DATA COLLECTION

CONTENT
PRIMARY & SECONDARY DATA
PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION METHODS
OBSERVATION, SURVEY , INTERVIEW AND QUESTIONNAIRE
QUALITATIVE TECHNIQUE OF DATA COLLECTION
QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN-MEANING- PROCESS
SECONDARY DATA- SOURCE MERIT & DEMERIT

DATA COLLECTION
DATA
DATA COLLECTION
Types or Sources of Data Collection
a) Primary data
b) Secondary data

PRIMARY DATA
The data directly collected by the researcher, with respect to the problem
under study.
Methodology for data collection
a. Observation method
b. Questionnaire

OBSERVATION METHOD
A scientific notices in their natural world.
As seeing and hearing it is accompanied by perceiving as well.
Gathering through your senses.
Example:

SURVEY RESEARCH DESIGN

It is fact finding study. It describes the method of gathering fro sample of
individuals.
Example :
a. Sample of votes are questioned before the election
to determine how the public perceives the candidate
and party.

STEPS IN DESIGNING SURVEY

Select the survey problem
Select the survey method
Research design
Conduct survey and data collection
Analysis and interpret reporting

CHARACTERSTICS OF SURVEY
I. Seeks responses directly form the respondents.
II. Widely used in non-experimental social science research.
III. Often use questionnaire or interview method for data collection.
IV. Often it is quantitative method, but can also be qualitative.
V. Conducted on natural setting.
VI. Involves real world sample
VII.It is systematic
VIII.It is impartial

PURPOSE OF SURVEY
Information gathering
example : pools, census satisfaction, attitude,.. Etc.
Theory testing
example : personality and social psychology theories.

ADVANTAGES OF SURVEY
Access to wide range of participants.
Collection of large amount of data
May be more ethical than experimental design

DISADVANTAGE OF SURVEY

Lack of control
Data may be superficial
Costly to obtain representative data
Time consuming
No response
Inaccuracy of data
Familiarity relates to biased information

SURVEY METHODS
1.
a.
b.
c.
2.
3.
4.

Interview
Personal interview
Telephonic interview
Computer direct interview
Email survey
Internet/ intranet(web page) survey
Mail questionnaire

PERSONAL INTERVIEW
Advantages
i. The ability to let the interviewee see, feel &/or taste a product
ii. Ability to find target audience
iii. Longer interview are sometimes tolerated
. Disadvantage
i. Cost more than other method
ii. Change in characteristics of the population might make sample non representative

TELEPHONE SURVEY
Advantage
i. Contacted faster than other methods
ii. Can dial random telephone numbers
iii. Skilled interviewers can often invite longer or more compete answer
. Disadvantage
i. Many telemarketers have legitimate research a bad name
ii. Cant show sample products by phone
iii. Growing number of working women

COMPUTER DIRECT INTERVIEW

Advantage
i. Eliminates data entry and editing cost
ii. Answer are more accurate to sensitive questions
iii. Interviewer bias is eliminated
iv. Ensuring ship patterns are accurately followed
v. Response rate are usually higher
. Disadvantage
i. Interviewees must have access to computer
ii. It may have serious response rate problems in population due to literacy levels being low

EMAIL SURVEY
Advantage
1. Speed
2. No cost
3. Picture and sound file
attached
4. Novelty element often
stimulate higher response

i.

Researcher must possess or purchase a list of email addresses

ii.

Response rate is less

iii.

Many people dislike unsolicited email

iv.

Findings cant be generalized with email survey

v.

Email survey cannot automatically skip questions or randomize questions

Disadvantage

INTERNET/INTRANET (WEB PAGE) SURVEY

Advantage
1. Extremely fast
2. No cost involved
3. Pictures can be showed
1.
4. Features assure better data
2.
3.
5. Use colors, fronts and other formatting options
6. Honest answers to questions about sensitive topic
7. People give longer answers to open ended questions

Disadvantage

Current use of the internet is far from universal

People can easily quit in the middle of a questionnaire
Depends on your software

Mail questionnaire
Advantage
1. Easy reach of large respondent
2. Saves cost
3. No need to train interviewers
4. Personal and sensitive questions are well answered
5. It includes pictures
6. Can take time to think and answer
7. Allows respondent to answer at their leisure
8. Only done by having names and address of target population
9. Influence on respondent is eliminated

 Disadvantage
i. Not suitable when questions are difficult and complicated
ii. Not possible to verify
iii. No clarification are possible
iv. If the answers are not correct the researcher cant probe further
v. Poor response

Questionnaire
Characteristics
i. Simple
ii. Specific
iii. Well arranged
iv. Keep the respondent interested throughout
v. Generates replies that can be easily recorded

Process of questionnaire
Determine the
type of
population

Type of
questionnaire

Type of
question

Wordings of
question

Revise &
prepare final
questionnaire

Pretest

Layout

Type of question

Open ended questions

Close ended questions
Dichotomous question
Multi dichotomous questions
Ranking
Scaling
Rating

Problems of questions which have o be

avoided
Leading questions
Loading questions
Split ballot technique

Secondary data
They are statistics that already exist.
They have been gathered not for immediate use.
This may be described as
those data that have been complied by some agency other than the user or
researcher in question
Classified as :
Internal & external secondary data

Secondary data
Internal
Company records
Accounting record
Sales force report
Marketing information

External

Census data

Of wholesale trade
Of the retail trade
Population
Manufacturing industries

Individual project report

Encyclopedia of business information

Secondary data

Advantage
Economical
Saves time
No training is required
Quickness
Quality
Availability
No need of measuring instruments

Disadvantages
Unit of measure
Definition of class

Accuracy
Recency

Qualitative techniques of data collection

Quantitative research

Qualitative research
Measurability: its is measurable

Features:

Data collected is numerical in nature

Data collected methods are
a. Mail questionnaire
b. Personal interview
c. Telephonic interview

Measurability: not possible or difficult to measure

Features

It is a kind of exploratory research

Qualitative techniques of data collection

Quantitative research

Qualitative research

Characteristics:

Sample size used is very large

Structure questionnaire is used for
data collection

Characteristics:

Unstructured questionnaire is used

Sample size is usually small

Qualitative research methods/ techniques

Depth interview
Delphi interview
Focus group
Projective technique
Protocol analysis

Depth interview
Advantage
Ability to discover motivation
Encourage respondent to express
any ideas they have
Provide flexibility to the
interviewer

Disadvantage

Takes much longer than a typical structured questionnaire filling

Lack of systematic structured for interpretation of information obtained

No quantifiable data is obtained

Delphi technique
Advantage
Forecasting can be made quickly
and inexpensively
View point of different sector
people are weighted
Good and bad estimates are given
equal weightage

Disadvantage

If basic data is not available , no alternative data

Experts opinion and facts may be different

Projective techniques
Categories
Word association test
Completion technique
Sentence completion
Story completion
TAT (thematic apperception test)
Cartoon test