Secondary Data

4-2

Primary vs. Secondary Data

■ Primary data are originated by a researcher for the specific
purpose of addressing the problem at hand. The collection of
primary data involves all six steps of the marketing research
process (Chapter 1).
■ Secondary data are data which have already been collected
for purposes other than the problem at hand. These data can
be located quickly and inexpensively.
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A Comparison of Primary & Secondary Data

Table 4.1

Primary Data Secondary Data

Collection purposeFor the problem at hand For other problems

Collection process Very involved Rapid & easy
Collection cost High Relatively low
Collection time Long Short
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Uses of Secondary Data

■ Identify the problem
■ Better define the problem
■ Develop an approach to the problem
■ Formulate an appropriate research
design (for example, by identifying the
key variables)
■ Answer certain research questions and
test some hypotheses
■ Interpret primary data more insightfully
 4-5

Advantages
■ easily accessible,

■ relatively inexpensive and

■ quickly obtained.

■ Some secondary data sources can be accessed free

of charge, but many sources do charge fees to reflect
the investment made to gather, analyze and present
accurate information (E.g. – Bloomberg, Prowess Etc)
 4-6

Disadvantages
■ As secondary data have been collected for purposes other than the

problem at hand, their usefulness to the current problem may be

limited in several important ways, including relevance and accuracy.

■ The objectives, nature and methods used to collect the secondary data

may not be appropriate to the present situation.

■ May be lacking in accuracy or may not be completely current or

dependable.
 4-7

Criteria for Evaluating Secondary Data

■ Specifications: Methodology Used to
Collect the Data
■ Error: Accuracy of the Data
■ Currency: When the Data Were Collected
■ Objective(s): The Purpose for Which the
Data Were Collected
■ Nature: The Content of the Data
■ Dependability: Overall, How Dependable
Are the Data

Criteria for Evaluating Secondary Data
Table 4.2
Criteria Issues Remarks
Specifications Data collection method, response
& Methodology rate, quality & analysis of data,
sampling technique & size,
questionnaire design, fieldwork.
Error & Examine errors in approach,
Accuracy research design, sampling, data
collection & analysis, & reporting.
Currency Time lag between collection &
publication, frequency of updates.
Objective Why were the data collected?
Nature Definition of key variables, units of
measurement, categories used,
relationships examined.
Dependability Expertise, credibility, reputation, &
trustworthiness of the source.
4-8
Data should be reliable,
valid, & generalizable to
the problem.
Assess accuracy by
comparing data from
different sources.
Census data are updated
by syndicated firms.
The objective determines
the relevance of data.
Reconfigure the data to
increase their usefulness.
Data should be obtained
from an original source.
 4-9

A Classification of Secondary Data

Fig. 4.1

Secondary Data

Internal External

Ready to Requires Published Computerized Syndicated

Use Further Materials Databases Services
Processing
 A Classification of Secondary Data 4-10

(CONT.)

■ Internal Data - Those generated within the organization for which the
research is being conducted. An example of this source of data for any
marketing decision maker and researcher is the corporate revenue
ledger at individual transaction level.
 4-11
INTERNAL SOURCES OF SECONDARY
DATA
If available, internal secondary data may be obtained with less time, effort and money
than the external secondary data. In addition, they may also be more pertinent to the
situation at hand since they are from within the organization. The internal sources
include

Accounting resources- This gives so much information which can be used by the
marketing researcher. They give information about internal factors.

Sales Force Report- It gives information about the sale of a product. The information
provided is of outside the organization.

Internal Experts- These are people who are heading the various departments. They
can give an idea of how a particular thing is working
Miscellaneous Reports- These are what information you are getting from operational
reports.
 4-12

■ External data, on the other hand, are those generated by sources

outside the organisation. These data may exist in the form of published
material, online databases, or information made available by syndicated
services..
EXTERNAL SOURCES OF SECONDARY
4-13

DATA
4-14
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General Business Sources

Guides
■ An excellent source of standard or recurring information
■ Helpful in identifying other important sources of directories,
trade associations, and trade publications
■ One of the first sources a researcher should consult

Directories
■ Helpful for identifying individuals or organizations that collect
specific data

Non Government Statistical Data

■ Market statistics related to population demographics, purchasing
levels, TV viewership and product usage are some of the types
of non-governmental statistics available from secondary
sources.
 4-16

GOVERNMENT SOURCES
Government sources provide an extremely rich pool of data for the researchers. In
addition, many of these data are available free of cost on the internet.

• Registrar General of India- It is an office which generate demographic data.

It includes details of gender, age, occupation etc.
• Ministry of Commerce and Industries- This ministry through the office of
economic advisor provides information on wholesale price index.
• Planning Commission- It provides the basic statistics of Indian Economy.
• Reserve Bank of India- This provides information on Banking Savings and
investment. RBI also prepares currency and finance reports.
• Labor Bureau- It provides information on skilled, unskilled, white collared
jobs etc.
 4-17

GOVERNMENT SOURCES (CONT.)

• National Sample Survey- This is done by the Ministry of Planning and it

provides social, economic, demographic, industrial and agricultural statistics.
• Department of Economic Affairs- It conducts economic survey and it also
generates information on income, consumption, expenditure, investment,
savings and foreign trade.
• State Statistical Abstract- This gives information on various types of
activities related to the state like - commercial activities, education,
occupation etc.
a
 4-18

Government sources

The Central Statistical Organization (CSO) and various state govt. collect compile
and publish data on regular basis. Some of the important such publications are:
(i) Indian Trade Journals
(ii) Reports on Currency and Finance
(iii) Indian Customs and Central Excise Tariff
(iv) Statistical Abstract of India
(v) Reserve Bank of India Bulletin
(vi) Labour Gazette
(vii) Agricultural Statistics of India
(viii) Bulletin of Agricultural Prices
(ix) Indian Foreign Statistics
(x) Economic Survey
(this is not an exhaustive list)
 4-19

NON-GOVERNMENTAL PUBLICATIONS

These includes publications of various industrial and trade

associations
• The Indian Cotton Mill Association
• Various chambers of commerce
• The Bombay Stock Exchange
• Various Associations of Press Media.
• Export Promotion Council.
• Confederation of Indian Industries ( CII )
• Different Mills like - Woolen mills, Textile mills etc
• Small Industries Development Board of India

The only disadvantage of the above sources is that the data may be biased. They are
likely to colour their negative points.
 4-20

NEWSPAPER & MAGAZINES

Various newspapers as well as magazines also do collect data in respect of many
social and economic aspects
 4-21

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

All foreign govts and international agencies publish

regular reports of international significance. These
reports are regularly published by the agencies like;

(i) United Nations Organization

(iii) World Health Organization
(ii) International Labour Organization
(iv) Food and Agriculture Organization
(v) International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development
(vi) World Meteorological Organization.
 4-22

Databases
 4-23

■ Bibliographic databases - citations to articles in journals, magazines,

newspapers, marketing research studies, technical reports, government
documents and the like. They often provide summaries or abstracts of
the material cited.
■ Numeric databases contain numerical and statistical information. For
example, some numeric databases provide time-series data about the
economy and specific industries. (E.g. – RBI Database on economic
indicators)
 4-24

■ Full-text databases contain the complete text of the source documents

held in the database. They usually have the ability to conduct advanced
searches for topics, authors, phrases, words and interconnections
between these. Examples include Emerald Insight
(www.emeraldinsight. com)

Emerald is an independent publisher of global research with an

impact in business, society, public policy and education. Its database
provides access to more than 68,000 articles, some dating back as
far as 1898. It has backfiles of over 120 business and management
titles in one unified platform and access to 217 business and
management e-journals.
 4-25

SEMI GOVT.
PUBLICATIONS
.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

PRIVATE PUBLICATIONS

RESEARCH SCHOLARS
 4-26

■ Special-purpose databases. A good example of a special-purpose

database is the fashion-trend forecasting service WGSN
(www.wgsn.com). WGSN is a leading online trend-analysis and
research service, providing creative and marketing intelligence for the
apparel, style, design and retail industries
 4-27

Source

Malhotra, N. K., & Dash , S. –

Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation . Pearson.