METHODOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF THE 2008 CONSUMERS' CHOICE AWARD - COLUMBUS OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to select Best in Class Businesses in the COLUMBUS metropolitan area, as measured by consumer opinion.  Consumers consist of two groups: 1) General Public and 2) Middle/Senior Managers in Small, Medium and Large Businesses (i.e., organizations with less than 250 employees). METHODOLOGY: Web surveys were conducted with two groups of COLUMBUS area consumers-General Public (~3,400) and Business Managers (~975). The primary sampling frame for this survey was the SurveySpot Online panel, a multimillion-member panel of cooperative online respondents provided by Survey Sampling International (SSI). SSI is the world's largest provider of telephone, online and direct mail stastical samples for survey research, working with over 2000 research clients globally. SurveySpot is one of the largest databases of individual opt-in respondents in the world. There are more than 12 thousand online panale members residing in the Columbus metropolitian area.  The metropolitan area was defined in terms of the following counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Pickaway. Online panel members living in the defined COLUMBUS metropolitian area were randamly invited, via an email invitation, to paarticipate in the Consumers' Choice Award voting. Interviews were completed following the invitations sent. The sample represents only those who completed the interviews. Each respondent had to be at least 18 years of age and live on one of the counties in the Columbus metro area. Those completeing the Business survey had to work in one of the listed counties as a middle/senior manager with decision making responsability within their company. QUESTIONNAIRE: For the General Public/Consumer path of the survey, each respondent was first asked to select a minimum of two out of six main categories that he/she was most interested in responding to for the rest of the survey: The six main categories were: Automobile, Restaurant, General and Specialty Services, Home Services, Retail and Home Improvement. Then each respondent was shown the appropiate list of business sub-categories foe the corresponding main category. There were 10 listings for Automobile, 4 listings  for  Restaurant, 17 listings for General and Specialty Services, 11 listings for Home Services, 13 listings for Retail, and 37 listings for Constuction and Home Improvement, for a total of 92 consumer sub-categories. Depending on which two main categories a respondent selected, he/she would have been shown anywhere from 14 to 54 listings. In the Business path of the survey, each respondent was always shown two main categories:  Business to Business Services and Fine Dining. There were 32 sub-categories for Business to Business Services and 4 sub-categories for Fine Dining, for a total of 36 total listings. All respondents were allowed to vote on those business categories with which they had some knowledge. Accordingly, the respondent first was asked to check off those business categories with which he/she has used or has familarity in terms of knowing, businesses within that category. Based on these responses, the respondent was then shown a list of specific companies within each category with which he/she has used or is familiar. Respondents were asked the question that has been used in prior Consumers' Choice Award surveys.  "We would like to know your opinion about COLUMBUS companies in various sectors, which have distinguished themselves the most in the last year.  To help in your choice, please base your answer on aspects such as quality, value, service, and appearance of the business, as well as any other elements you might consider important in making your choice.  In your opinion, among the following companies, which two are your choice of the year in the metropolitan Columbus area in the category of…?"  The list of businesses shown to the respondents was those from the metropolitan COLUMBUS area. In all cases, however, respondents could write in the names of businessesthat were not already listed. Finally, additional questions were posed regarding the outstanding male and femal personalities in the Columbus metro area, media preferences and selected demographics such as age, gender, language, education, home ownership and income. ANALYSIS: Data were collected via Decipher, a New York based survey research firm. Design and analysis were developed and prepared by Consumers' Choice Award. The metropolitan Columbus winners in each category were the three companies receiving the most votes in each cetegory. The criteria for selecting winners were as follows: Two winners were selected in each category based on those businesses receiving the most votes (i.e., highest percentages among those casting votes in the category).  All winners had to receive at least 20% of the votes cast in the category. Accordingly, there were fewer than two winners in some categories. Winners were selected in each category based on those businesses recieving the most votes (ie., highest percentages among those casting votes in the category). Accordingly; there were fewer than three winners in some categories. The sample base, on which percentages were calculated, is the number of people who actually cast votes for a business in the category.  "Don't Know's" and "None's" were removed from the base in each category. In order for a business category to have one or more winners, the number of people casting votes in the category had to be 20 or higher and a winner had to have recieved at least eight votes. Any category for which there were fewer than 20 people voting and/or less than eight prople voting for any one business did not have a winner.