What do BMRA Members Think?

Peter Hutton, deputy managing director of MORI and BMRA Council member, has reported on the recently conducted survey of BMRA members in the organisation's newly launched newsletter. The results show an overall desire for the MRS and BMRA to work more closely together.

The survey was prompted by the fact that council members have been conscious of an overlap in services for some time. They wanted to explore what members now feel about the respective roles of the two organisations. The polled membership voted by 52% in supporting the premise that the two bodies remain separate but work more closely together in the future. Just under a third (30%) thought that the two should seriously consider merging at some point.

The members believe that the most important services the BMRA provide have to do with representing and promoting the interests of the industry externally, as well as providing practical support and advice related to running market research businesses. Thus, lobbying government, links with other industry bodies, operating a website, promoting market research generally, seminars on running a business, legal support and a business support helpline, all come well up the list. So too does promoting and supporting quality.

Despite the general support for promoting market research, specific events such as an annual conference, research effectiveness awards and stands at the Research Show and the MRS conference, were all rated well down the list of preferences when surveyed, along with social events. It was also noticeable that the larger companies valued industry statistics - turnover, salaries, field rates etc - somewhat more than smaller agencies. Smaller agencies put greater value on services related to promoting market research and the BMRA, seminars on research topics, a published directory, business support helpline, a magazine and the Selectline type.

Compared with the MRS, the results indicate that it is seen as far more important that the BMRA provide services related to running a business. By contrast, those services which are of benefit to individuals as well as their employees, were regarded as much more the preserve of the MRS - annual conference, education and training, seminars on research and a free magazine. It was widely seen as the role of both organisations to provide services to do with promoting and supporting the industry as a whole, such as lobbying the EU and UK governments, promoting market research, liasing with industry bodies, supporting MRQSA and publishing a directory of members. Social events were generally regarded as the least important activities for both organisations.

The issue of having quality accreditation clearly split the membership. Members were 2:1 in favour of having membership conditional on some kind of quality accreditation. But they were 3:2 against MRQSA being a requirement for all members, though on balance the smaller agencies were heavily opposed while the larger agencies supported the stance. Members were 2:1 behind the stance the BMRA has taken of making MRQSA a requirement of membership for companies with a turnover of over £1 million, though larger companies were more evenly split on the issue.

The survey was conducted by post during July and August of this year with 122 responses received from the 199 members contacted.

For more information, visit www.bmra.org

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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