The research team of the "SICA" LLC, research and consulting services conducted the research on the "Current State of Employment of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises" for the second time, within the scope of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Business Excellence for Sustainability and Transparency (BEST) program implemented by the Development Solutions NGO.  The significance of the research is to identify what role is being executed by SMEs in country’s employment and the current state of employment through conducting qualitative and quantitative surveys which were participated by 1027 entrepreneurs in SME. The SMEs, which were participated in the research, run its operation in Ulaanbaatar city and 12 provinces. The research was prioritized 8 main industries as follows: agriculture, wholesale and retail, manufacture, HoReCa, construction, logistics and warehouse, education, and communication.   The research team would like to express gratitude to the USAID, the Development Solutions NGO, and the SMEs and individuals who provided vital information for our research.  

SCOPE: Suburb households of the Songinokhairkhan and Chingeltei districts of Ulaanbaatar city.    DATA COLLECTION METHOD: Quantitative survey, Qualitative survey, and Desk review  SAMPLE SIZE: n=363  TIME PERIOD: 07 February 2023 – 24 March 2023   RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: This survey is being conducted for the second time as part of the WCTM project Outcome 2. "Improving the quality and efficiency of waste collection and transportation management services in selected districts". The first survey was conducted in August 2022.  In the second survey, the  survey participants of the selected districts were asked about the current situation related to waste in the area where they live, how households dispose their waste waste, and their opinions about waste service  fee. The analysis of the surveys were compared and summarized in the report.  OUTCOME: In the 2019 survey, 49.2 of the participants said that there  was illegal dumping nearby, however in the 2022 survey, just 23.0% of respondents provided the same response. Nonetheless, 14.9% of respondents to the 2023 survey answered that there is an illegal dumping close to where they live. The results above show that between 2019 and 2023, illegal dumping became less of an issue, dropping by a total of 34.3 percentage points, from 49.2 to 14.9 percent. 

Name of survey: Mystery shopping Sector: Grocery store Scope: UB city main 6 districts Sample size: 12 branches Time period: 05 April 2023 – 25 April 2023 Brief introduction of survey: The chain visited 12 branches of the grocery to evaluate service standards and customer experience. The extent to which employees adhere to the company's internal service standards was measured. We evaluated about 30 indicators such as product price, selection, quality, greetings of employees, product description, and polite communication, identified the indicators that need to be improved and the indicators that need to be preserved, and developed conclusions and recommendations.

SCOPE: 54 soums, 12 provinces, and Ulaanbaatar city, MongoliaDATA COLLECTION METHOD: Sample survey, qualitative research, and secondary researchSAMPLE SIZE: n=2,246TIME PERIOD: 2022.11.01 – 2023.02.28GOAL: Mid-term evaluation was conducted according to the methodology used in the baseline study. The main indicators affecting the project's goals were measured quantitatively, as well as confirmed by qualitative research and compared with national statistical indicators. In addition, the results of the measures taken by the project related to animal hospitals, contingency response activities and the productivity of the livestock were assessed and economic calculations were made.MAIN FINDINGS: In the mid-term evaluation, we collected information from 2246 people in total including 1704 herdsmen households, herdsmen and local management, meat and milk processing entrepreneurs, 25 project implementation unit employees, 384 livestock product users, and 133 veterinarians from 54 soums of 12 provinces. In order to measure the project's baseline indicators, the research team defined the main and sub-indicators, and conducted data collection and analysis. Livestock conditions in the selected soums were measured at the household level in accordance with the objectives of the project, through livestock herd structure, livestock productivity, livestock health, income from livestock farming, and sales channels.

A memorandum of cooperation was signed with the University of the Humanities. We will cooperate in the field of internship and part-time employment of students as part of our cooperation. In this way, students will be provided with the basic understanding and capabilities of research through practice. Big thanks to the staff of the University of Humanities for supporting the goal of becoming a "DATA LITERATE NATION"!

In 2022, We successfully organized the closing ceremony of the projects initiated and commissioned on February 2, 2023. An opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about good experiences and lessons learned from the projects implemented in the field of activity was organized. Each employee presented the projects they were responsible for, highlighted one project and shared their good experience with others. This event ended up being a great where we can feel the uniqueness of each project and feel the energy of working together. 2022 was not only a year of great success for SICA, which achieved 100 percent of plans, but also a year of expanding domestic and foreign cooperation. Thank you to our customers who trusted and cooperated with SICA and to our employees who are the being heart of SICA.

SCOPE: Ulaanbaatar city, MongoliaDATA COLLECTION METHOD: Qualitative research and secondary researchSAMPLE SIZE: n=15TIME PERIOD: 2022.10.05 – 2023.01.03GOAL: The purpose of this consulting service is to develop guidelines that meet international standards in order to solve issues such as monitor the construction projects and their process in the territory of Ulaanbaatar city and identify the problems they face and provide solutions.MAIN FINDINGS: Project acceptance methodology is the methodology for conducting construction work from planning and construction to completion. In other words, it is a system for organizing and financing the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of buildings. Internationally, there are many types of construction project acceptance methods, such as "Design/tender/construction", "Design/construction", "Construction manager with risk", "Work order contract", etc., but in our country, the project acceptance method is not used. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a project acceptance methodology and put it into practice.

SCOPE: Ulaanbaatar city and 21 provincesDATA COLLECTION METHOD: Quantitative research and qualitative researchSAMPLE SIZE: n=10,516TIME PERIOD: 2022.03.10 – 2022.12.31GOAL: It is to evaluate the opinions and attitudes of citizens regarding the development of Oyu Tolgoi and foreign investment in Mongolia. Therefore, it is to study how the attitudes and positions of citizens change in relation to the activities of Oyu Tolgoi and Rio Tinto companies.MAIN FINDINGS: The data collection of this research took place over a period of 1 year and at the national level or covered 9 districts of Ulaanbaatar city and 21 provinces. Distribution of the sample: 45 percent of Ulaanbaatar city and 55 percent of rural areas. Also, within the framework of the project, focus group discussions were organized in person and online by random sampling from the participants in the survey.

During the meeting, We awarded to the best employees and researchers who have achieved a lot of success and work in 2022. In addition, We gave cash incentives to the employees for their hard work and creation value together. Happy new year to all the employees of SICA who contribute to the preparation of a DATA LITERATE NATION and work hard everyday.