Tom Farrell

Research student testimonial

I originally studied marketing in Ireland and have practised for over 20 years in many industries including – IT, motoring, advertising, publishing. In 2000, I became a college lecturer in business studies and decided to update my subject knowledge and research skills. My OU studies represent a full circle journey from industry back into education.

I chose the OU because some friends had studied with The Open University Business School and been very happy with the structure, so that encouraged me to apply. I wanted to update my knowledge and continue my professional development. I did my research masters with the OU and found everything about it to be excellent – the support, facilities, the elearning resources, the calibre of the teaching.

An advantage of conducting my masters and now doctorate with The Open University Business School has been how the masters research element acted as an exploratory pilot for my PhD. As well as grounding my research, it taught me to broaden my thinking and hopefully will get me to my ultimate goal much more speedily.

My PhD thesis is marketing based, exploring ‘Advertising ethics: practitioner and stakeholder perceptions’. Ethics is an increasingly important aspect of marketing and my PhD will help on the next stage of my career, potentially within academic research and business consulting.

The OU’s flexibility is well known and I’ve found it invaluable. I’ve been able to fit around my family commitments – when my children are at school, I’m at school too – and I would wholeheartedly recommend the OU to anyone.