Research Methods

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‘Primary research is the process of gathering information directly from individuals.’ quote from online source. So the primary resource is you being involved asking the questions from people who are involved in the topic and on so. It is different to secondary research because you are not just getting the work from online sources. http://www.sedulogroup.c om/resources/primary_res earch.php I also understand through reading another online source that the primary research has to start from scratch as there is no data available for it. For the researcher to gain information and knowledge they will go through different methods like questionnaires, collecting data from responders, Facebook poles and so on. From this point the research will gather all research they have got and start to analyse it http://wiki.answers.com/Q /What_are_primary_and_s econdary_research

The first advantage from primary research is the researcher can focus on qualitative and quantitative issues. For example they can get a lot of different facts and opinions from people through poles or they can arrange discussion groups and get qualitative sources. This means the researcher has complete control of what data they are getting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_ research

Another advantage of primary research is the data you receive as many secondary resources are genially not up to date sources if information and by doing primary research it allows them to know the trends of that specific time. This makes the primary research more accurate rather than secondary research as they can relate it to their own scenario. • Looking at a online source I have understood that another advantage of primary research is the researcher who has done the research owns the data therefore does not need to share it to other companies this will help with their competition because they would not have the same data. http://www.ianswer4u.com/2012/02/ primary-research-advantagesand.html

A disadvantage from primary research could be that the research will not receive past data that is trust worthy i.e through graphs and tables. Another disadvantage with primary research could be that you don’t always find out the information that you want to know. I.e if you was to do a survey through a researcher trying to find out why the product did not work they may not get the answers they wont because it is very simple based answers. Most of the disadvantages of primary research are simple things i.e the cost of doing primary research. It could also take a long time to collect on the data. Accurate data leads to a long research

A technique that could be used within primary research is a survey, this may be where a researcher is trying to find out about an old product and therefore asks questions to random people and they will answer with simple 1 work answers for example; did you like the chocolate bar? What made it look nice?

Another technique that could be used within primary research is a focus group and this will allow the research to get very detailed answer and explanations they will be able to speak to people one and one and find out more about the product they are researching.

The last technique a researcher could do within primary research is they could do a pole on a network site like Facebook as this website is used by a wide range of people and will allow the researcher to get varied answer from different people i.e age, gender, ethnicity, interests


The first source I have looked at just lets me known that secondary research is all data and resources collected from the internet, this is all I have learnt from this source. http://answers.yahoo.com/ques tion/index?qid=2009102611445 1AA10tZW I understand now that secondary research is the most widely use way of researches the data and resources you want to know about, as the internet is kept unto date rather than books. Secondary research entitles you to collect data from either the originator or distributor

This process involves collecting data from either the originator or a distributor of primary research (see Primary Research discussion below). In other words, accessing information already gathered. In most cases this means finding information from third-party sources such as marketing research reports, company websites, magazine articles, and other sources. But in actuality any information previously gathered, whether from sources external to the marketer or from internal sources, such as accessing material from previous market research carried out by the marketer’s organization, old

An advantage of secondary data is the researcher can find reliable sources that have facts and stats through the pervious years, this shows that the source is trust worthy and reliable, these different types are also easy to access.

The cost of secondary research is minimal compared to primary research as most of the data sources are online access which are free the only secondary resources you could possibly pay for are books.

Secondary research is mostly very important for a researcher as it allows them to clarify there questions on their. Secondary research is commonly done before primary research as it allows the classification of the focus. Underneath shows where I have obtained my information from. http://prosandconsofseco

A disadvantage could be that not all online sources are accurate i.e wiki answers can sometimes be people trying to answer a question so is not 100% correct so this could lead to in-accurate answers. Another disadvantage within secondary research is the use of using books to find out all information. Books are a good source as they are accurate but the disadvantage with using books could be that the information being received can be old for example not relevant to the time period the researcher is looking at. This could then hinder the graphs and findings they get as they would be invalid to this time period. This outlines the quality of the research found.

A main disadvantage of secondary research is that most of the information obtained is either incomplete or does not relate to your needs I.d to your product. This means that the data received may not meet the researchers needs which can mean the researcher has to find

An example of a technique that a researcher can conduct under the research method of secondary research is they can look at books, this will dependent on what their product is that they are investigating in. Books are reliable sources as they are all based upon facts and are not correct.

Another example of secondary research through methods could be the use at gathering information from online sources that are trustworthy for example these might be websites that a related to the product; they specialise in that product or from websites like Wikipedia which can give precise information.

The last type of methods that could be used is data analysis which is the use of analysing of data that has been collected by someone else and published online. They get specific data that they can then use to create their main question that they want to get answered. The link underneath shows where I received this information from.


Qualitive data is where the person who is finding out stuff about the topic goes and holds focus groups and chat groups. This allows them to find out information from people who may personally be involved with the topic. Qualitative research is primarily research through focus, interviews. This allows the researcher to gain inside information. This is what most researchers start of with when they have no data and no structure, so they start of by an open survey. This is also meant by the researched gained through these interviews and groups they gain Qualitive answers rather than a lot of data but not very detailed.

Qualitive research is a useful type of research as it helps researchers in their early stages of researching, for example if the researcher is unsure of what way they ant their product to go. This type of research allows them to focus on one type of question. It also makes their research much more free as they have the freedom to decide what sources of information will best help their product. Another advantage of Qualitive data is that the research not only gains specific information to their product but they also gain more detailed answers which helps with a better form of comprehensive written descriptions or visual evidence. Quantitive data provides very effective and efficient figures and overviews. This leads to the amount of people that you can ask as there typically tends to be more people you can ask, therefore your evolution will consists of very detailed elements.

The researcher that does Qualitive data is genially very involved with the process which could take a lot of their time up. This leading the time period of this time data can take up to years. Link underneath shows where I received this information. http://www.ehow.co. uk/info_8091178_adv antagesdisadvantagesqualitativequantitativeresearch.html A disadvantage of Qualitive data is that through doing a talk group it could lead to more questions and answered questions which could lead to feeling like your back the beginning where you started with the research. The final disadvantage of Quantitive data could e that as a researcher finding out all the information they could be very bias so all there questions they start to

A method of Qualitive research is through photographs I.e the context of the images and the social meaning. This will help the researcher understand the meaning and how it affects individuals relating to their product.

Another type of Qualitive data could be through focus groups this way the researcher gets to speak to the target audience directly and understand their views and interest and most importantly their views towards the product. This type of research methods allows quality within the research as the researcher can ask questions about their points and views.

Another type of research method within Quantitive research is the analysing through case studies and one to one interviews where they can get very detailed answers to their questions rather than just a yes or no answer.


Quantitative data is where the researcher may gather up information through a survey, pole or Facebook pages. This type of research typically wont be very detailed mainly yes or no answers but stirs the researcher to a clear path. Quantitive data is mainly about the amount of data/resources you get so they may not be detailed like the qualitative data.

An advantage of using Quantitive data is mostly when you sue this type of data to end your research and it brings the topic is a conclusion, it helps to prove or disapprove. It also provides the benefit of narrowing down the possible directions in case further research is needed. Another advantage of quantitative data is that it does not allow the researcher to be bias making all the different sources as unbiased as possible. It also helps the researcher to get real answers. The last advantage of Quantitive data is that it allows short precise answers that are accurate. This type of data allows a summary of all data together and shows a clear some of data on simple answers but help the researcher understand the opinions of the public.

A disadvantage of quantitative is that the sources of information you receive are very minimal so are unrealistic to place your finding on as the findings would just be simple based answers. This type of research only makes the researcher need to do more research within the background because it does not help a lot.

Another disadvantage of quantitative research is that it mostly will come from one ground of people for example when giving outa survey this will be handed out towards people that live in the same area therefore there would not be a multiply amount of answers based on age, gender, interests, social living and so on. This will then narrow the findings and will make the researcher not have a wide range of views. Another type of disadvantage within the quantitative research us that because your finding would genially come from public views through the use of surveys this could become difficult to the researcher if a wide range of people do not want to do the survey which is seen commonly this could lead to not enough information.

The first most commonly use of quantitative method is the use of surveys whether it is a public survey or through an online website that may be towards a specific interests. This type of method allows simple yes or no answer on the product or topic.

Another method of researching within quantitative data is the use of polls this is most commonly seen on social websites like Facebook where it asks whoever uses Facebook to answer the poll questions and this gives a lot of opinions on the questions but with ideally yes or no answers so the answers are not in depth.


Type of research and sources

Definition and types of data generated by this technique

DATA GATHERING AGENCY BARB

The da ta gathering agency i s ba sically a website ‘Barb’ that a nalys es the vi ews and a udiences of different TV Progra mmes. This data ha ndling website is a n orga nisation that i s owned by bi g broadcasting channels for exa mple all the BBC channels a nd ITV channels. Barb i s an orga nisation that i s a non profi table data website.

Ethnographi c

Ethnographic is a type of res earch that is based a round i ts culture therefore the res earch can become apart of the exploring of different cul tures. This type of research i s based on case s tudies of di fferent people through thei r backgrounds i .e where they l i ve and where they a re ori gi nated from. It also based a round the analysis of a pers ons history, s o this type of res earch is very much more person to people.

Advantages of method

-An a dva ntage of the barb website i n terms of research is the researcher can l ook into how many vi ews other progra mmes a re receivi ng this useful for when the research is looking a t the competition. Barb also have a policy where the higher the vi ews are of the pa rti cular programme, channel or a dvert i s the more money they receive. -The barb website is also very us eful to the di fferent programmes because it a l most promotes them in terms of the ra ti ng and this method i s also useful as the res earcher could know who is at the top whi ch will help when looking to rel ease their a dvert, I.e what channel gets the mos t vi ews which one will most help your a dvert placement. -A pos itive of this type of research is that beca use it i s very i ndependent the res earcher would genuinely meet up with i ndivi duals therefore the information bei ng received would be more efficient. It woul d also be very personal i nformation tha t other researchers would not have. -Thi s type of research is also very effective for the res earcher as it i s very much s o ha nds on for them which helps them understand the target a udience of their product more i t could also help them be un-bias.

Disadvantages of method

A ma jor disadva ntage for the use of the barb data website for the use of research i n your product is that you go on the website to hope that you get the correct vi ewi ng figures for each channel a nd programming but on the website the vi ewing figures and ratings are not a l ways accurate. This leads to the researcher trust i n the fi gures. Another disadvantage is that not all channels have the a ccess to the vi ewing figures a nd ra tings of the channels a nd programmes therefore cannot always l ook at these s ources. F they di d the cost to do so is very high i n price therefore would not help with their budget and would cos t them a lot of money. Al s o the barb website can tend to lie a bout the vi ewing fi gures of the larger channels i.e BBC therefore the res earcher may not be able to trust all findings on this website.

-A di s advantage of this type of research is the ti me i n which you put a ll your case s tudies together. This type of research ta kes along period of time as you would need to speak to people individually a nd if you want enough data you would need to travel to different places. -Another disadvantage is the privacy ofcom regulation as s ome people may not want to answer the researchers questions therefore they have to make sure they do not i nva de in peoples privacy this can l ead to less people a ctually a ns wering their questions. -A ma jor a spect that the researcher needs to be careful of is thei r own safety as they do not know what could happen i f they tra vel to distances to speak to random people i n their homes. They as researchers are putting themselves into da nger.

Examples of techniques -A method that is used wi thin the data gathering website is through the box where vi ewers of different progra mmes put their vi ews a nd this totals up to to how ma ny vi ews each progra mme gets.

-The fi rst example of a method is the obs erva tional method where the researcher obs erves the things i n whi ch their ‘client’ is a ns wering, this is where they ca n build up a case s tudy. -A ma i n technique method tha t i s used within ethnographic is i nterviews a s they a re one on one i ntervi ews which a llow more i nformation directly to the res earcher. Another type of method us ed is the research method through mapping i .e l ooking for people from di fferent area’s and di fferent backgrounds.


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