The “EuRA Index” was inspired by Helmut Berg who persuaded EuRA Members in Germany to set up and funded it to provide statistical information on the German market. It was launched in August 2008. Following its success the project will be extended to all EuRA and ARP Members from January 2010. This will occur in stages and so the initial questionnaire will be sent to all members in Germany and the United Kingdom. France, the Benelux and the Nordic Regions will come on line in February and March. Other regions will be added over the year. In addition we intend to extend the ‘EuRA Index’ to RMCs. At the 2009 ARP conference in Oxford the project was introduced to the UK. ARP members showed great interest in participating. The ARP research will start in September 2010.
Purpose
The purpose of the EuRA Index is to collate information on industry trends from those working in relocation on a monthly basis. We want to have results by country and for all participating countries and regions. This will not only allow us to develop individual country statistics but also to compare countries and regions. In addition it will give EuRA the opportunity to discuss why there are differences between countries and regions.
Participation
To make this project viable we will not only collate information from individual countries but also differentiate between DSPs and RMCs. Where there are countries with larger DSP populations these will be surveyed separately but where numbers are small regions will be formed, one such area is the Nordic region consisting of Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. Other regions could encompass the Eastern European countries and our Worldwide Members. The system will allow that new countries can be added at any time.
The Questionnaire
The core of the research will be three questions stemming back to Helmut Berg’s original initiative. The member emailed will be asked answer for their home country even if they offer services in other countries. In the event that a member has offices in another country the questionnaire will be automatically forwarded to that office so long as it is registered with EuRA. If members wish to include offices that are not as yet registered with EuRA then they will be asked to supply contact details including the email address of the person in the office to which the survey should be sent. The ‘EuRA Index’ is based on 3 very simple questions:
1.How would you rate business in the last month?
2.What are your expectations for the coming month?
3.What are your expectations for your business in 6 months from now?
The answers to these questions will always be a choice of one of the following responses:
a) Very Poor - 1
b) Poor - 2
c) Below Average - 3
d) Above Average - 4
e) Good - 5
f) Excellent - 6
The numbers represent the numerical value of each response, so that we can accurately calculate the statistics. The results from these three questions are compared and analysed separately. In addition there is the main Index that is derived from the answers to the three questions. The first month's results will enable us to calculate the first figures for the 3 questions and the overall base figure for the main Index. The main Index is calculated by weighing the individual results from each question:
•Question 1 – the past will be weighed by 1 i.e. if the average numerical value is 2, the weighed value is 2
•Question 2 - the near future will be weighed by 1.5 i.e. if the average numerical value is 2, the weighed value is 3
•Question 3 – the future will be weighed by 2 i.e. if the average numerical value is 2, the weighed value is 4
The results for the first month will set the benchmark for the EuRA Index against which future Indexes will be compared.
The Results
Each month we will circulate the statistics providing interpretation and comment where appropriate. Where results are prepared for individual countries or regions, EuRA may invite a local member to comment and provide interpretation of the results. As the ‘EuRA Index’ develops we will be able to compare:
•The overall ‘EuRA Index’ figure
•The results for each question
•What members’ projections for the future were against the reality of the future
•Country comparisons
•Regional comparisons
•Comparisons between DSPs and RMCs
This monthly survey does not ask for number of authorisations or sales. Participants are simply asked to let us know, how they rate the last month and what they expect for next month and in 6 months from now. New countries, regions or disciplines can be added at any time and still compared to the initial figure at the start of the project. In addition it does not matter whether or not the same person responds on each occasion. If someone is on vacation one month and cannot send his answers he can either nominate a colleague or leave it until the next month Any fluctuation in the number of participants will not harm the project. However, we should try to ensure that there are at least 10 per country/region.
Method of Collecting the data
Every month, either on the last working day of that month or on the first working day of the following month the questionnaire will be sent. The ‘EuRA Index’ will be distributed to members at the end of each month. It will take the form of a Survey Monkey Questionaire, so results will be anonymous. The survey will only be on line for a few days in order that we can distribute the results promptly.
