Research and information services

Abstract

Research and information services in corporate business are facing challenges to their value and relevance. The key to continued existence lies in ensuring that the research service is offering what the business needs and then demonstrating that value to the business. This requires research services to respond to the constantly changing demands of businesses who themselves are seeking to survive. It is a continuing cycle of assessing the service offering against the business needs; defining the remit of the research service based on those needs; demonstrating that the research service is commercially valuable because it understands what the business research needs are and delivers against these needs. The results can provide a powerful message to stakeholders and can counter the view that a research service is an unnecessary cost. The aim of any research service is to be, and to be seen as, a necessary resource, rather than one that is nice to have. This article is written from the experiences of the author from various research roles in consultancies and professional services where the author has worked and also established research services that focus on delivering value-added, commercially relevant research support, direct to staff who are undertaking work for clients.