Q: Primary data and secondary data

Primary research entails the use of immediate data in research process. The popular ways
to collect primary data consist of surveys, interviews and focus groups, which shows that
direct relationship between researcher and the reasearchee. Whereas secondary research
is a means to reprocess and reuse collected information in the research process. Both
primary and secondary data are useful for businesses but both may differ from each other
in various aspects.
• In secondary data, information relates to a past period. Hence, it lacks aptness and
therefore, it has unsatisfactory value. Primary data is more accommodating as it
shows latest information.
• Secondary data is obtained from some other organization than the one
instantaneously interested with current research project. Secondary data was
collected and analyzed by the organization to convene the requirements of various
research objectives. Primary data is accumulated by the researcher particularly to
meet up the research objective of the subsisting project.
• Secondary data though old may be the only possible source of the desired data on
the subjects, which cannot have primary data at all. For example, survey reports
or secret records already collected by a business group can offer information that
cannot be obtained from original sources.
• Firm in which secondary data are accumulated and delivered may not
accommodate the exact needs and particular requirements of the current research
study. Many a time, alteration or modifications to the exact needs of the
investigator may not be sufficient. To that amount usefulness of secondary data
will be lost. Primary data is completely tailor-made and there is no problem of
adjustments.
• Secondary data is available effortlessly, rapidly and inexpensively. Primary data
takes a lot of time and the unit cost of such data is relatively high.

• Secondary data is of two kinds, internal and external. Secondary data – whether
internal or external – is data already collected by others, for purposes other than
the solution of the problem on hand.

Business firms always have as great deal of internal secondary data with them.
Sales statistics constitute the most important component of secondary data in
marketing and the researcher uses it extensively. All the output of the MIS of the
firm generally constitutes internal secondary data. This data is readily available;
the market researcher gets it without much effort, time and money.

Sources of External Secondary Data – Examples:

 .Govt publications ( eg; NSSO, RBI bulletins and statistics, Economic survey,
price indices etc)
• Non govt publications (various chambers of commerce, Bombay Stock excahange
publishes directory containing financial accounts, key profitability and other
relevant data etc.)
• Various syndicate services (Eg: Indian market research bureau collects and
tabulates marketing information to suit the requirements of individual firms
available at regular intervals.)
• International organizations (ILO, WTO, OCED, IMF etc)
• The Internet is a great source of external secondary data. Many published,
statistics and figures are available on the internet either free or for a fee
Advantages to the secondary data collection method are - 1) it saves time that would
otherwise be spent collecting data, 2) provides a larger database (usually) than what
would be possible to collect on ones own. However there are disadvantages to the fact
that the researcher cannot personally check the data so it's reliability may be questioned.