Brian Watts

Unit 1 Task 1

Research Methods And Techniques

For this task I am going to be typing a report on the various research techniques and methods that would help me in a job role, Methods such as primary, secondary, quantitative and qualitative. The first method I am evaluating is primary research. Primary research is achieved by using information and data collected first hand and not from an alternate source like a news article. I feel that this is a reliable method of research due to it being your own. Youre free to go into as much depth as you like, also researching first hand enables you to avoid the chances of false or out-dated information. Primary research should always be the first approach when looking for reliable information, this is because it shows exact happenings and is more likely to be without errors because of it being up to date and experienced firsthand. Advantages of this type of research would be the fact of knowing how its obtained and taking on board the information rather than copy and paste were you learn nothing. Also your able to experience and see the reactions during primary interviews and knowing how the customer feels in a more accurate way, this helps with knowing what will need to be done with goods or services etc.. Disadvantages of this method are phew but include the fact you could end up causing your research to be bias from too much personal input, another is that its not a good method to use if youre on a tight schedule and or dead line due to it being time consuming. A good example of this method of research would be an interview. This allows for face to face reactions and receiving feelings and thoughts as well as words, meaning youre more likely to have an accurate feel for what the person really thinks of your product/service. The next method I am going to asses is secondary research; this type of research is the process of obtaining information from an alternate (secondary) source hence the name secondary research. Another way of describing it would be a thing line between plagiarism and secondary research. So basically its using information thats been previously obtained by someone else like a news article. This technique of research is most used when time is an issue i.e. when there is a close deadline to meet, even so you should always double check your collected information and data as to make sure it is to-date and correct. All in all it is used to save time. Advantages of this research are as follows, it decreases the amount of time consumed by a considerable amount depending on your topic and also is easy to obtain the information youre looking for.

Brian Watts

Unit 1 Task 1

Disadvantages on the other hand are the risk of plagiarism, false/inaccurate data and it maybe bias. Best to cross reference any and all obtained information with a trusted secondary source e.g. BBC or a .gov website. An example of this Secondary research would be using a search engine such as Google or wiki-pedia, well known for accessibility and ease of use but also their inaccuracy due to public manipulation. Qualitative Research is a method of research that utilises not facts or numbers but instead uses peoples opinions and feelings in an attempt to gather a perspective on what people think of their product and or service. This technique is used mainly when an organisation wishes to see how to boost sales or how they can improve their customers experience with their organisation. This method can also be incorporated into market research to find what the current market are looking for in a good/service and what would sell. There are certain advantages to this type of research such as getting a better idea of what needs to be changed and more accurate on thoughts and experiences on your customers. Disadvantages can outweigh the advantages with this research method as customers can lie and theres always the risk of bias data, also you can never guarantee getting enough response from customers for an accurate figure. This also bears heavily on the researcher, being very time consuming. Conflictions between results can also be very frustrating. A good example of qualitative research can be a survey. A survey is a good example due to the fact you can serve out a vast amount to insure a majority of feedback, this will help to insure accurate information. Also you can ask the customer to tell you there thoughts and opinions on the company what they would change in your position and what could be done better. This would be primary research which is also a good way of insuring accuracy in information. I feel this is a good source of research but has its weaknesses. The final research technique I am going to be evaluating is quantitative research. Quantitative research is a method in which the data is collected using numbers, facts and figures and is a good way of research. I believe this form of research is used when numbers and facts are a factor such as if you wanted to see how much or how many of something is viewed or used in a certain period or lapse of time. There are many advantages of using this type of research the first of which would be the fact of being accurate due to the information used being a hard form of data and can only be affected or changed using a sum or equation.

Brian Watts

Unit 1 Task 1

Disadvantages of using this research method are that there is always room for error such as the slightest miscalculation leading to a catastrophic consequence or crisis. Another disadvantage of this technique is the pure and simple fact of numbers cannot always be as accurate as human perception, it is better to know how your targets feel rather than relying on numbers to tell you. An example of this type of research is a questionnaire, this is because you will be able to gather an estimate of whos viewing your product and whats popular like YouTube hit counters. Primary research I personally favour this type of research because it is most reliable and it helps to see things first hand for a better understanding. For example say you were researching if a person disliked something, you would send out a survey and they would give feedback. This is also a form of qualitative research. Secondary research this is a close second to primary but is less reliable due to it being publically owned and anyone can edit or input to its data. For example say you were researching napoleon, someone could say he was a freaky monster, this would make you a mockery and is false information, and the most common place for this is wiki-pedia or any other public forums. Qualitative research this type of research is a good way to gather an in depth perception of what your market want in a good or service, but to gain accurate information it would have to be a vast observations, surveys or voxpops to insure a mix of people have answered to see what the average answer would brief this was not done your results would be of a bias nature. This is a good way to see what they say in their comfort zones but not everyone will answer and not everyone will tell the truth. Quantitative research this researching method is good for an organisation looking for profit or anything involving numbered research. The reason for this is that this method of research is done from collecting and interpreting numbers, amounts and factual data. This can make it easier to see whats what, but a minor miscalculation can mean a disaster in an organisation. In conclusion to my insight to the various research techniques and methods I have decided I would only be comfortable in doing primary research. this is because I will be in control of what information Im looking into and the answers to be as well as understanding what I am trying to say rather than attempting to understand pre written dribble that may not be correct which would make me look not only incompetent but lazy to my superiors.