Statistical and Demographic Business Research Garth Homer

Statistical and Demographic Business Research Garth Homer

THE PILLARS OF BUSINESS RESEARCH An understanding of the service or product A clear concept of who is the customer Understanding of the location where the activity is taking place.

Working with your client 1. Understand the pillars as it is reflected by your client’s requirements. 2. Establish what will be the requirements expected of you. 3. Negotiate your requirements as necessary. 4. Avoid “moving goal posts”. 5. Set up regular meetings. 6. Do data gathering early. 7. Establish your Geography.

Working with Statistics “Currency” is a relative term. Statistics are driven by their geography. Popular statistics are just that; “popular” Acquiring statistics is much quicker and easier that creating your own. Statistics are only as useful as your ability to explain them. Statistics depend on geography

Background Research You may be faced with a product or industry that you know little about. While it may feel like a waste of time getting an over-all understanding of the area you will be working in but will pay off in the long run. Some resources Periodicals and Magazines Government websites Local information websites Client’s Knowledge

Periodical articles: Data Base access Full text and citation based: Canadian Business & Current Affairs CPI.Q (Canadian Periodical Index) ABI inform All full text: Canadian Newsstand Canadian newspapers Links: http://www.okanagan.bc.ca/Page5025.aspx

Information on your Product or Service

Understanding the Product or the Service In general we sell either a commodity or a service. We need to know how much, what cost, the profit ratio. We need to know production volumes. We need to know our competitors. We need to know what are the sources of our product.

Product commodity and service information B.C. Statistics B.C. Manufacturers’ directory online B.C. Stats. Economic statistics B.C Statistical Bulletins (monthly topical statistics: all topics) Strategis Strategis E-business Performance plus Trade data online The items mentioned on this page represent only the major locations for information. These sites deserve further exploration.

Performance Plus Performance Plus Performance Plus is an on-line performance benchmarking tool. It provides detailed financial and employment data on more than 600 business sectors across Canada, including more than 30 performance benchmarks to help small businesses determine how they measure up against their competitors. NAICS classification outline. User Guide

Background to your customer The demographics

Demographics and the “Economic Customer” 1. The key elements of the demographics of a customer are age, sex, and location. 2. Individual income, family income, and expenditures are secondary elements. 3. Mobility, family structure, and dwellings can be important

Demographic Sites Statistics Canada B.C Statistics Census Canada Access to Library homepage Access to Stats page

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada home page Statistics Canada does produce some buisiness statistics that are available from their website search tool or though “The Daily” Highlights: Canadian online statistics Business statistics

B.C. Statistics home page http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/ Key resources: Regional socio-economic indicators Selected B.C. Census Information B.C. Industries B.C. Stats Social Statistics. Selected B.C. Demographic Information

Census 2001 link

The Census configuration Census statistics come in three configurations. 1. Static tables 2. Tables that can change one or more variables 3. Data that can be manipulated to suit the users needs Statistical Manipulation tools Estat (articles, statistics and links to cansim) Cansim (Census data micro level) Beyond 20/20 Tutorial ( Census data)

Key statistics for business research

Provincial and National statistics City and regional district statistics Variable (topic) statistics

This gets you a table of some type This gets you data that you can manipulate

The Geography of your Market

The Geography of Your Market Your Client will have a market area in mind and it is important that this area is matched with the areas that are used for the collection of data and statistics. For example “the Okanagan Valley” may mean include variety of areas What is meant by the “City of Kelowna?” To have valid local statistics you must match your needs to the geography that is used to gather your statistics. Some statistics may not be gathered at the geographic level you require.

Census 2001 Geography (link) 1. 2. 3. 4. Community Profiles: Gives Maps of the Census Geography Geosearch: . Reference Maps: Thematic Maps: Regional and provincial geography (link) Maps of Regions Within BC Maps Displaying Data by Regions (Thematic Maps)

Local Statistical and Background Information Economic development commission Downtown Kelowna Association HRDC Okanagan Valley Kelowna Chamber of commerce Economic Profile 2004 (Central Okanagan) Community Profiles

Garth Homer Statistics, Data, and Government Information [email protected] Loc. 4624