January 29, 2014
RES/320
Week 2 Individual Assignment
Chapter 5 Discussion Questions 2 and 3
Question 2 - Define the distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in a secondary search. Primary sources are data that has not been interpreted and are the original research performed. These sources are from the source of the information. The data given from a primary source has not been translated into information by another person. Primary sources are the source of the data given. Many books of law are primary sources. A court transcript would be a primary source for an appealed case. Secondary sources have been interpreted from primary data. School textbooks are an example of a secondary source because the authors gathered the information from many primary sources. They translated that data too this secondary source. Almost all research found falls into secondary sources category. Most information on the Internet has been translated from a primary source. Tertiary sources take secondary sources and interpret them. These can be guides, timelines, and almanacs. They have condensed primary and secondary sources to create an index. Bibliographies are also an example of a tertiary source.

Question 3 - What problems of secondary data quality must researchers face? How can they deal with them? There are five problems of secondary data quality: Purpose, scope, authority, audience, and format. When evaluating purpose of a secondary source a research must discover why this data exist. The researcher must also evaluate if the research is relevant to his or her research. When deciding if the information meets the purpose it is trying to achieve. The research must also determine if it is biased in the way it is presented. Authority of research tells the researcher how well the author knows the subject. Also the information needs to give cites to show where it got the information. Cites also need to have an authority on the subject. The data also needs show from where it originated. Scope shows the researcher the age of information, and whether or not it has been updated. It should show the amount of information available on subject. The data should also show whether it narrows the subject or encompasses the subject completely. It should also show why information was included. The scope should also be similar to other sources. Audience shows that the information was intended. Also what experience a researcher reading the source is assumed to have. Format shows the research how easy the information was to find. The ease with which the researcher can locate relevant information for his or her research question. Also the information needs to be easily translated into useable information.

Chapter 7 Discussion Questions 1, 2, and 5
Question 1 - How does qualitative research differ from quantitative research? Quantitative research needs a large number of participants. This information can only be objective and measured statistically. Quantitative research is only about the numbers, data that can be measured. This data can be calculated by mathematics, to determine the needs of a larger population. Qualitative research is translating data from observing, analyzing, and interpreting data from what people say or do. The researchers can analyze a small test group of people and determine why they like the red widget better than the blue one. This research is very subjective compared to quantitative research. Qualitative tries to find the meaning behind the outcome of a decision.
Question 2 - How do data from qualitative research differ from quantitative research? Quantitative research data consists of number and statistics. These are facts with a large number of participants. This data can be measured either by counting or fitting numerical data in an equation. This data will show exactly what occurred. The data will always be measurable, and is a strait forward method of research. It gives direct answers that are easy to interpret. Qualitative research is not measurable. This is how a consumer believes about a product. The consumer may feel that the color red makes the fire truck look better than the color blue. There is no measurement for this type of research. Finding out what makes the red fire truck more pleasing to consumers is the driving force for qualitative research. This type of data is not strait forward and involves a large amount of interpretation from the researcher. Experts are needed to translate the data.
Question 5 - Assume you are a manufacturer of small kitchen electrics, like Hamilton Beach/Proctor Silex, and you want to determine if some innovative designs with unusual shapes and colors developed for European market could be successfully marketed in the U.S. Market. What qualitative research would you recommend, and why? I think I would recommend a group interview because I would want to find a group consensus for these products. The group will give me a wider spectrum of praise or concern for these products. They could also give feedback about what they like and dislike about the products. The company could also find a group of people most likely to buy these products. The company could get a feeling of how the test market would feel about these products. Also the company would want to find a non-bias interviewer, so they can get the most accurate data possible. The company can take these small group interviews and analyze the data collected to make a decision on whether or not to continue with the plan to introduce these products to the U.S. market. By interviewing participants from the products test market the company can a feel for how their product will be received.