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Secondary Data Sources

Secondary data sources include internal sources within an organization as well as external sources outside the organization. Some key external secondary data sources discussed are periodicals, government data, private research organizations, and internet search engines. Secondary data is useful as it can provide information more quickly and at lower cost than collecting primary data. However, secondary data may not always be relevant, accurate, current or unbiased so it must be evaluated carefully.

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8K views5 pages

Secondary Data Sources

Secondary data sources include internal sources within an organization as well as external sources outside the organization. Some key external secondary data sources discussed are periodicals, government data, private research organizations, and internet search engines. Secondary data is useful as it can provide information more quickly and at lower cost than collecting primary data. However, secondary data may not always be relevant, accurate, current or unbiased so it must be evaluated carefully.

Uploaded by

Komal Shujaat
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Secondary Data Sources

Secondary data has already been gathered or published for some other
purpose. Ordinarily, it is faster to collect and less expensive than primary
data. Sources of secondary data include internal (those inside the
organization) and external (those outside the organization.) Ideally,
secondary data is available from the organization's Marketing Information
System (MkIS). Data that has not been organized in a MkIS may be
available from the organization’s files and reports. Also, secondary data is
available from libraries, trade associations, government agencies, and the
Internet. All sources of secondary data should be exhausted before collecting
primary data.

Nature of Secondary Data Sources:


Secondary data are existing data generated for a problem other than the one
at hand. Secondary data consists of information that already exists
somewhere, having been collected for another purpose.

Secondary data can usually be obtained more quickly and at a lower cost
than primary data. Also, secondary sources sometimes can provide data and
individual company cannot collect on its own – information that either is not
directly available or would be too expensive to collect.

Secondary data can also present problems. The needed information may not
exist – researchers can rarely obtain all the data they need from secondary
sources. Even when data can be found, they might not be very usable.

The researcher must evaluate secondary information carefully to make


certain it is relevant, accurate, current and impartial. Secondary data can
provide a good starting point for research and often can help to define
problems and research objectives. In most cases, however the company must
also collect primary data.
INTERNAL DATA SOURCES
Internal secondary data are existing data generated by the firm – for
example, accounting reports and reports of previous research projects.
Internal secondary data provide valuable performance evaluation
information and serve as a foundation for future research efforts. The main
advantages of internal secondary data are their accessibility and low costs
and the ease with which they can be incorporated into most research
projects.

EXTERNAL DATA SOURCES


External secondary data are data generated by a source other than the firm.
Major types include:

Periodicals

One of the first places to look for secondary data is a library. Periodicals
(magazines, journals, and newspapers) are materials that are published at
regular intervals (monthly, quarterly, daily, etc.). They contain current
information, which point the way to trends that can translate into marketing
opportunities.

Government Data

Government data is available in inexpensive publications issued by local,


state, national, or international governments. Most of it is in computer form
and ready for further analysis. It is often used in estimating the size of
markets. In fact, most topics can be found in government documents.
Government data is generally considered to be reliable and includes laws,
regulations, statistics, consumer information, and much more.

Many researchers find it more practical to start with summary publications.


Leads to more detailed documents on a topic can be found in the footnotes.
Statistics are valuable in research because they can provide data for making
comparisons and determining historical trends.
Private Research Organizations

Many private research organizations, advertising agencies, newspapers and


magazines regularly compile and published data. Also, some information is
available as a service to customers for clients of advertising agencies or
buyers of advertising space or time. Most trade associations compile data
from and for their members. Some also publish magazines that focus on
important topics in the industry. The Yellow Pages can be a big help in
estimating how much competition there is in certain lines of business and
where it is located.

Internet Search Engines

Of course using an Internet search engine can expand a search. Since there is
no organization in charge of the Internet, no single comprehensive source or
index tells you what information is on the Internet or how to find it. People
search the Internet using a variety of resource discovery tools called search
engines, such as AltaVista, Yahoo, and HotBot. They are Web sites in and of
themselves, accessible through browsers, where you can search for other
sites that contain specific keywords. You simply type in the topic, or several
key words about what you are looking for, and the search engine will
provide Web sites that have information related to that topic. For example,
you will get a list of sites by keying in one or more words that best describes
what you want.

Searching for a Broad Topic

When you need to get an overview of a broad topic, use a directory-style


search site, such as Yahoo. The user can begin with a vague, general query
and, through a series of choices, narrow the focus of the search. Also check
the subject-oriented "channels" that are available at the full-text search-
engine sites. Channels are basically the search-engine sites' answer to Yahoo,
offering directory-type searches, but with a lot fewer sites than Yahoo has.

Searching for a Narrow Topic

For a narrow or specific search, coverage is more important than context, so


an index search engine does a better job. When you have a specific idea of
what you're looking for, check Yahoo's subject directory to see if any sites
have been devoted to the topic. A narrow term or phrase or name is unlikely
to have many whole sites devoted to it, but may be hidden in sites on other
topics. If you don’t find it, turn to an index search engine, such as AltaVista,
to exclude vast amounts of information.

Query on the Search Engines

Enter a query. To find information, link to the search page and enter a
query.

Use multiple search engines. Don't limit yourself to a single search site.
Conduct a more thorough search by using multiple search engines. "Meta"
search sites let you build a single search and then apply it to multiple search
sites simultaneously, bringing back the results, creating one huge list of hits.
The University of Washington search engine-based MetaCrawler Parallel
Web Search Service takes a search phrase and combs through the indices of
Open Text, Lycos, WebCrawler, InfoSeek, Excite, Inktomi, Alta Vista,
Yahoo, and Galaxy. Other good examples are Dogpile, Internet Sleuth and
Mamma.

A meta search engine, which you operate right from your PC desktop
without even opening your Web browser, as long as you're online, is
WebFerret, a free software program. It generates a list of hundreds of hits
very, very quickly.

Read the Instructions. Different search engines use different commands.


Read the online help to find out how a specific search engine’s commands
operate. Most sites allow use of Boolean language (words that function as
commands to help refine a search) in some form, although syntax varies.
AND, OR and NOT are examples of Boolean language. For example, in
AltaVista, typing the words Harvard AND University would yield pages that
contain both the words Harvard and University. Typing the words Harvard
AND NOT University would display documents with the word Harvard but
not the word University.

Use a phrase. Many users type in only a single search word, which is likely
to produce too many unwanted hits. Additional words, known as a phrase,
should be added to help narrow the search. To make sure the words are
interpreted as a phrase, enclose the phrase with quotation marks or
parentheses. When a phrase is enclosed in quotation marks, most search
sites will look only for documents containing those words put together rather
than spread throughout the document. For example, AltaVista can tell which
words go together in a phrase because phrases are surrounded by quote
marks. AltaVista uses plus and minus signs to force inclusion and exclusion
of search terms.

Try using synonyms. If your initial search doesn't produce the desired
results, try substituting synonyms for key words. A search covering the word
"cars" might miss an important Web page with the word "automobiles."
Searching requires patience -- and a little detective work – to pay off.

USES OF SECONDAY DATA SOURCES:

Secondary data is used in case of the following cases:

• When data is required in less time.


• When data or information is required in less cost.
• When it is not possible to collect data from direct (primary sources).

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