Syndics Synopsis

Syndics Research Corporation

The Syndics Synopsis is a newsletter production designed for busy researchers who want to stay informed about developments in current research methods without the need to search all the major publications related to these topics.

If your schedule is anything like ours, you probably have trouble finding the time to look at all the magazines and journals that feature research studies on marketing research methodology. However, when designing marketing research studies, it is important to know which techniques are best to use to accomplish your stated objectives. Therefore, we decided to help by searching current issues (past 12 months) of a dozen magazines and journals for empirical studies on research methodology. When we find articles that offer interesting or unique research techniques, we summarize the key conclusions for inclusion in the newsletter. Hopefully, this semi-annual publication will help you stay abreast of some of the developments in marketing research methodology.

You will need Adobe Reader to access our newsletters. You can download the free Adobe Reader software directly from Adobe's website. To access the current newsletter, click here (Volume 7.8.08), or feel free to search these Archives for past articles. Topics in this volume include:

Volume 7.8.08:

· Asking the Age Question in Mail and Online Surveys. The most accurate way to ask a respondent their age.

· Optimizing the Language of Email Survey Invitations. The specific language used in email invitations has a major impact on response rates.

· A Holistic Examination of Net Promoter. Claims that the Net Promoter Score (NPS) is the best indicator of company growth and is superior to customer satisfaction measures are called into question.

· The Hidden Limitations of Tracking Research. The power and reliability of tracking research can be improved by using means measurements instead of top-two box and other percentage measures.

· Does “Yes or No” on the Telephone Mean the Same as “Check-All-That-Apply” on the Web?. Forced choice answers perform better than check-all answers.

· A Comparison of Address-Based Sampling (ABS) Versus Random-Digit dialing (RDD) for General Population Surveys. Using ABS sampling can reduce non-response rates in previously identified low-response states.