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BUSINESS REGISTRATION IMPACT EVALUATION

(BRIE)

ENUMERATOR TRAINING AND FIELD INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL

Endline Survey

Training

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Contents

1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3

1.1 Meet the Team ..................................................................................................................... 4

2.0 Expectations ........................................................................................................................ 5

2.1 General ............................................................................................................................. 6

2.2 Expectations for Training ................................................................................................. 5

2.3 Expectations for Survey .................................................................................................... 6

2.4 What You Can Expect From IPA ....................................................................................... 6

3.0 Project background .............................................................................................................. 7

3.1 Firms, Business Centers, and Clusters .................................................................................. 7

4.0 Basic Interviewing Techniques ............................................................................................. 8

4.1 Gaining Cooperation ........................................................................................................ 8

4.2 Proper Surveying Practices ............................................................................................. 10

5.0 Troubleshooting During Surveys ........................................................................................ 14

6.0 Questions from Respondents about Interventions ............................................................ 14

7.0 Logistical Arrangements ..................................................................................................... 15

8.0 Survey Regulations and Code of Conduct .......................................................................... 16

9.0 IPA HR policies .................................................................................................................... 17

10.0 Informed Consent .............................................................................................................. 17

11.0 Endline Survey Guidelines by section ............................................................................... 18

12.0 Question by Questions ..................................................................................................... 18

13.0 Terminology ...................................................................................................................... 30

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1.0 Introduction

What is the plan for the coming days?

• Interact with other team members and the Field Manager/Team Leaders • Learn about the questionnaire in detail • Ask any questions you might have and give us your feedback

First of all, what is IPA?

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), is a US-based non-profit research organization with

operations in more than 40 countries. IPA started its work in Malawi in January 2009. We have

projects in Rural Savings and Lending, Agriculture, Business Development, Education and Public

works. Our office is located in the Area 47, Sector 2 of Lilongwe.

Using rigorous research techniques, IPA works to develop and test solutions to real-world

problems faced by the poor in developing countries. IPA consists of leading academic

researchers in development economics, behavioral economics and psychology, as well as other

researchers based in the US and developing countries.

Anyone who has worked with IPA before can attest that we are different. We do not operate to

the same standards as most other survey companies in Malawi and beyond. We demand a level

of professionalism and dedication from our enumerators that ensures the collection of quality

data that is the foundation for vital development research. Without strong enumerators our

research is worthless. Through working with IPA you will contribute to a meaningful body of

research that will affect people’s lives.

Why is your role as a surveyor important?

• You (and the respondent) are the key components of any research.

• Inaccurate surveyor= Inaccurate data= Inaccurate results = Inaccurate conclusions =

Inaccurate actions being taken for development purposes

This manual will serve as the primary reference source for all the information you will need for

training and for working as an enumerator. That means that for any question you have in the

field, the answer should be found here. If there is anything you do not understand, please ask,

but by the end of this week you will be responsible for knowing this material. There will be tests

along the way.

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First we will begin with an overview of the project and IPA’s role as the evaluation team.

Throughout this and all other sessions, I will be constantly asking you questions to help gauge

your level of understanding and determine who is paying attention. Please follow along closely

and at any point feel free to ask me to slow down or repeat anything that is unclear. You will

only help yourself and your teammates by doing so.

1.1 Meet the Team

The leadership on this project is very strong and these people are great resources for you to

learn from – they all have years of experience doing this type of research and are eager to help.

Here is the composition of our team:

Programme Manager: Jessica coordinates the BRIE data collection and is responsible for the

overall management of field work.

Field Manager/Research Assistant: Billiat is the Team Field Manager and will also being taking

over as the Research Assistant once Jessica leaves. He oversees the teams, manages

supervisors, and is responsible for logistics and overall quality of our work. He will be

responsible for the overall management of field work as well.

Field Manager: Once Billiat becomes the Research Assistant, Gift will take over as the Team

Field Manager. He oversees the teams, manages supervisors, and is responsible for logistics and

overall quality of our work.

Field Supervisors: They all have experience working with IPA and they share our passion for

quality data collection. Please feel free to approach them with any and all questions you might

have, they are here to help you. Field Supervisors are responsible for general deployment and

productivity, conduct spot checks, and accompany enumerators. They are responsible for the

overall quality of data collection of each team. They conduct spot checks/accompaniments of

enumerators as well as introducing the team with the relevant authority. At the end of the day,

they are responsible for verifying the quality of data collected that day (scrutiny of

questionnaires), scheduling their team’s appointments, and conveying their following day’s

schedule with the Field Manager. They report directly to the Field Manager and Programme

Manager.

You will be randomly assigned to a team with whom you will work for the duration of the

survey. You will certainly become friends with your Field Supervisor, but remember this person

is your manager and will expect the highest level of professionalism from you throughout the

data collection.

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Auditor- S/he is a very experienced and qualified researcher. The Auditor’s job is to check that

every survey is being conducted to the highest standard. The Auditor spends his/her days in

the field conducting back checks and works with the Scrutinizer and the Field Supervisors to

verify the data. They report any errors or suspicious activity to the Supervisors and Programme

Manager. The Auditor will be selected from among all of you.

Enumerators: This is the title used for professional surveyors. Enumerators move from one

business to another and meet with respondents to collect data for the study. For this project

we will be using a total of 16 enumerators to conduct the survey in Lilongwe and Blantyre.

Scrutinizer: We will have one Scrutinizer for this Team. S/he will be checking the surveys,

recording errors, communicating errors to the Field Supervisors, and providing the Field

Manager and Programme Manager with a list of errors that are delineated by question and by

enumerator.

Including the Programme Manager, this brings our team to approximately 25 people. That is a

lot.

This means that throughout the training and the surveying, each of us has to be extremely well

organized, always on time, respectful of others, and eager to assist the project in any way that

is asked of you. If you are five minutes late you are then making your teammates five minutes

late: that is not acceptable.

2.0 Expectations

2.1 Expectations for Training

During all training sessions, we expect active participation from each and every trainee. This

will promote your own understanding of the material and demonstrate to us that you care.

During the training we will give you assignments to complete before we meet again the next

morning. It may be as simple as “read section __” or we might ask you to complete a mock

interview with friends or family. We will discuss these assignments during the recap the next

morning. The effort you put into these homework assignments will show through in how well

you can contribute to training the following morning and will again demonstrate your

commitment to this job.

We will expect you to actively participate in practice interviews and role plays in smaller group

settings. This atmosphere must remain positive at all times – if you can help a teammate by

providing some advice, please do so.

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Throughout training we will have you complete quizzes that will be graded to assess your

progress and understanding of the training materials. These quizzes are meant to be

completed by each one of you without the help of anyone else or your training materials.

Again, if you take the initiative to study this manual, to complete all assignments and training

activities to the best of your ability, to ask questions and seek advice, and to actively contribute

to the team, you will greatly increase the likelihood of your selection for the team.

2.2 General

1) Follow the protocol. You are going to hear us repeat this phrase multiple times during

training. Here’s why: it seems very simple – you move to the business centre, you locate

the enterprise, you conduct the interview and move on to the next enterprise. In reality, it

is never that easy. Problems will come up and we will need to find solutions while in the

field. For every potential problem there is more than one potential solution. However, the

most crucial characteristic of good data collection is consistent data collection. This

means that we always ask the questions as they are written, and we always probe to ensure

that we understand the response correctly. It also means that every time a problem arises,

we solve it in a manner that is consistent among enumerators and across teams.

2) The highest level of professionalism at all times. This includes but is not limited to:

a. Being on time. That means never being late.

b. Being respectful of your colleagues and managers. Teamwork is critical to the

success of working with a group this size.

3) Phones always on. Communication is of the utmost importance. If your phone is off and

we cannot reach you that wastes our time and resources. During interviews, please put your

phone on “discrete” or “vibrate” mode.

2.3 Expectations for Survey

1) Work Days - During the survey period we will work from Monday through Saturday.

2) Work Hours - We will leave by 8:00 AM each morning and will sometimes not return until

18:00 PM. The days are long, but we expect everyone to have a good attitude on days that

are particularly challenging.

3) Conduct a minimum of four surveys each day.

4) Be prepared – this involves bringing your folder, a pencil, a pen, your IPA card and your fully

charged cell phone. Make sure you have your GPS unit and charged batteries.

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5) Finish the job – we expect every enumerator on the team to work for the duration of the

project and anyone who quits early will lose out on a very significant portion of their salary.

Family and personal emergencies are of course an exception.

6) If your individual performance and/or your team’s overall quality of work is above a certain

standard, certain monetary incentives may be introduced (bonuses).

2.4 What You Can Expect From IPA

1) To be treated fairly and honestly at all times.

2) To receive feedback from your Field Supervisors regarding what you are doing well and

where there is room for improvement.

3) To be provided with the tools you need to conduct your job.

4) An opportunity to build your skills and meet new people.

3.0 Project background

The informal sector is usually defined as the set of firms that are not registered with the

government and/or with taxes, and informality is often seen as an obstacle to business growth

and economic development. The Government of Malawi implemented the Business

Environment Strengthening Technical Assistance Project (BESTAP) with the objective of

reducing some identified problems for businesses and increasing access to finance and

productivity of Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) in Malawi.

On Business Registration, the government is interested in evaluating whether or not formality

improves enterprise performance and, at the same time, in exploring potential reasons for high

informality.

If registration does have a positive impact, that information can be used in a future promotional

campaign to raise awareness among firms and incentivize registration. If, however, the

estimated costs of becoming formal are bigger than the benefits, then the government may

want to address these issues first before starting a registration campaign.

In addition, the government and private partners, including banks, would like to know how to

best help firms in separating household and business money, which could complement the

value of becoming formal.

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For all these reasons, we are conducting this survey to help inform decisions by the

government, NGOs, and private enterprises on how best to support small business

development in Malawi.

3.1 Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) - video

3.2 Firms, Business Centers, and Clusters

In Blantyre and Lilongwe, the study team first listed business centers – concentrations of firms

including industrial parks, markets, streets with shops, workshops, etc – and then randomly

sampled 46 of them (23 in each city) for additional listing of all SMMEs operating within these

centers. Through this process, 7603 enterprises were identified, 85% of which had not been

registered at the Registrar’s General.

For male and female business owners separately, the study team selected 3,002 SMMEs that

could benefit the most from business registration. These SMMEs were selected based on a pre-

defined set of criteria including the number of employees of the firm, the physical location (if

the firm operates in a fixed location) and their revenues. These 3002 firms are those to whom

we administered a baseline survey between November 2011 and March 2012, a First Follow-Up

Midline Survey between November 2012 and February 2013, a Second Follow-Up Midline

Survey between October 2013 and February 2014, and a Third Follow-Up Survey Midline Survey

between October 2014 and March 2015.

In this phase of the project, we plan to go back to these approximate 1500 firms in Lilongwe

and 1500 firms in Blantyre for an additional survey of approximately 60-90 minutes.

The 23 Business Centers (BCs) in Lilongwe have been grouped into 4 clusters (or Areas),

reflecting their location in the city. The same has been completed for Blantyre.

Each cluster includes a certain number of BCs. You will be provided with details about your

cluster of operation by the FM and your Field Supervisor.

Each team of Enumerators and a Field Supervisor will be assigned to a specific cluster and will

be responsible to complete data collection in the assigned locations.

4.0 Basic Interviewing Techniques

4.1 Gaining Cooperation Successful interviewing is an art and should not be treated as a mechanical process. Each interview is a new source of information; so make it interesting and pleasant. The art of

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interviewing develops with practice but there are certain basic principles which are followed by every successful enumerator. In this section you will find a number of general guidelines on how to build rapport with the respondent and conduct successful interview. Your role as an enumerator is vital to the success of this study. This section focuses on gaining respondent cooperation and then discusses techniques to use once an interview has started. Why Do We Work So Hard To Gain Cooperation? In order for a survey to be truly representative of the population being studied, there needs to be an extremely high response rate of selected respondents. The size, as well as the way a sample is selected, affects how well a sample is likely to represent the total population. Survey estimates are based on only those respondents who are willing to respond to our questions; so sample size is dependent on response rate. If a high percentage of people do not respond, they might represent a large number of people who think and act like them; the consequence is that those voices are never heard. These people need to be represented, and it is the job of the interviewer to convince them of how important they are. We work hard to avoid refusals because we believe our efforts, aimed at convincing respondents to participate, is NOT an attempt to get respondents to do something they do not want to do; rather, it is a dialogue in which the respondents’ concerns are heard; they can ultimately affect the government’s activities and improve living standards of Malawi. Most refusals are the result of respondents not having enough information about the study. A misconception on the part of the respondents as to what we are doing is what we want to avoid. How Gaining Cooperation Is Accomplished Gaining cooperation is a combination of many factors of behavior and sensitivity towards the individual with whom interviewers make contact. The successful interviewer is organized, prepared logistically and mentally, and LISTENS in order to know exactly what to say based on the circumstance of the contact. Here are some rules to follow that will help you gain cooperation:

Be Organized

Be Prepared Logistically: Have all necessary materials at hand.

Be Prepared Mentally: Before making any respondent contact, review your materials, especially data relating to the study. This would include the Training Manual, the questionnaire, and the question by question specifications. Be prepared to answer any questions you may be asked from the respondent or questions you may need to ask the respondent.

Know The Facts: Be well versed on IPA, our mission, and the Business Registration Impact Evaluation Project.

Know The Study: o Who is sponsoring the research

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o The reason it’s being conducted o The uses of the data o Why we need the respondent’s cooperation

Be Sold On The Study: You must be sold on the survey’s value; otherwise, you’ll be unable to convey the value of the study to the respondent.

Assume A Good Attitude: Your attitude is always mirrored off the respondent.

Be Confident – Sound Interesting and Be Interesting

Be Professional, But Balance That With Some Friendliness

Be Assertive, But Not Pushy

Let Human Qualities Show Through

Be Flexible

Smile!

4.2 Proper Surveying Practices

You should view each interview as a new source of information and avoid treating it as a

mechanical process. Interviewing skills develop with practice, but there are a number of general

guidelines you must follow. These are outlined below:

1. Dress the Part –You must have your IPA ID with you at all times. Your dress code should be

appropriate to the Malawian culture (especially for female enumerators).

2. Act the Part – We expect you to present yourself using the best proper manners at all time.

This includes but is not limited to: providing a proper greeting, sitting up straight, ensuring

that the respondent is comfortable, listening with interest, never interrupting the

respondent, and NEVER answering your phone during a survey.

3. Make a good first impression - Your first responsibility as an enumerator is to establish a

good rapport with a respondent who does not know you. This first impression is critical in

ensuring the respondent’s cooperation with you throughout the interview. You can never

make a first impression again. Approach them with a manner that is friendly and cordial as

you introduce yourself.

4. Obtain Permission – Even before we get to the Informed Consent, which we will talk about

in detail later, always begin by introducing yourself and asking the respondent if they have

time to sit and take part in the interview. We cannot approach the respondent with the

attitude of demanding that they participate in our study – we are foreigners visiting them in

their shops or business premises, we must always appreciate their hospitality and ask

permission first.

5. Ensure Confidentiality – All of our surveys are to be conducted and maintained in the

strictest confidentiality. Some sections are very sensitive, such as profit and revenues, and

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it is critical to not only maintain confidentiality but to convey to our respondents that all

information will be kept in strictest confidence.

Why is confidentiality important? It is crucial that the respondents are not put in harm’s way

by participating in our study. We do not believe we are asking any questions that could

jeopardize a respondent’s safety, but that is no reason to relax our requirement for absolute

confidentiality. Interviews must be conducted in a private setting where the respondent’s

answers will not be overheard by others. Additionally, individuals’ responses are not to be

shared with anyone outside the IPA Team.

It is your job to ensure that this confidentiality actually takes place. Before asking the very first

question, it is critical that you ask any other people in the area to leave in order to conduct the

interview in private.

6. Read every script – This sounds simple, but doing so requires a lot of patience and

dedication to collecting high quality data. Even when the questions become repetitive,

even when you think you know the answer, unless a question is labeled “DO NOT READ”,

you read each question every time. This is your job. Failure to do so will result in the loss

of your job.

7. Never change the wording of a question: You must ask the questions exactly in the form in

which they appear on the questionnaire. Even in cases where the respondent has not

understood the question, the wording of the questions and their sequence in the survey

must be maintained. When asking a question speak slowly and clearly so that the

respondent whom you are interviewing will have no difficulty in hearing or understanding

the question.

At times you may need to repeat the question in order to be sure the respondent

understands it. In those cases, do not paraphrase the question but repeat it exactly as it is

written. If, after you have repeated the question, the respondent still does not understand

it, you may have to restate the question. Be very careful when you change the wording to

ensure that you do not alter the meaning of the original question.

In some cases, you may have to ask additional questions to obtain a complete answer from

a respondent. This is called probing. If you do this, you must ensure that your probes are

“neutral” and that they do not suggest an answer to the respondent. Probing requires both

tact and skill.

8. Be neutral - Most people are inclined to give answers that they think you want to hear.

Therefore you should make sure to remain neutral as you ask the questions. Make sure to

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avoid any expressions that can lead the respondent to think that s/he has given the “right”

or “wrong” answer to a question. Similarly, make sure to never appear to approve or

disapprove of any of the respondent’s responses. The wording of questions is carefully

selected to ensure neutrality. You should also be careful to maintain neutrality in probing.

If the respondent gives an ambiguous answer, your probes should be similar to the

following neutral probes:

“Can you explain a little more?”

“I did not quite hear you; could you please tell me again?”

“There is no hurry. Take a moment to think about it.”

We cannot use sentences such as “I suppose you mean ______?” This is not neutral

language, this language is suggestive of an answer that you think makes sense and that is

not acceptable.

9. Do not assume: You must also avoid any preconceived ideas about the respondent's ability

to answer certain questions or about the kind of answer s/he is likely to give. Your most

important task is to read the questions exactly as they are written in the questionnaire. i.e.

never infer the gender of the household member by the name. Always ask the respondent

to tell you the gender of the household member.

10. Do not talk down to a respondent – If you cannot understand the response provided, or

the respondent asks you to repeat the question, or you feel that you need to probe to get a

full answer, it is critical to always keep your tone neutral and never use a condescending

tone. Be mindful of the way you speak and present yourself at all times as you are a

representative of IPA.

11. Don’t read like a computer - As much as possible you should use a conversational tone

while you are conducting the interview and reading the questions. You must read the

questions exactly as stated, but your eye contact with the respondent and your tone of

voice is important in establishing a good relationship with them. Good eye contact is

important, because you are learning about the respondent from his/her eyes, face, and

body language. At the end of each question, we encourage you to look at the respondent

while you are waiting for his or her reply.

12. Consider responses before writing - You need to think about each answer the respondent

provides in the context of previous responses and your surroundings. Does the answer

make sense in the context of this enterprise and in the local environment? Most

respondents will give truthful answers. However, you need to be on your guard for the

respondent who is giving you false information, or who feels he can shorten the interview

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by either not telling you or by making up a false story. When probing, you must always be

polite but also firm in your desire to get a good and truthful answer.

Being a surveyor is interactive! Not just asking questions, getting an answer and writing

the response.

When a respondent does not give you truthful answers, you must make it clear in a polite

way that you understand that the story you are hearing is not the real story or the full story.

You may need to point out contradictions that you have understood. If a respondent

observes that you accept his first untruthful answers, then you can expect that you will get

more false answers. As a result, you would be recording bad data, and none of us will be

able to do our jobs. If you accept false stories as answers, then you are failing to collect

good quality data.

In general, all questions are to be administered to the respondent or at least in his

presence. In case he is unsure of an answer, especially if it relates to another household

member or worker, you should ask if you can speak to the concerned person.

13. Handle hesitant and distracted respondents tactfully: Sometimes respondents simply say,

“I don’t know,” give irrelevant answers, act very bored or detached, or contradict

something they have already said. In these cases, you must try to re-interest them in the

conversation.

Do not stop the respondent even if his/her answers are irrelevant or elaborate. Listen to

what they have to say and then try to steer them gently back to the original question.

If the respondent is reluctant or unwilling to answer a question, explain once again that the

same question is being asked to many business owners and that the answers will be

confidential. If the respondent is still reluctant, simply record REFUSED TO ANSWER and

continue with the next question after asking if they are willing to continue with the survey.

If they respond that no, they wish to quit the survey, you must call your Field Supervisor

before leaving the enterprise premise. Remember, the respondent can never be forced to

provide an answer.

14. Do not hurry the interview: Ask the questions slowly to ensure the respondent understands

what is being asked and pause to give the respondent time to think. If the respondent feels

hurried, they may respond with “I don’t know” or give an inaccurate answer. If you feel the

respondent is answering without thinking just to speed up the interview, say to the

respondent, “There is no hurry. Your opinion is very important, so consider your answers

carefully.”

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15. Phone use – NEVER answer your phone in the middle of a survey. If a Field Supervisor

needs to contact you urgently they will call three times. It is absolutely inappropriate to

answer your phone for anything other than a professional or family emergency.

16. Write clearly – Your handwriting should always be legible. Numbers and texts should be

properly written in the space provided. You can use a pencil so you can correct your

answers before handing over the questionnaire to your supervisor.

5.0 Troubleshooting During Surveys

Q.1 What do I do if there is no one in the shop/house?

A. Call your Field Supervisor and explain that the enterprise/house is empty and you are moving on to the next business on your list. After completing that next enterprise survey, return to the previous location and look for the respondent. If a respondent is still not there, schedule the interview by using the tracking form.

Q.2 What do I do if the respondent says that they are busy and don’t have time?

A. Ask them if they are interested in participating at a later point in time either that day or the next. If they agree, ask when would be a good time to return. Report the appointment information in the Reschedule space on the questionnaire (Q12- Q13). If they say that they are not interested, call your Field Supervisor and they will tell you how to proceed.

Q.3 What if the other people around refuse to leave?

A. You must be polite but firm. You should address the extra observers directly and tell them that it is very important that they leave the location of the interview. Explain to them that your research organization will not allow you to conduct the interview until they have all left.

6.0 Questions from Respondents about Interventions

Q.1 Some businesses in this area were offered to register their businesses. Nobody asked me whether I wanted to register mine- Why?/ Are you or some other organization coming back in the future to register my business as well? A. IPA is partnering with BRC who recently started offering registration to businesses in this area. That was a pilot project and BRC only selected some businesses based on the information IPA provided them. At this stage, no future registrations are planned but the results of the

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study we are conducting will help BRC and other organizations to address this problem and other possibilities might arise in the future. Q.2 Why were some businesses here offered to register their business with MRA and I wasn’t? A. BRC conducted a pilot and didn’t have time or resources to offer free registration to MRA for all the businesses operating in this area. In the future, there might be similar projects and you might benefit from them. Q.3 I heard that some people also attended a training on how to run their businesses. I wanted to participate but I was not invited. Why? Can I take part at a later stage? A. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the training. NBS offered training to a certain number of businesses whose names were taken from the listing that IPA did in 2011. At the moment NBS is not planning to run other sessions. Q.4 I was offered to register my business but at that time I thought I didn’t need the certificate. Now I would like to get it. What can I do? A. Unfortunately we don’t know much about this intervention by BRC- but we know that BRC only offered registration to DRG for a limited time and couldn’t afford a second or third re-offer. Q.5 I accepted to register my Business when BRC offered, but they didn’t come back with my certificate. [Ask when the offer was made]. If they are sure they filled in the application form and someone took a picture of them, tell them that BRC might have faced some delays in receiving the certificate from DRG but that we acknowledge this and we will follow up. [Inform your supervisor about this question] [If the delay is due to the fact that a wrong certificate was produced note this and report it to your supervisor.]

7.0 Logistical arrangements (Field Manager)

When your survey team arrives at a Business Center, your Field Supervisor will meet with the

chairman of the market/area to introduce the team and explain the purpose of the survey.

When making the introductions, the Field Supervisor should also clarify expectations regarding

the consequences of this survey: this survey will help provide information about businesses in

Malawi.

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Your Field Supervisor will give you a list with the enterprise owners to interview and blank

questionnaires.

If you find that one of the enterprises that you are supposed to interview has moved away from

the village, or for some other reason cannot be located, immediately report this to your Field

Supervisor. If the owner of the business is not around but will be back in a few minutes or

hours, please schedule a call back for a few hours later.

You will need to complete a minimum of 4 questionnaires a day. Each questionnaire should

take about 60-90 minutes. When you arrive at an enterprise for an interview, you should

immediately identify yourself, read the statement on the consent form, and make sure the

respondent consents to be interviewed before beginning the questionnaire.

8.0 Survey Regulations and Code of Conduct

The guidelines and bylaws here are also included in detail in your work contract, but for the

sake of clarity, the basics are outlined below:

1. Except for illnesses, any person who is tardy or absent from duty during any part of the

training or any part of the fieldwork (whether it is a whole day or part of a day) without

prior approval from the Field Supervisor may be dismissed from the survey.

2. Throughout the survey training and the fieldwork period, you are representing IPA.

Your conduct must be professional and your behavior must be congenial in dealing with

the public. We must always be aware of the fact that we are only able to do our work

with the good will and cooperation of the people we interview. Therefore, any behavior

from any member of the team that is deemed aggressive, abrupt, or disrespectful

towards either community members or fellow team members will be reason enough for

immediate firing.

3. Similarly, for the survey to succeed, each team must work closely together. Any team

member, who, in the judgment of the Field Supervisors, the Field Manager, or

Programme Manager, creates a disruptive influence on the team, will either be

transferred to another team or dismissed altogether. This might include abusing alcohol

or the use of illicit drugs, arguing or fighting, spreading rumors, speaking badly about

fellow team members, or generally causing trouble.

4. It is critical that the data gathered during the fieldwork be both accurate and valid. Field

staff may be dismissed at any time during the fieldwork if their survey is considered

inadequate for the high quality this survey demands.

5. Where vehicles and fuel are provided, it must be used strictly for official use only during

surveying. Any person using the vehicle for an unauthorized personal reason will be

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dismissed from the survey. Furthermore, while moving in vehicles funded by the

project, no person not related to the project should be allowed to come aboard.

6. Every survey is strictly confidential. Before surveys begin, every member of the team

will sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement that states in explicit terms the penalties that will

result if any confidential information is released to unauthorized individuals. You should

feel free to discuss challenges faced in the field with your teammates and Field

Supervisors, but any careless conversations that lead to the release of confidential

information will lead to immediate firing and potentially additional fines or penalties.

7. You will sign a contract to complete this survey. Anyone who quits early will forego a

significant portion of their wages earned to date. Extenuating circumstances will be

discussed on an individual basis.

8. Any attempt to flout any regulation set by management or compromise the quality of

work through cheating or falsification of data will constitute a fundamental breach of

trust and will be treated with the contempt it deserves. Any member who tries to do

such should be reported by team members and be summarily dismissed. Failure to

report will lead to collective punishment of the group.

9. It is a pre-requisite that Enumerators move together as a team under the guidance of

the Field Supervisor throughout the period of the survey.

9.0 IPA HR policies (presentation)

10.0 Informed Consent In order to protect the rights of the respondents it is essential to first allow them to consent to the interview. The following text must be used when introducing the survey as it has been approved by all necessary parties. The purpose of this survey is to better understand characteristics of small and medium businesses in Malawi, and also to learn relevant information about entrepreneurs who own their own businesses. This will help inform policies and programs directed at small and medium businesses like yours. If you choose to participate, you’ll help complete a short survey that will take approximately 1 hour. Participation in this survey is completely voluntary, and there will be no negative repercussions resulting from your voluntary participation. The survey will cover topics such as operation of your business, current tools used in the business, performance, loans, bank accounts, etc. To compensate for your time, we will give you a small gift (a bar of soap). You should know that all businesses visited by us will not be identified in any document resulting from this survey. All the information that you provide will remain fully confidential and no one will be able to link your names to your responses.

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You can interrupt the interview any time for any reason and this will not have any negative

consequences. You can contact the phone numbers below for further questions.

Billiat Kunje , Field Manager, 0884944703

Jessica Baumgardner-Zuzik, Programme Manager, 0884 043 727

Do you have any question? If I have answered all your questions, do you agree to participate in this study?

DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL THE RESPONDENT SAYS “YES” The respondent must explicity answer “yes” to this last question before you are allowed to proceed with the interview. You will find the same text at the beginning of our questionnaire with space to mark the respondent’s consent. You must mark down that the respondent answered “yes” before conducting the interview.

11.0 Endline Survey Guidelines by section

Dos and Don’t for filling out the Questionnaire:

if you make a mistake please erase the previous answer thoroughly before marking down the new answer. If you cannot erase it thoroughly, please make a line through the answer and write the correct answer on top. Do NOT write the correct answer in the same space.

Do NOT change the question! You may explain a question, but you need to stick to the question that is actually asked.

When writing down an amount please start from the right.

When instruction highlights “not to read options to respondent” please be particularly careful not to prompt any option to the respondent, such that his/her answer is as personal as possible. If the answer does not seem to be available in the options, please record in the “Other, specify” the exact words of the respondent. Perhaps later it can be coded back to one of the options available.

Make sure you indicate the IDs correctly and copy it to all pages of the questionnaire before going forward with the interview.

Do not forget to indicate any remarks in the remarks section in Section A Question 14, including any reasons for oddities in the survey.

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12.0 Question by question.

Questionnaire Modules:

Consent

A . Confirmation to be in right place- Contact Details of Business Owner

1. Information on Business Operation 2. Information about time dedicated to Business 3. Assets and New Investments 4. Credit 5. Bank accounts 6. Registration 7. Production and sales 8. Learning 9. Profits, Revenues, Expenditures 10. Business Owners and Workers 11. Opinions, Income and Household

Business is used throughout the questionnaire interchangeably with workshop/ firm/ enterprise / company. It all means the same thing.

CONSENT FORM AND INTERVIEW ATTEMPTS You must read the provided consent word for word. The respondent must explicity answer “yes” to this last question before you are allowed to proceed with the interview. You will find the same text at the beginning of our questionnaire with space to mark the respondent’s consent. You must mark down that the respondent answered “yes” before conducting the interview. Section Question Comment

CONSENT In order to protect the rights of the respondents it is essential to first

allow them to consent to the interview. The following text must be used

when introducing the survey as it has been approved by all necessary

parties.

You must read the text word by word, do not summarize or skip over

any sections of the consent.

CONSENT DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL THE RESPONDENT SAYS “YES”

The respondent must explicity answer “yes” to this last question before

you are allowed to proceed with the interview. You will find the same

text at the beginning of our questionnaire with space to mark the

respondent’s consent. You must mark down that the respondent

answered “yes” before conducting the interview.

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CONSENT Q3-Q11 Each attempt to complete the interview should be recorded with the date and

the reason why it was not completed (using List A). Once the interview has

been completed, the option chosen to the question ‘Completed Interview?’

should be ‘1. Completed’.

CONSENT LIST A Make sure you code the status of the interview- If Not Available, revisit

scheduled (Option 3), fill in Q12-Q13 with day, time and phone number.

CONSENT Q12 If you have filled in a Q6 (Date of 2nd interview attempt), you MUST fill in

Q12.

SECTION A. CONTACT DETAILS OF BUSINESS OWNER

Pre-fill the questionnaire ID (the ID needs to be the exact same that was used in the listing

form) and Q1-Q5, but please confirm with the respondent that all the information is correct.

All the interviewed enterprises have been interviewed before, so most of the information

reported in Section A will only need to be re-checked by the enumerator to make sure s/he is at

the right place and s/he interviewing the right person. You will need to pre-fill this information

before

PLEASE make sure the phone numbers are correct . If the respondent has a new number,

please record the updated information. You can list up to three working phone numbers. A

wrong cell phone number is useless!!

Section Question Comment

A Q5 If you are living with your girlfriend, but not married you will still select

“Married monogamously / living with partner”

A Q6-Q8 Record as many cell phones as possible, including family members if

necessary, as means of being able to track respondents through time. Cell

phone numbers change very often and we need to be able to track these

respondent 12 months down the road. Be particularly careful in writing

correctly the phone numbers because a single digit difference means we will

not be able to reach respondents at a later point in time.

A Q9 This question is about number of people that own the enterprise object of

the interview. For the purposes of this survey, the business owner is the

person who owns the business (owns the shop). He could be the one who

started or inherited or he might have bought it from someone else. He

represents the business in front of authorities. The manager is an employee

of the business/firm who runs the operations of the business and to whom

the owner might delegate tasks. Make sure the respondent is using the same

definition as this.

A Q11 Please record as much detail as possible in the business physical address, so

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that firms can be tracked through time. For entrepreneurs operating in a

market, please record the number of the stall if available. Then record name

of Market – Town Name

Example: Mawala House, #200, Tsoka Road, Area 10, Limbe Market -

Blantyre

A Q12 Landmark information is everything else outside the address that could help

locate the firm including the name of the enterprise next door, any sign, a

poster, a big complex close by, a school/hospital, construction site, etc.

DO NOT draw a map

A Q14 Make sure to include any information from the survey that appears odd

Example: If the business was closed for last month that is why past month’s

income is 0

SECTION 1: Information on Business Operation Section Question Comment

1 Q1 Make sure you are referring to the business the respondent had when the first

interview was conducted (approximately between November and February

2012) - If Business is operating, go to the Section 2, if not operating, continue

with Q2 onward.

1 Q3 Make sure the answer given fit in one of the codes reported; if not, record 96,

specify.

If you need to write down the answer and recode later, do so within the box.

Only have one box, so only list the main reason the business closed.

1 Q6 Pay attention to this question as at the end of the Section 1 you will need refer

back to the answer given in this question.

Only list the main activity they are currently doing now.

The Specify for Other is to be used only if the respondent provides an answer

outside the provided options.

1 Q7 Refer to activity answered in Q6.

1 Q11-13 Refer to activity answered in Q6.

1 Q14-15 Before starting this section, reiterate that the information the respondent

provides will be held in strictest confidence.

Q8 asks about personal income in the past week and Q9 in the last month.

Income is a broader concept that can be interpreted as Profit if the respondent

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started a new business

It is common for respondents to at first glance say that do not know.

To help obtain the best guess of the income, we added a range information that

could help in getting a reference before reaching a best guess. Ask for the exact

amount (middle column) but can complement with range information (min

and max) - Do not leave all the three columns blank.

1 SKIP

PATTERN

New skip pattern, we will be answering the Savings Table in Section 5 and the

following few questions (S5Q4-Q13) before skipping to Section 11.

Guideline After Section 1:

We have different procedures depending whether the business they were running at the time

of the Baseline is still active or not. If it is, you should follow the skip pattern in Q1. IF not, you

need to ask Q2-Q9 and follow the instruction at the end of Section 1.

First look at Q6. IF they answered 3 or 4, continue the survey asking about the new business

they recently started. IF in Q6 we have any other answer (they didn’t start a new business AND

they interrupted the one they were doing), continue to Section 2 onwards. IF they didn’t start

any other business (Q6 is not 3 or 4), BUT they closed down the previous one, skip to Section 5

Q4 – Q13. Once completed, skip all remaining questions to Section 11.

SECTION 2: INFORMATION ABOUT TIME DEDICATED TO BUSINESS

Section Question Comment

2 Q1 Sector of operation. Describe the main activity of the business (grocery shop/

carpentry workshop/ selling clothes etc.) If the firm operates in more than

one sector, please record the sector that contributes the most to the profit.

2 Q4 If the business operates typically (normally) the full month, even if from time

to time the respondent or the employees take days off, the answer should

still be “four weeks”, which for this questionnaire is the same as a full month.

Cannot be more than 4 weeks.

2 Q5 This question is about the number of hours per week the entrepreneur

dedicates to the business, including time s/he is not in the office/shop but

doing other things such as buying inputs. It does not have to be the same

number of hours the business is in operation. If the respondent answers the

number of hours per day, please confirm the number of typical days s/he

works in the business and compute the number of hours per week s/he

spends on activities related to the business.

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Cannot be more than 168 hours per week.

2 Q6 This question refers to the hours during the week spent waiting for

costumers. It has to be within the hours mentioned in Q5.

2 Q7 It has to be within the hours mentioned in Q5 but should not equal the

number.

SECTION 3: ASSETS AND NEW INVESTMENTS Section Question Comment

3 Q1 This question is asking whether the firm’s location is still the same from

when we first talked with them during the baseline.

3 Q3 Reason why they decided to move - do not read the options. Ask the

respondent and then, based on his/her answer, choose the response that

best fits. If none fit, selection “Other=96, Specify” and write the response in

next to “Specify for Other:”

3 Q5 This question is asking whether activities, such as sleeping or cooking for the

house, for the household also take place in this space. It could be someone’s

house and the response could still be yes even if the activities are not for the

respondent’s household.

3 Q7 Some examples of improvement include: enlargement of the premises/ new

furniture/renovation/ new roof etc.

3 Q8 Ask for a good estimate from the respondent and also use your observation

to prompt back. This is the value of the space TODAY. Ask them how much

they would pay to buy it. This is the total value if it were sold, not the

amount it would cost per week or month or rent it.

Do not leave blank if possible

Should truly not be above 2,500,000. If they provide you with any number

greater than 1,000,000 please ask for clarification.

3 Q10 For the purposes of this survey, a “branch” means a place of production or

service activities for the business. Only answer “yes” to Q10 if the

respondent has more than one place of production or service activities.

3 Q12-Q15 Start with each item and finish that row before going to the next item. These

questions are about the assets to which the business may have access. It

doesn’t mean the enterprise owns these assets. If it owns the asset, then

option (1) should be selected in Q12, but if it only has access to it, then

options (2) and (3) would apply.

For instance, for a mobile phone, it may belong to the entrepreneur, but the

business may have access to it because the entrepreneur uses his/her own

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mobile phone for business reasons. So, in this case, the best answer is most

likely (2), for access on regular terms.

Some services such as landline, electricity, running water, and

internet/email, we do not ask questions Q13, Q14 and Q15 because they do

not apply for services. Please neatly fill in the responses in the table

provided.

3 Q14 DO NOT LEAVE MONTH BLANK. If they are not sure, you can ask them did

you purchase it in the beginning of the year (1=Jan), the middle of the year

(6=June) or the end of the year (12=Dec).

3 Q15 For mobile phone for example, this question asks how much would it cost to

buy all the mobile phones the enterprise has access to in the condition they

are currently – not new ones, or the one the business has access to as

original, but rather in their current condition.

MAKE SURE THE ANSWER PROVIDED MAKES SENSE

3 Q16 This question refers to the 3 most important pieces of equipment for the

respondent’s sector (not included in the list above). For example for a tailor,

this could include a sewing machine. For a hair salon, this could include a

hair dryer. For a metal fabricator, this could include a welding machine.

If the item is already listed in the table above, just write the name and do

not ask Q20-Q23 again.

3 Q21 Q21 refers to purchases in the past 6 months and value of the purchase.

SECTION 4: CREDIT

This section covers access to finance, including all types of borrowing: from friends, family and formal banks. Respondents may not realize that informal borrowing, such as buying something as credit or borrowing from a household member, also counts, so you will want to clarify our broad definition.

Section Question Comment

4 Q1-Q5 These questions refer to loans from the sources mentioned IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS only.

4 Q1 Ask this question only if respondent is married (monogamously) or living with partner.

4 Q6 If they don’t know anything about Business Registration Certificate, just record “ I don’t know”

4 Q8 Perhaps the respondent has borrowed money and paid all back. In this case, the answer should be 0, do not leave it blank (which would mean you didn’t ask this question).

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4 Q9 There could be more than one time he/she borrowed. This question is about the most recent time the respondent borrowed money. Q10-Q11 are about this (most recent) loan.

This is different from the previous questions in this section, which are about all borrowing in the last 6 months.

If you tick for never borrowed money, leave MWK blank.

4 Q11 There are two “specify” options, one for “Personal Expenses” and a general one.

If you select 10, you must specify for personal expenses.

4 Q12-17 Specify that these questions (Q12-Q17) are hypothetical and we are not giving out loans.

SECTION 5: SAVINGS

For this section, ask the respondent about the different banks to which s/he has access.

Section Question Comment

5 Q1- Q3 These questions (Q1-Q3) are about the money earned in the business, but it can include personal savings that were taken out of the business.

5 Q4 EVEN IF YOUR BUSINESS IS CLOSED, YOU ARE TO ANSWER Q4-Q13.

Using the prefilled list, ask the respondent about different financial products, such as bank accounts and other saving products, to which s/he may have access. These are accounts the respondent has access to even if they are not for the business or are not in the name of the business owner.

This is structured like a roster. Each line corresponds to a different financial product. Ask about each product one at a time, in order, start with the first line, for “Account with a microfinance institution.” If the response is “yes” to question 4, continue asking questions 5-9 about the same product, and record the answers on the same line. Once that line is completed, move on to the next one and start over with question 4, but asking about the corresponding financial product for that line.

If the respondent answers “No” to question 4 for one line/financial product, skip the rest of the questions and go to the next line. If all the responses to question 4 are “No,” skip to question 10.

Each time you move to a different line, the questions should be rephrased to specify the new product. For example, line one could be asked as the following: “Do you have access to money deposited with a microfinance institution?”

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For the line which reads “Bank account in the name of the business” we don’t ask Q7. This space is already darkened to remind you to skip it. Everything else should be asked normally.

5 Q5 This question is about the place where the savings are deposited. It can be with a friend or someone in the area and then option (11) would be appropriate.

You can record up to two institutions here.

5 Q6 Please reiterate the confidentiality of this survey when asking about how much money is deposited in each account.

5 Q10 This question is only for people that said “no” to all questions in the Q4 above. Once responded, skip to Q14

5 Q11-12 Ask question if at least one Yes=1 in Q4 in Bank account in the name of the business; Checking/current bank account; Savings bank account; Loan account

5 Q18-19 As question if at least one Yes=1 in Q16 OR Q17.

SECTION 6: BUSINESS REGISTRATION This section is about areas of formality: business registration, registration for taxes, and license fees. In this section we want to understand if the respondent has any knowledge about Business Registration and if they pay market due, tax or any city assembly license of any kind. Please reiterate that the information given by the respondent will not be identified in any document resulting from this survey. All information will remain confidential and will never be shared. Section Question Comment

6 Q1 There is no right or wrong answers here. Just let the respondent answer naturally and record the answer appropriately. Do not read the responses.

6 Q2 Politely request to see the certificate if they answer that they are registered.

6 Q3 DO NOT LEAVE MONTH BLANK.

6 Q6 Don’t read the options- we want to know their spontaneous answers. List up to 5 uses.

6 Q7 If they ask you which organization in particular, you can refer to BRC.

6 Q8 If they operate in a trading market, ask Q7, code -98 for Q9 & Q10. If they do not, code -98 for this question and go to Q8.

6 Q9-10 If they do not operate in a trading market, ask Q8 and Q9.

6 Q10 In addition to business license, some businesses pay sector specific fees. This can include a license to sell food, alcoholic beverages, produce chickens, etc.

This question is about whether the firm pays these or not.

6 Q12 Ask to show you the certificate got from MRA.

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6 Q13 Read out the authorities that might have inspected the business in the past 6 months.

6 Q16 We are asking only about bribes/corruption requested for operating the business, not related to the personal life of the respondent.

This question is about the bribes in the past 6 months. Remember to use neutral language and body language, so the respondent feels comfortable answering honestly and does not feel judged.

6 Q21-Q22 Ask Q21 and Q22 as if this is a roster, line by line. As with all questions, especially those which can be sensitive, including question 15, remember to remain neutral, professional, and polite. Allow the respondent time to think and probe gently if necessary. If they answer other=96, please write in the specify next to the code within the box provided.

6 Q22 Refer to List C below for specific options. Do not read out options.

SECTION 7: PRODUCTION This section is about the products and services the firm produces or provides. Some firms only produce (like manufacturing firms), others only sell ready-made products (like retail shops), others sell services (like a hair salon), and others produce final goods and provide services (like a tailor who creates new outfits and handles repairs).

Section Question Comment

7 Q1 The respondent should select the 2 products or services that contributed the most for the overall sales in the past 6 months. It can be a combination of products and services: for example, a shoe maker may also repair shoes and this service can be one of the most important overall products in the firms’ sales.

7 Q2 This question is seeking to assess what is the normal unit of measurement for each product or service defined in Q1.

Define each unit using the ‘Unit’ List (E). For final products, the unit should be ‘piece’ unless it is a set (of sofas for example). Even for products that are sold in packages of 200g or 1kg, what matters is that they are sold in pre-defined pieces/packages (pre-packaged)

Only products that the seller puts together the amount in kilos/liters/etc, should be using these metrics as units (bulk shop-informal).

For services, the unit should be procedure (even for haircuts). For catering, the unit should be ‘plate (of food)’.

7 Q3 If more than one unit can be sold in one day, select ‘less than one day’ on the ‘Time to produce one unit’. Example: haircut.

If it takes more than one day but less than one week to sell one unit, choose option (2) and from then on.

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7 Q4 All products come in different shapes and sizes. For instance, a retail shop may sell sugar in packages of 200g, 500g and 1kg. Of course the packages will have different prices. What we want is the price of the package that sells the most, hence the typical price at which the firm sells that product.

7 Q5 Q5 is about the market value of all the products that the respondent has in storage including the top 2, but also other products that the firm sells.

For firms selling products and providing services (a hair salon may for instance re-sell shampoo in addition to providing hair services), record the value of the products that are available to be sold.

7 Q6 Ask the question directly mentioning the relevant period (look first at Q3)

If each product has its own period, use the largest period as a reference for this question. Example: If product A is produced daily and B is produced weekly, use week as the period.

7 Q8 Read out and explain the different advertisements/ marketing tools used. Repeat that we are referring to the past 6 months.

7 Q13 Must be less than or equal to answer in Q11

SECTION 8:

Section Question Comment

8 Q7 This refers to any training (not necessarily related to the business).

SECTION 9: PROFITS, REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES

This section is about financial accounts. Remember: Revenues – Costs = Profit

Before starting this section, reiterate that the information the respondent provides will be held in strictest confidentiality.

Section Question Comment

9 Q2-Q3 Be careful that there are more options besides “Yes” and “No”. In particular, you’ll ask to see the records, in case they have it, and classify it accordingly.

9 Q16 Read out all options.

9 Q17 Q17 is asking about the income the business owner takes out of the business for personal reasons or any other activities s/he needs to use. For example, if from the money generated in the business, the respondent withdraws money to pay the school fees of the children, this would be considered here. As well, if on a daily basis the money to buy food for the household is taken out of the business without being part of a regular salary.

DO NOT LEAVE BLANK.

9 Q18-Q19 Q18 asks about the profits of the business after paying all expenses in the

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past week. The profits are the income of the business after paying all costs.How much money are you taking home at the end of the week?

Q6 asks about revenues in the past week. The revenues or sales are all the money that resulted from the products sold/services provided before paying the expenses. Example: if in the past week, the firm sold 10 of Product A at MWK 100 each and 20 of Product B at MWK 300 each, the total revenue in the past week is:

10*100 + 20*300 = 7,000. Make sure to consider all the other products/services provided by the firm, not only the top ones.

It is common for respondents to at first glance say that do not know, but you need to work with them to learn how much they take home at the end of the week/month/year. Hence for a help to the entrepreneur, tell him/her to consider the price and the quantity of each product/service sold in the period. This way the sales amount can be computed.

To help obtain the best guess of these profits/revenues, we added range information that could help in getting a reference before reaching a best guess. Ask for the exact amount (middle column) but you can complement with range information (min and max) - Do not leave all the three columns blank.

If the respondent gives you a range, ask if the amount should be closer to the top range or the bottom range and through that reduce the range. If for instance the range is 5,000 to 10,000 and the respondent says it is closer to 10,000, then we know it will be a minimum of 7,500.

9 Q20-Q21 Same questions as Q18-Q19 (Profit and Revenues) but for the PAST MONTH/ Last month of operation.

9 Q22 Ask about expenses in the PAST MONTH- Code 0 for expenses the business didn’t have in the past month.

For the workers capture separately the costs for transport, food/in-kind, and salaries.

Goods to resell are those that are sold after buying without altering them. A retail shop does just that. By finished products and resells them. The costs under “goods to resell” would be how much the firm pays the suppliers for those finished products.

The costs of maintaining inventories and storage are neither the amount under inventory nor the value of the storage room if owned. They are the cost of storing these inputs/final goods somewhere.

Electricity and water costs -only record what the firm actually paid.

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SECTION 10. WORKERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS

Section Question Comment

10 Q1 All questions about workers aim at collecting information about everyone that works in the business, including the business owners. This includes all the people that just help and are not paid (like family members), those who are only trainees (including those that pay to be trained), those who are working/worked temporarily in the business, manager, as well as all full and part time employees. Reemphasize the importance of including the respondent and everyone else that helps out the business

10 Q2-Q7 Follow the sequence of a typical roster: all questions for each row!!

For Business Owners, make sure to include the owner you are interviewing. This can never be 0.

For each category, the sum of male (Q3) and female (Q5) workers should add to Q2.

For each category, Q6 cannot be larger than Q2 or Q5

For each category, Q4 cannot be larger than Q2 or Q3

All workers (sum of Q2 should be the same as Q1)

Do not leave any sections blank. Code 0 if none.

Make sure all categories in Q2 add to Q1. If they do not, review with respondent and change answer in Q1.

For the Business Owner, make sure to include them as a member of their own family.

SECTION 11. OPINIONS, INCOME and HOUSEHOLD

Section Question Comment

11 Q1 Read out all the statements and keep your tone neutral. Record 98 (Not Applicable) when relevant (if no spouse).

There are no right or wrong answers.

11 Q5 Please include business of which the interview is about. If they do not currently operate a business (business closed), CODE 0 FOR NONE. DO NOT LEAVE BLANK.

11 Q9 The sum of s2q5 + s11q9 cannot be greater than 145 hours.

11 Q10 If you have another income-earning activity other than Farm/Plot, you

must earn something from this activity

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TERMINOLOGY

BUSINESS: Business is used throughout the questionnaire interchangeably with

workshop/firm/enterprise/company. It all means the same thing.

MARKET: Market is a place where people meet to buy and sell goods and services. But a

market also means the customers, people or businesses, who wants products or services and are

willing to pay them.

BUSINESS CENTER: BC is a place where enterprises operate. It can be a market, a shopping

center, a city mall, a trade center.

BUSINESS PLAN: Business plan is a document that summarizes the operational and financial

objectives of a business and contains the detailed plans showing how the objectives are to be

realized. Sometimes banks ask for a business plan when applying for a loan.

PRODUCT: For the purpose of this interview, product is everything that results in a final good.

It includes plates of food, so catering for this survey is included in those with final products, not

services.

SERVICE: Service is every activity that does not result in a new product including hair salon

procedures and repairs (for tailoring and shoes for example).

INPUT/ RAW MATERIAL: Inputs is everything that is used in the production and

transformed into a final product. For some businesses, there are no inputs or raw materials (retail

shops): in this case, we talk about Goods to re-sell.

SECTOR: Sector is a line of business. Refer to List B for all the sectors.

BRANCH: Branch is another location/office where the firm operates in addition to the central

office including shops, distribution points, or production centers.

LOAN: Loan is money (or goods/in-kind) borrowed by an external source. Loan implies a

payment back of the amount/ good taken (Capital) and, in some cases, interests.

GIFT: Gift is money or goods given (received by) to someone without expecting anything back.

COLLATERAL: Collateral is an asset that will be used by lender in case the loan is not paid.

EXPENSES: Expenses refer to all the cost incurred by the business in a given reference period.

These can be for buying inputs, paying salaries, transport, advertisement, rent and other costs.

REVENUES/TURNOVER/SALES: Revenues are the total amount of turnover, the same as

overall sales in Malawian Kwacha.

PROFIT : Profit is the income the business earned after paying all expenses, including salaries,

rents, materials, utilities and any other expense. It is given by Revenues- Expenses. If the

Expenses are bigger than the Revenues in a particular reference time, we have a negative profit,

or a LOSS.

TENDER: Tender is a request of offers from different service providers looking to obtain a

work, a supply or a contract. The firms make an offer to do the service at a specific timeframe

and price and cheapest/best quality firm wins the bid.