It isn’t too unusual for surveys to contain open-ended questions:  respondents would be free to enter their comments in any manner.  More on an operational basis, not surveys but rather client systems might hold such comments; and not the respondents themselves but customer service agents would be responsible for entering the information.  These same agents would likely classify the nature of the exchange or comments maybe using drop-down menu choices, radials, and check-boxes.  One approach…

Shame on YouGov! Did their survey really miss the outcome of the Brexit consultation? Not quite. If you hit your finger while hammering a nail into the wall, do not blame the hammer.

The media circuit is responsible for having broadcasted inaccurate information. I must confirm that I am in no way linked to YouGov, the market research agency that supplied most media agencies with projections of the outcome results for the Brexit consultation in the UK, and this article…

This week we explore two different themes related to data. The first is how to value big data. The second looks at approaches for quantifying individual experience within the context of gender discrimination.

Treating Big Data as an Asset

It's generally taken for granted that data is a strategic asset. Every salesperson knows this, which is why they covet their Rolodex. It's one thing to know that data is valuable, and it's another to quantify that…

I find that different types of surveys represent a large source of data for many organizations: client questionnaires; recruitment interviews; incident debriefings; interrogations; borehole drilling surveys; quality control checks; marketing surveys; security and patrol logs; and inventory audits. I believe that for many people, the idea of collecting information using surveys makes sense; and they recognize the need for the data. Problems arise in relation to the transition from survey to…

I rarely get to use a walkie-talkie during a course in school. As the snapshot of my desktop shows on the image below, I had both a multi-line telephone and portable radio. Just before the exam, I participated in a simulation. Our tabletop exercise contained an emergency scenario: a train derailment involving the evacuation of residents. I served as the Social Services Director. Although I didn't choose this role for myself, I thought it made sense given my graduate degree in the area of…