The title of the article is “Getting started with data analysis”. This article was written by Professor A. Diamantopoulos, who is a professor of marketing and business research at the Loughborough University in the UK. He has been involved in different researches including sales forecasting, international marketing and marketing research. This article was written in the year 2000.
The broad area of this article is concerned with helping researchers with knowledge on how to undertake their research work. To be particular; the article concentrates more on the Data analysis methods. It outlines how to analyze data from a research and elaborates on the choice of data analysis method.
The article outlines where to start the research work through data analysis methods. The article then broadly outlines how to undertake the process of data analysis immediately after the research.
I like this article in that it is very specific on how to undertake data analysis after the research. Indeed data analysis has been a challenge to a huge number of students and researchers at large. This article is also helpful in that it elaborates the different methodologies of data analysis.
The article provides several learning points to the readers. First, the article elaborates on the objectives of analyzing data. It also gives the reader an insight on why data analysis is very important. Secondly, the article also enables the reader to understand the data description and what is involved in the data analysis process. Thirdly, readers are also enlightened on how well they can use the available date to estimate the entire population.
The article has been developed using the following relevant building blocks: First, the article has an introduction which outlines the importance and the aims and objectives of the paper. In the introduction, the author prepares the reader on what to expect in the entire article. The second one is analysis objectives. The reader is taken through a process on how to formulate data analysis objectives. This heading elaborates on how the reader is capable of making available data to talk in different ways depending on how they are manipulated.
The third one is data description. Under this block, the readers are given chances to understand how they are capable of providing a sample breakdown in different categories including gender, year of study, faculty and clubbing frequency. The reader is also introduced to the descriptive statistics at this point. The fourth one is Estimation. Under this building block, the reader is informed of the main advantages of using available information to help in the estimation of the situation that is likely to exist in the population.
Fifth, the author speaks about hypothesis testing which is very helpful in testing specific propositions which concern the variables in the interest, hence drawing conclusions regarding the same preposition as a whole.
The other important building block in this article is the Data characteristics which are always reflected data matrix. In any given situation, data characteristics include type and size of one’s sample, the nature of data values and the types of variables involved. The last part of the building block in this paper is the conclusion where the author provides the main issue to be addressed by the paper as to providing a non technical overview of main factors which influences the choice of statistical techniques.
Critical analysis
Advantages of the article
There are a number of advantages of the paper. First, the paper enables one to choose the right statistical method in the analysis of a group of data. Second, this paper is providing a non technical overview of the major considerations affecting the selection of the analytical techniques. This makes it very easy to decide on the things to apply, the time to use them and why to use them.
I am indeed so happy with what I have learnt from this article. The article has provided me with a range of information regarding a wide range of issues. It has provided me with reliable information regarding the selecting of the right statistical technique for analyzing a given set of records. In a number of instances, this is usually very overwhelming to beginners or trainers as well as to some experts. The decision is very crucial because it represents “payoff” for considerable efforts that have been put in the process of the study’s design, collection of data, coding editing among several others. All these are of great significance. When incorrect choices are made in this phase, invalid results as well as unwarranted conclusions may result. Due to the fact that there are very minimal literature that provides tangible guidance on the manner in which an individual is capable of choosing the “correct” analytical methods as well as the factors governing choices like such, this article is greatly significant as it provides relevant information regarding the same. The article is providing a non-technical outline of the major considerations that are capable of affecting the choice of a given analytical technique. A good comprehension of the considerations should optimistically make the duty of deciding the thing to apply, the time to apply as well as the reason for applying.
Similarly, I am so happy with this article because it has also enabled me to be capable of undertaking data analysis after conducting research. It is for a fact that data analysis has been a challenge to most of the students and researchers at large. This article has also been of great help to me since it has elaborated on the different methodologies of data analysis. Data analysis is of great importance to the lives of individuals.
Disadvantages of the article
Besides the above mentioned advantages, there are also some advantages that are associated with the article. First, it does not provide very concrete guidance on the manner in which one may select the correct analytical technique. When wrong or incorrect choices are made when choosing the statistical methods, results that are not valid as well as unwarranted conclusions may be made. The article does not provide a way of going about this.
When the normality assumptions are violated, great deals of the parametric statistical techniques may be rendered inoperative. The article has not provided strategies that may be applied to counter this. It is therefore a great disadvantage of the article.
Diverse statistical procedures may also have a number of unique or strange assumptions that may have to be satisfied to enable them to produce tangible results. This usually complicates things. The paper has not provided a way of dealing with this. This is a great disadvantage.
There are a number of learning points that are very vital in the article. The first one deals with analysis objectives. Analysis is capable of being defined as the process through which an individual will ensure that data ‘talks’. Setting of analysis objectives determines precisely the kind and type of information that an individual would like to remove from the data. There are a number of ways through which data may be made to talk. The ways are dependent on the manner in which the data are manipulated. Choosing the right method depends on specific requirements of the individual conducting the research or the analyst.
There are a number of roles of analysis objectives. First, they ensure that applicable analysis only is undertaken. Second, they ensure that the analysis is very comprehensive. Comprehensiveness may be defined as the degree to which the group of analyses that are conducted are making great use of the potential information that lies in the data. Third, it prevents the analyses from being redundant. Redundancy may be defined as the degree to which diverse analyses are overlapping. In summary, analyses objectives are of great importance because they ensure that individuals only perform applicable things adequately and also ensure that individuals do not perform things twice.
It should also be noted that before one sets the analysis objectives, the general research objectives ought to be taken into consideration. Research objectives illustrate the reason why the research was conducted as well as its desired achievement. It makes it very easy to come up with an analysis objective.
Another key thing that ought to be taken into consideration is the descriptive focus. It aims at painting a general population or sample picture as far as the variables of interest are concerned. Another important thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the estimation focus. It aims at using the information that an individual has on the samples that are to be applied to the case that could be present within the population.
What I have learnt from the article
Through the article, one is capable of learning how to implement as well as design research projects for obtaining a degree as well as keeping their jobs. One is also capable of learning how data talks from this paper. As a result, the paper is of great importance as it provides a wide range of information concerning a wide range of issues. The paper also provides one with non technical outline of the major factors affecting statistical technique choice.
The paper has also enabled me to find it very easy and also to have clear and simple research objectives when undertaking a project. Besides, it has also enabled me to deal with haphazardly drawn samples of adequate size. Again, it has enabled me to work at achieving the greatest level of measurement that is possible for the variable that I choose. Finally, it also enables one to reduce non response.
This article has also enabled me to be capable of undertaking data analysis after conducting research. It is for a fact that data analysis has been a challenge to most of the students and researchers at large. This article has also been of great help to me since it has elaborated on the different methodologies of data analysis. Data analysis is of great importance to the lives of individuals.
A number of ideas from this article may be applied by a number of businesses in real life situations. Indeed a number of businesses are capable of applying the above mentioned processes in conducting research as well as studies related to the work that they are doing. Organizations in all countries, Dubai being no exception, should therefore employ the ideas from this article to make them advance. The article is of great importance as it provides the necessary information that is capable of helping the organizations to conduct market research of their products. This is important for businesses in all areas, Dubai is not excluded. In real life practices, the ideas that are presented in this article work.
This article is of great significance as it opens the horizons of individuals on a number of new things. Indeed there are a number of new things that are imparted on individuals by this article. A number of them have been discussed above. Therefore, the article is greatly significant. The article outlines where to start the research work through data analysis methods. The article on getting started with data analysis broadly outlines on how to undertake the process of data analysis from the point immediately after the research.
Application of the subject matter in a real business case
This idea can be applied to business in several ways. First, it can be used to analyze the data for customers in particular products. Through data analysis of the customer, the company shall be able to determine the behavior of customers to a given product of the company. Secondly, the same date analysis methods can be used to analyze the general performance of the company, through sales data, the company is able to determine whether they are making the desired profit. Lastly, data analysis is very important in making decisions in the company. If well utilized, analyzed data can form the basis for making critical decisions in any company.
In Dubai as a country, banks can use the information of this article in analyzing their credit risks. With the cases of continuous economic crisis, banks in Dubai need to have credit risk analysis in order to safeguard their investments. It is also important to note that there are several pieces of data kept by different organizations; these data can only be useful if the organization can be able to analyze the same appropriately and implement the recommendations which have been got from the interpretation of the data.
Adamantios Diamantopoulus’ Getting started with data analysis can work well in practice, this is because it elaborates on how researchers should analyze the data which they have gathered while undertaking research. It is for a fact that every field needs a scientific finding in order to make an informed decision.