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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02
IMPORTANCE OF DATA AND DATA COLLECTION ---------------------------------
02
DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES -------------------------------------------------------
02
PRIMARY DATA ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
03
IMPORTANCE OF PRIMARY DATA -------------------------------------------------------
03
SOURCES OF PRIMARY DATA --------------------------------------------------------------
04
ADVANTAGES OF PRIMARY RESEARCH -----------------------------------------------
05
DISADVANTAGES OF PRIMARY RESEARCH ------------------------------------------
07
SECONDARY DATA -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
08
IMPORTANCE OF SECONDARY DATA ---------------------------------------------------
08
SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA ---------------------------------------------------------
08
ADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY DATA ---------------------------------------------------
10
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DISADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY DATA ----------------------------------------------
11
EVALUATION OF SECONDARY DATA --------------------------------------------------
12
CONCLUSION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13
REFERENCES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14
INTRODUCTION
Data can be defined as the quantitative or qualitative values of a variable.
Data is plural of datum which literally means to give or something given.
Data is thought to be the lowest unit of information from which other
measurements and analysis can be done. Data can be numbers, images,
words, figures, facts or ideas. Data in itself cannot be understood and to
get information from the data one must interpret it into meaningful
information. There are various methods of interpreting data. Data sources
are broadly classified into primary and secondary data.
Knowing how the data was collected allows critics of a study to search for
bias in how it was conducted. A good study will welcome such scrutiny.
Each type has its own weaknesses and strengths. Primary Data is
gathered by people who can focus directly on the purpose in mind. This
helps ensure that questions are meaningful to the purpose but can
introduce bias in those same questions. Secondary data doesn't have the
privilege of this focus but is only susceptible to bias introduced in the
choice of what data to reuse. Stated another way, those who gather
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Primary Data get to write the questions. Those who gather secondary data
get to pick the questions.
IMPORTANCE OF DATA AND DATA COLLECTION
Data is one of the most important and vital aspect of any research
studies. Researchers conducted in different fields of study can be different
in methodology but every research is based on data which is analyzed and
interpreted to get information.
Data is the basic unit in statistical studies. Statistical information like
census, population variables, health statistics, and road accidents records
are all developed from data.
Data is important in computer science. Numbers, images and figures in
computer are all data.
DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES
There are two sources of data collection techniques. Primary and
Secondary data collection techniques, Primary data collection uses
surveys, experiments or direct observations. Secondary data collection
may be conducted by collecting information from a diverse source of
documents or electronically stored information, census and market
studies are examples of a common sources of secondary data. This is also
referred to as "data mining."
PRIMARY DATA
Primary data means original data that has been collected specially for the
purpose in mind. It means someone collected the data from the original
source first hand. Data collected this way is called primary data.
Primary data has not been published yet and is more reliable, authentic
and objective. Primary data has not been changed or altered by human
beings; therefore its validity is greater than secondary data.
The people who gather primary data may be an authorized organization,
investigator, enumerator or they may be just someone with a clipboard.
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These people are acting as a witness so primary data is only considered
as reliable as the people who gathered it.
IMPORTANCE OF PRIMARY DATA
Importance of Primary data cannot be neglected. A research can be
conducted without secondary data but a research based on only
secondary data is least reliable and may have biases because secondary
data has already been manipulated by human beings. In statistical
surveys it is necessary to get information from primary sources and work
on primary data: for example, the statistical records of female population
in a country cannot be based on newspaper, magazine and other printed
sources. One such source is old and secondly they contain limited
information as well as they can be misleading and biased.
Validity
Validity is one of the major concerns in a research. Validity is the quality
of a research that makes it trustworthy and scientific. Validity is the use of
scientific methods in research to make it logical and acceptable.
Using primary data in research can improves the validity of research.
First-hand information obtained from a sample that is representative of
the target population will yield data that will be valid for the entire target
population.
Authenticity
Authenticity is the genuineness of the research. Authenticity can be at
stake if the researcher invests personal biases or uses misleading
information in the research. Primary research tools and data can become
more authentic if the methods chosen to analyze and interpret data are
valid and reasonably suitable for the data type.
Primary sources are more authentic because the facts have not been
overdone. Primary source can be less authentic if the source hides
information or alters facts due to some personal reasons. There are
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methods that can be employed to ensure factual yielding of data from the
source.
Reliability
Reliability is the certainty that the research is enough true to be trusted
on. For example, if a research study concludes that junk food consumption
does not increase the risk of cancer and heart diseases. This conclusion
should have to be drawn from a sample whose size, sampling technique
and variability is not questionable.
Reliability improves with using primary data. In the similar research
mentioned above if the researcher uses experimental method and
questionnaires the results will be highly reliable. On the other hand, if he
relies on the data available in books and on internet he will collect
information that does not represent the real facts.
SOURCES OF PRIMARY DATA
Sources for primary data are limited and at times it becomes difficult to
obtain data from primary source because of either scarcity of population
or lack of cooperation. Regardless of any difficulty one can face in
collecting primary data; it is the most authentic and reliable data source.
Following are some of the sources of primary data.
Experiments
Experiments require an artificial or natural setting in which to perform
logical study to collect data. Experiments are more suitable for medicine,
psychological studies, nutrition and for other scientific studies. In
experiments the experimenter has to keep control over the influence of
any extraneous variable on the results.
Survey
Survey is most commonly used method in social sciences, management,
marketing and psychology to some extent. Surveys can be conducted in
different methods.
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Questionnaire is the most commonly used method in survey.
Questionnaires are a list of questions either an open-ended or close -
ended for which the respondent give answers. Questionnaire can be
conducted via telephone, mail, live in a public area, or in an institute,
through electronic mail or through fax and other methods.
Interview is a face-to-face conversation with the respondent. It is slow,
expensive, and they take people away from their regular jobs, but they
allow in-depth questioning and follow-up questions.
The interviewer can not only record the statements the interviewee
speaks but he can observe the body language or non-verbal
communication such as face-pulling, fidgeting, shrugging, hand gestures,
sarcastic expressions that add further meaning to spoken words and other
reactions to the questions too.
A problem with interviews is that people might say what they think the
interviewer wants to hear; they might avoid being honestly critical in case
their jobs or reputation might suffer. And the respondent deliberately
hides information otherwise it is an in depth source of information. So this
enables the interviewer to draw conclusions easily.
Observations can be done while letting the observing person know that
he is being observed or without letting him know. Observations can also
be made in natural settings as well as in artificially created environment.
Primary data can be relied on because you know where it came from and
what was done to it. It's like cooking something yourself. You know what
went into it.
ADVANTAGES OF PRIMARY RESEARCH
Targeted Issues are addressed
The organization asking for the research has the complete control on the
process and the research is streamlines as far as its objectives and scope
is concerned. Researching company can be asked to concentrate their
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efforts to find data regarding specific market rather than concentration on
mass market.
Data interpretation is better
The collected data can be examined and interpreted by the marketers
depending on their needs rather than relying on the interpretation made
by collectors of secondary data.
Efficient Spending for Information
Unlike secondary research where the marketer may spend for information
that is not needed, primary data collections’ focus on issues specific to the
researcher improves the chances that research funds will be spent
efficiently.
Decency of Data
Usually secondary data is not so recent and it may not be specific to the
place or situation marketer is targeting. The researcher can use the
irrelevant seeming information for knowing trends or may be able to find
some relation with the current scenario. Thus primary data becomes a
more accurate tool since we can use data which is useful for us.
Proprietary Issues
Information collected by using primary research is their own and is
generally not shared with others. Thus, information can be kept hidden
from competitors and potentially offer an “information advantage” to the
company that undertook the primary research. This gives an edge over
competitors replying on secondary data.
Addresses Specific Research Issues
Carrying out their own research allows the marketing organization to
address issues specific to their own situation. Primary research is
designed to collect the information the marketer wants to know (Step 2)
and report it in ways that benefit the marketer. For example, while
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information reported with secondary research may not fit the marketer’s
needs (e.g., different age groupings) no such problem exists with primary
research since the marketer controls the research design.
Greater Control
Not only does primary research enable the marketer to focus on specific
issues, it also enables the marketer to have a higher level of control over
how the information is collected. In this way the marketer can decide on
such issues as size of project (e.g., how many responses), location of
research (e.g., geographic area) and time frame for completing the
project.
DISADVANTAGES OF PRIMARY RESEARCH
High Cost
Compared to secondary research, primary data may be very expensive
since there is a great deal of marketer involvement and the expense in
preparing and carrying out research can be high and has to design
everything.
Time Consuming
To be done correctly primary data collection requires the development
and execution of a research plan. Going from the start-point of deciding to
undertake a research project to the end-point to having results is often
much longer than the time it takes to acquire secondary data, which can
be collected in much lesser time duration.
Inaccurate Feed-backs
In case the research involves taking feedbacks from the targeted
audience, there are high chances that feedback given is not correct.
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Feedbacks by their basic nature are usually biased or given just for the
sake of it.
More number of resources is required
Leaving aside cost and time, other resources like human resources and
materials too are needed in larger quantity to do surveys and data
collection.
SECONDARY DATA
Secondary data is the data that has been already collected by and readily
available from other sources. When we use Statistical Method with
Primary Data from another purpose for our purpose we refer to it as
Secondary Data. It means that one purpose's Primary Data is another
purpose's Secondary Data. So that secondary data is data that is being
reused. Such data are cheaper and more quickly obtainable than the
primary data.
These secondary data may be obtained from many sources, including
literature, industry surveys, compilations from computerized databases
and information systems, and computerized or mathematical models of
environmental processes.
IMPORTANCE OF SECONDARY DATA
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Secondary data can be less valid but its importance is still there.
Sometimes it is difficult to obtain primary data; in these cases getting
information from secondary sources is easier and possible. Sometimes
primary data does not exist in such situation one has to confine the
research on secondary data.
Sometimes primary data is present but the respondents are not willing to
reveal it in such case too secondary data can suffice: for example, if the
research is on the psychology of transsexuals first it is difficult to find out
transsexuals and second they may not be willing to give information you
want for your research, so you can collect data from books or other
published sources.
SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA
Secondary data is often readily available. After the expense of electronic
media and internet the availability of secondary data has become much
easier.
Published Printed Sources
There are varieties of published printed sources. Their credibility depends
on many factors. For example, on the writer, publishing company and time
and date when published. New sources are preferred and old sources
should be avoided as new technology and researches bring new facts into
light.
Books
Books are available today on any topic that you want to research. The
uses of books start before even you have selected the topic. After
selection of topics books provide insight on how much work has already
been done on the same topic and you can prepare your literature review.
Books are secondary source but most authentic one in secondary
sources.
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Journals/periodicals
Journals and periodicals are becoming more important as far as data
collection is concerned. The reason is that journals provide up-to-date
information which at times books cannot and secondly, journals can give
information on the very specific topic on which you are researching rather
talking about more general topics.
Magazines/Newspapers
Magazines are also effective but not very reliable. Newspaper on the other
hand is more reliable and in some cases the information can only be
obtained from newspapers as in the case of some political studies.
Published Electronic Sources
As internet is becoming more advance, fast and reachable to the masses;
it has been seen that much information that is not available in printed
form is available on internet. In the past the credibility of internet was
questionable but today it is not. The reason is that in the past journals and
books were seldom published on internet but today almost
every journal and book is available online. Some are free and for others
you have to pay the price.
E-journals: e-journals are more commonly available than printed
journals. Latest journals are difficult to retrieve without subscription but if
your university has an e-library you can view any journal, print it and
those that are not available you can make an order for them.
General Websites; Generally websites do not contain very reliable
information so their content should be checked for the reliability before
quoting from them.
Weblogs: Weblogs are also becoming common. They are actually diaries
written by different people. These diaries are as reliable to use as
personal written diaries.
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Unpublished Personal Records
Some unpublished data may also be useful in some cases.
Diaries: Diaries are personal records and are rarely available but if you
are conducting a descriptive research then they might be very useful. The
Anne Franks diary is the most famous example of this. That diary
contained the most accurate records of Nazi wars.
Letters: Letters like diaries are also a rich source but should be checked
for their reliability before using them.
Government Records
Government records are very important for marketing, management,
humanities and social science research.
Census Data/population statistics
Health records
Educational institutes records
Public Sector Records
NGO's survey data
Other private companies records
ADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY DATA
Ease of Access
There are many advantages to using secondary research. This includes
the relative ease of access to many sources of secondary data. In the past
secondary data accumulation required marketers to visit libraries, or wait
for reports to be shipped by mail. Now with the availability of online
access, secondary research is more openly accessed. This offers
convenience and generally standardized usage methods for all sources of
secondary research.
Low Cost to Acquire
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The use of secondary data has allowed researchers access to valuable
information for little or no cost to acquire. Therefore, this information is
much less expensive than if the researchers had to carry out the research
themselves.
Clarification of Research Question
The use of secondary research may help the researcher to clarify the
research question. Secondary research is often used prior to primary
research to help clarify the research focus.
May Answer Research Question
The use of secondary data collection is often used to help align the focus
of large scale primary research. When focusing on secondary research,
the researcher may realize that the exact information they were looking to
uncover is already available through secondary sources. This would
effectively eliminate the need and expense to carry out their own primary
research.
May Show Difficulties in Conducting Primary Research
In many cases, the originators of secondary research include details of
how the information was collected. This may include information detailing
the procedures used in data collection and difficulties encountered in
conducting the primary research. Therefore, the detailed difficulties may
persuade the researcher to decide that the potential information obtained
is not worth the potential difficulties in conducting the research.
DISADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY DATA
Quality of Research
There are some disadvantages to using secondary research. The
originators of the primary research are largely self-governed and
controlled by the marketer. Therefore, the secondary research used must
be scrutinized closely since the origins of the information may be
questionable. Moreover, the researcher needs to take sufficient steps to
critically evaluate the validity and reliability of the information provided.
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Not Specific to Researcher’s Needs
In many cases, secondary data is not presented in a form that exactly
meets the researcher’s needs. Therefore, the researcher needs to rely on
secondary data that is presented and classified in a way that is similar to
their needs.
Incomplete Information
In many cases, researchers find information that appears valuable and
promising. The researcher may not get the full version of the research to
gain the full value of the study. This is because many research suppliers
offer free portions of their research and then charge expensive fees for
their full reports.
Not Timely
When using secondary research, one must exercise caution when using
dated information from the past. With companies competing in fast
changing industries, an out-of-date research reports many have little or no
relevance to the current market situation.
EVALUATION OF SECONDARY DATA
Because of the above mentioned disadvantages of secondary data, we will
lead to evaluation of secondary data. Evaluation means the following four
requirements must be satisfied:-
1. Availability- It has to be seen that the kind of data you want is
available or not. If it is not available then you have to go for primary
data.
2. Relevance- It should be meeting the requirements of the problem.
For this we have two criterion:-
a. Units of measurement should be the same.
b. Concepts used must be same and currency of data should not
be outdated.
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3. Accuracy- In order to find how accurate the data is, the following
points must be considered: -
a. Specification and methodology used;
b. Margin of error should be examined;
c. The dependability of the source must be seen.
4. Sufficiency- Adequate data should be available.
Robert W Joselyn has classified the above discussion into eight steps.
These eight steps are sub classified into three categories. He has given a
detailed procedure for evaluating secondary data.
1. Applicability of research objective.
2. Cost of acquisition.
3. Accuracy of data.
CONCLUSION
Primary research entails the use of immediate data in determining the
survival of the market. The popular ways to collect primary data consist of
surveys, interviews and focus groups, which shows that direct relationship
between potential customers and the companies. Whereas secondary
research is a means to reprocess and reuse collected information as an
indication for betterments of the service or product.
Both primary and secondary data are useful for businesses but both may
differ from each other in various aspects.In secondary data, information
relates to a past period. Hence, it lacks aptness and therefore, it has
unsatisfactory value. Primary data is more accommodating as it shows
latest information.
Secondary data is obtained from some other organization than the one
instantaneously interested with current research project. Secondary data
was collected and analyzed by the organization to convene the
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requirements of various research objectives. Primary data is accumulated
by the researcher particularly to meet up the research objective of the
subsisting project.
Secondary data though old may be the only possible source of the desired
data on the subjects, which cannot have primary data at all. For example,
survey reports or secret records already collected by a business group can
offer information that cannot be obtained from original sources.
Firm in which secondary data are accumulated and delivered may not
accommodate the exact needs and particular requirements of the current
research study. Many a time, alteration or modifications to the exact
needs of the investigator may not be sufficient. To that amount usefulness
of secondary data will be lost. Primary data is completely tailor-made and
there is no problem of adjustments.
Secondary data is available effortlessly, rapidly and inexpensively.
Primary data takes a lot of time and the unit cost of such data is relatively
high.Often secondary data have been pre-processed to give totals or
averages and the original details are lost so you can't verify it by
replicating the methods used by the original data collectors.
In short, primary data are expensive and difficult to acquire, but they are
trustworthy. Secondary data are cheap and easy to collect, but must be
treated with caution.
REFERENCES
1. http://www.ianswer4u.com/2012/02/primary-research-advantages-
and.html#ixzz2B6ioqOwT
2. http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/impact/methods/datacoll.htm
3. Bryman, A. and E. Bell: 2003, Business Research Methods (Oxford
University Press, Oxford, New York).
4. Dillman, Don A. Mail and Telephone Surveys: The Total Design
Method. New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1978.
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5. Galpin, T. The Use of Mail Questionnaires as a Method of Data
Collection. (Sept, 1987)
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