1. Explain the term “primary data” and “secondary data”, giving suitable examples? What are the precautions one should take while administering data collection.
Primary data are those collected by the researcher himself for the first time for a particular purpose. Since they are colleted for the first time for the purpose of a study it is primary in nature.
Methods of collecting primary data:
Observation method
Interview method
Through questionnaire
Schedule method

2. Secondary data are those which have been collected by some other person for his purpose and published. So a researcher is said to use secondary data if he makes use of data already compiled by some other person. They are usually in the shape of finished products.
Published data are available in:
Various publications of central, state and local government.
Technical and trade journals
Books, magazines and news papers
Repots prepared by research scholars, universities, economist etc

3. Example
When the agriculture department collects data for the study of yield obtained in respect of various agriculture products in a locality, it is primary for them.
When they publish their data in the journals and if a researcher makes use of those information for his purpose, he can be said to be using secondary data.
Precautions to be taken for primary data collection
Nature and scope of enquiry
Availability of financial resources
Availability of time
Degree of accuracy desired
Education level of the respondents

4. Precautions to be taken for secondary data collection
Reliability of data
It can be tested by finding out
Who collected the data
What where the sources of data
Were they collected by using proper methods
At what time were they collected
Suitability of data
The researcher must very carefully scrutinise the definition of various terms and units of collection used at the time of collecting data from the primary sources originally.

5. Adequacy of the data
If the level of accuracy achieved in data found to be inadequate for the purpose of present enquiry or if they relate to an area which may be either narrower or wider than the area of present enquiry.

6. Explain briefly why data collection and data analysis should not be separated at the planning stage of any research project?
Business research is an organized, systematic, data-based, critical, objective, scientific inquiry or investigation into a specific problem, undertaken with the purpose of finding answers or solutions to it. The answers provided could be the result of a careful analysis of data gathered firsthand or data that are already available.
The purpose of data collection is to obtain information to keep on record, to make decisions about important issues, to pass information on to others.
Data analysis is a process of gathering, modeling, and transforming data with the goal of highlighting useful information, suggesting conclusions, and supporting decision making.