client project paper

Running head: CLIENT PROJECT PAPER 1

Client Project Paper

Bianca Butler

Ferris State University

CLIENT PROJECT PAPER 2

Introduce problem and history

I had the pleasure of working with two clients this semester. The first client I worked

with was Julie Rudolph, who is an Educational Counselor and Assistant Professor at Ferris State

University. I worked with Mrs. Rudolph on marketing issues to try to get students to come to

disability awareness events. Some students may not be aware of the help that is offered at Ferris

State University, and it is important to get the resources that they need in order to succeed in

their college careers. The second client I worked with was Judy Watson, who is the Tuition

Incentive Program (TIP) coordinator at Ferris State University. This program gives financial

assistance to students who were on Medicaid between the third and twelfth grades. The problem

is that the graduation rate for these students is lower than for the general population. With Mrs.

Watson, I worked on developing a focus group which consists of TIP students who are currently

enrolled in the program. The purpose of this focus group was to ask questions and get some

feedback on the problem of low graduation rates as well as to come up with some solutions on

how to fix this problem. I also worked with Mrs. Watson on marketing issues by assisting with

the Dawg Days and TIP SCHOLAR luncheons. In addition, I will develop some possible

solutions on how to fix these communication barriers within the two programs.

Describe method

I helped Mrs. Rudolph to solve her marketing problems by creating a poster for an event

for the Diversity of Abilities Panel Discussion. This event allowed both students and professors

at Ferris State University who have disabilities to share their experiences of what it is like to

have a disadvantage and receive feedback from other students who also might have a

disadvantage compared to other students. I created this flyer to help spread the word about this

event because not that many college students on campus knew about it. In addition, I created a


Facebook page and invited some of my friends from Ferris to attend to this event. Another event

that I was able to help Mrs. Rudolph with the DisArt Festival. This event helps celebrate and

change minds about individuals who may have disabilities. I was able to pass out flyers around

campus to students as well as some of my friends to get the word out about this event.

Furthermore, I also created a Facebook page for this event and invited some of my family and

friends to this event.

I was able to help Mrs. Watson with her marketing problems by assisting with the Dawg

Days by passing out literature to students about the TIP program and informing them about what

TIP has to offer students at Ferris. Next, I assisted Mrs. Watson with the network luncheons by

talking to students about what it is like to be in the program as well as their journey in college.

Lastly, I also helped Mrs. Watson with developing a focus group. I was able to sit in on the

planning committee and give my feedback as to what my opinions were and how the TIP

SCHOLAR students can improve in their college careers. Furthermore, I was able to develop

some questions to ask the students during the interview process, choose which incentives would

be effective in convincing the students to come to this particular study, put together bags for the

students so they could take these incentives with them, go and find which room would be the

perfect room to conduct this study in, transcribe what each student response was when replying

to each question, and type the responses from this study.

Analyze results and apply appropriate theory

According to Kristie Lorette (n.d.), in order for any organization to continue to thrive, it

is important to reach out to the public. There are certain tactics organizations can use to raise

awareness. Not having the proper marketing skills can do harm to an organization if there are not

enough individuals who know about the organization. If an organization uses the right marketing


methods, it will attract more individuals. When individuals know about an organization, it helps

them to possibly benefit that organization. Once the word gets out about the organization,

individuals will want to get the word out to their family and friends. If they do this, the

organization will be even more successful.

As mentioned earlier, without finding the right marketing tactics, an organization will be

less likely to be successful. How an organization represents itself determines how successful the

business will be. Individuals may think highly of the organization, and that means that the

company must have certain standards to meet. The reputation of an organization relies heavily on

communication skills, both externally and internally, as well as goods or services that meet

customer expectations for quality. Lorette (n.d.) states “marketing efforts get the word out on

pricing of products and services, which not only reaches the intended consumers, but also

reaches other companies competing for the consumers’ business.” Some organizations can set

their prices to any limit. However, marketing allows organizations to convince certain

individuals before competition takes place. Marketing is important for any organization to

successfully succeed, but making sure an organization succeeds can cost the organization money.

During the first year, an organization will typically spend more money on marketing programs.

For the following years, the organization will need a marketing budget. This budget can be more

than thirty percent of the company’s income each year. The marketing program can help the

organization to succeed and create a healthy environment for both the organization and its

customers.


There are two theories that came to mind when I worked with Mrs. Rudolph and Mrs.

Watson. The first theory that fits Mrs. Rudolph’s problem is Cognitive Dissonance Theory.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory is defined as “the mental clash or tension resulting from the

processes of acquiring knowledge or understanding through the senses” (Cognitive Dissonance

Theory, 2010). In the article “Cognitive Dissonance Theory”(2010), “the clash of mind” is what

occurs when a person must choose from a number of possibilities. Cognitive dissonance is the

conflict felt in the process of making this decision. This theory fits perfectly with Mrs. Rudolph

because some students at Ferris believe that if they have a disability and are labeled as having a

disability, other individuals will make fun of them. This is why some students at Ferris choose

not to go and seek the services that they might eventually need in order to successfully make it

through college.

A second theory that I thought fit perfectly for Mrs. Watson’s situation was the goal

setting theory. Art Daniel (n.d.) defines goal setting theory in the following way: “people who

have more difficult but attainable goals perform better than those who have less difficult goals.”

While developing a focus group, the planning committee and search committee had to go

through certain steps to help the TIP SCHOLARS students to reach their goal of graduating.

When planning to do a focus group there are many things to take into consideration.

According to McNamara (n.d.), an individual who wants to conduct a focus group must be able

to “identify the major objective of the meeting, carefully develop five to six questions, plan [his

or her] session, call potential members to invite them to the meeting.” It is important to send the

individuals who are participating in the focus group an reminder stating what day the study will

be conducted on. This reminder should also include an agenda, followed by how long it will take

to complete the study and a list of questions that will be asked during the study. McNamara


(n.d.) also states that “about three days before the session, [facilitators should] call each member

to remind them to attend.” Facilitators of these groups should also send a copy of what was said

during the study to each participant in the group. (McNamara, n.d.).

When developing questions to ask during a focus group it is important to ask at least five

to six questions. Each study should last for an hour and thirty minutes. The person who is in

charge of the focus group needs to ask him- or herself what issues the focus group aims to

correct (McNamara, n.d.). It is important for the person who is in charge to see if a service can

be implemented to help these individuals out so they will be able to succeed down the road. Most

focus groups will function similarly to a series of interviews. Therefore, focus groups follow

similar guidelines as interviews (McNamara, n.d.).

When facilitating a focus group, it is recommended that it be done during lunch because

this is when most individuals have free time. It is important to hold the study in a large room that

has plenty of light, turn the chairs so all of the participants will be able to look at each other, and

give name tags so participants can learn each other’s names. Facilitators should offer

refreshments or lunch if the study is done during the lunch hour. All participants need to

participate in the study, but ground rules should be presented before the study. When creating an

agenda, a facilitator should make sure that it includes a welcoming opening, the reason why the

group is meeting, ground rules, an introduction, a question and answer section, and a closing

section (McNamara, n.d.). Usually there are between six and ten participants in each focus group

that are in the same age group or are involved in the same program. It is vital to only pick those

individuals who will be able to participate in the study. Facilitators should try to select

individuals who do not know each other personally. Lastly, they should not try to remember


what each person says by taking a mental note. It is important for the facilitator to have a co-

facilitator who can transcribe what is being said McNamara, n.d.).

When facilitating a focus group, there are some things to take into consideration as well.

The purpose of conducting a focus group is to gather data to help a particular group out. Wording

a question appropriately is significant when leading a focus group. The facilitator should give

everyone in the focus group some time to write down his or her responses (McNamara, n.d.).

Repeating each person’s response can also be helpful to the group. It is important for the

facilitator to call on each participant so that everyone can have a chance to respond to a question.

It is recommend that a round table be used when facilitating a focus group. Once the study is

completed, the facilitator needs to tell all of the participants that they will each receive a copy of

the report. He or she should close by thanking all of the participants for coming (McNamara,

n.d.). The facilitator needs to make sure that everything was recorder properly and that all hand

written notes are easy to read, and write down any observations that were seen during the study

(McNamara, n.d.).

To summarize, I believed that I helped each client with solving her problem. I got to learn

new information that I did not know beforehand. I also enjoyed working with each one of them. I

think also that as a person, I got to know them more personally beyond their profession.


References

Cognitive Dissonance Theory. (2010). Retrieved from

http://communicationtheory.org/cognitive-dissonance-theory/

Daniel, A. (n.d.). A Theory of Goal Setting By Locke & Latham. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved

from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/theory-goal-setting-locke-latham-1879.html

Lorette, K. (n.d.). The Importance of Marketing for the Success of a Business. The Houston

Chronicle. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-marketing-

success-business-589.html

McNamara, C. (n.d.). Basics of conducting focus groups. Retrieved from

http://managementhelp.org/businessresearch/focus-groups.htm

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client project paper