Market Research Standard now revised

BS 7911:1998 Specification for Organizations Conducting Market Research has now been revised. 

The first edition of this British standard was published in 1998 following on from the Service Standard for Market Research produced by the Market Research Quality Standards Association (MRQSA) in 1996.  This had been developed by a consortium of professional bodies representing UK market research buyers and suppliers.  Arrangements were made for market research organizations to be independently assessed against the requirements set out in the MRQSA service standard.  Following a general recognition of the benefits of standardization within the UK market research industry, BSI was approached by the MRQSA and developed BS 7911.

BS 7911 specifies requirements for conducting market research.  In particular, minimum service levels are specified for quality assurance, executive responsibilities, data collection and data processing to be applied in market research projects.

Since the first edition of BS 7911 a number of changes have taken place within market research.  These include changes in market research processes, such as the use of internet research, the experience and feedback of the companies using the standard and many specific requests for changes and improvements.  The standard has been revised by technical committee SVS/3, Market Research, to reflect current practice within the market research industry and increase compatibility with the BS EN ISO 9000 series of standards. 

BS 7911:2003 is applicable to organizations and individual practitioners that supply market research and social research services.  It is relevant to all types of research projects and to all staff responsible for and working on research projects.