METHODOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF THE 2010 CONSUMERS' CHOICE AWARD  - DALLAS/FORT WORTH

OBJECTIVES:
$"/> The purpose of this study is to select Best in Class Businesses in the DFW/Metroplex, as measured by consumer opinion.  Consumers consist of two groups: 1) General Public and 2) Middle/Senior Managers in Small, Medium and large Businesses.

METHODOLOGY:
$"/> Web surveys were conducted with two groups of DFW Metroplex area consumers-General Public (2,750+) and Business Managers (725+).The primary sampling frame for this survey was the Survey Spot Online Research Panel online panel a multimillion-member panel of cooperative online respondents . It is one of the largest databases of individual double-opt-in respondents in the world. There are many thousands of Survey Sampling International online panel members residing in the DFW Metroplex The metropolitan area was defined in terms of the following 12 counties: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Delta, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, and Wise.

The sampling frame for the online panel was demographically balanced to resemble actual population proportions (according to U.S. Census data) in those areas. Online panel members living in the defined DFW Metroplex metropolitan area were randomly invited, via an email invitation, to participate in the Consumers' Choice Award™ voting. Interviews were completed following the invitations sent. No weighting was used and no bias corrections were undertaken. The sample represents only those who completed the interviews. Each respondent had to be at least 18 years of age and live in one of the 12 counties in the DFW Metroplex. Those completing the Business survey had to work in one of the listed counties as a middle/senior manager within their company.

QUESTIONNAIRE:
$"/> For the General Public/Consumer path of the survey, each respondent was first asked to select two out of five main categories that he/she was most interested in responding to for the rest of the survey. The six main categories were:  Automobile, General and Specialty Services, Home Services, Retail and Home Improvement. Then each respondent was shown the appropriate list of business sub-categories for the corresponding main category. List categories included Automotive, General and Specialty Services, Home Services, Retail, and Construction/Home Improvement, for a total of  approximately 110 consumer sub-categories. Depending on which two main categories a respondent selected, he/she would have been shown anywhere from 28 to 63 listings.

In the Business path of the survey, each respondent was always shown one main category: Business to Business Services. There were 45 sub-categories for Business to Business Services.

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 familiarity 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 DFW Metroplex 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 DFW Metroplex in the category of…?" 

The list of businesses shown to the respondents was those from the metropolitan DFW Metroplex. In all cases, however, respondents could write in the names of businesses that were not already listed.  Finally, additional questions were posed regarding the outstanding male and female personalities in the DFW Metroplex, media preferences and selected demographics such as age, gender, language, education, home ownership and income.

ANALYSIS:
$"/> Data were collected via Survey Sampling International.
$"/> Design and analysis were developed and prepared by Consumers' Choice Award®

The DFW Metroplex winners in each category were the three companies receiving the most votes in each category.
$"/> The criteria for selecting winners were as follows:  

• 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). 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 15 or higher and a winner had to have received at least eight votes. Any category for which there were fewer than 15 people voting and/or less than eight people voting for any one business did not have a winner.