Gathering Data - Content Flashcards
Why do organisations gather data?
To find out what their customers want and what they are prepared to buy?
What are the two sources of data?
Primary and Secondary
What is primary data?
- data is gathered directly from the source, for example using a survey or from sensor readings.
What is secondary data?
- this is data that already exists, for example from previous research, books, journals or reports. It could also be data on shopping trends.
What are the two factors the determine data reliability?
• Complete - all the data must be there.
• Accurate - the data must be correct and truthful. This is easier to achieve from primary sources; secondary data must be from a trustworthy source
What are the three most common ways to carry out a survey?
-Questionnaire
-Interview
-Focus Group
What is a questionnaire?
This comprises a series of questions, usually close ended with checkbox answer options. Traditional paper formats or electronic questionnaire website can be used.
What are some advantages of using a questionnaire?
Allows you to gather information from a large audience in a short space of time
All respondents get asked the same question giving consistency to data.
What are some disadvantages of using a questionnaire?
The traditional closed questions don’t offer an explanation of answers, while remote questionnaires may be misinterpreted by users resulting in less reliable data.
Response rate is usually very low.
What is an interview?
This is a focused one-to-one meeting with an individual where an interviewer asks questions. This could be face-to-face, over the phone or online using video conferencing.
What are some advantages of doing an interview?
Follow-up questions can be asked, giving more detailed understanding of answers.
Personal contact can elicit greater honesty from the respondent.
What are some disadvantages of doing an interview?
It takes a significant amount of time to gather data from a range of people.
Data is less quantitative than from questionnaires and so harder to analyse
What is a focus group?
This type of survey involves a group of people who are invited to take part. The participants answer questions and share ideas by engaging in conversation.
What are some advantages of using a focus group?
It is quicker to gather information from a large group than from individuals.
Respondents react to each other’s answers, providing very detailed data.
What are some disadvantages of using a focus group?
Assembling a group of people at the same time can be difficult.
As with interviews, the qualitative data can be hard to analyse.
