About
About the Author
Carey V. Azzara
Mr. Azzara is a consultant, author, and highly respected researcher. Azzara is an executive research professional and brings over 20 years of experience to the research community. He holds two advanced degrees in market research related disciplines and is the author of numerous articles and eBooks.
Prior to founding AtHeath Azzara was the Director of Research Business Development, responsible for creating VDC Research’s research road map. As EVP at Management Insight, Azzara had responsible for research operations, including the analytical team and field managers. He also worked for TechTarget Inc., which purchased The AlignITGroup, a company Azzara Co-founded. The AlignITGroup developed products and services that made the IT purchase process more efficient and effective for both buyers and suppliers.
He was the Chief Research Officer at Hurwitz Group and the Director of the Corporate Computing Vertical Views Program at IDC. He developed and directed five major programs across three P&Ls, including vertical market programs integrating IDC’s research in N. America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific and ePanel research the Technology Integration Panel Study (TIPS) a worldwide quarterly tracker that explored emerging trends in 14 countries and in 8 languages.
He is a recipient of the coveted James Peacock Memorial Award for Professional Excellence in Market Research. Azzara authored the book: Questionnaire Design for Business Research. This book is published through Tate Publishing, a mainline publishing house dedicated to working with aspiring authors and giving their book its best chance in the marketplace. If you’ve ever thought about publishing a book, you should visit Tate Publishing.
About the Book
This book started out as a short guide, and evolved into full text over the course of many months. The topic is restricted to one slice of the total research continuum, but I believe it is one of the most important areas of research methodology—questionnaire design. The information was gathered slowly and the writing was not done all at once, but over time as I worked with different groups in various settings and came to realize the great diversity of approaches and requirements that were being practiced by my colleagues. I’ve learned from clients as well as the research teams I’ve had the privilege to manage.
With dedication to excellence, truly innovative approaches in questionnaire design can be developed, approaches that not only satisfy the research requirements for a particular study, but are applicable to the broader array of business problems market research studies address. Whether a research team is expanding the horizons of market research through innovation or trying to catch up with mainstream techniques, striving to find the best possible use of the resources available for research is an ongoing process.
In fact, perhaps the most important concept in this book is not about designing questionnaires, but the concept of how we approach the design of research instruments and research designs in general—the concept of continuous improvement practice (CIP).
What is CIP? It’s the process in pursuit of excellence of creating a “best practice.” And, at the same time, it’s the antithesis of the concept of best practice. The notion of best practice is static; it suggests that once you’ve developed it you’re done—nothing could be further from the truth. Best practices are only “best” if they are continuously improved
Hence the concept of CIP! A wise person once told me, “It’s not necessary to achieve perfection, only to strive for the highest level of excellence and quality you can provide.” The hope is this text will help you prepare to step up to the continuous improvement practice of market research.
