When we talk about market research, we often forget that research as a whole encompasses great swathes of work done for social and political purposes. Indeed, in the US alone, research expenditure by government, social think tanks and universities almost doubles the size of the custom market. Social research in particular focuses less on people as consumers and more on them as people whose fundamental needs and desires require understanding if we are to improve the lot of the human condition. The benefits derived from this most basic function of research can be huge and intensely influential, far outweighing the cost of the research itself. In this issue, Jim Clifton reports on highly significant findings from the Gallup World Poll. His conclusion is that the primary human desire today is a good job - and that this has major consequences for the success or failure of cities and entire nations. This insight derives from a meticulous application of survey methodologies across the entire globe.
The unprecedented economic boom in China has resulted in a high demand for local managerial talent, as most multi-nationals have recognised that in order to sustain their business growth, they need to localise fairly rapidly. Consequently, the young, educated Chinese seeking employment today, have opportunities that even a decade ago were unthinkable. This has led to a situation where recruiting local talent is a big management challenge. This paper examines, via a case study involving conjoint analysis technique, how this very valuable and sought after target group makes decisions regarding which job to choose, and the trade-offs that they are willing to make. Further, it examines the application of the conjoint analysis technique to market segmentation. The findings suggest that the potential managerial pool in the PRC is more likely to choose a job that offers instant gratification (such as a quick promotion) over one that is likely to provide a more long term career or personal growth prospects. However, there are segments (albeit in the minority) of the student population who are give greater emphasis on issues such as training and job content - and therefore are likely to be a better long term bet for prospective employers.
Many people wish that it could be just that simple, but in fact it is a complicated matter, a very complicated matter. Discussions and interviews about work with people today - and especially youth - reveal a myriad of conflicts, dreams, complaints, disappointments, misunderstandings. One lasting impression is that in today's world much appears to be mismatched between the working individual and his job. The major form of mismatch is that the numbers who want or need jobs exceed the number of jobs available. There are also more subtle forms of mismatch which are the topic of this paper.