Custom Research from the Economist Intelligence Unit

Case studies and capabilities

Salesperson NameCompany NameDate, 2010

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Who we are

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is the world’s leading resource for economic and business research, forecasting and analysis.

Like The Economist, we are independent of all governing bodies and corporations, leaving us free to deliver accurate and impartial business intelligence.

We can provide focused business insight on any given industry, country or market – and we relish a challenge.

Commission us for tailored analysis and forecasts to support your strategic decisions and keep your competitive edge.

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EIU in numbers

500+ global contributors

167 years since The Economist was founded 130 full time analysts and economists

75 percentage of higher degrees within the team

63 years of dedicated research experience

27 offices globally

12 number of languages spoken by the team

1 promise: to serve you as if you are our only client

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What makes us unique

Methodology. Our methodology is the principle reason why we are the most trusted source of research, analysis and forecasting services in the world.

Reach and depth. We have a rich and deep pool of more than 130 full time global analysts and a contributor network of more than 500 economist and analysis and can draw on our subscription business for our research.

Independence. We are not beholden to anyone and do not participate in the financial markets; our business intelligence is wholly impartial and untainted by financial self-interest.

History. The EIU was conceived as the research arm of The Economist. We now deliver trusted business intelligence and advice to over 1.5 million decision-makers from the world’s leading companies, financial institutions, governments and universities.

Going the extra mile. Client service focused yet cost effective, we deliver clear and decisive conclusions based on facts. Our research is intelligible and to the point, so that you can disseminate it quickly and use it to maximum effect.

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What we can help you to do

• Find new markets Want to know where to head next? We provide country and market trend analysis for both developed and emerging economies. And if you need to go even further into the opportunities within any given country, we can offer analysis at an even more granular level.

• Gauge demand for your products and servicesDrawing on a peerless databases of macroeconomic and demographic analysis and forecasts for over 200 countries, we can help you understand where you are likely to find the greatest demand for your products and services – both now and in the future.

• Benchmark Our analysis and forecasts can be compared and ranked country by country according to your particular instructions. Or if you are a government or business looking for tailored forecasts to suit a specific need, we can provide econometric modeling services.

• Take full advantage of opportunities We can tell you where your opportunities lie, and we can advise you how to make the most of them, with unrivalled expertise in supporting market-entry strategies.

• Monitor risksOur operational and financial risk know-how means that we can provide early-warning models tailored specifically to the requirements of your organisation.

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Some of our past clients

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Case studies

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Product demand for a leading global freight and logistics company

The challenge

The client needed to understand the future of the logistics market within Vietnam and what impact the economic outlook for Vietnam would have on the company's business.

The solution

We interviewed competitors, industry leaders, academics, government and other relevant parties. Combining this with Economist Intelligence Unit industry forecasts, we offered analysis on the outlook for trade in Vietnam and how this would effect the client’s growth prospects. We profiled their customers and suppliers, including where they were located, to establish the logistic needs of the market. This enabled us to benchmark our client’s comparative strengths.

We analysed competitor market share to establish where opportunities lie, where the client could gain market share over competitors and what our client’s comparative strengths were.

The result

Armed with a target list of new clients, this global freight and logistics company was able to make strategic decisions about where to invest and expand within Vietnam.

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Benchmarking for one of the world’s largest chemicals firms

The challenge One of the world's foremost providers of industrial and agricultural chemicals needed to prioritise which of eight emerging markets could be a target for expansion.

The solution Looking at specific indicators for the chemicals industry, we evaluated which other firms operated in these countries and the overall level of competitiveness vis-à-vis our client.

We prepared a detailed human capital assessment, an overseas talent market outlook and labour supply/demand models for each of the eight countries.

We benchmarked environmental regulatory standards across all the countries, taking into account the strict international environmental health standards of our client. We benchmarked these standards against local operators whose local regulations were less stringent and assessed the impact of this on how competitively our client could operate within each country.

The resultThe client was able to identify hidden opportunities, and pinpoint which of the eight countries would offer the best growth and profitability prospects. The surprise was the country that came out on top.

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Risk analysis for a leading petrochemicals firm

The challenge

The client needed to identify changes in labour markets in the Middle East, including which skills sets would be in short supply in the future and which labour forces would be affected by fluctuations in exchange rates.

The solution

We interviewed policymakers and industry experts to understand what other firms in the sector were doing.

We developed a forecast model that was able to identify demographic issues that determined which skills were in short supply and where additional training could be most effective.

The result

The client was able to evaluate labour risk within its own supply chain as well as the impact of these risks on its ability to operate in the region. As a result, the client began to think more strategically about HR issues.

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Forecasting for a household fast moving consumer goods brand

The challenge This client already had a big presence within China but came to us to find out on a more granular level which cities and provinces offered the best growth potential—now and over the next ten years.

The solution Using an existing Economist Intelligence Unit subscription service, we built a model incorporating the client’s own product demand data to give industry specific growth forecasts at a provincial level.

We analysed demographic changes in the provinces and forecast future demand for the client's product at a regional level.

Using the province forecasts, we were able to compare data across the provinces and prefectures within China.

The resultUsing findings from the model, the client was able to justify a costly acquisition. As a result, the client now has the resources in place to make the most of future opportunities, helping to ensure the company maintains its position as market leader.

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Market sizing for an Asian car manufacturer

The challenge

A major Asian car manufacturer wanted to understand the short- to medium-term outlook for China at a city level and the potential scenarios for growth in the world's biggest emerging market.

The solution

We developed central, upside and downside forecasts for 15 cities and provinces in China over a five-year horizon. We were also able to provide qualitative analysis for these markets, thus also offering the client context in which to view our forecasts.

The result

The forecasts were used as underlying drivers for the client's internal models on vehicle consumption in key Chinese markets.

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Country analysis for an Asian government

The challenge

An Asian government asked us to assess the competitiveness of its industrial parks against 13 other industrial parks in Asia, Europe and North America.

The solution

We measured infrastructure, operating costs, human capital, productivity and the overall business environment in each location.

We also surveyed global executives to understand their preferences and priorities.

We then built a benchmark model to prioritise selection input criteria and the quality of resources in each country.

The result

The government was able to improve operations and marketing efforts as well as modify some national regulations related to the country’s competitiveness.

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Indexes for the Institute for Economics and Peace

The challenge

The Institute for Economics and Peace came to us to realise its aim of raising the world’s attention to the importance of peacefulness to humanity’s survival in the 21st century.

The solution

Using quantitative and qualitative analysis, the Economist Intelligence Unit worked with our global network of country analysts and a panel of leading external academic experts to score 149 nations against 23 different indicators.

The results were collated and a model was built to form the Global Peace Index, which brings a snapshot of relative peacefulness among nations.

The result

The institute is able to release the findings of the index on an annual basis, resulting in wide global press coverage and international debate.

It also uses the index to engage in dialogue with key stakeholders from government, business, academia as well as other NGOs, with a significant impact on the public agenda.

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Meet some of our experts

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Meet some of our experts

Tony NashGlobal Director, Custom research

Tony Nash is responsible for the Economist Intelligence Unit’s worldwide custom research business. He has managed growth of the customised research business to include governments, multinational firms and multilateral institutions, particularly in Asia, as well as foreign multinationals operating in Asia. He has overseen projects across the industry spectrum, including in the sectors of telecoms and technology, healthcare, logistics, tourism, financial services, FMCG and retail, education, automotive and energy.

His project experience includes building forecasting scenarios of consumer goods sectors in China’s local markets; market sizing of specialised automotive products across India, Russia and Africa; risk analysis for long-term energy investments in South-east Asia, the Middle East and western Africa; assisting with negotiating frameworks for bilateral free trade and environmental agreements; and benchmarking of national competitiveness of technology, financial services and other industry sectors across developed and developing markets. Tony is a frequent speaker and facilitator of strategic discussions with business and government leaders.

Tony has a decade of experience in Asia. He has a Masters degree in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a BA in Business Management from Texas A&M University.

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Meet some of our experts

Leo Abruzzese Director, Custom Research and Editorial Director, AmericasLeo Abruzzese is responsible for the Economist Intelligence Unit’s research and editorial operations in the Americas. Based in New York, he manages business research projects in the region and is responsible for presenting and defending the Economist Intelligence Unit’s political and economic forecasts before businesses, governments and universities.

Leo has held a number of positions at the Economist Intelligence Unit, including Director of Wire Services, with responsibility for the company’s country risk, executive management and industry web analysis. He also served as Deputy Director of the Country Analysis division, where he helped to manage a team of editors and analysts preparing EIU’s economic, political and risk forecasts. He also served on the Asia team, where he was lead analyst for India. Leo has managed research projects for many corporations and institutions, including Western Union, DHL, Visa, PayPal, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Bill and Melinda and Gates Foundation, the Office of Mexico’s president, Zipcar and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Prior to joining the EIU, Leo was the Washington-based Editorial Director of The Journal of Commerce; he spent nearly 20 years covering economics, trade, finance, transportation and competition policy before Congress and many government agencies. In 2005-06 Leo served as lead editor for coverage of the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury at Bloomberg News LP. Leo has a B.A. in liberal arts from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He chairs events for Economist Conferences and has been interviewed by the BBC, CNN, CBS and Al-Jazeera.

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Meet some of our experts

Jan Friederich Director, Custom Research, CEMEAJan Friederich heads the custom research business in Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA). He works extensively on macroeconomic forecasting and economic analysis with applications for a broad range of industry sectors. Before moving to the custom research team, Jan worked as senior economist in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Forecasting Service and in the Western Europe region of its Country Analysis division. With a focus on macroeconomic and policy analysis, Jan also contributed to the sovereign risk analysis service and the industry forecasting services covering the automotive, consumer goods, energy, finance, health and technology sectors.

Currently based in Frankfurt, Jan has worked in London, New York, Hong Kong and Beijing, and now has a particular interest in helping European organisations with their operations in Asian markets. Jan can frequently be heard presenting on the world economy and various regional and national economies to senior executives of major global corporations. He is a regular guest on the BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC and CNN, and has been quoted by major international newspapers.

Before joining the Economist Intelligence Unit, Jan worked for a consultancy in London, providing economic analysis on western Europe to the economic research departments of major investment banks. After undergraduate education in politics, economics and law at the Free University of Berlin, Jan received a Masters degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and in Financial Economics from the University of London.

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Meet some of our experts

Ran XuAssociate Director, Custom Research, North Asia

Ran Xu is responsible for designing, managing and delivering custom research projects across North Asia. She is specifically responsible for all customised research projects out of China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. She is the key point of contact for research conducted in these countries. Ran Xu has designed and managed some of the largest projects in Asia across a number of industries and governments, ranging from agriculture scenario planning to provincial-level FCMG forecasting across product lines.  

Ran came to the Economist Intelligence Unit from the US State Department, where she served as the political and economic officer at the US embassy  in Singapore and South Korea. In this role she participated in advancing US- policy in Korea and Singapore , was responsible for policy analysis and represented the US in multilateral organisations such as APEC. Her government experience is frequently called upon for government-related policy research in South-east Asia and China.  

Ran completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago and received her Masters degree on International Development Economics from Harvard University (Kennedy School of Government).  Ran is a fluent Chinese (Mandarin) speaker and writer and is proficient in Korean.   I’m not quite sure that deleting Embassy works? I suggest that we remove all of the text in red instead?

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Meet some of our experts

Manoj VohraAssociate Director, South Asia and Australasia

Manoj is responsible for leading the Economist Intelligence Unit’s country and economic research initiatives in South/South-east Asia and Australasia. Working with an extensive network of analysts, specialists and contributors, he provides research-based advice to clients—private corporations, governments, NGOs and others—across a broad range of sectors and issues.

An Economist by training, he has several years of experience in advising large private corporations and governments on various aspects of the operating environment in Asia and other emerging economies; conducting market size and growth assessments across a broad range of sectors; and analysing regulatory developments. Previously, Manoj worked as National Head, Research and Advisory Services with one of India’s leading media groups.

Manoj frequently chairs and speaks at conferences and seminars, both in India and abroad. He is regularly quoted and interviewed by print and electronic media, both in India and overseas. He also delivers lectures at leading management institutes in India periodically. He has a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in business economics from the University of Delhi. Manoj is also a qualified lecturer in business economics.

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Contact us

We would be happy to arrange a time for one of our experts to come and talk with you about the types of research projects that could help your business succeed internationally.

Or visit us online at www.eiu.com

Asia

+852 2802 7288 @ asia@eiu.com

Europe, Middle East & Africa

+44 (0) 20 7576 8181 @ cemea@eiu.com

Americas

+1 212 698 9745 @ americas@eiu.com