The environment in which businesses operate is increasingly becoming more complex for businessmen who may face these negative circumstances by collecting information through market research. Market research gives companies the opportunity to adapt in the best way to the dynamic market conditions. Information is not only useful for businessmen but also for politicians as well as social institutions, given that they too operate in an everchanging environment. Opinion research provides information regarding the opinion of a specific target group such as consumers and voters at the time when such research is conducted. Market and opinion researches are conducted in the same way and according to the same methodology. In the past few years, the contribution of market and opinion research started to be recognised in Cyprus. Thus, a group of people actively participating in such sectors founded the Cyprus Association of Opinion Poll & Market Research Enterprises (SEDEAK) to protect both their own interests as well as the interests of businesses. The Association was founded in 1997 under the umbrella of the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB) and primarily aimed at promoting scientific market research and opinion polls in compliance with international rules and codes of conduct such as that of ESOMAR. More specifically, the main reason for the Association’s establishment was to offer an organisational and structural basis to its member, to promote and exalt the profession of its members, to protect their professional reputation and interests and to protect as well as to promote market and opinion research. During its short-term course, the Association’s members managed to overcome various obstacles. They now have to face unfair competition and a significant number of non-professionals operating without rules or codes of conduct. Indeed, many public organisations and services worsen this situation by assigning the conduction of researches to non-members of the Association without a tender. According to the Articles of Association, the Board of Directors consists of all the Association members so as everyone is granted the opportunity to express their opinion during the meetings. The members elect the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary and the Treasurer for a two-year term. | A research’s reliability depends on various factors and, most times, the key element is the entity conducting the market or opinion research and the rules applied for its conduction. Provided that the proper scientific methodology is followed for an opinion research and that its results are not tampered in order to serve any interests, such research shall not be misleading. According to the statistical theory, errors are permitted in a market or opinion research, however only to a certain degree. Our members follow ESOMAR’s rules which guarantee error minimisation within the accepted scientific limits. The Association’s members have significantly developed both market and opinion research and cover a wide range of sectors. Its scientific staff and technical equipment allow the conduction of any research in compliance with the accepted methods as well as with a scientific approach and methodology. Its members collaborate with foreign firms and are members of European research networks for the conduction of market and opinion research in both Cyprus and other countries. The research quality is up to the international standards. The Association aims at improving the competition conditions its members face through a fair allocation of the market and public needs in their activity sector based on their reliability. The Association’s members pay special attention to the provision of quality services to the business world and expect further estimations of the business needs in the market research sectors which will help businesses to further develop and face the everyday challenges deriving from competition as well as other drawbacks. |
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