Chelsea P.

Dadole

10- Diamond

Primary Sources- When secondary sources do not provide the answers, you
will need to uncover the information for yourself. Collecting data for yourself is
known as primary research. The three principal methods of collecting primary, or
original, data are experimentation, observation, and surveys.

Experimentation
- Although experimentation was originally the tool of scientists, business
and industry are now using it more frequently. Of course, many business
problems do not lend themselves to experimental research, but those in
business can use experimentation to determine the effects of one variable
on another under certain conditions. To test the marketing effectiveness
of a new packaging concept, for example, an experimenter would change
the packaging (the independent variable) to see how the change
influenced sales (the dependent variable).

Observation
- In research, observation means recognizing and noting facts. Unlike the
experimenter, an observer does not manipulate the environment. In a
bookstore, for example, you could determine book preferences by
observing shoppers as they make their selections. Observation can also
apply to certain kinds of studies of published documents. You might be
interested, for example, in examining annual reports for the use of certain
words and phrases, such as reengineering, to see when organizations first
began using the expressions and the way in which the frequency of use
increased over time.
- One disadvantage of observation is that because we have a tendency to
interpret what we see or hear based on our previous experience,
information obtained by means of observation may not be totally
accurate. Although it is often used alone to record factsraw data
observation is more often used in conjunction with experimentation and
surveys to help ensure accuracy and reliability and to help explain what
the observations mean.
 Survey

- when you need information about what people think about a variety of
issues, one of the best ways to obtain it is to ask. Most adults have
completed a survey questionnaire at sometime in their lives. If you buy a
car or have one serviced, you may receive a survey form from the
dealership or the manufacturer asking about your experience. Or, you
may have received a phone call soliciting your opinion about a product,
service, or political issue. The theory of sampling is that a sufficiently
large number of items selected at random from a larger group will have
the same characteristics as the larger group. Naturally, the larger the
number included in the sample, the greater the chances that the results
will accurately predict the results that would be obtained from the entire
population.

Three common sampling techniques are random sampling, stratified

random sampling, and systematic sampling:

Random Sampling- With random sampling, each item (and items can
be people) in the population has an equal chance of being selected. To
conduct a random sample, you need the identity of each item. For
example, if you wanted to survey students at a particular college or
university, you would need the names (and perhaps Social Security
Numbers or other, more precise identification system). You could
record the names and ID numbers on slips of paper, put the slips in a
container, mix the slips thoroughly, and then withdraw a
predetermined number of slips from the container.

Stratified Random Sampling. Random sampling, however, may not

produce the best sample for some surveys. In the case of college
students, for example, a random sample might result in too many
freshman and too few seniors. When a population has subgroups,
stratified random sampling is used to ensure that the number selected
from each subgroup is proportional to the subgroups part of the whole.

Systematic Sampling. Systematic sampling requires taking selections

at constant intervals from a list of the entire population. If you have a list
of the members of a professional association, for example, you could
obtain a systematic sample by taking every 10th name on the list: 10, 20,
 30, 40, 50, 60, etc. With small lists, you might need to use a smaller
number, or for large lists, a larger one.

Secondary Sources- After you have determined the purpose of your report and
identified the problem, you will need to gather information to complete the report.
As a report writer, you will need to research all the information sources available in
preparing the report so that you can make decisions about which sources would be
most appropriate. Sources of information are either secondary or primary. It
provide information collected by other investigators. Such published materials as
the following are examples of secondary sources with which you should be
familiar:

almanacs documents (print and online)

annual reports encyclopedias
articles (print and online) newspapers
books pamphlets and monographs
brochures periodicals (magazines)
dictionaries Yearbooks