Hybrid approach to conjoint from Macro
Macro Consulting, Inc., Mountain View, Calif., has developed a hybrid approach to conjoint analysis called the Cake Method. With the Cake Method, a large number Of feature utilities (50 or more) can be estimated at the individual level while at the same time allowing for complete control over the experimental design in a full-profile format. Design control allows for specification of product combinations, via traditional experimental design, in advance of the interview process. This permits the incorporation of physical exhibits into the interview in order to minimize respondent confusion. First-order interactions can also be estimated at both the disaggregate and aggregate levels.
Pulse Train debuts survey design package
Pulse Train Technology has launched Visual QSL, a software package for survey design. Visual QSL runs under Windows and Windows 95 and allows the user to build up a survey interactively using simple menus, toolbars and standard drag-and-drop features. As questions and displays are added, the survey is presented graphically on the user’s screen in a simple tree structure. All routing, logic and validity controls can be included and these are shows as part of the tree slxucture. Standard cut and paste features are available to allow sections of earlier surveys to be us again. Surveys created in Visual QSL can be used in any of Pulse Train’s data collection software programs. A paper version of the questionnaire can also be produced automatically with Visual QSL’s presentation module. This allows the user to rearrange questions and a "house style" for the survey. Any style can be saved and later applied to other questionnaires. Visual QSL also includes a translation module designed to make the set up of international surveys easier. After a survey has been written in one language this module can be used to present text from the survey for translation into any of 16 other languages. The survey script is updated automatically as the text is translated and the finished survey can then be used to interview respondents in any of the languages specified.
Kit links data acquisition and analysis
StatSoft, Inc., Tulsa, Okla., has released the Statistica Connectivity Kit, an application desigued to integrate Statistica for Windows statistics and analytic graphics software with external sources of data such as real-time data acquisition and monitoring systems, measurement devices, data collectors, or laboratory equipment. The Statistica Connectivity Kit can read data via serial ports or from PC-bus-compatible interface cards, such as the universal, high-performance Rockwell!DataMyte InterGage card. The Statistica Connectivity Kit also includes options to facifitate connecting Statistica to specialized databases that store the relevant information. The application can be used in a variety of environments, from simple single-workstation arrangements to large enterprise-wide computing environments (e.g., where multiple Statistica Connectivity Kit applications connected to multiple data acquisition channels would preprocess data and then feed them into the Statistica databases, to be then transferred to corporate databases).
Stats package designed for non-technical users
Assessment Technologies, Inc., Preston, Minn., is now offering its proprietary, in-house software package for sale. MergeTABS 2.0 is a Windows 95-based application that allows users to create crosstabs and statistics, for use in a mail merge data file, without any knowledge of programming. The output file may be used to mail merge the frequencies, percentages and statistics into a mail merge report form that has been created using packages such as Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Framework, and dBASE/FoxPro or any package that allows mail merge forms to be developed. Command files can be created and saved using a simple, selfprompting, on-screen form that lets users compute crosstabs (frequencies, N’s, and percentages), bivariate and univariate statistics (Student’s t-test for independent and dependent samples, Pearson correlation, and chi-square), and descriptive statistics (average, standard deviation, variance, minimum/maximum range). The command files are saved to a text file and may be reused to analyze new/updated data and rerun mail merge reports. A library of command files may be built for each project allowing users to re-run data in seconds by opening the command file, choosing a data file, and running the command file.
Quantime to offer new capabilities
New York-based Quantime, a provider of research software and services, has introduced software enhancements to ensure that results from multiversion surveys are directly comparable. Quantime will release a version of its CAPI software with a translation database facility that stores translations separately from the logic, reducing errors because the logic need only be defined once. At the data analysis stage, users of Quantime software can now choose the language in which to display text when viewing variables or running tables. This year the company expects to offer its software in various Asian languages in Windows.
CDB launches Web site, panel surveys
CDB Research & Consulting Inc., New York, has launched a Web site. The site includes resultg of CDB’s new Hidden Value Index research, which provides investors a new way of looking at companies. The survey asks financial analysts to rate companies in selected industries on eight "Hidden Value" assets, including "Concern for and relations with its employees." "Ability to reduce costs," and "Research and development, intellectual capital, and ability to innovate." Also on the site are results from the first dozen Trends Capsules Surveys, research on quality of life issues ranging from consumers’ health and well-being to their access and use of technology. The data is gathered from the firm’s proprietary National Research Panel of consumer attitudes and trends.
CDB’s America’s Forum bi-monthly panel surveys provide consumer opinions, attitudes and behavior. Questions are included in the firm’s bi-monthly panel surveys along with those of other clients. Panel members are recruited through standard random-digit technique. Client companies may commission one question or many. Client company data can be representative of the entire American public or focus on special demographic groups.
Polk offers incidence rate information
Polk’s Research Sampling Group has completed a study that measured incidence rates from some of its more popular selects. The study measured incidence rates among self-reported data gathered through Polk’s Survey of America, DataCap, and product information questionnaires. Incidence rates are the rate of occurrence or the percentage of households on a particular sampling list that actually have the identified select criteria. The findings provide information to researchers who are interested in more accurately estimating their study’s costs and in-field timing/scheduling. The results are from a telephone surveyinitiated to measure the incidence rates among 10 Polk data selects (see below). Additionally, demographic data on Polk’s consumer files were compared to the responses obtained through the survey for home tenure, age, income and number of children. Approximately 300 surveys (3,000 names) were completed for each of the 10 selects.
New Principia OIVIRsoftware
Principia Products, Inc., West Chester, Pa., has introduced Remark Office OMR version 4.0. The software scans forms containing optical marks (bubbles or checkboxes) and barcodes from plain-paper forms. It supports virtually all scanners currently on the market. The software eliminates the need for specially printed forms employing drop-out colors and timing marks. Forms can be created with any word processor or survey design package and can be printed on any laser printer. The output is compatible with any database, spreadsheet or statistical package. The product is available in both 16-bit and 32-bit versions. Version 4.0 adds the ability to perform database verification of scanned information and can import and export to more than 30 different file formats including Excel, Access, FoxPro, SPSS and ODBC compliant databases.
NDS offers geocoding product
National Decision Systems (NDS) has released PrecisionCode 1.0, a new geocoding solution. PrecisionCode will augment any customer file with the following:
- Batch appending laTitude/longitude coordinates to customer address files. This function can be used with mapping software packages to see where customers are traveling from and how far they are traveling to reach the business.
- Appending market seg-mentafion codes from the leading seg-mentafion packages to their customer address files. Market segmentation coding is available for Micro Vision, PRIZM and ClusterPlus.
- Appending geographies to any customer address. PrecisionCode can append exact latitude/ longitude coordinates, ZIP+4s, ZIP codes, state, county, census tract and block group codes to any customer address.
- Standardizing customer address records. Address standardization modifies the street, city and state names within the customer’s file to adhere to USPS standards. PrecisionCode uses the Qualitative Marketing Software geocoding engine to calculate address or intersection latitude and lonNtude coordinates. It includes Wizard screens and on-line help to walk the user through each process.