You are on page 1of 55

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

A PROJECT REPORT ENTITLED Study to provide best suitable method of secondary research training to newly joined junior research analysts By Ganesh M. Patil (B.B.A.)

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH PUNE (B.B.A. PROGRAMME) [2011-2012]

TMV

[1]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

INDEX
CHAPTER NO. 1.1 1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 2.1 2.3 2.4 2.5 2 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 3 4 5 6 4.1 4.2 PARTICULARS INTRODUCTION TO STUDY Objectives of the study Importance of the study Scope of the Study Limitations of the study Research Methodology ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE Corporate Overview Mission Statement Management Team VERTEX RESEARCH Values: KPO: Knowledge Process Outsourcing VERTEX RESEARCH Services VERTEX RESEARCH Practices: VERTEX RESEARCH Clients BPO: Business Process Outsourcing VERTEX RESEARCH Achievements: The Scope THEORETICAL BACKGROUND STANDARDIZED SECONDARY RESEARCH Standard Secondary Research Process Designed Standard Formats OBSERVATIONS SUGGESTIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY PAGE NO.

Introduction to the Study TMV [2] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

In the present fast track business environment marked by cutthroat competition, many organizations rely on business research to gain a competitive advantage and greater market share. A good research study helps organizations understand processes, products, customers, markets and competitions, to develop policies, strategies and tactics that are most likely to succeed. Business research can be defined as a systematic and objective process of gathering, recording, and analyzing data that provides information to guide business decisions. It is used to understand the market trends, or find the optimal marketing mix, devise effective HR policies, or find the best investment options. Business Research and the Internet Use of the Internet in business research studies is increasing. The declining costs of Conducting online research activities coupled with the increasing number of internet Users, has made the Internet a cost effective alternative to traditional research methods For business research organizations. The following sections discuss the role of the Internet in primary and secondary research. Secondary Research Secondary research is where you use information that other people have gathered through primary research. Tertiary research is where you use others' secondary research. It is generally a good idea to avoid tertiary research. Secondary research occurs when a project requires a summary or collection of existing data. As opposed to data collected directly from respondents or "research subjects" for the express purposes of a project, (often called "empirical" or "primary research"), secondary sources already exist. These secondary sources could include previous research reports, newspaper, magazine and journal content, and government and NGO statistics. Sometimes secondary research is required in the preliminary stages of research to determine what is known already and what new data are required, or to inform research design. At other times, it may make be the only research technique used. A key performance area in secondary research is the full reference of original sources, usually in the form of a complete listing or explained listing. TMV [3] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Major use of the Internet in business research is in the area of secondary research. The research reports and databases maintained by major research companies to know about competitor activities. The very essence of the Internet as a major source of secondary information probably springs forth from the advantages of its broad scope, covering virtually every topic and the reasonable cost in acquiring them. Secondary research is research already published, and is the cheapest form of research because the data already exists for your acquisition. Secondary research can be split into internal and external research. Internal Secondary Research Internally an organization has access to a wealth of information, which can be a useful tool for decision making for managers. Information available may assist the organization in discovering why sales are decreasing, why customers are not satisfied, customer usage rates and so on. Sources of internal research may include: National product sales. Regional product sales. Customer usage rates. Guarantee cards. Customer comments or complaints. Sales people, research and development staff. Past research conducted. Clearly as this information can be generated internally the only cost implication will be of staff time obtaining the data. External Secondary Research Sources of external secondary data include: Periodicals. Specialist marketing reports i.e. Mintel Industry magazines. Chamber of commerce. Government statistics. Internet. Professional bodies. Trade associations. TMV [4] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH SR is information and/or data that someone else has previously collected. You can find this type of information in printed sources (books, magazines, journals, and trade newspapers) and in electronic sources (CD-ROM encyclopedias, software packages, or online services, such as the Internet). When you use a secondary source, be sure to note, for future reference, where you got the information. As you are required to write a project report, you will need the following information for a bibliography or to give credit for any software, quotes or illustrations you use. Note that sections of existing work quoted or used MUST BE CREDITED to the original source in the MSc report; the student must fully understand the university regulations on plagiarism. Books Author's name, title of book, place of publication, publisher, copyright date, and pages read or quoted. Books in general are a good resource; however, due to the pace of change within the IT industry published books can become outdated very quickly. The student must ensure that the latest edition of a book is used and that the subject matter and its treatment within the book are relevant and up to date. Refereed Journals Author's name, title of article, title of magazine, volume and issue number and date of publication, and page numbers of article. Refereed journals provide an excellent source of the latest views and developments in the particular area of study. The articles found within these journals will have been stringently reviewed for accuracy, reliability, novelty and relevance and as such are a good source of SR. However, most of these articles will be written by leading experts in a domain targeted at an audience with similar expertise, so some of these articles may be tough going. (As an example my own publication list provides a good cure for insomnia. Trade Newspaper Author's name, title of article, name of newspaper, date of publication, and section and page numbers. TMV [5] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Trade newspapers provide a good resource for identifying current trends in the industry. However, unlike refereed journals, the content of such newspapers will be biased in that a particular company product may be advertised in an article and as such objective analysis may be difficult to find. The student should exercise a high degree of critical thought and caution when taking information from such a source. CD-ROM encyclopedia or software package Name of program, version or release number, name of supplier, and place where supplier is located. Document from online service Author of document (if known), title of document, name of organization that posted document, place where organization is located, date given on document, and online address or mailing address where document is available. Need for secondary research The natural question to be asked is For what do I need to perform secondary research? The student should be clear at what stage of the project and for what reason should secondary research (SR) be undertaken. Below are listed some important points regarding the reasons for SR. Identifies what other people have done Arguably one of the most difficult phases of the MSc project is defining the detailed project specification. It is at this point that SR is most valuable in identifying to the student areas of possible investigation which would be interesting and valuable. The student at this stage should ask the question what have other people done previously within my domain of interest. By finding out what has previously been carried out via, for example, existing MSc projects, and other reliable sources of SR (which will be considered later in this document) the student can identify possible gaps in previous work or identify possible logical extensions or analysis of existing work which has been completed. In carrying out this SR the student should identify possible areas of investigation for the MSc project.

TMV

[6]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Rule out irrelevances SR can also rule out possibly irrelevant project proposals where the proposed work may have already have been carried out to completion or trends in technology have moved on thus making the proposal irrelevant. Give ideas and resources for work Once the project is underway this form of SR will always be useful in identifying resources which are already available for use by the student, e.g. software libraries, tutorials on certain topics, reviews, gathered and formatted data, user studies, etc.

Strategies One approach is to read broadly on a topic to try to understand it better. This may be a good way to start, particularly if there are parts of the topic you are not yet familiar with. A second approach, particularly as you get into your project, is to use your project outline to pose particular questions and then search for the answers to them. Using the Internet There are a number of search engines that can be useful in searching the internet, for example http://www.google.com. The problem with search engines is that they will often return thousands of hits, many of little interest. The internet has the advantage that it is easy to access, it has lots of information, and it is sometimes the most up-to-date source of information. However it also suffers from a lack of any overall quality control, information is often incomplete (publishers may be reluctant to give information away for free), and information frequently disappears, therefore extreme care must be exercised when taking information from the internet Value of secondary research The value of SR is in what it can bring to the student as a basis for their own work and individual contribution. Merely copying or summarizing resources identified by SR has no value as far as the MSc project is concerned. SR is of value when, for example, reports are compared and analyzed or set within a particular context or the student performs a critical review of existing work. TMV [7] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Limitations of secondary research It is easy to find and collect secondary data, however, you need to be aware of the limitations the data may have and the problems that could arise if these limitations are ignored. Secondary data can be general and vague and may not really help companies with decision making. The information and data may not be accurate. The source of the data must always be checked. The data maybe old and out of date. The sample used to generate the secondary data maybe small. The company publishing the data may not be reputable. Secondary research describes information gathered through literature, publications, broadcast media, and other non-human sources. Secondary research is in general easier to gather than primary. 1.1 Objectives of the Study To know the different methods available for providing the secondary research training to the newly joined research analyst in the organization To get acquainted with companies secondary research methods for company profiles To enhance the productivity of the new joined secondary research analyst To save time of the company professionals in training the newly joined secondary research analysts 1.2 Importance of the Study Secondary research is one of the important parts of the business and market research consulting companies. Most of the reports in VERTEX RESEARCH are based on secondary research. The company is facing problem with new recruitment training for secondary research due to low man power and time consuming. Training is largely a short-term process utilizing a systematic and organized procedure by which non-managerial personnel acquire secondary research knowledge and skill to enable them to carry their work more efficiently. TMV [8] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH 1.3 Scope of the Study With the help of training manual we can analyze need for training. What type of training should be provided to employees when it should be provided, what is the correct way to fulfill objectives of the training? In the study moderate number of reliable data source was accessed so as to minimize the discrepancies in statistical data. The report will provide the perfection in preparing the company profiles within limited time. This report will give a standard way of starting secondary research for any project work in VERTEX RESEARCH. 1.4 Limitations of the Study The study was limited to only functional area of training of VERTEX RESEARCH. The study was limited to only one branch of VERTEX RESEARCH. The study was restricted to only Research Department. The study was restricted to only for 50 days. 1.5 Research Methodology Methodology is a systematic procedure of collecting the information in order to analyze and verify a phenomenon. The study involved purely the record analysis. The objectives of the study were discussed with the guide of the organization. From the objectives the area of work was defined. According to the George L. Lundberg Scientific method consists of systematic observation, classification and interpretation of data The methodology used in this study is as follows:Data Source The report is worked on the basis of primary and secondary research. Primary Data It is the most important tool for drawing conclusions, face to face interview with the help of structured questionnaire was the ultimate methodology used for collection of primary data. TMV [9] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Primary research is based on the interaction with secondary research manager and employees. Secondary Data The Data collected from the sources like monthly house journals, news papers, other periodicals and websites of the company. The other required information through Managers and officers of the organization. Secondary research is analyzed by observing the company projects especially profiles, reports and rough secondary data files of the company. Contents of Research Design Sample Unit: - 3 employees were taken as a sample size of the study. The main interest has been to their research work i.e. how to start secondary research work for preparing company profile. Sample Procedure and Method: - There are various types of sampling techniques in use to pick out a sample for the studies. For the purpose of the study of this project the sampling techniques used in sample random sampling in the form of clusters was done.

TMV

[10]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Introduction to the Organization 2.1 Corporate Overview: VERTEX RESEARCH is Pune based company, incorporated in June 99 with the emerging concept of Web Solutions. Today, VERTEX RESEARCH is a leading web solution provider and an established system integrator with brick and mortar presence in 12 cities throughout India. VERTEX RESEARCH provides customized services as per client requirements. VERTEX RESEARCH e-solutions include a wide array of services, providing dedicated solutions in the fields. VERTEX RESEARCH envisage Technology Developments, Management and maintenance service support to World Companies. To beat the Global Recession, VERTEX RESEARCH focuses its BPO model to enable IT Companies world wide to execute better at reduced cost with saving up to 40%. They are committed expertise in BPO, Call Center, Research Analysis, and Outsourcing. NAME OF THE CORPORATE: VERTEX RESEARCH Registered Office VERTEX RESEARCH A/18, Runwal Prestige, Nagar Road, Near Nilgiriwala Dept store, Pune -411006, Tel : +91-20 - 56225291 +91-20 56273112 E- mail : info@Vertex Researchsolution.com Employees: 50 Development Centers Located in Pune, India VERTEX RESEARCH Infrastructure They maintain a highly productive environment providing the best of working environment including machines, internet connectivity, primary calling center, air conditioners, and redundant power back ups. Their servers replicate the data from each machines on daily basis. Their online project management tools enable their research partners to keep track of the developments closely.

TMV

[11]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Office: Office premise of 1,500 sq feet of 50 people capacity Air conditioners Desks and storages Electricity backup for 12 hours and a wireless network environment Hardware and softwares: 30 machines Laptops and PCs Servers Mail servers, Web servers Printers, Scanners Proprietary web based content management systems Call Centre: Primary call center setup Power: Diesel DG backup (Unlimited time period. Bandwidth: 256 KBPs lease line 512 KBPs Broadband

VERTEX RESEARCH Research Facts Some of the facts including their research collaborate profile: Get the facts, analysis, and insight you need from any part of your industry in any part of the world. 1: 22 Senior Research Analysts All have a minimum of four years industry experience All are educated to MBA & BBA level Their senior analysts have over 10 years industry experience TMV [12] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH 2: 67,000 Industry Professionals Their in-house contact database of 67,080 is updated every 30 minutes They can conduct market research projects in all areas of the industry with: your potential customers potential new markets your competitors industry experts In any region of the world: N.America 19,981 contacts Asia / APAC 16,836 contacts Europe 22,084 contacts S. America 6602 contacts Africa 1,577 contacts ...to get the facts and analysis you need. 3: 374 Research Associates Specialist local and regional knowledge (e.g.S.E. Asia, China, S. America) is provided as and when you need it by their research associate network.

4: 22, 426 News and Information Aggregators Get the facts you need from over 22,000 news and information sources, including: Factiva, Lexis-Nexis, Profound/Dialog, Onesource, EIU, Investext 5: 2 million companies Theyve got all the leading company information sources including Hoovers, Datastar, Dun & Bradstreet, Kompass etc. 6: 1245 Brokers and Market Research Providers They have access to all the leading specialist3rd party research and consultancy providers including Frost and Sullivan, Aberdeen Group, Datamonitor, Euromonitor, MarkIntel ... 7: 553 Trade Associations & Standards Bodies TMV [13] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH They have direct access to information provided by Industrial trade associations across the world 2.2 Mission Statement At VERTEX RESEARCHs Call centers, the most fundamental principal guiding their business is respect. Respect for their clients dictates that they give 100% effort to every job, charge a fair price for their services and treat their clients as partners in their business. Respect for their employees dictates that they provide a professional environment, competitive and fair wages and encouragement to help them all become better human beings. Any business does rely on a strong sales and support infrastructure to provide a steady flow of new customers and new sales leads, besides providing satisfactory services to existing customers. Whether your focus is business-to-business or business-to-consumer, they help you do what you do best - sell your products and/or services, by providing, what they do best which is managing, the critical support needs of your organization. If you want your business to flourish, then experience the advantage of using VERTEX RESEARCHs Call Center Services, they assure you they can help you get it done! 2.3 Management Team Sandeep Sugla CEO BE Electronics Founder of VERTEX RESEARCH 7 years specialization in logistics market intelligence Lolita Joseph Executive Director MBA Organizational Development

TMV

[14]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Shilpi Arora Vice President Business Development MBA UK Anjan Sen Vice President Research Ex, KPMG MBA People Culture VERTEX RESEARCH believes that competent employees have to be good human beings as well. VERTEX RESEARCH believes in intrinsic capabilities of people along with technology or management skills. VERTEX RESEARCH has been an example of first generation entrepreneurs and hence enterprise is fostered even within the employees. VERTEX RESEARCH differentiates in selection process for people by having topmost management of the company handle the recruitment. VERTEX RESEARCH only selects top-notch class engineers for technical and management jobs. VERTEX RESEARCH also believes that skills can be built and acquired not only hired. VERTEX RESEARCH allows its employees to have excitement, responsibility and opportunity to work on things that their qualifications would not allow them to do. They foster ownership and trust on abilities than trust on experience only. VERTEX RESEARCH also works hard on training and creating a self-learning organization. VERTEX RESEARCH believes in lateral movement of employees and brings the best out of people. VERTEX RESEARCH has been characterized by low attrition rate with compensations being equivalent to industry standards. Also the expertise in the company comes from "developed employees and not poached ones. Average employment periods have been high with average age in the company being low. Creation of wealth will be central theme to employee share distribution in the company. Stock options will be made available to deserving employees as well.

TMV

[15]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH 2.4 VERTEX RESEARCH Values: Their core values are the total sum of what they believe and think, how they work together as colleagues and how they conduct themselves as individuals. It is the way they treat their customers, their employees, and drive business through excellence. It is who they are. Dedication to their customers success: Everything they do is about helping their customers succeed. They would like their customers to trust in their ability to deliver better results, outstanding products and services that improve their customers business - at the most competitive price. Without their customers they are nothing. Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships: They are the trusted partner who will always go that extra mile to deliver upon their high standard and promises. They respect and value everyone's contribution and are proud to passionately take personal responsibility for all of their relationships - with clients, colleagues, partners, and owners. They are honest, accountable and exemplify the highest standards of personal and professional ethics in all aspects of their business. If they're going to build long-lasting client relationships and create trust in their abilities, they have to innovate in ways that truly matter and work for each others success. Strive for excellence: New ideas and goals make them reach further than ever before. In all their work and relationships they impose high standards on themselves and hold on to the professional standards clients expect from a trusted partner. They try to find new and innovative ways to constantly improve their products, services and business. Where they're heading is not a destination - it's a quest for growth. When they look to the future, they know that there's only one way to get there create value for their customers and excel in everything they do.

TMV

[16]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH 2.5 KPO: Knowledge Process Outsourcing VERTEX RESEARCH isa Knowledge Process Outsourcing company that provides expert knowledge services to leading edge companies Founded in 2002, VERTEX RESEARCH is 1st mid size Indian market research and consulting company with over 32 global fortune clients. Their research methodology has been liked and approved by their entire research partner's cum clients. Their in house teams of 41 research analyst are all MBAs with most of them above 7 year experience and coming from renowned consulting firms. They work with 4 out of the top 10 companies globally, in terms of revenues, in 3 sectors. VERTEX RESEARCH works only for research companies on B2B basis. VERTEX RESEARCH offers custom research, multi client reporting, industry abstracts, and competitive intelligence. VERTEX RESEARCH is externally backed up by 44 domain experts, which has experience from 10 to 22 years in their respective fields, working with the main players internationally. They have in house strategic review committee, editors, graphic artist which finalize the report and is ready to deliver to the end client. Their research capabilities, values, industry expertise and ability to connect with industrial Executives provide you with a unique framework, so they can help you to succeed with your business. VERTEX RESEARCH Overview They are an international market research company founded in 2002, serving global fortune clients. They have been working with the 4 out of the top 10 companies in each sector. Their majority of the business comes from the same research partner for the last 4 years. They have helped their research partners to grow their operations to 400%. Their senior analysts have over 10 years of consulting and industry experience, having experience from renowned consulting firms. Their Research division is backed by a team of 22 research Analysts. They are a total team of 40 professionals including analysts, editors, journalists, and back-office support. They have been accessing to over 119 research partners globally with Inhouse partner database of over 67,200 Industry Executives.

TMV

[17]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH VERTEX RESEARCH Value Proposition Customized Services 100% customized, value-added services Deep domain & functional expertise Global reach and multi-language capability Quality Quality, Quality, Quality in people & delivery Ease of interaction with VERTEX RESEARCH Focus on highly intelligent data and analysis Value for Money $20 to $40 / hour highly cost efficient 50%+ cost benefit Rapid response and turnaround time VERTEX RESEARCH Serves 32 Fortune Clients Fortune 500 companies 20+ global logistics fortune companies 10+ leading corporations Software Technologies, Electronics, healthcare and chemicals 4 Global consulting firms Global management consulting firms Specialized consulting firms In-house consulting units 9+ Market Research (MR) Firms: Logistics Pharma and healthcare Technology and Telecom Electronics Travel Finance and Investment research Chemical TMV [18] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

2.6 VERTEX RESEARCH Services VERTEX RESEARCH Solution is a global consulting and market intelligence provider. Their projects comprise of Multi-client reports, Customized/Bespoke research projects, and customized competitive intelligence (weekly & bimonthly), Industry extracts (what is working well and what is not working well) and white papers involving international research and intelligence which further include: Primary & Secondary Research: Researching most important published and unpublished information and extracting intelligence out of the same. The Industry Monitor: The monthly coverage of the industry. New Multi Clients reports and updates: Multi-clients report on the report on the produced more than 35 reports by now. Competitive Intelligence: Strategically analyzing key competitive developments helping clients better position among the competitors, devise strategies to attack, defend & avoid. Consulting: A team of industry experts who supports and evaluate strategic options, shape successful action plans and make critical bottom line decisions for companies. Expert knowledge services: 5 distinct, synergistic service lines Investment research Business research Market research Financial analytics & data analytics Intellectual property Investment research services Equity Company reports Industry reports Earnings call summaries Financial models and valuation Comps sheets Thematic studies TMV [19] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Hedge Funds Financial modeling (capital structure, credit analysis) ICM (investment committee memoranda) Covenant/credit analysis Corporate Finance Pitch books Target market scan Peer-group analysis Thematic studies Transaction histories Merger models

Asset Management Firms Financial modeling (capital structure, credit analysis) ICM (investment committee memoranda) Covenant/credit analysis Fixed Income (Convertible) Covenant analysis Debt modeling Industry reports Risk and credit ratings analysis Investment research services Valuation of public and privately-held companies using DCF techniques Trading comparables Comparable transaction multiples Models building, maintenance and auditing Customised or standardised research reports on companies and industries Market watch newsletters Collection of financial/business data TMV [20] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Financial benchmarking Standardising financial statements Interviews with various market participants - unbiased original research Sell-side Preparation of equity research notes Pitch books Tracking earnings releases Buy-side Validation of investment ideas Identifying acquisition targets Analysing risks associated with investing in a company, industry or country Backward-testing of fund strategies Identifying potential investors for specific client funds Corporate finance Profiling and report writing Database and statistical support Excel-based modelling Business research Integrated across the knowledge services industry value chain Clients include: End-users of their services such as Fortune 500 companies or Silicon Valley start-ups Business research providers Other knowledge services providers such as consulting firms, VCs, etc. Services Spectrum (not limited to): Market studies & segment analysis Technology evaluation and licensing Commercialisation and business plans Company, industry profiles & analysis TMV [21] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Product & value chain analysis M&A target identification and valuation Updating of databases Updating of existing research Standard benchmarking & profiling Sector monitoring Value-added daily news services Approach Hypothesis-first approach inductive logic Secondary and primary research Financial analytics & data analytics Financial Analytics Fixed Income Modeling Pricing of Financial Instruments Mark to Market Pricing of Portfolio Portfolio Optimization Back Testing of Investment Strategies Market Risk Credit Risk Asset Liability Management Data Analytics Customer Segmentation Profitability Analysis Channel Assessment Product Affinity Analysis / Cross Selling Target Marketing / Response Modeling Customer Lifetime Value Churn Analysis Fraud Detection / Risk Scoring Mathematical Modeling Operations Research Problems TMV [22] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Neural Nets, Simulated Annealing, Learning Algorithms Markov Chains, Queuing Theory, Bayesian Analysis Martingales, Stochastic Modeling Decision Support Problems Solutions given above apply here also Finite Element Analysis Monte Carlo Simulation and other simulation techniques Market research End-to-end service offering Survey design Data collection Data analysis Presentation of key findings Surveys Experience of more than 15,000 surveys so far B2B and B2C Telephonic, online and face-to-face surveys Experience of 65 languages Latest communications equipment (IP telephony) and survey tools 100 people strong group Mix of MBAs and primary research specialists Strong capabilities in statistical and qualitative analysis Cross-tabulations, multi-variate analysis etc. Deliverables in multiple formats (MS-Excel, Word, PowerPoint, SPSS) Market research Service offerings Survey Design Understanding client situation and defining survey objectives Developing an understanding of the subject (through secondary research or interactions with in-house industry experts) Identifying the target audience and sample size Preparing the questionnaire and analysis framework TMV [23] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

Data Collection Phone surveys B2B surveys (C-level executives, managers, bureaucrats, analysts etc.) B2C surveys (vitamin users, mobile subscribers, PC gamers etc.) In-depth interviews with technical experts (engineers, doctors, etc.) Multi-lingual surveys (German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Russian etc.) across the world Diverse industry verticals (IT, telecom/media, healthcare, chemicals, outsourcing, CPG etc.) Online surveys Programming and hosting of surveys Automatic generation of reports Phone recruiting for web surveys Data Analysis Data Coding and Editing Data Tabulation Statistical Analysis (weighting and averaging of data, multivariate procedures including multiple regression, factor analysis, multidimensional scaling, conjoint analysis, and cluster analysis) Interpretation of Statistical Reports Charts, Graphs, and Visual Displays of Data Customized Statistical Reports

Intellectual property Service offerings Patentability / Technology Assessment Evaluating the patentability or the novelty of a particular invention with respect to the patents, products and other research work that already exists in the respective field of the invention TMV [24] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH VERTEX RESEARCH has conducted over 160 patentability assessment projects Study and analysis of a technology domain with respect to its current state and related innovations, by way of analyzing in-market products and patents in the domain VERTEX RESEARCH has conducted several technology assessments for companies including some fortune 500 companies Patent Drafting Drafting a complete patent application for an invention disclosure according to USPTO/EPO guidelines Filing of the patent in USPTO / EPO and others VERTEX RESEARCH and its legal partners have written and filed over 150 patent applications in the following areas: Wireless communication Electronics and Telecommunication Image Processing Medical Devices Semi-conductors Software and business methods Security Mechanical inventions Commercialization Studies Commercialization services are offered through complex teams of intellectual property analysts and business research analysts. The basis for commercialization lies in the need to conduct business analysis in highly technical environments IP Asset Management Assessment of Patent Portfolios IP Overlap IP Landscaping IP Portfolio Licensing and Selling IP Litigation and Support TMV [25] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

Research resources and tools (partial list) Market Research (Surveys) CATI Systems Perseus, Sawtooth, NIPO Executive Select - lists of executives in major US companies with exhaustive search CAPABILITIES Hoovers Pro Plus market and industry intelligence, executives, branch offices and financials of over 12 million companies worldwide Kompass - It provides information on products, services and executives for over 1.9 million companies in 75 countries. List vendors MR has preferred vendor and pricing status with numerous list brokers. Statistical packages SPSS, WinCross, Excel, Access Intellectual Property Analytics Tools: SAS, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services, @Risk, Business Objects/COGNOS ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) - citations and full text from ACM journal, spanning over 100 countries Delphion - patents across various industries and geographies. Derwent - patents in multiple industries and geographies, with technical, scientific and business information IEEE Xplore IEEE transactions, journals, magazines and conference proceedings STN - biotechnology, engineering, chemistry, health and safety, government regulations, pharmacology and toxicology. Business Research Bloomberg extensive financial information on companies, industries, sectors, markets, economies and more. Dialog PRO - industry reports, news, analyst reports across different sectors and geographies. Includes Investext. ICICI Research Centre in-depth financial information for emerging markets LexisNexis - news, company profiles, financial filings and business details of companies. TMV [26] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Profound - economic analysis and forecasts, business information on mergers and acquisitions, statistical data, specialist research journals and financial reports on public and private companies Reuter 3000 Xtra - cross-market coverage of money markets from more than 100 countries. The Financial Times - news on global financial and economic developments The McKinsey Quarterly - a source of industry scenarios and world market analysis The Wall Street Journal all WSJ and Dow Jones publications available, plus extensive financial data and access to Factiva Voice and Data - news and updates on the IT industry around the world

2.7 VERTEX RESEARCH Practices: Their key practices are in Pharma and Healthcare, Logistics, IT and Telecom, Electronics, Travel, Food, and Chemicals. Their success is mainly driven by their tested methodologies, which controls primary and secondary research, high level analysis and writing of the report. In IT and Telecom: Their expertise in IT vertical has been mainly connecting technology solutions with the specific industry. The majority of the technology projects were in terms of benchmarking products and competitors, estimating the market size along with the forecast, The benchmarking was done mainly on the basis of technology, functionality, market presence, strategy, tactical, pricing, and after sales services. They have been writing compelling business cases to promote the technology solution and providing companies marketing support. Connecting technology solution provider and the Industry vertical CRM and ERP ERP, CRM, HR, Banking solution, Insurance solution, mail handling solutions SPL- Service parts logistics solution TMV [27] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Communication tool utility- common web based interface to link Phone, Email, Fax, SMS, FTP, MMS RFID tags and solutions Wireless trucking solution M2M technologies Travel Search engine In Logistics: The business model is changing from service provider to partner model, boundaries are getting blurred, profit margins are reducing and shippers are demanding higher value added services. The 4PL are getting bigger and bigger. If boundaries are blurring between logistics and express companies, freight forwarders and carriers, who shall be the winner. If profit margins are reducing, will bundling of services alone help companies to survive? Their belief and experience for all the projects executed so far has been if the research is good including secondary and primary, analysis and writing of the report is comparatively done faster with little efforts. If the research is lacking in some areas in terms of understanding the gaps and opportunities, fetching the facts and figures, then analyst have to think out of the box and try to connect things at larger level and cannot provide in depth backups. Why they understand logistics sector better: Daily updates Continuous primary interviews Their team of 4 analysts continuously updates the research portals with the most important competitive and market reforms along with the impact analysis. In Pharma: Their specialist Pharma-consulting experts will help you to evaluate strategic options, shape successful action plans and make critical bottom line decisions. They have experience and knowledge in a wide range of Pharma business areas, and they have extensive contacts in all facets of the industry from product development to commercialization. Their specialist experience will help you to make successful bottom-line decisions by simplifying the complexities of the market. TMV [28] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH They can help you in the ethical and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, devices and supplies, diagnostics, biotechnology, life sciences and animal health areas. In addition they can address your full range of strategic, competitive, and market challenges, such as Assess new product development from early-stage development to product launch Evaluate technology partnerships between biotech and Pharma companies, and changing global technologies, regulations, and markets Research a range of different therapeutic categories or niches worldwide Identify and clarify trends in prescriber and patient dynamics, and recommend successful marketing, sales and promotional strategies How to optimize your investments in established brands, new therapies and new approaches Find out the potential in new geographical markets and how to successfully expand into this market. Should you make acquisitions? What are the challenges and opportunities? What are the market structures, drivers and competitive landscape? How to best connect to prescribers, patients, payers and providers?

2.8 VERTEX RESEARCH Clients TMV [29] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Their quality in deliveries is endorsed by the fact that their majority of the business is from repeat customers.

STANDARDS Delivery Model Standards Organizations around the world today are reducing project costs and turnaround time by outsourcing their development requirements. VERTEX RESEARCH Softwares offshore development model leverages the experience and expertise of our Punebased offshore development team to offer you a host of benefits: A Capable, Experienced and Dependable Partner They believe in building long-term relationships with their clients. And this means staying on the cutting edge of technology, constantly striving to better their previous efforts, keeping strict control over quality standards and enforcing stringent project management procedures. Access to a Wide Skill Set TMV [30] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH They recognize that all client engagements present unique technological challenges. To meet these challenges, they ensure that they stay on the cutting edge of relevant technologies. Their work spans multiple technologies and platforms. This breadth of expertise helps them to craft solutions that dovetail with the client's specific environment and needs. The result: world-class, without compromising on value. Shortened Project Cycles Their efficient, streamlined processes and project management practices enable them to deliver results in a fraction of the time taken by their competitors. Due to the time difference, they are able to greatly accelerate project time frames for their clients in the western hemisphere. Efficient Deployment of Strategic Resources As their client, you save on effort and expenses incurred on manpower; infrastructure and training that are associated with in-house development efforts. Their expertise and facilities plug seamlessly into your strategic resource plan, immediately appending exceptional IT capabilities to your organization without diluting your business focus. VERTEX RESEARCH Strengths Similar vision to setup captive research center in India catering global clientele Matching domain expertise Satisfactory track record of projects deliveries A stronger team Sound resource availability Better know how of the loop holes and cost control issues Better understanding of Indian operations Addition of revenues streams Monitor, Dedicated research departments A cost cutting model 2.9 BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) VERTEX RESEARCH brings to you its top-notch BPO and consulting services from India. Solutions focused on IT-enabled services and dedicated towards back office outsourcing and business process outsourcing. The VERTEX RESEARCH service is TMV [31] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH a promise of unparalleled quality, competent management and effective costeffectiveness. Many companies are considering BPO as a means of controlling costs and increasing the operational efficiency of their information technology functions and Back office Operation functions. By Outsourcing its IT / Back Operations functions management allows the enterprise to focus on its core businesses with benefits across the business spectrum. VERTEX RESEARCH provides a comprehensive BPO framework that ensures cost-effective and efficient management of customer IT / Back Office Operations. Using the services of skilled VERTEX RESEARCH Staff / Associates spread across the globe Customer can be with the objective to get it done without bothering about recurring problems of manpower attrition; consequently. In this case the capital can be freed for deployment in core business activities. In addition, the customer gains access to current technologies and processes without the huge investments associated with constant up gradation. VERTEX RESEARCHs professionals conduct a complete due-diligence of your existing Infrastructure and Application Management and derive industry standard service levels by benchmarking the performance levels of BPO Services. There are two Broad Spectrum of Services, which VERTEX RESEARCHs BPO unit offers: IT Outsourcing Back Office Operation Outsourcing IT Outsourcing Services offered: o o o o o o o o o Application Development Re-engineering Application Support Quality Testing Product Training HTML / XML Conversion Image Scanning / OCR / Indexing Data Entry / Processing E-commerce Development [32] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TMV

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Business Process Outsourcing Services offered: o o o o o o o o o o o o Call Center Solutions: Inbound calls / Outbound calls Support Customer Support: Web based Live Chat Support 24X7 E- Marketing: Mailing Campaigns / Fax Broadcasting Accounts and Book Keeping Web Designing / Brochures Designing Content Writing Web Promotions Insurance Claims Processing Internet Transaction Processing Medical Billing Revenue Accounting Internet surfing and searching

Through a structured methodology, tested and verified by the best in the world. Services by VERTEX RESEARCH facilitate the reaping of steady and reliable benefits while diminishing the minimum of risks involved. With the mounting pressure on companies to ensure cost effective management as well as improve and upgrade their IT functions and back office operations, the growing popularity of BPO to solve this dilemma is by no means surprising. A company can focus all its resources in its core area of operations, the benefits of which proliferate through the entire organization, simply by outsourcing its IT requirements and back office operations. VERTEX RESEARCH assures clients of both efficient and economic management through a broad BPO framework presented to the clients. Clients can easily make use of the services of the highly skilled and motivated professionals headquartered at the VERTEX RESEARCH offices in India to meet their requirements in compliance with the standards set by the company, minus the bother of personnel planning and technology up gradation. Therefore, allowing the surplus capital to be invested in other core business activities. Moreover, the client is exposed to the current technological changes and advancements without having to invest in constant up gradation. TMV [33] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH VERTEX RESEARCH derives industry standard service levels taking the capability levels of BPO as its points of reference, to effect a complete evaluation of your present Infrastructure and Application Management system. 2.10 VERTEX RESEARCH Achievements: Successful ODC / BPO handling of a US client for past 20 months with 85 seats: Server farm management, booking engine support, Customer support, application maintenance. 1st International Call center with Outbound and inbound calls with IVR support established in Aug 2002. VERTEX RESEARCH selected as approved Vendor for Application development by Maharashtra IT En-panelment, Government of Maharashtra. Successful ISP setup established by VERTEX RESEARCH in Pune for dialup connections. CORPCOM, a PRODUCT by VERTEX RESEARCH for online task management solution integrated with all MAIL clients successfully implemented in 500 branches on Jan 2003. 2.11 The Scope The scope has not been defined in detail The scope may undergo a number of changes. The deliverables or the requirements can change dynamically Timelines are aggressive Information is confidential, proprietary, or the customer has other concerns about the security of information (i.e. public agencies) Whether you are a consulting firm looking for a business partner, a client looking for an eBusiness solution, or a company pursuing a web-based application, Binary offers services of their trained consultants at respective client locations for on-site software development and consultancy requirements of their valued clients. As new technologies emerge Binary is dedicated to training its work force and recruiting people experienced in the cutting edge technologies. They presently offer on-site consultancy in the following areas: For customers with highly-specific technological needs or time-sensitive projects, Olive has skilled professionals ready to travel and work at your location. They offer everything from onsite consultancy services to professional programmers who can TMV [34] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH supplement in-house talent. They can supplement your institutional knowledge and offers the ability to rapidly scale up an IT team. VERTEX RESEARCHs talent pool includes project managers, technology consultants, developers, testers and quality assurance professionals. They are trained to form strong partnerships with IT personnel so that projects are completed on-time and with maximum cost-effectiveness. Areas of expertise include relational database management systems, client/server computing, object oriented analysis and development, graphical user interfaces, and Web applications.

Theoretical Framework Meaning of Research Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge. Once can also define research as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic. In fact, research is an art of scientific investigation. The Advance Learners Dictionary of Current English lays down the meaning of research as a careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge. According to Clifford Woody research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating, hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organizing and evaluating data; making deductions and reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the conclusion to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis. The term research refers to the systematic method consisting of enunciating the problem, formulating a hypothesis, collecting the facts or data, analyzing the facts and reaching certain conclusions either in the form of solutions towards the concerned problems or in certain generalizations for some theoretical formulation. Primary and Secondary data Business research can be classified into two distinct categories, i.e., primary research and secondary research. Primary research uses various approaches like TMV [35] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH focus groups, surveys, fields tests and interviewing to collect first hand data i.e., primary data. Collection of Primary Data: Primary data is collected directly from respondents using data collection methods like surveys, interviews, questionnaires, measurements, direct observation, or tabulation. Here the researcher is directly involved the collection of information required to answer the research questions. This data is collected following the specification of the researcher and hence has relevant information pertaining to the research project. Collection of Secondary Data: Secondary data is the data that already exists which has been collected by some other person or organization for their use, and is generally made available to other researcher free or at and concessional rate. Sources of secondary data include websites, trade associates, journals, books etc. Researcher can fall back on existing secondary data when there are physical, legal and budgetary limitations on primary research. Secondary data can help the researcher in identifying the research problem, formulation of research hypotheses and generation of new ideas which can be later authenticated by primary research. Secondary data contributes to better planning at the exploratory phase of the current research as researcher can gain an insight into the methodology and techniques used in similar situations in the past. Last but not the least it can serve as reference point for measuring the soundness and precision of the primary data. For instance, if a researcher wants to find out the investment habits of senior citizens residing in Indian metropolitan cities, the latest census reports or any other research report about senior citizens can be used as a secondary data source of demographic information. Secondary data may not always answer the specific questions of a researcher. Researcher must be very careful in using secondary data. He must make a minute scrutiny because it is just possible that the secondary data may be unsuitable or may be inadequate in the context of the problem which the researcher wants to study. In this connection Dr. A.L Bowley very aptly observes that it is never safe to take published statistics at their face value without knowing their meaning and limitations and it is always necessary to criticize arguments that can be based on them. TMV [36] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

Characteristics of Secondary Data By way of caution, the researcher, before using secondary data, must see that they possess following characteristics: Reliability of data: The reliability can be tested by finding out such things about the said data: Who collected the data? What were the sources of data? Where they collected by using proper methods. At what time were they collected? Was there any bias of the compiler? What level of accuracy was desired? Was it achieved? Suitability of Data: The data that are suitable for one enquiry may not necessarily be found suitable in another enquiry. Hence, if the available data are found to be unsuitable, they should not be used by the researcher. In this context, the researcher must very carefully scrutinize the definition of various terms and units of collection used at the time of collecting the data from the primary source originally. Similarly, the object, scope and nature of the original enquiry must also be studied. If the researcher finds difference in these, the data will remain unsuitable for the present enquiry and should not be used. Adequacy of Data: If the level of accuracy achieved in data is found inadequate for the purpose of the present enquiry, they will be considered as inadequate and should not be used by the researcher. The data will be considered inadequate, if they are related to an area which may be either narrower or wider than area of the present enquiry. From all this we can say that it is very risky to use the already available data. The already available data should be used by the researcher only when he finds them reliable, suitable and adequate. But he should not blindly discard the use of such data if they are readily available from authentic sources and are also suitable and adequate for in that case it will not be economical to spend time and energy in field surveys for collecting information. At times, there may be wealth of usable TMV [37] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH information in the already available data which must be used by an intelligent researcher but with due precaution. Classification of Secondary Data A Classification of secondary data at this stage will give a better understanding into the usefulness of the various sources of secondary data. Classification of secondary data is based on source, category, medium, and database. A diagrammatic representation of the classification is provided as follow: Classification by source This is the simplest way of classifying any sort of data. The source of data can be either internal or external. Internal sources of secondary data are those that are available within the organization. Examples of internal sources of secondary data are departmental reports, production summaries, financial and accounting reports and marketing and sales studies. Internal sources might be the only source of secondary information in some cases, whereas in others it might just be the starting point. Internal records can be obtained from every department of the company where they are generated and stored. Sales records can be a source of valuable information regarding territory-wise sales, sales by customer type, trends within the enterprises existing customer group, etc. financial data records have information regarding the cost of producing, storing, transporting, and product lines. Such data prove to be useful in the costs attached to new products. Miscellaneous reports which include researches conducted in the past, unique audits and outsourced information may also have significance for current researches. For example, if Hindustan Lever Limited that deals in diversified products carries out an analysis of media habits or advertising effectiveness for one of its products, then it is likely that the information will also be useful for other products appealing to the same target market. Though these data sources hold great potential, it is surprising to note that companies and researchers frequently fail to look into these valuable records. External sources of secondary data are those that exist outside the company in the form of books and periodicals, government sources, computer-retrievable databases, trade and manufactures associations, publications, media sources, commercial sources, syndicated services, directories, external experts and special TMV [38] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH collections. These sources can also provide valuable information pertaining to research. Classification by Category Classifying secondary data by category, we put the sources under: books and periodical, databases, governments documents, publications, associations, external experts, directories, media sources, commercial sources and special collections. Books & Periodicals Books and periodicals procured from various sources are a typical source for a desk researcher. A researcher who locates the right book pertaining to his research gets off to a good start. Journal of Business Research, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Financial Analysts Journal are some of the professional journals that contain much needed and useful information that serve as rich sources of secondary data. Business week, Business World, Economist, Fortune, and Harvard Business Review are some of the magazines that feature research surveys and cover general business trends both nationally and internationally. Fortune magazine brings out a list of the top 500 companies in the world in terms of sales volumes, revenues generated, best practices etc. which are of great help to researchers in garnering vital information. Most metropolitan areas have periodicals and journals specific to the developments in that particular area. Most business and consumer magazines can also be a boon for secondary research as they obtain updated data through their research departments and make them available in the marketplace. Newspapers can also be a vital source for market research information. All major newspaper has a business section that brings out industry specific information and also the general trends in the market. In India, we have newspapers like the Economic Times, Business Standard, The Financial Times etc. which provide only business related news. Such sources prove to be of great help for researchers in anticipating trends in various businesses. Government Publications TMV [39] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Government agencies and their publications can be a vital source of secondary information for the market researcher. Taking the case of our own country India, we have a number of government agencies and publications which can be a source of secondary data for research. In India, we have the reports and publications from The Register General of India, The Central Statistical Organization, Planning Commission, RBI, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The Indian Labour Bureau, etc. The Register General of India conducts a population census for the whole country every ten years which gives a huge report about the demographic data. Another government agency called The Central Statistical Organization (CSO), has various publications such as, Estimates of National Product, Saving and capital Formation- which come out annually and compile the estimates of national income for several years, and the Statistical Abstract, India- which is also an annual publication containing economic statistics for various sectors usually for five years which includes additional state-wise statistics for the previous year. It has also a publication called, Annual Survey of Industries(ASI), which compiles detailed data on the performance of the industrial sector in terms of the number of companies in an industry, employees (workers and non-workers), productive capital employed, total production by product types, fixed and variable costs, etc. The Director General of Commercial Intelligence, brings out monthly statistics of foreign trade in two parts i.e., export and import. This report also contains vast past records which help researchers to learn about the changing face observation Indias foreign trade. The National Sample Survey (NSS) is another important source, also worth mentioning in this context, as it publishes data regarding social, economic, demographic, industrial and agricultural statistics on an elaborate and continuing basis. Other government agencies in the US which bring out useful secondary information are The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bureau of Industry and Security from the US Department of Commerce, The US Food and Drug Administration, etc. The US Environmental Protection Agency brings out the publication Waste management reports- selected publications related to climate change and municipal waste management The Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors which gives the nations economic progress using text and extensive data appendices. TMV [40] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

Non-Governmental Associations Apart from the official publications, there are also loads of non-governmental or private organizational reports which can be useful to researchers. Various industry and trade associations are worth mentioning in this context. The Indian Cotton Mills Federation publishes statistics on the cotton textile industry. The Bombay Mill Owners Associations similarly publishes in its annual report statistics on the performance of its member units. Other non-governmental sources of publications are the annual statistics by The Market Research and Statistical Bureau of the Coffee Board, Bangalore. Indias Production, Exports and Internal Consumption of Coir and Coir Goods an annual publication by The Coir Board, Cochin; The Rubber Statistics, an annual report by The Rubber Board, Kottayam; The Indian Sugar Year Book by the Indian Sugar Mills Association , Delhi and a quarterly publication entitled Wool and Woolens of India by The Indian Woolen Mills Federation. Apart from bringing out the latest statistics and detail about the industry, these industrial and trade reports also provide an insight into the problems of the industry as a whole. The Steel Authority of India Ltd. also brings out, on a quarterly basis, a statistical publication relating to the functioning of the iron and steel industry in India. The governmental and non-governmental associations mentioned here are only a few of those available, and illustrate the point that an ample amount of secondary data is always available at hand. One should make good use of these sources for various research purposes. Directories While framing its marketing strategy, a company needs to take serious note of its potential competitors and customers. As such, the company has to be aware of the latest developments and market strategies of the major players in the industry. It is possible for the company to access such information about the existing specific directories. These directories give first hand information about the existing players, their products and strategies. Researchers often make use of directories when they are preparing sampling frames. Stock exchange directories can be a handy source for detailed information on the corporate sector. For example, The Bombay Stock Exchange Directory is unique in providing detailed data on the financial accounts, key profitability and other important ratios of listed companies. The presentation TMV [41] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH makes it is easy for earlier data to be replaced with the latest data without much difficulty. Trade show directories are another useful source of secondary data. They help in identifying trade shows linked with a specific industry, along with information on individual companies including addresses, names of executives, product range and brand names. This facilitates establishing contact with sponsors and various exhibitors who participate in these exhibitions. Some Indian directories are 121 India (Portal with news, entertainment, matrimonial, and business), The city as it Happens(detailed information about major metros, people and their lifestyles, pubs, latest fashion trends, etc.) and Tata Yellow Page (Guide offering classified information of products, services, and organizations in major Indian cities) etc. Every country has its own Yellow Pages on the internet. Some major directories in other countries include The Thomas Register of American Manufacturers (New York: Thomas Publishing Co.) which has data on more than 150,000 companies, Who Owns Whom (North American Edition) lists 6,500 parent companies and 100,000 domestic and foreign subsidiaries and associated companies. Industry Experts Looking out for industry experts for specific information is another means of collecting secondary data. These experts specialized in their own domain and so getting information from them is often highly useful for research. These experts give expression to their expertise knowledge through published articles and through, consultation services. Hence, the best way to contact them would be by tracing specialized services. Examples of such expertise consulting services are PWC (Price Waterhouse Coopers) which has expert financial consultants; Data monitors Business Information Centre which provides services to the worlds largest companies in the fields of automotive and logistics, consumer markets, energy and utilities, financial services, and healthcare and technology sectors; and ACNielsen for industrial services. Special Collections Special collections consist of diverse materials which include reference books; university publications consisting of masters theses, doctoral dissertations and TMV [42] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH research papers; company publications such as financial reports, company policy statements, speeches by eminent personalities, sales literature, etc. Miscellaneous data available from organizations which publish statistical compilations, research reports and proceedings of meetings also come under special collections. Finally, there are personal, historical and other social research reports which find an occasional place in business studies. Classification by Medium Secondary data classified by medium include hard copy and interest. Hard copy refers to non-database information. This comprises of all books, magazines, journals and special collections contained in hard-copy libraries. It is very difficult to get detailed indices for all hard copies. With the advancement in technology in recent times, huge databases and information have become available on the internet and these facilitate the new trend of data collection over the old tradition of spending long hours in the library. In fact, there is so much data available on the net that researchers at times do not need to go to other sources. Not only does it facilitate the retrieval of online data pertaining to the research, but also helps in gathering information from respondents via e-mail. Browsers such as Microsofts Internet Explorer and Netscapes Navigator make it possible to access sites and user groups of all those connected through the Net. There are two reasons which keep the researchers glued to the internet-first it makes it easy for the researcher to gather information regarding the advertising, promotions and communications of various products and services from the user groups interested in a particular subject and the researcher. There are many databases available online which contain certain research papers, articles, etc. and a researcher can find data relevant to his topic in some database or the other. These can be accessed for a fixed amount or on a pay-as-you see basis. These data are updated regularly by those who provide and maintain them. All governmental and non-governmental associations, companies and publishing companies have their specific websites which one can surf through at a minimum cost to gather useful data. Such online databases are a resource to be converted to useable data for improved decision-making and analysis. Each of websites has hypertext links to other useful data for similar purposes. Some fixed amount of money and is then able to access the information stored in the database. Another form of multimedia TMV [43] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH database is the vast number of CD-ROM business databases that interrelate audio, video, and text, and provide search and download capabilities. Classification by Database Content Classification of secondary data by database content is useful for a better insight into the subject matter. A database is a collection of information in a detailed and standard format. A classification of database by content of information includes online, internet and offline databases. Online databases consist of a central data bank accessible by a terminal via a telecommunication network. Internet databases are those that can be accessed on the net and can also be download if required. Offline databases are those which make the information available on diskettes and CD-ROMs. A further classification of these three highlights two common aspects. Well now look into each of these types in detail. Reference Database A reference database provides and bibliography of documents, abstracts or locations of original information. Since they provide online indices, citations and abstracts, they are also referred to as bibliographic databases. Wide varieties of bibliographic databases are available for a variety of business research applications. ABI (Abstract Business Information) contains 150 word abstracts and 1300 business publications worldwide. Reference databases enable the researcher to use naturallanguage key words to search for abstracts and summaries of a wide range of articles appearing in various business magazines, government reports, trade journals and research papers. Source Database Source databases usually publish numerical data, full text or a combination of both. They include full text of various economic and financial databases. Unlike reference database, which are limited to providing indices and summaries these databases provide complete text and numerical information. Census based numeric databases are often found be useful for studies dealing with market potential, segmentation and site location evaluations. Time series data available online are also useful for tracking and forecasting. TMV [44] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Source databases provide data relating to economy and industries. They can be classified into full-text information sources, economic and financial statistical databases online data, and descriptive information on firms. Harvard Business Review Online, Hoovers Online, LexisNevis and EBSCO are good examples in this case. EBSCO facilitates access to various business databases and also special newspapers, periodicals, books and company annual reports. Advantages of Secondary Data Secondary data is used by managers as it is cheaper, and takes to gather, thus saving them a lot of money and time that they would have otherwise spent in gathering primary data. Apart from these, there are other distinct advantages of using secondary data, which are as follows: Secondary data can help identify, clarify and redefine the research problem: In situation where the actual problem in a research study cannot be defined or is defined in an ambiguous way, the use of secondary data can help clear the confusion with a clear definition of the problem to be probed into. Secondary data might also hold a solution to the problem: Research problems might not require the gathering of primary data each time. Many a times, it happens that precise data regarding the current research is already available as secondary data which had been collected for some other research purpose. Hence, it might not be necessary to conduct a primary data collection exercise at all. Secondary data may provide alternatives methods that can be used for primary research: Every research situation has a custom made primary research designed for it. When such published reports are gathered from secondary sources then it gives a push to the initial stages of the similar current research at hand by outlining the possible research alternatives. Secondary data generates requisite information for better creativity: Secondary data can provide insights into the means to identify potential customer, industry trends, and proper languages usage. This prior knowledge helps in the design and TMV [45] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH progress of the current research. This provides a better chance of creativity in the research. Disadvantages of secondary data Although secondary data has many advantages to its credit, it has its own share of pitfalls and disadvantages. A close look at the utility of secondary data reveals the following limitation and disadvantages. Lack of availability: Even though secondary data might be available form many research studies, it might so happen that there is no secondary data available for special cases or that the organization holding such data is not willing to make it accessible to outsiders. If a company like General Motors would like to conduct a research for the market potential of its cars in particular cities in India then it is very unlikely that any secondary data would be available in this context. Lack of relevance: Secondary data might be irrelevant because of the changes in competitive situation, changing trends and other variables in the research environment from the data was initially collected. Thus, its usage for a current research study might be limited. Relevance might be reduced due to difference in units of measurement, use of surrogate data in the secondary sources, difference in definition of classes, and time. Inaccurate Data: Secondary data can be subject to doubt because of the errors that can occur in any of the steps or due to personal bias. Error of this sort can make the secondary data inaccurate and therefore unusable. It is possible that the secondary source of data might have been custom made to avoid some specific realities and as such fail to mention the sources of error. Hence, an effort should always be made to trace the secondary data to its original source. Insufficient data: Secondary data might be available but they might not posses all the required data useful for the current research at hand. Hence, a researcher should use a judicious mix of primary and secondary data to optimize the quality of research findings within the allotted time and money. TMV [46] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Secondary data means data that are already available i.e., they refer to the data which have already been collected and analyzed by someone else. When the researcher utilizes secondary data, then he has to look into various sources from where he can obtain them. In this case he is certainly not confronted with the problems that are usually associated with the collection of original data. Secondary data may either be published data or unpublished data. Usually published data are available in: Various publications of the central, state are local governments; Various publications of foreign governments or of international bodies and their subsidiary organizations; Technical and trade journals; Books, magazines and newspapers; Reports and publications of various associations connected with business and industry, banks, stock exchanges etc.; Reports prepared by research scholars, universities, economists etc. in different fields; and Public records and statistics, historical documents, and other sources of published information. The sources of unpublished data are many; they may be found in diaries, letters, unpublished biographies and autobiographies and also may be available with scholars and research workers, trade associations, labour bureaus and other public/private individuals and organizations. Research Design Business Research design can be defined as the plan and structure of enquiry formulated in order to obtain answers to research questions on business aspects. The research plan constitutes the overall program of the business research process. The planning process includes the framework of the entire research process, starting from developing the hypothesis to the final evaluation of collected data. Business research design can be understood as that which gives the blueprint for collection measurement and analysis of business data. The design helps researches to utilize available resources efficiently to achieve research objectives.

TMV

[47]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

Need for Research Design Research design is essential because it facilitates the smooth flow of various research processes. A good design means that research results can be obtained with minimum utilization of time, money and effort. Therefore, it can be said that design is highly essential for planning research activities. Therefore, research design has to be developed very carefully, as it forms the foundation for the entire research process that follows. More explicitly, the design decisions happen to be in respect of; What is the Study about? Why is the study being made? Where will the study be carried out? What type of data is required? Where can the required data be found? What period of time will the study include? What will be the sample design? What techniques of data collection will be used? How will the data be analyzed? In what style will the report be prepared? Sampling Unit A decision has to be taken concerning a sampling unit before selecting sample. Sampling unit may be a geographical one such as state, district, village, etc. or a construction unit such as house, flat, etc., or it may be a social unit such as family, club, school, etc. or it may be an individual. The researcher will have to decide one or more of such units that he has to select for his study.

Standard Secondary Research TMV [48] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

4.1 Standard Secondary Research Process For Company Profiles The junior research analysts have to scrutinize various resources and data is to be extracted as per the client requirements for preparing any company profiles. So this process can be divided into following two stages such as Secondary Research For Collection of Data Rewriting the data Secondary Research Process The junior research analysts has to go through by following secondary research steps to collect data which is very much required for preparing company profiles. Finding out various sources available for secondary research for required data in free of cost. Finding out company registered website through any search engine by putting company name into it. Entering into company websites to collect the company information through following source. About Us Vision Management Team Product / Services Financials Overview Media Centre Contact Information For more information searching Third Party Reports, Portals, and Newsletters etc. If information about company is not available then going for paid profiles from various database companies. TMV [49] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Getting paid profiles from various market research companies which can be obtained through available database websites.

Rewriting the data The junior research analysts have to rewrite the data as per needed with due consideration to copy right issue. For rewriting the data he has to go through following steps Analyzing the collected data. Sorting the collected data. Rewriting it in our own different words so that copy right issue will not arise and putting into various section of profile.

4.2 Designed Standard Format Designed Format - 1 COMPANY NAME Company outline

Company details TMV

Name: [50] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Brand/Service name: Address: Telephone: Fax: Web site:

Contacts

CEO: Executive Director Group Finance: CTO: Executive Director Customer Services: Executive Director Group Strategy: Executive Director International Services: Executive Director Network

Key lines of business

Local National International Mobile

Data & multimedia Internet NA GSM

Key shareholders (as of September 2006)

Name Government Free Float Government employee / retirement fund

% owned

TMV

[51]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH

Key shareholdings

Name

Owned %

Nature of operation

Company profile

Status: Foundation date: Number of employees (as at December 31, 2007): Type of operator: Type of network owned:

Private/Public

Network Operator Service Provider Local Long distance International

Group Financial data million Revenue Net profit EBITDA CAPEX (excluding Intagilbles) *Operating profits

2004

2005

2006

Group Revenue per service million Wireless services Wireline services

2004

2005

2006

Markets TMV

2005

2006 [52] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Market shares Fixed Mobile Internet ADSL Subscribers (000) Market share Subscribers (000) Market share

Designed Format 2 Company Name About Company introduction, partnership, vision, Management Team, & Achievements, etc. Market presence TMV [53] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH Number of countries: Employees: Revenues: Key clients: Product Portfolio Product / solution Key focus area Unique Features

Strategic developments: About latest developments, alliances, Joint Ventures, Merges and Acquisitions, its effect on the company sales/market/technology etc. & its investment from last 3 to 5 Yrs. Companies SWOT Analysis. Articles: Company journals, Latest News, Articles etc. from last 3 to 5 Yrs. Websites: Observations It is observed during the study that junior researcher has to be well worse with internet browsing. It is observed that the data required for company profiles may not be available. It is observed that while rewriting the data the copy right issue may arise. It is observed that company does not have the standard format of company profiles. It is observed that company facing the problem with providing training to newly joined research analysts of secondary research. TMV [54] B.B.A. PROGRAMME

TILAK MAHARASHTRA VIDHYAPITH It is observed that company restricted to limited sector such as Pharmaceutical and Logistics sector only.

Suggestions

TMV

[55]

B.B.A. PROGRAMME

You might also like