Compliance at RONIN
- Conducting B2B market research for hard-to-reach audiences is our expertise at RONIN. With more than 25 years of experience, we specialise in multi-country B2B studies. Our journey started with phone-based research and expanded to web-based data collection in 1999, which now forms a significant part of our operations.
- Today, we deliver complex global quantitative and qualitative projects across a wide range of sectors. Our capabilities features three CATI Centres in our offices in London, Lancaster and Hamburg, a 30-strong and growing team of digital recruitment experts, and the recent introduction of RONIN Edge our innovative internal proprietary platform housing a broad range of B2B audiences looking to participate in future market research.
RONIN International is a proud member of the world's leading business intelligence, insights and analytics trade associations.
The UK's Market Research Society (MRS)
- We are Company Partners of the UK's Market Research Society (MRS), the regulator for the market research sector in the UK. We conduct all work in adherence to the MRS Code of Conduct and Binding Guidelines.
- You can review our profile in the MRS Directory for further information.
- We are accredited to the joint MRS/AQR Recruiter Accreditation Scheme (RAS). The AQR is the UK's Association for Qualitative Research, who jointly with the MRS, developed this scheme.
- We are also proud signatories of the MRS Inclusion Pledge.
- RONIN is a proud contributor to the industry-wide Global Data Quality initiative to tackle data quality issues in the insights sector. To find out more about the GDQ, you can visit their website.
ESOMAR
- We are Corporate Members of ESOMAR, the global membership organisation for research, insights, and analytics. We adhere to the ICC/ESOMAR Code and their detailed guidelines.
- We also maintain a profile on the ESOMAR Directory.
BHBIA
- We are Corporate Members of the UK BHBIA, the British Healthcare Business Intelligence Association.
- All of our work is conducted in accordance with the BHBIA's Legal & Ethical Guidelines, the BHBIA/ABPI Adverse Events Reporting Guidelines, and all of our healthcare-focused colleagues are jointly certified to both of these training schemes, refreshed annually.
- Our Compliance Director, Xavier Fonder, sits on the BHBIA Ethics & Compliance Committee, and also contributes to the BHBIA DE&I Committee's work as Ethics Liaison.
IQCS
- We are members of the UK Interviewer Quality Control Scheme (IQCS). Our work, including our recruitment, training, monitoring and validation of telephone interviewers, is carried out in strict adherence with the IQCS Standard.
- Our Compliance Director represents RONIN International as a Council Member of the IQCS.
Insights Association
- We are Company Members of the US Insights Association, the leading research and analytics trade association in the USA.
- All our work is conducted in accordance with the IA's Code of Standards.
In addition to the above organisations and associations, RONIN Research GmbH, our German Hamburg-based subsidiary is also a proud member of the following German MR trade associations:
ADM
- The ADM, a leading business association for market and social research; we adhere to the ADM's German Declaration, which includes specific provisions diverging from the ESOMAR Code.
BVA
- BVM, another leading professional association of German market and social research organisations.
RONIN International is proud of its focus on delivering data collection services of the highest standard, putting quality first, so that our clients' reporting and decision-making is supported by real data from real people.
RONIN are proud to hold the following certifications and accreditations. These are subject to annual external audits by accredited bodies.
ISO 20252:2019
- ISO 20252 the International Standard for Market, opinion and social research, including insights and data analytics. RONIN International has been certified to this Standard for more than 15 years, and recently re-certified to the latest version of the Standard, ISO 20252:2019.
- Our Compliance Director sits on the Market Research Quality Standards Advisory Board (MRQSAB), the MRS Board responsible for representing the UK on the global ISO Technical Committee.
ISO 27001:2013
- ISO 27001 is the International Standard for Information security management systems. RONIN International has deployed a range of technical and organisational controls to comply with the requirements of the Standard, to ensure that we are a trusted and responsible pair of hands for our client's data and assets.
Cyber Essentials Plus
- We are also accredited to the UK Government-backed Cyber Essentials Plus scheme designed to protect organisations against cyber attacks.
RONIN is an ISO 27001-certified and Cyber Essentials Plus-certified organisation.
We have a significant range of measures in place to ensure data protection and data security across our entire operations, both at rest and in motion. These include, but are not limited to, a physical security policy, information security policy, background screening practices, access control, technical vulnerability management, organisational security and documentation, secure configuration and asset hardening, encryption, and data leakage management.
Robust policies are in place to ensure that access to all company, confidential, or personal data is on a need-only basis and users with elevated access rights are logged by Group IT.
All access rights are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure the business justification for a particular set of rights remains relevant. Any remote access to servers is done via SSL VPN and activity is monitoring constantly by software-based measures and Group IT team.
What practices do you follow to decide whether online research should be used to present commercially sensitive client data or materials to survey respondents?
The final decision whether it is appropriate to show sensitive material to online participants is generally the final decision of the client, but our Compliance Director can provide advice and guidance. RONIN will advise the client accordingly once aware of such material.
Are you certified to any specific quality system? If so, which one(s)?
RONIN is certified to ISO 20252:2019 and to ISO 27001. We also hold Cyber Essentials Plus certification, the UK Government’s cybersecurity programme.
We maintain a corresponding Quality Management System (QMS) and Information Security Management System (ISMS) to deliver on these requirements. They cover our end-to-end market research data collection operations and are subject to an annual external audit.
To view our ISO 20252 certificate, please click here.
To view our ISO 27001 certificate, please click here.
Do you conduct online surveys with children and young people? If so, do you adhere to the standards that ESOMAR provides? What other rules or standards, for example COPPA in the United States, do you comply with?
We do not conduct research with children/young people (as defined in local markets).
Our participant database is meticulously curated through phone and digital recruitment, ensuring eligibility and qualification. We also leverage subscribed company databases like D&B Worldwide, Crunchbase, WINMO, and CISION. Our digital recruitment extends to platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, and Stack Overflow, among others. Web intercepts and river sampling are not part of our methodology.
RONIN exclusively utilises sample sources for market research projects, adhering to MRS and ESOMAR guidelines.
RONIN uses multiple approaches to recruit hard-to-reach audiences, one of our specialisms.
Our desk research team will support our project managers and clients in building an initial sample frame of suitable participants, using secondary research to sense check the universe size, best channels to approach and recruit, and build initial company lists.
We then have the option of using our London, Lancaster and Hamburg CATI Centre teams of highly-trained interviewers working in over 40 languages at native level to interview by phone or recruit via phone to online studies, after an initial telephone screener—including reminders.
Alternatively or in addition to our CATI teams, RONIN also has a digital recruitment team used to identify niche groups via targeted recruitment to phone or online interviews, using the most appropriate platform or network for your target audience, at speed and at scale.
If RONIN needs to work with a local supplier for sample, for example in markets where applicable data protection law prevents us from collecting personal data from a third country, or in in China, where local firewalls can restrict non-domestic internet access, then we rely on a vetted network of carefully selected partners. RONIN remains fully responsible for the quality of all deliverables commissioned with us and carries out quality control on all partner work.
In such circumstances then clients are informed at costing stage.
Additional sample, if ever required during fieldwork, will come only from vetted and approved partners. For example, RONIN has ongoing relationships with suppliers for consumer online sample and will disclose their use to a client in advance. Partners are selected through recommendations, meetings, adherence to relevant industry standards and experience. All projects are run in accordance with IQCS, ISO 20252:2019, ISO 27001, MRS, BHBIA, Insights Association and ESOMAR standards. Suppliers must comply with RONIN standards and have signed Master Services Agreements covering all aspects of the partnership including confidentiality and quality, and flowing down any terms agreed with clients to them.
Sample selection varies depending on client requirements and project specifications.
Where possible, profiled sample is used. As a rule, RONIN aims at interviewing a widely spread sample in geographical, industry and job function terms. Sample is randomized before being put into field and quotas are implemented as required by our project specification.
For sample pulled from company databases such as D&B then a random sample will be selected based on available companies within sector, size, or location.
For RDD sample within the national population then RONIN uses dual frame sample of cell and landline numbers matching current recommended splits.
RONIN uses Forsta (previously known as Confirmit) as its data collection software for online and CATI sample management and survey administration and can set robust quota control to ensure the required targets by quota (size, location, sector, etc.) are met and not exceeded.
Any information held by RONIN without explicit participant consent is at a company level only.
If a participant agrees to future contact, then information is retained including phone number, email address, job title and information held at the screening stage of the completed interview.
For low incidence projects, we can either carry out initial desk research to support our targeting efforts based on our understanding of the market or sector.
Invitations are concise and informative, providing participants with project details, incentives, confidentiality reassurances, and opt-out options.
Incentives for Survey Participation
Incentives are tailored to interview length, participant seniority, countries involved, and effort required. Charitable donations are also offered in lieu of monetary incentives for specific cases.
Respondent Satisfaction Measurement
Participant satisfaction is assessed through completion, participation, and drop-out rates, along with separate surveys conducted to gauge satisfaction with RONIN and market research in general.
RONIN prioritises data quality through meticulous survey assessment, quality checks, and duplicate removal. Undesired behaviour is identified through various metrics and measures, including cross-referencing conflicting data points.
Contact Frequency and Respondent History
Frequency of contact and participation is monitored based on audience types. Individuals are typically contacted within specific limits.
Respondent Identity Verification
Verification processes involve CATI, digital recruitment, and thorough screening to ensure respondent authenticity.
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