The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore what influences Gen Z student college choice. Research on college choice has provided insight into whether or not a student will attend college; however, limited research exists on what impacts Gen Z students’ college choice and how marketing and communication influence what college a student will choose. College recruitment has always been challenging, given the high competition between colleges and universities. With the decrease in enrollment over the last decade and the unexpected impact of COVID-19, that challenge continues to grow. Enrollment and marketing administrators have difficulty expanding and diversifying their marketing, communication, and digital engagement practices to influence this generation of college-going students. This research involved interviews with 27 first-semester first-year students at a regional university in the southeast. Participants described their experiences with the college search process, including contact from higher education institutions. Overall, this study provides a more comprehensive understanding of Generation Z’s college choice influences.

Denna studie har ämnat att undersöka generationerna Y:s, födda 1985–1994, och Z:s, födda 1995– 2005, medievanor med fokus på deras attityder gentemot de övervakningsverktyg som existerar på sociala medier idag. För att studera generationernas attityder gentemot övervakningsverktyg har tre teman konkretiserats: deltagande på sociala medier, övervakning från kommersiella företag, samt övervakning i form av platstjänster. Foucaults teorier om Panopticon, disciplin och makt har influerat denna studie och har använts för att skildra övervakning och maktrelationer utifrån respondenternas svar. Studien har genomförts genom åtta kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra respondenter från varje generation. Resultatet av studien visar på mer likheter än skillnader i attityder hos generationerna beträffande deras syn på deltagande och hur de ställer sig till kommersiella företags insamling av personliga data. Attityderna skilde sig dock när det kom till attityder och användande av platstjänster. Här visade generation Y på ett mer restriktivt deltagande och en mer skeptisk ståndpunkt medan generation Z var mer öppna och deltog till större grad. Respondenternas svar indikerade på att de var medvetna om att de blev övervakade på sociala medier vilket de kunde uppfatta som obehagligt, men istället för att inte delta alls så utvecklades strategier som gav dem upplevd säkerhet och kontroll. / This study aimes to investigate the generations Y's, born 1985-1994, and Z's, born 1995-2005, media habits, focusing on the surveillance tools that exist on social media today. In order to investigate the attitudes of both generations, towards monitoring tools, three themes have been concretized: participation on social media, monitoring from commercial companies, and monitoring in the form of location based services. Foucault's theories of Panopticon, discipline and power have influenced this study and have been used to depict surveillance and power relations based on the respondents' answers. The study was conducted through eight qualitative semi-structured interviews with four respondents from each generation. The results of the study show more similarities than differences in attitudes of the generations regarding their views on participation, and how they approached commercial companies' collection of personal data. However, the attitudes differed when it came to attitudes and use of location based services. Here, generation Y showed a more restrictive participation, and a more sceptical stance, while generation Z was more open and involved on social media. Respondents' responses indicated that they were aware that they were being monitored in all three themes, which could be perceived as unpleasant, but instead of not participating at all, they developed strategies that gave them perceived security and control.

The labor force consists of 4 generations including Generation Z with an estimated 25 million Baby Boomers leaving the workforce between the year 2010 and 2020. Franchise fast food service managers desire competent leadership in the workplace inclusive of Generation Z. Yet, many franchise fast food service managers do not have training programs to develop Generation Z's leadership behaviors. Based on Vroom's expectancy theory and Blau's social theory, the purpose of this single-case study was to explore the training programs franchise fast food service managers could implement to develop Generation Z's leadership behaviors. Data collection consisted of direct observation and semistructured interviews of 5 purposely selected franchise fast food service managers at a franchise fast food organization in the southern region of Georgia. Data analysis included coding the transcribed interviews to identify relevant themes, and member checking to strengthen the reliability and validity of the interpretations of participants' responses. The 6 main themes revealed were leadership training, leadership skills, leadership behaviors, training barriers, human capital development, and on-the-job training, which affects employees' performance and organizational effectiveness. Business leaders in organizations may use the findings of this study to develop effective training programs for evolving Generation Z's leadership skills, which could improve the U.S. food service industry turnover rates. Social change implications include the importance of the need for succession planning strategies to promote growth and sustainability within the fast food service industry.

The adaptation of marketing has led brands to connect with the clients through the usage of theiremotions, understanding the joy or sadness an element can create in a customer, which increasesthe possibility of a recognized experience.To analyze the effects that emotions can create in customers, the usage of Duolingo’s case studywas implemented, the understanding of their new strategy used on TikTok, allowed this studyto analyze the results of such adaptations in generation Z, as the main target through the TikTokplatform.Interviews were used in this study to collect data from the public and understand the value ofemotional marketing to make buying decisions.The conclusion of this thesis resulted in the lack of development that Duolingo’s emotionalmarketing has to this day, due to missing information about the brand and the product. Thisthesis identified that the results are between positive and negative depending on the backgroundfrom the customer, since those having previous knowledge about the company appreciate betterthe usage of joy or sadness, different from users that were not able to identify the company.This analysis aims to help other companies that are looking to adapt through social media, byunderstanding how their competitor have done previous marketing campaigns, teaching themto not repeat the same mistakes.

Date: (05/01/22)   Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr   Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University   Authors: Las Amin, Saad Husseino, Nour Kellawi   Title: The Impact of Instagram Influencers on Consumer Purchasing Intention   Supervisor: Noushan Memar   Keywords: Influencers, Online purchasing intention, Instagram, Online influencer marketing, Trust, eWOM, Generation Z   Research question: What are the impacts of Instagram influencers on online consumer purchasing intentions?   Purpose: The primary purpose of this research is to investigate how social media influencers, otherwise dubbed as “Instagrammers,” particularly impact the online purchasing intentions of buyers and understand the role of Instagram influencers in the different online purchasing trends in organizations that rely on these individuals for their marketing activities in e-commerce.   Method: Qualitative research using focus group method for data collection and analysis. Conclusion: Instagram influencers of all types have a noteworthy influence on the different online consumer purchasing intentions on the platform, where several factors determine the scope of their impact. Trust is considered one of the most significant ones. It is perspicuous that trust in Instagram influencers is intertwined with three aspects: the emotional feelings of the users in regard to the person, the social responsibility of the influencer toward the society, and the influencer fan base. Most users consider electronic word-of-mouth very effective, as it makes a difference in their pre-purchasing stage. The research resulted in a clear distinction between two types of eWOM, one being negative and the other being positive.

With the constant development of marketing strategies, it has become more vital to continuously communicate online with consumers. As Generation Z is born with digital devices and increased social media channels, customers demand fashion brands being present online. The empirical findings in this study were obtained using a qualitative research method through semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with five fast-fashion brands in Sweden that target Generation Z. The authors have used a deductive approach in this thesis. The conclusion of this thesis shows several factors that fashion brands use to create brand loyalty with Generation Z. Findings indicated that social media should be a communication channel. Furthermore, this research is from a retailer’s perspective. Finally, loyalty is something that is earned by creating relationships.

Date: 02.06.2021 Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Avesta Aspitman (94/05/24) , Beata Valeria Karacsonyi (95/08/01), Dalia Uthman (97/01/07)                      Title: Changes in online shopping activities of Generation Z students - A qualitative study on online purchase intent and impulsivity during Covid-19 Tutor: Leanne Johnstone Keywords: Online purchase intent, Covid-19, Generation Z, Students, Impulsive shopping Research question:  How has Covid-19 impacted the online purchase intent of students at Mälardalen region of Sweden? Purpose: To examine how the impact of Covid-19 has affected the online      purchase intent of students of Mälardalen region in Sweden. Method: This study has an inductive approach with a qualitative data collection. Semi-structured interviews were held with nine students within the Mälardalen region and were conducted online through the communication tool ZOOM. A thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the collected primary data and with assistance of the literature review, four dimensions of the topic could be identified: financial, performance, time and psychological. Conclusion: Online purchasing during Covid-19 has increased and thus, affected the online purchasing intent of students in the same way. This is mainly due to restrictions and due to the pandemic and the consumer’s perception of the online retailers’ adaptation to it. Increased impulsivity due to Covid-19 cannot be concluded in this study and thus contradicts existing and recent literature that suggests impulsive shopping increases in crises. Instead, Generation Z students are more inclined to save their money and make strategic choices to purchase online.

Mot bakgrund av de generationsskillnader som finns på arbetsmarknaden var syftet med studien att undersöka hur Generation Y söker arbete som anställd i en kommunal förvaltning i jämförelse med Generation Z. Studien genomfördes som en kvalitativ fallstudie och riktade in sig på en utvald svensk kommun. Semistrukturerade intervjuer användes och ett bekvämlighetsurval (N=14) tillämpades i studien. Respondenterna bestod av fem män och nio kvinnor, födda mellan 2000 och 1982. En tematisk analys genomfördes på det insamlade materialet vilket resulterade i fyra teman (Arbetslivsbalans, En trygg arbetsgivare, Motivationsfaktorer och Kommunens arbetsgivarvarumärke). Studiens resultat visade fler likheter än skillnader. Likheterna var att de två generationerna uppskattade flexibilitet, en trygg arbetsgivare och utvecklingsmöjligheter. Båda generationerna använde sociala medier och LinkedIn vid sökande efter arbete samt var överens om att kommunens rykte måste förbättras. De främsta skillnaderna var Work-Life Balance och lön. En generationsanpassad Employer Branding strategi i kommunen behöver inte bedrivas då resultatet visade fler likheter än skillnader mellan de studerade generationerna.

Today, social media is used not only for communication and entertainment, but also as one of the most important platforms for receiving news. A lot of young adults take part in news through social media and in many cases social media is the only source for socially important information. The new role as a news provider, which social media has adopted, is examined from an audience perspective with a focus on habits and opinions. This study examined the digital news habits of Generation Z. The study is based on two research questions: one about how Generation Z take part in news via social media and one about how they are critical of the source. The study had a quantitative approach with additional qualitative elements and implemented a web survey as a method. The web survey combined open questions, multiple-choice questions and one-answer questions, the combination gave us both a broad overview with numbers to measure, but also qualitative and deeper answers that the respondent themself had formulated. There were three theories applied to the study, the theories are electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM), Uses and Gratification theory and Social Network theory. These theories provided the basis for the design of the web survey and were implemented in the analysis and discussion of the study result.  The result of the study showed that all respondents receive news via social media daily, but that receiving news is usually not an active choice. News finds the audience without them looking for it, this is mostly due to algorithms and social networks. A lot of the respondents answered that they do not trust news that are published on social media, nevertheless they continue to take part in news via social media. The result also showed that the respondents believe that a lack of source criticism is one of the biggest disadvantages of news on social media.

The environmental issues in the world are critical and sustainability becomes more important. There is a certain lack in the textile industry, where the production of clothes is responsible for water pollution, landfill waste and greenhouse gas emission. A more sustainable way of consumption is required, and one way is to shop for pre-owned and pre-used clothes. The demand for second-hand goods rapidly increases and the market is expected to continue to grow the next coming years. Internet has opened up for a new marketplace and the number of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) platforms increases and become more and more popular to buy and sell second-hand through. Generation Z are the young consumers that were born with technology, and this has led to a change in young people’s behavior, and attitudes and lifestyle which need to be perceived differently from previous generations. However, there is still a lack of research regarding Gen Z as consumers and no previous research has focused on their behavior when it comes to Online Second-hand Shopping Clothes (OSSC) using digital P2P platforms. Hence, this led us to our research question “What are the motives for Generation Z to shop second-hand clothes on digital P2P platforms?”. The aim is to give important insights to managers who are developing marketing strategies in the environment of OSSC, through exploring motivations and dimensions that could impact the behavior of this amongst Gen Z. We also want to give insights of OSSC through not only incorporating theories on shopping motivations, but also include Impulsive Buying Tendency and Perceived Risk. Based on theories of motivations towards Second-Hand shopping such as economical, ideological, fashionability, convenience, ethical and theories of Impulse Buying Tendency and Perceived Risk we constructed a conceptual framework with several hypotheses. To answer our research question and achieve our research purpose we conducted a deductive quantitative study where we through a web survey targeted people born in Gen Z who had experience of OSSC. The findings revealed that as a motive in our baseline regression analysis, ideological and convenience was significant. In our analysis on bivariate correlation, convenience and ethical motives was significant. In the multiple regression with multiple-items measures, convenience was the only significant motivation. Perceived Risk was only significant in our alternative model where it would affect the consumers perception of monetary spending on OSSC. We found no support that fashionability and impulse buying traits are motives for OSSC. Economical motives were not found to be significant as a motivation, but it can be considered a hygiene factor for OSSC. In conclusion, the findings reveal that all motives are important in different aspects, but convenience and ethical motives are strongly supported to be important drivers towards OSSC amongst Gen Z.