J. D. Power and Associates
| J.D. Power and Associates | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Division of The McGraw-Hill Companies |
| Founded | Agoura Hills (1968) |
| Founder | James David Power III |
| Headquarters | Westlake Village, United States |
| Industry | Marketing Research |
| Slogan | Turning Information into Action |
| Website | www.jdpower.com |
J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm founded in 1968 by James David Power III. The firm conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for industries ranging from cars to restaurants. The firm is best known for its customer satisfaction research on new-car quality and long-term dependability. Its service offerings include industry-wide syndicated studies, proprietary research, consulting, training, and automotive forecasting.[1] It was ISO 9001 certified in 2002.[2] The company is a business unit of the Information and Media Group of McGraw-Hill, who purchased it from James David Power III in 2005.
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Marketing research
J.D. Power and Associates' marketing research consists primarily of consumer surveys. The company bears the cost of developing and administering specific surveys with sample sizes of between several hundred and over 100,000.[3] J.D. Power ratings are based on the survey responses of randomly selected and/or specifically targeted consumers. This methodology differs from the reviews by non-profit Consumer Reports, its similarly well-known rival, which produces ratings based on the testing of products against in-house standards as well as the opinions of surveyed readers. J.D. Power relies on consumer reporting and does not conduct its own in-house product testing.
Although publicly known for the endorsement value of its product awards, J.D. Power obtains the majority of its revenue from corporations that seek the data collected from J.D. Power surveys for internal use.[1] Companies which have used J.D. Power surveys range from cellphone and computer manufacturers to real estate firms. To be able to use the J.D. Power logo and to quote the survey results in advertising, companies must pay a licensing fee to J.D. Power. These advertisement licensing fees, however, form a small part of J.D. Power's revenues.[1] In the 1990s, J.D. Power tightened its rules on awards advertising to prevent excessive use of the J.D. Power logo.[3]
Automotive surveys
J.D. Power conducts annual surveys of the automotive industry both in the U.S. and other countries. The Vehicle Dependability Study is a measure of problems experienced after three years of ownership, while the Initial Quality Study is a measure of problems experienced in the first 90 days of ownership. Other surveys include the APEAL survey, reflecting consumer's attitudes towards a vehicle's attributes, dealership service surveys, and customer purchasing experience surveys. Similar versions of the Vehicle Dependability and Initial Quality Studies are performed internationally, and usually released with the country's name, followed by the same title, e.g. Taiwan Initial Quality Study.
International research
J.D. Power has expanded internationally, bringing the language of customer satisfaction to consumers and businesses in India, Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and France. [4]
In the United Kingdom, the J.D. Power UK Car Customer Satisfaction Index reviews all cars that have reached two years of age at the time of publication. Surveys are conducted in partnership with UK automotive publication What Car?, which publishes the survey results.[5] The UK car survey consists of comments and ratings entirely from the members of the public who bought the cars new two years previously, and are thus in a more meaningful position to comment on the car than anyone testing it for a few days. Satisfaction is based on a number of different criteria, and when the many thousands of marks in each area for each car are added up, an overall score is available.[6] The list usually comprises about 130 cars and is published every year in the UK.
Criticism
Some critics claim that J.D. Power uses a "pay for play" business model where the highest bidder gets the award.[7]
In recent UK broadband study, J.D. Power rated Tiscali as the best broadband provider. In reality however, Tiscali does not have the best track record. [8] [9]
Consistently high rankings of poor-quality US automobiles that almost always run contrary to rankings by other reputable entities such as ConsumerReports and the various independent automotive magazines, continues to erode the credibility of this firm.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c USNews.com: From boats to Internet service, J. D. Power lives to rank (HTML) (English). US News (2004-03-07). Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
- ^ J.D. Power and Associates Earns International Recognition For Quality and Business Practices by Achieving ISO 9001:2000 Registration
- ^ a b Encyclopedia of Company Histories - J.D. Power and Associates
- ^ About the Firm | J.D. Power and Associates
- ^ What Car? JD Power Survey
- ^ 2004 UK Car Customer Satisfaction Index
- ^ "The Bogies: Radar nominates the most bogus awards in America", Ken Bensinger, radaronline.com
- ^ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/06/tiscali_jd_power "Tiscali in shock customer satisfaction win", Chris Williams, theregister.co.uk
- ^ Moneysupermarket.com - Broadband Survey puts Tiscali at the top of the providers!
External links
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