News
Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Harry Bunn
Tel. (609) 452 8320
Email: harry.bunn@ronin.com
Global Study Reveals Strong Link Between Information
Technology and Strategic Efforts to Combat the Recession
In a study released today, RONIN has found that companies across the globe are planning opposing strategies as their companies emerge from the recession. In the US, 58% are employing tactical, short-term initiatives that stress cost cutting and deferred investments and longer-term planning. The other 42% are taking a more strategic view by re-engineering their business models, making acquisitions, and forging new relationships.
In past recessions a similar pattern has emerged and McKinsey and Co. has studied this concluding that the “strategic” companies emerge stronger while the “short term” companies emerge with weaker competitive positions.
The current study from RONIN links the behaviors of these two types of companies with the role of Information Technology and clearly shows that the “strategic” companies are investing more in IT, have more advanced technology in place and regard IT as more strategically important than their “short term” counterparts.
Outside the US, the percentage of “strategic” companies is higher, except in Japan, and the emerging markets covered in the study – China, Brazil and Mexico – show an even higher percentage of “strategic” companies.
During 2009, overall spend on IT will fall by 5.1% over 2008 levels as the decreased level of spending in “short term” companies outstrips the gains in the “strategic” companies. This is, however, an improvement since just three months ago when the previous Wave of the research was completed, when a decrease of 8.1% was expected for 2009.
The recession has caused a change in what IT buyers look for from vendors. While there was a significant emphasis on “low cost” in the early days of the recession, the emphasis has now shifted to a desire to work with vendors that have a long-term strategic vision, best-in-class and innovative solutions and are easy-to-do-business with. Lowest cost is well down the list of priorities.
When this is coupled with the admission by most that their technology implementation is mainstream or behind mainstream, 2010 could shape up as a bumper year for vendors particularly if they are targeting the “strategic” companies.
RONIN conducted this third phase of the ongoing program studying the impact that the current worldwide recession on companies’ IT initiatives in early October, 2009. Over 4,900 surveys were completed over the three waves by IT decision makers both in IT Departments and in the lines of business (e.g. finance, marketing) across 12 countries – US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, and Australia. Respondents were members of RONIN global IT Decision-Maker Panel.
RONIN Corporation is a global market research and marketing consulting firm with offices in Princeton NJ and London , England .
If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Harry Bunn , please call Jennie Koval at (609) 452-0060 or email Jennie at jennie.koval@ronin.com.
Psyma International, in cooperation with RONIN, presented Left-Brain vs. Right-Brain Prescribing: Uncovering Brand Potential at the PBIRG conference in Phoenix.
The presentation explored the role of emotions in physician prescribing behavior and reported on treatment patterns for bipolar disorder among psychiatrists and primary care physicians in the US, UK and Italy. The RONIN Medical Specialist Panel was used for this research study.
Click here for a summary of the results
Bob Harlow speaks at ESOMAR’s Panel Research conference
The ESOMAR conference was devoted to topics on panel quality and ran from October 21-23, 2008 in Dublin, Ireland. Bob presented a methodological case study illustrating differences in data quality resulting from different online panel recruitment methods. The case study compared survey data from two B2B IT decision maker online panels to each other and to data collected from a phone-to-Web sample. One of the online panels was RONIN’s IT decision maker panel that, although an online panel, was recruited by telephone using the probabilistic sampling seen in high-quality telephone recruit studies. The other was an externally-procured panel developed via targeted solicitations to B2B Web sites (similar to the non-probability sampling most seen in use today). Many of the data quality problems attributed to online panels (such as "straightlining" or "flatlining") were markedly reduced in RONIN’s online panel, and data from that panel were more robust in statistical analyses. This case study illustrates these differences, and presents guidelines for building panels that produce high quality data.
Click here to of this paper.
Additional specialties added to RONIN’s medical panel
RONIN’s already extensive medical specialist panel has just been expanded to include six additional specialties:
- General Surgeons
- Hematologists/Oncologists
- Hematologists
- Plastic Surgeons
- Radiologists
- Vascular Surgeons
While we conduct medical research globally, the panel specializes in the following countries:
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Spain
- UK
- US
The specialties covered are constantly updated; check with RONIN for the latest list. At present the panel includes the professionals shown in the list, but with RONIN’s expert medical CATI Recruit-to-Web techniques, we have unlimited capacity to add additional professionals and countries.
Major clinical specialists:
- Cardiologists
- Dermatologists
- Endocrinologists/Diabetologists
- General Surgeons
- Hematologists
- Hematologists/Oncologists
- Nephrologists
- Neurologists
- Obstetricians/gynecologists
- Oncologists
- Ophthalmologists
- Pediatricians
- Plastic Surgeons
- Psychiatrists
- Radiologists
- Rheumatologists
- Urologists
- Vascular Surgeons
General Practitioners (GPs)/Primary Care Practitioners (PCPs)
Nurses
Opticians
Optometrists
Pharmacists
Click here to about the complete contents of the RONIN Medical Specialist Panel
Quantitative Naming, Value Proposition and Message Testing Methodology developed
RONIN has released its quantitative Naming, Value Proposition and Message Testing methodology, designed for rapid implementation, low cost, and speedy reporting. Designed as a SaaS application, and based on RONIN’s panel, it is an approach that eases comparisons by segment, such as respondent type and country, and employs consistent measures for assessing message effectiveness. Recently used on a multi-country study with 29 messages, the entire study was implemented and reported in less than 8 weeks.
Click here on this methodology.
RONIN quality reaffirmed through two ISO certifications
RONIN's commitment to quality in all aspects of its operation has been reaffirmed in its ISO certification following audits in late 2009. By being ISO registered, RONIN has demonstrated that its systems and processes comply with pertinent ISO standards and has been successfully assessed by the independent audit body, MQA (Marketing Quality Assurance, LLC).
Two certifications were awarded: ISO 20252:2006 and ISO 9001:2008. RONIN’s global panels of Medical Specialists and IT Decision-Makers were included in the certifications.
ISO 20252:2006 is a standard designed to set a common level of quality for market research globally. This standard establishes the terms and definitions, as well as the service requirements for organizations and professionals conducting marketing, opinion and social research. RONIN was the second company worldwide to be certified by ISO 20252:2006.
ISO9001:2008 is a quality systems standard that is applicable to all industries worldwide. The standard addresses products and services and the processes that are used to create them. It emphasizes principles, goals and objectives and focuses on helping companies meet customer requirements and expectations. 2008 is the newest form of this standard which not all companies have achieved.
For both certifications, RONIN is audited annually and must demonstrate that quality systems and processes are in place and that they are incorporated into the operation of the company.