Product Description: Comparing Accountancy and Engineering Students in MARKETING

To my surprise Engineering students are better in presentation involving marketing if to compare to Accountancy/ Commerce students. This was based to my observations during a simple task given as I teach both classes in the time being.

The task was simple, students are divided into groups (4-5 members in a group) and they have to choose any one product that is available with them in class and (after an hour of discussion) to present the product in term of its description (physical attributes, specifications, price etc.)

Some of them chose (actually brought in class) powerbank, wallet, perfume, internet modem/ broadband device, a set of pen/ marker, watches, bags, laptops, phones (which is not recommended) and SIM card.

Every group is given 7- 10 minutes to ‘promote’ their product in front of potential customers (which are their classmates). Before the presentation, some of them asked me whether to send only two representatives of their company (or shall I say group) and I replied by mentioning that this activity is a good practice for them before the real presentation that will grant them 30% of their assessment. And they decided to get everyone involved.

This is where the real deal kicks in. I noticed that Engineering students are better if to compare to Accountancy students in term of language usage, grammar, content management, body language, eye contact and especially in level of confidence. I was a bit surprised knowing that Accountancy students should be better since this is a crucial part of marketing if they have to work in such field in the future.

There’s definitely something need to be done to these Accountancy/ Commerce kids or they might be having major problems when it comes to competition with other universities graduates out there. More and more practice is just one of them. They need to be more focus as this matter is involving their own future as employees in big firms. And as for the Engineering students, if one day they are not destined to an engineer or certified technician, they can start their own business of get involved in sales and marketing.