Download SECONDARY AND PRIMARY RESEARCH TYECHNIQUES

SECONDARY AND PRIMARY RESEARCH TYECHNIQUES-EXAMPLE OF LAFARGE
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Secondary research also known as desk research is a well known and frequently used.
Secondary data is information that has been gathered for some purpose other than the
current research project. The data is available either free or at a cost and can be delivered
electronically by computer or in printed hard-copy format (A Wilson 2006).
The basic two sources of secondary research are both internal and external sources.
INTERNAL SOURCES
This is data that already exists within the confines of Lafarge Cement Zambia such as;
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Lafarge Cement Zambia’s own customer data base that can help identify the
different customer segments and their associated requirements in terms of service
levels, pricing, customer loyalty, helping in deciding which customers should receive
which offers and the identification of prospective customers
Information from sales reports can show which of cement brands sold more and at
what price did it sale more during times of the year and at what price did it sale
more or not sale as much
Accounting records of the Lafarge cement highlighting sales, expenses and profit in
different product categories can also be used asses and determine the effect of
pricing has on the overall company financial performance
Customer feedback gathered by the sales force or services functions, as they do not
only collect sales information but are also in a position to provide other data on
customer and potential customer’s views and preferences on pricing.
EXTERNAL SOURCES
This externally sourced data that includes;
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Trade journals; these industrial journals can help give a feel of the industry – its size
degree of competition help in assessing the competitiveness of pricing of Lafarge
cement products
World Wide Web (WWW) information competitors who have established ‘home
pages’ for information dissemination on their products and activities can reveal their
and pricing and insights into their pricing strategies
Commercial organisations that conduct market surveys and reports that produce
many sector reports and analyses of companies and brands including pricing
Information from government wings such as Central Statistics Office and the Bank of
Zambia that produces economic and statistical data on various industries their
inputs, outputs, pricing and pricing strategies.
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Internet utilisation to assess an overview pricing strategies of cement manufacturing
companies around the world
ADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY RESEARCH
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Data can be obtained more quickly
It can also be obtained at a lower cost
It can help answer some or all the information of the organisation’s research needs
(A Wilson, 2006)
It can help to assimilate the primary research with past research, highlighting trends
and the like (CIM, 2010 MIR)
Secondary research can also clearly outline target populations, variables therefore
aiding in defining sampling parameter in the case of Lafarge Cement Zambia.
Records that cannot be obtained in primary research as such as government records
and export figures can be accessed through secondary research
DISADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY RESEARCH
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The data may not be relevant to the research objectives in terms of the data content
itself, classification used or units of measurements. (CIM, 2010 MRI)
The secondary information may be irrelevant to the be the primary research
Secondary data is prone to inaccuracies
Data obtained can be outdated and not fit to make current decisions on
The data may be insufficient
Information can be biased depending on the purpose the research was carried out
for
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Primary research is information collected specifically for the study under consideration.
Primary data may be quantitative (statistics) qualitative (attitudes etc) or observational
videos of people browsing in a store, for instance.
ADVANTAGES
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Information is up to date
Information obtained is specific to the purpose of study
Data can be obtained quickly in case of online survey and telephone interviews
Data obtained remains confidential due to the specification of the study.
DISADVANTAGES
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It is expensive
Information can be difficult to obtain
It takes a long time to collect information
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It can give misleading results if the sample size is not large enough
In conducting this research, both qualitative and quantitative methods will be applied.
QUALITATIVE METHODS
Qualitative research methods can be defined as research that is undertaken using an
unstructured research approach with a small number of carefully selected individuals to
produce non-quantifiable insights into behaviour, motivation and attitudes (A,Wilson 2006).
The qualitative research can be used to understand attitudes and behaviour as is reflected
in some of the objectives that the research has to address. In the case of this research the
focus group method will be employed. Below are the advantages and disadvantages of the
qualitative method
QUANTITATIVE METHODS
Quantitative research can be defined as research that is undertaken using a structured
research approach with a sample of the population to produce quantifiable behaviour
insights into the behaviour, motivation and attitudes (A, Wilson 2006).
Some of the qualitative methods to be used will include the telephone survey,
TELEPHONE SURVEY
These are surveys where respondents’ answers to a questionnaire are recorded by
interviews on the phone, are widely used by businesses (Dibb etl 2006). A telephone survey
will be conducted by contacting 100 intermediaries country-wide. The questions will be
related to all the four objectives in section 2 above. They would be intermediaries that
would not have been contacted using the face-to-face interview survey. The information
gathered would be very useful in providing insight into the product quality and perception
of price in relation to competing brands as well as the most preferred payment method.
ADVANTAGES
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The response is quick
There is a standard sampling frame –the telephone directory which can be used
systematically or randomly sampled (CIM, 2006 MIR)
It can cover a wider geographical area less costly
Sensitive and embarrassing can be easily asked because of the remoteness of the
respondents to the interviewer
DISADVANTAGES
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A biased sample may result from the fact that large of people do not have
telephones and many of those who have are ex-directory (CIM, 2006 MIR).’
It is not possible to use visual aids
The rate of refusal and often cut or short interviews as a result of the reputation of
telesales is quite high compared to face-to face interviews
The likelihood of seeing the interviewee’s expressions and developing personal
rapport is not possible
The interview should be short
E-MAIL SURVEY
The internet through the use of online surveys can be employed to gather data from
respondents who both are customers and potential customers of Lafarge cement Zambia
through its data base e-mail address lists of customers and for potential customers by
offering an incentive to those would respond to the questionnaire. Potential respondents
will be invited to take part through their emails and be linked the Lafarge cement Zambia’s
company website and intranet. The questionnaires to be sent to respondents will cover all
aspects of the earlier stated research objectives.
ADVANTAGES
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Using the internet is much more cost effective than either using the telephone that
requires personnel to administer or postal survey costs associated with printing and
postage.
Fast delivery: There are a growing number of online survey software packages and
survey hosting sites that make the design and analysis of online surveys very
straightforward. Therefore online surveys can be designed, despatched to
thousands of potential respondents and analysed very quickly. Clients can
frequently view interim results as they arrive (A Wilson 2006).
It is convenient to use internet as a respondent can pause and resume when they
feel like and can be personalised to ask questions only relevant to the respondent
Ability to penetrate different target groups such as business people who may not
necessarily reached through telephone, post or face to face.
The fact that data are instantly available in electronic format also eases the process
of data entry (Dibb, etl 2006)
People tend to be more honest online they are in personal or telephone interviews
(Kotler, Keller 2006)
Online research is much more versatile (Kotler, Keller 2006)
DISADVANTAGES
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Restriction in accessibility as not all targeted respondents has access to internet.
Online research is prone to technological problems and inconsistencies (Kotler,
Keller 2006)
FACE TO FACE INTERVIEW
This is also known as a depth interview which is a lengthy, one-on-one structured interview
examining a consumer’s views about a product in detail. (Dibb etl 2006). It is administered
using a paper based questionnaire, a lap-top computer or an electronic notepad. We shall
use this research tool by interviewing fifty (50) respondents to help address the following
research objectives
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How customers and potential customers value Lafarge cement Zambia products
Examining the likelihood of the customers and potential customers willingness to
pay more for Lafarge cement
To explore customers’ preferred payment methods for Lafarge Cement
ADVANTAGES
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Ability of the interviewer to ask more questions and record additional observations
about the respondent such as dress and body language (Kotler, Keller 2006)
Ability to check the respondents suitability to be interviewed
Direct interaction with a respondent enables the interviewer assess the seriousness
or lack thereof of the respondents being interviewed
The interview can be improved through use of non-verbal communication for easier
understanding
There is control on when and how visual elements of the questionnaire can be
introduced unlike the telephone interview where everything is seen at once.
DISADVANTAGES
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Very costly and time consuming
Restriction in the coverage of respondents to only certain geographical areas,
remote areas are likely to missed
It is more difficult to motivate interviewers than is the case in a centralised
telephone call centre (A, Wilson).
Quality control difficult to administer by supervisors arising from wide areas that
need to be covered
The training and briefing of interviewers can be more difficult as result of their
geographical dispersal (A, Wilson)
It is more prone to interviewer bias
FOCUS GROUP
A focus group is the gathering of six to ten people who are carefully selected based on
certain demographic, psychographic, or other considerations and brought together to
discuss at length various topics of interest. A professional research moderator provides
questions and probes based on a discussion guide agenda prepared by the responsible
marketing managers to ensure that the right material is covered (Kotler, Keller 2006).
ADVANTAGES
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The group environment with everybody in the same boat can be less intimidating
than other techniques of research which rely on one to one contact such as depth
interviews (CIM Study text 2010).
It is easier in a group to get further detailed information as discussions spark off
experiences.
Attitudes of consumers can be understood within a very short period of time as their
differences can be noted easily.
The collection of different people in one room makes it easier to observe them.
A group tends to give a much more clear reflection of the real world
Unlike depth interviews it is cheaper and faster
Through the use technology, such as video, video conferencing, forums and chat
rooms can aid in adding value to the process.
DISADVANTAGES
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Group processes may inhibit some people from making full contribution and may
encourage others to become exhibitionistic. (CIM, Study text 2010)
Group discussions can get derailed and difficult redirect back to achieve its
objectives
If the discussions are not recorded via video it’s difficult to know who made what
contribution in the group.
In some instances it is possible that the discussion results apply within the group and
are short lived.