ON MY MIND
MILLARD ARNOLD: The folly of rankings
The problem with surveys based on reputation, as Malcolm Gladwell wrote, is that they’re essentially just a compendium of prejudices
On behalf of the Sunday Times, market research agency Kantar TNS recently conducted a poll of 3,500 people older than 18 to determine the best fast-food restaurant in SA. The winner was KFC, which also won the overall grand prix award, making it SA’s favourite brand. In its media release, Kantar said that not only were 3,500 people polled to find the winners for the 32 different consumer categories, but "468 business leaders and decision makers were interviewed to establish the top brands across 12 business categories". It was a marvellously impressive exercise with an equally satisfying result: a thorough, systematic and exhaustive methodology that identified the number one brand in SA. As a society, we like knowing what is considered the best, so surveys resonate; we love to argue over who is first or last, who is top or who hasn’t got a clue. So, it was with great interest that I read the Financial Mail’s annual ranking of business schools. I must say, I have a more than passing ...
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