SRC plans survey of U.S. Colombian population

Miami-based Strategy Research Corporation has been awarded a contract to produce the 1994 Market Study of U. S. Colombians - the first study of its kind. The purpose of the study is to develop a demographic and attitudinal profile of the U.S. Colombian community and to provide information on the best ways to reach it. The study is partially underwritten by a grant provided by the Colombian government to the Colombian Accuracy Project, an association whose members include Colombians currently residing in the United States who are active in business and education. Its members are volunteers who share a desire to publicize the size and nature of the Colombian population of the United States. SRC will survey 825 Colombians living in the United States. The survey will include 275 personal interviews in each of the three largest Colombian markets: New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Based on estimates, these three markets combined represent 48% of all U.S. Colombians. The following information areas are currently expected to be included in the questionnaire: demographic profile, attitudes about Colombian heritage, language patterns, media use, shopping patterns/product use, ownership patterns.

Washington Researchers offers seminars

Washington Researchers, Ltd., has scheduled its 1994 spring seminar series in Washington, D.C. The four-program series will provide attendees with intelligence-gathering and analysis techniques. Upcoming topics and dates are: How to Find Information About ANY Company, April 6-7; Practical Competitive Analysis Techniques, April 8; Maximize Electronic Sources of Business Intelligence, May 19; How to Find Information About Business Units and Private Companies, May 20.

Claritas to host conference at Disney World in May

The Fourth Annual Claritas Precision Marketing Conference, to be held May 1-4, 1994 at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., will feature marketing executives and experts from a variety of industries plus more than 50 small-group break out sessions. The small group sessions will explore precise solutions to marketing challenges in the automotive industry, banks and insurance marketing, direct mail, electronic media, newspapers, retail and market segmentation. The theme of the conference is "solutions in action." General sessions will feature speakers from a variety of disciplines: Ruth Otte, president of Discovery Communications, will talk about the cable industry; Brian Owen, president and CEO of Maplnfo, will discuss GIS technology; Martha Farnsworth Riche, director of policy studies at the Population Reference Bureau, will speak about emerging demographic trends; Cheryl Russell, vice president of the New Strategist, will talk about baby boomers and her new book, The Master Trend; Michael Sullivan, president of Michael Sullivan & Associates, will talk about the senior market; Watts Wacker, managing partner with Yankelovich Partners, will discuss current consumer attitudes and beliefs; and Michael Weiss, author of The Clustering of America, will talk about his new book, Latitudes and Attitudes: An Atlas of American Taste, Politics, and Passions. The registration fee for the three-day conference is $645.

Ruf debuts new market segmentation system

Ruf Corp., Olathe, Kan., has introduced its Principle Interrelated Category Statistics (PICS) system. PICS is Ruf's new business-to-consumer and business-to-business market segmentation system. It uses interrelated category statistics to separate customer data into accurate segment criteria, which is used to target potential customers. PICS is a decision-support tool, developed to augment Ruf's mathematical modeling and cluster market segmentation systems. The econometric modeling components utilized in this system allow dynamic relationship analysis of consumer and/or business prospects that transcends the traditional household income or SIC code as a selection criteria.

FAQSS Guide released by Optimum Solutions

Optimum Solutions Corporation has published a new 16-page guide called The FAQSS Guide to Automated Data Capture Technology. The guide provides an in-depth explanation of the FAQSS automated scanning system. The FAQSS scanning system converts raw data into usable information. Unlike "bubble-type" scanning systems, FAQSS has virtually no format restrictions. It can scan any format, any paper, any question - which allows surveys to be information-driven, not form-specific Closed-end, open-end verbatims, hand-written and computer-printed responses are captured error-free and saved to optical storage. Results are immediately available and compatible with all major analysis tools.

Opinionmeter introduces next-generation polling machine

A new interactive, automatic opinion-polling machine is available from Opinionmeter Inc., Los Angeles. The machine is especially suited to customer service research in lobbies of multibranch businesses. Placed on a stanchion adjacent a queue line or exit in a service lobby, it lets customers self-administer their own computerized surveys while they wait in line. The Opinionmeter V provides state-of-the-art computer sophistication for data retrieval and manipulation. Questionnaires can be changed in minutes. Weighing only 5 pounds and measuring 7 inches by 9 inches by 19 inches, the compact machine can be rotated from branch to branch to provide a customer satisfaction index. Opinionmeter Inc. is expanding internationally and offering exclusive licenses for all medium to large U.S. cities as well as for some remaining international territories - especially Canada, Mexico, South America and Australia.

Banks can test compliance with new Philips analytical tools

Philips & Associates, a St. Louis-based market research and consulting firm, has developed a set of analytical tools that banks can use to test their compliance with community reinvestment regulations. Community Reinvestment Act performance has become a critical and costly compliance issue under the Clinton Administration's proposals for bank examination. Philips & Associates has developed a series of tests to identify a lender's strengths and weaknesses with regard to CRA compliance. Banks can use these tests to take rectifying steps before being told to do so by compliance examiners.

FIND/SVP offers D&B credit reports to small-and medium-sized business

FIND/SVP Inc., New York, is offering Dun & Bradstreet credit information to its clients. An agreement between the two companies allows FIND/SVP to access and supply its clients, especially small- and medium-sized business, with D&B Business Information Reports covering more than 10 million businesses. The reports, for which FIND/SVP charges $55, can include financial, payment and public record information, as well as the business history and operations. The agreement also allows FIND/SVP to make available D&B's Summary Reports, which contain just the business history and operations, for $35.

Q/Media introduces multimedia creation software for Windows

Q/Media Software Corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia, has introduced Q/Media for Windows CD-ROM Version. Contained on one compact disc, the software is a multimedia creation tool that comes with Tri-Digital Software's DigiClips Special Edition, a 500MB multimedia clip library featuring digital video, voice, animation, music, sound tracks, backgrounds and graphic images. The software also provides an intuitive interface so that users can leverage their knowledge of other applications. Without programming, scripting or conversion, files created in other software can be brought into Q/Media for Windows, which also integrates multiple media formats, enabling users to simultaneously play back many different types of clips on-screen. Q/Media for Windows CD-ROM Version with DigiClips Special Edition contains 210 multimedia elements: 75 video and 50 voice clips; 50 background bitmaps; 15 WAV audio files together with 10 MIDI files; and 10 FLI animation files. The software requires Windows 3.1, a 386SX PC with 4MB of RAM, VGA, mouse and a CD-ROM drive. (A 486 PC with at least 8MB of RAM, sound card and CD-ROM drive is recommended.) The suggested retail price of the package is $149.

California retail info available

The California Retail Survey has released its 1994 version, a 490-page analysis of 520 local retail markets throughout California. The annual publication provides coverage of retail market performance in every city and county in the state. Using actual sales results from 319,000 retailers, the publication tracks and analyzes short- and long-term retail trends for each of the 520 retail markets. Market reports include 11 years of sales and outlet data through 1993, in addition to 16 proprietary analytical measurements that provide insight into each market's strengths and weaknesses, short- and long-term growth rates and demographic data. All sales and outlet data for each local market are broken down by 45 types of retail stores. In addition to the database of market statistics, the 1994 edition of the survey provides more than 800 charts that identify important market trends. Local markets are assigned relative ranking scores for growth, size, market share, retail business formation and average store volume. The publication's price is $160.

Investext adds bond research to its online database

Highly specialized corporate and industry bond research reports are available on Investext, the Boston-based Investext Group's flagship database of investment research. The new additions provide hard-to-find financial data on public and private companies not usually covered by equity analysts. The reports are prepared by fixed-income analysts at more than 60 contributing firms including Kemper Securities Group Inc., Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co., Thomson BankWatch and Salomon Brothers Inc. Corporate bond research offers vital financial data and analysis of capital expenditures, cash flow, liquidity and debt ratio. The corporate reports also provide in-depth intelligence on corporate strategies, new product development, restructuring efforts and more. Industry bond research focuses on dozens of industries from a debt/credit perspective with extensive coverage of industry performance, market conditions, price wars and credit trends. The Investext database currently offers over 500,000 investment research reports prepared by 290 different investment banks, brokerage companies and consulting firms. More than 6,000 bond research reports are now offered with approximately 50 new reports being added to the database weekly. The Investext database is available through the Investext Group's online delivery service, I/PLUS Direct. Investext can also be accessed through host services, including Data-Star, DIALOG, Dow Jones News/Retrieval, FT Profile, LEXIS/NEXIS and NewsNet, along with gateways such as Ferntree, GENIOS, KISCO and Trendline.

Chinese-American report available

Asian Perspective Inc. has completed a study describing the lifestyle and consumption preferences of Chinese-Americans in New York City. The study focuses on various products and services including insurance, banking, investment, liquor, automobiles, personal care products and electrical appliances. The company has also made available its Asian-American demographic overview, which is based on the 1990 Census. It is a concise presentation of Asian demographic statistics. The Chinese-American report is for sale, while the demographic overview is available for free.

CIS database for Northern Virginia

Spatial Insights Inc., a geographic information services company based in Arlington, Va., is now offering a Northern Virginia Digital Database. It is designed to be used with desktop mapping or GIS to perform site location, competitive analysis and demographic profiling. Standard components include transportation layers, demographics and existing shopping centers. Customized versions of the database, which integrate user-supplied data such as customers locations, can be generated on request.

Youth market symposium to be held in early May

The seventh annual symposium on the youth market will be held on May 5-6 at the Boston Harbor Hotel in Boston, Mass. Speakers include Dr. Valeria Lovelace, vice president, Sesame Street; Joanna Jacobson, senior vice president, Converse; and Amy Churgin, associate publisher, Seventeen magazine.