Comparison of the Data Predictions & Actual Results - Assignment Example

Comparison of the Data Predictions & Actual Results of the Comparison of the Data Predictions & Actual Results Data comesin various forms and the two most common forms of data are qualitative and quantitative. These two forms of data also share certain commonalties as well as differences (Pannerselvam, 2004). One of the most common differences between the two forms of data patterns is that qualitative data reflects about what really an individual thought or felt during a particular situation. On the contrary, quantitative data deals with the collection of numeric values.

Ironically, differences have been also observed pertaining to the predictions about themes and patterns in data to the actual results obtained (Pavitt, 1984). Initially, I had a conception that qualitative analysis of data would only allow me to gain obtain data pertaining to the scenario of the situation and would also offer insightful data. However, in reality apart from portraying descriptive data, qualitative analysis has allowed me to identify other aspects of the question. The same has been illustrated with the help of examples in the previous section.

Moreover, I had predicted that the data which will be obtained by me at the end of the research will be inclined towards deceptive statistics but at the end I understood that it was only a myth as the analysis provided me with data that could be easily analysed through statistical packages and even correlations between the variables is obtainable (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2009). However, in order to achieve the same pre-coding needs to be carried out which I did at the beginning of the project.

Hence, I would like to shed light on the fact that the idea which I had for qualitative analysis and the themes and nature of data that I was expecting out of this analysis is different from the results I obtained. Rather I should mention that I have obtained data which was beyond my expectations. For example, the data that allowed me to identify correlation between two variables was a bit of surprise to me (Riley, et al., 2000). Hence, on the basis of the data collected from the market, I would like to emphasize on the fact that my conception about qualitative data has undergone a rapid shift.

I have understood the scope of this analysis technique and also understood the fact how proper organization of data and analysis of the required resources helps in unearthing various facts about the problem. I believe that the scope of qualitative analysis is more than that of quantitative analysis. For example, the data collection process is also easier and it allows consumers to present their perception about the subject of concern. In addition, with the help of qualitative analysis, a researcher also gets the opportunity to deduce the responses and come up with new insights, which is not at all possible in quantitative research.

In terms of the data collection process, although time consuming but can be more effective as it does not limits the user to portray their thoughts about the topic of discussion. Hence, my decision to use inferential statistics and analyse data qualitatively was fully justified. References Pannerselvam, R. (2004). Research methodology. New Delhi: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Pavitt, K. (1984). Sectoral patterns of technical change. Research Policy, 13, 343–73. Riley, M., Wood, R. C., Clark, M. A., Wilkie, E.

& Szivas, E. (2000). Researching and Writing Dissertations in Business and Management. Connecticut: Thomson Learning. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2009). Research Methods for Business Student. 5th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.