shazm

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for work in Bim whilst still in London. However, can anyone advise on the best companies hiring social/market researchers/analysts on the island or have any contacts in this field?

Any help will be much appreciated.

Shazm

Sunniebgi

You asked this question before.. but I have no idea what a social/market resarchers/analysts does or what kind of company they would actually work for. maybe advertising, so look at the advertising companies..

but.. having said that.. unless you are a bajan, married to a bajan or bajan by decent, moving here isn't the easiest thing to do at the moment...(and the last two things you still have to apply for residency or citizenship..) and if you are none of those, you would need a work permit.

shazm

Hi Sunniebgi

Yes, I posted this the other day but was better advised to create my own separate thread.

I do have bajan citizenship.

I don't see many research agencies/posts advertised in Barbados. Plus I've always found networking useful you never know who you could be speaking to and where you might find your next job.

Foxy_fromCanada

I'm not really sure whether there is much in the way of your line of work here. I mean, there's no Nielsen... and I'm not aware of similar companies or companies actually doing market research. However they should! Maybe you could come and open your own practice?

You might try the biggies like Deloitte, KPMG, PWC to see if they have MR departments.

Good luck!
F

shazm

Hi Foxy

I'm beginning to think that setting up my own practice may be the way to go!

On the occasions that I've looked at the websites of the "biggies" they're only recruiting for finance and human resource professionals .

I just wonder if there any recruitment agencies that can help me with my search?

Foxy_fromCanada

Hm, I'm no help to you there. I don't know anything about the recruitment agencies here.

Go for your own practice. Then you can run expenses through the business and save on tax! You've got citizenship, so that's a major roadblock out of your way. It could be a niche that's currently empty here - what better time to get in?

Good luck,
Foxy

shazm

Foxy, thanks for your encouragement!

Foxy_fromCanada

Anytime Let me know how it all turns out.

zanne

Hi shazm...this area of work that your describing doesn't really exist here (social/market resarchers/analysts)-- maybe others can chime in, but the reality is that Bajans, because consumerism is relatively new to them, are not that savvy. This I think may come in time.

My impression is that the markup on goods and services is so high that is you have 200 of 'X' item and sell just 1 money is still being made on the products that are sitting on the shelf. I also think, and somebody correct me if I am wrong, that the import regulations lead local vendors to prefer to sell (1) item at a higher cost than say 10 at a more affordable price.

Even in my profession, construction, the costs are just staggering.

One interesting phenomenon here is the Magna Card-- when we signed up my husband was certain that it was for market research and that in turn we would be inundated with junk mail, 3 years later--zip, zero, nada.

I hope that this helps...

shazm

Hi Sunniebgi

Market research or social research involves finding out about the market for goods and services and/or people's opinions on any topic of interest.

This could involve conducting: questionnaire surveys, desk research, focus groups or personal interviews, data analysis.

shazm

Yes, and the FTC appears to be a new body that doesn't really have any teeth.

However, I have started to notice a number of articles reported in the local newspapers that talk about the need for research and statistics to develop services in the island and to help Barbados compete in the global market. But Bajans do not seem serious about providing funding to carry out this type of work.

Sunniebgi

Well there are a few people here doing that, or at least I'm guessing. I was invited to a lunch, through a friend from a friend (kind of 3rd hand). Got the lunch free and was asked questions about the banking sector of Barbados (among other things). it was a market research but no clue who actually did it.. I'm sure one of the banks commissioned the work.

I think it may be more advertising agencies and marketers that do that type of work here. Radio (they do a systems survey every year.. again, no clue who does or how it's carried out).

I do agree, that because of the markup of goods and services, no one really cares if X sells and Y doesn't, because they will likely make the money on what sells from Y even if it's only a little bit.

I would go with whomever the first person was that said to possibly open your own business. Being a Bajan, however you got the citizenship, is a huges hurdle you don't have to overcome.

re the Magna thing.. it's pretty worthless and it was born from Sav-a-Checks that we used to get through the grocery stores many many moons ago. (1 sheet of sav-a-checks could earn me 5.00 towards another purchase of groceries.. Magna points don't come near that amount). But again, the guys who run it are Marketing professionals.. but they don't do junk mail, which honestly is a good thing).

zanne

Sunnie what do you think that they do with the info (Magna) then?

Sunniebgi

it's funny, I'm not real sure. I know they have lists of people, and I know if those business who are part of Magna want those lists, they can get them, but I think they rarely do that. Sometimes in your magna statement you will get info on certain things, but they don't treat it like mass marketing, which as far as I'm concerned is how it should be.

I used to work for a company that is one of the Magna Companies (meaning you get points for shopping there or using their services) but we hardly if ever used the information for any type of promotion.. don't know why, but never did.

tng1

You culd try Marcus Evans or Caribbean Jobs. com. They do advertise for research positions, but as someone said before you would need to have citizenship.