Zoe Gardiner, now a Bournemouth University graduate in Marketing Communications, participated in the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR) during her final year at university. After receiving excellent feedback on her assignment, Zoe was inspired to get involved in BCUR and felt it was worth sharing her research findings.
“I also thought it would be an excellent experience to help my personal development and add to my CV,” explains Zoe, “My project was really quite different to many others’ topics. I looked at how an organisation uses relational strategies to create long term engagement and loyalty with their consumers. I focused on the not-for-profit organisation, NHS Blood Donation, to understand how they create commitment among their donors using relational strategies and how they could improve.”
Zoe received a very positive response following her presentation and a lot of questions were asked from both Bournemouth University academics and students attending from other universities.
“It’s a great experience to showcase your work to others and get their feedback – you never know who in the audience may have ideas to help you develop your work further. Plus, it’s always good to practice your public speaking skills as they’re so valuable in whatever industry or field you go into,” continues Zoe.
“There was such a vast array of research at the conference and it was really interesting to gain a wider understanding of topics I wouldn’t have otherwise learnt about. It was also nice to appreciate the amount of research and the valuable contribution we were all making in our respective fields, despite the early stage in our careers.”
If you’ve been inspired by Zoe’s story, Bournemouth University’s undergraduate research conference – SURE – will take place on 20 March 2019. For more information about how to apply for details of the conference prize, please visit the website or contact [email protected].