When it comes to the finer academic points of market research, the University of Western Australia teaches absolute rubbish. It's true. Even the Aussie university's own promotional material says as much.
According to a recent issueof UWAnews, a high point for participants in one of the institution's recent marketing research programmes was being required to collect six old smelly bags of garbage from a residential neighbourhood of Perth. Going by the facial expressions in the accompanying photograph, they weren't entirely rapt with the assignment, either.
"The students were asked to sift through the rubbish to identify the types of food and drink consumed, then make inferences about demographics and lifestyles of people living in those homes [including] household composition, nationalities and lifestyles of different residents."
According to UWAnews, the observation research methods under trial is known as garbageology, which, along with something called "pantry audits", is increasingly showing up in business education programmes these days.
Funny, that. We weren't able to find mention of any similar programmes at any other institutions of higher learning. Although yes, it has to be said, Googling the concept does turn up a few hits to do with the notorious 1971 incident when rock superstar Bob Dylan caught an obsessive fan, A J Weberman, rummaging through his discarded household items, whereupon the living legend proceeded to tap the violator's head on the footpath. Hmm. Perhaps Mr Weberman was a market research student too?
