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CASRO's 325+ member companies and their 32,000 employees, all of whom are afforded membership benefits, represent nearly $8 billion in global annual revenue–about 85% of the US research industry and 30% of the global research industry. All CASRO members must adhere to the CASRO Code of Standards and Ethics, the enforceable standard for research businesses for more than 30 years.
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 Senior executives at market research companies gathered at the CASRO Management Conference in Chicago on May 16-17 to discuss strategy, emerging business models, and critical operations issues.
 Boaz Keysar, University of Chicago To effectively lead, managers should move people gently and refrain from going against the grain and limiting choice, advised Boaz Keysar, Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, in his keynote presentation, "Making Better Decisions". Providing insights on how the human mind works, he noted that people don't like to stray from the status quo since they perceive it to be a loss. This is among the reasons why many of us tend to stick with the default option on forms, he explained. Defaults also are an implied recommendation and most people don't want to change it. Such framing of propositions can make sales language more persuasive and had attendees scrawling notes.
Karyn Schoenbart, President & COO, discussed how The NPD Group promotes a culture of innovation throughout the company. She challenged attendees to answer specific questions to help determine what role innovation should play in their particular firm and to properly calculate ROI for such initiatives. "Do you really want to innovate? Sometimes it's best to be a fast follower," she said, noting the success of Google in perfecting, not inventing, Internet search. "Structured innovation" seems like an oxymoron, she said, but noted that if a company does not put structure around innovation initiatives they will not progress since creativity tends to be put aside in order to handle day-to-day tasks.
 Karen Schoenbart, the NPD Group Keeping planning timelines brief and fluid has emerged as a trend. Vision Critical, for example, plans for its technology-focused ventures in six-month themes, according to Andrew Reid, President & Founder. Keeping the timeframe abbreviated and details limited enables fluidity, he noted. When seeking inspiration for innovation he suggested looking for parallels in other industries.  "Talent Management: Finding a Match and Keeping the Fit"  "The Next Wave of Entrepreneurs = Technology + Research"
Curiosity and the ability to tell a story are two skills market research companies seek in new hires, according to HR professionals featured in the panel discussion, "Talent Management: Finding a Match and Keeping the Fit". This has resulted in looking to graduates of the "ologies". Another attractive combination is business and technology.
The best part of the economic downturn was that retention wasn't a problem. But now, with business improving and more opportunities surfacing, retention issues are more important. Hiring and on-boarding have also become priorities. When 40 percent revenue growth necessitated a 35% expansion of its workforce, Gongos Research faced numerous challenges, related Camille Nicita, Principal & COO. The company restructured its on-boarding process by tapping the research and general business expertise of a senior-level employee to serve as a mentor and manager for new hires. ISO certification helped Kadence International immensely with its employee on-boarding process, according to Owen Jenkins, CEO, North America. "We had more than a dozen graduates coming in this year and with ISO in place it made the process much easier. A year ago the prospect would have scared me," he said. A panel discussion featuring client-side researchers from Alcon, Valvoline and Sam's Club provided advice on how to cultivate and strengthen relationships. From Michele Fuller, Director, Global Market Intelligence at Alcon, who receives about 50 solicitation calls per week from MR firms: "Don't call and ask what my needs are. Learn my business and let me know your expertise, so if I need you in the future, I can contact you." Clients acknowledged that internal pressure continues to attach MR to a procurement process, but all reported making efforts to keep research free from such requirements or limit it as much as possible. They also expressed their desire to work with more senior researchers and their willingness to pay a premium for their expertise.
 Chris X. Moloney, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC  Robert Moran, StrategyOne  "Strategy & Tactics for Company Leaders"
Chris X. Moloney, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC also provided insight into client-side issues and noted the value of utilizing research findings to enhance public relations efforts.
Robert Moran, President, US at StrategyOne. provided plenty of fodder for contemplation and discussion by providing many compelling potential scenarios in "The Futures of Market Research". During the panel discussion with chief execs entitled, "Strategy & Tactics for Company Leaders", it became apparent that the recent recession actually helped companies in some areas. "In many respects we're a stronger firm now than before the downturn," noted David Haynes, CEO of Opinionology. "Tough cuts were made and a lot of risk was removed from the system, but now is a great time to take calculated risk," he said. There was also great talent available for hire during the past two years, observed David Shanker, President, IPSOS Observer. Ipsos has made efforts recently to invest in its people by reinventing its training program, assigning mentors, and implementing a quarterly employee satisfaction program, he said. CASRO appreciates the support of the event's co-sponsors, Ocucom and Mindfield, and thanks the Conference Committee for their considerable work:
Rahul Sahgal, President & CEO Tyler McMullen, President Beth Rounds, Partner
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