Louise McCann takes the helm

AMSRO's new president is Louise McCann of Research International, who succeeds Travyn Rhall of Millward Brown after two years in the role. Louise was elected at the recent annual general meeting. She thanked Travyn for his outstanding service to the Association and its members over the past two years and committed to maintaining the organisation's momentum.

AMSRO membership surges past 100 mark

Research companies have been joining AMSRO at a rate of three to four per month over the past year, pushing total membership past the 100 threshold for the first time. As of October, membership stood at 106.

The Association's work in the areas of quality standards, industrial relations, privacy and group purchasing have all contributed to the rapid growth.

?It is a major step for a market research company to take on the commitments that go along with AMSRO membership,' said president Louise McCann, ?and it is great to see so many are prepared to do so'.

All AMSRO members agree to adhere to the Association's Privacy Code, the Association Rules, and to submit to AS/ISO 20252 standards for quality, which involves a yearly audit of their business.

?For many years AMSRO membership hovered around 50. Then with the advent of the Privacy Code we had an influx of new companies who recognised the advantages of operating under the Code. Now we have an attractive professional indemnity insurance pool in place, an excellent support program for quality assurance, and range of other member benefits.

?The new best practice standard for online access panels will undoubtedly attract even more new members in the coming year,' said McCann.

New members

AMSRO welcomes Market Solutions, McGregor Tan Research, OCIS, Interface Research and Strategy and Myriad Consultancy to membership.

Daylesford chosen for Leaders' Forum

The Lake House on the shores of Lake Daylesford, one of Victoria's premier spa resorts, has been chosen to host the annual Leaders' Forum on Thursday and Friday 13 and 14 March 2008. The resort features Victoria's top country dining room, the Lake House Restaurant, and is set amidst wineries and outstanding recreation and spa offerings. As space is limited, members are urged to book early. A registration form has been emailed to members.

35 companies represented at ISO workshops

More than 50 executives from 35 AMSRO companies took part in ISO 20252 workshops in Melbourne and Sydney in November.

?A key objective was to demystify the process, particularly for smaller companies, and show that it isn't as burdensome as they had feared,' said organiser Ian Thomas of Ekas, chair of the AMSRO Quality Committee. ?Participants heard first-hand from peers who have been through the accreditation process.'

The seminars were the first stage of a co-ordinated effort to assist AMSRO members in achieving ISO. The program also involves tailoring ISO documentation to make it more relevant for smaller companies, working with auditing bodies to achieve pricing of audits geared to smaller companies, training to help companies meet the standard, advertising/promoting accredited companies, and working with buyers to build demand for quality.

?AMSRO understands quality and ISO 20252 is our opportunity to sell our expertise and reputation for quality to the rest of the world,' said Ian. ?To this point we have had one of highest uptakes in the world. We now need our clients to understand the value of what they are paying for by using ISO 20252 accredited companies for their market research.'

Research industry study to gauge size

Since the Australian Bureau of Statistics abandoned its industry survey of market research after the last one conducted in 2002, it has become harder to accurately estimate the economic contribution of market research. To help solve the problem, AMSRO will survey members in January 2008 so that results can be compiled and provided to ESOMAR for its 2007 Global Survey.

AMSRO continues to lobby the ABS to restore the Services Industry Survey on market and social research or provide an alternative report on industry size, however it is unlikely new research from this source will be forthcoming before the end of next year.

Sally Hennessey retires from AMSRO Secretariat

Sally Hennessey has stepped down after more than four years at the AMSRO Secretariat. Her involvement in the industry goes back over 30 years, including co-owning and operating a successful field management company (Wells Research) and served on the NSW Committee for the Society, the Field Management Group, and the IQCA Council. She has been involved in quality assurance programs both as an auditor and in administering IQCA and, more recently, the MRQA Committee.

At the recent Annual General Meeting, outgoing president Travyn Rhall said, ?Her services to the industry are greatly appreciated and her cheerful, can-do approach will be missed by many'.

Privacy committee holds inaugural meeting

One of the undertakings AMSRO made as part of the review of the Market and Social Research Privacy Principles (MSRPPs), or Privacy Code, was to establish a Privacy Compliance Committee. The first meeting of the Privacy Compliance Committee took place in Sydney on 28 November. The Australian Privacy Foundation has nominated Nigel Waters, a well-known privacy advocate and consultant, as the consumer representative on the committee. The committee will be chaired by the Hon. Terry Aulich who has a long history in privacy matters, having chaired the Senate committee that considered the Australia Card in 1986, among other things. He is also knowledgeable about market and social research. Industry representatives are Jayne Van Souwe and John Sergeant.

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