Tuesday, 13 March, 2007

University of Wollongong in Dubai recently hosted Mr. Dan Healy, the Regional Director of YouGovSiraj a market leader in online research in the UK and UAE. The following are excerpts from a student report on the presentation."As a final year Marketing student, I have found the guest lecture series conducted by UOWD under the initiation of Dr. Prakash Vel, to be extremely valuable. These lectures have provide students insights on what to expect in the corporate world and a stepping-stone towards successful careers.We recently had the opportunity to attend a highly interactive lecture by Mr. Dan Healy, the Regional Director of a research organisation, YouGovSiraj. Dan gave us an overview of the highly competitive world of Market Research, highlighting various topics such as questionnaire design and issues concerning online polling.The internet has become a very popular medium of communication in the modern world and is widely used to conduct research including surveys and online polls. Dan provided some interesting examples of how some of their recent reseach has proved to be quite accurate in their results.It was interesting to learn how online polls are more reliable because of the privacy the internet provides users. An individual participating in the poll is anonymous and that individual has a sense of security that encourages him/her to answer the questions honestly and in an unbiased manner. Research shows that people tend to offer candid responses to questions when they are in a familiar surrounding. Online surveys allow the respondents to complete the questionnaire at their own pace wherever they choose to.There was an interesting Q & A session after the lecture. I hope that the University will continue with its endeavours in organising such experts from the industry. These lectures provide great value in terms of learning as well as networking with companies.- Report by Mr. Amith Mansoor, a final year student in the Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Marketing