Research – friend or foe?
6th August 2009
As the person within the team whose responsibility it is to carry out desk based research, I thought it is about time to share with you what I find, and find useful, regarding the digital agenda.
I am not an expert or even a researcher by trade – but I enjoy looking, have quite a lot of luck at finding useful material and my colleagues have cottoned on to this fact (and it is in my job description!).
Right, my favourites are Ofcom, Becta, West Midlands Regional Observatory (WMRO), Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), Ofsted, UK Online, Office of National Statistics (ONS), Ipsos Mori and obviously, Central Government departments e.g. BIS and DCLG. I have signed up to a lot of their email updates – one of which is Ofcom’s “Media Literacy e-bulletin” which gives a great overview of events, projects, research and initiatives that are going on around the country.
There is a dedicated page on our website where some of the reports I come across are uploaded to, so our website visitors and e-newsletter subscribers can peruse at their leisure. You can find this site at the following url http://www.digitalbirmingham.co.uk/reports. To subscribe to our e-newsletter and be updated monthly click here.
Accurate information is key to keep up to date with any subject, nowhere is this more true than when it comes to the digital agenda. It can change from day to day so I ensure I look out for information on a weekly basis at least.
There is also a dark side of research (if that is indeed the right term!). I have had experience of “guestimates” that are presented as accurate, as I know other colleagues have too. Sometimes, conducting secondary research can be a lot about trust i.e. you are trusting the source you are using that the statistics they are reporting are based on accurate market research, which may not be the case. To base a strategy or policy on these findings can be disastrous as the targets that have been set could be unacheiveable, as the baselines provided were fictitious. Therefore, I do tend to keep to the sources I know well and have used for many years.
When I first started researching this subject area, I was frustrated at the lack of solid research and meaty publications out there. But just over a year on I have noticed how much this has changed e.g. research into this dynamic area is being commissioned at a rapid rate.
At the recent Digital Britain event that we hosted in June, the day after the report was published, Tom Loosemore (Head of 4iP Fund at Channel 4) chaired the Research & Innovation panel, entitled “Staying Ahead of the Game” - exactly what the UK and Birmingham must do to compete with growing economies such as China and India, and other global cities. And just as the panel described, research is key to staying competitive.
If you have any resources that you would like to share, or exchange, please leave a comment on this blog. I truly believe research, information and knowledge should be passed on and communicated so as many people as possible are aware.
NEWS JUST IN: It has been officially announced today that Treasury Minister, Stephen Timms MP, will take over from Lord Carter as lead on the Digital Britain report (supported by Sion Simon MP, Minister for Creative Industries and overseen by DCMS and BIS), due to Carter stepping down from the Government.
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Market research is always essential for the succes of any kind of business.`~: