What the BVI Process Looks Like

The BVI conducts its assessment – the Business Vitality Index – using one three hour community meeting to conduct a simple, yet detailed qualitative and quantitative questionnaire and several focus groups.

The BVI analyses the perceptions of business people, community leaders and other citizens about 100 indicators important in enhancing business friendliness and entrepreneurial capacity. The indicators are broken down into the categories listed below with 8-15 questions under each.

Opportunities & Attitudes
Quality of Life
Education & Training
Innovation
Leadership, Teamwork & Networking
Role of Government & Organizations
Money, Capital & Funding
Community Infrastructure & Business Services
Communication & Connectivity
Markets & Marketing

In the questionnaire, participants are asked if they agree with a statement, within a range of 5 distinct choices, from strongly agree to strongly disagree. For instance, within the Quality of Life category is the statement “young people between the ages of 25-34 see the community as a desirable place to live.” In the results, it is easy to see the range of opinion in the community for each question. Questions are also grouped into sub-categories for easy comparison with other communities. For example, in the Opportunities and Attitudes category, the results are laid out in bar graphs in the sub-categories of Embracing Opportunity, Entrepreneurial Mindset, and a Motivated Workforce.

In addition, the BVI relies on a full range of qualitative open-ended questions and on focus groups to comprehensively gauge the community.

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