Agenda
Secondary Data
Primary vs. Secondary
 Advantages vs. Disadvantages
 Evaluation Criteria
 Internal vs. External
Qualitative Research
Depth Interviews
Projective Techniques
Focus Groups
Secondary Data
Data gathered and recorded by someone else prior
to and for a purpose other than the current
project.
Is often:
• Historical
• Already assembled
• Needs no access to subjects
Common Research Objectives
for Secondary Data Studies
Fact Finding
- Identifying consumption patterns
- Tracking trends
Model building
- Estimating market potential
- Forecasting sales
- Selecting trade areas and sites
Data Base
Marketing
- Development of Prospect Lists
- Enhancement of Customer Lists
Advantages of Secondary Data
 Inexpensive
 Obtained Rapidly
 Information is not Otherwise Accessible
 Can Provide Insights for more formal research
Disadvantages of Secondary
Data
 Uncertain Accuracy
 Data Not Consistent with Needs
 Inappropriate Units of Measurement
 Time Period Inappropriate (Dated)
What Criteria should be used to
evaluate the applicability of
Secondary data?
Evaluating Secondary Data
Does the data help to
answer questions
set out in the
problem definition?
Applicability
to project
objectives
Does the data apply to
the time period of
interest?
Does the data apply to
the population of
interest?
Evaluating Secondary Data (continued)
Applicability
to project
objectives
Accuracy
of the data
Do the other terms
and variable
classifications
presented apply?
Are the units of
measurement
comparable?
If possible, go to the
original source of the
data?
Evaluating Secondary Data (continued)
Is the cost of data
acquisition worth it?
Accuracy
of the data
Is there a possibility
of bias?
Can the accuracy of
data collection be
verified?
Internal Data
Accounting information
Sales information
Backorders
Customer complaints
Data Mining
The automated
extraction of hidden
predictive
information from
large databases
E.g. Blockbuster mines
its video rental history
database to recommend
rentals to individual
customers
External Data
Created, recorded, or generated by an
entity other than the researcher’s
organization.
Sources of External Data
 Libraries
 The Internet
 Vendors
 Producers
 Books and periodicals
 Government
 Trade associations
 Newspapers and journals
Commercial Sources
 Attitude and public opinion research—syndicated
services report the findings of opinion polls
 Consumption and purchase behavior data
 Advertising research—readership and audience data
 Market share data companies like A.C. Nielsen
provide information about sales volume and brand
share over time
A Local health food store is interested in opening a branch
near the SAIT campus.
 What is your management problem?
 What is the Research Problem?
What information would be needed
What Secondary sources of information are available to
help you decide whether to open such a store
Identify the specific individuals you would want to
consult with to help in this decision
Summarize the data that would bear on their decision on
whether or not to open such a store.
Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research
 What is Qualitative Research and why is there a need
for it?
 When are Qualitative Methods Used?
What are the Primary Qualitative research Methods?
Depth Interviews
 What is a depth Interview?
 When is it most appropriate?
 What are the Advantages and Disadvantages?
Projective Techniques
 What are projective techniques
 When are they Used
 What are the advantages and disadvantages
Focus Groups
 What is a focus Group
 When should Focus groups be used?
 How many focus groups should be held?
 What are the advantages of focus groups?
 What are the disadvantages?