Research and Data

Collection UNIT 3 COLLECTION OF DATA

STRUCTURE
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Meaning and Need for Data
3.3 Primary and Secondary Data
3.4 Sources of Secondary Data
3.4.1 Documentary Sources of Data
3.4.2 Electronic Sources
3.4.3 Precautions in Using Secondary Data
3.4.4 Merits and Limitations of Secondary Data
3.5 Methods of Collecting Primary Data
3.5.1 Observation Method
3.5.2 Interview Method
3.5.3 Through Local Reporters and Correspondents
3.5.4 Questionnaire and Schedule Methods
3.6 Choice of Suitable Method
3.7 Let Us Sum Up
3.8 Key Words
3.9 Answers to Self Assessment Exercises
3.10 Terminal Questions
3.11 Further Reading

3.0 OBJECTIVES
On the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
l discuss the necessity and usefulness of data collection,
l explain and distinguish between primary data and secondary data,
l explain the sources of secondary data and its merits and demerits,
l describe different methods of collecting primary data and their merits and
demerits,
l examine the choice of a suitable method, and
l examine the reliability, suitability and adequacy of secondary data.

3.1 INTRODUCTION
In Unit 2, we have discussed about the selection of a research problem and
formulation of research design. A research design is a blue print which directs
the plan of action to complete the research work. As we have mentioned
earlier, the collection of data is an important part in the process of research
work. The quality and credibility of the results derived from the application of
research methodology depends upon the relevant, accurate and adequate data.
In this unit, we shall study about the various sources of data and methods of
collecting primary and secondary data with their merits and limitations and also
the choice of suitable method for data collection.

3.2 MEANING AND NEED FOR DATA

Data is required to make a decision in any business situation. The researcher is
faced with one of the most difficult problems of obtaining suitable, accurate and
4 4 adequate data. Utmost care must be exercised while collecting data because
the quality of the research results depends upon the reliability of the data. Collection of Data
Suppose, you are the Director of your company. Your Board of Directors has
asked you to find out why the profit of the company has decreased since the
last two years. Your Board wants you to present facts and figures. What are
you going to do?

The first and foremost task is to collect the relevant information to make an
analysis for the above mentioned problem. It is, therefore, the information
collected from various sources, which can be expressed in quantitative form, for
a specific purpose, which is called data. The rational decision maker seeks to
evaluate information in order to select the course of action that maximizes
objectives. For decision making, the input data must be appropriate. This
depends on the appropriateness of the method chosen for data collection. The
application of a statistical technique is possible when the questions are
answerable in quantitative nature, for instance; the cost of production, and profit
of the company measured in rupees, age of the workers in the company
measured in years. Therefore, the first step in statistical activities is to gather
data. The data may be classified as primary and secondary data. Let us now
discuss these two kinds of data in detail.

3.3 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DATA

The Primary data are original data which are collected for the first time for a
specific purpose. Such data are published by authorities who themselves are
responsible for their collection. The Secondary data on the other hand, are
those which have already been collected by some other agency and which have
already been processed. Secondary data may be available in the form of
published or unpublished sources. For instance, population census data
collected by the Government in a country is primary data for that Government.
But the same data becomes secondary for those researchers who use it later.
In case you have decided to collect primary data for your investigation, you
have to identify the sources from where you can collect that data. For example,
if you wish to study the problems of the workers of X Company Ltd., then the
workers who are working in that company are the source. On the other hand,
if you have decided to use secondary data, you have to identify the secondary
source who have already collected the related data for their study purpose.

With the above discussion, we can understand that the difference between
primary and secondary data is only in terms of degree. That is that the data
which is primary in the hands of one becomes secondary in the hands of
another.

Self Assessment Exercise A

1) What do you mean by data? Why it is needed for research?
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2) Distinguish between primary and secondary data. Illustrate your answer with
examples.
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Research and Data
Collection 3.4 SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA
We have discussed above the meaning of primary and secondary data.
Sometimes, it is not possible to collect primary data due to time, cost and
human resource constraints. Therefore, researchers have to take the help of
secondary data. Now let us discuss, (a) various sources from where, one can
get secondary data, (b) precautions while using secondary data, its merits and
demerits and some documentary and electronic sources of data in India.

3.4.1 Documentary Sources of Data

This category of secondary data source may also be termed as Paper Source.
The main sources of documentary data can be broadly classified into two
categories:

a) Published sources, and

b) Unpublished sources.
Let us discuss these two categories in detail.

a) Published Sources
There are various national and international institutions, semi-official reports of
various committees and commissions and private publications which collect and
publish statistical data relating to industry, trade, commerce, health etc. These
publications of various organisations are useful sources of secondary data.
These are as follows:

1) Government Publications: Central and State Governments publish current

information alongwith statistical data on various subjects, quarterly and annually.
For example, Monthly Statistical Abstract, National Income Statistics, Economic
Survey, Reports of National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCEAR),
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Indian
Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Central Statistical Organisation
(CSO), etc.
2) International Publications: The United Nations Organisation (UNO),
International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF),
World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) etc., also publish relevant data
and reports.
3) Semi-official Publications: Semi-official organisations like Corporations,
District Boards, Panchayat etc. publish reports.
4) Committees and Commissions: Several committees and commissions
appointed by State and Central Governments provide useful secondary data. For
example, the report of the 10th Financial Commission or Fifth Pay Commissions
etc.
5) Private Publications: Newspapers and journals publish the data on different
fields of Economics, Commerce and Trade. For example, Economic Times,
Financial Express etc. and Journals like Economist, Economic and Political
Weekly, Indian Journal of Commerce, Journal of Industry and Trade, Business
Today etc. Some of the research and financial institutions also publish their
reports annually like Indian Institute of Finance. In addition to this, reports
prepared by research scholars, universities etc. also provide secondary source
4 6 of information.
b) Unpublished Sources Collection of Data

It is not necessary that all the information/data maintained by the institutions or

individuals are available in published form. Certain research institutions, trade
associations, universities, research scholars, private firms, business institutions
etc., do collect data but they normally do not publish it. We can get this
information from their registers, files etc.

3.4.2 Electronic Sources

The secondary data is also available through electronic media (through Internet).
You can download data from such sources by entering web sites like
google.com; yahoo.com; msn.com; etc., and typing your subject for which the
information is needed.

You can also find secondary data on electronic sources like CDs, and the
following online journals:

Electronic Journal http://businessstandard.com

Electronic Journal http://www.businessworldindia.com
Electronic Journal http://www.business-today.com
Electronic Journal http://www.india-invest.com
Census of India http://www.censusindia.net
Union Budget and Economic Survey http://www.indianbudget.nic.in
Directory of Government of India http://goidirectory.nic.in
Institutions
Indian Council of Agricultural Research http://www.icar.org.in
Ministry of Commerce and Industry http://www.commin.nic.in
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade http://www.iift.edu
Department of Industrial Policy and http://www.dipp.nic.in
Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and
Industry
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & http://www.fccimin.in
Public Distribution
Khadi and Village Industries http://www.kvic.org.in
Board for Industrial & Financial http://www.bifr.nic.in
Reconstruction
Building Material & Technology http://www.bmtpc.org
Promotion Council
Central Food Technological Research http://www.cftri.com
Institute
National Council for Traders Information http://www.ncti-india.com
National Handloom Development http://www.nhdcltd.com
Corporation Ltd.
The Associated Chamber of Commerce http://www.assochm.org
and Industry
Federation of Indian Chambers of http://www.ficiofindia.com
Commerce and Industry
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Research and Data Now you have learnt that the secondary data are available in documents, either
Collection published or unpublished, and electronic sources. However, you have to take
precautions while using secondary data in research. Let us discuss them in
detail.

3.4.3 Precaution in Using Secondary Data

With the above discussion, we can understand that there is a lot of published
and unpublished sources where researcher can gets secondary data. However,
the researcher must be cautious in using this type of data. The reason is that
such type of data may be full of errors because of bias, inadequate size of the
sample, errors of definitions etc. Bowley expressed that it is never safe to take
published or unpublished statistics at their face value without knowing their
meaning and limitations. Hence, before using secondary data, you must examine
the following points.

Suitability of Secondary Data

Before using secondary data, you must ensure that the data are suitable for the
purpose of your enquiry. For this, you should compare the objectives, nature and
scope of the given enquiry with the original investigation. For example, if the
objective of our enquiry is to study the salary pattern of a firm including perks
and allowances of employees. But, secondary data is available only on basic
pay. Such type of data is not suitable for the purpose of the study.

Reliability of Secondary Data

For the reliability of secondary data, these can be tested: i) unbiasedness of the
collecting person, ii) proper check on the accuracy of field work, iii) the editing,
tabulating and analysis done carefully, iv) the reliability of the source of
information, v) the methods used for the collection and analysis of the data. If
the data collecting organisations are government, semi-government and
international, the secondary data are more reliable corresponding to data
collected by individual and private organisations.

Adequacy of Secondary Data

Adequacy of secondary data is to be judged in the light of the objectives of the

research. For example, our objective is to study the growth of industrial
production in India. But the published report provide information on only few
states, then the data would not serve the purpose. Adequacy of the data may
also be considered in the light of duration of time for which the data is
available. For example, for studying the trends of per capita income of a
country, we need data for the last 10 years, but the information available for
the last 5 years only, which would not serve our objective.

Hence, we should use secondary data if it is reliable, suitable and adequate.

3.4.4 Merits and Limitations of Secondary Data

Merits

1) Secondary data is much more economical and quicker to collect than primary
data, as we need not spend time and money on designing and printing data
collection forms (questionnaire/schedule), appointing enumerators, editing and
tabulating data etc.
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2) It is impossible to an individual or small institutions to collect primary data with Collection of Data
regard to some subjects such as population census, imports and exports of
different countries, national income data etc. but can obtain from secondary
data.
Limitations
1) Secondary data is very risky because it may not be suitable, reliable, adequate
and also difficult to find which exactly fit the need of the present investigation.
2) It is difficult to judge whether the secondary data is sufficiently accurate or not
for our investigation.
3) Secondary data may not be available for some investigations. For example,
bargaining strategies in live products marketing, impact of T.V. advertisements
on viewers, opinion polls on a specific subject, etc. In such situations we have to
collect primary data.
Self Assessment Exercise B

1) Write names of five web sources of secondary data which have not been
included in the above table.
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2) Explain the merits and limitations of using secondary data.
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3) What precautions must a researcher take before using the secondary data?
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4) In the following situations indicate whether data from a census should be

taken?
i) A TV manufacturer wants to obtain data on customer preferences with
respect to size of TV.
ii) IGNOU wants to determine the acceptability of its employees for
subscribing to a new employee insurance programme.
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3.5 METHODS OF COLLECTING PRIMARY DATA

If the available secondary data does not meet the requirements of the present
study, the researcher has to collect primary data. As mentioned earlier, the data
which is collected for the first time by the researcher for his own purpose is 4 9
Research and Data called primary data. There are several methods of collecting primary data, such
Collection
as observation, interview through reporters, questionnaires and schedules. Let us
study about them in detail.

3.5.1 Observation Method

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines observation as, ‘accurate watching and
noting of phenomena as they occur in nature with regard to cause and effect
or mutual relations’. Thus observation is not only a systematic watching but it
also involves listening and reading, coupled with consideration of the seen
phenomena. It involves three processes. They are: sensation, attention or
concentration and perception.

Under this method, the researcher collects information directly through

observation rather than through the reports of others. It is a process of
recording relevant information without asking anyone specific questions and in
some cases, even without the knowledge of the respondents. This method of
collection is highly effective in behavioural surveys. For instance, a study on
behaviour of visitors in trade fairs, observing the attitude of workers on the job,
bargaining strategies of customers etc. Observation can be participant
observation or non-participant observation. In Participant Observation
Method, the researcher joins in the daily life of informants or organisations,
and observes how they behave. In the Non-participant Observation Method,
the researcher will not join the informants or organisations but will watch from
outside.

Merits
1) This is the most suitable method when the informants are unable or reluctant to
provide information.
2) This method provides deeper insights into the problem and generally the data is
accurate and quicker to process. Therefore, this is useful for intensive study
rather than extensive study.
Limitations
Despite of the above merits, this method suffers from the following limitations:

1) In many situations, the researcher cannot predict when the events will occur. So
when an event occurs there may not be a ready observer to observe the event.
2) Participants may be aware of the observer and as a result may alter their
behaviour.
3) Observer, because of personal biases and lack of training, may not record
specifically what he/she observes.
4) This method cannot be used extensively if the inquiry is large and spread over a
wide area.
3.5.2 Interview Method
Interview is one of the most powerful tools and most widely used method for
primary data collection in business research. In our daily routine we see
interviews on T.V. channels on various topics related to social, business, sports,
budget etc. In the words of C. William Emory, ‘personal interviewing is a two-
way purposeful conversation initiated by an interviewer to obtain information
5 0 that is relevant to some research purpose’. Thus an interview is basically, a
meeting between two persons to obtain the information related to the proposed Collection of Data
study. The person who is interviewing is named as interviewer and the person
who is being interviewed is named as informant. It is to be noted that, the
research data/information collect through this method is not a simple
conversation between the investigator and the informant, but also the glances,
gestures, facial expressions, level of speech etc., are all part of the process.
Through this method, the researcher can collect varied types of data intensively
and extensively.

Interviewes can be classified as direct personal interviews and indirect personal

interviews. Under the techniques of direct personal interview, the investigator
meets the informants (who come under the study) personally, asks them
questions pertaining to enquiry and collects the desired information. Thus if a
researcher intends to collect the data on spending habits of Delhi University
(DU) students, he/ she would go to the DU, contact the students, interview
them and collect the required information.

Indirect personal interview is another technique of interview method where it

is not possible to collect data directly from the informants who come under the
study. Under this method, the investigator contacts third parties or witnesses,
who are closely associated with the persons/situations under study and are
capable of providing necessary information. For example, an investigation
regarding a bribery pattern in an office. In such a case it is inevitable to get
the desired information indirectly from other people who may be knowing them.
Similarly, clues about the crimes are gathered by the CBI. Utmost care must be
exercised that these persons who are being questioned are fully aware of the
facts of the problem under study, and are not motivated to give a twist to the
facts.

Another technique for data collection through this method can be structured and
unstructured interviewing. In the Structured interview set questions are asked
and the responses are recorded in a standardised form. This is useful in large
scale interviews where a number of investigators are assigned the job of
interviewing. The researcher can minimise the bias of the interviewer. This
technique is also named as formal interview. In Un-structured interview, the
investigator may not have a set of questions but have only a number of key
points around which to build the interview. Normally, such type of interviews
are conducted in the case of an explorative survey where the researcher is not
completely sure about the type of data he/ she collects. It is also named as
informal interview. Generally, this method is used as a supplementary method of
data collection in conducting research in business areas.

Now-a-days, telephone or cellphone interviews are widely used to obtain the

desired information for small surveys. For instance, interviewing credit card
holders by banks about the level of services they are receiving. This technique
is used in industrial surveys specially in developed regions.

Merits
The major merits of this method are as follows:

1) People are more willing to supply information if approached directly. Therefore,

personal interviews tend to yield high response rates.
2) This method enables the interviewer to clarify any doubt that the interviewee
might have while asking him/her questions. Therefore, interviews are helpful in
getting reliable and valid responses. 5 1
Research and Data 3) The informant’s reactions to questions can be properly studied.
Collection
4) The researcher can use the language of communication according to the
standard of the information, so as to obtain personal information of informants
which are helpful in interpreting the results.
Limitations
The limitations of this method are as follows:

1) The chance of the subjective factors or the views of the investigator may come
in either consciously or unconsciously.
2) The interviewers must be properly trained, otherwise the entire work may be
spoiled.
3) It is a relatively expensive and time-consuming method of data collection
especially when the number of persons to be interviewed is large and they are
spread over a wide area.
4) It cannot be used when the field of enquiry is large (large sample).
Precautions : While using this method, the following precautions should be
taken:

l obtain thorough details of the theoretical aspects of the research problem.

l Identify who is to be interviewed.
l The questions should be simple, clear and limited in number.
l The investigator should be sincere, efficient and polite while collecting data.
l The investigator should be of the same area (field of study, district, state etc.).

Self Assessment Exercise C

1) How can data be collected through the Observation Method?

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2) Distinguish between the observation and the interview method of data
collection.
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3.5.3 Through Local Reporters and Correspondents

Under this method, local investigators/agents or correspondents are appointed in

different parts of the area under investigation. This method is generally adopted
by government departments in those cases where regular information is to be
collected. This method is also useful for newspapers, magazines, radio and TV
news channels. This method has been used when regular information is required

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and a high degree of accuracy is not of much importance. Collection of Data

Merits
1) This method is cheap and economical for extensive investigations.
2) It gives results easily and promptly.
3) It can cover a wide area under investigation.
Limitations
1) The data obtained may not be reliable.
2) It gives approximate and rough results.
3) It is unsuited where a high degree of accuracy is desired.
4) As the agent/reporter or correspondent uses his own judgement, his personal
bias may affect the accuracy of the information sent.
3.5.4 Questionnaire and Schedule Methods

Questionnaire and schedule methods are the popular and common methods for
collecting primary data in business research. Both the methods comprise a list
of questions arranged in a sequence pertaining to the investigation. Let us study
these methods in detail one after another.

i) Questionnaire Method

Under this method, questionnaires are sent personally or by post to various

informants with a request to answer the questions and return the questionnaire.
If the questionnaire is posted to informants, it is called a Mail Questionnaire.
Sometimes questionnaires may also sent through E-mail depending upon the
nature of study and availability of time and resources. After receiving the
questionnaires the informants read the questions and record their responses in
the space meant for the purpose on the questionnaire. It is desirable to send
the quetionnaire with self-addressed envelopes for quick and high rate of
response.

Merits
1) You can use this method in cases where informants are spread over a vast
geographical area.
2) Respondents can take their own time to answer the questions. So the researcher
can obtain original data by this method.
3) This is a cheap method because its mailing cost is less than the cost of personal
visits.
4) This method is free from bias of the investigator as the information is given by
the respondents themselves.
5) Large samples can be covered and thus the results can be more reliable and
dependable.
Limitations
1) Respondents may not return filled in questionnaires, or they can delay in replying
to the questionnaires. 5 3
Research and Data 2) This method is useful only when the respondents are educated and co-operative.
Collection
3) Once the questionnaire has been despatched, the investigator cannot modify the
questionnaire.
4) It cannot be ensured whether the respondents are truly representative.
ii) Schedule Method

As discussed above, a Schedule is also a list of questions, which is used to

collect the data from the field. This is generally filled in by the researcher or
the enumerators. If the scope of the study is wide, then the researcher appoints
people who are called enumerators for the purpose of collecting the data. The
enumerators go to the informants, ask them the questions from the schedule in
the order they are listed and record the responses in the space meant for the
answers in the schedule itself. For example, the population census all over the
world is conducted through this method. The difference between questionnaire
and schedule is that the former is filled in by the informants, the latter is filled
in by the researcher or enumerator.

Merits
1) It is a useful method in case the informants are illiterates.
2) The researcher can overcome the problem of non-response as the enumerators
go personally to obtain the information.
3) It is very useful in extensive studies and can obtain more reliable data.
Limitations
1) It is a very expensive and time-consuming method as enumerators are paid
persons and also have to be trained.
2) Since the enumerator is present, the respondents may not respond to some
personal questions.
3) Reliability depends upon the sincerity and commitment in data collection.
The success of data collection through the questionnaire method or schedule
method depends on how the questionnaire has been designed.

Designing the Questionnaire

The success of collecting data either through the questionnaire method or
through the schedule method depends largely on the proper design of the
questionnaire. This is a specialised job and a requires high degree of skill,
experience, thorough knowledge of the research topic, ability to frame questions
and a great deal of patience. There are no hard and fast rules in designing the
questionnaire. However, the following general guidelines may be helpful in this
connection.

l The number of questions should be minimised as far as possible because

informants may not like to spend much time to answer a lengthy questionnaires.
l The questions should be precise, clear and unambiguous. Lengthy questions tend
to confuse the informant.
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l Choose the appropriate type of questions. Generally there are five kinds of Collection of Data

questions used in questionnaires. They are as follows :

i) Simple choice questions which offer the respondents a choice between two
answers, such as, ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’. ‘Do you own a
computer?’ Can easily be answered with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
ii) Multiple choice questions are often used as a follow-up to simple choice
questions. This type of questions provide a choice between a number of
factors that might influence informant preferences. For example, where do
you sell your agricultural products? a) In village market, b) In a regulated
market, c) To commission agent, d) Any other…
iii) Open-ended questions allow the informants to give any related answer in
their own words. For example, what should be done to enhance the
practical utility of commerce programmes?
iv) Specific questions which require specific information. For example, “From
where did you take the loan for your business.”
v) Scaled questions are used to record how strongly the opinions are
expressed. For example, How do you rate the facilities provided by the
market committee?
a) Very good, b) Good, c) Normal, d) Bad, or e) Very bad.
l The questions should be arranged in a logical sequence to avoid embarrassment.
For example, asking a question how many children do you have? Then the next
question : Are you married?
l Questions which require calculations should be avoided. For example, question
regarding yearly income of the respondents who are getting daily wage or piece
wages, should not be asked.
Pilot testing or Pre-testing the Questionnaire
Before finalising the questionnaire, it is desirable to carry out a preliminary
experiment on a sample basis. The investigator should examine each question to
ensure that the question is not confusing, leading to biased responses etc. The
real test of a questionnaire is how it performs under actual conditions of data
collection. This test can be carried out among small groups of subjects in order
to provide an estimate of the time needed for responding to the survey. The
questionnaire pre-test serves the same role in questionnaire design as testing a
new product in the market. As test marketing provides the real test of
customer reactions to the product and the accompanying marketing programmes,
in the same way, the pre-test provides the real test of the questionnaire.
Therefore this work must be done with utmost care and caution to yield good
results.

Specimen Questionnaire
The following specimen questionnaire incorporates most of the qualities which
we have discussed above. It relates to ‘Computer User Survey’.

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Research and Data
Collection Computer User Survey
1. What brand of Computer do you primarily use?
(i) IBM (ii) Compaq
(iii) HCL (iv) Dell
(v) Siemens (vi) Any other
_____________
(please specify)
2. Where was the computer purchased?
(i) Computer store (ii) Mail order
(iii) Manufacturer (iv) Company Dealer
(v) Any other _____________
3. How long have you been using computers? ______years
_____months.
4. In a week about how many hours do you spend on the computer ____
hours?
5. Which database management package do you use most often?
(i) Dbase-II (ii) Dbase-III
(iii) Lotus 1,2,3 (iv) MS-Excel
(v) Oracle (vi) Any other
_____________
(please specify)
6. Does the computer, that you primarily use, have a hard disk
Yes No
7. Where did you obtain the software that you use?
(i) Computer user group (ii) Regular dealer
(iii) Mail order (iv) Directly from Software
(v) Any other _____________ dealer
8. On the following 9-point scale, rate the degree of difficulty that you have
encountered in using the computer.
Extremely difficult 123456789 Not difficult
9. If you have to purchase a personal computer today, which one would
you be most likely to purchase?
(i) IBM (ii) Compaq
(iii) HCL (iv) Dell
(v) Siemens (vi) Any other
_____________
(please specify)
10. What is your sex Male Female
11. Please state your date of birh .............. ............... ..............
Month Day Year
12. Your Qualifications
(i) Secondary (ii) Sr. Secondary
(iii) Graduate (iv) Post-graduate
(v) Doctorate (vi) Any other
_____________
(please specify)
13. Which of the following best describe you primary field of
employment.
(i) Medical (ii) Education
(iii) Business (iv) Government
(v) Technical (vi) Any other ____________
(please specify)
14. What is your current Salary?
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 Collection of Data
3.6 CHOICE OF SUITABLE METHOD
You have noticed that there are various methods and techniques for the
collection of primary data. You should be careful while selecting the method
which should be appropriate and effective. The selection of the methods
depends upon various factors like scope and objectives of the inquiry, time,
availability of funds, subject matter of the research, the kind of information
required, degree of accuracy etc. As apprised, every method has its own merits
and demerits. For example, the observation method is suitable for field surveys
when the incident is really happening, the interview method is suitable where
direct observation is not possible. Local reporter/correspondent method is
suitable when information is required at regular intervals. The questionnaire
method is appropriate in extensive enquiries where sample is large and
scattered over large geographical areas and the respondents are able to express
their responses in writing. The Schedule method is suitable in case respondents
are illiterate.

Self Assessment Exercise D

1) List out the methods of collecting primary data.
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2) Point out the major problems in constructing questionnaires.
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3) Distinguish between direct personal interview and indirect interview. Give
suitable examples.
....................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
4) Distinguish between Schedule and Questionnaire?
....................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
5) Are the following statement true or false?
a) Interview method introduces more bias than the use of questionnaire.
b) ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ type questions should not be used in questionnaires unless
only one of the two answer is possible.
c) Open questions are more difficult than most other types to tabulate.

3.7 LET US SUM UP

In this unit we elaborated on the meaning of data, methods of data collection,
merits and limitations of data collection, precautions which are needed for the
collection of data. 5 7
Research and Data The information collected from various processes for a specific purpose is
Collection
called data. Statistical data may be either primary data or secondary data. Data
which is collected originally for a specific purpose is called primary data. The
data which is already collected and processed by some one else and is being
used now in the present study, is called secondary data. Secondary data can be
obtained either from published sources or unpublished sources. It should be used
if it is reliable, suitable and adequate, otherwise it may result in misleading
conclusions. It has its own merits and demerits. There are several problems in
the collection of primary data. These are: tools and techniques of data
collection, degree of accuracy, designing the questionnaire, selection and training
of enumerators, problem of tackling non-responses and other administrative
aspects.

Several methods are used for collection of primary data. These are: observation,
interview, questionnaire and schedule methods. Every method has its own merits
and demerits. Hence, no method is suitable in all situations. The suitable method
can be selected as per the needs of the investigator which depends on objective
nature and scope of the enquiry, availability of funds and time.

3.8 KEY WORDS

Data: Quantitative or/ and qualitative information, collected for study and
analysis.
Interview: A method of collecting primary data by meeting the informants and
asking the questions.
Observation: The process of observing individuals in controlled situations.
Questionnaire: is a device for collection of primary data containing a list of
questions pertaining to enquiry, sent to the informants, and the informant himself
writes the answers.
Primary Data: Data that is collected originally for the first time.
Secondary Data: Data which were collected and processed by someone else
but are being used in the present study.
Published Sources: Sources which consist of published statistical information.
Schedule: is a device for collection of primary data containing a list of
questions to be filled in by the enumerators who are specially appointed for that
purpose.

3.9 ANSWERS TO SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISES

A. 1) In many business companies, some of the data required for statistical
analysis are obtained from internal sources like computer files of accounting
data. Together with internal data, business often uses data from external
sources. For example, aggregate data on national economic activity are
readily available from CSO, annual report of Ministry of Labour,
Government of India.
2) Data which is collected originally is called primary data and the same
collected by others are called secondary data. For example, a researcher
interested in knowing what consumer’s choice about the brand of
5 8
 toothpaste, he or she must make a survey and collect data on the opinions of Collection of Data
the consumer. This is called primary data. The data obtained from published
and unpublished sources is called secondary data.
B. 1) l http://www.bis.org.in
l http://www.business-today.com
l http://www.businessonlineindia.com
l http://www.indiacofee.org
l http://www.dgft.nic.in
IV. i) No, ii) No

D. 1) Observation Method, interview method, data collection through reporters/

correspondents, questionnaries and schedule methods.

2) a) What information will be sought?

b) What type of questionnaire will be required?
c) How many questions will be used?
d) What will the content of the individual questions be?
e) How will those questionnaires be administered?

3) i) Personal Interview: Under this method, the investigator collects

information personally from the concerned sources.
ii) Indirect Interview : Under this method, the investigator contacts third
parties or witnesses capable of supplying the necessary information.
5) i) True ii) True iii) True.

3.10 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1) What precautions would you take while using the data from secondary
sources.
2) Explain what precautions must be taken while designing a questionnaire
in order that it may be really useful. Illustrate your answer giving
suitable examples.
3) Construct a suitable questionnaire containing not more than twenty five
questions pertaining to the sales promotion of your company’s product.
4) Distinguish between the following :
a) Primary and Secondary Data
b) Internal and External Data
c) A Schedule and Questionnaire
5) Explain the various methods of collecting primary data pointing out their
merits and demerits?
6) What is the need for pre-testing the drafted questionnaire.

Note: These questions/exercises will help you to understand the unit better.
Try to write answers for them. But do not submit your answers to the
university for assessment. These are for your practice only.

5 9
Research and Data
Collection 3.11 FURTHER READING
The following text books may be used for more indepth study on the topics
dealt with in this unit.
Kothari, C.R. 2004. Research Methodology Methods and Techniques, New
Age International (P) Limited : New Delhi.
Rao K.V. 1993. Research Methodology in Commerce and Management,
Sterling Publishers Private Limited : New Delhi.
Sadhu, A.N. and A. Singh, 1980. Research Methodology in Social Sciences,
Sterling Publishers Private Limited : New Delhi.

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