QUALITY: ESOMAR looks for worldwide standards

In a press release just made available, ESOMAR reports, "During a meeting in Amsterdam specialists from leading market research (MR) associations in the US, Japan and Europe have agreed on a number of activities to ensure the further alignment of quality standards worldwide."

Coming in the wake of the South African market research industry's concern about recruiting, this should alert us to the fact that it is not only recruiting that needs to have stringent quality standards but every aspect of research practice and use.

I am not suggesting that there is a particular problem in our industry here, but there is certainly malpractice in certain areas from time to time and it seems to me that we do very little to address the problem. Where there is no malpractice, there is sometimes an extraordinary slackness and lack of attention to quality standards.

The ESOMAR press release went on to say, "Rapid changes in the international market research environment and ways of working in the MR industry led ESOMAR to convene the meeting on June 29.

"Participants explored MR industry dynamics and reviewed the impact and consequences for defining standards of performance.

"They agreed on a first set of principles for MR to be implemented worldwide.

"They also defined follow up actions to foster more effective cooperation between associations."

When asked to comment, Andrea Rademeyer, the South African National ESOMAR representative said: "With many multi-national brands requiring multi-country research, efforts to align quality standards amongst research suppliers will benefit the clients. ESOMAR is very pro-active in ensuring added value to clients, who are the life-blood of our industry. Ensuring quality standards becomes increasingly important for industry bodies to drive, in these days of heightened corporate governance and responsibility."

Paul Haupt of SAARF also expressed concern about the maintenance of research quality standards: "For us at SAARF quality is of utmost importance. Literally billions of rands change hands every year in transactions where SAARF data played a role in the decision-making processes.

"I sometimes think that people forget that we are not really in the research business but supply a trading currency to the industry which needs to be not just at the cutting edge, but dependable, reliable and credible. And all of this at a price that the industry can afford.

"Adherence to the ESOMAR code of ethics is a non-negotiable. We live in a shrinking world and I think we just have to insist on world class standards."