ROI is an oft-repeated business mantra for any kind of major strategic investment, and market research is certainly no different from other business expenditure in this respect.

Market intelligence studies are often commissioned with laudable intentions – principal amongst these being the development and growth of the organisation concerned. However, for all the lofty ambitions and expectation that may be placed behind a market research project, without careful planning and management, the end result can all-to-easily disappoint. A study may fail to target the original objectives from the market research brief or the report may be too far divorced from the actions that will effect real change within an organisation.

In effect, the question that companies should ask when commissioning market research is "am I getting my money’s worth?" – A query that should be asked of major investments at any time, not least during a recession.

In B2B International’s latest podcast, we broach these very issues: How can we ensure market research delivers value for money? How can this be verified or measured? And, perhaps more fundamentally, what is the value of market research in the first instance?

The podcast is based upon a white paper written by Paul Hague and Julia Cupman of B2B International entitled "Making effective business decisions: Measuring & maximising the return on investment of market research". Links to both versions of this paper can be found below:

	Making Effective Business Decisions in pdf
	Making Effective Business Decisions from The Market Research Podcast

We’re very pleased to announce the publication of our latest e-book "Questionnaire Design" by Paul Hague.

Every Monday we’ll be releasing a new chapter of the book for you to read, both in pdf and audiobook format. To get the latest chapter in written format, just visit the B2B International blog and follow this link to the pdf at the bottom of the post. Alternatively, to obtain the audiobook version, simply visit our sister website The Market Research Podcast and download the latest installment there. And to make things extra-convenient, you can also subscribe to our iTunes feed to ensure you’re fully up-to-date.

The first chapter of the book looks at the role of the questionnaire in the wider research process, and at how the success (or otherwise) of almost any project relies heavily upon effective questionnaire design. Future chapters will cover topics such as deciding what type of questionnaire to use, the fundamentals of questionnaire design and how to frame questions to get the information that’s required.

To download Chapter 1 ("The Role of Questionnaires") click on the links below:

	Questionnaire Design – Preface & Chapter 1 in pdf
	Questionnaire Design – Preface & Chapter 1 from The Market Research Podcast

Part 3 of B2B International’s Marketing and Selling To Chinese Companies podcast is now online at www.themarketresearchpodcast.com.

If you are not already aware of the market research podcast, then you are missing out! Every Monday morning we publish the latest market research insight and discussion from experts in the field.

Make sure you don’t miss our new free audio book – “Questionnaire Design” – which is published from next Monday onwards.

As we promised last week, B2B International’s Market Research Podcast is back from its brief sabbatical.

We kick off this week with the first in a series of three podcasts on the subject of “Marketing and Selling to Chinese Companies”.

Subsequent parts of this and other podcasts will be available every Monday morning – so be sure to start your week with a goodly dose of market research insight and discussion from experts in the field.

For those who aren’t yet acquainted with our Podcast, you’ll find an extensive archive of our collected thoughts on markets, research and everything in between in a convenient, easy-to-digest MP3 format.