The Marketing Workshop, Inc., Norcross, Ga., is now offering ActiveGroup, which allows the firm to broadcast focus groups live via the Internet to clients with a standard Internet connection.
Jesse Yoder has founded Flow Research, a market research company focusing on research for flow, temperature, pressure, and level products used in industrial automation and process control flow and related topics, at 27 Water St., Wakefield, Mass.
A new interactive research firm, Catalyst Research Network, has opened in Seattle. The firm's address is P.O. Box 19599, Seattle, Wash.
IBM has partnered with SPSS Inc. to integrate SPSS data analysis software with the AS/400 platform. This partnership means that customers can use IBM's own data-mining software, Intelligent Miner, along with SPSS software. While SPSS will develop and distribute the products, the companies will work jointly on development and marketing activities. The first phase of the product will run on the AS/400 using the IPCS card where appropriate. Later phases of the development project will include client/server versions that will be natively supported on the AS/400.
Hewlett-Packard has successfully deployed its market research using the MarketView service of Mountain View, Calif.-based Decisive Technology as the decision support solution to analyze customers' experiences with HP computing products.
MRCFocus, a Las Vegas qualitative research firm, recently opened a new division, On-Site, to meet growing demand for intercept interviews.
MACRO Consulting, Inc., has moved to 1900 Embarcadero Road, Ste. 110, Palo Alto, Calif.
Total Research Corporation, Princeton, N.J., has created a wholly-owned subsidiary, The Idea Farm, Inc., to provide promotional services to agribusiness companies. The new subsidiary will report to Total Research's newly structured Global Life Sciences Division, formerly known as the Global Health Care Division.
Agoura Hills, Calif., research firm J.D. Power and Associates has completed its strategic combination with Baker & Company, a Dallas management consulting firm specializing in business-to-business strategy and operations. The firm develops business models and marketing strategies to help clients identify and implement new initiatives for evolving competitive situations. Baker & Company will be operated as a wholly owned division of J.D. Power and Associates. Baker & Company President and Founder Richard Baker will head the new division as a senior partner at J.D. Power and Associates.
The M/A/R/C Group reported revenues for the first quarter ended March 31 of $21,575,000, compared with $20,399,000 for the same period of 1998. The company recorded net income for the 1999 first quarter of $253,000, or $0.05 per share on a diluted basis, compared with a year-ago net loss of ($729,000), or ($0.15) per diluted share. Targetbase Marketing had revenues of $12,935,000 in the first quarter of 1999, a 13 percent increase over last year's first quarter, and generated operating margin of $798,000, or 6.2 percent. M/ A/R/C Research had first quarter 1999 revenues of $8,634,000, a 3 percent decline from the first quarter of 1998, and had an operating loss of $367,000. The company also reported that its board of directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.075 per share, payable on May 17, 1999, to stockholders of record as of May 3, 1999.
Forrester Research, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., a provider of strategic technology research. has announced revenues of $17.9 million for the first quarter of 1999. an increase of 37 percent from $13.1 million in the tirst quarter of 1998. Net income for the first quarter of 1999 was $1.9 million. a 42 percent increase over net income of $1.3 million in the same period of 1998. Diluted earnings per share increased to $0.20 in the tirst qum1er of 1999 from $0.15 per share in the tirst quarter of 1998. The agreement value of the company's core research and advisory services increased 49 percent to $75.3 million at March 31. 1999 from $50.6 million at March 31. 1998.
Information Resources, Inc., Chicago, announced a net loss of ($0.3) million, or ($0.0 I) per diluted share. For the first quarter 1999 compared to net eamings of $1.9 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 1998. For the first quarter ended March 31, 1999. consolidated revenues were $131.7 million, an increase of II percent over the first quaI1er of 1998. Revenues from the company's U.S. businesses were $102.3 million, 8 percent above the corresponding 1998 quarter. Revenues from the company's international businesses. primarily in Europe, increased 20 percent to $29.4 million. Separately. the firm announced that more than 2,500 users at 35 packaged goods companies are now using its InSite Reporting service to access reports from IRI's InfoScan Census sales tracking information service and Shoppers' Hotline household panel.
I.S.I.S., Integrated Strategic Information Services, has moved to 2160 Ward Way, Woodside. Calif.
The Kantar Group, the information and consulting division of WPP Group pic, has acquired Center Partners, Inc., of Ft. Collins, Colo. The company will form part of the Winona Group, a Kantar company headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz.
Cincinnati, Ohio-based Sigma: Research Management Group has launched a new division, Sigma: Online Research Group. The new division will be headed by Jim Wigton, a former market research analyst with Gateway Inc.
The Gallup Organization has selected Optimum Solutions Corp. (OSC) to continue as its scanning software provider through the year 2001. Gallup originally retained OSC in 1996 to test its application of its FAQSS technology to read surveys and questionnaires. Based on three years of results, Gallup is now committed to using OSC software through 2001.
Digital Marketing Services, Inc. Dallas, has formed alliances with Atlanta-based Elrick & Lavidge Marketing Research and New York-based Guideline Research, Inc. to conduct on-line custom market research via America Online.
Jupiter. Fla.-based research firm Quick Test, Inc. has acquired Probe Research, Inc., Dallas.
Moscow-based F-Squared Market Research + Consulting has opened a full-service office in Warsaw.
Northeast Data, a Wayne, N.J., research firm, has been purchased by Paul Schwartz. Previous owner Leslie Hanis will devote full-time attention to his other interest, Focus On Boston.
Effective April 9, the stock of Opinion Research Corporation began trading on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol OPI. The Princeton, N.J., firm was previously listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market (NASDAQ:ORCI).
The Cincinnati Museum Center and SIRS (Service Industry Research Systems), Highland Heights, Ky., have partnered to create the Family Market Testing Institute (FMTI), a research facility designed to give clients access to the Center's more than one million annual visitors. The testing facility includes a 290-seat auditorium as web as six focus group or group breakout areas. Part of the proceeds from every project will be shared with the Center's tenants.
Hispanic & Asian Marketing Communication Research has opened a Los Angeles-area research complex, featuring a multicultural data collection center, focus group facilities and a CATI center. The complex is located at 1540 E. First St., Suite 200, Santa Ana, Calif., 92701.
Laurie Ashcraft, president of Ashcraft Research, Inc., and Jim Miller, president of The Miller Research Group, Inc., have formed a partnership called AIM Employee Research Services, a division of The Miller Research Group. AIM will conduct employee attitude and information surveys. In addition, The Miller Research Group has moved to 350 West Kensington Rd., Suite 109, Mount Prospect, Ill.
Cambridge Focus, a Cambridge, Mass., focus group facility, reports that it fared well in a recent Impulse Survey on focus group facilities, having been selected as one of the four or five best facilities in North America and the number one facility in Massachusetts. Columbia Focus, Columbia, Md., reports that it received an overall rating of 87 in the Impulse Survey, ranking it as one of the top 29 facilities in North America.
Bay Area Research, Baltimore, Md., has completed its telephone room expansion at its Randallstown, Md., location. The facility now has 35 telephone lines and offers 35 CATI stations equipped with CfMC technology.
The Results Network, Harrisburg, Pa., and its subsidiary, Susquehanna Surveys, have opened expanded facilities featuring WATS and focus group capabilities at 5321-D Jaycee Ave. in the Route 22 Business Center.