1. Date: April 25, 2016
To: Tomie Gowdy-Burke
Professor in the English Department
Washington State University (WSU) Pullman Campus
From: Alex Glidden, Undergraduate Accounting Student at WSU, Team Leader
Ryan Paauw, Undergraduate Accounting/Information Systems Student at WSU
Devon Ehlert, Undergraduate Finance Student at WSU
Antoine Jones, Undergraduate Information Systems Student at WSU
Subject: Recommendation Report for the Textbook Program at WSU
Attached is the report regarding our team’s evaluation of various textbook programs, “Choosing
the Most Cost Beneficial Option in Obtaining Course Required Materials at Washington State
University (WSU): A Recommendation Report.” We completed the tasks set forth in the
proposal of February 24, 2016: to gain a better understanding of the thoughts and feelings of the
student body regarding the cost of textbooks and the on-campus bookstore, and gather
information regarding the cost of textbooks for business majors through the following outlets:
the WSU on-campus bookstore, Amazon, and Chegg from freshman to senior year.
To carry out these tasks, our primary research consisted of a survey, which was implemented to
gain insight on the thoughts and feelings the current student body has regarding the costs of
textbooks and the on-campus bookstore; and gathering raw data from the websites of each outlet
listed in the preceding paragraph and then performing various data analytic strategies. Secondary
research consisted of reviewing similar studies done at other universities.
Some significant findings from the research were that the overwhelming majority (>50%) of the
current student body sampled hold negative connotations regarding the on-campus bookstore and
were ultimately unaware of the potential cost savings through Amazon and Chegg. Also,
Amazon consistently had lower textbook costs and over the course of four years a student could
save an average of around $1000.
Our recommendation is take the advantage of the potential cost savings by purchasing the
majority, if not all the required textbooks from Amazon. While ordering books for class is
nobody’s favorite thing to do, we encourage everyone to take the time to use the information
from the research we provide to give yourself the best opportunity to reap the possible savings.
As a team, we would like to extend our appreciation for the advice and guidance that you have
provided throughout this process. It has given us the ability to not only collect the most relevant
data, but also present that information in a professional manner. If you have any questions or
concerns, please contact the team leader, Alex Glidden, at alexander.glidden@wsu.edu. Thank
you for taking the time to read this report.
2. Choosing the Most Cost-Beneficial Option in
Obtaining Required Course Materials at
Washington State University:
A Recommendation Report
Prepared for: The Student Body, Families, and Professor,
All Class Levels
Washington State University (WSU)
Prepared by: Alexander Glidden, Undergraduate Accounting Major
Ryan Paauw, Undergraduate Accounting/Information Systems Major
Devon Ehlert, Undergraduate Finance Major
Antoine Jones, Undergraduate Information Systems Major
April 25, 2016
3. Table of Contents
Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………...…1
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………...2
ResearchMethods………………………………………………………………………………..4
Audience Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………..4
Design Development………………………………………………………………………………..4
Usability Test……………………………………………………………………………………..5
Results.............................................................................................................................................6
Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………………….7
Students’ thoughts and feelings concerning the current WSU textbook program.…………........8
The meaning of the cost data comparisons..……………………………………………………..8
Recommendation………………………………………………………………………………...8
References………………………………………………………………………………………..9
Appendix A: First Draft of Pamphlet…………………………………………………………10
Appendix B: Usability Test…………………………………………………………………….11
Appendix C: Final Product………………………………………………..…………………...12
4. 1
Executive Summary
The problem this report covers is whether the Washington State University (WSU) textbook
program is the most cost beneficial to its students when compared to other outlets in obtaining
textbooks. I was assigned a team for the task of presenting our findings and any
recommendations we have to our primary audience, the students.
A key issue within the WSU textbook program is the current rental program available. The
current rental program does not offer all of the textbooks required (in any given semester) by
students with the rental option. When this occurs, students are then only given the option to
purchase the textbook(s) at full price, either new, used, or electronically through the university’s
website, however the used and electronic option isn’t always available. The university bookstore
does not acknowledge or offer any sort of insight about alternative companies to rent or purchase
the material from on their website; even through well known companies that offer such services,
such as Amazon or Chegg.
To explore this problem, I first had to narrow my topic from looking at the cost of all majors to
specifically examining business majors. I was then able to conduct my cost research and being
gathering data. For this research, I gathered information regarding the cost of textbooks for
business majors through the WSU on-campus bookstore, Amazon, and Chegg from freshman to
senior year. After gathering all the relevant cost data, I implemented a survey to better
understand the thoughts and feelings of the student body regarding the cost of textbooks and the
on-campus bookstore. Once all the pertinent data was collected, the team then had to repurpose
the information and our findings into a final product to be distributed to our primary audience.
As a team, Ryan Paauw, Antoine Jones, Devon Ehlert, and myself set out to create a pamphlet
containing only the most relevant information to students. The team’s goal throughout this
project has been to provide fellow students with all the information necessary to make an
informed decision in purchasing textbooks and ultimately help them in saving money. As current
students, we feel deeply rooted in this problem in regards to the overall lack of knowledge in
choosing the most cost-beneficial avenue in purchasing textbooks.
Some significant findings the research illustrated were that the overwhelming majority (>50%)
of the current student body sampled hold negative connotations regarding the on-campus
bookstore and were ultimately unaware of the potential cost savings through Amazon and Chegg.
Our recommendation is take the advantage of the potential cost savings by purchasing the
majority, if not all the required textbooks from Amazon. While ordering books for class is
nobody’s favorite thing to do, we encourage everyone to take the time to use the information
from the research we provide to give yourself the best opportunity to reap the possible savings.
5. 2
Introduction
The problem I conducted my research on is whether the Washington State University (WSU)
textbook program is the most cost beneficial to its students when compared to other outlets in
obtaining textbooks. The reality of the matter is that textbooks are becoming increasingly more
expensive (through university book stores especially) carrying an extra financial burden to the
students and their families (Popken 1).
A key issue within the WSU textbook program is the current rental program available. The
current rental program does not offer all of the textbooks required (in any given semester) by
students with the rental option. When this occurs, students are then only given the option to
purchase the textbook(s) at full price, either new, used, or electronically through the university’s
website, however the used and electronic option isn’t always available. The university book store
does not acknowledge or offer any insight of alternative companies to rent or purchase the
material from on their website; even through well known companies that offer such services,
such as Amazon or Chegg. A direct consequence is that an increasing number of students cannot
afford the cost of the required materials for their various courses and do not know of the
alternatives. This results in the students having to either borrow a larger amount of money, which
pushes them further into student-loan debt, or not buy the materials at all and then attempting to
succeed in classes without them.
To explore this problem, I first had to narrow my topic from looking at the cost of all majors to
specifically examining business majors. I was then able to conduct my cost research and being
gathering data. For this research, I gathered information regarding the cost of textbooks for
business majors through the WSU on-campus bookstore, Amazon, and Chegg from freshman to
senior year. After gathering all the relevant cost data, I implemented a survey to better
understand the thoughts and feelings of the student body regarding the cost of textbooks and the
on-campus bookstore. The cost research and survey implementation were the sources of my
primary research and allowed my team to draw strong conclusions based on the results.
Secondary research consisted of reading similar studies done at schools across the nation,
specifically one that was conducted at the University of Michigan. Doing so allows the reader
put this problem into perspective at a national level, rather than purely a local, WSU perspective.
Once all the pertinent data was collected, the information then had to be repurposed to a final
product to be distributed to my primary audience. As a team, Ryan Paauw, Antoine Jones, Devon
Ehlert, and myself set out to create a pamphlet containing only the most relevant information to
students. This consisted of further analyzing the data I already had gathered and choosing only
the most pertinent information that would best represent the results of the research. This
pamphlet can be found in the appendices of this report.
6. 3
The team’s goal throughout this project has been to provide fellow students with all the
information necessary to make an informed decision in purchasing textbooks and ultimately help
them save money. As current students, we feel deeply rooted in this problem in regards to the
overall lack of knowledge in choosing the most cost-beneficial avenue in purchasing textbooks.
Some significant findings the research illustrated were that the overwhelming majority (>50%)
of the current student body sampled hold negative connotations regarding the on-campus
bookstore and were ultimately unaware of the potential cost savings through Amazon and Chegg.
Also, Amazon consistently had lower textbook costs and over the course of four years a student
could save an average of around $1000.
Our recommendation is take the advantage of the potential cost savings by purchasing the
majority, if not all the required textbooks from Amazon. While ordering books for class is
nobody’s favorite thing to do, we encourage everyone to take the time to use the information
from the research we provide to give yourself the best opportunity to reap the possible savings.
The remainder of this report will outline the research methods used in this project, the results of
the research, along with the team’s conclusions and recommendations. References will be
provided and our final product along with the usability test can be found in the appendices.
7. 4
Research Methods
To begin the process of repurposing this information, the group divided up the process into the following:
audience analysis, design development, and the usability test and its results.
Audience Analysis
The primary target audience for the repurposed product are the students enrolled in a business
major, their families, professors, and the Bookie (on-campus bookstore) of Washington State
University. This audience was chosen because the benefits of the research relates to the student
population and their families. It allows for students and families the opportunity to use the
information provided and take part in the potential cost savings. The professors can easily
present the data from the research during syllabus week directly to their students, which can
allow for more students to be able to purchase the required materials.
A secondary target audience may be the managers of the on campus bookstore because the
information displayed in the pamphlet provided to students will bring light to the inflated prices
of on campus books. This in turn may pressure them to lower prices as they realize they have
other markets to compete with, especially if they see their profit margin decreasing rapidly.
Design Development
Our goal was to present a pamphlet that delivered only the most relevant information from the
original research conducted. Some initial concerns regarding the design of the product included
determining what information would be the most beneficial to students and organizing that
information in a way that displays it in an unbiased fashion, focusing on simply presenting the
facts from our research.
The elements of the pamphlet’s design came from Williams’ four principals of professional
design (Markel 251-252). In satisfying the principle of proximity we separated the pamphlet in
sections for each class level and included the corresponding information. For the last page of the
pamphlet we created a border around all the information regarding average costs of senior year
before presenting the four-year averages. Any graphs presented are easily identifiable at the end
of their corresponding section. Doing this ensures that the reader would be able to easily identify
the information and its corresponding section. The alignment of the information consisted of
centering and bolding the section titles, then presenting a short written description of the facts to
be presented, then presenting the facts centered underneath their corresponding descriptions, and
then the graph was included at the end of each section, centered similar to the section title. This
format was repeated in the freshman-senior sections of the pamphlet to avoid confusing or
distracting the reader. To achieve acceptable contrast levels, we wanted to the pamphlet to be as
simple as possible. This was done by using a white background with black text to ensure the
information is easy to read. Also by using a white background, the costs of producing this
product are kept minimal as not a lot of color ink must be used in printing the pamphlet.
8. 5
Usability Test
In determining the extent this product was usable for our target audience, we set out to get
opinions of friends and fellow students regarding the presentation of the information. We wanted
to determine if the information was presented in way that was easily understood, if the pamphlet
seemed cluttered, and if the conclusions were clear and concise. We developed questions
(outlined in Appendix B) to conduct this test.
9. 6
Results
The initial pamphlet design was a good starting point in developing the final product. The subject
of our project was widely appreciated and we were able to gather some valuable feedback.
From our usability test we discovered that our overall organization of the information was
received very well, however the way we presented our cost comparison was a little confusing.
After receiving the feedback, we critiqued the formula for how we compared the different costs.
We originally presented the savings comparison from choosing either Amazon or Chegg as a
percentage of the WSU cost. We critiqued this by presenting the estimated cost for a single
textbook and the total cost at each class level for WSU, Amazon, and Chegg. In doing so, the
information was received much better and we were told the information was much easier to
understand. The feedback also revealed that our peers felt the organization of the pamphlet did
not seemed cluttered, which allowed the reader to understand completely the conclusions we
drew from our research. Besides these main issues, all that needed to be done with the main
pamphlet was some restructuring and formatting.
10. 7
Conclusions
Presented in this section will be our conclusions derived from the research conducted and the
team’s analysis of the data.
Students’ thoughts and feelings concerning the current WSU textbook program
The survey was a successful tool in discovering the opinions of a group of current students. The
responses to it allows me to the draw the following conclusion. Students have a negative opinion
about the textbook program shown through the 83% majority of students surveyed that said they
bought the material from the on-campus bookstore and 68% saying they will not participate in
the buy-back program at the end of the semester. Students also don’t think they receive a fair
amount for the textbooks when sold back to the campus bookstore.
The meaning of the cost data comparisons
The data illustrates the most beneficial route as being purchase the most required material
possible from Amazon. Even if the class requires a custom WSU book, I calculated my data by
using a combination of purchasing materials through both the campus book store for the custom
material and the remaining material from Amazon. It still provides the greatest savings or about
$1000 over the course of earning an accounting degree.
11. 8
Recommendations
Our recommendation is to take the advantage of the cost saving opportunity presented in our
research by purchasing the majority, if not all the required textbooks from Amazon. While
ordering books for upcoming classes is nobody’s favorite thing to do, we encourage everyone to
take the time to use the information from the research we provide to give yourself the best
opportunity to reap the possible savings. Even if a course requires a custom textbook that must
be purchased from the on-campus bookstore, we still encourage students to obtain all the
remaining materials through Amazon because a combination of purchasing from the on-campus
bookstore and Amazon is still cheaper than going solely through the on-campus bookstore.
We recommend that students take advantage of the studies we have provided and that teacher’s
aid students with the allocation of this information by distributing our product at the beginning of
every course they teach. Professors always have a syllabus with the recommended and required
textbooks used for the course, and often students are given a hard copy of this syllabus. Our
product would be attached to the syllabus, being a very easy and effective way to get the
information out the the current business students. What makes our product extremely usable is
that it can be accessed online as well. If a professor doesn’t hand out a syllabus, they would have
posted it online and our pamphlet could easily be attached that way as well. We recommend this
as it is the prime time that students are going to be purchasing their textbooks and it clearly
shows that using alternative websites is cheaper than purchasing through the on-campus
bookstore. This solves the problem that students face spending extreme amounts on textbooks,
with the knowledge we have provided them they can decide whether they want to buy from
cheaper alternatives or to continue purchasing their texts through the Bookie. We also
recommend that this information be presented in a way that does not seem to discredit the on
campus bookstore as a place to buy materials or harm its reputation as such. We are simply
providing information that will aid students in saving money, if this information is presented in a
negative light towards the on campus bookstore, the University may elect to have the pamphlet
removed from everything WSU related.
For future use of this pamphlet we recommend that each year the data is updated. We have
studied specifically business students, broken down into their classes (freshmen, etc.) and looked
at the basic business courses and the textbooks that each require. If this pamphlet were to be used
in years to come the data would have to be up to date to that specific year, sometimes the
university changes the classes required to receive a business degree and sometimes the
professors or individual courses change the required texts. The overall outline of the pamphlet
could stay the same but in order for the research to be credible the data would need to be
analyzed yearly. Not only can the university and professors vary the results but also the prices
offered by university's on-campus bookstore and those of amazon and chegg. One can assume
that the difference of one year won’t be much but to make sure that the allocated information is
correct, the data should be updated every academic year. Updating the information each year
may also require looking into other sources for buying textbooks, as new stores may emerge in
the coming years. As the updates are made it may also be necessary for professors to custom
tailor the information so it pertains to their specific emphasis of study.
12. 9
References
Natsuko, Nicholls H. "Demographic Data on Textbooks and Usage Statistics: Implications for
Textbook Cost-saving Analysis." June 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.lib.umich.edu/files/Cost-Analysis-Student-Survey.pdf
O'Rourke, John. "Textbooks: Rent, Buy, or Ebook It? | BU Today | Boston University." BU
Today RSS. N.p., 6 Sept. 2011. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <http://www.bu.edu/today/2011/textbooks-
rent-buy-or-ebook-it/>.
Popken, Ben. "College Textbook Prices Have Risen 1,041 Percent Since 1977." NBC News.
N.p., 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/freshman-
year/college-textbook-prices-have-risen-812-percent-1978-n399926>.
Markel, M. (2016). Designing Print and Online Documents. In Technical Communication (11th
ed., pp. 251-252). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's. Washington State University Edition
13. 10
Appendix A: First draft of product
Junior Yr.
1st Semester Estimated Savings (compared to
campus bookstore):
12%
6.5%
2nd Semester Estimated Savings
28%
12%
Page 4
Senior Yr.
1st Term Savings (compared to campus bookstore):
9%
No Savings
2nd Term Savings:
10%
6%
Conclusion
After the research was completed it became
obvious that textbook prices at the Bookie were
inflated, most likely due to the convenience for
students making competitors a second thought.
Amazon presents the best deals as a whole, and
instead of taking the easy route and ordering all
your books from the bookie we advise that you take
the time to look into the options we have presented
and Save That Money.
Page 5
That
Money…
On Textbooks
Authored by: Alexander Glidden, Ryan Paauw, Devon Ehlert, and
Antoine Jones
Do you find yourself financially stressed after the
new semester has begun and you just placed your
order through the Bookie for all the required
materials? The following information illustrates how
textbooks offered through the Bookie at WSU are
often overpriced when compared against two
companies that sell the same materials: Amazon
and Chegg. It is important to remember this key
point as you read through the information: when a
class requires custom material from the Bookie, the
data used in calculating the savings from Amazon
and Chegg represent a combination of purchasing
any custom material through the Bookie and the
remaining material from either Amazon or Chegg.
Information provided for Freshman and Sophomore
terms represent the introductory classes, UCORE
requirements, and business certification course
requirements. Information pertaining to the
upperlevel classes can be found in the Junior and
Senior terms.
The following brochure summarizes the average
cost savings for both Amazon and Chegg
independently compared to the costs of the same
material purchased through the Bookie, per
semester for business majors at WSU from
Freshman through Senior year.
Page 1
Freshman
1st Term Savings (compared to campus bookstore):
40%
26%
2nd Term Savings:
18.4%
10%
Page 2
Sophomore
1st Term Savings (compared to campus bookstore):
39%
36%
2nd Term Savings:
39%
35%
Page 3
14. 11
Appendix B: Usability Test Questions
In this section we present the questions asked to our peers to determine our usability of the
product. The test consisted of the following questions:
Would recommend the product to a friend?
Did the pamphlet influence the decision to buy textbooks elsewhere other than the bookie?
Would you try this product in the future?
Did you find this product useful?
Did the pamphlet alter your opinion of the bookie’s prices?
Do you have any recommendations to improve the document?
15. 12
Appendix C
In this section you will find our repurposed product. This is not the actual size of the pamphlet—
it was condensed to fit within this document.
Junior Year
Estimated average cost of a single
textbook from:
WSU: $115
Amazon: $94
Chegg: $105
The following graph illustrates that over
the entire duration of junior year,
students can expect to spend a total of:
WSU: $1,149
Amazon: $938
Chegg: $1,051
Page 4
Senior Year
Over the entire duration of senior year,
students can expect to spend a total of:
WSU: $1,128
Amazon: $1,021
Chegg: $1,176
Four-Year Cost Totals &
Estimates
Average estimated total per year cost
through:
WSU: $1,052
Amazon: $806
Chegg: $908
The following graph illustrates that over
the entire four-year college enrollment
students can expect to spend a total of:
WSU: $4,209
Amazon: $3,225
Chegg: $3,631
Page 5
Save That
Money…
On Textbooks
Authored by: Alexander Glidden, Ryan Paauw, Devon Ehlert, and
Antoine Jones
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
Materials Purchased
Estimated 4 Year Materials Cost
WSU cost Amazon Cost Chegg cost
Introduction
Do you find yourself financially stressed after
the new semester has begun and you just
placed your order through the Bookie for all the
required materials? The following information
illustrates how textbooks offered through the
Bookie at WSU are often overpriced when
compared against two companies that sell the
same materials: Amazon and Chegg. It is
important to remember this key point as you
read through the information: if any materials
were custom to WSU and not offered through
Amazon or Chegg, the cost(s) through WSU
were assigned to each Amazon and Chegg to
avoid diluting the data.
Information provided for Freshman and
Sophomore terms represent the introductory
classes, UCORE requirements, and business
certification course requirements. Information
pertaining to the upper-level classes can be
found in the Junior and Senior terms.
The following brochure summarizes the average
estimated cost savings for both Amazon and
Chegg when independently compared to the
costs of the same materials when purchased
through the Bookie; per semester, for business
majors at WSU from Freshman through Senior
year.
Results are consistent each year and conclude
that Amazon is clearly the most cost-beneficial
retailer for students in purchasing required
textbooks, followed by Chegg, resulting in the
Bookie being the most expensive option.
Page 1
Freshman Year
Estimated average cost of a single
textbook from:
WSU: $96
Amazon: $68
Chegg: $79
The following graph illustrates that over
the entire duration of freshman year,
students can expect to spend a total of:
WSU: $863
Amazon: $614
Chegg: $712
Page 2
Sophomore Year
Estimated average cost of a single
textbook from:
WSU: $119
Amazon: $72
Chegg: $77
The following graph illustrates that over
the entire duration of sophomore year,
students can expect to spend a total of:
WSU: $1,069
Amazon: $652
Chegg: $692
Page 3