Advantages and Disadvantages of Primary Data Essay

Advantages and Disadvantages of Primary Data - Essay Example Contact methods can be mail, telephone or personal. Sampling plan decisions include sampling unit, sample size, and sampling procedure. Lastly, the research instruments to be used can be questionnaires and mechanical instruments (Philip Kotler). â€Å"Observational research includes the gathering of primary data by observing relevant people, actions and situation† (Philip Kotler). It is the appropriate approach for exploratory research. â€Å"Surveys are a form of questioning that is more rigid than interviews and that involve larger groups of people. Surveys will provide a limited amount of information from a large group of people and are useful when you want to learn what a larger population thinks† (Driscoll). The survey approach is the best suited for gathering descriptive information such as finding out â€Å"peoples’ knowledge, attitudes, preferences or buying behavior† (Philip Kotler). Experimental research is done by â€Å"selecting matched groups of subjects, giving them different treatments, controlling unrelated factors, and checking for differences in group responses†(Philip Kotler). This method is used in establishing causal relationships between variables, thus it â€Å"is commonly used in sciences such as sociology and psychology, physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine† (http://www.experiment-resources.com). Primary data collection has the following advantages: Addresses Specific Research Issues – Carrying out their own research allows the marketing organization to address issues specific to their own situation. Greater Control – Not only does primary research enable the marketer to focus on specific issues, but it also enables the marketer to have a higher level of control over how the information is collected. Efficient Spending for Information - primary data collections’ focus on issues specific to the researcher improves the chances that research funds will be spent efficiently. Proprietary Information – Information collected by the marketer using primary research is their own and is generally not shared with others.