nothing - they still need to deal with that scenario . Very early on in this problem recognition stage , students move on to information search where , more often than not , they look to peers in the first instance as part of their group influencers . For example , Hannah told us , As much as , like , in college I can speak to people on my course , quite a lot of them , I feel like they ’ d want me to do what they ’ re doing sort of thing . Like , quite a few of them have been I ’ m not going to uni , like , you can go into a full-time job . And then it ’ ll put in my head , oh , maybe I should go into a full-time job or sort of like following . And I just don ’ t need … shouldn ’ t do that .
The study found that students like Hannah were not overtly influenced by their peers and , according to the interviews , made rational choices based on their own evaluation of information and alternatives . This is somewhat contrary to the experiences / observations of some of the researchers where , as the year progresses , more students seem to choose university as an option . These “ late majority or laggards ” ( Rogers , 2003 ) are influenced by the idea itself , how the idea is communicated , time and also the social system in which they operate . This social system , the visible progress and elation other students demonstrate based on offers , talking about halls and nightlife , combined with time passing , may have an impact on students who have not made a decision . However , one must remain cautious that Universities do not ‘ hard sell ’ a course as it could be the wrong option for the individual . In marketing terms , the acronym AIDA ( Aware , Inform , Desire , Action ) is often used when designing a communication / advertising strategy ( Brassington and Pettit , 2018 ). Therefore , making students aware that a course exists , giving specific information that is relevant to the student at that point in time , is essential . It is possible that the messaging that Universities use over time could reflect this change in rationale , or problem recognition , to better reflect the changing demand attributes of the students over time .
For the participants , the information search itself took many forms ; searching the internet , internal recollections , parental discussions , university visits and speaking to staff . From the results it is clear that one size does not fit all and students source their information , evaluate it and make a decision based on many factors and sources . The challenge is not just the opportunity cost , the cost of the next best alternative forgone , it is the very nature of education and it being a service rather than a good . Services are intangible , perishable , variable and inseparable ( Palmer , 2013 ) which means that every student will get a different experience based on individual circumstances and perspective . Therefore , evaluating information and making a decision becomes extremely difficult and those sources of information must be carefully considered . When looking at any service , such as education , the traditional 4p ’ s ( Price , Product , Place and Promotion ) ( McCarthy , 1960 , cited in Baines et al , 2008 ) must be extended to the 7P ’ s to include Process , People and Physical Evidence ( Palmer , 2013 ). Process being how students apply to the university and the ease ( or lack of )
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