The steps for researching are :
- identification of research problems
- literature
- specifying the purpose of research
- data collection
- analysing and interpreting the data
- reporting and evaluating the research.
Primary research is when the researcher goes out and finds his own information for his own needs.
e.g Online surveys - Increasingly popular and relatively low cost, online surveys are widely used by small businesses as a way of capturing the views of existing and potential customers.
e.g Focus groups - Groups of potential customers are brought together to discuss their feelings about a product or market. Focus groups are a good way of getting detailed information about customer tastes and preferences.
e.g Face-to-face surveys - Personal interviews conducted face-to-face. A costly, but good way to get detailed insights from an individual.
An advantage of primary research is that you can research whatever you want with out relying on other people.
A disadvantage of primary research is that it can be very expensive to conduct the research if you don't have the correct resources.
Secondary Research
Secondary data is data that already exists and has been collected by someone else for another purpose. Secondary research involves the investigation of secondary sources of data.
e.g - some secondary sources are: books, newspapers, pamphlets and encyclopaedias.
e.g - The general media – to the archives of newspapers such as the Financial Times and the Guardian and journals such as the Economist are now accessible online, making them a useful starting point for research.
An advantage of secondary research is that the information is easily accessible via internet websites, books, newspapers etc.
A disadvantage of secondary research is that the information is not always specific to the researchers needs.
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is about asking people for their opinions in a structured way so that you can produce hard facts and statistics to guide you.
e.g questionnaires, measurements etc.
An advantage of quantitative research is that it allows the researcher to analyse and measure the data.
A disadvantage of quantitative research is that it does not study information in a natural setting.
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is when the researcher observes human behaviour and reasons that governs behaviour by asking broad questions and using focus groups questionnaires.
e.g There are many sources used to collect this data, you can collect data through all types of media for example TV, books, internet etc.
An advantage of qualitative research is that it can explore different areas of research and helps build new theories.
A disadvantage of qualitative research is that it uses subjective information.
