MAIN CUSTOMERS DIVIDED BY TOPICS /SECTORS/ METHODOLOGIES
The number of customers of Vitosha Research - 145
VR provides customized solutions to the needs of its clients, which include:
Consumer Products Companies
Coca-Cola Bulgaria
KFC - Bulgaria
Philip Morris Services Bulgaria
Amoco Petroleum Products Bulgaria
Jim Beam Ltd.
Philips Bulgaria
Reckitt Benckiser Adriatic d.o.o.
Allied Domecq, Bulgaria
Taylor Nelson
Mobikom Bulgaria
BMRB
Sanofi-Synthelabo
Agrima Bulgaria
OMV Bulgaria
International Institutions
The World Bank
United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
European Commission
International Organization for Migration, Geneva
International Social Survey Program
International Social Justice Program
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
United State Agency for International Development (USAID)
World Economic Forum, Davos
Universities, Research and Non-governmental organizations
Glasgow University, UK
Butler University, USA
Local Government Initiative
Democracy Network Program
Lahti Research and Training Center, University of Helsinki, Finland
Center for Social & Economic Research (CASE), Poland
Taylor Nelson
Institute for Sustainable Communities
Gallup International, Hungary
Women, Law and Development, USA
Urban Institute, USA
American Red Cross
Bulgarian Red Cross
Media
BBC World Service
Reuters Bulgaria
Open Media Research Institute (OMRI)
Office of Research, Department of State (Washington DC)
Board for International Broadcasting (USA)
Worldnet TV (USA)
InterMedia Survey (USA)
State Institutions
Council of Ministers
Ministry of Labor and Social Policy
Ministry of Transport and Communications
Regional Initiatives Fund (RIF)
National Health Insurance Fund
Bulgarian Telecommunication Company
Ministry of Economy and Energy
National Revenue Agency
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VR offers its local and national clients proven expertise in both qualitative
and quantitative research design and execution. Service capabilities include:
Research design
Focus group research (recruitment, moderation and analysis)
Questionnaire design
Sampling
Data collection
Data coding and data entry
Statistical analysis
Report presentation
Drawing upon its accumulated expertise and resources, VR provides specialized
ad-hoc research services in the following areas:
Consumer Research
Brand tracking studies
Usage and attitude studies
Product test
Image surveys
Consumer satisfaction research
Motivational studies
Segmentation studies
Market research and consultancy
Market analysis and evaluation
Economic and political environment reports
Privatization studies and post-privatization monitoring
Media Research
TV and radio audience research
Media evaluation
Readership surveys
Music research
Telecommunication studies
Internet surveys
Advertising research
Advertising assessment
Copy tests
Pre/post and impact tests
Opinion Polls and Social Research
Election polling
Social assessments
Social deviation research
Quality of life and stratification studies
Social safety nets
Economic Research
Business climate research
Business to business studies
Municipal management
Housing policy
Energy consumption
Most of the research projects of VR address the general public. However,
ad-hoc projects often make it necessary to focus on specific target groups.
Experience has made it possible to develop advanced expertise for identifying
and motivating specific respondents. The reputation of VR with specific
audiences also helps achieve their cooperation as respondents.
To the extent that financial constraint is a consideration for a given
project efforts are made to optimize sample size. A small sample may be
sufficient, if a client can accept a slightly higher sampling error, does
not require inter-regional comparisons, etc.
The sample size in national representative surveys is usually about 1000
- 1500. Surveys are based on a two-stage cluster sample constructed on the
basis of list of the electoral sections of the last parliamentary or local
elections. Electoral sections cover the whole territory of the country and
respectively provide access to the whole Bulgarian population. Vitosha Research
disposes of the complete list of electoral sections, which includes: number,
territorial location, and number of registered voters. At the first stage
primary units (clusters) are chosen with probability proportional to the
size of units (according to the number of the electoral sections in the
country). At the second stage the respondents within the clusters are chosen
at random (random route selection).
At the first stage of two-stage cluster area samples the list of communities
in the region or the list of the electoral sections from the last local
or parliamentary elections is used. At the second stage, for example, one
street per community is chosen at random. Respondents are recruited employing
the Kish's grid (specifying clusters, defined by sex, age and number of
members in the household).
QUOTA SAMPLES
At the first stage of the recruitment procedure for quota samples a number
of respondents (300-500) from all the groups, which have been specified,
is selected. The usual (expected) refusal rate is about 15-20%. The lists
of respondents in each subgroup are constructed using the criteria specified
in the technical requirements. The base criteria for recruiting respondents
are usually sex, age, level of education and occupation.
TELEPHONE SURVEYS
For telephone surveys samples are constructed employing random dialing.
However, it should be noted that telephone surveys in Bulgaria do not provide
fully representative information because of the level of telephonization
(in average about 83% of the households for the country as a whole and about
93% of the households in Sofia).
SAMPLES IN FOCUS GROUPS
The procedure for recruiting focus group respondents includes:
Selection the participants among different social groups and experts
and receiving their consent to participate in the focus-group discussions;
Composition of the group with a ratio between potential and actual
participants of at least 2:1;
Receipt of a final agreement of the selected potential participants
2-3 days before group discussions. Expected refusal rate is about 20-25%;
Final selection of group participants in the day of the discussion.
QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURES
The standard control procedures employed by VR are several:
Direct supervision of 100% of the work of interviewers
in the field by team leaders and field supervisors. This includes fulfillment
of the sampling plan, completion of the questionnaire and interviewer behavior;
Back-check procedure performed over at least 10% of the completed sample
conducted by staff members of VR;
Evaluation forms in which each interviewer provides his own opinion
and problems encountered during fieldwork;
To further ensure the validity of interviews all questionnaires are
subject to a two-stage review: 1) logical review and coding done by Vitosha
Research staff and 2) software control for data accuracy (cleaning). This
is performed over 100% of the questionnaires.
Double data entry.
Vitosha Research compares the questionnaires submitted by different
interviewers, and investigates any work that appears inconsistent. If the
above verification reveals that one interview was improperly completed (or
falsified) Vitosha Research rechecks in full all interviews submitted by that
interviewer, and, if necessary, have the interviews redone or replaced.
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STAFF
NUMBER OF STAFF AND EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION
VR staff includes full-time and part-time professionals with a background
in sociology, statistics, economics, public administration, computer sciences
and other fields. The firm's headquarter is in Sofia, Bulgaria.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION
All of the staff members have broad experience in conducting public opinion
surveys, social, economic, market, media research, and electoral polling
surveys.
THE INTERVIEWERS' PROFILE
RECRUITMENT OF INTERVIEWERS
Number of interviewers available - About 400
Percentage of the country covered - 100
Recruitment of interviewers is based on a selection procedure and criteria
defined by the highest professional standards. The most important requirements
are: educational level, communicative skills, responsibility, and professional
ethics.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INTERVIEWERS' PROFILE
VR has a national interviewer network consisting of about 400 interviewers.
The national interviewer net of VR is regionally based and covers all 28
administrative regions of the country. There is an interviewer team in each
regional center. Each team has a team head experienced in fieldwork. Sofia
interviewer network consists of about 100 interviewers. In the biggest cities
such as Varna, Plovdiv, Bourgas, Rousse, Shumen, Sliven the number of interviewers
is between 10 and 20. For the rest of the regions, the number of interviewers
is between 5 and 10.
Approximately 2/3 of the interviewers are women and there is a wide range
of ages (between 19 and 55).
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION
The national interviewer network of VR includes professionals with a background
in sociology, statistics, economics, public administration, philosophy,
computer sciences and other fields. A considerable number of the interviewers
are students in Sociology or Social and Political Science, Economics etc.
in different Bulgarian Universities. The interviewers undergo specific training
sessions at least twice a year.
TRAINING OF INTERVIEWERS
Briefing sessions with team leaders are carried out in the office of Vitosha
Research. Team leaders conduct similar briefing sessions with regional team
members. Vitosha Research organizes these briefing sessions and training
for each survey. The briefing session includes an overview of survey methodology,
specific features of the questionnaire and of specific questions, sampling
methodology, specific fieldwork requirements, and also reconstruction of
a fieldwork situation. Each interviewer receives written instructions for
the specific characteristics of each survey. For solution of specific problems
interviewers are instructed to contact the head of the regional team or
VR staff in Sofia.
AVAILABILITY OF SUPERVISORS FOR THE FIELDWORK
A sufficient number (about 30) of supervisors for the fieldwork are available.
AVAILABILITY OF TRAINED INTERVIEWERS FOR MOTIVATIONAL SURVEYS
VR disposes of trained and experienced interviewers for motivational surveys
(15-20).
AVAILABILITY OF INTERVIEWERS CAPABLE TO CONDUCT INTERVIEWS IN OTHER LANGUAGES
The basic language of interviewing is Bulgarian. Depending on the survey
interviews are also conducted in Turkish and Roma.
