Mrp mod 3

DATA COLLECTION

PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION

• Primary data: Primary data are those which are
collected for the first time. Data collected by the
investigator himself for specific purpose. These
types of data need the application of statistical
methods for the purpose of analysis and
interpretation.
• Methods of primary data collection:
1. Observation
2. Interview method
Telephonic interview
Personal interview
3. Collection of data through questionnaires
4. Collection of data through schedules
1. Observation method
• The recording of behavioral patterns of people,
objects, and events in a systematic manner to
obtain information about the phenomenon of
interest.
• Types of observation:
1. Structured observation: When the researcher
clearly defines the behaviors to be observed and
the methods by which they will be measured.
Unstructured observation: It involves a researcher
monitoring all relevant phenomenon without
specifying the details in advance.
2. Disguised observation: Respondents are
unaware that they are being observed. It enables
respondents to behave naturally, since people tend
to behave differently when they are being
observed.
Undisguised observation: Respondents are aware
that they are being observed
3. Natural (uncontrolled) observation: observing
behaviors as it takes place in environment.
Contrived (Controlled) observation: Behaviour is
observed in an artificial environment.

Advantages of Observation method

Data collection is based on actual observation
rather than on any measurement scale.
Eliminates recall error as responses are
recorded immediately.
Researcher influence on answer is very less.
Researches can be done on respondents who
cannot answer. e.g. insects.
Disadvantages of Observation method
• Inability to measure attitude or intentions of
subject
• Different observer may interpret the same
situation differently.
• Continuous monitoring required.
• Requires lot of time and energy.
• Disguised observation is unethical sometimes

2. Interview method:
Personal Interview:
• Personal interview method requires a person
known as the interviewer
• asking questions generally in a face-to-face
contact to the other person or persons.
• Structured interviews: Such interviews involve
the use of a set of predetermined questions and of
highly standardized techniques of recording. the
interviewer in a structured interview follows a rigid
procedure laid down, asking questions in a form
and order prescribed.
  Unstructured interviews: They are
characterised by a flexibility of approach to
questioning. Unstructured interviews do not
follow a system of pre-determined questions
and standardised techniques of recording
information. the interviewer is allowed much
greater freedom to ask, in case of need,
supplementary questions or at times he may
omit certain questions if the situation so
requires. He may even change the sequence of
questions.

Advantages of Personal Interview

• More information and that too in greater depth
can be obtained.
• There is greater flexibility under this method as
the opportunity to restructure questions is always
there, especially in case of unstructured interviews.
• Personal information can as well be obtained
easily under this method.
• Samples can be controlled more effectively as
there arises no difficulty of the missing returns;
non-response generally remains very low.
• Samples can be controlled more effectively as
there arises no difficulty of the missing returns;
non-response generally remains very low.
• The interviewer may catch the informant off-
guard and thus may secure the most spontaneous
reactions than would be the case if mailed
questionnaire is used.
• The language of the interview can be adopted to
the ability or educational level of the
• Person interviewed and as such
misinterpretations concerning questions can be
avoided.
Disadvantages of personal interview
• It is a very expensive method, specially when large
and widely spread geographical sample is taken.
• There remains the possibility of the bias of
interviewer as well as that of the respondent;
• Certain types of respondents such as important
officials or executives or people in high income
groups may not be easily approachable under this
method and to that extent the data may prove
inadequate.
• This method is relatively more-time-consuming,
specially when the sample is large and recalls upon
the respondents are necessary.
• The presence of the interviewer on the spot may
over-stimulate the respondent, sometimes even to
the extent that he may give imaginary information
just to make the interview interesting.
• Under the interview method the organisation
required for selecting, training and supervising the
field-staff is more complex with formidable
problems.
• Interviewing at times may also introduce
systematic errors.
• Effective interview presupposes proper rapport
with respondents

Telephone interviews
This method of collecting information consists
in contacting respondents on telephone itself. It
is not a very widely used method, but plays
important part in industrial surveys, particularly
in developed regions.
Advantages of telephonic interview
• It is more flexible in comparison to mailing
method.
• It is faster than other methods i.e., a quick way of
obtaining information.
• It is cheaper than personal interviewing method;
here the cost per response is relatively low.
• Recall is easy; call backs are simple and
economical.
• There is a higher rate of response than what we
have in mailing method; the non-response is
generally very low.
• Replies can be recorded without causing
embarrassment to respondents.
• Interviewer can explain requirements more easily.
• No field staff is required.
• Representative and wider distribution of sample is
possible.
Disadvantages of Telephonic interview
• Little time is given to respondents for considered
answers; interview period is not likely to exceed five
minutes in most cases.
• Surveys are restricted to respondents who have
telephone facilities.
• Extensive geographical coverage may get
restricted by cost considerations.
• It is not suitable for intensive surveys where
comprehensive answers are required to various
questions.
• Questions have to be short and to the point;
probes are difficult to handle.
COLLECTION OF DATA THROUGH
QUESTIONNAIRES/Mail Interview
• A questionnaire consists of a number of questions
printed or typed in a definite order on a form or set
of forms. The questionnaire is mailed to
respondents who are expected to read and
understand the questions and write down the reply
in the space meant for the purpose in the
questionnaire itself. The respondents have to
answer the questions on their own.
• One time mail survey: When continuous
information gathering is not required, response
from the respondents are taken only once, one time
mail survey is used.
• Mail Panel: Mail panel is a group of respondents
who are agreed to participate in survey conducted
by research agencies related to some business
issues.
Advantages of mail interview
• Generally lower cost
• No field staff required
• Access to different locations and busy
populations.
• It is free from the bias of the interviewer; answers
are in respondents’ own words.
• Respondents have adequate time to give well
thought out answers.

Disadvantages of mail interview

• Most difficult to obtain cooperation
• No interviews involved in collection of data
• Need good sample
• More likely to need an incentive for respondents.
• Slower data collection than telephone.
• Low rate of return of the duly filled in
questionnaires.
• The control over questionnaire may be lost once it
is sent.
• It is difficult to know whether willing respondents
are truly representative.
• This method is likely to be the slowest of all.

Pilot study/pilot survey

• Pilot survey is infact the replica and rehearsal of
the main survey.
• Such a survey, being conducted by experts, brings
to the light the weaknesses (if any) of the
questionnaires and also of the survey techniques.
• From the experience gained in this way,
improvement can be effected
Main aspects of a questionnaire
• General form / Types of questionnaire:
1. Close ended and open ended
- Dichotomous questions
- Multiple choice questions
2. Structured and unstructured
• Question sequence:
• A proper sequence of questions reduces
considerably the chances of individual questions
being misunderstood. The question-sequence must
be clear and smoothly-moving, meaning thereby
that the relation of one question to another should
be readily apparent to the respondent, with
questions that are easiest to answer being put in
the beginning.
General to Specific( Funel Approach)
• The following type of questions should generally
be avoided as opening questions in a questionnaire:
1. Questions that put too great a strain on the
memory or intellect of the respondent;
2. Questions of a personal character;
3. Questions related to personal wealth, etc.
• Question formulation and wording
• All questions should meet the following
standards—
(a) Should be easily understood;
(b) Should be simple i.e., should convey only one
thought at a time;
(c) Should be concrete and should conform as much
as possible to the respondent’s way of thinking
(D) Leading, Loaded and Difficult to answer
questions should be avoided.
Essentials of a good questionnaire:
• To be successful, questionnaire should be
comparatively short and simple i.e., the size of the
questionnaire should be kept to the minimum.
• Questions should proceed in logical sequence
moving from easy to more difficult questions.
• Personal and intimate questions should be left to
the end. Technical terms and vague expressions
capable of different interpretations should be
avoided in a questionnaire.
• There should be some control questions in the
questionnaire which indicate the reliability of the
respondent.
• Questions affecting the sentiments of
respondents should be avoided.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN QUESTIONNAIRES AND
SCHEDULES
• To collect data through questionnaire is relatively
cheap and economical. Schedules is relatively more
expensive since considerable amount of money has
to be spent in appointing enumerators and in
importing training to them.
• Non-response is usually high in case of
questionnaire. non-response is generally very low in
case of schedules because these are filled by
enumerators.
• In case of questionnaire, it is not always clear as
to who replies, but in case of schedule the identity
of respondent is known.
• The questionnaire method is likely to be very
slow. But in case of schedules the information is
collected well in time as they are filled in by
enumerators.
• Personal contact is generally not possible in case
of the questionnaire method. But in case of
schedules direct personal contact is established
with respondents.

SOME OTHER METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

1. Warranty cards: Warranty cards are usually
postal sized cards which are used by dealers of
consumer durables to collect information regarding
their products.
2. Distributor or store audits: Distributor or store
audits are performed by distributors as well as
manufactures through their salesmen at regular
intervals. Distributors get the retail stores audited
through salesmen and use such information to
estimate market size, market share, seasonal
purchasing pattern and so on. The data are
obtained in such audits not by questioning but by
observation.
3. Pantry audits: Pantry audit technique is used to
estimate consumption of the basket of goods at the
consumer level. In this type of audit, the
investigator collects an inventory of types,
quantities and prices of commodities consumed.
4. Consumer panels: An extension of the pantry
audit approach on a regular basis is known as
‘consumer panel’, where a set of consumers are
arranged to come to an understanding to maintain
detailed daily records of their consumption and the
same is made available to investigator on demands.
5. Use of mechanical devices: The use of
mechanical devices has been widely made to
collect information by way of indirect means. E.g.
Eye camera: Eye cameras are designed to record
the focus of eyes of a respondent on a specific
portion of a sketch or diagram or written material.
Such an information is useful in designing
advertising material.
6. Projective techniques: Projective techniques (or
what are sometimes called as indirect interviewing
techniques) for the collection of data have been
developed by psychologists to use projections of
respondents for inferring about underlying motives,
urges, or intentions which are such that the
respondent either resists to reveal them or is
unable to figure out himself. In projective
techniques the respondent in supplying information
tends unconsciously to project his own attitudes or
feelings on the subject under study. Projective
techniques play an important role in motivational
researches or in attitude surveys.
• Word association tests
• Sentence completion tests.
• Story completion tests
• Verbal projection tests
• Pictorial techniques .
• Play techniques
• Quizzes, tests and examinations
• Sociometry
7. Depth Interviews: Depth interviews are those
interviews that are designed to discover underlying
motives and desires and are often used in
motivational research. Such interviews are held to
explore needs, desires and feelings of respondents.
In other words, they aim to elicit unconscious as
also other types of material relating especially to
personality dynamics and motivations.
8. Content-analysis: Content-analysis consists of
analyzing the contents of documentary materials
such as books, magazines, newspapers and the
contents of all other verbal materials which can be
either spoken or printed.
SECONDARY DATA
Secondary data are those which have already
been collected by someone and have gone
though the statistical analysis.
It is collected by party not related to the
research study but collected these data fro
some other purpose and at different time in the
past.
Secondary data means data that are already
available i.e., they refer to the data which have
already been collected and analysed by
someone else. When the researcher utilises
secondary data, then he has to look into various
sources from where he can obtain them.
Sources of secondary data:
• Internal sources: Company records, Employee
records, Sales data, financial data, Transport data,
Storage data.
• External sources: Govt publications, foreign govt
and other international publications, Journals,
reports and publications of many association
connected with bank, stock exchange , reports
prepared by research scholars.

Evaluation of secondary data---- Research

authentication
OR
Cautions before using secondary data
1. Reliability of data
2. Suitability of data
3. Adequacy of data
Advantages of secondary data
Save cost and time
Accessibility of data
Assessment of data(Information can be used to
compare and helpful in supporting the primary
data)

Disadvantages of secondary data

Applicability of data
Accuracy of data
Outdated data