BUSI NESS RESEARCH

DATA COLLECTION
TYPES OF DATA
Data
Numerical
(Quantitative)
Categorical
(Qualitative)
WHY DO WE NEED DATA?
To provide input to survey
To provide input to study
To measure performance of service or
production process
To evaluate conformance to standards
To assist in formulating alternative courses
of action
To satisfy curiosity

METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
Data
Sources
Secondary
Methods
Internal External
Primary
Methods
Fully
Processed
Need
Further
Analysis
Published
Syndicate
Sources
Electronic
Database
Observatio
n
Survey
Experiment
ation
PRIMARY DATA
Primary data data you collect
Data never gathered before
Advantage: find data you need to suit your
purpose
Disadvantage: usually more costly and time
consuming than collecting secondary data
Collected after secondary data is collected

PRIMARY DATA
Interview (face to face interview, telephone
interview, computer assigned interview,
interviews through electronic media)
Questionnaire
Observation
Schedules
Other methods (warranty cards, distributors
audits, pantry audits, consumer panels,
mechanical devices, projective techniques,
depth interviews, content analysis.)
PRIMARY DATA
Interview method
Interview method of collecting data involves
presentation of oral-stimuli and reply in terms
of oral- verbal responses.
Personal interviews
- direct personal investigation or indirect
oral investigation
- structured or unstructured interviews
- focused interview, clinical interview and
non- directive interview

PRIMARY DATA
Advantages of Personal Interview
More information and greater depth
Overcome resistance
Greater flexibility in restructuring questions
Observation method can be well applied to
recording verbal answers
Personal information can be obtained
Samples can be controlled as non response
generally remains low

PRIMARY DATA
Disadvantages of Personal Interview
Expensive method if large and wide spread of
geographical sample is taken
Possibility of bias
Certain respondents may prove to be
unapproachable
Time consuming


PRIMARY DATA
Pre-requisite for Interviews
Interviewers should be carefully selected, trained
and briefed.
Should be honest, sincere, hardworking, impartial.
Must possess technical competence and practical
experience
Interviewer must ask questions properly and
intelligently and must record responses accurately
and completely


PRIMARY DATA
Telephonic Interviews: Merits
Flexible in comparison
Faster than other methods
Cheaper than personal interviewing method
No field staff is required
Representative and wider distribution of sample is
possible


PRIMARY DATA
Telephonic Interviews: Demerits
Little time is given to respondents for considered
answer
Restricted to respondents having telephone facility
Extensive geographical coverage may get
restricted by cost consideration
Possibility of bias of interviewer is relatively more
Questions have to short and to the point


PRIMARY DATA
Questionnaire Methods
A questionnaire is a series of written questions a
researcher supplies to subjects, requesting their
response.
A set of questions on a topic or group of topics
designed to be answered by a respondent.


PRIMARY DATA
Questionnaire Methods
Mail questionnaires
Advantages: (1) Low cost of data collection, (2)
avoidance of interviewer bias, and (3) ability to
reach respondents who live far away.
Disadvantages: (1) low response rates, (2) no
opportunity to correct misunderstanding, and (3) no
check on incomplete sentences.

PRIMARY DATA
Questionnaire Methods
Self-administered questionnaires
Group-administered questionnaires

PRIMARY DATA
Questionnaire: Advantages
Questionnaires are one of the most efficient ways to
collect data.
They contain fixed-response questions about various
features of an organization.
These on-line or paper-and pencil measures can be
administered to large numbers of people
simultaneously.
PRIMARY DATA
Questionnaire: Advantages
They can be analyzed quickly.
They can be easily be fed back to employees.
Questionnaires can be standard based on common
research or they can be customized to meet the
specific data gathering need.

PRIMARY DATA
Questionnaire: Disadvantages
Responses are limited to the questions asked in the
instrument.
They provide little opportunity to probe for
additional data or ask for points of clarification.
They tend to be impersonal.
Often elicit response biases tend to answer in a
socially acceptable manner.

PRIMARY DATA
Observation method
Observing organizational behaviors in their
functional settings is one of the most direct ways to
collect data.
Observation can range from complete participant
observation, where the OD practitioner becomes a
member of the group under study to a more
detached observation using a casually observing
and noting occurrences of specific kinds of
behaviors.

PRIMARY DATA
Observation method: Advantages
They are free of the biases inherent in the self-report
data.
They put the practitioner directly in touch with the
behaviors in question.
They involved real-time data, describing behavior
occurring in the present rather than the past.
They are adapting in that they can be modified
depending on what is being observed.

PRIMARY DATA
Observation method: Disadvantages
Difficulties interpreting the meaning underlying the
observations.
Observers must decide which people to observe;
choose time periods, territory and events
Failure to attend to these sampling issues can result
in a biased sample of data.


PRIMARY DATA
Schedule method
Much like collection of data through questionnaire
Schedules are filled in by enumerators appointed
specially for this purpose
This method requires appointment of enumerators
for filling up schedules or assisting respondents to fill
up schedules
PRIMARY DATA
Schedule method
Enumerators are to be trained
Enumerators should be intelligent and posses s the
capacity of cross questioning
Enumerators should be honest, sincere, hardworking
and have patience and perseverance.

PRIMARY DATA
Limitations:
Do you have the time and money for:
Designing your collection instrument?
Selecting your population or sample?
Pretesting/piloting the instrument to work out
sources of bias?
Administration of the instrument?
Entry/collation of data?
PRIMARY DATA
Uniqueness
May not be able to compare to other
populations
Researcher error
Sample bias
Other confounding factors

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DATA
Primary Data
This is the original, problem or project specific
data which is collected for serving a particular
purpose.
The authenticity and the relevance is reasonably
high
Secondary Data
This is not topical or research specific. It can be
economically and quickly collected by the
decision maker in a short span of time.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY DATA
Basis Primary Secondary
Collection
purpose
For the problem
at hand
For other
problems.
Collection
process
Very involved Rapid and easy
Collection cost High Relatively low
Collection time Long Short
SECONDARY DATA
Advantages and Uses:
Secondary data are easily accessible, relatively
inexpensive and quickly obtained.
Available on topics where it would not be feasible
for a firm to collect primary data.
Secondary data can help :
Identify the problem.
SECONDARY DATA
Advantages and Uses:
Better define the problem.
Develop an approach to the problem.
Formulate an appropriate research design.
Answer certain research questions and test some
hypotheses.
Interpret primary data more insightfully.

SECONDARY DATA
Disadvantages:
Because secondary data have been collected
for purposes other than the problem at hand,
their usefulness to the current problem may be
limited in several important ways, including
relevance and accuracy.
The objectives, nature and methods used to
collect the secondary data may not be
appropriate to the present situation.
Secondary data may be lacking in accuracy, or
they may not be completely current or
dependable.

CLASSIFICATION OF SECONDARY DATA
Internal data are those generated within the
organization for which the research is being
conducted.
This information may be available in a ready-to-use
format, such as information routinely supplied by
the management decision support system.
CLASSIFICATION OF SECONDARY DATA
On the other hand, these data may exist within the
organization but may require considerable
processing before they are useful to the researcher.
For e.g. A variety of information can be found on
sales invoices. Yet this information may not be easily
accessible; further processing may be required to
extract it.
External data are those generated by sources
outside the organization. These are mainly
published materials, computerized databases and
syndicated services.
SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA
Published Secondary
Data
Government
Sources
Census
Data
Other
Government
Publications
General Business
Sources
Guides Directories
Statistical
Data
Indexes
SOURCES OF PUBLISHED SECONDARY
DATA
General Business Data
Guides
Excellent source of standard or recurring
information. A guide may help identify other
important sources such as directories, trade
associations and trade publications.
Directories
Helpful for identifying individuals or organizations
that collect specific data. E.g. Research Services
Directory.

SOURCES OF PUBLISHED SECONDARY
DATA
General Business Data
Indexes
It is possible to locate information on a particular
topic in several different publications by using an
index. Indexes can, therefore, increase the
efficiency of the search process. E.g. Business
Periodical Index.
Statistical Data
Published statistical data are of great interest to
researchers. Graphic and statistical analyses can
be performed on these data to draw important
insights. E.g. A Guide to Consumer Markets.
SOURCES OF PUBLISHED SECONDARY
DATA
Government Sources
Census Data
Provides detailed view of the human population,
their income and education level. The quality of
census data is high and the data are often
extremely detailed. Important census data
include Census of Housing, Census of
Manufacturers, Census of Population, Census of
Retail Trade, Census of Service Industries and
Census of Wholesale Trade.
SOURCES OF PUBLISHED SECONDARY
DATA
Government Sources
Other Government Publications
In addition to the census, the government collects
and publishes a great deal of statistical data. The
more useful publications are Business Conditions
Digest and Survey of Current Business.
SECONDARY DATABASE
Computerized
Databases
Online Internet Offline
Bibliographi
c Database
Numeric
Databases
Full-Text
Databases
Directory
Databases
Special-
Purpose
Database
SECONDARY DATABASE
Computerized Database
Online Databases- Databases, stored in
computers, which require a telecommunications
network to access.
Internet Databases Internet databases can be
accessed, searched and analyzed on the
internet. It is also possible to download data from
the internet and store them in the computer or an
auxiliary storage device.
Offline Databases Databases that are available
on diskette or CD-ROM.
SECONDARY DATABASE
Computerized Database
Bibliographic Databases Databases composed
of citations to articles in journals, magazines,
newspapers, marketing research studies,
technical reports, government documents and
the like. They often provide summaries or
abstracts of the material cited.
Numeric Databases Contain numerical and
statistical information that may be important
sources of secondary data.
SECONDARY DATABASE
Computerized Database
Full-Text Databases Databases containing the
complete text of secondary source documents
comprising the database.
Directory Databases Provide information on
individuals, organizations and services. E.g.
National Electronic Yellow Pages.
Special-purpose Databases Contain information
of a specific nature, e.g. data on a specialized
industry.
SECONDARY DATABASE
Syndicate Sources
Also referred to as syndicated services, are
companies that collect and sell common pools of
data of known commercial value, designed to
serve information needs shared by a number of
clients.
These data are not collected for the purpose of
marketing research problems specific to individual
clients, but the data and reports supplied to client
companies can be personalized to fit particular
needs.
SECONDARY DATABASE
Syndicate Sources
Surveys Involve interviews with a large number of
respondents using a predesigned questionnaire.
Psychographics and Lifestyles Psychographics
refer to the psychological profiles of individuals
and to psychologically based measures of
lifestyle. Lifestyles refer to the distinctive modes of
living of a society or some of its segments.

SECONDARY DATABASE
Syndicate Sources
Surveys Involve interviews with a large number of
respondents using a predesigned questionnaire.
General surveys Surveys conducted for a variety
of other purposes, including examination of
purchase and consumption behavior.
Advertising Evaluation The purpose of
advertising evaluation surveys is to assess the
effectiveness of advertising using print and
broadcast media.
SECONDARY DATABASE
Syndicate Sources
Purchase and Media Panels Panels are samples of
respondents who provide specified information at
regular intervals over an extended period of time. These
respondents may be organizations, households or
individuals, although household panels are most
common. The distinguishing feature of purchase and
media panels is that the respondents record specific
behaviors in an electronic diary as they occur.
Purchase Panel Respondents record their purchases
of a variety of different products.
Media Panel Electronic devices automatically
record viewing behavior, thus supplementing a diary
or an online panel.
SECONDARY DATABASE
Syndicate Sources
Electronic Scanner Services Scanner data reflect
some of the latest technological developments in
the marketing research industry. Scanner data are
collected by passing merchandise over a laser
scanner, which optically reads the barcoded
description printed on the merchandize.
Volume Tracking Data Provide information on
purchases by brand, size, price and flavor or
formulation, based on sales data collected from
the checkout scanner tapes.
SECONDARY DATABASE
Syndicate Sources
Retailer and Wholesaler Audits A data collection
process derived from physical records or performing
inventory analysis.
Data are collected personally by the researcher or
by representatives of the researcher, and the data
are based upon counts usually of physical objects
other than people.
Retailers and wholesalers who participate in the
audit receive basic reports and cash payments
from the audit service.
SECONDARY DATABASE
Syndicate Sources
Industry Services Provide syndicated data about
industrial firms, businesses and other institutions.
Financial, operating and employment data are also
collected by these syndicated research services.
These data are collected by making direct inquiries,
from clipping services that monitor newspapers, the
trade press and broadcasts; and from corporate
reports.
SUMMARY
Primary data are those which are collected
afresh and for first time and thus happen to
be original in character.
Secondary data are those which have been
collected by someone else and which have
already been passed through the statistical
process.
It must be remembered that each method
of data collection has its own uses and none
is superior in all situations.