DSA Research Services: Policies and Practices

What we do, why . . . and how it affects you, the DSA member executive

Most organizations have policies and practices under which they operate. DSA is no different. This is a summary of our policies and practices with regard to our research services. Our hope is to give you a better understanding of how we operate, how you can get involved, what participation generally requires and what benefits you can expect in return.

Basic Philosophy

Our basic operating philosophy is those who give will also receive. That’s a short-hand way of saying that most of our research results reports are available at no cost to companies that input data to them. That is our way of thanking you for taking the time and energy to provide your company’s responses.

Companies that elect not to participate in a given survey will have the opportunity to purchase results reports from that survey approximately one year after they are published and made available to participating firms.

Equity among Members Regardless of Size

Along with this philosophy, we believe in equity. Equity simply means that companies are expected to respond to a majority of questions in any given survey in order to qualify for the free results report. In other words, one can’t answer, for example, 5 out of 30 questions and expect to receive a free report – that wouldn’t be equitable to all the other companies that responded to a majority of the 30 questions. Reasonableness applies in the application of equity. We realize that newer/smaller companies probably won’t have the same ability to respond as more mature/larger companies simply because of their more limited stage of development. So, we apply the principal of equity with this in mind.

A Second, and Third, Chance – Sometimes

With every request for survey participation, we extend several invitations to participate and send several reminders during the period the survey is open. Occasionally, for one reason or another, a company realizes it did not respond to a particular survey but would like to receive the results report. When feasible, we keep some of our surveys “open” past their deadline date. This helps to build our database of information about the industry and enables companies that did not participate timely to provide their company information, albeit after the deadline, and receive the results report subsequently. This opportunity is available selectively depending upon the circumstances involved in why the company did not participate initially.

Naming Names – You Decide

We try to make things easy and convenient for you. For most of our surveys, we offer you the opportunity to tell us to whom within your company to send the initial announcement, invitation to participate and follow-up reminders. You may name up to two designees per survey for the following: Annual Growth & Outlook Survey; Quarterly DataTracker Performance Checker; Ad Hoc QuickPoll Service; Management Compensation Survey, etc. Please check with us from time to time (or check your company’s profile online) to make sure your company’s various contacts are correct and up-to-date. We are happy to change research contacts for specific surveys as frequently as you need to have them change. In addition, if there’s someone within your company who has specific responsibility for research, we are glad to flag that individual’s record in our database so that he/she can receive periodic information of specific interest and value to industry research professionals. We also encourage the participation of such individuals in our Industry Research Committee; please contact us for further information on this opportunity.

Your Ongoing Informational Needs

By virtue of your company’s membership in DSA, you have a unique and ongoing opportunity to help shape the research that DSA conducts and, perhaps more importantly, to suggest content for current and future research efforts that may be especially relevant to you, or to companies similar to yours. A quick call or email to DSA will ensure that your research issues are put before the association’s Industry Research Committee (anonymously, of course) and considered for inclusion in DSA’s various research studies. Contact Eileen O’Neill or Ruth Enkiri for assistance. This service is included in a company’s annual membership dues; thus, there is no additional cost to explore whether your company’s particular informational needs can be met through DSA's ongoing research program. If you are not affiliated with a DSA member company you may request a membership application as DSA membership is required to participate in many of DSA's research projects.