88

Research Methods for

Management LESSON
10
DATA COLLECTION
CONTENTS
10.0 Aims and Objectives
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Tyes of !ata"#ources
10.2.1 $rimary !ata
10.2.2 #econdary !ata
10.2.% Interna& #econdary !ata
10.2.' ()terna& #econdary !ata
10.2.* #ecia& Techni+ues of Mar,et Research or #yndicated !ata
10.% Misce&&aneous #econdary !ata
10.' Too&s for !ata -o&&ection
10.* !esigning the .uestionnaire
10./ .uestionnaire !esigning
10./.1 !etermine 0hat Information is Re+uired
10./.2 Mode of -o&&ecting the !ata
10./.% Tyes of .uestions
10./.' .uestion 1ording
10./.* A&icabi&ity
10././ #&it 2a&&ot Techni+ue
10./.3 $articiation at the ()ense of Accuracy
10./.8 $re"testing of .uestionnaire
10.3 Mai& .uestionnaire
10.3.1 Advantages
10.3.2 4imitations
10.8 #am&e .uestionnaires
10.8.1 A #tudy of -ustomer Retention as Adoted by Te)ti&e Retai& Out&ets
10.8.2 A #tudy on -ustomer $references of $.-.
10.8.% .uestionnaire 5!ea&ers6
10.7 4et us #um u
10.10 4esson"end Activities
10.11 8ey0ords
10.12 .uestions for !iscussion
10.1% #uggested Readings
10.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
In this &esson 0e 0i&& study tyes and sources of data co&&ection. 9ere 0e 0i&& a&so
discuss the too&s of data co&&ection and method for designing +uestionnaire. After studying
this &esson you 0i&& be ab&e to:
5i6 distinguish bet0een rimary and secondary data.
87
5ii6 understand data co&&ection rocedure !ata -o&&ection
5iii6 describe tyes of syndicated data
5iv6 design +uestionnaire
10.1 INTRODUCTION
Once the researcher has decided the ;Research !esign< the ne)t job is of data co&&ection.
=or data to be usefu&> our observations need to be organi?ed so that 0e can get some
atterns and come to &ogica& conc&usions.
#tatistica& investigation re+uires systematic co&&ection of data> so that a&& re&evant grous
are reresented in the data.
!eending uon the sources uti&i?ed> 0hether the data has come from actua& observations
or from records that are ,et for norma& uroses> statistica& data can be c&assified into
t0o categories"rimary and secondary data.
10.2 TYPES OF DATA-SOURCES
10.2.1 Primary Data
!ata direct&y co&&ected by the researcher> 0ith resect to rob&em under study> is ,no0n
as rimary data. $rimary data is a&so the first hand data co&&ected by the researcher for
the immediate urose of the study.
10.2.2 S!"#$ary Data
#econdary data are statistics that a&ready e)ists. They have been gathered not for
immediate use. This may be described as @Those data that have been comi&ed by
some agency other than the userA. #econdary data can be c&assified as:
l Interna& secondary data
l ()terna& secondary data
10.2.% I#tr#a& S!"#$ary Data
Is that data 0hich is a art of comany<s record> for 0hich research is a&ready conducted.
Interna& data are those> 0hich are found 0ithin the organisation. ()am&e: #a&es in units>
credit outstanding> sa&es ersons ca&& reorts> dai&y roduction reort> month&y co&&ection
reort> etc.
10.2.' E(tr#a& S!"#$ary Data
The data co&&ected by the researcher from outside the comany. This can be divided into
four arts:
l -ensus data
l Individua& roject reort ub&ished
l !ata co&&ected for sa&e on a commercia& basis ca&&ed syndicated data
l Misce&&aneous data
l Census data: is the most imortant among the sources of data. The fo&&o0ing are
some of the data that can got by censusB
l -ensus of the 0ho&esa&e trade
l -ensus of the retai& trade
70
Research Methods for
Management
l $ou&ation census
l -ensus of manufacturing industries
l Individua& roject reort ub&ici?ed
l (ncyc&oedia of business information sources
l $roduct finder
l Thomas registers etc.
10.2.) S*!ia& T!+#i,-. "/ Mar0t R.ar!+ "r Sy#$i!at$ Data
These techni+ues invo&ve data co&&ection on a commercia& basis i.e.> !ata co&&ected by
this method is so&d to interested c&ients> on ayment. ()am&e of such organisation is
Cei&son Retai&> ORD Marg> IMR2 etc. These organi?ations rovide CR# ca&&ed Cationa&
Readershi #urvey to the sonsors and advertising agencies. They a&so rovide business
re&ationshi survey ca&&ed 2R# 0hich estimates the fo&&o0ing:
5a6 Rating
5b6 $rofi&e of the comany etc.
5c6 These eo&e a&so rovide TR$ rating name&y te&evision rating oints on a
regu&ar basis. This rovides
5i6 Eie0ershi figures
5ii6 !u&ication bet0een rogrammes etc. #ome of the interesting
studies made by IMR2 are #CA$" #tudy of Cations Attitude and A0areness
$rogramme. In this study> the various grous of the Indian ou&ation and
their &ife sty&es> attitudes of Indian house0ives are detai&ed.
There is a&so a study ca&&ed =#R$ 0hich covers chi&dren in the age grou of 10 B
17 years. 2eside their demograhics and sychograhics> the study covers those
areas such as
l -hi&dren as decision ma,ers
l Ro&e mode& of Indian chi&dren
l $oc,et money and its usage
l Media revie0s
l =avoured $ersona&ities and characteristics and
l 2rand a0areness and advertising reca&&
#yndicated sources consists of mar,et research firms offering syndicated services. These
mar,et research organisations> co&&ects and udates information on a continues basis.
#ince data is syndicated> their cost is sread over a number of c&ient organisations and
hence cheaer. =or e)am&e: A c&ient firm can give certain secific +uestion to be inc&uded
in the +uestionnaire> 0hich is used routine&y to co&&ect syndicated data. The c&ient 0i&&
have to ay e)tra for these. The data generated by these additiona& +uestions and ana&ysis
of such data 0i&& be revea&ed on&y to the firms submitting the +uestions. Therefore 0e
can say> customi?ation of secondary data is ossib&e. #ome areas of syndicated services
are ne0saers> maga?ine readershi> TE channe& ou&arity etc. !ata from syndicated
sources are avai&ab&e on a 0ee,&y or month&y basis.
Syndicated data may be classified as
1a6 -onsumer urchase data
71
5b6 Retai&er and 0ho&esa&er data !ata -o&&ection
5c6 Advertising data.
Most of these data co&&ection methods as above are a&so ca&&ed as syndicated data.
#yndicated data can be c&assified into
Consumer Purchase Data or Panel type Data
This is one tye of syndicated data. In this method> there are consumer ane&s. Members
of this ane& 0i&& be reresentative of the entire ou&ation. $ane& members ,ee diaries
in 0hich they record a&& urchase> made by them. $roduct urchased> ranges from
ac,aged food> to ersona& care roducts. Members submit the dairies every month to
the organi?ations> for 0hich> they are aid. This ane& data can be used to find out the
sa&e of the roduct. These ane& data a&so gives an insight into reeat urchases> effect
of free sam&es> couon redemtion etc.
The consumer ane& data a&so gives rofi&e of the target audience. Co0adays> diaries
are re&aced by hand he&d scanners. $ane&s a&so rovide data on consumer buying habits
on etro&> auto arts> sorts goods etc.
Limitations
l 4o0 income grous are not reresented
l #ome eo&e do not 0ant to ta,e the troub&e of ,eeing the record of the urchases.
9ence data is not avai&ab&e.
Advantages
l Fse of scanner tied to the centra& comuter he&s the ane& members to record
their urchases ear&y 5A&most immediate&y6
l It a&so rovides re&iabi&ity and seed.
l $ane& can consist of on&y senior citi?ens or on&y chi&dren.
1e a&so have consumer mai& ane& 5-M$6. This consists of members 0ho are 0i&&ing to
ans0er mai& +uestionnaire. A &arge number of such househo&ds are ,et on the ane&.
This serves as a universe> through 0hich ane&s are se&ected.
Retail and Wholesale Data
Mar,eting research is done in a retai& store. These are organi?ations 0hich rovide
continuous data on grocery roducts. The rocedure does not invo&ve +uestioning eo&e
and a&so does not re&y on their memory. This re+uires cooeration> from the retai&er to
a&&o0 auditing to be done. Denera&&y> retai& audit invo&ves counting of stoc,s bet0een t0o
consecutive visits. It invo&ves insection of goods de&ivered bet0een visits. If the stoc,
of any roduct in the sho is accurate&y counted> on both the visits and data on de&iveries
are accurate&y ta,en from the records> the co&&ection of sa&es of a roduct over that
eriod can be determined accurate&y as fo&&o0s:
Initia& stoc, G !e&iveries bet0een visits B second time stoc, H sa&es
If this information is obtained from different shos from the reresentative sam&e of
shos> then the accurate estimates of sa&es of the roduct can be made. To do this> some
shos can be ta,en as a @$ane& of shosA reresenting the universe.
Advantages
l It rovides information on consumer urchase over the counter bet0een audits in
secific units. =or ()am&e> 8Ds> bott&es> Co<s etc.
l It rovides data on sho urchases i.e.> the urchases made by the retai&er bet0een
audits.
l The manufacturer comes to ,no0 @9o0 cometitor is doingIA
72
Research Methods for
Management
l It is very re&iab&e method
Disadvantages
l ()erience is needed by the mar,et researcher
l -ooeration is re+uired from the retai& sho
l It is time consuming
Advertising Data
#ince &arge amount of money is sent on advertising> data need to be co&&ected on
advertising. One 0ay of recording is> by using assive meter. This is attached to a TE
set and it records 0hen the set 0as @OnA. It 0i&& record @9o0 &ong a channe& is vie0edA.
2y this method> data regarding audience interest in a channe& can be found out. One
thing to be noticed from the above is that> it on&y te&&s you that someone is vie0ing TE at
home. 2ut it does not te&& you @1ho is vie0ing at homeA. To find out @1ho is vie0ingA
a ne0 instrument ca&&ed @$eo&e<s MeterA is introduced. This is a remote contro&&ed
instrument 0ith buttons. (ach househo&d is given a secific button. 1hen the button is
ressed> it signa&s the contro& bo) that a secific erson is vie0ing. This information is
recorded e&ectronica&&y and sent to a comuter that stores this information and subse+uent&y
it is ana&ysed.
10.% MISCELLANEOUS SECONDARY DATA
Inc&udes trade association such as =I--I> -(I> Institution of (ngineers> chamber of
-ommerce> 4ibraries such as ub&ic &ibrary> Fniversity 4ibrary etc.> &iterature> state and
centra& government ub&ications> rivate sources such as a&& India Management Association
5AIMA6> =inancia& ()ress and =inancia& !ai&ies> 0or&d bodies and internationa&
organi?ations such as IM=> A!2 etc.
A$2a#ta3. a#$ Di.a$2a#ta3. "/ S!"#$ary Data
Advantages
5a6 It is economica&> no need to hire fie&d eo&e
5b6 It saves time> norma&&y 2 to % months time is saved> if data is avai&ab&e on hand and
it can be tabu&ated in minutes.
5c6 They rovide information> 0hich the retai&ers may not be 0i&&ing to give to the
researcher.
5d6 Co training is re+uired to co&&ect the data un&i,e rimary data.
Disadvantages
2ecause secondary data had been co&&ected for some other rojects. #o> it may not fit in
to the rob&em> that is being defined. In some cases> the fit is so oor that> the data
becomes com&ete&y inaroriate. It may be i&& suited because of the fo&&o0ing three
reasons:
l Fnit of measurement
l $rob&em of Accuracy
l Recency
Unit of easurement
It is common for secondary data to be e)ressed in units. ()am&e: #i?e of the retai&
estab&ishments> for instance> can be e)ressed in terms of gross sa&es> rofits> s+uare
7%
feet area and number of em&oyees. -onsumer income can be e)ressed by individua&> !ata
-o&&ection
fami&y> househo&d etc.
#econdary data avai&ab&e may not fit this.
Assume that the c&ass interva&s used is +uite different from those 0hich are needed.
!"ample: !ata avai&ab&e 0ith resect to age grou is as fo&&o0s :
J18 year
18 B 2' years
2* B %' years
%* B '' years
#uose the comany needs a c&assification &ess than 20> 20 B %0 and %0 B '0> the above
data c&assification of secondary data cannot be used.
Problem of Accuracy
The accuracy of secondary data is high&y +uestionab&e. A number of errors are ossib&e>
in co&&ection and ana&ysis of the data. Accuracy of secondary data deends on
5a6 1ho co&&ected the dataI
5b6 9o0 are the data co&&ectedI
5a6 Who collected the data#
Reutation of the source decides the accuracy of the data. Assume that a rivate maga?ine
ub&isher conducts a survey of its readers. The main aim of the survey is to find out the
oinion of its reader about advertisement aearing in it. This survey is done by the
ub&isher 0ith a hoe that other firms 0i&& buy this data before inserting advertisement.
Assume that a rofessiona& M.R agency has conducted a simi&ar survey and se&&ing its
syndicated data on many maga?ines.
If you are a erson> 0ho 0ants information on a articu&ar maga?ine> you buy the data
from M.R agency rather from the maga?ine ub&isher. Reason for this is trust on M.R
agency. The reason for trusting the MR agency is as fo&&o0s.
1. 2eing an indeendent agency> there is no bias. The M.R agency is &i,e&y to rovide
an unbiased data.
2. The data +ua&ity of M.R agency 0i&& be good> since they are rofessiona&s.
5b6 $o% %as the data collected#
1. 1hat instruments 0as usedI
2. 1hat tye of sam&ing 0as doneI
%. 9o0 &arge 0as the sam&eI
'. 1hat 0as the time eriod of data co&&ectionI ()am&e: !ays of the 0ee,> time of
the day.
Recency
This refers to @9o0 o&d is the informationIA If it is five years o&d> it may be use&ess.
Therefore> ub&ication &ag is a rob&em.
7'
Research Methods for
Management
S!"#$ary $ata -.$ t" !+"". a TV m"2i !+a##& /"r a$2rti.i#3 *r"$-!t. 4 .r2i!..
S!"#$ary $ata "/ a *ri#t m$ia t" -#a5& t+ a$2rti.r. t" !+"". .-ita5& ma3a6i#..
T"* t# ma3a6i#. 1A&& I#$ia - -r5a#7r-ra&89
l #aras #a&i& &eads here 0ith a readershi of /781 thousand
l India Today 59indi6 " '%1' thousand 5()hibit 12.'6
l India Today 5(ng&ish6 " '188 thousand
l Drihshobha " %3*3 thousand
l Eanitha " %230 thousand
l $ratiyogita !aran " 23'% thousand
l ReadersK !igest " 2*// thousand
l =i&mfare " 2*'2 thousand
l Meri #ahe&i " 2'0* thousand
l #arita " 2187 thousand
S!"#$ary $ata "/ ra$i" .tati"#. t" !+"". a 5r"a$ !a.t !+a##& /"r i#.rti#3 a# a$.
T"ta& Ra$i" Stati"#. a/tr *+a. II r"&&"-t
10.' TOOLS FOR DATA COLLECTION
Observation and .uestioning are t0o broad aroaches avai&ab&e for rimary data
co&&ection. The major difference bet0een the t0o aroaches is that> in +uestioning
rocess> resondent &ay an active ro&e> because of interaction 0ith the researcher.
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P&ayr T"ta& Stati"#. O/ t+ t"* 1% t":#.
1A 7 a#$ A Cat3"ry8
Ad&abs '' 3
#outh AsiaL8aa& Radio '0 10
(CI4 %2 1%
Radio -ity 20 11
!aini, 2has,ar 13 '
2ag =i&ms 10 0
MeeL-entury 8 0
ThanthiLTodayLMidday 3 1L%L3
9TL$ositiveLRaj $at ' '0L1
Red =M % %
7*
O5.r2ati"# Mt+"$ !ata -o&&ection
In observation method> on&y resent L current behaviour can be studied. Therefore many
researchers fee& that this is a great disadvantage. A causa& observation can en&ighten the
researcher to identify the rob&em. #uch as &ength of the +ueue in front of a food chain>
rice and advertising activity of the cometitor etc. observation is the &east e)ensive of
data co&&ection.
!"ample &: #uose a safety 0ee, is ce&ebrated and ub&ic is made a0are of safety
recautions to be observed 0hi&e 0a&,ing on the road. After one 0ee,> an observer can
stand at a street corner and observe the Co. of eo&e 0a&,ing on footath and those
0a&,ing on the road during a time eriod. This 0i&& te&& him 0hether the camaign on
safety is successfu& or unsuccessfu&.
#ometimes observation 0i&& be the on&y method avai&ab&e to the researcher.
!"ample ': 2ehaviour or attitude of chi&dren> and a&so of those 0ho are inarticu&ate.
(ypes of )bservation ethods
There are severa& methods of observation of 0hich> any one or a combination of some of
them> can be used by the observer. They are:
l #tructured or unstructured observation methods
l !isguised or undisguised observation methods
l !irect"indirect observation
l 9uman"mechanica& observation
Structured*Unstructured )bservation ethods
1hether the observation shou&d be structured or unstructured deends on the data needed.
!"ample &: A Manager of a hote& 0ants to ,no0 N9o0 many of his customers visit the
hote& 0ith fami&y and ho0 many visits as sing&e customerN. 9ere observation is structured>
since it is c&ear N0hat is to be observedN. 9e may te&& the 0aiters to record this. This
information is re+uired to decide the tab&es and chairs re+uirement and a&so the &ayout.
#uose> the Manager 0ants to ,no0 ho0 sing&e customer and customer 0ith fami&y
behave and 0hat is their mood. This study is vague> it needs non"structured observation.
It is easier to record structured observation than non structured observation.
!"ample ': To distinguish bet0een structured and unstructured observation> consider a
study> investigating the amount of search that goes into a Nsoa urchaseN. On the one
hand> the observers cou&d be instructed to stand at one end of a suermar,et and record
each sam&e customerKs search. This may be observed and recorded as fo&&o0s.
N$urchaser first aused after &oo,ing at 944 brandN. 9e &oo,ed at the rice on of the
roduct> ,et the roduct bac, on the she&f> then ic,ed u a soa ca,e of 944 and
g&anced at the icture on the ac, and its &ist of ingredients> and ,et it bac,. 9e then
chec,ed the &abe& and rice for $OD roduct> ,et that bac, do0n again> and after a
s&ight ause> ic,ed u a different f&avor soa of ML# Dodrej comany and &aced it in
his tro&&ey and moved do0n the ais&e. On the other hand> observers might sim&y be to&d
to record the N=irst soa ca,e e)aminedN> by chec,ing the aroriate bo)es in the
observation form. The Nsecond situationN reresents more structured than the first.
To use more structured aroach> it 0ou&d be necessary to decide recise&y> 0hat is to be
observed and the secific categories and units that 0ou&d be used to record the observations.
7/
Research Methods for
Management
Disguised*Undisguised )bservation ethods
In !isguised observation> the resondents do not ,no0 that they are being observed. In
non disguised observation> the resondents are 0e&& a0are that they are being observed.
In disguised observation> many times observers ose as shoers. They are ca&&ed as
Nmystery shoersN. They are aid by the research organisations. The main strength of
disguised observation is that> it a&&o0s for maintaining the true reactions of the individua&s.
In undisguised method> observation may be contained due to induced error by the objects
of observation. The ethica& asect of disguised observations is sti&& +uestionab&e.
Direct*+ndirect )bservation
In direct observation> the actua& behaviour or henomenon of interest is observed. In
Indirect observation> resu&ts of the conse+uences of the henomenon are observed.
#uose> researcher is interested in ,no0ing about the soft drin, consumtion of a student
in a hoste& room. 9e may &i,e to observe emty soft drin, bott&es droed into the bin.
#imi&ar&y> the observer may see, the ermission of the hote& o0ner> to visit the ,itchen or
stores. 9e may carry out a ,itchen L stores audit> to find out the consumtion of various
brands of sice items being used by the 9ote&. It may be noted that> the success of an
indirect observation &arge&y deends on N9o0 best the observer is ab&e to identify hysica&
evidence of the rob&em under studyN.
$uman*echanical )bservation
Most of the studies in mar,eting research based on human observation> 0herein trained
observers are re+uired to observe and record their observations. In some cases>
mechanica& devices such as eye cameras are used for observation. One of the major
advantages of e&ectrica& L mechanica& devices is that> their recordings are free from
subjective bias.
Advantages of )bservation ethod
1. The origina& data can be co&&ected at the time of occurrence of the event.
2. Observation is done in natura& surroundings. Therefore facts are ,no0n> 0here
+uestionnaire> e)eriments have environmenta& as 0e&& as time constraint.
%. #ometimes the resondents may not &i,e to art 0ith some of the information.
Those information can be got by the researcher by observation.
'. Observation can be done on those 0ho cannot articu&ate.
*. 2ias of the researcher is great&y reduced in observation method.
Limitations
1. The observer might be 0aiting at the oint of observation. #ti&& the desired event
may not ta,e &ace i.e. observation is re+uired over a &ong eriod of time and hence
de&ay may occur.
2. =or observation> e)tensive training of observers is re+uired.
%. This is an e)ensive method.
'. ()terna& observation gives on&y surface indications. To go beneath the surface it is
very difficu&t. #o on&y overt behaviour can be observed.
*. T0o observers> may observe the same event but may dra0 inference different&y.
/. It is very difficu&t to gather information on 516 Oinions 526 Intentions etc.
73
!ata -o&&ection 10.) DESI;NIN; T<E =UESTIONNAIRE
=-.ti"##air> it. Im*"rta#! a#$ C+ara!tri.ti!.
,uestionnaire: A +uestionnaire is a too& used to co&&ect the data.
+mportance of ,uestionnaire in R: To study
1. 2ehavior> ast and resent
2. !emograhic characteristics such as age> se)> income> occuation
%. Attitudes and oinions
'. 4eve& of ,no0&edge
Characteristics of ,uestionnaire
1. It must be sim&e. Resondent shou&d be ab&e to understand the +uestions
2. It must generate re&ies> 0hich can be easi&y recorded by the intervie0er
%. It shou&d be secific> so as to a&&o0 the intervie0er to ,ee the intervie0 to the
oint
'. It shou&d be 0e&& arranged> to faci&itate ana&ysis and interretation
*. It must ,ee the resondent interested throughout
Di//r#t Ty*. "/ =-.ti"##air
1. #tructured non disguised .uestionnaire
2. #tructured disguised .uestionnaire
%. Con structured disguised .uestionnaire
'. Con structured"Con disguised .uestionnaire
1. Structured non disguised ,uestionnaire: 9ere> +uestions are structured so as to
get the facts. The intervie0er 0i&& as, the +uestions strict&y as er the re arranged
order. (.g: 1hat are the strengths of soa A in comarison 0ith soa 2I
l -ost is &ess
l 4asts &onger
l 2etter fragrance
l $roduces more &ather
l -omes in more convenient si?es
#tructured> non disguised is 0ide&y used in mar,et research. .uestions are resented
0ith e)act&y the same 0ording and same order to a&& the resondents. The reason for
standardi?ing +uestion is> to ensure that a&& resondents re&y the same +uestion. The
urose of the +uestion is c&ear. The researcher 0ants the resondent to choose one of
the five otions given above. This tye of +uestionnaire is easy to administer. The
resondents have no difficu&ty in ans0ering. 2ecause it is structured> the frame of
reference is obvious.
In a non"disguised tye> the urose of the +uestionnaire is ,no0n to the resondent.
!"ample: N#ubjects attitude to0ards cyber &a0s and need for government &egis&ation to
regu&ate it.N
-ertain&y not needed at resent
-ertain&y not needed
78
Research Methods for
Management
I canKt say
Eery urgent&y needed
Cot urgent&y needed
2. Structured disguised ,uestionnaire: This tye of +uestionnaire is &east used in
Mar,eting research. This tye of .uestionnaire is used to find> eo&esK attitude>
0hen a direct undisguised +uestion roduces a bias. In this tye of +uestionnaire
0hat comes out is N1hat does the resondent ,no0 rather than 0hat he fee&sN.
Therefore attemt in this method is to find the resondentKs attitude.
-urrent&y the Noffice of rofitN bi&& is
5a6 In the 4o,sabha for arova&.
5b6 Aroved by 4o,sabha and ending in Rajyasabha.
5c6 $assed by both the houses> ending residentia& arova&.
5d6 2i&& assed by the resident.
!eending on 0hich ans0er> resondent chooses> his ,no0&edge on the subject is decided.
In a disguised tye> the resondent is not revea&ed the urose of the +uestionnaire.
9ere the urose is to hide N1hat is e)ected from the resondentIN (.g. 516 NTe&& me
your oinion about Mr. 2enKs hea&ing effect sho0 conducted at 2anga&oreIN (.g. 526
N1hat do you thin, regarding 2abri Masjid demo&itionIN
%. -on*Structured and disguised ,uestionnaire: The main objective is to concea&
the toic of en+uiry by using a disguised stimu&us. Though the stimu&us is standardi?ed
by researcher> resondent is a&&o0ed to ans0er in an unstructured manner. The
assumtion made here is that individua&s reaction is an indication of resondentKs
basic ercetion. $rojective techni+ues are e)am&es of Con structured disguised
techni+ue. The techni+ues invo&ve the use of a vague stimu&us> that an individua& is
as,ed to e)and or describe or bui&d a story> three common tyes under this category
are 5a6 1ord association 5b6 #entence com&etion 5c6 #tory te&&ing.
'. -on structured * -on disguised ,uestionnaire: 9ere the urose of the study is
c&ear> but the resonses to the +uestion is oen ended. ()am&e: N9o0 do you fee&
about the cyber &a0 current&y in ractice and its need for further modificationNI
The initia& art of the +uestion is constant. After resenting the initia& +uestion> the
intervie0 becomes very unstructured as the intervie0er robes more dee&y.
Resondents subse+uent ans0er determines the direction the intervie0er ta,es
ne)t. The +uestion as,ed by intervie0er varies from erson to erson. This method
is ca&&ed N!eth intervie0N. The major advantage of this method is freedom ermitted
to the intervie0er. 2y not restricting the resondents for a set of re&ies> the
e)erienced intervie0ers 0i&& be above to get the information from the resondent
fair&y and accurate&y. The main disadvantage of this method of intervie0ing is that>
it ta,es time> and resondents may not co"oerate. Another disadvantage is that
coding of oen ended +uestion may ose a cha&&enge. (.g.: 1hen a researcher
as,ed the resondent NTe&& me something about your e)erience in this hosita&N.
The ans0er may be N1e&&> the nurses are Ns&o0N to attend and !octor is NrudeN.
K#&o0K and KrudeK are different +ua&ities needing searate coding. This tye of
intervie0ing is e)treme&y he&fu& in e)&oratory studies.
77
!ata -o&&ection 10.? =ESTIONNAIRE DESI;NIN;
The fo&&o0ing are the 3 stes:
10.?.1 Dtrmi# :+at I#/"rmati"# i. R,-ir$
The first +uestion to be as,ed by mar,et researcher is N1hat tye of information he
needs from the surveyIN This is va&id because> if he omits some information on re&evant
and vita& asects> his research is not &i,e&y to be successfu&. On the other hand> if he
co&&ects information 0hich is not re&evant> he is 0asting his time and money.
At this stage> information re+uired> and the scoe of research shou&d be c&ear. Therefore
the stes to be fo&&o0ed at the &anning stage is>
1. !ecide the research issue
2. Det additiona& information on the research issue> from secondary data and e)&oratory
research. The e)&oratory research 0i&& suggest N0hat are the re&evant variab&esIN
%. Dather> 0hat has been the e)erience 0ith simi&ar study
'. The tye of information re+uired. There are severa& tyes of information such as
a6 a0areness> b6 facts> c6 oinions> d6 attitudes> e6 future &ans> f6 reasons.
=acts are usua&&y sought out in mar,eting research
1
!etermine 0hat information
is needed
2
1hat tye of .uestionnaire
to be used +uestionnaire
%
!ecide on the tye of
.uestions
/
$retest
*
!eciding on &ayout
'
!ecide on the 0ording of
.uestions
3
Revise and reare fina&
.uestionnaire
100
Research Methods for
Management
!"ample &: 1hich te&evision rogramme did you see &ast #aturdayI This needs memory
and resondent may not remember. This is ,no0n as reca&& &oss. Therefore .uestioning
the distant ast shou&d be avoided. Memory of events deends on 16 Imortance of the
events 526 1hether it is necessary for the resondent to remember. In the above case>
both the factors are not fu&fi&&ed. Therefore the resondent does not remember. On the
contrary birthday or 0edding day of individua&s is remembered 0ithout effort since the
event is imortant. Therefore researcher shou&d be carefu& 0hi&e as,ing +uestions of the
ast. =irst> he must ma,e sure that> the resondent has the ans0er.
!"ample ': !o you go to c&ubI 9e may say KyesK> though it is not true. This may be
because the resondent 0ants to imress uon the intervie0er that he be&ongs to a 0e&&to
do fami&y and can afford to send money on c&ub. To get facts> the resondents must
be conditioned 5by good suort6 to art 0ith the correct facts.
10.?.2 M"$ "/ C"&&!ti#3 t+ Data
The .uestionnaire can be used to co&&ect information either through ersona& intervie0>
mai& or te&ehone. The method chosen deends on the information re+uired and a&so the
tye of resondent. If the information is to be co&&ected from i&&iterate> +uestionnaire
0ou&d be a 0rong choice.
10.?.% Ty* "/ =-.ti"#.
O*# E#$$ =-.ti"#.
These are +uestions> 0here resondents are free to ans0er> in their o0n 0ords. ()am&e:
N1hat factor do you consider to buy a suitNI If mu&ti&e choices are given> it cou&d be
co&our> rice> sty&e> brand etc.> but some resondents may mention items 0hich may not
occur to the researcher.
Therefore oen ended +uestions are usefu& in e)&oratory research> 0here a&& ossib&e
a&ternatives are e)&ored. The greatest disadvantage of oen ended +uestions is that>
researcher has to note do0n the ans0er of the resondents verbatim. Therefore> there
is a ossibi&ity of researcher fai&ing to record some information.
Another rob&em of oen ended +uestion is that> the resondents may not use the same
frame of reference.
!"ample: N1hat is the most imortant attribute in a jobIN
Ans: $ay
The resondent meant N2asic ayN but intervie0er may thin, that> the resondent is
ta&,ing about NTota& ay inc&uding dearness a&&o0ance and incentiveN. #ince both of them
refer to ay> it is imossib&e to searate t0o different frames.
Di!+"t"m"-. =-.ti"#.
These +uestions have on&y t0o ans0ers> NPesN or NnoN> NtrueN or fa&seN NuseN or NdonKt
useN.
!o you use toothasteI Pes QQQ.. Co QQQQ
There is no third ans0er. 9o0ever> some times> there can be a third ans0er: ()am&e:
N!o you &i,e to 0atch moviesIN
Ans: Ceither &i,e nor dis&i,e
!ichotomous +uestion are most convenient and easy to ans0er.
101
C&". E#$ =-.ti"#. !ata -o&&ection
There are t0o basic formats in this tye:
l Ma,e one or more choices among the a&ternatives
l Rate the a&ternatives
-hoice among A&ternatives:
1hich one of the fo&&o0ing 0ords or hrase best describes the ,ind of erson you fee&
0ou&d be most &i,e&y to use this roduct based on 0hat you have seen in the commercia&.
5a6 Poung QQQQ o&d QQQQQ.
#ing&e QQQQ Married QQQ..
Modern QQQQ O&d fashioned QQQQQ...
5b6 Rating #ca&e
5I6 $&ease te&& us your overa&& reaction to this commercia&I
1. A great commercia&> 0ou&d &i,e to see again
2. Rust so> so &i,e other commercia&s
%. Another bad commercia&
'. $retty good commercia&
5II6 2ased on 0hat you sa0 in the commercia&> ho0 interested do you fee&> you 0ou&d
be buying the roductsI
l !efinite&y
l $robab&y 0ou&d buy
l May or may not buy
l $robab&y 0ou&d not buy
l !efinite&y 0ou&d not buy
-&osed ended +uestionnaire are easy to ans0er. It re+uires &ess effort by the intervie0er.
Tabu&ation> ana&ysis is easier. There is &ess error> since same +uestions are as,ed to
everyone. Time ta,en to resond is &ess. 1e can comare the ans0er of one resondent
to another resondent.
One basic criticism of c&osed ended +uestionnaire is that> midd&e a&ternatives are not
inc&uded in this. #uch as NdonKt ,no0N. This 0i&& force the resondents> to choose among
the given a&ternative.
10.?.' =-.ti"# @"r$i#3
1ordings of articu&ar +uestions can have a &arge imact on ho0 resondent interrets.
(ven a sma&& shift in the 0ording can shift resondentKs ans0er.
!"ample &: N!onKt you thin, that> 2ra?i& &ayed oor&y in the =I=A cuIN The ans0er
0i&& be NyesN. Many of them> 0ho do not have any idea about the game> 0i&& a&so say
NyesN. If the +uestion is 0orded s&ight&y different&y> the resonse 0i&& be different.
!"ample ': N!o you thin, that> 2ra?i& &ayed oor&y in the =I=A cuIN This is a straight
for0ard +uestion. The ans0er cou&d be NyesN> NnoN or NdonKt ,no0N deending on the
,no0&edge the resondents have about the game.
One 0ord change as above> different resonses 0i&& be given by resondents.
102
Research Methods for
Management
;-i$&i#. t":ar$. t+ -. "/ !"rr!t :"r$i#3
+s vocabulary simple. and familiar to the respondents#
!"ample &: Instead of using the 0or, Nreasonab&yN> Nusua&&yN> Noccasiona&&yN> Ngenera&&yN>
Non the 0ho&eN.
!"ample ': N9o0 often do you go to a movieI Often> may be once a 0ee,> once a
month> once in t0o months or even more.
Avoid Double /arreled ,uestions
These are +uestions> in 0hich resondent can agree 0ith one art of the +uestion> but
not agree 0ith the other or cannot ans0er 0ithout ma,ing a articu&ar assumtion.
!"ample &: N!o you fee&> firms today are em&oyee oriented and customer orientedN
There are t0o searate issues here " SyesT SCoT
!"ample ': NAre you hay 0ith the rice and +ua&ity of 2randed shamooIN SyesT
SCoT
Avoid Leading And Loading ,uestions
La$i#3
4eading +uestion is one> 0hich suggests the ans0er to the resondent. The +uestion
itse&f 0i&& inf&uence the ans0er> 0hen resondents get an idea that the data is being
co&&ected by a comany> resondents have a tendency to resond ositive&y. ()am&e 1U
N9o0 do you &i,e the rogramme on NRadio MirchyNI The ans0er is &i,e&y to be NyesN.
The unbiased 0ay of as,ing is N0hich is your favorite =M Radio stationI The ans0er
cou&d be any one of the four stations name&y 1. Radio -ity 2. Mirchy %. Rainbo0 '.
Radio"One.
L"a$i#3
A &eading +uestion is a&so ,no0n as &oaded +uestion. In &oading> secia& emhasis is
given to a 0ord or a hrase> 0hich acts as a &ead to resondent. ()am&e: N!o you o0n
a ,e&vinator refrigeratorN. 2etter +uestion 0ou&d be N0hat brand of refrigerator do you
o0nI !onKt you thin, the civic body is NincometentN. 9ere incometent is K&oadedK.
Are (he ,uestions Confusing#
If there is a +uestion> 0hich is not c&ear or confusing> then the resondent gets more
biased rather that getting en&ightened. ()am&e: N!o you thin, that the Dovernment
ub&ished boo, is distributed effective&yNI This is not the correct 0ay> since resondent
does not ,no0 0hat is the meaning of the 0ord effective distribution. This is confusing.
The correct 0ay of as,ing +uestions is N!o you thin, that the Dovernment ub&ished
boo,s are readi&y avai&ab&e 0hen you 0ant to buyIN ()am&e: N!o you thin, 0hether
va&ue rice e+uation is attractiveNI 9ere resondents may not ,no0 the meaning of
va&ue rice e+uation.
10.?.) A**&i!a5i&ity
NIs the +uestion a&icab&e to a&& resondentsNI Resondents may try to ans0er a +uestion
even though> they donKt +ua&ify to do so or may &ac, oinion. ()am&e 1: N1hat is your
resent education &eve&N 2. N1here are you 0or,ingN 5assume he is em&oyed6 %. N=rom
0hich ban, have you ta,en housing &oanN 5assume he has ta,en &oan6.
A2"i$ im*&i!it a..-m*ti"#.
An im&icit a&ternative> is one that is not e)ressed in the otions. -onsider the 2 fo&&o0ing
+uestions>
10%
1ou&d you &i,e to have a job> if it is ossib&eI !ata -o&&ection
1ou&d you refer to have a job> or do you refer to do just domestic 0or,.
(ven though> 0e may say that the 2 +uestions &oo, simi&ar> they vary 0ide&y. The difference
is that> in ."2 ma,es e)&icit the a&ternative im&ied in ."1.
10.?.? S*&it Ba&&"t T!+#i,-
This is a rocedure used 0herein 1. The +uestion is s&it into t0o ha&ves and
2. !ifferent se+uencing of +uestions is administered to each ha&f. There are occasions
0hen a sing&e version of +uestions may not derive the correct ans0er and the choice is
not obvious to the resondent.
!"ample: N1hy do you use Ayurvedic soaNI One resondent might say NAyurvedic
soa is better for s,in careN. Another may say N!ermato&ogist recommendedN. Third
might say NIt is a soa used by the entire fami&y for severa& yearsN. The first resondent
is ans0ering NThe reason for using it at resentN. The second resonded is ans0ering.
N9o0 he started usingN. The third resondent> N#tating fami&y tradition for usingN. As can
be seen> different reference frames are used. The +uestion may be ba&anced and as,ed.
Are (he ,uestions (oo Long#
Denera&&y as a thumb ru&e it is advisab&e to ,ee the number of 0ords in a +uestion not
e)ceeding 20. The +uestion given be&o0 is too &ong for the resondent to comrehend> to
ans0er.
10.?.A Parti!i*ati"# at t+ (*#. "/ A!!-ra!y
#ome times the resondent may not have the information that is necessary by the researcher.
!"ample &: The husband is as,ed a +uestion N9o0 much does your fami&y send on
groceries in a 0ee,N Fn&ess the resondent does the grocery shoing himse&f> he 0i&&
not ,no0 0hat he has sent. In a situation &i,e this> it 0i&& be he&fu& to as, Nfi&tered
+uestionN. ()am&e of fi&tered +uestion may be N1ho buys grocery in your fami&yNI
!"ample ': N!o you have the information of Mr. 2enKs visit to 2anga&oreNI Cot on&y
shou&d the individua& have the information but a&so he or she shou&d remember it. The
inabi&ity to remember the information is ca&&ed as Nreca&& &ossN.
10.?.B Pr-t.ti#3 "/ =-.ti"##air
$re"testing of a +uestionnaire is done to detect any f&a0s as fo&&o0s. (.g. 1ord used by
the researcher must convey the same meaning to a&& the resondents. Are instructions to
s,i +uestions c&earI One of the rime conditions for re testing is> sam&e chosen for
re testing shou&d be simi&ar to the resondents 0ho are going to articiate u&timate&y.
Rust because> a fe0 chosen resondents fi&& in a&& the +uestions> it does not mean that>
+uestionnaire is sound.
$o% any ,uestion (o /e As0ed#
.uestionnaire shou&d not be too &ong as resonse 0i&& be oor. There is no ru&e to decide
this. 9o0ever> the researcher shou&d ,no0 that if he 0as the resondent> ho0 0ou&d he
react to a &engthy +uestionnaire. One 0ay of deciding the &ength of the +uestionnaire is
to ca&cu&ate the time ta,en to com&ete the +uestionnaire. 9e can give the +uestionnaire
to a fe0 ,no0n eo&e to see, their oinion.
10.A MAIL =UESTIONNAIRE
10.A.1 A$2a#ta3.
1. (asier to reach &arge number of resondents throughout the country
2. #ince intervie0er is not resent face to face> inf&uence of intervie0er on the
resondent is e&iminated.
10'
Research Methods for
Management
%. 1here the +uestions as,ed> is such that> it cannot be ans0ered immediate&y> and
needs some thin,ing on the art of the resondent> Resondent can thin, over
&eisure&y and give the ans0er
'. #aves cost 5cheaer than intervie06
*. Co need to train intervie0ers
/. $ersona& and sensitive +uestions are 0e&& ans0ered
10.A.2 Limitati"#.
1. It is not suitab&e> 0hen +uestions are difficu&t and com&icated. ()am&e: N!o you
be&ieve in va&ue rice re&ation shiNI
2. 1hen the researcher is interested in sontaneous resonse> this method is unsuitab&e.
2ecause> thin,ing time given to resondent 0i&& inf&uence the ans0er. ()am&e:
NTe&& me sontaneous&y> 0hat comes to your mind if I as, you about cigarette
smo,ingN.
%. In case of mai& +uestionnaire> it is not ossib&e to verify 0hether the resondent
himse&f L herse&f has fi&&ed the +uestionnaire. If +uestionnaire is directed to0ards
the house0ife> to find e)enditure on ,itchen items> she is suosed to ans0er it.
Instead if her husband ans0ers the +uestionnaire> the ans0er may not be correct.
'. Any c&arification re+uired by the resondent regarding +uestions> is not ossib&e.
()am&e: $rorated discount> roduct rofi&e> margina& rate etc. may not be understood
by the resondents.
*. If the ans0ers are not correct> the researcher cannot robe further
/. $oor resonse 5%0V6 " Cot a&& re&y.
10.B SAMPLE =UESTIONNAIRES
10.B.1 A St-$y "/ C-.t"mr Rt#ti"# a. A$"*t$ 5y T(ti& Rtai& O-t&t.
Cote: Information gathered 0i&& be strict&y confidentia&. 1e high&y areciate your
cooeration in this regard.
1. Came of the out&et:
2. Address:
%. !o you have regu&ar customersI
Pes S T Co S T
'. 9o0 often your regu&ar customer visits your out&etI
1ee,&y S T Once in a month S T T0ice in a month S T
Once in 2 months S T 2 " % months S T Once in / months S T
*. !o you maintain any records of your regu&ar customersI
Pes S T Co S T
/. 1hat ercentage of your customers are regu&arI V S T
3. !o you thin, that 0e can use the above as a retention strategy of customers for
your out&etsI
Pes S T Co S T
8. 1hat are the different roducts that you hand&e in your out&etsI
=orma&s S T -asua&s 8ids 0ear S T 4adies dress materia&s S T
#arees S T Others 5#ecify6
10*
7. 1hat tye of customers 5socio"economic6 visits your out&etsI !ata -o&&ection
4o0 income S T Midd&e income S T 9igh income S T
10. 1hy do you thin, they come to your out&etI
$roduct variety S T $rice discount S T (asy gain to roducts S T
$ar,ing faci&ity S T#tore &ayout S T .ua&ity S T Reasonab&e rice S T
Others 5#ecify6
11. Ran, the factors that inf&uence the customer to visit your out&et:
-redit faci&ity S T $rice discount S T Difts S T (asy gain to roducts S T
$ar,ing faci&ity S T #tore &ayout S T $roduct variety S T
.ua&ity and reasonab&e rice S T Others 5#ecify6 """"""""""""""""""""""
12. 1hat do customers e)ect from the retai& out&etI
-redit faci&ity S T Dift couon S T $rice discount S T
$rice reduction easy accessibi&ity of roduct S T .ua&ity and reasonab&e rice S T
Other 5#ecify6 """""""""""""""""""""""""
1%. !o you have any retention strategy adoted to ,ee in touch 0ith the customerI
Difts on secia& occasion
5a6 2irthday gift S T 5b6 Anniversary S T 5c6 =estiva&s -ustomer re&ationshi S T
Others 5#ecify6 """"""""""""""""""""""""""
1'. 1hich one do you thin, is most effective> &ease ran, themI
5a6 2irthday gift S T 5b6 Anniversary S T 5c6 =estiva&s -ustomer re&ationshi S T
Others 5#ecify6 """"""""""""""""""""""""""
Than,ing Pou for #aring Pour Ea&uab&e Time
10.B.2 A St-$y "# C-.t"mr Pr/r#!. "/ P.C.
!ate:
$&ace:
=orm Co: S T S T S T S T S T
1. $ersona& $rofi&e
5a6 Came: S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T
5b6 Address: S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T
S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T
S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T S T
5c6 #e): Ma&e S T =ema&e S T
5d6 Age: S T S T years
5e6 Occuation: #e&f"em&oyed S T $rofessiona& S T #ervice S T 9ouse0ife S T
2. !o you o0n a $.-I Pes S T Co S T
5a6 If yes> 0hether: 2randed S T unbranded S T
5b6 If no> do you &an to buy itI Cear future S T !istant future S T -anKt say S T
54ess than / months6 54ess than a year6
If so> 0hether: 2randed S T unbranded S T
10/
Research Methods for
Management
%. 1hat is the uti&ity of the $- to youI
(ducation S T 2usiness S T (ntertainment S T Internet L
-ommunication S T
'. 1hat is the most imortant factor that matters 0hi&e buying a $-I
.ua&ity S T $rice S T #ervice S T =inance faci&ity S T
*. 2efore deciding on vendor> 0hich factor goes into your considerationI
Eendors Reutation S T Technica& ()ertise S T -&ient 2ase S T
/. 9o0 did you come to ,no0 about the vendorI
=riend&y L =ami&y S T $ress Adds S T !irect Mai&ers S T
Reference1ebsite S T
3. 1hich configuration 0ou&d you decide on 0hi&e buying a $-I
#tandard S T Intermediate S T 4atest L Advanced S T
8. In your $-> 0ou&d you referI -onventiona& !esign S T Innovative !esign S T
if ne0> 1hy: Ce0 design distract attention "
Ce0 design means increased rice "
Ce0 design is hard to adat "
If Innovative> 0hy:To create o0n identify
Out of business need "
#ace management "
7. Rate the fo&&o0ing four factors imortant for innovative design> starting 0ith the
most referred:
A6 #i?e 26 #hae -6 -o&our L ordinary !6 $ortabi&ity and #turdiness
1. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" %. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
2. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" '. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
10. To 0hat e)tent the comuter 0ou&d increase your efficiencyI
Ceg&igib&e S T 20 " '0V S T '0 " /0V S T More S T
11. 9o0 many hours on an average er 0ee, 0ou&d you use your $-I
0 to * hours S T / to 12 hours S T 1% to 18 hours S T More S T
12. 1hi&e using your $- most of the time 0ou&d be given for:
(ducation S T Accounting S T Cet surfing S T corresondence S T
1%. Remar,s """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
#ignature of Resondent """""""""""""""""""""
10.B.% =-.ti"##air 1Da&r.8
N #urvey on dea&ers L consumers reference of different brands of cements in Tum,urN
!ear #ir L Madan>
The information gathered is strict&y used for academe urose. 1e high&y areciate
103
your co"oeration in this regard. !ata -o&&ection
Came QQQQQQQQQQQQQQ..
Address QQQQQQQQQQQQQ..
QQQQQQQQQQQQQ..
$hone Co. QQQQQQQQQQQQ..
1. 9o0 &ong are you in -ement 2usiness I
2e&o0 1 Pear
1 " * years
* " 10 years
Above 10 years
2. Ran, your major consumers I
-onsumers Ran,
Institutions L comanies
Individua&s
2ui&ding $romoters L -onstruction -omanies
Dovernment Agencies
#ma&& contractors
%. Ran, the fo&&o0ing brands do you se&& according to vo&ume I
2rands Ran,
1. !iamond
2. 4 O T
%. Ramco
'. Rassi
*. 2ir&a #uer
/. #han,ar
3. A--
8. -oramande&
7. Others
'. Ran, the fo&&o0ing brands that are most&y referred by consumers.
2rands> Institutions> Individua&s> Dovt. #ma&& 2ui&ding> -omanies> Agencies
-ontractors> $romoters
1. !iamond
2. 4OT
%. Ramco
'. Raasi
*. 2ir&a #uer
/. #han,ar
3. A--
8. -oramande&
7. Others
108
Research Methods for
Management
* Ran, youKre the factors that inf&uence you to stoc, and se&& the fo&&o0ing brands.
=actors Ran,
1. .ua&ity
2. -onsumer re+uirements
%. Attractive Margins
'. !ea&er Incentive
*. Others
/. Mention any romotiona& activities from your end
$romotiona& Pes Co
Activities
.uantity discount
$rice discount
=ree Transortation
=ree technica& advise L information
3. Ran, the fo&&o0ing +ua&ities that consumers &oo, for0ard during their urchase of
cements.
.ua&ities> Institutions> Individua&s> Dovt. #ma&& 2ui&ding> -omanies> Agencies>
-ontractors> $romoters> .uic, setting
$rice
!urabi&ity
Avai&abi&ity
2rand
8. Mention the &eve& of inf&uence of the fo&&o0ing factors on your sa&es behaviour
=actors> ()treme&y> #ome0hat> Indifferent> Cot very> Cot at a&&> Inf&uence
.ua&ity
-onsumers
Re+uirements
Attractive
Margin
!ea&ers
Incentives
$rice
Others
!esign a +uestionnaire for survey on consumer<s references of mobi&e hone.
10.C LET US SUM UP
#ometimes> secondary data may not be ab&e to so&ve the research rob&em. In that case
researcher need to turn to0ards rimary data. $rimary data may ertain to &ife sty&e>
income> a0areness or any other attribute of individua&s or grous. There are 2 0ays of
C+!0 Y"-r Pr"3r..
107
co&&ecting rimary data name&y. 5a6 Observation 5b6 2y +uestioning the aroriate sam&e. !ata
-o&&ection
Observation method has a &imitation i.e.> certain attitudes> ,no0&edge> motivation etc.
cannot be measured by this method. =or this reason> researcher needs to communicate.
-ommunication method is c&assified based on 0hether it is structured or disguised.
#tructured +uestionnaire is easy to administer. This tye is most suited for descritive
research. If the researcher 0ants to do e)&oratory sturdy> unstructured method is better.
In unstructured method +uestions 0i&& have to be framed based on the ans0er by the
resondent. In disguised +uestionnaire> the urose of research is not disc&osed to
resondents. This is done so that the resondents might sea, the truth instead of giving
some ans0er 0hich satisfies the researcher.
.uestionnaire can be administered either in erson or on"&ine or Mai& +uestionnaire.
(ach of these methods have advantages and disadvantages. .uestions in a +uestionnaire
may be c&assified into 5a6 Oen +uestion 5b6 -&ose ended +uestions 5c6 !ichotomous
+uestions etc. 1hi&e formu&ating +uestions> care has to be ta,en 0ith resect to +uestion
0ording> vocabu&ary> &eading> &oading and confusing +uestions shou&d be avoided. =urther
it is desirab&e that +uestions shou&d not be com&e)> nor too &ong. It is a&so im&ied that
roer se+uencing 0i&& enab&e the resondent to ans0er the +uestion easi&y. The
researcher must maintain a ba&anced sca&e and must use a funne& aroach. $retesting
of the +uestionnaire is referred before introducing to a &arge ou&ation. $ersona&
intervie0 to gather information is very cost&y. Therefore sometimes mai& +uestionnaire
is used by researcher to co&&ect the data. 9o0ever it has its o0n &imitations.
#econdary data are statistics that a&ready e)ists. These may not be readi&y used because
these data are co&&ected for some other urose. There are 2 tyes of secondary data
516 Interna& and 526 ()terna& secondary data. -ensus is the most imortant among
secondary data. #yndicated data is an imortant form of secondary data 0hich may be
c&assified into 5a6 -onsumer urchase data 5b6 Retai&er and 0ho&esa&e data 5c6 Advertising
data. (ach has advantages and disadvantages. #econdary data has its o0n advantages
and disadvantages.
10.10 LESSON-END ACTIVITIES
5i6 4ist some major secondary sources of information for the fo&&o0ing:
@Mar,et research manager of a tea manufacturing comany has to reare a
comrehensive reort on the tea industry as a 0ho&e.A
5ii6 1hat observation techni+ue 0ou&d you use to gather the fo&&o0ing information:
@9o0 do discounts inf&uence the urchase behaviour of customers buying co&our
TEIA
10.11 DEY@ORDS
!eth intervie0
!isguised
Fndisguised
Fnstructured observation
Mai& +uestionnaire
Oen ended +uestions
-&osed ended +uestions
!ichotomous +uestion
110
Research Methods for
Management
!oub&e barre& +uestion
4eading +uestion
#&it ba&&ot techni+ue
$retest mai& +uestionnaire
Interna& data
()terna& data
#yndicated data
-ensus ane&
Retai& L 1ho&esa&e data
-onsumer urchase data
-.M.$
10.12 =UESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. 1hat is rimary dataI
2. 1hat are the various methods avai&ab&e for co&&ecting rimary dataI
%. 1hat are the severa& methods used to co&&ect data by observation methodI
'. 1hat are the advantages and &imitations of co&&ecting data by observation methodI
*. 1hat is a +uestionnaireI 1hat are its different tyesI
/. 1hat are the characteristics of a good +uestionnaireI
3. 1hat are the &imitations of a +uestionnaireI
8. ()&ain the stes invo&ved in designing a +uestionnaire.
7. ()&ain Oen ended O -&osed ended +uestions in a +uestionnaire.
10. 1hat is a s&it ba&&ot methodI 1hen is it em&oyedI
11. 1hat is +uestionnaire retestingI
12. 1hat is a dichotomous +uestionI 1hen is it most aroriateI
1%. 9o0 does a +uestionnaire suffer comared to e)erimentation on account of va&idity
O re&iabi&ityI
1'. 1hat is meant by re testing of +uestionnaireI 1hy is it re+uiredI
1*. !istinguish +ua&itative and +uantitative method of data co&&ection.
1/. 1hat is mai& +uestionnaireI ()&ain the advantages and &imitations of the same.
13. 1hat is meant by &eading L &oading +uestion give e)am&eI
18. 1hat is meant by doub&e barre&ed +uestionsI
17. !esign a +uestionnaire to study brand reference for a consumer durab&e roduct.
20. 1hat is meant by secondary dataI
21. 1hat are the sources of secondary dataI
22. 1hat are the tyes of secondary dataI
2%. 1hat are the secia& techni+ues of secondary dataI
2'. 1hat are the c&assification of syndicated dataI
2*. 1hat are the advantages and &imitations of syndicated dataI
111
2/. 1hat are the advantages and disadvantages of secondary dataI !ata -o&&ection
23. !iscuss the sources of secondary data for the study on Nconsumer urchasing a
0hite goodN.
28. 1ho are the to 10 advertisers in (ng&ish movie channe&sI
27. 1hat are the to 10 maga?inesI
%0. 1hat are the tota& radio stations of different comanies after hase II ro&& outI
10.1% SU;;ESTED READIN;S
#. C. Murthy and F. 2hojanna> Business Research Methods, ()ce& 2oo,s> 2003.
2oyd> 1estfa&&> and #tasch> "Marketing Research Text and Cases", A&& India Trave&&er
2oo,se&&er> Ce0 !e&hi.
2ro0n> =.(.> "Marketing Research, a structure for decision-making", Addison"
1es&ey $ub&ishing -omany.
8othari> -.R.> "Research Methodology- Methods and Techniques", 1i&ey (astern
4td.
#toc,ton and -&ar,> "Introduction to Business and Economic tatistics"> !.2.
Taraoreva&a #ons and -o. $rivate 4imited> 2ombay.