[Home Page] [Previous Page]
[Old Roundtable Archives] [New Roundtable]
Posted by Sherman on May 17, 2000 at 13:24:38:
In Reply to: Re: Classic research mistakes posted by Randy on May 16, 2000 at 17:07:09:
Randy,
I can't dispute your points. This is, however, more a situation of "Let the buyer beware" than an indictment of the research profession. Many research companies have turned into "Survey Mills". Though they still do high level and exceptional work for major clients, some have traded on their names to generate cash flow by providing popular but mediocre methods to the unsuspecting research buyer without the big budget. Most of these companies would be better served by using a less well known research practitioner.
Then, as you point out, there are the "so called research companies" and "research analysts", many of whom have no researchers at all on their staffs. They just sell projects and reports which mean nothing and have little or no relevance. Both of these groups prey on the ignorance of those who buy research. This type of operation should be avoided at all costs.
Unfortunately, this is the way the world works. There is no law to prevent these operations from doing business. Yes, it is horrific, and it is all too common, but it is still the client's mistake, not the researcher's.
The irony here is that businesses have no-one to blame but themselves for this. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to write an information requirement or research specification. Yes, you need a little background in research and some basic understanding of the disciplines and methods, but this is something one can assimilate in an hour or two.
We provide this type of service for a nominal fee or for free in many cases and have anon-line introduction covering the four major disciplines. Other research firms such as DSS have even more comprehensive resources available. So there really isn't much excuse for anyone who buys research to make the most common type of mistakes.
Subject: