Survey Galaxy - A Hosted Application

Survey Galaxy is a hosted survey application, here we explain what the term 'hosted application' means and list the benefits of hosted software and the concerns that customers should always consider when evaluating hosted applications in general.

---

As access to the Internet becomes more widespread with faster, more reliable and 'always on' connections becoming the norm the growth of applications using the hosted application model continues to expand.

Although hosted applications will not suit every situation, or every customer, they offer many individuals and organisations, as well as the application manufacturers' themselves, considerable benefits over the locally installed application.

What is a Hosted Application?

A hosted application, also known as Internet-based application, web-based application, online application and Application Service Providers (ASPs) are software applications where the software resides on servers that are accessed through the Internet instead of the more traditional software that is installed on either a local server or on individual PC's.

The thin client concept is nothing new but advances in Internet connectivity have allowed the application to move from a local server to a server on the Internet.

---

What are the Benefits?

Reduced costs, instant deployment, easier to maintain and reduced administration are among some of the main benefits.

Low maintenance

With hosted applications the hardware and software is the responsibility of the vendor with the client only having to maintain access to the Internet. As there is no software to download a hosted application can be made instantly available across an entire organisation even where the organisation has multiple regional and international offices.

As there is no software the considerable time and resources required for periodic updates is also completely eliminated.

Reduced Cost

The need to license software through a 'per user', 'per concurrent user', 'per server' or 'site' license has been eliminated. Although some hosted applications still do charge 'per user' many have taken the opportunity to charge on a 'usage' and/or 'period' basis meaning that the customer does not have to estimate the number of licenses that will be required, nor install and pay for full licenses that may only be used by some employees occasionally.

This hosted application model also allows the smaller organisation and sole trader access to applications written using advanced software development tools and that utilise sophisticated database technology and high-end servers. The capital investment of the hardware and software as well as the security, backup and server maintenance cost are all the responsibility
of the vendor.

Minimal Risk

Many hosted applications require no long term commitment from their customers. New customers can often test hosted applications either through a free introduction offer or with minimal risk using a Pay-As-You-Go model. If after trialling the hosted application the customer finds it unsuitable
then they can simply stop using the service.

Access

Because the application software and the data is stored on the Internet server the application and data is available to the authorised client once they have logged on from anywhere there is Internet access. The customer can now work anywhere in the office environment, from remote offices or
from their home or hotel without the need to download their work or synchronise with portable devices.

Integration

For organisations that have legacy systems from different suppliers running different operating systems the hosted application will provide an integrated solution to any system that supports a standard Internet browser including Windows, Unix and Macs.

Support

The hosted application vendors benefit by not having to maintain multiple version numbers or individual maintenance and licensing agreements. New updates are installed centrally negating the need for expensive roll outs. For many applications the need for version numbers is eliminated as updates are made incrementally bringing the benefits to the customer without having
to bundle new features up into a new periodic version release. In some cases a user can request a new feature in the morning that can be developed, tested and deployed globally by the afternoon.

---

The Concerns

Internet access

New communication technology is able to bring high speed Internet connectivity to more and more remote places but there are still some regions where internet access is limited or not available.

In some cases such as mobile workers although high speed Internet connectivity is available the cost both in terms of connectivity charges and equipment may, at least in the short term, prove to be prohibitive.

Security

As with everything to do with the Internet security is a justified concern. There is no simple 'one size fits all' solution to the security issue and a lot will depend on the specific hosted application and the nature of the data.

With online banking and shopping becoming common place the vendor should be able to provide their clients with sufficient confidence that the data is secure and that any private information remains private.

Hosted applications will normally operate a login procedure ensuring that only those that are authorised have access. The more sensitive the data, the more sophisticated the login procedure.

A good data host will strictly enforce the stated wishes of their customers and ensure that data is not available or released to anyone that is not legally entitled to see it and they will adopt the latest security measures available to prevent unauthorized access.

There may be some areas such as automatic logins from known PC's and the use of cookies that although they don't necessary represent a significant risk could present a risk under certain circumstances, such as gaining access to a private account through the automatic login using an unattended PC. Although strictly speaking the customer's responsibility the customer should be made aware of the risks so that they can take action to safeguard their own system.

Although security is a concern in some circumstances private data may prove to be more secure than it would be on a private network with less sophisticated security measures or in an environment where there is a risk from within.

Vendor Lock-In

As with all software applications there is a risk that a customer could become locked-in to paying costly monthly subscriptions to maintain access to their historic data. To counter this some applications will allow the data to be downloaded or allow customer to maintain access to their data for a reasonable time free of charge.

Control

Unlike a local application the hardware and software is under the control of a third party. This is a justifiable concern although not too dissimilar to the telephone provider supplying and maintaining the communications equipment and as with the telephone providers there are considerable incentives for the vendors to ensure high availability and reliability since their business depends on it.

---

In Summary

Benefits

• No vendor installation or upgrades required


• Low start-up costs


• Minimal Risk, no long term commitment


• Backups and viruses responsibility of the vendor


• Hardware and software server maintenance vendor's responsibility


• Investment in local hardware & software reduced


• No need to synchronized data with multiple devices


• Access to data available globally through any internet connection


• Reduced software licensing costs

Concerns


• Lack of Internet availability


• Security


• Possibility of vendor lock-in

In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.

Most, if not all, of the developed nations have tax systems and credits that have become so convoluted that tax regulations run to thousands of pages and the administration costs soar as each individual case is calculated.

Most experienced economist would previously have argued that to introduce a single flat rate of income tax would result in financial disaster.

Estonia had an economy that was in meltdown, with inflation running at 1,000 per cent a year and one in three workers unemployed. However through adopting a flat rate tax its economy has flourished into one that is now listed in the top ten of competitive economies and is enjoying considerable foreign investment.

The idea that the rich should pay tax at a higher tax than everyone else is almost 100 years old. It is often argued with modern taxation systems that the rich are able to find loop holes that allow them to pay little, if any tax at all. Estonia tax everyone at the same rate 26 per cent (expected to be cut soon to 23 and then 20).

Would you support a more transparent form of taxation?

Do you think any of the G8 countries will be brave enough to make such a radical change?

If you would like to participate in this survey click on this link A Flat Rate Tax System Anyone?.

Fun Surveys

Survey Galaxy's Public area is full of surveys that are on either fun or topical subjects.

Here is a roundup of some of the surveys you will find in the Public Area, feel free to participate in any of them that you find of interest and remember for any public survey that you complete you will be able to see the latest online summary results.


Fun Surveys

When it comes to fun surveys how about nominating the best exchange between the Qantas pilots and their maintenance engineers and if you have ever found yourself between a rock and a hard place try these difficult choices.

If work is getting you down and you need a top excuse for a day off see if there is one listed that you haven't already used. When it comes to the genders we have surveys that ask what the best and worst chat up lines are and what the true meaning is behind what women say?


Film and TV

Want to know who is considered film's king of cool or what people think is the coolest car featured in a movie or TV series?

In the public area you will find surveys that ask who are your top five actresses of all time and that allow you to vote for your best film speech ever. Sean Connery was heading the top movie star of all time but would he get your vote and check out the survey that asks who are the greatest TV duo of all time?


Music Surveys

If you are interested in music you will find surveys that ask people to nominate their favourite Beatle song, album, film and Beatle and with the Rolling Stones on tour again the question is asked if you are you ever too old to do certain things in life?


Relationships

For relationships we would like to know where you stand on having joint bank accounts and do you think that Valentines Day is a good or bad custom?


Sports

If sports is your thing who do you think is the most well known sportsman is and for that matter the best basketball player of all time?


Topical issues

For topical subjects we cover the whole spectrum from the great American debate on gun control to where you stand on the smoking in public issue? Do you have a view on Genetically Modified (GM) farming and how environmentally aware do you think you are? We wonder if it is time the music industry woke up and smelt the coffee and where you stand on the issue of donor organ opt-out/opt-in?


Space

With space exploration do you think that Nasa is an expensive luxury or value for money, do you believe in UFO's and would you like a holiday in space?


Politics

For politics there are surveys that ask if Hillary Clinton will be the first women US President and how do you view the legacy of Yasser Arafat (1929 - 2004) as a freedom fighter or terrorist? When it comes to the greatest conspiracy theories do you believe the official version or are the conspiracy theories actually true?



Summary

Take time to browse the Public Surveys and see all the fun surveys that are available, if you register and join the respondent register you will be notified of new public surveys as they are published.

Why not try your hand at creating your own public survey it is completely free but just remember to be included in the public area they need to be well written and be of general interest, fun or related to a non-commercial topical issue.

Divided or United Nations?

2005 saw the United Nations Organisation 60th anniversary.

Formed after four years of world war and genocide the United States was determined to lead the world in creating an institution that would act to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," and to "reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights.

The U.N. was created to advocate and deliver peace, security and development.

With the UN's biggest financial contributor at odds with the UN and the unfolding oil-for-food scandal that implicated the son of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and doubts over its ability to react effectively to events. We ask was the creation of the United Nations a good thing, has the United Nations been a benefit to world and does the United Nations have the will and the means to achieve its aims and objectives?

If you would like to participate in this survey click on this link Divided or United Nations? .

I can't get no Employee Satisfaction

I'm not happy. The printer has still not been fixed and now my chair is broken. The problem with this place is that it is falling apart. My boss is okay but has no clue what is going on.

That new guy that started last week, who no one bothered to introduce, has been given a job that he has no idea how to do; why didn't they just ask me? I could have told them that a new set of drawings have been issued so even if he did know what he was doing the drawings he is using are obsolete anyway. Sometimes I don't know why I bother turning up.

I went for a drink with some of the guys last night after work. No one is happy and Sally from Accounts says that she has just about had enough and is thinking of asking for a rise and if they don't give it to her she is going to quit.

The management here just don't have a clue, we are haemorrhaging money through our inefficiencies and they think that sending out memo's telling us that they are introducing new procedures for claiming expenses is going to make a difference – whoopee do.

I think I'll ask for a pay rise, if Sally from Accounts can get one I can.

And so it goes on.

These are the sort of thoughts that start to play on the minds of individuals when a company looses touch with their employees; the broken chair, the lack of appreciation, the blaming of 'management', even questioning the futility of what they are doing. Minor problems fester and a cynical and destructive mindset develops. Can you be sure that it isn't going on right now in your organisation?

Social events outside the office become nothing more than a forum for complaints and negativity grows among people who feel powerless to effect change. Dissatisfaction will often synthesise into a demand for an increase in remuneration, as though like a cheap fix more money will momentarily lessen the pain.

Left by management, undiscovered and unaware, the concern's of this employee will inevitable find solace with their colleagues own individual concerns, where the only common demand will be for an increase in remuneration, more paid holidays and a reduction in working hours, all of which will not fix the broken chair, ensure that new personnel are in future properly introduced, trained and managed nor help management identify areas of inefficiency.

Organisations have a habit of compartmentalising people, either physically through offices, cubicles and workstations but also in terms of responsibility. With effective and strong management to support this structure it can be productive, but as an organisation grows, and weak or inappropriate management infiltrates the management chain, it is inevitable that cracks will begin to appear.

From the top down all can appear rosy in the corporate garden as the weak and inappropriate manager reports that all is well in the engine room, oblivious to the fact that their coal stocks might be dwindling.

Experience shows us that relying on a limited number of indicators gives a skewed perspective just like a person with only one eye has difficulty judging distance. Good management will therefore establish procedures that sample the mood throughout the organisation from different perspectives providing a rounded picture.

The benefits of establishing good, frequent and extensive communication channels are both direct and indirect.

A senior management team that is known to have their ear to the ground will command great respect and will keep middle managers from becoming complacent knowing that they can no longer dismiss the senior managers searching "How is everything going?" question with a glib "Fine"; In my book if someone says "fine" you have to ask if they really know what is going on.

Most principals of organisation will not have the luxury of spending time walking the floor and discussing the issues of individuals but through online surveys they can achieve the same benefits.

Online surveys are the perfect mechanism for establishing effective employer/employee communications. Using a survey hosting service like www.surveygalaxy.com they can now be created and published with ease and speed.

Using the internet and intranet surveys can be deployed in seconds, easily completed by employees and results can be displayed in real time allowing 'problems' and common themes of dissatisfaction to be identified early.

Online employee satisfaction surveys have the ability to get to the heart of an organisation, confirm not only that the engine room is working but that there is sufficient coal in the bunker.

The benefits that online surveys bring are considerable, not only are the real issues identified, but employees feel that their voices are being heard and that their views, right or wrong, have a forum.

Online surveys won't in themselves resolve a problem but they will give senior management the opportunity to address the problems and concerns of their employees, at least if people then leave the organisation they will be doing it for the right and not wrong reasons.

The grass will always appear greener on the other side but the underlying reasons for good people leaving an organisation are rarely purely monetary (although it is often cited as the reason)and more often to do with one or more of the following:-

• the workplace environment;


• a lack of fulfilment;


• limited training and feedback;


• lack of career growth;


• over work;


• lack of trust and respect with their senior managers.

A well planned employer/employee communications programme that can identify the individual and common concerns of employees will give senior management the opportunity to address root problems and not just the symptoms of employee dissatisfaction, allowing them to demonstrate to their employees that they are not viewed simply as interchangeable parts that can be used for any job at hand.

Employee surveys need to be customised so they are relevant for each individual organisation. I invite you to put yourself in the place of an employee and complete the following short Sample Employee Satisfaction Survey so you will get a flavour for what is possible;

Sample Employee Satisfaction Survey

Now view the summary results of the survey and think of the benefits to management being able to measure the level of employee satisfaction.

Online Summary Results of Sample Employee Satisfaction Survey

Will you be sending Microsoft any birthday wishes?

In 30 years Microsoft has risen from nowhere to dominate and define the worlds computers.

Love them or loathe them their technology is found everywhere throughout the world.

Young pretenders like Google can dent but have a long way to go before they can hope to topple the Microsoft juggernaut that dominates the top spot.

Ironically Microsoft was handed their opportunity by IBM who at the time ruled the computer industry roust.

On their 30th year how do you view Microsoft and their key personalities like Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer?

Will a company like Google find a way to eventually topple Microsoft from their perch and has having such a dominate company benefited the computer industry?



If you would like to participate in this survey click on this link Happy Birthday Microsoft.

Promoting Your Online Survey

Having created and published your online survey the next step is to get the right people to participate. How many and who you specifically target will depend entirely on the survey subject and your specific objectives.

For some surveys such as employee surveys there is likely to be natural and available list of respondents, for customer services there may be both a list and a website that can be used to promote a survey. Small surveys may only need to be promoted by word of mouth while others will require considerable effort to form a sample that will provide you with good market research data.

With surveys coming in every shape and size and with objectives that can cover market research, marketing and education a surveys sample requirements can range from general to specific as the population is sliced and diced into categories.

Listed here are a number of methods that can be used either on their own or in combinations so as to complement one another.


Email

One of the most popular methods of promoting an online survey is to send emails that contain a link to the survey to invited respondents using a mailing list. The mailing list could be a list of employees as in the case of an employee survey, a customer list for a customer service survey or a list of medical students from a college for a survey targeting medical students.

Although mailing lists can be obtained that target specific groups or business sectors one must be mindful that a survey invitation could be perceived by the recipient as being spam.

Where the objective of the survey is gather feedback, as in the case of a project post-mortem, it would be feasible as part of the normal correspondence between business partners to include an invitation to complete a survey with the purpose of obtaining valuable feedback.

A method that can be useful for organisations such as charities who wish to target corporate employees is to make an inquiry to a large organisations CEO or customer relations department and ask if they would help promote the survey using their internal email system.

The advantage with using Email is that it is quick and cost effective and the distribution of invitations can be well targeted and controlled.

When sending a large number of email invitations, even if the technology allows it, try to avoid the temptation to email them all in one go. It is a good policy to send your email invitations in batches so that if there are any errors or problems they are identified early and there is an opportunity to make corrections with minimal impact.


Website

To complement an email promotion or where a suitable email list is not available another popular method is to use a single or multiple website to publicise a survey by having a link to the survey on the website.

This method is ideal for survey publishers who already have an active website and where the surveys objective is to gather feedback from unregistered visitors who will not appear on mailing lists as well as registered visitors who probably do.

As an example an online store can gain valuable feedback from the visitors to their website that do not purchase anything as well as those who are loyal and regular customers.

With the practice of purchasing mailing lists being on the decline specialist websites can sometimes offer the opportunity for a survey to be publicised to a well target audience. If for example a survey is aimed at young people then university websites and websites that specialise in music and club culture will have a ready source of that social group that can be tapped into.

If the publisher of a survey does not have any control or access to a suitable website, and depending on the exact nature of the survey, it may be possible to request assistance from those websites that do have the volume of traffic from the target market, or you may want to consider paying a fee to have the survey promoted on specialist websites.


Organic Search Engine Listing

It is possible by including a detailed introduction as part of the survey to make the survey available to search engines allowing each search engine to index the survey so that it will appear in relevant search results.

How successful this method would be depends on a lot of factors and where the publisher has a ready sample source they may not want the survey to be indexed by search engines at all.


PPC

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising such as Google's Adwords can also be used to promote a survey by creating an advertisement that will be triggered by relevant search terms providing a method of targeting specific groups.

With the sophisticated PPC facilities you are able target your promotion on an international, national or regional basis allowing you to specifically target your geographical as well as interest group.

Surveys are not always conducted with impartiality in mind especially when they are conducted for the purpose of sustaining a particular argument. PPC can be used influence a seemingly impartial survey by directing it at people who hold certain views thereby ensuring support, or opposition, to a particular argument. If the intention is to conduct impartial market research then when using PPC the search terms used to trigger the advertisement will need to cover equally both sides of any argument and serious consideration should be given as to whether PPC is an appropriate method of promotion; in some cases it will be, in others it will most certainly not.

The downside of PPC can be the cost, certainly if your market research is being conducted with minimal funds and the promotion is competing for commercial search terms, however in some cases where the required search terms are non-commercial the promotion can use search terms that can be purchased at minimal cost.


Telephone Survey

Survey Galaxy provides a facility to allow online surveys to be conducted over a telephone with the interviewer entering the response information on behalf of the respondent who they are interviewing over the telephone.

As with email, telephone lists can be purchased and also like email care should be taken as people are developing a growing aversion to receiving unsolicited telephone calls.

Telephone interviews can prove very effective especially where you need to conduct a survey where the results may be skewed if you relied on a cross section of internet users only. Although the Internet community now represents a broad section of the overall community if for example a survey was concerned with peoples' reluctance to get online, obtaining respondents through online methods would be inappropriate.


Forums

Promoting surveys through forums can prove to be effect. Since forums by their nature often attract like minded groups of people matching the right forum with the survey subject can be very rewarding.

However, one should respect the forum rules and forum members can regard requests to participate in surveys made by new members as spamming the forum. Where a person has a history of using a particular forum they can however gain a good response from their fellow members who are asked to participate.


Press Releases

Online press release websites can be used to promote a new survey and can help the survey to establish a good ranking for general search engine inquiries.


Blogs

Similar to Forums Blogs also offer an opportunity to promote a survey. The effectiveness is likely to be directly proportional to the popularity of the Blog and the subject matter of the survey. Starting a new Blog to publicise a survey may not prove effective, but using one that has already establish an audience is likely to generate a good response.


Snail Mail

The traditional forms of promotion should not be overlooked and mail shots using letters to introduce and invite participants can be very effective for certain types of surveys.


Posters

Posters can be used to grab the attention and invite interested parties to participate in a poster. Prominently displayed in areas frequented by the target audience they can often have a instant visual impact and give the opportunity to follow up the visual image with well a crafted headline.

A good example would be for a survey that is attempting to research a psychological condition where potential participants who have experienced certain events in their lives will not be on any lists and across all social and age groups. A poster could be displayed in public places such as transport hubs, hospitals and entertainment venues.


Notice boards

Electronic or physical notice boards can prove to be an effective method of survey promotion. Notice boards can be of a general or specific nature and as such can be used to targeted groups of people


Direct Company

Approaching a company directly can enable you to tap into a ready source of suitable respondents. To avoid spamming a company it is recommended that permission should be sought from the specific company's senior management, human resources or customer relations department.

Events

Sporting events, festivals or trade shows can provide market researchers with a concentration of like minded people. However, you should not expect people who are attending such events will be in the mood or position to respond to surveys. An effective way to tap into this source of respondents is to hand out business style cards with a short explanation as to the objective of the survey and with a link to the online survey.

The size of the card is important as it can be put in a pocket easily so that when each potential respondent returns home they will take time to participate in the survey.


Radio

If access is available to any form of radio, air, digital or online, an announcement promoting a survey can generate a good response proportional to the number of listeners.

There are many radio channels to choose ranging from national, regional, local and specialist channels that generate audiences that can be categorised by age and interest.


Street

As with formal events there is an opportunity to target the general public as they go about their normal business. Although individuals can be canvassed and asked to complete surveys there and then handing out business card style notices requesting them to participate in a survey later could prove more productive.


On Product Packaging

Products can carry a label with a link back to an online survey. This would be an ideal way of gathering feedback on a particular product or it could be used just as a vehicle for promoting a survey that is unrelated to the product.

On invoices and corporate publications

General correspondence that confirms an action such as an invoice or delivery note can be used to promote a survey and thereby gather valuable customer relations feedback.


Incentives

The need to give incentives to people for them to participate in surveys will very much depend on the subject and length of the survey. For a short survey you may not need to offer any incentive but as a general rule the longer and harder the survey the more incentive is required.

Incentives can be in the form of a payment, vouchers, free gifts or entry into a prize draw. For some surveys such incentives might be inappropriate as in the case of an internal employee survey; for these types of surveys some incentive may be required to ensure a good and timely response and they could take the form of an explanation explaining the benefits of participating in a survey such as it leading to improvements in the working environment.


Summary

Listed here have been some of many methods that can be used to promote an online survey.

The 'survey' is no longer the cumbersome market research method that it once was, often valued but requiring considerable time and effort; with online surveys they can be created in a few hours, published in the morning and through the power of the internet provide meaningful results in an easy to read form by the end of day.

With the speed, ease of use and diverse methods of promotion today's online surveys are effective not only for market research but for marketing, education, consultation and communication.

Each survey will have an objective that when coupled with available resources and a time scale will together determine which of the many available methods of promotion are the most suitable; because objectives, resources and circumstances vary there can however be no absolute right or wrong.

Vegetarian Conundrum?

Details have been published in a biotechnology journal that describes a new technique that has been hailed as the answer to the world's food shortage. Lumps of meat would be cultured in laboratory vats rather than carved from livestock reared on a farm.

For many vegetarians who believe that meat is murder the revolutionary processed would see fresh meat grown from animal cells without a single animal being killed.

According to the researchers, meat grown in laboratories would be more environmentally friendly and could be tailored to be healthier than farm-reared meat by controlling its nutrient content and screening it for food-borne diseases.

If you are a vegetarian would you consider eating meat if it could be proved it was produced without harming the donor animal; and if you are a meat eater would the ultimate in processed food appeal to you?

If you would like to participate in this survey click on this link Vegetarian Conundrum?.

Should parents be able to choose the sex of their baby?

It is now possible to allow parents who use fertility treatment to choose the sex of their children.

Should sex selection play a role in terms of family balancing?

With public support some countries allow sex selection only to avoid gender-linked medical conditions such as haemophilia.

The question though being asked now is if there are moral issues in allowing parents to choose the sex of their children to allow a family balance, for example a family with four sons wishing to have a daughter?

If it is thought okay to choose the sex of the fourth child, why not the first?

What do you think?

If you would like to participate in this survey click on this link Should parents be able to choose the sex of their baby?.

The Compliance Officer's Killer Application

All organisations need to keep abreast of regulatory developments relevant to their business but to do so they need to enter into a regulatory and legal minefield.

Human resource personnel now need to grapple with the nuances of employment and health and safety law, in some industries corporate manslaughter charges are a real risk and for others licensing laws have reached new heights of complexity. With the growth in e-commerce where consumer protection is dependent on jurisdiction, trademark and intellectual property laws are becoming confused and the 'risk' list for all organisations is now seemingly endless.

Small businesses in particular are finding that a casual and informal approach to these issues can result in regulatory censure and regulatory fines that can have no bearing on the financial health of the individual company; for larger companies there is the potential of material, financial and reputational damage.

Small to medium businesses will rarely have the luxury of employing a full time Compliance Officer but they should charge someone with the responsibility and although larger organisations can afford a dedicated person they are finding that with compliance issues mushrooming the Compliance Officer now has a team, a department and if not already, how long before compliance becomes a division?

Regardless of size, the first step in compliance for any organisation requires them to identify the areas of compliance that are applicable to them. Rules and regulations are being introduced monthly on a local, regional, national and international level, covering everything from data protection and freedom of information, anti-money laundering to environmental waste control, race relations to health and safety; with ignorance being no defence there is a requirement on the individual businesses to know their responsibilities, and fines for those that wait to be told.

Having identified the areas of compliance the company then needs to understand what they need to do to ensure they comply. It is becoming conceivable that with the shear volume of compliancy issues that companies who can show a good faith effort in complying will, even when they fall short, reduce the risks of fines; to do so they need to demonstrate that they had every intention of acting within the spirit of the rules and that specific and timely action was being taken in relation to any failings or breaches. This is where the culture of the organisation is key.

With Compliance issues identified and understood the Compliance Officer needs to define and implement policy and disseminate the information throughout the organisation

It is important for the Compliance Officer that they do not inadvertently become the company's patsy. Senior managers are not averse to ignoring the internal memos they receive advising them of their responsibilities. Compliance Officers need to deliver their messages up and down the corporate food chain and record that their advice and directives have been received and more importantly understood.

The Compliance Officer has to avoid becoming the company scapegoat. This won't happen by itself, a sales team that has a long history of success though a relaxed attitude to selling is not going to willingly adopt new, and what they will see as restrictive, practices without a fight. 'I didn't get the memo', 'I didn't understand it', 'I thought it meant something else', 'I thought these were only guidelines' are likely to be stock replies, along with the one or two old timers that didn't think compliance issues applied to them. It used to be a safe bet to blame IT, blame Compliance is rapidly taking its place. This is where follow-up and disciplinary action by senior management is imperative.

To survive in this challenging environment, the compliance officer needs to have several spanners in the tool kit, buy-in of senior management, a strict reporting process and a good flow of management information. But what else - an excellent means of communication - this is key - the compliance officer needs to connect and communicate with the business - one tool that can bring real results is the online survey and questionnaire.

online survey can deliver a message internally to the individual; it can be informative like a memo and educational by referencing detailed policy. Importantly it can become a valuable self registering record that confirms that the information has been properly disseminated and understood.

A single survey question can achieve all these objectives at the same time.Take an example:-

Are you aware that section 45 of the Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Act 2003 imposes an obligation on directors of certain companies to prepare statements on their company's compliance with its relevant obligations?
Click here for a summary of Company's Policy on Compliance Reporting Obligations)
Yes
No

For those Directors that have not read the policy the survey will give an opportunity to view the company's policy online (using an embedded live HTML link). Should Directors answer 'No' the Compliance Officer knows who to target.

The survey also records the manager's response and shifts the responsibility away from the Compliance Officer to the individual manager where the responsibility needs to rest for a company to meet its compliance obligations.

Using an online website such as www.surveygalaxy.com where multiple surveys can be managed, easily modified, updated and re-issued on a periodic basis across an organisation online surveys can be the Compliance Officer's killer application.

Through the regular use of online surveys the Compliance Officer will be in the driving seat, leading and not chasing compliance issues, not only circulating the information on a one to one basis but also monitoring and recording the level of awareness throughout the organisation.

The Compliance Officer's role is a difficult one, like a parent keeping a wayward child on the straight and narrow, most employers, let alone their employees, often do not fully understand the true consequence of their, often innocent, minor discretions. Assigning a Compliance Officer is a start but enabling them to fulfil their remit will be the difference between a company being fully compliant and one that risks suffering the consequences for having let compliance take a back seat.

Hurricane Katrina

It seems that no one is arguing that the initial relief aid to areas affected by Hurricane Kartina was anything other that unacceptable. The US President, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state government officials have all acknowledged that mistakes have been made.


Is enough now being done to tackle the enormous task to repair the breeches in the levees and clear the city of flood water or are the politicians still more concerned with shifting the blame?

If you would like to participate in this survey click on this link Hurricane Kartina.

Does alternative medicine work?

A recent medical editorial, entitled "The end of homeopathy", argued that doctors should recognise the absence of real curative powers in homeopathic medicine.

Around 42% of doctors in England will consider referring patients to a homeopath and in Scotland homeopathy has proved very popular, 86% of doctors are said to be in favour of it.

With many people today willing to try, and more doctors willing to prescribe, alternative medicine has gained ground on mainstream treatments.

Have you, or would you be willing to try alternative treatments?

If you would like to participate in this survey click on this link Does alternative medicine work?.

Advanced Notice of Server Maintenance and Upgrade

Please note that our hosting company will be performing major maintenance and upgrades to their servers over the period Friday 26th August until 08:00 Tuesday 30th August.

During this period the Survey Galaxy website will be not be available for some periods although all downtime will be kept to a minimum.

We apologise for any inconvienience that this may cause.

Are you ever too old?

The majority of the Rolling Stones are now in their 60's and are all old enough to be great-grandfathers. However that hasn't deterred them and 2005 sees them take to the stage for yet another world tour.

The original bad boys of rock have lived through the addictions, drug busts and deaths to produce some of genre's finest moments. Forty years on they still seem intent on growing old disgracefully. With the Rolling Stones firmly in mind we ask are you ever too old to rock and roll?

If you would like to participate in this survey click on this link Are you ever too old?.

Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?

On August 6 and 9 1945, atomic bombs were dropped and destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The bombings led to the Japanese surrender and the end of World War II.

Was the dropping of the first bomb necessary and did a second have to be dropped?

Did the awesome devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki inadvertently create a stand-off between the super powers that lasted for 45 years or would a stand-off have resulted anyway just knowing their destructive power?

If you would like to participate in this survey click on this link The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was it necessary?.

Loss of Service

We apologise for the non-availability of the website for a period of time earlier this afternoon.

The outage was due to a problem at our ISP Pipex that affected many of their customers and it took them a while before they were able to restore our internet connection.

We are sorry for the inconvenience that this would have caused some of our customers.

We are however please to confirm that all systems are now operating as normal.

What is Treason?

In the climate of renewed terrorism some Governments are considering passing new laws that will broadening the term treason.

Treason charges have rarely been used outside time of war however it is now a charge that is being looked at to see if it can be adapted to cover the latest forms of terrorism.

The British prime minister has recently outlined plans which would consider deporting any foreigner involved in listed extremist centres and websites.

Do you agree that such steps will help reduce terrorism or is the term 'treason' too vague and simplistic? We ask you where you would draw the line between free speech and treason?

If you would like to participate in this survey click on this link What is Treason.

Billboard Advertising

Piccadilly Circus

Wise Man Marketing

It’s a sunny morning and you’re sitting in your office. With a cup of hot coffee by your side and memories of your last holiday still fresh in your mind, even if you say so yourself, today at least, life is sweet.

You take a sip of new blend coffee and then feel a rush of cool air and a movement catches the corner of your eye. As if from nowhere there is now an impeccably dressed stranger sitting in the chair opposite. Sure you're surprised; you didn’t hear anyone knock and just as you are about to say something he begins in a calm and measured voice.

‘Here's the deal’

‘I am going to advertise your product on a billboard at the busiest junctions in every city of the world.'

‘I will tell you how many people see this advertisement and I will tell you their age, nationality and gender.'

‘I will tell you what they think of your product and in many cases I will give you their contact details. While they are reading the billboard I will make it possible for them to view your website and, if they feel the urge, make a purchase.'

‘I will have all this ready in two days and it will cost you less than a small advertisement in your typical trade journal.’

He pauses. ‘Interested?’

Now you might think that such an offer was too good to be true, you might think that you are going to wake up soon or maybe that it really is time to get a lock on that office door.

But let's just take a minute. If you are still reading this I am that man who has come from nowhere and offered you a deal.

The advertising site is on the Internet and the billboard I'm offering is the humble online survey.

Stop for one moment and start to associate an online survey not with 'market research' but with 'marketing'. Not any type of marketing but 'Marketing' with a capital 'M' and in flashing neon lights. Marketing that is quick, direct, effective and low cost.

Publish an online survey and advertise it on a website, or via email, and like a billboard by the side of a major road junction, your message will appear in front of people. But unlike a billboard where the number of people that see an advert has to be estimated (based on an arbitrary percentage of total volume of traffic), the online survey records the number of times a survey is started.

Surveys can ask demographic questions such as gender, age and nationality and in doing so you are obtaining metrics about the effectiveness of your promotion and are interacting with the respondent on a one-on-one level.

Unlike billboards where the message is often subliminal, or maybe just trying to achieve brand awareness, with online surveys you have the opportunity to connect with the public to find out what they really think about your product, how it relates to them, how it is perceived.

Using a website like Survey Galaxy it takes only minutes and hours to create a survey and using the power of the Internet an online survey can reach hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis.

Throw in a prize as an incentive for people to complete the survey, maybe some Pay Per Click advertising to capture an even wider, or more focused audience and you are still talking low cost effective marketing.

"So tell me. Do we have a deal?"

What are the Best Ever Children Films?

There are some children movies that have stood the test of time and are loved as much by the latest generation as they were when their grand parents first saw them.

Does Disney still hold the crown or do film makers like Pixar now have their fingers firmly on the pulse of the young generation?

In this weeks public survey we ask you to vote for your all time top three children's movies and also your top three animated feature length children's movies.

To paticipate click on this link What are the Best Ever Children Films?.