McCormick+Schmitz Handbook for value chain research on - PACA

A second reason <strong>for</strong> using multiple methods has to do with the reliability of available
in<strong>for</strong>mation and the importance of that in<strong>for</strong>mation to the <strong>research</strong>. Two examples will
illustrate this point. In both cases you want a list of export factories in a given region. In
the first case, you are going to use the list as a sampling frame <strong>for</strong> choosing a random
sample of firms to interview. In the second, you plan to use the list to provide some
general numbers in the background section of your report. If the ministry of industries is
known to keep excellent data on all of its factories, you have no need to worry about using
multiple methods in either case. You simply get the list and use it. If such reliable
in<strong>for</strong>mation is not available, however, you have to decide what to do. Complete
in<strong>for</strong>mation is very important in the first instance, where the list is needed as the basis <strong>for</strong>
random sampling. In this case, you would probably use considerable time and a number of
different methods to piece together a complete list. In the second case, you might choose
to use the best available list, perhaps with a footnote explaining the limitations of the
data.
Still another reason <strong>for</strong> using multiple methods is to check the results of different methods
against each other. A survey of factories may, <strong>for</strong> example, indicate that garment workers
put in a maximum of 48 hours per week. Realising that factories elsewhere under-record
working hours, you may decide to test this finding by interviewing union leaders or others
knowledgeable about industry practice. The use of several different <strong>research</strong> methods to
test the same finding is sometimes called triangulation.
A.2 Use of secondary sources
Usually much more has been done around a subject than is immediately evident. Using
available materials well gives the <strong>research</strong> a good start. It also saves time - not only your
own time, but also that of the respondents.
Documents are the most commonly referred to type of secondary source. They include
<strong>research</strong> and other official and unofficial studies and reports; statistical reports; topical
and area-specific articles from journals and newspapers; archival material; aerial and
satellite photos and maps; films, videos, and other relevant audio-visual documentation.
Mikkelsen (1995) adds folklore - mythology, oral tradition, local and topical stories,
proverbs, and poetry - to her list of secondary sources.
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