Business Decision Making Steps

Create a plan for the collection of primary and secondary data for a given business problem-Pl Data is a plural of datum, which is originally a Latin noun meaning “something given”. Today, data is used in English both as a plural noun meaning “facts or pieces of information”. Data Is simply a “scientific” term for facts, figures, Information and measurements. Example; People with white hair. Data collection by an organization can be Internal or external. Internal data- Information, facts and data available from within a company’s information systems.

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Internal data is normally not accessible by outside parties without the company’s express permission. Gathering data from inside the organization Involves = Establishing a system for collecting or measuring data and = Relying to some extent on the Informal communication lines between manager staffs. External data- Data those are being collected from outside of the orientation known as external data. Types of data collection Census- This refers to data collection about everyone or everything In a group or population. For example; Data collection about the weight of everyone in the group.

This method gives a high degree of accuracy and allows further detailed information searching. The disadvantages are high costs and time. Secondary data (or secondary information) is information that has been collected by persons or agencies for purposes other than the solution of the marketing research problem at hand. These data may have been collected from sources wealth the researcher’s firm or from sources outside the firm. The key point Is that the data were collected for some other project, or reason, than the current one.

In contrast, primary data is data collected for the researcher’s current research reject. Primary data is often collected from a respondent, an individual who provides information either passively through the observation of his or her behavior, or actively through verbal response. Researchers using primary data must be concerned with Information obtained by asking questions, by observing behavior or by examining the results of past behavior. In addition to primary and secondary data, there exists commercial data sold in the form of syndicated services.

These data are collected by commercial marketing research firms or industry associations ND, as such, have characteristics of both primary and secondary data. Since these data relate to ongoing concerns off marketer they can be viewed as primary data. However, the commercial agency did not design Its service solely to provide secondary data. It should be clear that distinctions between primary and secondary commercial data may be minimal. Surveys can be divided into two general categories on the basis of their extensiveness.

A complete survey is called a “census. ” It involves contacting the entire roof you are interested in the total population or universe. The other category is more common; it is a sample survey. A sample is a representative part of a whole group (universe). Thus a sample survey involves examining only a portion of the total group in which one is interested, and from it, inferring information about the group as a whole. By sampling only a small portion of a large population,it is possible to collect data in far less time than would be required to survey the entire group.

The smaller amount of data gathered by sampling as opposed to surveying an entire population can mean large cost savings. Finally, a carefully selected sample may yield more accurate information than a less careful collection of data from the entire population. On the other hand, there are certain disadvantages of sampling. The main disadvantages stem from risk, lack of representatives of the sample, and insufficient sample size, each of which can cause errors. Inattention to any of these potential flaws will invalidate the survey results.

Surveys can also be classified by their method of data collection. Mail, telephone interview, and in-person interview surveys are the most common. Purpose of the survey methodology Citizens’ surveys provide inputs that aid and enable the government to frame policies, evaluate programmers, assess and improve service delivery, map attitudes and preferences, study voting intentions and examine demographic/socio-economic profiles. By definition, surveys constitute a two-way communication process that enhances the nature and quality of articulation between the government and the citizens.