Answer to Question #159256 in Management for Kamal

Question

1.Give atleast 5 advantages and at least 5 disadvantages of

a)primary method of Data Collection

b)secondary method of Data Collection

2. What conditions necessitate collection of primary data ?(please give at least 5 conditions with elaboration) ?

Answer 1

1.    Advantages of primary method of data collection

It provides firsthand, unmediated information that is closest to the subject of study thus more accurate.

It eliminates subjective bias.

The samples and research design can be controlled e.g. large samples can be used to provide more reliability.

It helps to address and resolve specific research issues.

Data is not affected by past behavior or future intentions in the case of observation method.

·       Disadvantages of primary method of data collection

The methodologies under primary method are quite expensive because the researcher has to follow the whole study procedure.

Unforeseen factors may interfere with the data collection process.

It is a time consuming research process compared to secondary method.

Information obtained can be limited because data is limited to a specific time, place or number of participants.

It’s not always possible to collect primary data e.g. where a research is too large to be performed.

·       Advantages of secondary method of data collection

Data sources are very easy to access especially with the presence of the Internet.

Secondary sources are obtained at low costs or are absolutely free.

It is a time-saving method compared to primary method.

It supports generating new insights from previous analyses as well as longitudinal analysis of different data.

Anyone can perform secondary data research unlike primary data that is limited to people familiar with the different types of quantitative and qualitative research.

·       Disadvantages of secondary method of data collection

It is not specific to suit a researcher’s needs thus may be unreliable or not useful in many cases.

A researcher lacks control over the quality of data and may have to go the extra length of researching how the information was collected and analyzed.

It leaves room for bias as the data is biased in favor of the person who collected it.

The information gathered may not be as timely as that of primary data and may be out-of-date.

It does not provide proprietary information as the data is available to many other people.

2.    Conditions necessitating collection of primary data

Market research – market research involves gathering information about a target market and customer needs. Data gathered during market research is primary as it is designed to specifically meet the business needs.

Thesis research – students collect data using primary methodologies when conducting academic research. Data collected varies depending on the type of research being conducted e.g. statistical data, lab experiments etc.

Obtaining data on traumatic experiences – e.g. when researching about victims of sexual assault, the experiences differ and every situation is different. Thus, collecting data will include conducting a survey, interviewing the victims or any other suitable primary data source.

Geographic data – data collection is an essential activity in obtaining data for spatial decision-making. Geographic researchers conduct primary investigations on specific locations or phenomenon through field sketching and direct mapping, interviewing, measurements, photography and questionnaires.

Census data – government census gathers information about members of a given population. Variables of a census data such as population count, income, ethnicity distribution and housing value can only be obtained through primary sources of data collection.