http://www.bartley.com.au/
Bio page
http://www.bartley.com.au/keystaff.htm
Note re talk given to Vic Branch of Statistical Society:
http://www.statsoc.org.au/objectlibrary/187?filename=Jun05.doc
There is a photo of Helen in the original, which is the June 2005 newsletter:
May Meeting: Talk Summary
On Tuesday, 31 May 2005, Helen Bartley and Mark Davis gave a lively presentation to more than 30 members of the Victorian Branch on the Role of the Statistician in the Market and Social Research Industry. Helen and Mark have both worked in the market and social research industry for a number of years in roles where their statistical knowledge has been central to their roles. Helen is an Accredited Statistician and Qualified Practising Market Researcher with a Master of Applied Science in Social | |
Statistics. |
After more than 20 years working in government and the private sector Helen established her own business which provides specialist research, statistical and data management services. Helen also teaches in Swinburne University's graduate program in Applied Statistics. Mark Davis has an honours degree in statistics and a Graduate Diploma in Social Statistics. He has worked in the market and social research industry for more than 15 years. He is currently employed in a senior role at I-View where he is responsible for a range of large scale social research projects.
Helen and Mark began their talk by asking the audience to provide some ideas of their understanding of the market and social research industry and their perceptions of the role of the statistician in the industry. Notably the audience's understanding of the industry focussed on the annoying calls that many people receive during meal times from telemarketers and interviewers. Helen and Mark then proceeded to explain the role of the industry, emphasising the range of research undertaken by the industry - from traditional consumer research projects through to complex government and social research projects. They commented that the work of the market and social research statistician extends well beyond the traditional areas of data collection and analysis.
Their talk provided some insights into the expectations of a statistician in the market and social research industry. They made the point that an experiened statistician will commonly be involved all stages of the research process – from preparing a survey proposal, through to monitoring the data collection, undertaking the analysis, reporting and presentation of the results.
They identified the additional skills beyond the core statistical training were required to work as a statistician in the industry. In particular they emphasised the importace of being able to communicate effectively; work with others; liaise with clients and have strong verbal and written presentation skills. Other relevant skills discussed included commercial knowledge/experience, an ability to think laterally and a practical mind.
They demonstrated, through examples from their own careers and anecdotal feedback from other market researchers, that the market and social research statistician cannot hide in a back office speaking a language few can understand!
They concluded their talk with an overview and examples of job opportunities for statisticians seeking career in the market and social research industry and suggested that opportunities were good for statisticians seeking more than a back room position.
Their talk resulted in considerable discussion specifically about the training required to to work as a statistician and how educators should be preparing graduates for a career in the industry as well as more general discussion about the differences between statisticians working in a commercial environment and those working in an academic environment.
Helen Bartley
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