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Small/Medium
Businesses
Introduction
Since
the early 1980s, Partner Research Corporation (PRC) has provided authoritative
market research on a multitude of information technology products,
services and technologies. The Canadian Small and Medium Business
Market: 2004 continues the PRC tradition of providing an annual
benchmark study of Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) in Canada.
Study
Objectives
The
Canadian Small and Medium Business Market: 2004 is a syndicated
study which is designed to provide vendors serving the Canadian
IT market with detailed information on IT Purchasing Practices,
Hardware Installations and Acquisitions, and Services and Support.
New to the study in 2004 will be a section on Software, which explores
software-purchasing practices, types of software purchased, and
software spending.
In
earlier studies (up to and including 2002), companies with more
than 500 employees were excluded. Last year, a decision was made
to expand the definition of SMB to include companies with over 500
employees, and this new segment will remain this year. The 2004
study therefore includes all SMBs in Canada with 10 employees or
more.
The
study will provide overall data for the SMB market in Canada, as
well as breakdowns by company size and region. In addition, detailed
year-to-year trending information will be given, which is invaluable
in showing how the IT landscape in Canada has evolved over time.
Methodology
Study
Design
The
study is a quantitative survey administered via Computer Assisted
Telephone Interviewing (CATI). The population to be surveyed is
defined as SMBs with ten or more employees in the ten provinces.
From this population, a sample of 625 companies will be randomly
selected. All respondents will be individuals who decide on the
scope of Information Technology requirements at their firm, and
will include a mix of IT and non-IT personnel. Company size breaks
will be based on five groups, as follows:
Company
size groups:
- 10
– 49 employees
-
50 – 99 employees
- 100
– 249 employees
- 250
– 499 employees
- 500+
employees
Regional breaks will be as follows:
Regions:
- Atlantic
- Quebec
- Ontario
- West
Data
Analysis
The
results of the study are considered accurate (in terms of describing
the entire SMB population) to within plus or minus four pPRCentage
points, 19 times out of 20.
In
addition to providing overall findings for the total sample, the
analysis will break down responses to each question by company size,
region, and year. Differences among these subgroups will be tested
for statistical significance at the 95% confidence level.
Deliverables
PRC
will provide the following:
- Pre-study
consultation
- Questionnaire
development
- Purchase
of appropriate sample from a list service provider
- Subcontracting
of fieldwork to a field house
- Pre-test
of questionnaire prior to fielding study
- Weekly
updates on survey progress
- SPSS
analysis
- Full
written report including overall results and breakdowns by the
region, company size, and year
- Incentive
fulfillment
- Follow-up
support
PRC also offers the option of a custom PowerPoint presentation of
findings tailored to your specific requirements.
For
more information, contact Steve
Parker, Partner Research Corporation 1 Eva Road Suite 309 Toronto,
Ontario M9C 4Z5 (416) 621-8814
Latest
Industry Snapshot of the Small/Medium Business Market in Canada.
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