Privacy policy »
Research privacy policy
Click here to view our privacy policy as it relates to clients or individuals on our mailing list.
How do we protect your privacy when we use it for the purposes of conducting market and social research?
Beaton Consulting understands that privacy is important and is committed to complying with the National Privacy Principles (NPPs), which are set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act). The NPPs govern how private organisations handle 'personal information', which is basically information from which you can be identified.
The Market and Social Research Privacy Principles (MSRPPs), approved by the Privacy Commissioner, came into effect on 1 September 2003. The MSRPPs now replace the National Privacy Principles in governing the handling of information about the subjects of research for all Association of Market & Social Research Organisations (AMSRO) member organisations. Research means market and social research as defined by the MSRPP code.
As a member of AMSRO, Beaton Consulting operates under the MSRPPs when using personal information for research purposes. All third parties contracted by Beaton Consulting for the purposes of research are covered by the MSRPPs for the specific contracted work. Beaton Consulting complies with the NPPs when using personal information for any other purposes besides research.
Beaton Consulting is also a member of ESOMAR, the world's leading industry innovation and self-regulation body. ESOMAR globally promotes the use of a code of practice that governs the way market research is conducted. As a member of ESOMAR we also comply with the ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market and Social Research that came into effect on 1 January 2008.
Our company uses survey and sample information only for research purposes. This means that we use it to investigate the behaviour, needs, attitudes, opinions, motivations or other characteristics of people who respond to our surveys (respondents). We do this in order to provide information to our clients, government, commercial and not-for-profit organisations, that will assist them in making decisions about their products and services. Your input into these decisions is important, and the more people that participate the more the results we obtain truly reflect the spectrum of Australian society.
If you participate in our research, we may wish to collect your name and contact details so that we can contact you about the research. However, we are generally interested in the responses of large groups of people, rather than individuals. We typically report information collected in aggregate form, unless express permission has been given by the respondent to do otherwise, to get an overall picture. This overall picture is then reported to our clients. Details that identify you are removed from your responses to the research once they are no longer needed for the research. However, while your information remains identifiable, you have the right to request access to, and/or correction or deletion of, any information about you held by our company.
Beaton Consulting often uses client and customer lists to contact respondents. The sources of these lists are usually client organisations. We take reasonable steps to ensure respondents are aware of the client organisation and the source of their contact details. In some cases, we withhold this information during the initial contact. We do this as the knowledge of the client organisation and/or source of your contact details may bias your responses to some survey questions. In this case we either reveal the source at the end of the survey, or for larger surveys that have multiple sources and client organizations/subscribers we give you the opportunity to contact us for this information.
Further information about the MSRPPs can be found on the website of the Association of Market & Social Research Organisations: www.amsro.com.au.
We abide by the principles of the Australian Market & Social Research Society's Code of Professional Behaviour and the ICC/ESOMAR Code of Market and Social Research Practice. Information can be viewed on the websites of the Australian Market & Social Research Society: www.mrsa.com.au and ESOMAR: www.esomar.org.
If you have any questions or comments about the Beaton Consulting research privacy policy, or if you wish to make a complaint about how Beaton Consulting has handled personal information about you, please contact our Privacy Officer, using the contact details below.
Beaton Consulting
Australia
Level 3 The Como Centre
650 Chapel Street South Yarra
Victoria 3141 Australia
phone: +61 3 9829 0000
fax: +61 3 9827 5800
email: paul.moon@beaton.com.au