Primary and Secondary Data Collection Methods Paper

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Primary and Secondary

Primary and Secondary Data Collection Methods Paper

MGT: 480 Business Research Applications

February 26, 2003


The term "secondary research" refers to using existing sources such as published reports, articles about industry trends or census data. Secondary research is less expensive and takes less time to collect than primary research, and is used to make a preliminary assessment of your idea's viability.

Primary research is typically done after secondary research and is used to gather specific and first-hand information about your idea or product. Standard tools used are focus groups, questionnaires, mail surveys and telephone interviews directed at potential customers, suppliers and even competitors. A key issue in conducting primary research is choosing an appropriate sampling method to ensure your results are statistically accurate.

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The dilemma presented is you work for an Internet service provider (ISP) and wish to estimate the number of people in your service area with Internet connections in their households.

How would you do this using Secondary Data

The first step in the process would be to gather secondary data prior to gathering primary data.  Information regarding the use of at home Internet service can be pulled from the company database along with telephone records.  This would give a preliminary estimate as to the total number of people with at home Internet service in the service area.  The weakness to ...

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