Archive for the ‘Online Focus Groups’ Category
Thursday, April 12th, 2007
Whilst there is an increasing awareness in the corporate world of the need to manage global risk and security, the fact that limited budgets are allocated to security consultancy & advice means that interest in counter terrorism is very much event driven
Hazard Management Solutions Ltd (HMS) are specialists in advising commercial and government clients about the threat of terrorism and the risk management of that threat. Their clients include UK and foreign governments as well as corporate companies in the insurance, media, oil and pharmaceutical sectors. With increasing threats from terrorism becoming more prevalent in the last five years and in the foreseeable future, security has certainly risen up the corporate agenda. HMS commissioned B2B International to research the corporate market to find out what the opportunity was for counter terrorism consultancy in the corporate market and how they should enter the market.
Nick Hague, Director at B2B International and co-author of the report, feels that companies are now very aware of the threat of risks of all kinds. “Business is taking risk management seriously and addressing it with risk registers and risk management programmes. We certainly found that the terrorist threat is moving up the list of risk threats to join IT, fraud, and reputation. However, research shows that corporate businesses are not, as yet, spending lots of money or allocating annual budgets for security advice.�
The market research showed that corporate companies see risk as coming from a wide and diverse range of groups or specific people ranging from religious extremists, animal activists, Provisional IRA, Al Qaeda and loners through to the disenfranchised in society i.e. the young, the poor and the unemployed.
Risk management in the corporate market appears to be very event-driven – reactive rather than proactive. Risk does vary considerably over time, from company to company and according to their geography and industry sector. Corporate organisations face threats in a variety of scenarios from threats to their sites (buildings, offices, factories), their people (staff, customers, third parties), their IT infrastructure, goods and people in transit/logistics, and suppliers in the supply chain.
The research showed that respondents felt there are more pressures than ever before to mitigate risks; especially in high profile companies. Security is becoming a priority now and even a Board issue. However, whilst all companies interviewed believe that mitigating risk is vital to the running of their business, they believe they have dealt with the situation by taking on a security advisor.
Andy Cooper, business director at HMS, says they are a number of factors contributing to companies requiring solutions to the problems of security and risk. “Saturation of traditional markets is taking markets to more risky places, globalization has changed the structure and pace of modern life, there is more religious extremism and fanaticism than ever before. Many of the threats such as terrorism, organized crime and information security are asymmetric and networked, making them difficult to manage. There is also greater appreciation of the interdependence between a company’s risk portfolio and the way it does business as certain types of behaviour can enhance or undermine an organisation’s license to operate. New forms of accountability such as corporate governance and corporate social responsibility put added pressure on companies. Experienced and specialist firms such as HMS can manage and minimize the risk.�
An obstacle to the burgeoning of corporate top-level security firms may be the level of suspicion surrounding suppliers in the security arena. Many respondents expressed little faith in the security knowledge or expertise of security firms. The market appears to be very reputation-led with a high proportion of respondents saying that personal recommendation was the only way to choose and that trust was vital for a good working relationship.
The market research report concludes that the corporate security market must take its lead from business drivers rather than specific threats and security departments must expand their work far beyond the traditional security portfolio to include issues such as business continuity, reputation, risk management and corporate responsibility. The research also reinforced the fact that security firms who are delivering commercial security have to major on business, management and communications experience as much as actual security experience.
The market for anti-terrorist services amongst corporates at the moment is small but growing. The majority of businesses seem interested in ad hoc assignments costing a few thousand pounds, to advise them and work out a strategy, yet they would pay much more if in the middle of a crisis, hence being an event-driven market.
Methodology:
B2B International carried out interviews and online focus groups with Global Security Directors for multi-national companies in the power, transport, telecommunication, finance, hotel, tourism and petro-chemical industries.
About HMS - www.hazmansol.com
Hazard Management Solutions Ltd (HMS) is a leading player advising commercial and government clients about the terrorist threat, and the risk management of that threat. Its clients include government agencies, insurance companies, media, oil and the pharmaceutical industries.
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Online Focus Groups, Qualitative Research, Market Assesment, International Market Research, Market Research, Industry News |
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Tuesday, February 13th, 2007
In the B2B sector, market research tends to be viewed as an option rather than as a commercial imperative, particularly for smaller companies. However, knowledge is power and understanding the attitudes, preferences and/or perceptions of customers and potential customers towards a product, service or brand proposition is essential for any organisation seeking to expand its business.
When carried out well, market research cuts the risk out of marketing and enables more effective targeting, allowing companies to make the best use of opportunities and to reach new audiences. It takes perception and guesswork out of the equation and highlights problem areas; it also provides actionable recommendations in the face of internal disagreements.
Four useful tips to consider when planning research are:
 Don’t do it for its own sake: It is important that companies consider whether or not they would benefit from conducting research every year. I don’t advocate doing research if they don’t need or use it but it is important to consider it seriously.
 Set achievable objectives: Try not to do everything at once. Focus on areas of biggest impact and make a point of measuring the impact so that you can see ROI. This will act as an incentive to make a habit of it.
 Don’t duplicate: Before you commission research, check that it has not already been done by someone else within your company.
 Get advice if required: The bigger the project, the more sense it makes to use an agency. An agency will be able to advise you on what to do, guarantee to deliver findings and help you understand the implications for your business.
Remember, the cost of research may sometimes feel daunting but if you cost out your own time, you will realise it is an expensive occupation. The cost is hidden if you do it yourself because you don’t see the money going out of the door.
CASE STUDY – HAZARD MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS:
B2B International recently helped HMS to enter the corporate market for counter terrorism services. Its clients are predominantly government, law enforcement and military. “We saw we could expand into supporting civilian business and commerce but we were not sure how to go about it,� says Andy Cooper, business director of HMS, who approached B2B International. They jointly compiled a list of potential prospects, such as hotel groups, banks and petro-chemical companies and put together a telephone questionnaire regarding their needs. “When we got the data, we invited respondents to a two-day forum to look at products and a mock-up website that gave them an idea of the support we could give online. We got some very good guidance as to what we should and should not be doing and that helped us tailor the way we approach businesses,� he says. B2B international also conducted a branding workshop as part of the forum.
“I was very impressed with the way B2B International carried out the research and presented us with the results�, says Cooper. “We spent £16,000 on the campaign and I’d like to think we will make around 10-times that, if not more, in the first year.�
“An excellent service with some surprising results. The quality of delivery was excellent and the final deliverables second to none. I would highly recommend B2B to other companies” - Business Director HMS Ltd
Posted in
Online Focus Groups, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Industrial Research, Market Assesment, International Market Research, Industry News, Market Research, Branding, B2B News |
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Friday, February 2nd, 2007
We are firm believers in ‘Online’ here at B2B International and we are always looking forward to see ways in which it will progress and what the current trends are for online research. Pete Comley, of Virtual Survey, recently identified 10 key trends for online research in the consumer market. Pete believes that:
1. Online will get cheaper
2. Online panels will get bigger
3. Response rates will decline
4. There will be an online register
5. There will be better fraud detection
6. There will be more profiling/specialist panels
7. More clients will do their own surveys
8. Online software will evolve
9. We’ll adopt more adult relationships
10. Research 2.0 will arrive
As a business-to-business company, the trend we feel will be of the greatest importance is the growth of the specialist panel. With the business market moving at such a fast rate, the emerging markets need to be researched and this could be made difficult with Pete’s prediction that response rates will decline. So it will be hugely important that specialist panels are setup and used to their full potential.
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Online Focus Groups, Online Research, Esurveys, Industry News, B2B News, Articles |
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Thursday, December 21st, 2006
So, for our last post of 2006 we thought it would be fitting to compile all our favourite posts from throughout the year. After starting from scratch at the start of the year, the blog has seen massive success, and we are sure you will agree, has now become a vast resource of information. Here are the links to our favourite posts from 2006:
All Marketers are Liars!
Sniffing Out The Right Information
Helpful Market Research Tools
Are companies out of touch with their customers?
Brand Innovation
SMEs - The engine of the UK economy
Sources for desk research
The Key Principles Of Effective Questionnaire Design
Most Loved, And Most Hated Brands
How our gaze path affects the way we consume the web
One Word Equity
Devising Marketing Campaigns For A Marketing Audience
Questions on b2b blogging
Reinventing Brands in B2B Markets
Online Market Research In China
Podcast: The Value Of Brands
Chinese expansion for B2B International - BBC Interview
Ten Easy Ways to Increase Response Rates For Your Online Survey
How Customer Focused Is Your Website?
Helping The Clients Succeed In China’s B2B Market
Eight skills that make you a good leader
What to do, and what not to do when it comes to PR
The Innovation Process - 7 Deadly Sins
And of course, 2006 has also seen the publishing of our first two free ebooks - click the links below to download them if you haven’t already:
A Practical Guide To Market Research
The Power Of Industrial Brands
Well, that’s all for 2006, thank you for visiting our blog throughout the year, we hope you have found to be interesting and of use. We’re back on January 2nd, so see you then.
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Pricing Strategy, Online Research, Online Focus Groups, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Industrial Research, SMEs, Segmentation, Market Research China, Esurveys, Market Research, Industry News, B2B News, Branding, Customer Satisfaction, Employee Satisfaction, Desk Research, Articles |
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Thursday, April 27th, 2006
Online research is fast becoming a more dominant methodology in today’s business environment. At B2B International we have been pioneers of the most up-to-date technologies when it comes to business-to-business research – utilising online surveys, online focus groups, and online panels to conduct research.
On our website you can now view a sample e-survey that outlines what can be achieved with our online survey software. The sample survey only scratches the surface of our capabilities – if you would like more details into our online capabilities, you can either check our website, or contact one of our research executives on 0161 440 6000.
You can view the online survey demo here.
Posted in
Online Research, Online Focus Groups, Esurveys, B2B News, Articles |
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