Absorbing Crucial Information.

In this issue's cover story, authors Lisa L. Klose and Barry List, of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences in Linthicum, Maryland, pose a simple, analogical question, the answer to which nicely underscores the importance of seeking and applying solid market research. Here is the question: "What is the likelihood of passing any exam without preparatory study or homework?" Their answer is this: "Sure, you may pass the exam...but I guarantee that you would have done better if you prepared for it by absorbing crucial information."

Isn't that true? Even amidst the pressure of needing to bring new, dead-on-relevant services and products to market at the speed of light--or more likely, because of it--if we don't ask for, listen to, and make use of what our members and customers have to tell us, how can we possibly deliver on their expectations? Klose and List's feature outlines the seven-phase research process their association uses to make strategic marketing decisions. A companion article, by marketing experts Arlene Farber Sirkin and Miriam T. Meister, CAE, further illustrates the necessity for rooting change in sophisticated research.

Truly, the issue is filled with examples of organizations and association executives making change based on what they've learned about their members or their environment. In "A New Identity," for example, Bill Perkins, a partner in the Washington, D.C., marketing and communication firm Potomac Communications Group, observes, "Associations are refocusing the definition of what they do, partly because their members are doing that and partly because it's a competitive world, even among associations. Name-brand visibility and reputation management are strategically valuable for both associations and their members, who increasingly are looking to associations to market the industry or profession. That's where a name change comes in--associations want to reflect those changing times."

In "Value for Dues," American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO W. Henson Moore explains how AF&PA revamped its dues system as a result of change the organization saw happening in the industry it represents. Strategist Jim Dalton's "In Search of Strategy," as well, offers insight into how an organization--in this case, the Edison Electric Institute in Washington, D.C.--is channeling what it knows into its strategic thinking.

There's lots more crucial information in this issue. If you've been thinking about online publishing-or thinking you should be thinking about online publishing-you won't want to miss recently promoted Associate Editor Jane Eisinger's "Turning a New Page in Publishing," which offers an in-depth look at not only the opportunities the Web and electronic communication afford but also the challenges inherent to balancing print and electronic offerings. Writer Karla Taylor explores practical measures for addressing (sometimes unintended) sex discrimination in "Five Myths That (Still) Hold Women Back." (Sneak peek--"Myth 1: We solved the problem of sex discrimination in the '60s and '70s, so that's all behind us now.") And Senior Editor and Features Manager Gerry Romano, CAE, takes a look at what convention and visitors bureaus are doing to step up support of association meetings in an article with the title of (you guessed it) "CVBs Step Up Support."

Finally, you can learn about technology suppliers and bone up on e-learning and ASPs, XML, and Internet initiatives and the contracts that go with them by perusing the Technology Solutions Directory that supplements this issue. Consider it a bonus. Absorb. And enjoy.

Editor [e-mail]