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Secondary data is the data that have been already collected by and readily available from other sources. Such data are cheaper and more quickly obtainable than the primary data and also may be available when primary data can not be obtained at all.
Advantages of Secondary data
- It is economical. It saves efforts and expenses.
- It is time saving.
- It helps to make primary data collection more specific since with the help of secondary data, we are able to make out what are the gaps and deficiencies and what additional information needs to be collected.
- It helps to improve the understanding of the problem.
- It provides a basis for comparison for the data that is collected by the researcher.
Disadvantages of Secondary Data
- Secondary data is something that seldom fits in the framework of the marketing research factors. Reasons for its non-fitting are:-
- Unit of secondary data collection-Suppose you want information on disposable income, but the data is available on gross income. The information may not be same as we require.
- Class Boundaries may be different when units are same.
Thus the data collected earlier is of no use to you.Before 5 Years After 5 Years 2500-5000 5000-6000 5001-7500 6001-7000 7500-10000 7001-10000
- Accuracy of secondary data is not known.
- Data may be outdated.
Evaluation of Secondary Data
Because of the above mentioned disadvantages of secondary data, we will lead to evaluation of secondary data. Evaluation means the following four requirements must be satisfied:-
- Availability- It has to be seen that the kind of data you want is available or not. If it is not available then you have to go for primary data.
- Relevance- It should be meeting the requirements of the problem. For this we have two criterion:-
- Units of measurement should be the same.
- Concepts used must be same and currency of data should not be outdated.
- Accuracy- In order to find how accurate the data is, the following points must be considered: -
- Specification and methodology used;
- Margin of error should be examined;
- The dependability of the source must be seen.
- Sufficiency- Adequate data should be available.
Robert W Joselyn has classified the above discussion into eight steps. These eight steps are sub classified into three categories. He has given a detailed procedure for evaluating secondary data.
- Applicability of research objective.
- Cost of acquisition.
- Accuracy of data.
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The article is Written By Prachi Juneja and Reviewed By Management Study Guide Content Team. MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider. To Know more, click on About Us. The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.
Marketing Research
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- Limitations of Marketing Research
- Marketing Research: Step by Step Execution
- Data Collection in Marketing Research
- Qualitative and Quantitative Research - Concept
- Types of Marketing Research and their Application
- Focus Groups
- Depth Interview
- Case Study
- Projective Techniques
- Survey Method
- Techniques of Survey Method
- Observation Method
- Secondary Data
- Sources of Data
- What is Big Data ?
- Big Data and the Power to Predict
- Attitude Measurement Scales
- Questionnaire Design
- Statistical Tools and their Usage - Factor Analysis
- Conjoint Analysis - Meaning, Usage and its Limitations
- What is Mystery Shopping ?
- Regression Analysis
- Concept Testing
- Brand Health Survey
- Importance of Market Research to Organizations in an Age of Unpredictability
- Its Not Just the Data that is collected that Counts, but, the Quality of the Data as well
- What is the Efficient Market Hypothesis and How it Works and Doesnt Work in Practice