MRS UNVEILS NEW
RESEARCH CODE OF CONDUCT
New rule on client incentives
Date: 14 January 2010
The MRS Market Research Standards Board (MRSB) has unveiled a revised MRS Code of Conduct, following a year-long consultation.
The revisions to the research Code are the first to be made since 2005 and are based on a set of ten new principles which have been extended to cover researchers conducting non-research activities. As research and marketing techniques have developed, demand has increased for researchers’ skills and techniques to be used for purposes beyond research. Clients across the public and private sectors frequently ask researchers to apply their techniques in areas such as policy development, marketing, professional development, regulation and quality control – requiring the sector’s Code to extend to cover these non-research applications.
The new MRS Code of Conduct, in combination with existing MRS Regulations on Using Research Techniques for Non-Research Purposes, sets out the legal and ethical responsibilities for researchers in conducting all their research and non-research activities.
The new MRS Code includes several new rules for research – most notably with regard to the use of incentives in research interviewing.
1 April 2010[1] the MRS Code will include a new rule that prevents clients’ goods or services, or vouchers to purchase these, from being used as incentives in a research project. This new rule is based upon legal requirements defined within the Data Protection Act 1998 and follows existing MRS regulations. Any project using such incentives can therefore no longer be classified as purely research: new MRS Incentive guidelines have been developed to assist research practitioners with managing this change.
The new MRS Code also recognises some of the fundamental changes in data collection, notably in the online environment by incorporating new definitions for what constitutes an ‘interview’ and a ‘data collection process’.
Geoff Gosling, chair of the MRS Market Research Standards Board, comments: “As a self-regulating sector it is crucial that the research Code reflects the concerns of those commissioning research and conducting research whilst at the same time protecting respondents who participate in research. The MRS Code of Conduct is founded on the principles of transparency and consent, and these principles have been retained whilst acknowledging some major societal, legal and technological changes ensuring the Code is robust and fit-for-purpose for the 21st century.”
Further minor amendments and clarifications have been approved and relate to a range of research processes including questioning, interview monitoring, data collection, security of data handling. A full explanation of all changes can be found at http://www.mrs.org.uk/standards/codeconduct.htm
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Notes to editors
About MRS
- With members in more than 70 countries, MRS is the world’s largest association serving all those with professional equity in provision or use of market, social and opinion research, and in business intelligence, market analysis, customer insight and consultancy.
- MRS has a diverse membership of individuals at all levels of experience and seniority within agencies, consultancies, support services, client-side organisations, the public sector and the academic community.
- It also serves MRS Company Partners agencies, suppliers of support services, buyers and end-users – of all types and scale who are committed throughout their organisations to supporting the core MRS values of professionalism, research excellence and business effectiveness.
- In consultation with its individual members and Company Partners, MRS supports best practice by setting and enforcing industry standards. The commitment to uphold the MRS Code of Conduct is supported by the Codeline service and a wide range of specialist guidelines.
For more information on MRS and its activities, please visit its website at www.mrs.org.uk or call the MRS press officer Emily Luscombe on 020 7636 7366 / email eluscombe@camarguepr.com
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