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Kristin Kroncke is a fourth year student with a dual specialization in human resources and marketing a the Fisher College of Business. Her senior thesis studies the satisfaction of faculty here at Ohio State and how that impacts student satisfaction. After graduation, she will be working for Nestle USA piloting the human resources track of the company's Operations Management Training Program.
What specifically are you studying?
My research looks at the correlation between faculty members and their satisfaction with Ohio State and the satisfaction of students throughout the university to see if there are variables in one group that can trigger the other. The project blends my two specializations nicely: I've looked at human resources research on employee satisfaction to study faculty satisfaction, and marketing research on customer satisfaction has allowed me to bettter understand student satisfaction. I hope to contribute to research concerning the relationship between faculty and student satisfaction in a university setting because there is not very much work in that area right now.
How did you become involved in research?
I went to the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum last year to support some friends, and I was inspired by all the projects I saw. After this, I spoke to one of my marketing professors, Dr. Rao Unnava, who I knew had been an advisor to business students in years past, and I asked how I could get involved. He agreed to be my advisor for this project and helped me develop the idea for my thesis.
What have you enjoyed in your experience?
What is great about research in business is that it is all individualized, so it fits in nicely with a busy college life. The research topic can be whatever I want to study, so if I find things that I am not interested in, I have the option to shift my focus to something that interests me more. Ultimately, it has been an opportunity to become very well-versed in topics that I have a passion for. It's a nice way to join my resarch and coursework together in a practical way and to give back to Ohio State.
What advice do you have for undergraduates?
Get involved! It really only takes going up to a professor with shared interests and seeing how you can contribute. Also, it would help if you start thinking about resarch as early as possible. I started late in my junior year, and it's been a challenge to get it done during my senior year in addition to all of my other coursework and activities.
Research is a great thing to do in the business field because there is going to be a critical need for business professors in the future, and doing an undergraduate thesis can help you see if you like the research process. I would definitely recommend not eliminating research from your undergraduate business experience just because not very many students do it in business. It could be a really great opportunity to set you apart if you want to go on to an MBA program or pursue a PhD.
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