About the Project
We are conducting market research to assess the demand for ‘off the shelf’ packages of business and market analysis within SMEs and other small organisations and we need your feedback. We are looking to get information on the type of analysis different sizes of businesses and organisations are currently performing and that which they would like to do. Our aim is to find if any common interests and themes exist across a range of enterprises, which could be translated into packages of analysis with general appeal.
If our market research proves positive, we will be looking for a case study partner to help us develop our product. We would work with the partner and undertake a ‘research package’. This will involve performing approximately £5000 of business and market research for you, for free. The purpose for us would be to assess the benefits of these work packages and if they can be offered at an affordable price and yet still be profitable.
We are interested in any responses, but ideally you will be:
- An SME or other small organisation.
- Interested in exploiting data analysis to help improve your business.
More about the Project
Benefits of Analysis
Data analysis is now a vital part of successful business. Understanding your business, your market and your customers is an essential element in making good decisions. It can help identify new market opportunities, inform choices and improve the efficiency of existing processes. The benefits of data analysis are no more apparent than in the retail industry, where the use of customer loyalty cards and the data they generate have revolutionised the supermarkets and how they engage with their customers.
Why don’t SME’s and other small organisations do it?
The answer to this appears to be that they have other things to do! SME’s and other organisations tend to lack the relevant expertise and generally lack the funds to commission bespoke research or bring the necessary resources in-house.
The Solution
At Staffordshire University we have both the expertise and appropriate tools to perform this type of analysis. We believe it is possible to make this type of data analysis affordable enough for SMEs. By identifying some of the most commonly desired research themes for businesses we plan to offer generally applicable standardised packages of research.
- The advantages for businesses are the packages are clearly defined in terms of benefits, prices, requirements and deliverables.
- The advantages for us are the packages can be streamlined and thus be performed efficiently and offered at a cost-effectively price.
About us
We are a consortium of research groups based at Staffordshire University, principally the Institute for Environment, Sustainability and Regeneration (IESR) and the Centre for Intelligent Environmental Systems (CIES).
Both IESR and CIES have performed a range of research for many different organisations such as Environment Agency, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Trinity University Dublin, SETAC, the Health & Safety Executive. For this project, IESR provide skills and experience using demographic and socio-economic data, postcode location data and mapping and analysis using Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
CIES specialise in the application of statistical and ‘intelligent’ analysis techniques. In particular cluster analysis, which helps to organise data sets and identify patterns. This ‘grouping’ of data into ‘types’ is useful as it provides a means of aggregating individual entities making tasks such as analysis, the generation of policy or targeting of actions simpler yet still effective. For more information about CIES go to www.cies.staffs.ac.uk.
For more information please contact:
Graham Smith, Institute for Environment Sustainability and Regeneration
David Trigg, Centre for Intelligent Environmental Systems
E: d.j.trigg@staffs.ac.uk T: 01785 353510