Higher Nationals in Computing

Unit 13: Computing Research Project

ASSIGNMENT 1

Learner’s name: Tran Vu Linh

ID: GCS18741
Class: GCS0706A
Subject code: 1639
Assessor name: PHAN MINH TAM

Assignment due: Assignment submitted:

 ASSIGNMENT 1 FRONT SHEET

Qualification BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Computing

Unit number and title Unit 13: Computing Research Project

Submission date Date Received 1st submission

Re-submission Date Date Received 2nd submission

Student Name Student ID

Class Assessor name Phan Minh Tam

Student declaration
I certify that the assignment submission is entirely my own work and I fully understand the consequences of plagiarism. I understand that
making a false declaration is a form of malpractice.

Student’s signature

Grading grid
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 M1 M2 M3 D1 D2
 Summative Feedback:  Resubmission Feedback:

Grade: Assessor Signature: Date:

Signature & Date:

 ASSIGNMENT 1 BRIEF
Qualification BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Computing

Unit number UNIT 13: Computing Research Project

Assignment title Proposing and conducting a research project

Academic Year 2020 – 2021

Unit Tutor TamPM

Issue date 13 Jan 2021 Submission date

IV name and date

Submission Format:

Format: The submission is in the form of 1 document

You must use font Calibri size 12, set number of the pages and use multiple line spacing at
1.3. Margins must be: left: 1.25 cm; right: 1 cm; top: 1 cm and bottom: 1 cm. The reference
follows Harvard referencing system.
Submission Students are compulsory to submit the assignment in due date and in a way requested by
the Tutors. The form of submission will be a soft copy posted on
http://cms.greenwich.edu.vn/
Note: The Assignment must be your own work, and not copied by or from another student or from
books etc. If you use ideas, quotes or data (such as diagrams) from books, journals or other sources, you
must reference your sources, using the Harvard style. Make sure that you know how to reference
properly, and that understand the guidelines on plagiarism. If you do not, you definitely get failed

Unit Learning Outcomes:

LO1 Examine appropriate research methodologies and approaches as part of the research process
LO2 Conduct and analyse research relevant for a computing research project
LO3 Communicate the outcomes of a research project to identified stakeholders

Assignment Brief and Guidance:

Scenario
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the term which refers to the ever-growing network of physical objects with
embedded sensors which can connect together via the internet allowing communication to occur
between these objects and many other Internet-enabled devices and systems. The IoT is quickly
becoming a necessary aspect of people’s daily lives. Physical items can now sense and collect data which
can be controlled through digital and smart technology. The IoT extends internet connectivity beyond
traditional devices like desktop and laptop computers, smartphones and tablets to a diverse range of
devices that can utilise embedded technology such as security systems, thermostats, cars, electronic
appliances, lights, medical equipment etc. These devices, often called "connected" or "smart" devices,
can talk to other related devices (machine-to-machine (M2M) communication) and act on the
information they get from one another. Along with the many benefits there is also considerable concern
over the IoT which must be overcome in order to harness the power of this free flow of information. This
unit will enable students to explore the benefits of the IoT, the potential future developments, the most
pressing challenges and how to overcome them.
The range of topics discussed could cover the following:

 Underpinning security and privacy issues and resolutions: data mining, data processing (e.g.
GDPR), encryption (e.g. blockchain)
 Smart homes, smart buildings and smart cities etc and their impact on individuals and society.
 The future of IoT e.g. automate manufacturing, medicine and healthcare, virtual world, AI,
machine learning etc.
 The IT infrastructure required to support IoT e.g. 5G, proliferation of sensors, interoperability

You have to set you own research question in the research proposal base on the previous range of topic.
The research question must be specific enough example: the audience of the research(job, age..), kind of
devices(personal devices, household appliances, or combination of some kinds)

Marking Process

The assignment will be marked based on holistic assessment approach:

 Holistic marking is when the tutor makes academic judgements on grading based on the
assignment as a whole and how criteria contribute to the quality of the work, rather than as
individual parts
 Assessment criteria are not completed and marked as individual tasks.
 Assessment criteria are holistic in context but may also contain reference to specific content
matter to provide guidance for the student if required
Report structure
The recommended outputs of the research are two reports. The first report should cover at least the
following sections:

1. Introduction the purpose of the research

Introduce the research’ purpose, main aims and objectives of the project. What the research will do and
don’t

2. Literature review
o Discuss research methodologies: primary research, secondary research, qualitative,
quantitative, scientific method, research processes, population in research…
o Specify which research methods will be used to carried out the research
o Do a secondary research about
 Discuss IoT and related products
o Conclusion, propose initial hypothesis after the literature review and need to confirm in
primary research
3. Primary research
o Design of primary research: which techniques will be used to collect data such as
interview, questionnaire, experiment,..; the population of the research. All the data
collected in this stage must be supplied in the appendix
4. Analyse the result of the primary research
 Provide the research ‘result with diagrams, numbers
 It should confirm or reject the hypothesis in the literature part
 Provide recommendations for improving the system or future research which could
enhance the results of the current research.
 Suggest the research’s results to some audience(how it is useful for them)
5. Approved project proposal-appendix
6. Approved project plan-appendix
7. Ethical form
8. Other materials which collected while conducting primary research: interview scripts, audio,
experiment notes-appendix
 Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Pass Merit Distinction

LO1 Examine appropriate research methodologies and approaches as

part of the research process
LO1 & 2
P1 Produce a research proposal M1 Evaluate different research
D1 Critically evaluate research
that clearly defines a research approaches and methodology and
methodologies and processes in
question or hypothesis supported make justifications for the choice
application to a computing
by a literature review. of methods selected based on
research project to justify
philosophical/theoretical
chosen research methods and
P2 Examine appropriate research frameworks.
analysis.
methods and approaches to
primary and secondary research.

LO2 Conduct and analyse research relevant for a computing research

project

P3 Conduct primary and M2 Discuss merits, limitations

secondary research using and pitfalls of approaches to data
appropriate methods for a collection and analysis.
computing research project that
consider costs, access and ethical
issues.

P4 Apply appropriate analytical

tools, analyse research findings
and data.

LO3 Communicate the outcomes of a research project to identified D2 Communicate critical

stakeholders analysis of the outcomes and
make valid, justified
P5 Communicate research M3 Coherently and logically recommendations.
outcomes in an appropriate communicate outcomes to the
manner for the intended intended audience demonstrating
audience. how outcomes meet set research
objectives.
 Table of Contents

Contents
Unit 13: Computing Research Project ASSIGNMENT 1 .......................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1: ........................................................................................................................................................... 1
Project Proposal .................................................................................................................................................. 1
5.1 comfort, convenience in daily life of users, automation through electronic devices .................... 2
5.2 Identification and automation, app updates, and voice control of the speaker ............................ 2
5.3 Healthcare, electronic health integration, physiological and environmental sensors. ................. 2
5.4 Teamwork on technology, coordination and user-assigned order processing. ........................................ 3
Chapter 2: ........................................................................................................................................................... 4
Types and Methods of Interviews in Research ................................................................................................... 17
Data collection .................................................................................................................................................. 25
Chapter 4: Data analysis and evaluation ............................................................................................................ 34
Chapter 5: Communicate reseach outcomes ..................................................................................................... 47
 SESSION 1:

Chapter 1:
Project Proposal

1 Title :

Research on future house to convenient for people in family activities

2 Introduction :

We all know how amazing the internet can be. With IoT technology applied to the home. It provides
you access to all sorts of information with a click of a button. But did you know it can help you control
your home and save you money? That's right! The future is no longer just science fiction - here and
cono now! Your home is becoming smart!

Imagine that every single piece of equipment you own is connected to the internet. Your TV set, your
lights, your stove, your water heater, your washing machine, your vacuum cleaner - the list goes on
and on. All of them connected to your wi-fi, and all of them controlled from your phone or computer.
You do not have to imagine anymore. It's all real. And all at your fingerti

This project involves designing and implementing a smart home system that serves people living in a
convenient home, almost all of which is replaced by technology. Many people have a lot of jobs and
do not have time to clean the house, do not worry that the "future house" will help you.

3 Key phrases : Fiction, Internet, Future, Smart, Smart TV set, Smart vacuum cleaner, Smart home
system, IoT, Future house.

4 Aim : Serving human life, all activities in the house are convenient, fast and accurate with the
arrangement of users.

5 Objectives :
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5.1 comfort, convenience in daily life of users, automation through electronic devices

One of the main objectives of the smart home is to ease daily life by increasing user comfort. It does
this by automating typical routines as well as giving homeowners the power to manage their home
systems remotely. By automating many aspects of daily living through remote technology, a smart
home provides the ability to control electronics and appliances from a smartphone, tablet or laptop. It
adds an extra level of convenience and comfort while eliminating the burden of manually maintaining
home systems.

The smart home in action

On a hot day, a smart thermostat can be adjusted using the Nest iPhone app while a user is on her way
home. By the time she arrives, her home is refreshingly cool, but she didn’t need to leave the AC on
full blast the entire time she was gone.

5.2 Identification and automation, app updates, and voice control of the speaker

A context-aware smart home can distinguish location, identity, activity and time. Smart home
technology is considered synonymous with home automation and often referred to as such.
As part of the Internet of Things (IoT), smart home automation systems and devices ideally operate
together, sharing consumer usage data among themselves to determine an algorithm of automated
actions based on the homeowners’ preferences.
The smart home in action
Smart speakers connect to the Internet to access content through applications, such as on-demand
podcasts and music. Standalone smart speakers are voice-controlled, using hands-free technology to
access voice assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa, Sonos One and the Apple HomePod.

5.3 Healthcare, electronic health integration, physiological and environmental sensors .

A smart home with integrated e-health and assisted living technology can play a pivotal role in
revolutionizing the healthcare system for the elderly, the disabled and those with functional
limitations. Households can mesh smart home principles with necessary assistive technology, enabling
the end-users to live as independently and securely as possible. Alongside the more typical smart

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home innovations, some instruments and devices allow healthcare professionals to monitor the
residents’ behaviors/physiological indications and provide assistance for various physical and
neurological disabilities.
The smart home in action
Smart homes are outfitted with unobtrusive and noninvasive environmental and physiological sensors
that include temperature, humidity and smoke in the home, as well as heart rate, body temperature,
blood pressure and blood oxygen level.

5.4 Teamwork on technology, coordination and user-assigned order processing.

Devices start, control and monitor specific processes in the home on their own, depending on the
scenario and on the basis of how they are programmed. Interoperability is the magic word. If devices
are interoperable, they can communicate with each other. Only then does the alarm system activate
itself when the shutters are being closed. Only then does the heating switch itself off when the
window is opened. If there is no interoperability between the elements, the home is simply not smart.

5.5 Flexibility for new equipment and utensils, feature adaptive to modern equipment

Smart home systems tend to be wonderfully flexible when it comes to the accommodation of new
devices and appliances and other technology. No matter how state-of-the-art your appliances seem
today, there will be newer, more impressive models developed as time goes on. Beyond that, you’ll
probably add to your suite of devices as you replace the older ones or discover new technology to
accompany your indoor and outdoor spaces. Being able to integrate these newcomers seamlessly will
make your job as a homeowner much easier, and allow you to keep upgrading to the latest lifestyle
technology.

5.6 Required resources

The house has internet speed from over 24 MB, wifi, housewives with wifi and internet connection
such ( Microwave, pressure cooker, air conditioner, lamp, house sweeper, alarm clock...)

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 Chapter 2:
Literature review and reseaccrch methods
2. Literature review

- Use of saunders research onion as a guide to establishing a methodological approach

The research onion model was presented by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill in their book
titled Research Methods for Business Students. This model aims to explain the different stages
of writing a dissertation to help students create a better organised methodology. The below Research
Onion model symbolically illustrates the ways in which different elements involved in the research
could be examined to develop the final research design.

The research onion consists of six main layers, which can be explained as:

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 - Philosophy

It refers to the set of principles concerning the worldview or stance from which the research is
conducted. It is usually studied in terms of ontology and epistemology. Here, ontology refers to the
authenticity of the information and how one understands its existence, whereas epistemology refers
to the valid information required for the research and how one can obtain it. Philosophical positions
used in academic studies are often divided into positivism and interpretivism, where positivism
assumes that knowledge is independent of the subject being studied, and interpretivism claims that
individual observers have their own perception and understanding of reality. Hence positivist studies
are often more scientific and result in testing phenomena, whereas interpretivist studies are often
qualitative in nature.

- Approach

Once the student has chosen the appropriate methodology, the research onion suggests that an
appropriate research must be picked. The deductive approach starts with a specific hypothesis
development based on the literature review that has been observed by the researcher, and gradually
tries to test this hypothesis and check if it holds in particular contexts. In contrast, the inductive
approach starts with observations that the researcher uses to create a new theory.

- Strategy

After this, the student is expected to devise the strategy of the study. The research onion suggests
that strategies can include action research, experimental research, interviews, surveys, case study
research or a systematic literature review. The strategy is chosen based on the data required for the
research and the purpose of the study.

- Choices of Methods

The research onion suggests mono-method, mixed method and multi-method as possible choices for
conducting research. The mono-method comprises only one method for the study. The mixed method
is based on the use of two or more methods of research and commonly refers to the use of qualitative
and quantitative methodology. Finally, the multi-method uses a wider selection of methods.

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 - Time Horizons

It refers to the time frame of the research. Generally, observations can be of two types based on time
horizons, namely cross-sectional and longitudinal. The cross-sectional data is used when all
observations are for a single point of time such as in most surveys. Longitudinal data, in contrast,
implies the observations for a particular variable that are available for several years, quarters, months
or days.

- Data Collection and Analysis

This is the final layer of the research onion and consists of the techniques and procedures used. It is
used to clearly explain the ways and purposes of the research conducted. At this stage, the student is
expected to choose between the primary and secondary data and between qualitative and
quantitative data collected from different sources. Data is considered the central piece in the research
onion framework.

https://15writers.com/research-onion/

- Conceptualisation of the research problem or hypothesis

2. Primary research

Qualitative, quantitative and mixed method research

Key theoretical frameworks for research

Theories are developed by researchers to explain phenomena, draw connections, and make
predictions. In the theoretical framework, you explain the theories that support your research,
showing that your work is grounded in established ideas.

How to create a theoretical framework

To build your theoretical framework, follow these three steps.

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 - Identify your key concepts

The first step is to pick out the key terms from your problem statement and research questions.
Concepts often have multiple definitions, so the theoretical framework involves clearly defining what
you mean by each term.

The concepts of “customer loyalty” and “customer satisfaction” are clearly central to this study. The
theoretical framework will define these concepts and discuss theories about the relationship between
them.

- Evaluate and explain relevant theories

By conducting a thorough literature review, you can determine how other researchers have defined
and drawn connections between these key concepts. As you write the theoretical framework, aim to
compare and critically evaluate the approaches that different authors have proposed.

After discussing different models and theories, you establish the definitions that best fit your research
and justify why this is the case. In more complex research projects, you might combine theories from
different fields to build your own unique framework.

Make sure to mention the most important theories related to your key concepts. If there is a well-
established theory or model that you don’t want to apply to your own research, explain why it isn’t
suitable for your purposes.

- Show how your research fits in

Apart from discussing other people’s theories, the theoretical framework should show how your own
project will make use of these ideas.

You might aim to do one or more of the following:

 Test whether a theory holds in a specific context

 Use theory as a basis for interpreting your results
 Critique or challenge a theory
 Combine different theories in a new or unique way
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If relevant, you can also use the theoretical framework to develop hypotheses for your research.

The structure of the theoretical framework

In a thesis or dissertation, the theoretical framework is sometimes integrated into a literature

review chapter, but it can also be included as its own chapter or section. If your research involves
dealing with a lot of complex theories, it’s a good idea to include a separate theoretical framework
chapter.

There are no fixed rules for structuring a theoretical framework. The important thing is to create a
clear, logical structure. One option is to draw on your research questions, structuring each section
around a question or key concept.

As in all other parts of your thesis, make sure to properly cite your sources to avoid plagiarism.

Advantages and limitations of qualitative and quantitative research approaches and methods

10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Qualitative Research

Research is about gathering data so that it can inform meaningful decisions. In the workplace, this can
be invaluable in allowing informed decision-making that will meet with wider strategic organizational
goals.

However, research comes in a variety of guises and, depending on the methodologies applied, can
achieve different ends. There are broadly two key approaches to research — qualitative and
quantitative.

Qualitative v Quantitative – what’s the difference?

Qualitative Research is at the touchy-feely end of the spectrum. It’s not so much about bean-counting
and much more about capturing people’s opinions and emotions.

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“Research following a qualitative approach is exploratory and seeks to explain ‘how’ and ‘why’ a
particular phenomenon, or behavior, operates as it does in a particular
context.” (simplypsychology.org)

Examples of the way qualitative research is often gathered includes:

Interviews
Interviews are a conversation based inquiry where questions are used to obtain information from
participants. Interviews are typically structured to meet the researcher’s objectives.

Focus Groups
Focus group discussions are a common qualitative research strategy. In a focus group discussion, the
interviewer talks to a group of people about their thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a
topic. Participants are typically a group who are similar in some way, such as income, education, or
career. In the context of a company, the group dynamic is likely their common experience of the
workplace.

Observation
Observation is a systematic research method in which researchers look at the activity of their subjects
in their typical environment. Observation gives direct information about your research. Using
observation can capture information that participants may not think to reveal or see as important
during interviews/focus groups.

Existing Documents
This is also called secondary data. A qualitative data collection method entails extracting relevant data
from existing documents. This data can then be analyzed using a qualitative data analysis method
called content analysis. Existing documents might be work documents, email, or any other material
relevant to the organization.

Quantitative Research is the ‘bean-counting’ bit of the research spectrum. This isn’t to demean its
value. Now encompassed by the term ‘People Analytics’, it plays an equally important role as a tool for
business decision-making.

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Organizations can use a variety of quantitative data-gathering methods to track productivity. In turn,
this can help:

 To rank employees and work units

 To award raises or promotions.
 To measure and justify termination or disciplining of staff
 To measure productivity
 To measure group/individual targets

Examples might include measuring workforce productivity. If Widget Makers Inc., has two production
lines and Line A is producing 25% more per day than Line B, capturing this data immediately informs
management/HR of potential issues. Is the slower production on Line B due to human factors or is
there a production process issue?

Quantitative Research can help capture real-time activities in the workplace and point towards what
needs management attention.

The Pros & Cons of the Qualitative approach

By its nature, qualitative research is far more experiential and focussed on capturing people’s feeling
and views. This undoubtedly has value, but it can also bring many more challenges than those simply
capturing quantitative data. Here are a few challenges and benefits to consider.

The Pros

- Qualitative Research can capture changing attitudes within a target group such as
consumers of a product or service, or attitudes in the workplace.

- Qualitative approaches to research are not bound by the limitations of quantitative

methods. If responses don’t fit the researcher’s expectation that’s equally useful qualitative
data to add context and perhaps explain something which numbers alone are unable to
reveal.

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 - Qualitative Research provides a much more flexible approach. If useful insights are not
being captured researchers can quickly adapt questions, change the setting or any other
variable to improve responses.

- Qualitative data capture allows researchers to be far more speculative about what areas
they choose to investigate and how to do so. It allows data capture to be prompted by a
researcher’s instinctive or ‘gut feel’ for where good information will be found.

Qualitative research can be more targeted. If you want to compare productivity across an entire
organization, all parts, process, and participants need to be accounted for. Qualitative research can be
far more concentrated, sampling specific groups and key points in a company to gather meaningful
data. This can both speed the process of data capture and keep the costs of data-gathering down.

The Cons

- Sample size can be a big issue. If you seek to infer from a sample of, for example, 200
employees, based upon a sample of 5 employees, this raises the question of whether
sampling will provide a true reflection of the views of the remaining 97.5% of the
company?

- Sample bias – HR departments will have competing agendas. One argument against
qualitative methods alone is that HR tasked with finding the views of the workforce may
be influenced both consciously or unconsciously, to select a sample that favors an
anticipated outcome.

- Self-selection bias may arise where companies ask staff to volunteer their views. Whether
in a paper, online survey or focus group, if an HR department calls for participants there
will be the issue of staff putting themselves forward. The argument goes that this group, in
self-selecting itself, rather than being a randomly selected snapshot of a department, will
inevitably have narrowed its relevance to those that typically are willing to come forward
with their views. Quantitative data is gathered whether someone volunteered or not.

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 - The artificiality of qualitative data capture. The act of bringing together a group is inevitably
outside of the typical ‘norms’ of everyday work life and culture and may influence the
participants in unforeseen ways.

- Are the right questions being posed to participants? You can only get answers to questions
you think to ask. In qualitative approaches, asking about “how” and “why” can be hugely
informative, but if researchers don’t ask, that insight may be missed.

- The reality is that any research approach has both pros and cons. The art of effective and
meaningful data gathering is thus to be aware of the limitations and strengths of each
method.
- In the case of Qualitative research, its value is inextricably linked to the number-crunching that
is Quantitative data. One is the Ying to the other’s Yang. Each can only provide half of the
picture, but together, you get a more complete view of what’s occurring within an
organization.

https://www.poppulo.com/blog/10-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-qualitative-research/

3 Secondary research

In some situations, the researcher may not be directly involved in the data gathering process and
instead, would rely on already existing data in order to arrive at research outcomes. This approach to
systematic investigation is known as secondary research.

There are many reasons a researcher may want to make use of already existing data instead of
collecting data samples, first-hand. In this article, we will share some of these reasons with you and
show you how to conduct secondary research with Formplus.

What is Secondary Research?

Secondary research is a common approach to a systematic investigation in which the researcher

depends solely on existing data in the course of the research process. This research design involves
organizing, collating and analyzing these data samples for valid research conclusions.

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Secondary research is also known as desk research since it involves synthesizing existing data that can
be sourced from the internet, peer-reviewed journals, textbooks, government archives, and libraries.
What the secondary researcher does is to study already established patterns in previous researches
and apply this information to the specific research context.

Interestingly, secondary research often relies on data provided by primary research and this is why
some researches combine both methods of investigation. In this sense, the researcher begins by
evaluating and identifying gaps in existing knowledge before adopting primary research to gather new
information that will serve his or her research.

What are Secondary Research Methods?

As already highlighted, secondary research involves data assimilation from different sources, that is,
using available research materials instead of creating a new pool of data using primary research
methods. Common secondary research methods include data collection through the internet, libraries,
archives, schools and organizational reports.

 Online Data

Online data is data that is gathered via the internet. In recent times, this method has become popular
because the internet provides a large pool of both free and paid research resources that can be easily
accessed with the click of a button.

While this method simplifies the data gathering process, the researcher must take care to depend
solely on authentic sites when collecting information. In some way, the internet is a virtual
aggregation for all other sources of secondary research data.

 Data from Government and Non-government Archives

You can also gather useful research materials from government and non-government archives and
these archives usually contain verifiable information that provides useful insights on varying research
contexts. In many cases, you would need to pay a sum to gain access to these data.

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The challenge, however, is that such data is not always readily available due to a number of factors.
For instance, some of these materials are described as classified information as such, it would be
difficult for researchers to have access to them.

 Data from Libraries

Research materials can also be accessed through public and private libraries. Think of a library as an
information storehouse that contains an aggregation of important information that can serve as valid
data in different research contexts.

Typically, researchers donate several copies of dissertations to public and private libraries; especially
in cases of academic research. Also, business directories, newsletters, annual reports and other similar
documents that can serve as research data, are gathered and stored in libraries, in both soft and hard
copies.

 Data from Institutions of Learning

Educational facilities like schools, faculties, and colleges are also a great source of secondary data;
especially in academic research. This is because a lot of research is carried out in educational
institutions more than in other sectors.

It is relatively easier to obtain research data from educational institutions because these institutions
are committed to solving problems and expanding the body of knowledge. You can easily request
research materials from educational facilities for the purpose of a literature review.

Secondary research methods can also be categorized into qualitative and quantitative data collection
methods. Quantitative data gathering methods include online questionnaires and surveys, reports
about trends plus statistics about different areas of a business or industry.

Qualitative research methods include relying on previous interviews and data gathered through focus
groups which helps an organization to understand the needs of its customers and plan to fulfill these
needs. It also helps businesses to measure the level of employee satisfaction with organizational
policies.
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When Do We Conduct Secondary Research?

Typically, secondary research is the first step in any systematic investigation. This is because it helps
the researcher to understand what research efforts have been made so far and to utilize this
knowledge in mapping out a novel direction for his or her investigation.

For instance, you may want to carry out research into the nature of a respiratory condition with the
aim of developing a vaccine. The best place to start is to gather existing research material about the
condition which would help to point your research in the right direction.

When sifting through these pieces of information, you would gain insights into methods and findings
from previous researches which would help you define your own research process. Secondary
research also helps you to identify knowledge gaps that can serve as the name of your own research.

Questions to ask before conducting Secondary Research

Since secondary research relies on already existing data, the researcher must take extra care to ensure
that he or she utilizes authentic data samples for the research. Falsified data can have a negative
impact on the research outcomes; hence, it is important to always carry out resource evaluation by
asking a number of questions as highlighted below:

- What is the purpose of the research? Again, it is important for every researcher to clearly
define the purpose of the research before proceeding with it. Usually, the research purpose
determines the approach that would be adopted.
- What is my research methodology? After identifying the purpose of the research, the next
thing to do is outline the research methodology. This is the point where the researcher
chooses to gather data using secondary research methods.
- What are my expected research outcomes?
- Who collected the data to be analyzed? Before going on to use secondary data for your
research, it is necessary to ascertain the authenticity of the information. This usually affects
the data reliability and determines if the researcher can trust the materials. For instance,

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 data gathered from personal blogs and websites may not be as credible as information
obtained from an organization's website.
- When was the data collected? Data recency is another factor that must be considered since
the recency of data can affect research outcomes. For instance, if you are carrying out
research into the number of women who smoke in London, it would not be appropriate for
you to make use of information that was gathered 5 years ago unless you plan to do some
sort of data comparison.
- Is the data consistent with other data available from other sources? Always compare and
contrast your data with other available research materials as this would help you to
identify inconsistencies if any.
- What type of data was collected? Take care to determine if the secondary data aligns with
your research goals and objectives.
- How was the data collected?

Advantages of Secondary Research

- Easily Accessible With secondary research, data can easily be accessed in no time;
especially with the use of the internet. Apart from the internet, there are different data
sources available in secondary research like public libraries and archives which are
relatively easy to access too.
- Secondary research is cost-effective and it is not time-consuming. The researcher can cut
down on costs because he or she is not directly involved in the data collection process
which is also time-consuming.
- Secondary research helps researchers to identify knowledge gaps which can serve as the
basis of further systematic investigation.
- It is useful for mapping out the scope of research thereby setting the stage for field
investigations. When carrying out secondary research, the researchers may find that the
exact information they were looking for is already available, thus eliminating the need and
expense incurred in carrying out primary research in these areas.

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Disadvantages of Secondary Research

- Questionable Data: With secondary research, it is hard to determine the authenticity of the
data because the researcher is not directly involved in the research process. Invalid data
can affect research outcomes negatively hence, it is important for the researcher to take
extra care by evaluating the data before making use of it.
- Generalization: Secondary data is unspecific in nature and may not directly cater to the
needs of the researcher. There may not be correlations between the existing data and the
research process.
- Common Data: Research materials in secondary research are not exclusive to an individual
or group. This means that everyone has access to the data and there is little or no
“information advantage” gained by those who obtain the research.
- It has the risk of outdated research materials. Outdated information may offer little value
especially for organizations competing in fast-changing markets.

4. Selected research methods in project interview and survey

Types and Methods of Interviews in Research

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 An interview is generally a qualitative research technique which involves asking open-ended questions
to converse with respondents and collect elicit data about a subject. The interviewer in most cases is
the subject matter expert who intends to understand respondent opinions in a well-planned and
executed series of questions and answers. Interviews are similar to focus groups and surveys when it
comes to garnering information from the target market but are entirely different in their operation –
focus groups are restricted to a small group of 6-10 individuals whereas surveys are quantitative in
nature. Interviews are conducted with a sample from a population and the key characteristic they
exhibit is their conversational tone.

Fundamental Types of Interviews in Research

A researcher has to conduct interviews with a group of participants at a juncture in the research
where information can only be obtained by meeting and personally connecting with a section of their
target audience. Interviews offer the researchers with a platform to prompt their participants and
obtain inputs in the desired detail. There are three fundamental types of interviews in research:

 Structured Interviews:

Structured interviews are defined as research tools that are extremely rigid in their operations are
allows very little or no scope of prompting the participants to obtain and analyze results. It is thus also
known as a standardized interview and is significantly quantitative in its approach. Questions in this
interview are pre-decided according to the required detail of information.

Structured interviews are excessively used in survey research with the intention of maintaining
uniformity throughout all the interview sessions.

They can be closed-ended as well as open-ended – according to the type of target population. Closed-
ended questions can be included to understand user preferences from a collection of answer options
whereas open-ended can be included to gain details about a particular section in the interview.

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 Advantages of structured interviews:
 Structured interviews focus on the accuracy of different responses due to which extremely
organized data can be collected. Different respondents have different type of answers to the same
structure of questions – answers obtained can be collectively analyzed.
 They can be used to get in touch with a large sample of the target population.
 The interview procedure is made easy due to the standardization offered by structured interviews.
 Replication across multiple samples becomes easy due to the same structure of interview.
 As the scope of detail is already considered while designing the interview, better information can be
obtained and the researcher can analyze the research problem in a comprehensive manner by
asking accurate research questions.
 Since the structure of the interview is fixed, it often generates reliable results and is quick to
execute.
 The relationship between the researcher and the respondent is not formal due to which the
researcher can clearly understand the margin of error in case the respondent either degrees to be a
part of the survey or is just not interested in providing the right information.

Disadvantages of structured interviews:

 Limited scope of assessment of obtained results.
 The accuracy of information overpowers the detail of information.
 Respondents are forced to select from the provided answer options.
 The researcher is expected to always adhere to the list of decided questions irrespective of how
interesting the conversation is turning out to be with the participants.
 A significant amount of time is required for a structured interview.
Learn more: Market Research

 Semi-Structured Interviews:

Semi-structured interviews offer a considerable amount of leeway to the researcher to probe the
respondents along with maintaining basic interview structure. Even if it is a guided conversation
between researchers and interviewees – an appreciable flexibility is offered to the researchers. A

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 researcher can be assured that multiple interview rounds will not be required in the presence of
structure in this type of research interview.

Keeping the structure in mind, the researcher can follow any idea or take creative advantage of the
entire interview. Additional respondent probing is always necessary to garner information for a
research study. The best application of semi-structured interview is when the researcher doesn’t have
time to conduct research and requires detailed information about the topic.

Advantages of semi-structured interviews:

 Questions of semi-structured interviews are prepared before the scheduled interview which
provides the researcher with time to prepare and analyze the questions.
 It is flexible to an extent while maintaining the research guidelines.
 Researchers can express the interview questions in the format they prefer, unlike the structured
interview.
 Reliable qualitative data can be collected via these interviews.
 Flexible structure of the interview.
Learn more: Quantitative Data

Disadvantages of semi-structured interviews:



 Participants may question the reliability factor of these interviews due to the flexibility offered.
 Comparing two different answers becomes difficult as the guideline for conducting interviews is
not entirely followed. No two questions will have the exact same structure and the result will be
an inability to compare are infer results.

 Unstructured Interviews:

Also called as in-depth interviews, unstructured interviews are usually described as conversations held
with a purpose in mind – to gather data about the research study. These interviews have the least
number of questions as they lean more towards a normal conversation but with an underlying subject.

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 The main objective of most researchers using unstructured interviews is to build a bond with the
respondents due to which there are high chances that the respondents will be 100% truthful with their
answers. There are no guidelines for the researchers to follow and so, they can approach the
participants in any ethical manner to gain as much information as they possibly can for their research
topic.

Since there are no guidelines for these interviews, a researcher is expected to keep their approach in
check so that the respondents do not sway away from the main research motive. For a researcher to
obtain the desired outcome, he/she must keep the following factors in mind:

 Intent of the interview.

 The interview should primarily take into consideration the participant’s interest and skills.
 All the conversations should be conducted within permissible limits of research and the researcher
should try and stick by these limits.
 The skills and knowledge of the researcher should match the purpose of the interview.
 Researchers should understand the do’s and don’ts of unstructured interviews.

Advantages of Unstructured Interviews:

 Due to the informal nature of unstructured interviews – it becomes extremely easy for researchers
to try and develop a friendly rapport with the participants. This leads to gaining insights in extreme
detail without much conscious effort.
 The participants can clarify all their doubts about the questions and the researcher can take each
opportunity to explain his/her intention for better answers.
 There are no questions which the researcher has to abide by and this usually increases the flexibility
of the entire research process.
Disadvantages of Unstructured Interviews:

 As there is no structure to the interview process, researchers take time to execute these interviews.
 The absence of a standardized set of questions and guidelines indicates that the reliability of
unstructured interviews is questionable.
 In many cases, the ethics involved in these interviews are considered borderline upsetting.

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 Learn more: Qualitative Market Research

Methods of Research Interviews:

There are three methods to conduct research interviews, each of which is peculiar in its application
and can be used according to the research study requirement.

Personal Interviews:
Personal interviews are one of the most used types of interviews, where the questions are asked
personally directly to the respondent. For this, a researcher can have a guide online surveys to take
note of the answers. A researcher can design his/her survey in such a way that they take notes of the
comments or points of view that stands out from the interviewee.

Advantage:

 Higher response rate.

 When the interviewees and respondents are face-to-face, there is a way to adapt the questions if
this is not understood.
 More complete answers can be obtained if there is doubt on both sides or a particular information
is detected that is remarkable.
 The researcher has an opportunity to detect and analyze the interviewee’s body language at the
time of asking the questions and taking notes about it.
Disadvantages:

 They are time-consuming and extremely expensive.

 They can generate distrust on the part of the interviewee, since they may be self-conscious and not
answer truthfully.
 Contacting the interviewees can be a real headache, either scheduling an appointment in
workplaces or going from house to house and not finding anyone.
 Therefore, many interviews are conducted in public places, such as shopping centers or parks. There
are even consumer studies that take advantage of these sites to conduct interviews or surveys and

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 give incentives, gifts, coupons, in short; There are great opportunities for online research in
shopping centers.
 Among the advantages of conducting these types of interviews is that the respondents will have
more fresh information if the interview is conducted in the context and with the appropriate
stimuli, so that researchers can have data from their experience at the scene of the events,
immediately and first hand. The interviewer can use an online survey through a mobile device that
will undoubtedly facilitate the entire process.

Telephonic Interviews:
Telephonic interviews are widely used and easy to combine with online surveys to carry out research
effectively.

Advantages:

 To find the interviewees it is enough to have their telephone numbers on hand.

 They are usually lower cost.
 The information is collected quickly.
 Having a personal contact can also clarify doubts, or give more details of the questions.
Disadvantages:

 Many times researchers observe that people do not answer phone calls because it is an unknown
number for the respondent, or simply already changed their place of residence and they cannot
locate it, which causes a bias in the interview.
 Researchers also face that they simply do not want to answer and resort to pretexts such as they
are busy to answer, they are sick, they do not have the authority to answer the questions asked,
they have no interest in answering or they are afraid of putting their security at risk.
 One of the aspects that should be taken care of in these types of interviews is the kindness with
which the interviewers address the respondents, in order to get them to cooperate more easily with
their answers. Good communication is vital for the generation of better answers.

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 Email or Web Page Interviews:
Online research is growing more and more because consumers are migrating to a more virtual world
and it is best for each researcher to adapt to this change.

The increase in people with Internet access has made it popular that interviews via email or web page
stand out among the types of interviews most used today. For this nothing better than an online
survey.

More and more consumers are turning to online shopping, which is why they are a great niche to be
able to carry out an interview that will generate information for the correct decision making.

Advantages of email surveys:

 Speed in obtaining data

 The respondents respond according to their time, at the time they want and in the place they
decide.
 Online surveys can be mixed with other research methods or using some of the previous interview
models. They are tools that can perfectly complement and pay for the project.
 A researcher can use a variety of questions, logics, create graphs and reports immediately.
Undoubtedly, the objective of the research will set the pattern of what types of interviews are best for
data collection. Based on the research design, a research can plan and test the questions, for instance,
if the questions are the correct and if the survey flows in the best way.

In addition there are other types of research that can be used under specific circumstances, for
example in the case of no connection or adverse situations to carry out surveyors, in these types of
occasions it is necessary to conduct a field research, which can not be considered an interview if not
rather a completely different methodology.

To summarize the discussion, an effective interview will be one that provides researchers with the
necessary data to know the object of study and that this information is applicable to the decisions
researchers make.

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 Chapter 3:
Data collection

In order to be practical for the research of IoT devices, I have surveyed 20 people with 10 multiple-
choice questions and 5 questions so that users can contribute their opinions and needs.
1 Reseach Objects.
- Research objectives describe concisely what the research is trying to achieve. They
summarize the accomplishments a researcher wishes to achieve through the project and
provides direction to the study. A research objective must be achievable, i.e., it must be
framed keeping in mind the available time, infrastructure required for research, and other
resources. Before forming a research objective

2 Primary Reseach.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2Qh5Pkq9J2bX1pqhkzDIJWNwk1SVeT3hUWK9NhLp9k
EqZA/viewform

2.1 Smart home survey

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2.2 Smart home interview

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3. Secondary Reseach

Chapter 4: Data analysis and evaluation

1. Data analysis
1.1. From survey

- Most people spend less time doing housework (40% for 10-15 minutes) shows that the
need is not too much for smart home use for housework purposes, but the above figure

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 shows a lot. For those who are less concerned with chores, having a smart home can also
be a good solution for this.

- The reason for this is that most users usually spend their time making money, doing
income-generating jobs, so they often spend less time doing housework.

- Respondents are mostly office workers and housewives, the numbers above show us that
people who work in the office rarely spend time in their house and do housework. Most
people spend more time doing work

- Since Vietnam is a developing country with low average income, the majority of
respondents are office workers, and for that reason, they have little time to spend on
housework. Most of them, when they run out of time, do housework very late, so they
spend less time doing housework.

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 - In this question number 3, the number 70% shows that the demand of the user is very high,
indeed the smart home can help us a lot of things, all the convenience will be done in
order, in time. time and always save time for users

- The reason for this is that there is no other tool to help them, especially unmarried people,
they will spend a lot of time on other things not working, so they are very essential. a smart
home, an unprecedented technology to serve themselves

- Everyone is very good at doing housework after coming home late, everyone doing housework, but
everyone wants to spend a little time but effectively, one of the solutions that can help everyone is a
device, a new technology could save them time by doing chores on their behalf

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- Most of the people surveyed are people who spend a lot of time at work, people love work,
sometimes many people come home late from work forgetting to do housework.

- This is a good sign for users, because their responses show how important time is to them and how
they feel when the device helps them in life.

- This is because this project has provided the correct needs of the user for a smart device in the
house, we have correctly grasped the mentality that is the cause of this question.

- A lot of people are waiting for the product to be released but besides that the problem to be solved
here is that the smart home costs too much of their money, besides the convenience we also need a
reasonable price jam.

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- One of the reasons for this is that the cost of smart devices is so high that the devices are well
researched and detailed so a fair price jam is something that needs to be solved. decided

- A good product, serving the right needs cannot be unacceptable and welcome, 95% is a
very large number. This is a product that many people like and wait for, it can help people
save time, convenient in housework.

- This proves that we have done right according to the needs of users, to meet their
difficulties in life

- The disadvantage of smart home is energy and cost, you think right, this is not a simple
product, it needs a lot of money, but in return you have a convenient home with modern

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 equipment. 52.6% of users cannot afford to install it, suggesting that we need universal
versions for smart homes

- The reason for this is the high cost of income in Vietnam and high-tech equipment

- A smart and modern home will be cooler when it automatically turns on and off the lights,
but next to a modern home we need the most security, anti-theft, the numbers above
show that users need a pine house. more than a home with good security

- The majority of users are middle-income, so an affordable smart home is a big deal to be
solved, we may add a few different versions.
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2.2 Smart home interview

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- At present, our house is mostly used as a normal house without smart features surveying
20 people shows that most of them are small houses with no modern equipment.

- We are living in the early days of digital transformation, so most people's homes are not
yet equipped with significant smart features.

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- They feel better when their house is upgraded to a smart home, we can see answers like
Good, i can try, ...

- Who both desires and wants to live in a modern house as well as a modern environment,
what we lack at the moment is the reasonable price and who can experience the product in
the best way.

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- Money is not a big deal for high-income earners, but for middle-income earners we can see
some willing to try turning the house into a smart home. Some other people disagree with
this decision

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- The reason for this is as above, the average income in Vietnam to have a smart home is
quite a luxury for users.

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- The above answers prove what we can do for customers such as saving time, what we want is
convenient and time-saving for users, this is extremely useful. useful for people. Little time for your
lovely home

- This is a convenient product that can serve the user well as mentioned

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 - People are often demanding functions that we don't have, voice control, we will try to offer
the best products for all users

- Because we want a better product, we want a product that can serve the best without
many technical defects, so we ask this question.

2. Research results

Through survey, we can see that the installation of smart products gives the home and its
owner many benefits similar to those that personal computers or the Internet have brought
us. In this 21st century, encompassing comfort, saving time, money and energy. In addition, it
can be mentioned that the safety when people no longer have to worry about things like
forgetting to turn off the electricity, fans, water heater, ... That's what the research project "
Smart "has, is, and will bring. Technology for life

3. Evaluation

The product is highly practical, simple and effective, suitable for the majority of Vietnamese
people today. With the open source Arduino platform highly compatible with many current
devices as well as programming flexibility, the upgradable Smart Home model is almost
limited only by the imagination of human.

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 Chapter 5: Communicate reseach outcomes
1. Stakeholders

Those who assist me in my studies, those who participate in the interview and survey, and my instructor are all
stakeholders who are interested in this study:

Students participating in interviews and surveys: As for why these people are interested in this project, the
people who conducted the two studies are those who want their home to be a smart, convenient home. Easy to
manage, automatically do things for them in the house, a smart home automatically housework is what they
care about

Subject Instructor: My instructor will provide me with input on my project and will grade my

assignment in order for me to pass this subject. My coach, as well as others who participated in the
interview and survey, expect me to give a presentation about my project in front of the class after I
complete all of the assignments.

Research Participants: These individuals are my research assistants; they assist me in gathering data, sifting
through it, and synthesizing it into a single paper. Without them, doing this thesis will be very difficult and time-
consuming for me.

2. Communicating research outcomes

2.1. Writing report

After the survey has obtained the user information, has the purpose and has identified my goals, I proceed to
write a report to present my wishes and goals with the smart home.

- What is a smart home: a smart home is a house with modern devices, automatic timers to do the supporting
tasks on your behalf such as washing clothes, cleaning the house, cooking ... just One push through the internet
you can control the things you want to save time, convenience and time.

- Convenience of a smart home: as mentioned, this house can help you do housework while you are busy with
work at work or working, committed to efficiency for savings. time

- The disadvantage of a smart home: price is a very difficult thing to deal with, users are mostly middle-income
people and smart homes are quite expensive, we can cut one number of features or make universal versions.

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We go on to the next step, which is reviewing and assessing the data, until we have all the answers. First, we
review the data from the interview and survey, including objective feedback on each response and elucidating
why they said what they said. Then we assess and provide input on the two interviews and surveys before
coming to a final decision.

2.2. Presentation

One of the things that determines the success or failure of a presentation is relevance. A presentation must be
aimed at a specific audience. In addition to having a deep knowledge of the topic you are going to share, you
must also choose a topic that is relevant to the target audience. Object oriented helps you to have the right
content, sharing style, and structure.

In this presentation the people who view my project are product investors, who accompany me on this project
and some people interested in smart home, along with my powerpoint containing all of the content related to
the project

- In the beginning I will talk about the importance of a clean, convenient home, and the human feeling of living
in a modern home.

- Next I will go straight to my smart home and what it can do, its benefits and disadvantages in situations,
upgrades and maintenance

- The rest is to collect the opinions of my presentation participants

- Acquire remembering and find ways to serve users

2.3. Conclusion
This research is for people who are interested in smart home solutions who want to save time for
themselves and their families. After conducting some research, I discovered that not everyone is
interested in or even mindful of the value of a home, which explains why so many people spend so
little time in theirs. But all has an explanation, and the first reason I'd like to discuss is wage payment
in Vietnam; our country's average salary is too poor in comparison to other countries, and some
people don't even have one. We also have more problems to care about, such as food and child care,
and we are in a place where we do not have enough resources to support a comfortable life for
ourselves and our families. This alone explains why consumers are uninterested in high-priced items
such as smart home systems. This isn't the only explanation, however. Furthermore, others argue that
it is because young people instinctively choose to be alone, and that they should not require a smart
home. This, of course, depends on each individual's situation and work, but the project as a whole is
just. With a smart house, everybody on the river is comfortable.

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 REFERENCES

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