Tech Researchers Face Conflicting Interests But Some Are Bucking System Campbell's Nucleus firm aims to change the game by not taking vendor funds.(A)

Byline: J. BONASIA

Ian Campbell was a veteran analyst at tech research firm International Data Corp. when he split off to start Nucleus Research Inc. in April 2000.

Campbell says he made the break to give corporate buyers of tech goods more objective advice about purchasing decisions.

"We believed there was a need for a more quantifiable approach to assessing technology," he said. "Too many (buying) decisions were being made on gut-feel opinion rather than real-world returns."

Unlike many research firms, Nucleus doesn't sell annual subscriptions to tech vendors for access to research reports. When vendors are mentioned in its research notes, Nucleus gives them a free copy in order to avoid any perception of conflict. (See related story below and A1.)

Campbell is swimming upstream against his industry. Many other research firms get fees for research and consulting from the same tech product makers and service providers they cover in their research.

In light of recent corporate reforms, this system puts research firms at cross-purposes, says James Fisher, head of the Emerson Center for Business Ethics at St. Louis University.