ModuleModule-II Methods of Data Collection

ModuleModule-II (Methods of Data Collection)



  

Sources & methods of data collection  Secondary data  Survey research  Questionnaire design  Qualitative & observation method Measurement concepts Attitude measurement Sampling design

Research Classification Primary Research & secondary Research

Primary research based on primary data i.e., survey interviews, questionnaires, measurements, direct observations or tabulation. tabulation. Secondary research based on secondary data i.e., websites, trade associations, journals, books etc. etc.

Classifications of secondary data

Source
 

InternalInternal- departmental reports, financial & accounting records, ininhouse journals, internal DBMS ExternalExternal- Books & periodicals, reports of associations, reports of government agencies, industrial syndicates
Books & Periodicals- journals like Financial Analyst, Marketing Research etc PeriodicalsMagazines like Business Week, Business World, Fortune, Harvard Business Review etc. Newspaper like Economic Times, Business Standard etc Government Publications- Publications from Registrar General of India, The PublicationsCSO, The RBI, Planning Commission etc., such as Statistical Abstract India, RBI Bulletin, Annual survey of industries, All India consumer price index etc Non Government Associations The Bombay Mill owner s Association, Automobile Associations, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry(FICCI), Indo-American Chamber of Commerce etc. Indo-

Category


 

DirectoriesDirectories-

The Bombay Stock exchange directory( Financial accounts) The city as it happens etc

Tata Yellow Pages ,

Industry ExpertsExperts-

Price Waterhouse Coopers(Financial consultant), Datamonitor s Business Information Center(services to World s largest companies pertaining to automotive & logistic, consumer markets, energy & utilities, financial services & healthcare & technology sectors

Special CollectionsCollections-

Reference Books, master s thesis, PhD Dissertations, Speeches of eminent peoples. Hard Copy Internet

Medium  

Database format
 

Reference Source

Advantages & Disadvantages



Advantages
1. 2. 3. 4. It It It It helps to identify, clarify & redefine the research problem might also hold a solution to the problem may provide alternatives for primary research generates requisites information for better creativity

Disadvantages
1. Lack of availability 2. Lack of relevance 3. Inaccurate data

Survey Research
The method of collecting information by asking a set of prepre-formulated questions in a predetermined sequence in a structured questionnaire to a sample of individuals drawn so as to representative a defined population is known as survey research. Classification of survey researchresearch

Method of Communication
1.Personal Interviews 1. Door to Door InterviewingInterviewing2. Executive Interviewing 3. Mall Intercept Interviewing

2. Telephonic Interviews 1. Central-location Telephonic Interviewing Central2. Computer-assisted Telephonic Interviewing Computer3. Completely Automated Telephonic Surveys 3. Self administered Interviews 4. Mail survey


The degree of structure & the amount of disguise in a questionnaire design

1. Structured 2. Unstructured 3. Disguised 4. Undisguised

Factors determining the choice of Survey Methods

     

Sampling Precision Budget Quality data Need to expose the respondent to various stimuli Incident rate Accuracy of the resultant data Random sampling error

Errors in survey research


It occurs by a particular sample not being the representative of the population of interest due to random variation. variation.

Systematic error 1. Administrative error 2. Respondent error

1. Administrative Error (i) Sample selection error

It occurs because of an inaccuracy in either the stage of sample design or the execution of sampling procedure resulting in an unrepresentative sample. sample.

(ii) Sample frame error

It occurs when the list of sample member does not correspond to exactly with the target population. population.

(iii) Population specification error

It occurs when the population is not properly defined. defined.

(iv) Data processing error

It occurs because of incorrect data entry, incorrect computer programming or any other error during data analysis. analysis.

(v) Interviewer error

It occurs due to mistakes committed by the interviewer. interviewer.

Respondent Error (i) Non-response error NonEither the interviewee is not available at home or deliberately not coping up to furnish the information. information.

(ii) Non-response error NonInterviewee will give wrong information due to self respect, pride, ego or else the unconscious misrepresentation is the cause of such error. error.

(iii) Interviewer error

The interference of interviewer at the time of interview leads such type of error. error.

Questionnaire Design
A questionnaire design is a set of questions to be asked from respondents in an interview. Steps of Questionnaire Design


Preliminary decisions 1. Required information 2. Target respondent 3. Interviewing techniques Question content It includes 1. Utility of the data 2. Effectiveness in producing the data 3. The respondent's ability to answer accurately- Ignorance, Inability accuratelyto recollect & Inability to verbalize. 4. The respondent's willingness to answer accurately 5. Effect of external events

Response formatformat

Open ended questions 1. Free response 2. Probing 3. Projective Close ended questions 1. Binary 2. Ranking 3. MCQ 4. Checklist Shared vocabulary - The words should not be too technical, unambiguous or vague Unsupported assumption where your spouse is working Frame of reference A single word can have several connotations under different situations? (often, regularly) Biased wording Do you think that the TV has a negative effect on children? Adequate alternatives How often do you purchase stock? Double barreled questions - Do you drive or take the bus everyday to office ? Y/N Generalizations & Estimates How many times do you smoke in a month?

Question Wording
  

   

Questionnaire sequencesequence    

LeadLead-in questions( hot topic, current events) Qualifying questions(Objective oriented) WarmWarm-up questions Specific questions Demographic Questions(age, sex, location, occupation etc)

Questionnaire pre-test, revision and final draft pre-

Measurement Concepts
 

Identifying & deciding the variables to be measured

Identify the concept that is interest for the study

Development of measurement scales

A scale can be defined as a set of numbers or symbols developed in a manner so as to facilitate the assigning of these numbers or symbols to the units under research following certain rules.

Types of measurement scales

   

Nominal scale Ordinal scale Interval scale Ratio scale Reliability It provide stable measures at different times under different conditions . The methods are Test-retest, Equivalent form & Internal Testconsistency

Criteria for good measurement



  

Validity It is a measuring instrument to measure what it is intended to measure. The methods are Face validity, content validity, criterioncriterionrelated validity & construct validity. Sensitivity It refers to an instrument s ability to measure variability in stimuli or responses. Generalizability It refers to the amount of flexibility in interpreting the data in different research design. Relevance = Reliability X Validity

Qualitative & Observation Methods

Qualitative Research Methods
Depth Interviews
Unstructured SemiSemi-Structured Standardized Open Ended Interviews

Focus Groups
Dual Moderator Two way Dueling Moderator Mini Groups

Projective Techniques
Association Completion Construction Expressive

Observation Methods

Direct Observation Contrived Observation

Content Analysis

Physical Trace Measure

Behavior Recording Devices Participant Observation

Attitude Measurement
Attitudes have been understood as learned predispositions that project positive & negative behaviour consistently towards various objects of the world. world. Components of Attitude
Affective Component (Feelings)

Cognitive Components (Beliefs)

Behavioral Component (Actions)

Cognitive Component
The knowledge & perception acquired by combination of direct experience with attitude object & related information from various sources are based on cognition of an individual. individual.

Affective Component
A person s emotions or feelings towards an object.

Behavioral Components
It comprises person s future actions & intentions.

Changing Attitudes
  

Altering existing beliefs about a product(BPCL) Changing attitudes by changing the importance of beliefs(Kellogg s) Adding new beliefs(Tata salt)

Attitude Scaling
Single item Scale Continuous Scales
Multi Item Scales

Itemized category Scales Rank order Scales Comparative Scales Constant sum Scales Q Sort Scales Paired Comparison Scales Pictorial Scales

Likert Scales Semantic Differential Scales Thurstone Scales Associative Scales Stapel Scales

Sampling Design
Basic Concepts are
Population, Sample, Sampling, Sampling unit, Sample Frame, Sampling Error, Sampling precision. Types of sampling Probability or Random Sampling
Simple random sampling Stratified random sampling Systematic sampling Multistage cluster sampling

NonNon-Probability or NonNon-Random Sampling

Convenience sampling Judgment sampling Quota sampling Snowball sampling

Steps in Sampling process

      

Defining the target population Specifying the sampling frame Specifying the sampling unit Selection of Sampling methods Determination of sample size Specifying sample plan Selecting Sampling Plan

Selection of sample size

 

Sample size(n) = (ZS/E)2, for sample mean Sample size(n) = (Zpq/E)2, For sample proportion