Accreditation as a SAMRA Accredited Marketing Researcher requires the following:

Being a SAMRA member, and: being on the SAMRA Honorary Roll or, SAMRA Partner status for at least 5 years, with suitable work experience;
Adherence to the ESOMAR/SAMRA Code of Conduct;
Commitment to ongoing professional development activities;
Payment of an application fee, invoiced on receipt of the application, and
Payment, within 30 days of acceptance as a SAR, of an annual, inflation linked, SAR recognition status fee to maintain accreditation.

CONTACT DETAILS

Title *

First (Given) Name *

E.g. Nelson

Name Known As *

Name that colleagues use to address you, e.g. Madiba

Middle (Other Given) Name(s)

E.g. Rolihlahla

Surname/Family Name *

E.g. Mandela

Employer Organisation *

Position at the organisation where you work *

Email *

Mobile Phone Nr *

Work Phone Nr *

Invoice for fees to be made out to and payable by *

HOME DELIVERY ADDRESS:

Country where you are currently living *

Stand, apartment, building, floor, unit etc. Number and Name

E.g. 17 The Manor

Number and Name of Street *

E.g. 1 Maxwell Drive

Suburb *

E.g. Sunninghil

City/Town *

E.g. Sandton

State/Province *

E.g. Gauteng

Postal/Zip Code for Deliveries *

E.g. 2191

Is your postal address the same as your home delivery address? *

POSTAL ADDRESS:

Country where post box is held *

Post Box Number *

E.g. PO Box 1713

Post Office *

E.g. Randburg

Postal/Zip Code *

E.g. 2125

REFERENCES

Please give the name and contact details of two referees who can attest to your experience and skills in research.

At least one referee must be in an organisation other than your own and at least one must be a SAMRA Partner or SAMRA Accredited Marketing Researcher (SAR).

First Reference

Title *

First Name *

Surname/Family Name *

Employer Organisation *

Position at the organisation where the reference works *

Email *

Phone Nr *

Second Reference

Title *

First Name *

Surname/Family Name *

Employer Organisation *

Position at the organisation where the reference works *

Email *

Phone Nr *

SECTION A: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Gender *

Home Language *

The language you use most of the time at home

Identity Number *

Type of Identity Document *

Country where your identity document was issued *

Country where you were born *

Date of Birth *

Please use the following format: DDMMYYYY For example: for 31 December 1970, type 31121970

Ethnicity *

What is your current employment status? *

Please indicate your level of ability in terms of each of the following: *

	No difficulty	Some difficulty	A lot of difficulty	Cannot do at all	Former difficulty - none now	Unknown or cannot yet be determined
Seeing
Hearing
Communicating
Walking
Remembering
Selfcare

What is the highest qualification that you have achieved? *

At which NQF Level is your Occupational Certificate? *

List any current memberships of professional bodies/associations that you have *

How much experience do you have in each of the following roles? *

	None	Less than 3 years	More than 3 but under 5 years	5 to 10 years	More than 10 years
Buyer of data, research, analytics or insights (client-side)
Data, research, analytics or insights buying/use management (client-side)
Data, research, analytics or insights supplier (practitioner/professional)
Data, research, analytics or insights supply management (supplier-side)
Advertising agency practitioner
Management consultant
Specialist/advisory consultant
Managing and supervising fieldwork
Providing information technology or specialist software to the data, research, analytics or insights industry
Providing specialist software to the research industry
Training data, research, analytics or insights practitioners/professionals
University lecturing on research
Respondent/participant recruitment and panel management

In total, how many years management experience in a research related role have you had? *

Indicate whether your training and/or experience is... *

Please specify which Other training/experience *

Indicate whether your training and/or experience is primarily as... *

Please specify which Other primary training/experience you have *

Please indicate your level of experience in terms of the following research applications: *

You can relate your answers to, for example, business, social, marketing, political or technological contexts, depending on your experience and knowledge.

	No experience	A small amount of experience	A fair amount of experience	A great deal of experience
Advertising
Advertising development research
Advertising evaluation studies
Branding studies
Business to business (e.g. Industrial)
Corporate image studies
Customer satisfaction or loyalty studies
Employee surveys
Experimental design
Feasibility studies
International research
Market /sales forecasting
Measuring Internet usage and website effectiveness
New product development
Packaging research
Political opinion polling
Pricing research
Program evaluation
Readership surveys
Retail audits
Retail research
Segmentation studies
Service quality studies
Social impact studies
Social research
Syndicated studies
Taste testing
Test marketing
TV or radio audience measurement
Other

PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR IDENTITY BEFORE CONTINUING

Identity Number *

SELF ASSESSMENT FOR SAR APPLICATION

Please go through all questions very carefully and make sure you answer every item. Most people find the self-assessment task takes up to 45 minutes to complete. We ask you to work through each point, candidly assessing your knowledge and experience across the more than 250 aspects of research practice identified below. Please clearly indicate the ranking that best describes your knowledge and experience by selecting the relevant point on the scale provided. Guidelines 1. Please be honest and indicate whether you do or don’t have knowledge or experience/skill with respect to the stated areas. 2. It is unlikely any one applicant will have knowledge or experience of every facet included – an applicant claiming to do so is likely to be carefully vetted. 3. In general successful SAR applicants will be required to achieve the specified minimum level for each of sections B, C and D. 4. If an applicant does not reach the required levels they will be advised of appropriate paths for addressing gaps.

SECTION B: GENERAL RESEARCH PROCESSES EXPERIENCE

All applicants are required to achieve a minimum level of 66% for Section B. If you do not know what an item is then you should circle 0 A pass score is based on achieving an average score of 3

Please indicate your level of knowledge and experience with the following general research processes: *

You can relate your answers to, for example, business, social, marketing, political or technological contexts, depending on your experience and knowledge.

	No experience and no knowledge	A small amount of experience OR a small amount of knowledge (but not both)	A small amount of experience AND a small amount of knowledge	An average amount of experience AND an average amount of knowledge	A great deal of knowledge OR many years practical experience (but not both)	Both a great deal of knowledge AND many years of practical experience
Understanding the purpose of research
Different uses of research
Limitations of research
Defining the problem/issue to be investigated
Translating business objectives into research objectives
Identifying client (internal/external) needs and constraints
Deciding on the need for research
Giving advice not to conduct research
Preparing of research proposals
Costing proposed research studies
Planning the execution of projects
Recruiting professional staff
Managing professional staff
Project management of research studies
Conducting desk research
Sourcing secondary data e.g. AMPS
Analysing existing data bases and sales or customer records
Conducting literature reviews
Using sophisticated methods, e.g. data mining
Evaluating the pros and cons of alternative research methods
Identifying the “ideal” study design
Selecting and matching techniques to the problem
Understanding the essential differences between qualitative and quantitative data
Deciding when and when not to use qualitative or quantitative research
Designing a measurement instrument (e.g. questionnaire)
Choosing appropriate statistical analysis tools
Presentation of results in a report
Report writing
Drawing conclusions
Making recommendations
Use of visual and graphical presentation techniques
Oral presentation or results to client
Follow-up and encouraging the use of findings
Post research consulting
Handling bad news
Convincing management to budget for research
Promoting the use of research within an organisation
Managing a client research department
Project management within a client research department
Choosing research suppliers
Managing research suppliers
Budgeting for research projects
Deciding on the problems/opportunity/issues for research
Analysis of readily available data including research reports
Preparing research briefs
Integrating research into the strategic planning process
Managing corporate research information systems
Evaluating research proposals
Quality control of data collection
Developing policy guidelines
Providing strategic advice and recommendations
Developing marketing strategies
Developing corporate strategies
Developing implementation guidelines
Building commitment of stakeholders to implementing research findings

PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR IDENTITY BEFORE CONTINUING

Identity Number *

SELF ASSESSMENT FOR SAR APPLICATION (CONTINUED)

Please go through all questions very carefully and make sure you answer every item.

SECTION C: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

For Sections C & D applicants are required to achieve a minimum of 50% in one and 33% in the other.

Please indicate your level of knowledge and experience with qualitative research: *

You can relate your answers to, for example, business, social, marketing, political or technological contexts, depending on your experience and knowledge.

	No experience and no knowledge	A small amount of experience OR a small amount of knowledge (but not both)	A small amount of experience AND a small amount of knowledge	An average amount of experience AND an average amount of knowledge	A great deal of knowledge OR many years practical experience (but not both)	Both a great deal of knowledge AND many years of practical experience
Philosophical underpinnings of qualitative research
Knowledge of the different schools of qualitative research
The nature of qualitative data
Application of psychological theories
Strengths and weaknesses of qualitative data
Status of qualitative data as research evidence
Validity, reliability and generalisability of qualitative data
Limitations of qualitative research data
Theory underlying qualitative data collection
Differentiate various types of qualitative data (descriptive/motivational/creative/interpretive)
Understanding of group dynamics
Strengths and weaknesses of various qualitative data collection methods
Choosing between alternative data collection techniques
Sampling theory for qualitative research
Issues in sampling for qualitative research
Issues in recruiting participants
The various roles the moderator/interviewer can play
Constructing a discussion or interview guide
The role of the discussion guide
The role of the interview guide
In-depth interviewing techniques and skills
When and when not to record an individual interview – audio and/or video
When and when not to inform a participant of the name of research sponsor
Ethical issues in qualitative research
Impact of observers on group participants
Impact of observers on moderator
Briefing observers
Differing impact of observation via two way mirror, video, viewer in same room
Non-directive moderating techniques and skills
Introducing techniques for gaining initial acceptance
Warm up techniques
Helping participants to feel at ease
Techniques for minimising observer effects on moderator and participants
Handling silence in a group session or interview
Encouraging quiet, shy or reticent research participants
Handling difficult group members, e.g. expert, incessant talker
Dealing with a sensitive situation during a group session (e.g. strong emotional outburst)
Experience with research on sensitive social issues
Understanding the roles participants play
Techniques for overcoming socially desirable responses
Issues in the use of stimulus materials
Argue in favour of term “participants” versus “respondents”
Understanding of “directive” versus “non-directive” moderating techniques
Understanding of probing techniques
Being tuned to what is “not said” versus expectations of the client
The process of constantly forming and moderating hypotheses within and between sessions/interviews
Use of a range of projective techniques
Knowledge and experience with mini-groups
Knowledge and experience with non-directive group discussions
Knowledge and experience with focus groups
Knowledge and experience with in-depth interview
Knowledge and experience with internet discussions
Knowledge and experience with paired interviews
Issues in content analysis of qualitative data
Issues in interpretation of qualitative data
Role of gestation and reflection in interpretation of data
Listening/viewing recordings of group sessions
Going beyond what is said
Identifying non verbal communication
Biases in participants’ attributions of reality
Claimed behaviours versus actual behaviour
Differentiating the data from its interpretation
Report writing – reportage versus insights
Presentation of qualitative research findings

Please indicate your level of knowledge and experience with advanced qualitative research techniques/applications: *

You can relate your answers to, for example, business, social, marketing, political or technological contexts, depending on your experience and knowledge.

	No experience and no knowledge	A small amount of experience OR a small amount of knowledge (but not both)	A small amount of experience AND a small amount of knowledge	An average amount of experience AND an average amount of knowledge	A great deal of knowledge OR many years practical experience (but not both)	Both a great deal of knowledge AND many years of practical experience
Techniques for rigorous analysis
Arguments for and against rigorous content analysis versus holistic analysis
Applying behavioural science theories e.g. attitude/behaviour relationships, attribution theory, psychology of persuasion
Use of enabling techniques
“Extended” group discussions
Validation of qualitative data – e.g. triangulation
Experience with family group sessions
Experience with couples sessions
Experience with teenager group sessions
Experience with children’s groups
Experience with observation studies
Experience with ethnography
Experience with case study methods
Experience with internet discussions
Knowledge regarding neurolinguistic programming (NLP)
Knowledge regarding repertory grid or laddering
Knowledge regarding cognitive mapping
Knowledge regarding content analysis
Knowledge regarding computer analysis of content of qualitative data (e.g. NUDIST or NVIVO)
Knowledge regarding Zaltman metaphor elicitation
Knowledge regarding semiotics
Knowledge regarding phenomenology
Knowledge regarding transactional analysis (TA)
Knowledge regarding grounded theory
Knowledge regarding action research

PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR IDENTITY BEFORE CONTINUING

Identity Number *

SELF ASSESSMENT FOR SAR APPLICATION (CONTINUED)

Please go through all questions very carefully and make sure you answer every item.

SECTION D: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

For Sections C & D applicants are required to achieve a minimum of 50% in one and 33% in the other.

Please indicate your level of knowledge and experience with quantitative research: *

You can relate your answers to, for example, business, social, marketing, political or technological contexts, depending on your experience and knowledge.

	No experience and no knowledge	A small amount of experience OR a small amount of knowledge (but not both)	A small amount of experience AND a small amount of knowledge	An average amount of experience AND an average amount of knowledge	A great deal of knowledge OR many years practical experience (but not both)	Both a great deal of knowledge AND many years of practical experience
Strengths of quantitative research
Limitations of quantitative research
Translating research objectives in information requirements
Ethical issues in survey research
Developing specific hypotheses to guide questionnaire design
Advantages and disadvantages of face to face interview
Advantages and disadvantages of telephone
Advantages and disadvantages of internet or email
Advantages and disadvantages of mail, fax or other hard copy self completion
Influence of data collection method on question design
Designing a questionnaire for face to face
Designing a questionnaire for mall intercept
Designing a questionnaire for point of purchase
Designing a questionnaire for at home/workplace
Designing a questionnaire for telephone interviews
Designing a questionnaire for internet or email
Designing a questionnaire for mail, fax or other hard copy self completion surveys
Designing a questionnaire for omnibus survey questions
Quality control procedures available to minimise errors
Errors associated with inaccuracy of responses
Interviewer bias and errors
Impact of follow-up procedures on self completion questionnaires (e.g. mail)
Allowing for non-response in survey design and sampling
Sampling error and confidence intervals
Strengths and weaknesses of the various types of questions
Ways to increase user friendliness
When to use unstructured questions
Issues to allow for in question and questionnaire construction:
- memory
Issues to allow for in question and questionnaire construction:
- social desirability
- privacy/embarrassment
- sensitivity of information
Avoiding pitfalls in question wording in surveys
Optimising question sequence, skips and layout
Minimising question order bias or response alternative bias
Designing questions for CATI/CAPI systems
Research recommendations on interview lengths
Techniques for maximising response rates for:
- face to face interview
- telephone
- internet or email
- mail, fax or other hard copy self completion surveys
When to use nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio scales
Types of attitude rating scales (e.g. Likert, semantic, differential)
Interpreting attitude scale data
Appropriateness of application of various attitude scales
Limitations of attitude measurements
Understanding the concept of validity
Understanding the concept of reliability
Fundamentals of causal research (experimental design)
Nature of evidence required to establish causation
Meaning and application of randomisation procedures
Threats to internal and external validity
Likely effects of “before” measures
Use of matched groups or control group designs
The range of randomised and non-randomised designs
Concepts of probability sampling
Defining the population (universe of interest)
Developing sample frames
Factors influencing sample size decisions
Practical methods for determining sample size
Statistical calculation of required sample size to achieve chosen sampling error at 95% level of confidence
Methods of selecting probability samples
Effect of stratification and clustering in sample size calculation
Forms of non-probability sampling
Developing a stratified random sample
When to use a clustered random sample
Bias in self selection samples
Recognition of bias in some natural samples
Influence of research designs on sample size
Value of sequential sampling procedure
Developing a decision matrix for sequential sampling
Concepts of bias in sample selection
Non response bias and how to minimise it
Effects of call-back procedures on sampling accuracy
Quality control of data collection
Minimising non sampling errors
Preparing interviewer briefing notes
Briefing interviewers
Supervising interviewers
Piloting questionnaires
Interviewing
Probing with open ended questions
Validation of completed questionnaires
Field management of CATI surveys
Preparation of a fieldwork call report
Calculating the true non-response rate
Check editing
Handling missing responses
Developing a code frame for open-ended questions
Deciding on the advantages and disadvantages of weighting the data
Designing specifications for computer cross tabulation
Using data analysis packages (e.g. SPSS)
Choosing the statistical tools to be used
Reading and interpreting computer tables
Identifying significant findings to report on
Testing hypotheses
Displaying quantitative data
Calculating a frequency distribution
How to choose between the various measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode)
Calculating moving averages
Calculating percentiles
Calculating mean, median and mode
Developing bi-variate cross tabulations
Developing chi square and t test
Knowing when to use non parametric statistics (e.g. chi square)
Calculating the statistical significance between two sample means
Calculating the statistical significance between sample proportions
Knowing what statistics to use to calculate significance
Understanding statistical concepts of degrees of freedom and p values
Knowing the difference between association and causation
Knowing how to measure association of variables
Hypothesis testing and the null hypothesis
Type I and Type II statistical error

Please indicate your level of knowledge and experience with advanced quanitative research techniques/applications: *

You can relate your answers to, for example, business, social, marketing, political or technological contexts, depending on your experience and knowledge.

	No experience and no knowledge	A small amount of experience OR a small amount of knowledge (but not both)	A small amount of experience AND a small amount of knowledge	An average amount of experience AND an average amount of knowledge	A great deal of knowledge OR many years practical experience (but not both)	Both a great deal of knowledge AND many years of practical experience
Standardisation of scales
When and what multivariate statistical procedures to use when measuring dependence:
- conjoint analysis (trade-off)
- multiple regression
- discriminant analysis
- AID/CHAID/CART
- logistics regression
- neural networks
- choice modelling
- structural equation modelling
When and what multivariate statistical procedures to use when measuring interdependence:
- factor analysis
- multi-dimensional scaling and correspondence analysis
- cluster analysis
Applying forecasting techniques:
- delphi
- exponential smoothing (Box Jenkins)
- econometric modelling
- Bayesian statistics

CONFIRMATION OF AGREEMENT WITH APPLICATION CONDITIONS

I hereby certify that: *

The information set out in this submission is complete, true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

I abide by the Southern African Marketing Research Association (SAMRA) Memorandum of Incorporation and Company Rules, and the SAMRA Code of Conduct.

I will ensure payment of any fees due to SAMRA.

I understand that this application will expire within 120 days of submission if incomplete and/or application fees are not paid.

I understand that all invoiced amounts remain due, even if an application expires.

I understand that once an application has expired, a new application will be required and an additional application fee will become payable.

SAMRA has my permission to conduct a background check to verify the information I have supplied, should they wish to do so.

I will submit all relevant supporting documentation within 48 hours of submitting the application.

Submission of Supporting Documents to SAMRA via Email

a) A detailed CV covering your educational and employment history, including companies and/or organisations worked for, in what positions (job titles), length of time at each and a contact person for each organisation
b) Verified copies of certificates, diplomas, and/or degrees in support of professional and other qualifications and courses listed in your CV and in the SAR application form

SAR Application Form

CONTACT DETAILS

REFERENCES

SECTION A: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR IDENTITY BEFORE CONTINUING

SELF ASSESSMENT FOR SAR APPLICATION

SECTION B: GENERAL RESEARCH PROCESSES EXPERIENCE

PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR IDENTITY BEFORE CONTINUING

SELF ASSESSMENT FOR SAR APPLICATION (CONTINUED)

SECTION C: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR IDENTITY BEFORE CONTINUING

SELF ASSESSMENT FOR SAR APPLICATION (CONTINUED)

SECTION D: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

ESOMAR News

GRBN News