The Methods Used in Economic Tendency Research

Abstract

In 2008 the Department of Marketing Research of the Poznan University of Economics conducted a survey among the most important centres dealing with economic tendency surveys. Thematically the survey consisted of two blocks. First of them concerned the popularity of particular methods, ways of obtaining results (including self-conducted surveys and externally commissioned surveys), experience (years) in application of those methods, their most important advantages and areas of practical use. Second block consisted in the evaluation of predictive validity obtained by means of particular methods and the cost assessment of their use. The survey also dealt with a way of solving methodological problems, related to the use of particular methods, employed by the research centres i.e. popularity of ways of elimination of seasonality and trends from time series and effectiveness assessment of those filters. Whilst it is true that research community of economic trends cyclically, in connection with biennial CIRET conferences, exchanges information on the use of methods, the fact remains that this is the first survey which is a more formal attempt to sum up the applied research toolbox. (original abstract)