To supplement the publicly available data collected during Level 2, conducting a concise business survey is a critical element of the qualitative research of Level 3. Since choices made by private sector firms ultimately drive regional economies, the survey should be targeted exclusively to private sector respondents who report their actual knowledge. The survey should ideally elicit information from executives about their perceptions of the regional business platform (regional assets), their participation in regional business organizations and links to other regional institutions (networks), and their attitudes toward business and the region (culture).

View a Sample Business Survey created by the Council on Competitiveness that has been utilized effectively in numerous regions.

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