+ Chapter 8 Using secondary data

Slide 8.2 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Learning Outcomes Identify the full variety of secondary data that are available; Understand the advantages and disadvantages of using secondary data; Use a range of techniques to search for secondary data; Evaluate the suitability of secondary data for answering your research questions; Apply the knowledge, skills and understanding gained to your own project

Slide 8.3 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Data gathered and recorded previously for purposes other than the current project. Usually historical and already assembled Require no access to respondents or subjects What is Secondary Data?

Slide 8.4 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Secondary data and primary data Secondary data is data that have already been collected for some other purposes, while primary data is data which can be collected specifically for the purpose of answering a research question(s) and to meet research objectives

Slide 8.5 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Big Data Google Flu Trends: Using big data to predict the future isn't as easy as it looks—and that raises questions about how Internet companies gather and use information “We have found a close relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms. Of course, not every person who searches for “flu” is actually sick, but a pattern emerges when all the flu-related search queries are added together. We compared our query counts with traditional flu surveillance systems and found that many search queries tend to be popular exactly when flu season is happening. By counting how often we see these search queries, we can estimate how much flu is circulating in different countries and regions around the world.”

Slide 8.6 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Big Data – Google Flu Trends (GFT) GFT overestimated the prevalence of flu in the and seasons by more than 50%. From August 2011 to September 2013, GFT over-predicted the prevalence of the flu in 100 out 108 weeks. During the peak flu season last winter, GFT would have had us believe that 11% of the U.S. had influenza, nearly double the CDC numbers of 6%. If you wanted to project current flu prevalence, you would have done much better basing your models off of 3-week-old data on cases from the CDC than you would have been using GFT’s sophisticated big data methods.

Slide 8.7 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Types of Secondary Data Examples Commercial Secondary Data External Internal Published Sales invoice Salesperson’s call reports Salesperson’s expense account Credit memos Warranty cards General works Directories Periodicals Statistical sources Financial records Geodemographic data Diary panel data Store audit data Scanner data Advertising exposure data

Slide 8.8 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Identify authorities in the area and consult them. 6. Consult the various directory guides. How to Get Started When Searching Published Sources of Secondary Data 1.Identify what you wish to know and what you already know about your topic. 2. Develop a list of key terms and names. 3.Search several of the general guides, directories, and websites for papers and/or reports. 4. Compile the literature you have found. Rework your list of key words and authors if necessary. 5. Consult the reference librarian.

Slide 8.9 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Using secondary data for research (1) Types of secondary data Documentary: are often used in research projects that also use primary data collection methods. However, you can also use them on their own or with other sources of secondary data Surveys: refers to data collected using a survey strategy, usually by questionnaires, that have been already analysed for their original purpose

Slide 8.10 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Multiple – source secondary data Multiple-source secondary data can be based entirely on documentary or on survey secondary or can be amalgam of the two. The key factors is that different data sets have been combined to form another data set prior to your accessing the data.

Slide 8.11 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Using secondary data for research (2) Types of secondary data Source: Saunders et al. (2006) Figure 8.1 Types of secondary data

Slide 8.12 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Using secondary data for research (3) Multiple – source secondary data Times series for longitudinal studies: one method of compilation is to extract and combine selected comparable variables from a number of surveys or from the same survey that has been repeated a number of times to provide a time series of data to undertake a longitudinal study. Cohort studies: Data also can be compiled for the same population over time using a series of ‘snap shots’ to form cohort studies.

Slide 8.13 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Multiple – source secondary data Area-based data sets: Multi- source secondary data also can be combined, if they have the same geographical basis, to form area based data sets.

Slide 8.14 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Multiple – source secondary data

Slide 8.15 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Locating secondary data Finding the data - a two stage process 1. Establishing that the required secondary data is available 2. Locating the precise data required

Slide 8.16 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Availability of secondary data (1) Sources References in publications (books, journal articles) Within organisations (unpublished sources) Tertiary literature – ( indexes and catalogues in archives or online)

Slide 8.17 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Availability of secondary data (2) Finding secondary data References in published guides Data held by organisations Data on the Internet

Slide 8.18 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Availability of secondary data (2)

Slide 8.19 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Availability of secondary data (2) Greece: Statistics Gateway to statistics on economy, culture, society, demographics, etc.

Slide 8.20 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Social Media as Secondary Data Source Social media has become a great tool for conducting research, and it is only growing. Why? Researchers do not need to spend large amounts of money to gather information from focus groups or smaller samples as everything is right in front of them on a screen, and it is in the public domain. With over 1.5 billion people combined using two of the world’s largest social networks, Facebook and Twitter, it is becoming easier to monitor, gather and analyze information.

Slide 8.21 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Social Media as Secondary Data Source – 2012 US Election Tracker

Slide 8.22 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Social Media: Twitter Data

Slide 8.23 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Pros & Cons of Social Media Data + Low cost-essential zero + Niche Market + Direct insight from the users - Not everyone is online, and online all the time => not possible to rely on data from social media as a sole way of conducting marketing research; it must be done in addition to other tactics to reach a proper sample.

Slide 8.24 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Understand the methods used to collect data Examine methodology, surveys (if available), prior to meeting with agency official Ask officials how, where and when data are collected with a series of targeted questions Understanding previously used methods is critical for process replication and data comparability

Slide 8.25 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Obtaining secondary data Find out how quickly secondary data will be available Try to obtain data for the period you want Consider offering to make your data available to the secondary data provider If you are heavily dependent on delayed secondary data, consider collecting some primary data for monitoring purposes

Slide 8.26 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 The Balancing Act with Secondary Data *Inexpensive *Can be Secured Quickly *Unknown Accuracy *Ill Fitting for the Problem

Slide 8.27 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Evaluating secondary data: Advantages Fewer resource requirements Unobtrusive Longitudinal studies may be feasible Provision of comparative and contextual data Unforeseen discoveries may occur Generally permanent and available Time savings Relevance Availability Obtainable in a short period of time Low cost Accessibility Complements primary data

Slide 8.28 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Evaluating secondary data: Disadvantages Purpose of data collection may not match the research needs Access may be difficult or costly Aggregations and definitions may be unsuitable No real control over data quality Initial purpose may affect data presentation May be inconsistent Inconvenient to compare May be inaccessible Outdated information Collected for a purpose other than the purpose at hand Variations in definitions of terms Different units of measurement

Slide 8.29 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Is the subject matter consistent with your problem definition? Do the data apply to the population of interest? Do the data apply to the time period of interest? Do the data appear in the correct units of measurement? Do the data cover the subject of interest in adequate detail? Is the Secondary Data appropriate for your study?

Slide 8.30 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Who collected the data? For whom was the data collected? What was the purpose of the research? When was the data collected? How was the data collected? How was the data analyzed? How does the data compare with similar information from different sources? Additional Questions to Ask

Slide 8.31 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Evaluating secondary data (3) Ensure that data sources Enable the research question(s) to be answered Enable research objectives to be met Have greater benefits than their associated costs Allow access for research

Slide 8.32 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Evaluating potential secondary data sources Source: Saunders et al. (2009) Figure 8.2 Evaluating potential secondary data sources

Slide 8.33 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Suitability of secondary data (1) Overall suitability: points to consider Precise suitability, including reliability and validity - assessment of collection methods - clear explanation of collection techniques Measurement validity Measurement bias and deliberate distortion

Slide 8.34 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Suitability of secondary data (2) Overall suitability: points to consider Coverage and unmeasured variables - ensure exclusion of unwanted data - ensure sufficient data remain for analysis Costs and benefits

Slide 8.35 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Evaluating your secondary data sources

Slide 8.36 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Secondary Primary  Dfn: data already exist  Exs: census, government, Dun&B CDRoms, corporate library, scanner data (Nielsen, IRI)  + ’ s: quick, cheap, easy, focuses research, can answer Q, benchmark  - ’ s: doesn ’ t fit problem, outdated  Dfn: data you collect for purpose at hand  Exs: focus group, survey, interviews, telemarketing  + ’ s: tailored to needs, current  - ’ s: takes time to collect, expensive ***Their strengths and weaknesses are complementary! So...any good research project should have both! Comparing Strengths and Weaknesses of Secondary and Primary Data

Slide 8.37 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Summary: Chapter 8 Secondary data consists of three main types - documentary, survey and multiple sources The data can be used in a variety of ways Secondary data may be less current and collected for a purpose that does not match your research question(s) Secondary data needs to be located and its availability established Data sources should be assessed for suitability, measurement validity and coverage

Slide 8.38 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Summary: Chapter 8 Evaluation of secondary data should include reliability and any measurement bias Costs and benefits of using secondary data should be evaluated and compared with alternative sources Although secondary data may contain some bias, it can help to answer your research question Remember to check the research project assessment regulations regarding the use of secondary data

Slide 8.39 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Using someone’s work without giving credit or without obtaining permission, where necessary Plagiarism

Slide 8.40 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill NEVER use someone else’s research and fail to cite the individual(s). Do not copy information from a source text without proper acknowledgement Always use quotation marks when reproducing material from a source text, and use proper documentation Do not paraphrase material from a source text without appropriate documentation Always cite the research service when purchasing completed research from the service Adapted from Strong, William S. (1993), The Copyright Book: A Practical Guide, (London: MIT Press), 1. Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism

Slide 8.41 Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill Determine if permission is needed Is the material protected under law? Would your use of the material violate the law? Identify the owner Identify the rights you need Plan ahead for permissions Negotiate whether payment is required Get it in writing Source: Stim, Richard (2000), Getting Permission: How to License & Clear Copyrighted Materials Online & Off, (Berkley, CA: Nolo Press), 1-6. Getting Copyright Permission