Collecting Data Technique

1.1 Prepare and implement a plan for the collection
of primary and secondary information for a given
business problem.
1.2 Describe and justify the survey methodology
and frame used

COLLECTING DATA
Why do we need data?
 To keep records for administrative
purposes

 To make decision on important
issues

 To pass information on to others

Collecting Data
Who needs information?
i. Government
information is used to develop, implement
and monitor social and economic programs

ii. Businesses
make decisions about employing people,
marketing their products and opening new
offices, warehouses and factories

Collecting Data
Who needs information?
iii. Community Group
population distribution, attendance of the
Sporting Clubs members at games,
number of young people in the local area.

iv. Individuals

Collecting Data
Statistics are often developed through a
process commonly referred to as a survey.
A statistical survey is developed by using
well-defined concepts, methods and
procedures, and compiling the
information.

Collecting Data
The information collected can be from
various units of a population (sample) or
all units of a population (census). It can be
collected either directly from the sampled
population or through the use of
administrative data

COLLECTING DATA TECHNIQUES
1. Observation
2. Inspection/ Experiment
3. Survey
a. Personal Survey (face-to-face
interview)
b. Mail Survey
c. Telephone Survey
3. Abstracted from published book
4. Internet

Collecting Data Techniques
1. Observation
• most commonly used
• used by social scientists to learn about
the customs and habits of people,
communities, and animals’ kingdom.
• Researcher may or may not have direct
contact or communication with people
whose behaviour is being recorded.

1. Observation
Advantages:
• Record actual behaviour – not what
people said/did/believe.
• Can check the validity – compared the
statement and the actual recorded
behaviour.

1. Observation
Disadvantages:
• observer needs to be highly skilled and
unbiased
• not tell us about the respondents’ attitudes.
• Not provide any insights into what people
may be thinking/motivate.
• takes a great deal of time, preparation and
therefore money
• Ethical issues – invasion of privacy or
abusive.

2. Inspection/ Experiment
• data required is about objects
• may require tests which destroy the
object
• require standardized procedures based
upon experience of the product under
test.

3. Survey
interview)
• Construct questionnaires – ask questions –
records the responses
Advantages:
• Many questions can be asked quickly
• High response rate
• interviewer to clarify terms
• well-trained interviewer can detect if a
respondent is giving false information.

interview)
Disadvantages:
• Expensive - sufficient incentives
• Introduce to systematic bias, e.g facial
expressions and statements by
interviewers
• Errors in recording responses


3. Survey
b. Postal Survey
• questionnaires are mailed to
respondents and return by post

Advantages:
• investigation is very fast
• informants are spread over a wide
geographical area.
• Cheapest than personal interview

3. Survey
b. Postal Survey
Advantages:
• Cheapest than personal interview
• No interview influence
• Respondent has more time to think of
proper response.

3. Survey
b. Postal Survey
Disadvantages:
• quite low response
• Biased
• Misinterpret the questions
• Questionnaire may be filled in as a team
effort
• More time needed

3. Survey
c. Telephone Survey
• to personal interview
Limitation:
• cannot be used to interview those
people who don’t have telephone
• telephone conversation cannot be very
long

3. Survey
c. Telephone Survey
Limitation:
• replies in telephone can be very erratic
and unreliable
• may not be convenient for respondents
to answer too many questions.

3. Survey
c. Telephone Survey
Advantages:
• less expensive
• Procedures can be monitored

Often the most satisfactory collection
strategy uses a combination of methods

Other Collecting Data Techniques
4. Browsing
Good place to browse include:
• Newspaper, magazine, journals
• Book shops
• Published statistics
• Companies’ annual reports and accounts
• The records kept by organizations for
internal purposes
• Electronic database
• The internet

4. Browsing
Abstracted form published book
• more appropriate when the investigation
we wish to conduct involves the analysis
of past records

Advantages:
• Very low cost

Abstracted form published book
Disadvantages/limitation:
• They may be out of dated
• not always follow that the records we
examine will contain the exact data we
require
• Not be as relevant as we think to today’s
situations. For example, family income
change over the years and alter the
pattern of demand for many products

Internet
Yahoo : www.yahoo.com
Google : www.google.com
• give an overwhelming response.

Department of Statistics Malaysia
: www.statistics.gov.my

The choice of method depends:
• complexity and length of questionnaire
• sensitivity of requested information
• Geographical dispersion of survey
population
• Cost
• time frame


1. When collecting data, why is it
sometimes better to conduct a sample
survey than a census?

2. List some of the things you would need
to consider when choosing a data
collection method.

1. Given some of your answers to Question 2,
decide as a class which method of data
collection you would employ to gather data on
the following topics:
a) the music tastes of your class
b) the average height of your class
c) the time your parents spend each week
doing housework
d) the attitude of Malaysian students toward
the environment

Collecting Data Technique

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