Management Research News

Todd, Peter

1991 Management Research News

doi: 10.1108/eb028127

The Market Research Society MRS is the professional industry body for those producing and using techniques for market, social and economic research. Over the last forty years the UK market research industry has gone from strength to strength and the MRS has grown alongside it. In 1946, the inaugural year for the MRS, there were 23 members. Today the Society has over 6,500 members, making it the largest market research organisation in the world. In 1988 the 350 market research companies who employ the majority of these individuals had a turnover in excess of 300 million. Thirtytwo of the largest companies who form the Association of Market Survey Organisations AMSO, representing 80 of the industry's turnover, had a growth in combined turnover of 15 in 1988 and their overseas subsidiaries accounted for a turnover of 100 million. The Association of British Market Research Companies ABMRC representing many of the other research companies also reports a substantial growth in turnover. Evidently market research in the UK is in a very healthy state, but who buys it, and what is its future

Byrne, Mick; Delaney, ; Fletcher, ; Slaymaker, ; Delaney, ; Bozell, ; Langmaid, Roy

1991 Management Research News

doi: 10.1108/eb028128

Like many organisations, the Army is preparing itself for significant population changes in the 1990s. The demographic trough means that there will be something like 25 fewer 1619 year olds in 1995 than there were in 1985. These statistics have a significant bearing on the recruiting environment for the Army, because it will continue to need large numbers of young men and women to consider the armed forces as a career choice throughout this period.

Marchant, Len; Hutchinson, Peter

1991 Management Research News

doi: 10.1108/eb028129

To give objective guidance the market researcher needs a clear and valid conceptual model of consumer choice, a compatible quantifiable model, accurate meaningful measures and relevance to the real world.

Docherty, David; Morrison, David

1991 Management Research News

doi: 10.1108/eb028130

In May 1988, the Home Secretary announced the establishment of the Broadcasting Standards Council. The new eightperson Council is chaired by Lord ReesMogg. As well as its responsibilities for monitoring broadcasts and dealing with complaints, the Council was invited by the Home Secretary to draw up a code of practice on the portrayal of violence and sex and of standards of taste and decency, and to undertake research on matters such as the nature and effect on attitudes and behaviour of the portrayal of violence and of sex on television, radio and video.

George, Philip

1991 Management Research News

doi: 10.1108/eb028131

There are over six million disabled adults in this country. This was the principal finding of the recent OPCS survey into disability a finding which surprised many people. Given that disability is more prevalent among the elderly, our ageing population profile means that the number of disabled people is going to increase rather than decrease over the next decade. This, coupled with the greater marketing orientation of major charities and pressure groups representing disabled people, will mean that market research among disabled people will increasingly be in demand, and researchers will have to address the methodological issues that are involved. This paper seeks to examine some of these issues by sharing BMRB's recent experiences on two projects among people with disabilities.

Passingham, Judith; Battinson, Nick

1991 Management Research News

doi: 10.1108/eb028132

After examining why the Green era happened and putting Britain in a European context the authors move on to consumer perceptions of the environmental issue. They argue that the majority of work undertaken so far has concentrated on perceptions and understanding of the issues. In order to relate attitudinal data to purchasing data they have undertaken an omnibus study relating back the findings to those found on the panel data.

Phillips, H.C.; Bradshaw, R.P.

1991 Management Research News

doi: 10.1108/eb028133

Various attempts have been made to study instore customer behaviour, mainly using manual recording techniques. Manual recording usually involves tracking a customer round a store and tracing the customer's path on a store plan. Other behavioural features such as product handling, verbal contact with sales assistants, display viewing, can also be recorded on the store plan. The recorded data can then be collected and an overall picture of customer traffic and customer behaviour obtained. The extremely labour intensive nature of this technique makes it very time consuming and difficult to obtain a large sample size. Furthermore it is almost impossible to gain a comprehensive picture of customer behaviour throughout the whole store at any given moment or series of moments in time.

Sharpe, Endellion

1991 Management Research News

doi: 10.1108/eb028134

The Department of Trade and Industry's Enterprise and Education Initiative forms part of a broad Government strategy to promote greater understanding and cooperation between education and business. Its overall aim is to bridge the divide between schools and industry, in order to encourage more enterprising attitudes in the educational world.

Farr, Derek; McKenzie, John

1991 Management Research News

doi: 10.1108/eb028135

As part of the 1989 Market Research Week initiative to promote the Your Opinion Counts campaign, a number of the leading Telephone Research agencies volunteered to undertake a telephone research study amongst consumers nationwide. The principle objective of the study was to provide useful information for promotion purposes, covering the views of people in Britain about the major issues confronting our people today, and their opinion of the sort of place they think the world will be in 1999.

Blyth, Bill

1991 Management Research News

doi: 10.1108/eb028136

The paper takes, as its starting point, the belief that the management and valuation of information in the broadest sense is ignored in both management texts and practice.