Abstract:

The value for money issue is not a new topic, it is as old as Market Research (MR) itself. It has taken different shapes over time however, conditioned as it is by two sets of factors which have clearly followed a certain time path. The first set of factors which is involved, can be regarded as internal to MR, it relates to competitive conditions among practitioners, the state of their technical skills and competence, their capacity to establish a clearly profiled image of market research as a tool of management and the establishment of generally accepted professional standards. The second set of factors, to be regarded as external to MR, relates to the environment in which MR is operating.