketing Research Report RISEBA advertising

Prepared for: RISEBA Prepared by: Vladislav Tihomirov Igor Dolya Oleg Kononov Yaroslav Smirnov

Riga, May 2010

1. Table of contents

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Table of contents.................................................................................................................................. 2 List of tables ......................................................................................................................................... 3 List of graphs ....................................................................................................................................... 4 List of exhibits ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Executive summary ............................................................................................................................. 6 5.1. Major findings .................................................................................................................................... 6 5.2. Recommendations ............................................................................................................................. 7

6.

Problem definition ............................................................................................................................... 8

6.1. Problem definition ................................................................................................................................. 8 6.2. Research objective ................................................................................................................................. 8 7. 8. Approach to the problem ..................................................................................................................11 Research design .................................................................................................................................11 8.1. Information needs ............................................................................................................................11 8.2. Data collection from primary sources ..............................................................................................11 8.3. Scaling techniques ............................................................................................................................11 8.4. Questionnaire development and pretesting ....................................................................................12 8.6. Sampling techniques and field work ................................................................................................12 9. Data analysis ......................................................................................................................................13 9.1. Methodology ....................................................................................................................................13 9.2. Plan of data analysis .........................................................................................................................13 10. Results ............................................................................................................................................14

As it was mentioned previously, 237 pupils were surveyed in order to obtain the information needed. ....14 11. Limitations and caveats ................................................................................................................30

Questionnaire ..........................................................................................................................................33 14. Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................37

2. List of tables
Table 1: Institutes .........................................................................................................................18 Table 2: Course/profession ...........................................................................................................19 Table 3: Comments about RISEBA presentation .........................................................................25 Table 4: University .......................................................................................................................26 Table 5: Program ..........................................................................................................................26 Table 6: Program in English .........................................................................................................27 Table 7: Satisfaction with the information ...................................................................................28 Table 8: INTOPIA, LCCI, Erasmus, Double degree ....................................................................28

3. List of graphs
Figure 1: Gender ...........................................................................................................................14 Figure 2: Age ................................................................................................................................ 14 Figure 3: Income and number people in the family ......................................................................15 Figure 4: Grade ............................................................................................................................. 16 Figure 5: Continuation of studies .................................................................................................16 Figure 6: Language .......................................................................................................................17 Figure 7: Place of study ................................................................................................................17 Figure 8: Search for information ..................................................................................................19 Figure 9: Sources of information ..................................................................................................20 Figure 10: Friends/relatives in RISEBA .......................................................................................21 Figure 11: Recommendations from friends/relatives ...................................................................21 Figure 12: Events attended ...........................................................................................................22 Figure 13: Program or university .................................................................................................22 Figure 14: Time to choose university ...........................................................................................23 Figure 15: School 2010 ................................................................................................................23 Figure 16: Time spent at each stand ............................................................................................. 24 Figure 17: Attendance of RISEBA stand .....................................................................................24 Figure 18: Satisfaction with the information at RISEBA stand ...................................................25 Figure 19: Advertising of RISEBA .............................................................................................. 27 Figure 20: Intention to know more about Erasmus, LCCI, Intopia, Erasmus .............................. 29 Figure 21: Social networks ...........................................................................................................29

4. List of exhibits
Questionnaire ............................................................................................................................... 38

5. Executive summary
5.1. Major findings 92% of the respondents consider opinion of friends the most reliable, stating that the information is checked and is based on personal experience of the friend. According to the results, 77% stated that they do not have any friends or relatives in RISEBA, and only 23% stated that they have someone who studies or studied in RISEBA. From those, who stated that they have friends or relatives in RISEBA, 63% said that they have been recommended to study in RISEBA, and 37% have not. 156 scholars (66%) would like to study abroad. While in the questionnaire most of the respondents stated that they would like to study abroad because there are no perspectives in Latvia, when choosing the program in English, criteria Difficult to find job in Latvia is on the 5th position out of 6. The most appropriate time for searching the information about universities for scholars is the beginning of the 12th grade. For both 11th and 12th grade scholars it will take less than half a year to choose the university. Quality of faculty, graduate employment and range of programs influence the choice of the university. Interest in the subject, costs and possible discounts/budget places influence the choice of the program. Majority of the respondents would like to study on English program in order to improve their English and increase their competitiveness that will be used for further migration from Latvia. 74% of the respondents have never seen the advertising of RISEBA. Majority of the respondents would like to know more about prices/budget places/discounts and how it all affects the number of lectures; spheres where you can work and future perspectives; comments from graduates; cooperation with international universities; information about lecturers; quality of studies; students life.

5.2. Recommendations 1. Since the pupils of 11 and 12 grades look for the information in the beginning of the 12th grade, it is the best time to advertise the university by distributing brochures with the information about RISEBA, programmes, activities etc. in schools. 2. Since the quality of faculty, graduate employment and range of programs influence the decision of the pupil, it is recommended to include it in the advertising. 3. Since the interest in the subject, price and discounts influence the choice of the program, it is recommended to include this information about it into advertising. Programs and main subjects should be described so that they would be understandable for everyone. Number of budget places and possible ways to get a discount should be mentioned since they influence the decision of the student. The information about lecturers of the program as well as guest lecturers should be included in order to give an overview of the future studies. The information about graduates should also be included, e.g. current place of work, since real examples may influence the final decision. 4. The best way to advertise RISEBA is through internet on websites like one.lv or draugiem.lv since most of the current scholars use them most often. 5. RISEBA can also review the design of the web site, since it is one of the main sources of information for pupils.

6. Problem definition
6.1. Problem definition Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration (RISEBA) has a 16-year long history in the sphere of higher education. RISEBA originally was established as a professional education college in collaboration with Manchester College of Arts and Technology (MANCAT) on 9 September 1992. On 19 October 1994 RISEBA was reorganized into a higher educational establishment. RISEBA is known for its individual attitude towards its students. Their staff creates a studyfriendly environment where there is a trust, faith and co-operation. Currently, RISEBA is thinking of reviewing its current promotional campaign. Previous studies made by RISEBA showed that almost 80% of the students found out the information about university and its programs from their relatives and friends. This means that current promotional campaign used by RISEBA to promote its programs does not work as it was intended to. Thus, the management decision problem will be: What should be changed in the current advertising campaign of the RISEBA in order to attract more pupils? 6.2. Research objective Broad statement of marketing research objective will be to determine the aspects students consider when they chose the university and program. The specific components will be: 1. What information sources do they use and find the most reliable? 2. When do they start to search for the information about the university and programmes it offers? 3. Do pupils attend any specific events to look for information about the university and programs it offers? 4. How do students chose the university in which to study? 5. What information is of most interest for the student, when they look through the advertising materials of programs? 6. How do students evaluate RISEBA in comparison with other universities in terms of programs offered? 7. What they would like to see about different programs and university itself in the advertising?

6.3. Analysis of secondary data

We have analyzed the exploratory research concerning the effectiveness of printed advertising materials.

Hypothesis that is brought forward in the report is: secondary school pupils do not perceive RISEBAs advertising materials as attractive, interesting and useful. By the thoughts of the author this report could be used in order to design new advertising materials for RISEBA, bearing in mind all the proposals and needs expressed by secondary school students. Taking into consideration previously mentioned circumstances the author of the report has chosen the following theme of the research: Secondary School Students assessment of RISEBA printed advertising materials. While analyzing RISEBAs printed advertising materials for secondary school students, the author of the report wanted to choose pupils in the most effective way. As the target group of advertising materials are secondary school pupils author has organized a meeting with the administration of Ogre Gymnasium to fix up an interview with students. Gymnasiums administration was responsive and helped to organize an interview. Pupils from 11th and 12th forms were selected of both genders. In all there were 4 males and 6 females. The condition for the focus groups members was that they havent chosen a university or a programme where to study and that they are not planning to study abroad.

Members of the focus group: Mris, 17 years old, 11th form Kaspars, 18 years old, 12th form Ivo, 18 years old, 11th form Jnis, 17 years old, 11th form Laura, 16 years old, 11th form Katrne, 17 years old, 12th form Marika, 18 years old, 12th form Dace, 18 years old, 11th form Ilgma, 17 years old, 12th form Karna, 17 years old, 12th form

The author of the report can conclude that the hypothesis that has been brought forward in the beginning of the research secondary school pupils do not perceive RISEBAs advertising materials as attractive, interesting and useful is approved. Conclusions: 1. The first impression is that RISEBAs printed advertising materials are not something special and do not attract attention. 2. Advertising materials are too big and its very hard to read any information on it because the background is too dark. 3. Secondary school pupils cannot understand what is the most important in advertising materials. 4. There is a lack of visual and graphical materials. 5. Because of too few visual and graphical materials it seems that there is too much information and there is too much to read to learn something. 6. Pupils would like to see some photos of the university and its students. 7. Photos in the booklet are darksome and incomprehensible. 8. Qualifications to receive sound too complicated and obscure. 9. There is too few information about exchange student programs. 10. There is a lack of information about extracurricular activities and sports. 11. Advertising materials do not stimulate positive emotions and interest. Recommendations 1. The format of the advertising materials should be smaller in order to be more convenient, 2. Advertising materials should be much brighter and attractive to excite pupils. 3. There should be more distinct pictures of the premises both of the inside and the outside. 4. Important information should be highlighted and the other information should not be that flashy. 5. Qualifications to acquire should be explained more thoroughly so that it would be easier for people who know nothing about that to understand presented information. 6. Information about extracurricular activities, sports and events should be included in the advertising materials. 7. There should be more information about student exchange programs.

10

7. Approach to the problem

In order to solve and find the answers to previously stated management and marketing research problems it was decided to survey 237 respondents by using a specially developed questionnaire. The choice of place where to study is influenced by several factors that will be analyzed further in the report. In general, pupils follow the most common model: 1. Subject to study, e.g. medicine, pedagogy, IT etc. 2. Place of study, e.g. Latvia or abroad 3. Language of studies, e.g. Russian, Latvian, English etc. 4. Budget allocated for studies. 5. Evaluation of possible universities 6. Final decision

8. Research design
8.1. Information needs In the survey conclusive research design is used since all the information needed is clearly defined in the marketing research problem. It was decided to use cross sectional design since the information will be collected from a representative sample, which will consist of students. The information will be used to create the profile of the pupil, to analyze the factors that are considered when chosing the university and program.

8.2. Data collection from primary sources Questionnaires were used to collect primary data from 237 students from local schools who are currently finishing 11 and 12 grades. The survey was done in the premises of local schools, who gave their permission for surveying.

8.3. Scaling techniques In the questionnaire 3 primary scales of measurement such as nominal, ordinal and scale were used. Nominal technique was used for questions where the researchers would like to know the gender of the respondent. Ordinal technique was used to rank preferences for choosing the program in English.
11

Ratio technique was used for identifying the average income and number of people in the family. From non comparative techniques Likert scale will be used to determine students preferences for universities and programs.

8.4. Questionnaire development and pretesting The questionnaire had been prepared by the researchers on the basis of objectives and research questions. There are in total 30 questions that include unstructured and structured questions such as multiple choice and dichotomous questions. Before distributing the final version of the questionnaire, it has been improved several times. Improvements included reducing the size of questionnaire from 8 till 3 pages, as well as simplifying questions so that they would be understandable.

8.6. Sampling techniques and field work Since elements were defined as students of 11 and 12 grades, we used non-probability technique. The field work was performed by the researchers themselves with the help of teachers. 4 local schools were surveyed in order to get the neccessary data.

12

9. Data analysis
9.1. Methodology Questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS software and Excel 2007. All the 237 questionnaires were put in the SPSS premade file and checked for consistency of the answers and for missing values.

9.2. Plan of data analysis Since the data collected was both non-numiric and numiric the researchers were not limited in the number of SPSS functions thet could be applied in order to analyze and interpret the findings. The data analysis method can be summarized in the following list of 6 steps 1. Create an SPSS file 2. Input data from questionnaires 3. Check the data 4. Analyze the data 5. Interpret the findings 6. Draw conclusions The list of functions used in order to interpret the data includes Crosstabs Multiple response crosstabs Frequencies Descriptives

13

10.Results
As it was mentioned previously, 237 pupils were surveyed in order to obtain the information needed.

Gender

100 Male Female 137

Figure 1: Gender 1 There were 100 males and 137 females (Figure 1).

Age
1 17 15 16 17 18 92 110 19 21 23

Figure 2: Age 1 From Figure 2, it can be seen that most of the respondents were 18 years old (110) and 17 years old (92).
14

Income and number of people in the family

40 35 30 Respondents 25 20 20 15 10 5 0 1 2 3 4 or more Number of people in the family 1 0 0 1 8 5 5 1 7 8 5 23 <500 Ls 501-1000 Ls 1001 - 1500 Ls >1501 Ls 37 34 38

Figure 3: Income and number people in the family 1 As it can be seen from the Figure 3, most of the respondents have families of 3 and more people. Thus the average income in these families is starting from less than 500 Ls till 1000 Ls. Only in families with 4 or more people, the income reaches 1500 Ls. Full time courses Work Safety Real Estate Management Business Studies Electronic Commerce Public Relations and Advertising Management Business Studies European Business Studies Audiovisual art of medias

Fee (per year) 990 Ls 990 Ls 990 Ls 1390 Ls 1400 Ls 1390 Ls 3190 Ls 1500 Ls

As it can be seen from the table above, most of the respondents are able to afford to study in RISEBA, except EBS program that will require additional funds from other sources like study loans from banks but in crisis most of people are now reluctant to take loans.

15

Grade

82 11 12 155

Figure 4: Grade 1 The researchers interviewed 155 scholars from 11th grades and 82 from 12th grades.(Figure 4)

Will you continue your studies?

10

Yes No

227

Figure 5: Continuation of studies 1 95% of the respondents stated that they will continue their studies.(Figure 5)

16

Where would you like to study?

79 Latvia Abroad 156

Figure 6: Place of study 1 156 scholars (66%) would like to study abroad, whereas only 79 of them would like to study in Latvia. (Figure 6) Typical comments in favour of studying abroad were that there are no perspectives in Latvia and the education abroad is better. Scholars in favour of staying in Latvia stated that they do not want to leave their motherland and family. Also, they commented that they have no interest in international education due to financial, e.g. expensive and personal issues, e.g. will be hard to study abroad without any support.

2 4 6 14 1 3

Language
Russian Latvian English Russian or english

41

105

Does not matter Russian or latvian English or latvian Italian

54

German 7 English or german

Figure 7: Language 1
17

44% of the respondents would like to study in Russian because it is their mother tongue and would be easy for them to understand the material. 22% stated that they would like to study in English because it is an international and well known language. 17% would like to study either in Russian or English because they know both languages very well. (Figure 7)
Frequency Valid Baltic International Academy Salon Clears Medicine Police academy LU TSI London university RTU University of Glasgow RSEBAA RAI Stradina university Turiba university Oxford university Cambridge university Harvard university LSPA Universities in Moscow Universities in UK Edinburgh university NAA Total Missing Total System 3 1 1 2 23 5 1 12 2 2 5 8 2 2 1 1 4 6 6 1 2 90 147 237 Percent 1,3 ,4 ,4 ,8 9,7 2,1 ,4 5,1 ,8 ,8 2,1 3,4 ,8 ,8 ,4 ,4 1,7 2,5 2,5 ,4 ,8 38,0 62,0 100,0 Valid Percent 3,3 1,1 1,1 2,2 25,6 5,6 1,1 13,3 2,2 2,2 5,6 8,9 2,2 2,2 1,1 1,1 4,4 6,7 6,7 1,1 2,2 100,0

Table 1: Institutes 1 In the questionnaire, pupils were asked to state where they would like to study. Out of 21 potential places to study the most popular were LU, RTU and Stradina University. (Table 1)

Frequency Valid TV host Hairdresser Air traffic contoller Entrepreneurship IT sphere Linquist Sea business Sociology Medicine 2 1 1 10 7 2 2 13 19

Percent ,8 ,4 ,4 4,2 3,0 ,8 ,8 5,5 8,0

Valid Percent 2,2 1,1 1,1 11,2 7,9 2,2 2,2 14,6 21,3

18

Engineering Tourism Pedagogy Interpreter Psychology Jurist Architecture Music Total Missing Total System

3 13 2 2 4 6 1 1 89 148 237

1,3 5,5 ,8 ,8 1,7 2,5 ,4 ,4 37,6 62,4 100,0

3,4 14,6 2,2 2,2 4,5 6,7 1,1 1,1 100,0

Table 2: Course/profession 1 In the questionnaires 17 potential professions were mentioned and the most popular were medicine, sociology (business, economy), tourism and entrepreneurship. (Table 2)

Search for information

70 60 51 50 Respondents 40 30 20 10 10 1 0 0 11 Grade 12 19 15 6 6 5 Will not search for information 2 1 In the beginning of the 11th grade 36 25 Am planning to start now 58 In the beginning of the 12th grade In the middle of 12th grade Have not started yet

Figure 8: Search for information 1 37% of all respondents will start or started to search for information about the university in the beginning of the 12th grade. (Figure 8) 38% of respondents from 11 grade will start to look information about university now (starting from June), whereas 30% of 12 grade scholars are going to start looking for information now.

19

Reliable sources of information

30 Opinion of friends 168 219 Opinion of family TV Newspapers Internet 66 27 105 Other

Figure 9: Sources of information 1 In Figure 9, 92% of the respondents consider opinion of friends the most reliable, stating that the information is checked and is based on personal experience of the friend. Internet is considered to be the most reliable source of information by 70% of the respondents, because it is easy to access and find any information you need either on official web site of the university or on the forums. 44% think that the family is also one of the most reliable sources of information, because according to most of the comments, they never lie and will give only good advice.

20

Friends or relatives in RISEBA

52

Yes No

164

Figure 10: Friends/relatives in RISEBA 1 According to the results from Figure 10, 77% stated that they do not have any friends or relatives in RISEBA, and only 23% stated that they have someone who studies or studied in RISEBA.

Did friends recommend RISEBA ?

19 Yes No 33

Figure 11: Recommendations from friends/relatives 1 From those, who stated that they have friends or relatives in RISEBA, 63% said that they have been recommended to study in RISEBA, and 37% have not. (Figure 11)

21

Events
21 27 91

University open days Skola Both Other

70

Figure 12: Events attended 1 45% stated that will or have attended only university open days in order to get the information about the university, while 33% attended only School event in order to get information about university. 13% attended both events. (Figure 12)

Program or university
26 61 University Program Both

149

Figure 13: Program or university 1 64% stated that the program influence their place of studies, while only 26% stated that the university, e.g. reputation, image, influence their decision. (Figure 13)

22

Time to chose university

80 70 60 Respondents 50 50 40 40 30 20 10 0 11 Grade 12 18 34 23 Less than half a year More than a year Less than a year 71

Figure 14: Time to choose university 1 47% of all respondents stated that it will take them less than half a year to choose the university. 31% of all respondents stated that it will take less than a year to choose the university, and only 22% said that it will take more than a year to chose university. (Figure 14)

School 2010
120 100 Respondents 80 60 40 20 0 11 Grade 12 55 47 33 Yes No 98

Figure 15: School 2010 1 As it can be seen from the figure, most of the 11th grade scholars (64% of 11th grades) did not attend School 2010. From 12th grades 59% did not attend School 2010. (Figure 15)

23

Time spent at each stand

8 12 35 Less than 10 minutes 11-15 minutes 16-20 minutes More than 20 minutes

32

Figure 16: Time spent at each stand 1 In general, 77% of the respondents spent less than 15 minutes at each stand. (Figure 16)

Attendance of RISEBA stand

46 48

Yes No

Figure 17: Attendance of RISEBA stand 1 49% attended RISEBA stand and 51% did not, stating that they were not interested in business. (Figure 17)

24

Satisfaction with the information at RISEBA stand

18 Yes No 44

Figure 18: Satisfaction with the information at RISEBA stand 1 From those who attended RISEBA stand 85% were satisfied with the information presented. (Figure 18)

Sum

Mean

Std. Deviation ,754 ,831 ,783

Variance ,568 ,691 ,613

The presenter was 155 2,98 pleasant and polite. The materials provided are 144 2,77 comprehensive. There was enough 141 2,66 information provided. The presenter thoroughly explained the content of the 132 2,49 programs I was interested in. I was given enough materials for decision 131 2,47 making. Table 3: Comments about RISEBA presentation 1

,800

,639

,799

,639

From the table it can be seen that the difference in mean is 0.5, which mean that the respondents were almost of the same opinion. (Table 3)
25

The criteria used in the questionnaire were from 1 (Totally disagree) to 4 (Totally agree) and the mean shows that the statements were between 2.4 and 2.9, which means that the majority did not agree with the statements presented. Std. Deviation Variance ,408 ,167 ,457 ,449 ,527 ,598 ,598 ,627 ,666 ,652 ,733 ,681 ,723 ,209 ,202 ,278 ,357 ,358 ,393 ,443 ,426 ,537 ,463 ,523

Quality of faculty Graduate Employment Range of programms Own perception Entry requirements Reputation Location Student placements Social life Competition for place Guidance from parents Guidance from friends Table 4: University 1

Sum 665 662 658 638 617 605 577 576 575 564 521 471

Mean 2,82 2,81 2,79 2,70 2,61 2,56 2,44 2,44 2,44 2,39 2,21 2,00

From the table it can be seen that the decision on choosing the university is mainly influenced by quality of faculty, graduate employment and range of programs. While family and friends are concerned to be the most reliable sources of information, their guidance is least concerned when choosing the university, whereas respondents own perception play one of key roles in choosing the university. (Table 4) Std. Deviation ,397 ,510 ,615 ,656 ,668 ,660 ,747

Sum Interest in the subject Cost Possible discounts and budget places Image of the profession Amount of course work Intellectual challenge of the subject Opinion of others Table 5: Program 1 674 647 621 590 567 565 429

Mean 2,86 2,74 2,63 2,50 2,40 2,39 1,82

Variance ,158 ,261 ,378 ,430 ,446 ,436 ,558

26

Choice of the program is influenced by three main factors: interest in the subject, costs and possible discounts/budget places. As well as in the previous table, opinion of others has the least influence on choosing the program. (Table 5)

Improve English Future migration opportunity after 604 graduation High competetiveness 644 Gain western 680 experience Difficult to find job 812 in Latvia Learn culture of other 855 countries Table 6: Program in English 1

Sum 490

Mean 2,53 3,11 3,32 3,51 4,19 4,41

Std. Deviation Variance 1,604 2,572 1,712 1,648 1,451 1,549 1,595 2,930 2,716 2,106 2,401 2,543

The main factors that influence the choice of the program in English are to improve the language, future migration opportunity after graduation and high competitiveness. While in the questionnaire most of the respondents stated that they would like to study abroad because there are no perspectives in Latvia, criteria Difficult to find job in Latvia is on the 5th position out of 6. (Table 6)

Have you seen any advertising of RISEBA up till now?

59 Yes No 170

Figure 19: Advertising of RISEBA 1 74% of the respondents have not seen advertising of RISEBA before and only 26% have seen it.
27

Was the information interesting for you? Do not Yes No remeber Have you seen any advertising of 33 RISEBA up till now? Table 7: Satisfaction with the information 1 24 2

55% of the respondents who have seen advertising of RISEBA stated that the information was interesting for them. (Table 7) 42% stated that the information was not interesting: it was short and did not have anything that would help it to outstand among other advertisings of universities. They said that they would like to know more about: Prices/budget places/discounts and how it all affect the number of lectures. Spheres where you can work Future perspectives Comments from graduates Cooperation with international universities Information about lecturers Quality of studies Students life

Did you hear or know about INTOPIA, LCCI, Erasmus, Double degree?

Know Heard Do not know and heard Table 8: INTOPIA, LCCI, Erasmus, Double degree 1

INTOPIA 10 45 158

LCCI 14 40 161

Erasmus 39 69 106

Double degree 35 75 103

From the table it can be seen that the majority do not know and have never heard about INTOPIA, LCCI, Erasmus and Double degree system.

28

Would you like to know more about LCCI, Intopia, Erasmus and double degree system?
35

Yes No

170

Figure 20: Intention to know more about Erasmus, LCCI, Intopia, Erasmus 1 83% of the respondents would like to know more about it.(Figure 20)

Social networks
60 35 64 Twitter Facebook Draugiem.lv 89 203 Boomtime.lv One.lv Other 70

Figure 21: Social networks 1 The most popular social network is one.lv, which is used by 86% of the respondents. (Figure 21)

29

11.Limitations and caveats

During the research, the researchers have faced some limitations. They are the following: 1. Students unwillingness to respond to some questions 2. Lack of time 3. Failure to provide reasonable recommendations

12.Conclusions and recommendations

Conclusions 1. 237 pupils have been surveyed, thus making the research representative and it can be generalized to the whole population. 2. Average income in families of 3 and more people starts from less than 500 Ls till 1000 Ls. Only in families with 4 or more people, the income reaches 1500 Ls. 3. Majority of the respondents can afford to study in RISEBA. As concerns EBS program, there can arise some difficulties with attracting pupils to study it since the price is too high (one of the main priorities of choosing the program is price). 4. 95% would like to continue their studies and 66% would like to study abroad because according to the comments, 45% stated that there are no perspectives in Latvia and education abroad is better. 5. Majority of the respondents would like to study either only in Russian or in Russian/English. 6. LU, RTU and Stradina University are the most popular universities among students. Most of them commented that they are the most well known in Riga. 7. Potential spheres of studies are medicine, sociology (business, economy), tourism and entrepreneurship. 8. The most appropriate time for searching the information about universities for scholars is the beginning of the 12th grade. 9. According to the analysis the most reliable sources of information are opinions of friends, family and internet. 10. 77% stated that they do not have any friends or relatives in RISEBA. 63% said that they have been recommended to study in RISEBA. 11. 64% stated that the program influence their place of studies 12. Attending of such event as School is mostly preferred by 12th grade students. 77% of the respondents spent less than 15 minutes at each stand.
30

13. For both 11th and 12th grade scholars it will take less than half a year to choose the university. 14. From those who attended RISEBA stand 85% were satisfied with the information presented, but analyzing more specifically, most of them disagreed with the statements presented in the questionnaire. 15. Quality of faculty, graduate employment and range of programs influence the choice of the university. 16. Interest in the subject, costs and possible discounts/budget places influence the choice of the program. 17. Majority of the respondents would like to study on English program in order to improve their language and increase their competitiveness that will be used for further migration from Latvia. 18. 74% of the respondents have never seen the advertising of RISEBA. 19. Majority of the respondents would like to know more about prices/budget places/discounts and how it all affects the number of lectures; spheres where you can work and future perspectives; comments from graduates; cooperation with international universities; information about lecturers; quality of studies; students life. 20. Almost all of the respondents would like to know about Erasmus, LCCI, Double degree, Intopia. 21. Most popular social networks are one.lv and draugiem.lv

Recommendations 1. Since the pupils of 11 and 12 grades look for the information in the beginning of the 12th grade, it is the best time to advertise the university by distributing brochures with the information about RISEBA, programmes, activities etc. in schools.

2. Since the quality of faculty, graduate employment and range of programs influence the
decision of the pupil, it is recommended to include it in the advertising. Faculties should be described in details.

3. Since the interest in the subject, price and discounts influence the choice of the program,
it is recommended to include this information about it into advertising. Programs and main subjects should be described so that they would be understandable for everyone. Number of budget places and possible ways to get a discount should be mentioned since they influence the decision of the student.
31

The information about lecturers of the program as well as guest lecturers should be included in order to give an overview of the future studies. The information about graduates should also be included, e.g. current place of work, since real examples may influence the final decision.

4. The best way to advertise RISEBA is through internet on websites like one.lv since most
of the current scholars use them most often.

5. RISEBA can also review the design of the web site, since it is one of the main sources of
information for pupils.

32

13.Exhibits
Questionnaire

Questionnaire
1. 2. 3.

Date: ______________

4.

5.

Are you planning to continue your studies in university, high school, college etc.? Yes No Where would you like to continue your studies? Latvia Abroad Please, mention the name of the institution in which you would like to continue your studies and specify why? (if you do not know the name please mention the sphere) ______________________________________________________________________ In what language you would like to study? Why? ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ When have you started or are planning to start searching for information about the university in which to study? In the beginning of the 12th grade In the middle of 12th grade Have not started yet Am planning to start now Am planning to start in a month Will not search for information What do you consider to be the most reliable source/s of information about higher education? (choose all that apply) Opinion of Friends Opinion of Family TV Newspapers Internet resources Other: ___________ Why? ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________

6.

7.

What events did you attend or will attend in order to get information about higher education? University open days Skola Other_______________________________ 8. What are you more interested in when choosing a place where to study: the brand and status of the university or the programmes that are offered by the institution? Programme University 9. What is your preferred language to study in? Why? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 10. How much time do you think you need to choose the university? Less than half a year More than half a year Half a year More than a year 11. Have you attended Skola 2010? Yes No 12. How much time did you spend at each stand on average at the event? < 10 minutes 16-20 minutes 11-15 minutes > 20 minutes

33

13. Have you attended the stand of RISEBA? Yes No If not, than state the reason why. ______________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 14. Were you satisfied with the information presented at RISEBA stand? Yes No

15. How would you evaluate the way how RISEBA presented the information about itself at Skola 2010? Neither agree nor disagree 3 3 3 3

Strongly disagree There was enough information provided. The presenter was pleasant and polite. I was given enough materials for decision making. The presenter thoroughly explained the content of the programmes I was interested in. The materials provided are comprehensive. 1 1 1 1 1

Disagree 2 2 2 2

Agree 4 4 4 4

Strongly agree 5 5 5 5

16. Please, circle the variant, which best describes your attitude to the importance of the factor shown in the table when choosing the university. 1=Unimportant; 2=Neither Unimportant or Important; 3=Important Neither Factor Unimportant Unimportant or Important Important Reputation 1 2 3 Location 1 2 3 Own Perception 1 2 3 Graduate Employment 1 2 3 Social Life Nearby 1 2 3 Range of programs 1 2 3 Entry Requirements 1 2 3 Quality of Faculty 1 2 3 Guidance from Parents 1 2 3 Student Placements 1 2 3 Competition for Place 1 2 3 Costs 1 2 3

17. Please, circle the variant, which best describes the importance of the factor shown in the table when choosing a particular study programme. 1=Unimportant; 2=Neither Unimportant or Important; 3=Important Neither Title Unimportant Unimportant Important nor Important Professional image of the profession 1 2 3 Social image of the profession 1 2 3 Amount of course work 1 2 3 Interest in the subject 1 2 3 Intellectual challenge of the subject 1 2 3

34

18. Rate the following criteria by their importance from 1 till 6 - where 1 being the most important and 8 being the least important - when you would like to choose the programme in English. Rank Gain western experience Learn culture of other countries Improve English Difficult to find job in Latvia Challenges Future migration opportunity after graduation 19. Have you seen any advertising of RISEBA up till now? Yes No 20. Was the information interesting for you? Yes No 21. What information it lacked if you compare it to other advertising materials presented by other higher education establishments? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 22. What information would you like to see in the advertising? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 23. Do you know or have heard about: Yes INTOPIA LCCI Erasmus Double degree system No Would you like to know more about it? Yes No

24. Do you have any friends or relatives who study in or finished RISEBA? Yes No 25. Did they recommend RISEBA to you as your future place of studies? Yes No 26. Gender Male Female 27. Your Age _____ 28. Your Grade/Form _____ 29. How much does your family earn per month on average?

35

Less than 500 Ls 501-1000 Ls

1001 Ls 1500 Ls More than 1501 Ls One.lv Other: ______________

30. Do you use the following social networking websites? Twitter Draugiem.lv Facebook Boomtime.lv

Thank you for your cooperation!

36

14.Bibliography
Books

1. Malhotra N. K. & Birks D. F. 1999, Marketing Research, European Edition, Pearson Education, London. 2. Uma Sekaran 2003, Research methods for business, 4th edition, Malloy Lithographing, United States Articles 1. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Vol. 29, No. 1, March 2007, pp. 5772 2. DWYFOR DAVIES and JOHN LEE, To attend or not to attend? Why some students chose school and others reject it. 3 . Kursa darbs reklm Vidusskolnu vrtjums par RSEBAA druktajiem reklmas materiliem 4 . AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON FACTORS INFLUENCING MAJOR SELECTION

Web Pages 1. RISEBA undergraduate programs, http://riseba.lv/Studies/tabid/64/language/enUS/Default.aspx

37