Business, Innovation and Skills written question – answered at on 18 July 2013.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department records on the (a) the levels of satisfaction of businesses participating in trade missions and delegations and (b) reasons why businesses chose not to participate in such missions and delegations; what steps he plans to take following assessment of that information; and if he will publish in anonymised form the data so collected.
Economic research and analysis in UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) contributes to the development of the portfolio of UKTI services. The research tends either to be concerned with estimating the benefits of trade and investment or with barriers to such activity rather than why a specific service has not been taken up. All reports and data are published on the UKTI website.
UKTI monitors the performance and effectiveness of its trade services through the use of its Performance and Impact Monitoring Surveys (PIMS). The satisfaction scores for missions in the most recent period (covering the 12 months to December 2012), suggests that 84% of clients reported to be very satisfied, or fairly satisfied with the missions. Results are readily available on the UKTI website:
http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/ourperformance/performanceimpactandmonitoringsurvey.html
To assist in benchmarking the effectiveness of UKTI’s services, UKTI conducts an annual survey with businesses that do not use its services. The purpose of these surveys is to compare the experience of companies who do not use our support together with the outcomes of their activities. More information can be found at:
UKTI also receives information and comments from industry bodies through their participation in UKTI's Sector Advisory Groups and Trade Challenge Partners Programme. These bodies advise UKTI on a number of issues including feedback on UKTI's trade mission programme. Additionally, although not systematic, feedback is received from users in response to marketing campaigns for events and missions.
UKTI uses the information received from these various sources to improve the quality and satisfaction ratings of events and missions and to both expand its reach to new companies who are unaware of its services (including trade missions) and increase the return rate of attendees reusing its services.
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