DATA COLLECTION METHODS

Secondary and Primary Methods

 Sources of Data

DATA SOURCES

PRIMARY METHODS SECONDARY METHODS

INTERNAL EXTERNAL

Fully Need Further Published Electronic Syndicated

Processed Analysis Database Sources
 Classification of Data

 Primary data

 Information that is original

 Problem or project specific
 Collected for specific objectives and needs.
 Authenticity and relevance is reasonably high.

 Secondary data

 Information is not topical or research specific

 Collected and compiled by some other investigative body.
 It is recorded and published in a structured format.
 Secondary Data

 Benefits
 Identification and formulation of Problem
 Development of Hypotheses
 Determining the Sample size
 Designing Questionnaires.
 Validate the information collected through primary sources.
 Resource advantage save both cost and time.
 Accessibility of data
 Accuracy and stability of data
 Assessment of data

 Drawback
 Applicability of data
 Source and credibility of data is a serious issue
 Data collection tools and methods
 Sources of Secondary Data
 Secondary data can be internal or external.
 Internal Data Sources: Organization specific.
 Company records: Inception, Owner, Mission and Vision, past and current
manufacturing information, process and policy documents
 Employee records: Demographic data sets, performance appraisals and
grievance data
 Cash register receipt: Sales by product line, by major department, by
specific stores, by cash versus credit purchase, at specific time periods and
size of purchase bill.
 Sales persons call records: Information about potential customer,
classification of the customer in term of product requirement as well as
popular product.
 Sales invoices: Order placed by a customer to the company including size
of order, location, price, terms of sale and shipment.
 Financial records and sales report: Sales expenses, sales revenue, sales
overhead costs and profit. Total sales, sales across quarter, region, product
categories, promotion activities.
 Sources of Secondary Data

 External Data Sources: Collected and compiled by external

sources.
 Published data: Both from government and non government sources or
from report compiled by individuals, or private organization.
 Other data sources: Like books, periodicals, guides and directories and
standardized non-government statistical data

 Information that was stored in an electronic form is called

computerized database.

 Information stored by data bank or organization is called

Syndicate data sources
 Primary Data

 Data collected from primary sources by

 Observation
 Questionnaires
 Interviews through telephone
 Face-to-face Interview
 Other communication media.

 A survey is defined as a method of gathering primary data

through representative sample of target population.
 It provides quick, less expensive, efficient and accurate means of
assessing information about the population.

 Qualitative methods of data collection explore the latent and

unconscious situation, it is more in-depth and intensive.
 Qualitative Research
Procedures

Direct Indirect
(Nondisguised) (Disguised)

Observation Focus Depth Content

Groups Interviews Analysis

Projective Sociometry New

Techniques

Association Completion Construction Expressive Choice /

Techniques Techniques Techniques Techniques Ordering
 Observation Method

 Observation methods of data collection involves viewing and

recording of individuals or groups or organizations or events in a
scientific manner.
 It is direct method of data collection use for descriptive research.

 Format
 Standardized and structured format
 Nature of content to be recorded are predetermined.
 Non-standardized and unstructured format
 Observer recorded whatever he/she observe

 Level of respondent consciousness

 Disguised observation
 Respondent has no knowledge of being observed by investigator.
 Undisguised observation
 Respondent is under observation can be conveyed.
 Observation Method

 Observation setting
 Natural environment
 The elements are not under control.
• Observation of employees interact with each other during lunch break.
 Simulated environment
 The elements are under control.
• Stress test are carried out to measure a tolerance level in armed forces.

 Role of human participant

 Participating situation
 Investigator is not supposed to contribute to the situation being observed
 In case of a structured observation, the format and areas to be observed and recorded
are clearly defined.
 In case of unstructured observation, the observer records in a narrative form the
entire event that he observed.
 Non-participating situation
 Man is replaced by machine.
 Observation Method

 Mechanical observation:
 Store cameras provide vital information about consumer movement and
behavior patterns as well as reaction to store displays.
 Store scanners record product code, which depicts information related to
product category, brand, store type, price and quantity.
 Audio and people meters record the channel being watched and also record
who is watching it.
 Oculometers used to determine how a respondent reacts to various aspects
like advertisement, packaging, store displays.

 Trace analysis
 It is leftovers of the consumer basket are evaluated to measure current trends
and patterns of usage and disposal.
 Focus Group Discussion

 A focus group discussion involves collecting information from a

representative group of respondents in a neutral setting.

 Key elements of focus group method

 Size: Ideal size for a group discussion is 8 to 12 members.
 Time: Ideal time duration is 1 to 2 hours in one single setting
 Nature: Composition of group should be homogenous in terms of
demographic and psychographic traits and product or subject knowledge.
 Acquaintance: Members of group should be stranger to each other
 Setting: Discussion should be neutral, informal and comfortable.
 Recording: Human or mechanical recording of entire discussion.
 Moderator: Might be a participant or a non-participant.
 Content Analysis

 Content analysis study the previously recorded or reported

communication systematically and objectively by breaking it up
into more manageable units that are related to topic under study.
 It is classified as primary data collection technique
 It also classified under observation method

 Content analysis is reported in different formats such as

 Word: Smallest reported unit.
 Theme: Reporting the propositions and sentences or events.
 Characteristic: Refers the person producing the communication.
 Space measures: Related to physical format i.e. the number of page used
the length of communication.
 Time measures: Duration of communication.
 Item: Categorization of the communication.
 Personal Interview Method
• Personal interview is one to one interaction between
investigator and respondents.
• Purpose of the dialogue is investigation specific
• It ranges from completely unstructured to highly structured
 Projective Techniques

 Projective techniques involve indirect questioning technique,

where respondent is given a relatively ambiguous stimuli.
 Assume that, respondent would project their underlying emotion, belief
and attitude on to this object or subject.

 Association techniques:
 Present a stimulus to the respondent, then he need to respond with the first
things that comes to his mind.
• Sony colour TV is tested on three words: quality, price and availability.

 Completion techniques:
 Present an incomplete sentence, story or conversation to a respondent
 Then asked to complete.
• I use LG air conditioners it gives me……….
• Working at IBM is ……………..
 Projective Techniques

 Construction techniques:
 Respondent is provided with less initial structure, then he or she completes
the task which could be a story, a picture, a dialogue or a description.
 Story gives an indication of the person’s personality
 An old man crossing a road on zebra lines

 Expressive techniques:
 Respondent needs to take on the roles of living or inanimate object, like
brands and carry out a dialogue.
 Then asked to play the role or assume the behavior of someone else.
• A sales person playing a role of a sales manager projects himself as a sales
manager and behaves like a sales manager.
• A person playing the role of another person actually exhibits his own expectation
for that particular person.
 Sociometric Analysis

 Sociometry involves measuring choice, communication

and interpersonal relations of people in different groups
 Then the computations made on the basis of these choices
indicate the social attraction and avoidance in a group.

 Sociometric measures
 Sociometric indices
 Sociometric matrix
 Sociogram

 To a five member group each person has opportunity to

choose two members for his/her team. A selection is
marked 1 otherwise 0. Lastly you have to identify the
popular member of the group.
 Sociometric Matrix(team choices)

Nimit Shanti Pooja Ravdeep Asmit Rini

Nimit 0 1 1 0 0 0
Shanti 1 0 0 0 1 0
Pooja 1 1 0 0 0 0
Ravdeep 0 1 0 0 1 0
Asmit 0 1 0 0 0 1
Rini 0 1 0 0 1 0
∑ 2 5 1 0 2 1