Facts for business decisions can be obtained through a wide array of sources from government reports to research data collected for your business. These facts are useful in managing the risk of running a business. Facts take out much of the guesswork in business decisions but facts alone may be responsible for negative consequences.

It is more important to ensure that the facts you use are those that you need. An approximate measure of the 'right thing' is infinitely better than a precise measure of the 'wrong thing'. There are many examples of people devising elaborate methods of gathering precise facts that lead a business down the wrong path. Research that does not take into account the information needs of a business have serious negative consequences. This happens when the researcher does not understand how the information will be used by management. Business researchers need to understand the needs of business managers to ensure that information collected is not only relevant but is also interpreted correctly and placed into context for them.