RESEARCH EXPERTISE
The Research Projects Unit of the RCC has a wide range of expertise and focuses on undertaking research in the following areas:
Market and Marketing Research
We have a team of experts available to undertake market research for our clients. It is our desire to provide our clients with the evidence they need to make better-informed and more confident decisions.
Social and Economic Research
With a team of researchers of diverse academic background, experience and research interests, the RCC offers cutting edge-research across the social, economic and politics of development. The team of researchers at RCC have depth of understanding on the relationships between businesses, people and places, and an excellent appreciation of the public policy environment.
Policy Research
With a wide range of expertise at RCC, we offer support to organizations in the public, private and community sectors to design and undertake evidence-based policy research. In undertaking policy research, we draw on robust data collection, analysis and interpretation techniques as well as meaningful consultation with relevant partners and stakeholders. The RCC also offers support services to clients to frame coherent, efficient, effective and sustainable policies.
Benchmarking and Baseline Research
The RCC helps organizations to study their business practices in order to improve upon their performance. Through research, the RCC assists organizations to understand why organizational metrics differ and what practical actions they need to take to improve performance and productivity in the organizations. Our team of experts also help institutions evaluate the effectiveness of their core functions and providing them with independent expert advice informed by research. We also conduct baseline studies for our clients to benchmark performance for improvements.
Consumer Behaviour Studies
At the RCC, we believe that understanding consumer behavior is crucial for all forms of business ownerships as all organizations face stiff competition in today’s global environment. We undertake consumer behavior studies for our clients by adopting a perfect blend of qualitative and quantitative methods as and when appropriate. Our aim is to help our clients to understand among others, consumer needs, where the consumers of a product or services are located and why consumer use a particular product or service. Our strength at the RCC is that we design tailor-made methodologies to fulfill each and every study.
Organizational and Institutional Reviews
The RCC conducts organizational and institutional reviews including human resources management reviews, departmental/divisional reviews, staffing reviews and impact of specific interventions in organizations using a variety of qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Survey Design, Management and Analysis
As a research and consultancy centre in the university, one of our core strengths is in the design and administering of different forms of surveys, including, opinion polls online, telephone and postal surveys. With a solid team of researchers with diverse backgrounds, the RCC offers services in the design and administration of large surveys as well as the design and conduct of interviews and focus group discussions. In the past, the RCC has undertaken large-scale surveys, semi-structured interviews and document analysis across our projects. We have a genuine desire to make a difference to the way research data is being managed, analyzed and disseminated. We have set ourselves the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in collecting and analyzing research data as well as disseminating research reports.
Feasibility Studies
We offer services in the design and implementation of feasibility studies. At the RCC, we recognize that detailed feasibility studies give organizations a more accurate sense of whether their projects will succeed, particularly making profits that are sustainable. Our pride is to provide practical advice to our clients that enables them to make informed decisions on their investments. With a wide range of expertise at the RCC, we offer feasibility studies in economic, social, environmental and political projects.
More specifically, we offer:
• Cost-benefit-analysis
• Strategic financial planning,
• Financial modeling,
• Demand forecasting
• Risk analysis
• Mystery shopping
The RCC accepts feasibility studies for a variety of companies with different projects, ranging from large-scale projects through to small business ventures.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Assessment
The team of researchers at the RCC seeks to help our clients to monitor the progress of their programs and projects. Here, we aim to help our clients to measure progress of set program/project objectives to ensure evidence-based programming. We offer integrated monitoring and evaluation services beginning from project design through to implementation and closedown with the aim of helping our clients to improve the quality of the services they deliver.
While our monitoring services are aimed at providing our clients with continuous information in relations to set program/project goals, objectives and activities, our evaluation services focus on helping our clients to understand the extent to which the set programs/projects goals, activities, and outputs are achieved.
We also undertake robust impact assessment on organizations’ interventions. Our impact assessment services focus on the social, economic and political effects of interventions undertaken by both governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations. We work for clients at national, regional and local levels in ex-ante, interim and ex-post impact assessments.
CONSULTANCY EXPERTISE
The Consultancy Unit of the RCC has expertise in the provision of the following services:
Needs Assessment
We provide the following services including designing needs assessment process and tools; seeking institutional approval; designing appropriate data collection methods; designing appropriate survey instruments, case analysis; data analysis; and report writing.
Training and Workshop Facilitation
The RCC specializes in designing of cutting-edge training and development programs for organizations. Our training and development programs are designed against the background that contemporary organizations are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of formal and informal training activities in enhancing performance and or skills of employees.
We undertake amongst others a comprehensive performance needs assessment of the client system/organization; design customized training and workshop program for the client; develop skills development driven training and workshop manuals and materials (hand-outs and notes); facilitate the training program/workshop; prepare end of training/ workshop reports for client.
Human Resource Development
We offer consultancy services in the development of Human Resource Management policies, training and workshop facilitation for both local, national and international clients for all categories of participants. Our expertise covers design of human resource systems for new organizations and review of human resource systems for existing ones; job evaluation; competency profile (technical and managerial); scheme and conditions of service; development of service charter; recruitment and selection policy (employee resourcing); employee performance management policy; training and staff development policy; and development of code of ethics.
Skills Development
Our training and development programs develops the skills of employees thereby improving productivity, quality of work and building workers loyalty to the organization. The RCC believes that training is a means of boosting employee’s morale and also grows businesses through developing the skills and knowledge of employees. Some of our training and development programs are tailor made and geared towards achieving your business goals and objectives through increased individual and organizational performance.
Business Planning and Business Proposals Writing
Businesses today face fierce competition, aggressive marketing and strategic alliances. The degree to which a business succeeds or fails often depends on the business’s ability to be awarded contracts or to attract the interest of other businesses to form partnerships or strategic alliances.
To launch your company one usually requires two key items, excellent ideas and the ability to present those ideas in a superbly developed business proposal. The RCC writes winning business proposals that reflect your company or organization’s ideas, concept or project that you require funding to execute.
Business Development
The RCC believes in Fred Adler’s philosophy that “The seeds of every company’s demise are contained in its business plan.” The RCC offers business development services for micro, small and medium scale enterprises. We provide private sector development related consultancy services and undertake business development services. We help you to develop your business plans; undertake corporate diagnosis, trouble shooting and institutional assessment; conduct market research and market analysis; conduct feasibility studies; design and administration of socio-economic questionnaires; report writing; and preparation of strategic plans.
Strategic Plan Development
The RCC offers consultancy services in the development of implementable strategic plans with clear milestones and monitoring mechanisms for easy evaluation.
Project Planning and Execution
The key to a successful project is in the planning. Creating a project plan is the first thing you should do when undertaking any kind of project. Often project planning is ignored in favour of getting on with the work.
However, many people fail to realize the value of a project plan in saving time, money and many problems. The RCC assists business organizations and NGOs to plan their social intervention projects. We have expertise in project design; monitoring and evaluation and have been leveraging these experiences to many NGOs both local and international.
We also assist NGO to write complex funding proposals in any social intervention area.
Monitoring and Evaluation
We provide Consultancy services in the formulation, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning of projects either engaged by government agencies, development partners and/or in partnership with local and international organizations. We provide the following services – design and administration of questionnaire for baseline surveys; socio-economic research, baseline surveys and monitoring and evaluation; market research and market analysis for financial institutions, business organizations and local and international organizations; data analysis and interpretation using software such as the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS), STATA, NVivo, Microsoft packages etc. and report writing.
Employee Appraisal
Performance appraisals are a reality in contemporary organizations of all sizes and types. We have expertise in designing effective system of evaluating job performance.
We are able to accurately outline employees’ responsibilities and contributions, identify employee weaknesses and recommend training that will improve performance and motivate employees, and provide valid and important input in management decisions.
Gender Audit/Analysis
Gender audit is an aspect of gender mainstreaming which analyses the effects of mainstream policies such as legislation, regulations, allocations, taxation and social projects on women in an organization or society. The RCC has expertise in carrying out gender audit in organizations/ firms which can lead to changes in policies that can contribute to an increase in gender equality.
Writing of Organizations Annual Reports
The RCC specializes in writing annual reports for organizations. We write annual reports to reflect your organization’s current achievements and future programs. We also write captions that tell your story.
OUR APPROACH TO RESEARCH AND CONSULTANCY
In all our assignments, the RCC seeks, on a timely basis, to assist clients who have need in diverse ways to solve pertinent in-house problems. We believe in trying to exceed clients’ expectations, and we do hope to extend this experience to you.