McCormick+Schmitz Handbook for value chain research on - PACA

Accessing relevant published and unpublished documents can be a major challenge,
especially in developing countries. Many documents are in offices rather than publicly
available places like libraries or bookshops. The <strong>research</strong>er must first find out that they
exist, then learn where they can be found, and (often) finally persuade their keepers to
release them.
A second challenge lies in deciding how to use secondary sources once they have been
obtained. Generally secondary sources are used in two ways. At the beginning of a study,
they help the <strong>research</strong>er to become familiar with what has already been done. In this way,
they help to avoid duplication of ef<strong>for</strong>t and they influence the choice of <strong>research</strong> design
and methodology. Inexperienced <strong>research</strong>ers can be tempted to short-circuit this phase of
the <strong>research</strong>, so as to get to the field where they assume the real <strong>research</strong> takes place.
Once they have access to documents, they photocopy everything that could possibly be of
use and set it aside <strong>for</strong> future reference. The problem with this is that having the
photocopies gives a false sense of security which encourages the <strong>research</strong>er to postpone
reading the material. A better approach is to read and photocopy selectively. The first step
is a cursory reading of each document to identify the most important. Some documents
may have only a paragraph or two that is relevant. These can be noted and returned
quickly. Those that have more pertinent in<strong>for</strong>mation can then be read carefully. A good
quality technical report may not only give a detailed picture of the industry but may also
have in<strong>for</strong>mation about relevant contacts who might be worth following up. These are
invaluable if identified early in the <strong>research</strong> process.
Secondary sources are also useful at the data analysis and report writing stage, when it
becomes possible to compare your findings with those of other <strong>research</strong>ers.
A.3 Interviews with key in<strong>for</strong>mants
Interviews with key individuals are an important part of every <strong>research</strong> project. Key
individuals are people anticipated to have particular insight or opinions about the topic
under study. They may include specialists, such as academics who have studied the
industry or the chair of the manufacturing association’s textile committee. They may also
include government officials at national or local level, or officials of important
organisations such as a national women’s group or garment workers’ union. Key
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