The Use of Secondary Information Published by the PRC Government

Abstract

The success of the Economic Reform has turned China into a burgeoning market with vast sales potential and has stimulated international marketers’ interest in learning more about the China market. This paper discusses how to use secondary data released by the PRC Government and state run research organisations to build up the researchers knowledge of the marketing conditions and various characteristics of various types of players in China. It will review the recent changes in the structure of China's statistical system and the Government's policies on research activities. The paper highlights, and illustrates with two concrete examples, the efforts that the Chinese Government has made in improving research methods and identifies the official channels via which international marketing researchers can obtain relatively reliable secondary information. Finally, it provides suggestions on how to collaborate with local Chinese researchers so as to use the available secondary data more effectively and confidently.