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Secondary sources |
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Our schematic approach to desk research is:
- to perform a relevance assessment of the initial content and to target only those publications which contain a ratio of no less than 15% of substantive information;
- to utilize all the available secondary sources — from periodicals to official statistical reports, limited circulation bulletins, the existing surveys, etc.;
- to use our proprietary MultiSourcing ConvergenceSM technique to achieve maximum accuracy and validity of the secondary information. All sets of data are put together, compared to and cross-checked against similar sets of data from various sources. Such sets are elicited from white (open) and black (unofficial proprietary) data providers. A key reason for such an approach is a large extent of shadow economy in Ukraine, which remains largely unaccounted for in official reporting documents.
All information, identified and extracted from desk research is analyzed, verified, and presented to the Client in a variety of reporting formats. If the research project includes both desk and field researches, the former will always serve as a basis for enhancing the targeting process of the latter. Sometimes the preliminary results of the desk become a major correction factor for the initial field plans.
Sources that we usually consult:
- State Statistics Committee (GosKomStat) data.
We treat these data with extreme caution. Although they are apparently comprehensive and can be very detailed and extensive, official statistics rarely reflects the actual status of the economy. For instance, according to some estimates, 50% to 70% of the all retail trade in Ukraine is in the grey or black market areas and is hence left unreported.
- National and regional printed and electronic periodicals.
Basing on these data, we usually construct our targeting plans for in-depth analysis of field sources. The knowledge, obtained from the media, becomes the foundation for the assessment of specific market segments, regional peculiarities, socio-political, economic, and business trends and tendencies. This is the stage when additional questions are formulated and possible re-orientation of the field research is considered.
- Specialized Publications (bulletins, one-off reports, press releases, surveys).
A large number of Ministries and Departments produce their own information. In addition, there is a wealth of relevant publications that can often provide a broader and deeper insight into certain sectors or segments. We never ignore such sources, as it may have resulted in fragmentary knowledge.
- Our own data bases and knowledge repositories.
During the past 8 years we have accumulated an immense repository of articles, data, and references to the most important facts of economy, business, and politics, which amount to — tens of thousands of entries.
Timetables
Average timing for a full-fledged desk research project (or project part) is about one calendar month.
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