Geotechnical Engineering Properties of Soils Tests

Geotechnical Engineering Properties of Soils Tests Jump to: Advantages and Disadvantages of SPT Standard Penetration Test Advantages and Disadvantages of Cone Penetration Test Advantages and Disadvantages of Shear Vane Test Advantages and Disadvantages of Wash Boring Advantages and Disadvantages of Percussion Rig Boring Advantages and Disadvantages of Rotary Auger Boring During the SPT, it was possible to take disturbed and undisturbed samples using split barrel-sampler which were used for further laboratory tests. The in situ penetration test provides a soil sample for identification purposes and for the laboratory tests that allow the use of disturbed samples. The method of sampling soil consists of driving a split-barrel sampler to obtain a representative, disturbed sample and to simultaneously obtain a measure of the resistance of the subsoil to the penetration of a standard sampler. The test is conducted inside a borehole. A split spoon sampler is attached to the bottom of a core barrel and lowered into position at the bottom of the borehole. The sampler is driven into the ground by a drop hammer weighing 68 kg falling through a height of 76 cm. The number of hammer blows is counted. The number required to drive the sampler three successive 150mm increments is recorded. The first increment (0-150mm) is not included in the N value as it is assume d that the top of the test area has been disturbed by the drilling process. The SPT N is the number of blows required to achieve penetration from 150-450mm. The hammer weight, drop height, spoon diameter, rope diameter etc. are standard dimensions. After the test, the sample remaining inside the split spoon is preserved in an airtight container for inspection and description. Advantages and Disadvantages of SPT Standard Penetration Test ADVANTAGES Relatively quick and simple to perform Able to penetrate dense layers, gravel, and fill Equipment and expertise for the test is widely available In addition to overburden pressure and relative density the SPT N-value is also a function of soil type, particle size, and age and stress history of the deposit Provides a representative soil sample Provides useful index of relative strength and compressibility of the soil DISADVANTAGES The SPT does not typically provide continuous data, therefore important data such as weak seams may be missed Somewhat slower than other sample methods due to sample retrieval The basic problems to consider are change in effective stress at the bottom of the borehole, dynamic energy reaching the sampler, sampler design, interval of impact, penetration resistance count. Samples that are obtained from the SPT are disturbed. Cone Penetration Test (CPT) What is CPT? Cone Penetration Tests are conducted to obtain the cone resistance, the side friction and, if there is a piezocone, the pore pressure. The soil type can be determined by analysing these result the values can also be used in the design of shallow foundations through the estimation of stiffness and shear strength of cohesive soils. The cone penetration test (CPT) is a method used to determine the geotechnical engineering properties of soils and delineating soil stratigraphy. It was initially developed in the 1950s at the Dutch Laboratory for Soil Mechanics in Delft to investigate soft soils. Based on this history it has also been called the Dutch cone test. Today, the CPT is one of the most used and accepted in soil methods for soil investigation worldwide. Process CPT is static penetration test in which the device is pushed rather than then driven by blows into the soil. The CPT consist of cone which been attached to a rod that been protected by an outer sleeve. A 60o cone with face area 10cm2 and 150cm2 of friction sleeve is hydraulically pushed into the ground at a constant speed ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 cm/s about 80mm deep. The force required maintaining this penetration rate, and the shear force acting on the friction sleeve is recorded. The friction ratio gives an indication of the soil type. The CPT Soil Classification will be based on ratio of tip and sleeve resistance. The tip resistance will be high in sand and low in clays while the sleeve friction will be low in sands and high in clays. Advantages and Disadvantages of Cone Penetration Test ADVANTAGE Continuous data Reliable, repeatable test results DISADVANTAGES Inability to penetrate through gravels and cobbles Elimination of operator error Less populated database than SPT due to the new technology Lack of sampling SHEAR VANE TEST What is Shear Vane Test? The vane shear test is an in-situ geotechnical testing methods used to estimate the undrained shear strength of fully saturated clays without disturbance. The test is relatively simple, quick, and provides a cost-effective way of estimating the soil shear strength; therefore, it is widely used in geotechnical investigations. Under special condition, the vane shear test can be also carried out in the laboratory on undisturbed soil specimens however the use of the vane shear test in in-situ testing is much more common. Process The vane shear test is an in-situ geotechnical testing methods used to estimate the undrained shear strength of fully saturated clays without disturbance. The results of the test are not reliable if clay contains silt or sand. The vane shear test apparatus consists of a four-blade stainless steel vane attached to a steel rod that will be pushed into the ground. For a weak soils which has Cu less than 50 kPa, the size of the blade is 75mm wide x 150 mm long while for the slightly strong soils which has Cu between 50 kPa to 100 kPa, 50 x 100 mm blade should be use. The height of vane is usually twice its overall widths and is often equal to 10 cm or 15 cm. The test can be conducted either from the ground surface or from the bottom of a borehole or a test pit. If conducted from the bottom of a borehole, the test area should be should be at the depth of least three times the borehole diameter lower that the borehole bottom in order to avoid the borehole disturbance effects. The test starts by pushing the vane and the rod vertically into the soft soil. The vane is then rotated at a slow rate of 6 ° to 12 ° per minute. The torque is measured at regular time intervals and the test continues until a maximum torque is reached and the vane rotates rapidly for several revolutions. At this time, the soil fails in shear on a cylindrical surface around the vane. The rotation is usually continued after shearing and the torque is measured to estimate the remoulded shear strength. The undrained shear strength of the saturated soil is proportional to the applied torque and the dimensions of the vane. Advantages and Disadvantages of Shear Vane Test ADVANTAGES Rapid and economical test Reproducible results in homogeneous soils Inexpensive method for measuring clay sensitivity   DISADVANTAGES Limited to soft to stiff cohesive soils Field vane shear strength must be corrected Results can be affected by anisotropic soils, sand lenses, shells, and seams BORING WASH BORING What is Wash Boring? A popular method to drill larger size holes in soft formations. Casing with a casing crown attached is rotated into the ground and water is used to flush out the drilled formation. It is one of a boring system by which material loosened by a bit is borne to the surface in the annular space between the bit and casing by water forced down through the pipe bearing the bit Process For test boring over 3 meter in depth, this method can be conveniently used. In this method a hollow steel pipe known as casing pipe or drive pipe is driven into the ground for a certain depth. Then a pipe usually known as water jet pipe or wash pipe, which is shorter in diameter, is lowered into the casing pipe. At its upper end, the wash pipe is connected to water supply system while the lower end of the pipe is contracted so as to produce jet action. Water under considerable pressure is forced down the wash pipe. The hydraulic pressure displaces the material immediately below the pipe and the slurry thus formed is forced up through the annular space between the two pipes. The slurry is collected and samples of material encountered are obtained by settlement. In this process the particles of finer material like clay, loam etc. do not settle easily and the larger and heavy particles of the soil may not be brought up at all. Moreover, the exact position of a material in the formation cannot be easily be located. However the change of stratification can be guessed from the rate of progress of driving the casing pipe as well as the color of slurry flowing out. Yet the results obtained by wash boring process give fairly good information about the nature of the sub-soil strata. This method can be adopted in soft to stiff cohesive soils and fine sand. Advantages and Disadvantages of Wash Boring ADVANTAGES Can be used in difficult terrain Low equipment cost Used in uncased holes DISADVANTAGES Depth limited to about 30m Difficulty in obtaining accurate location of groundwater level. Undisturbed soil samples cannot be obtained. PERCUSSION RIG BORING What is Percussion Rig Boring? Percussion Rug Boring is widely used in UK. Percussion drilling method of advancing a boring is of common use in drilling water wells. This method consists of breaking up of the sub-strata by repeated blows from a bit or chisel. This type of boring can make a borehole up to 150 mm 300 mm diameter and depth up to 50 60 m. However this method is not recommended for loose sand or clayey soils. Process This method consists of breaking up of the sub-strata by repeated blows from a bit or chisel. Percussion methods start by raise up the tool assembly by the winch to 1 m above the bottom of the hole. It allows the tool assembly to fall under its own weight to drive the cutting tools into the soil. The material thus pulverized is converted into slurry by pouring water in the bore. At intervals the slurry is bailed out of the hole and dried for examination. The slurry will be removed by bailers or pump. After that, tool will be raise to surface when the cutting tools are full of soil to obtain undisturbed sample. This method can be adopted in rocks and soils having boulders. In general, a machine used to drill holes is called a drill rig generally power driven, but may be hand driven. A winch is provided to raise and lower the drilling tools into the hole. Advantages and Disadvantages of Percussion Rig Boring ADVANTAGES Simple to operate and maintain Suitable for a wide variety of rocks Operation is possible above and below the water-table It is possible to drill to considerable depths DISADVANTAGES Slow, compared with other methods Equipment can be heavy Problems can occur with unstable rock formations Water is needed for dry holes to help remove cuttings ROTARY AUGER BORING What is Rotary Auger Boring? A drill bit is pushed by weight of drilling equipment and rotated by a motor. This drilling method with mud pump for flushing can be direct circulation and reverse circulation, with tricone bit and drag bit Nevertheless, the torque is relatively critical for this drilling method. It is widely used in soft to medium hard ground conditions. This type of boring machine can be also use for piling works. It can bore the hole up to depth of 50 m and diameter of 300 mm to 2 m. Process When rocks or hard pans are to be penetrated for examination, core drilling is done to get undisturbed samples of the formation. In this process a hole is made by rotating a hollow steel tube having a cutting bit at its base. The cutting bit makes an annular cut in the strata and leaves a cylindrical core of the material in the hollow tube. Two types of cutting bits are generally used, namely, diamond bit and shot bit. Diamond bit consists of industrial diamonds set in the face of the bit and in shot bit, chilled shot is used as an abrasive to cut the hard pan. When core samples of small diameter are needed, diamond bit is preferred. There are two main type of rotary auger boring which are: Bucket Auger Consists of an open- top metal cylinder with cutter mounted on a baseplate as the soil is cut, it passes into the bucket, which is then raised and emptied at intervals. Can be used in frim soil. Not suitable for cohesionless soil below water table. Flight Auger Short flight Simple flight Continuous flight Advantages and Disadvantages of Rotary Auger Boring ADVANTAGE Quick Drill through any type of soil or rock Can drill to depths of 50 m Undisturbed samples can be easily recovered DISADVANTAGE Expensive equipment Terrain must be accessible to motorized vehicle Difficulty in obtaining location of groundwater level Additional time required for set-up and clean-up

Comparing the Film and Novel Versions of Sam Hanna Bell’s December Brid

Comparing the Film and Novel Versions of Sam Hanna Bell’s December Bride If the movie based on Sam Hanna Bell’s novel December Bride is considered to be good, it is only because the novel itself is nothing short of great. Having viewed the movie on two separate occasions, some four months apart, this writer found herself to still be somewhat bewildered by a few of the events portrayed. The novel clears the Irish fog swirling around those events creating a much more solidly constructed story. In addition, the characters of Sarah and Frank are developed to a much deeper level. The great leap in years that occurs at the end of the movie is shortened in the novel and in consequence, the story flows more smoothly. Perhaps December Bride would have faired better as a TV mini-series with hours and hours at its disposal rather than being confined to the short span of time allotted the movie. Within the confines of the movie, before the reading of the novel, this writer found the following several elements of the story confusing: who is Fergus and how does he fit in; Sarah’s standing on the hill looking toward her mother’s house seems unfinished; why does the Reverend Sorleyson treat his wife, Victoria, with such distain; what is the significance of the meal in which Hamilton orders Sarah to cook the fish for the Catholic woman; why does Frank voice no objections at the marriage of Sarah and Hamilton? Read on and ye shall uncover the answers. The novel opens in Chapter One revealing the end of the story. Two elderly persons, Sarah and Hamilton, are being married by the young Reverend Isaac Sorleyson in a church that is nestled in a graveyard. People from the surrounding countryside are huddled among the gravestones brac... ...tride, promising to be at the church with Hamilton in the next week thus bequeathing the father’s name on both her children. Notes: [1] Small boat with oars. [2] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.22. [3] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.27. [4] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.48. [5] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.48. [6] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.41. [7] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.44. [8] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.125. [9] the residence of a Presbyterian clergyman (15th century) [10] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.68. [11] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.134. [12] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.138. [13] Bell, Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.149. [14] child [15] Bell Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.123. [16] Bell Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.179. [17] Bell Sam Hanna. December Bride. p.289.

Interview Essay - Murray Meisels -- Interview Essays

Interview Essay - Murray Meisels Murray Meisels was born on April 19, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in New York City and came to California in 1941 to attend college at USC. After graduating from USC, he attended the University of Oregon Dental School and the University of Buffalo Dental School. Murray served in the military during WWII and the Korean War. In 1948, he married Francis and they made their home in Buffalo, New York. They raised two children, and Murray owned a dental practice for over 40 years. While raising a family and practicing dentistry, he completed a Masters degree and taught at the University of Buffalo Dental School. In 1991 Murray retired from private practice, but continued teaching part time at the dental school. During this time he and his wife spent winters in California. In 1996 they decided to make California their permanent home, and are very happy living here. They are proud parents and grandparents. Murray is very active and enjoys the Emeritus program, exercising regularly , stamp collecting, golf and craft works. He creates beautiful ceramic, glass and sculptured pieces. The key elements in Murray's definition of happiness are peace, quiet, a lack of arguing, good health, and security. His definition of happiness has changed through the years, and he finds himself content with allowing people and situations to be the way they are. He is happier when he doesn't let things bother him. He has learned over time not to worry and aggravate himself unnecessarily. Selfish and opinionated people used to bother him terribly and he felt the need to respond, argue, or simply avoid them. But now he can handle these types of situations without feeling stressed. Having too many requests at h... ...w and you'll see the results in your life." He feels that this advice is consistent with his philosophy on life. "I try to be fair and honest with everyone, sometimes to a fault. I like people to be honest and fair with me. I have always loved and done right by my family. I worked hard to do the best job that I could and I didn't take advantage of anyone in my practice." I truly enjoyed my time spent with Murray. Both he and his wife Francis graciously welcomed us into their home, and made us feel like familiar friends. It was wonderful to hear him share stories from his life and I thank him for his openness and honesty. His insights about the trials and tribulations of life were applicable to a person of any age. Many times over the last few weeks, I have found myself thinking about something that he said. Murray is truly full of life and has a lot of spirit! Interview Essay - Murray Meisels -- Interview Essays Interview Essay - Murray Meisels Murray Meisels was born on April 19, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in New York City and came to California in 1941 to attend college at USC. After graduating from USC, he attended the University of Oregon Dental School and the University of Buffalo Dental School. Murray served in the military during WWII and the Korean War. In 1948, he married Francis and they made their home in Buffalo, New York. They raised two children, and Murray owned a dental practice for over 40 years. While raising a family and practicing dentistry, he completed a Masters degree and taught at the University of Buffalo Dental School. In 1991 Murray retired from private practice, but continued teaching part time at the dental school. During this time he and his wife spent winters in California. In 1996 they decided to make California their permanent home, and are very happy living here. They are proud parents and grandparents. Murray is very active and enjoys the Emeritus program, exercising regularly , stamp collecting, golf and craft works. He creates beautiful ceramic, glass and sculptured pieces. The key elements in Murray's definition of happiness are peace, quiet, a lack of arguing, good health, and security. His definition of happiness has changed through the years, and he finds himself content with allowing people and situations to be the way they are. He is happier when he doesn't let things bother him. He has learned over time not to worry and aggravate himself unnecessarily. Selfish and opinionated people used to bother him terribly and he felt the need to respond, argue, or simply avoid them. But now he can handle these types of situations without feeling stressed. Having too many requests at h... ...w and you'll see the results in your life." He feels that this advice is consistent with his philosophy on life. "I try to be fair and honest with everyone, sometimes to a fault. I like people to be honest and fair with me. I have always loved and done right by my family. I worked hard to do the best job that I could and I didn't take advantage of anyone in my practice." I truly enjoyed my time spent with Murray. Both he and his wife Francis graciously welcomed us into their home, and made us feel like familiar friends. It was wonderful to hear him share stories from his life and I thank him for his openness and honesty. His insights about the trials and tribulations of life were applicable to a person of any age. Many times over the last few weeks, I have found myself thinking about something that he said. Murray is truly full of life and has a lot of spirit!

The Effects of School Uniform

The Effects of School Uniforms Jeanell Greene Eng121: English composition Instructor Katie Surber April 8, 2012 There are issues that probe our schools on a daily basis. Many are very important such as student behavior and performance, lack of funding, and highly qualified staff, and some are just minor such as use of technology and extra-curricular activities. There are many that are debatable and require extensive dialogue and research. However, there are those educational issues that just need simple discussions to formulate manageable and workable solutions.One of the major and current issues is whether school age children should wear school uniforms or wear regular clothing. There are many parents and school officials who want our children to wear uniforms and there are also many parents who don’t want our children to wear them. Many people feel that the uniform issue plays a vital role in the educational development of children. They feel school uniforms have a major imp act on the educational process of how children learn. It really does not matter whether the children wear uniforms or regular clothes.Children will not learn any differently with or without the school uniforms. The debates over school uniforms are very complicated and have many points of view coming from all directions including teachers, parents, and even students. In reality, school uniforms are becoming quite popular with society, but of course very unpopular with teens and younger children. However, that is to be expected. There are many pros to the use of school uniforms. A plus to school uniforms is that it makes students visible to school personnel, students, and members of the public.School officials will know, by the uniforms, who belong on campus and who do not. Moreover, when students are adorned in school uniforms it makes it easier to identify and recognize children in public in case of an emergency. Wearing school uniforms can give students a sense of belonging. Usuall y, students will feel a sense of acceptance because all of the students are wearing the same thing. Therefore, it reduces the chances of being taunted and/or being bullied. This also helps to build self-esteem and self-assurance. When children wear chool uniforms, parents do not have to worry about being able to purchase designer clothing or expensive brands. There are more advantages of wearing school uniforms. Many people consider that a child in uniform is likely to take school more serious and not play around as much. Many also think that wearing a uniform helps to maintain discipline in schools; it also decreases the amount of discipline problems. It is said that the lack of discipline comes from home because the parents refuse to take on the discipline aspect of parenting. Students fighting at school are another challenge for educators.Some of these fights have a lot to do with fashionable clothing. Students who wear the prescribed dress code will tend to fight less because th ere is no longer the pressure of wanting or desiring the fashionable clothing that everyone else is wearing. There is also the struggle that some schools have with gangs who are identified by certain clothing, colors, and paraphernalia. If school uniforms are worn, this will probably ease some of the tensions related to gang violence. Distractions are another argument in the school uniform issue.By wearing school uniforms, the staff in schools will know that the appropriate clothing is being worn to school daily instead of fads that are considered outrageous, too revealing or displaying the wrong and/or inappropriate messages. Some students have turned school into an everyday fashion show. Therefore, taking the real and main focus off of learning and putting more attention and emphasis on what is being worn to school. School uniforms look nicer and make students look very professional. The woes of finding appropriate dress for school can be alleviated by wearing school uniforms.This will afford them more time and resources to concentrate on their school work. It also gives the students a chance to express their individuality in another more constructive and productive way. Although school uniforms are a good idea to some people, there are others who oppose it. One of the most common reasons why people oppose school uniforms is that it supposedly suppresses individuality. Some educators say that academic progress encourages a student’s pursuit for individual thought which is much more important than what he/she wears. By forcing students to wear school uniforms this inhibits creativity and self-expression.Some people say that making students conform to the school uniform denies the students the opportunity express them through what they wear. When the students are able to create their wardrobe it makes them feel the part of individual more and not feel forced to be a part of a group. It is also felt that students are going to reject rules regardless, and what would the purpose of making them wear a school uniform serve. Henceforth, by forcing students to wear uniforms will only aggravate their individuality and make them rebel by altering their school uniform.The students’ defiance of the school uniform will cause the students to choose an inappropriate size, length, and/or add color to try to individualize the uniform. This creates another problem for the teachers and school administrators. It is also believed that cliques, gangs, and groups will still be formed by the altering of the school uniform. Many feel that there is still no proof that the way our children dress for school will increase or decrease their ability to learn or curb violence in the school setting.Even if the school system does not require students to wear school uniforms, there is still a dress code that must be followed and if it is followed correctly there is no need for school uniforms. Most people feel that the school board should not spend time wor rying about school uniforms or dress codes; they should focus on a better education for children and enforce mandates by local school district and state boards of education along with national disciplines. The problem is not what the children are wearing; it is what they are and are not learning in school and at home.It has been said that some of the best students are bad dressers. Therefore, proving that dressing doesn’t improve learning, only the individual improves learning. Buying school uniforms for most people is considered cheaper than purchasing the latest and hottest trendy items. However, there of others who say it is not because it depends on where and how many school uniforms are purchased. Also, school uniforms can get ruined as well as any other clothing; therefore, the school uniforms will still need replacing just like regular clothing.With that being said, many ask the question how is it really cheaper? They feel that children will keep the clothes that they want to wear in better condition than a school uniform because in reality they don’t want to wear the school uniform anyway. Therefore, this makes the cost of school uniforms higher than the cost of regular clothes. There are also those that consider the school uniform to be ugly, unflattering, plain and boring. They feel it takes away from the individual’s appearance and makes the students not have a good self-image of themselves. The education f children must always be at the forefront of any discussion of any mandates and laws passed which effect and affect the lives of students entrusted to the care of school districts. The stakeholders must examine every avenue and exhaust all resources to enhance the academic development of these students. The school uniform has been a hot topic of discussion among educators, parents, administrators, politicians, and students for years. There are advantages and disadvantages of wearing the prescribed school uniform dress code. Ma ny people feel differently about the school uniform issue and have voiced their opinion in a myriad of ways.The discussion must continue as the data continues to reveal the benefits of school uniforms. Some of the benefits have been witnessed in the school setting in which I am employed. I feel that school uniforms should be worn for the comfort of the individual who doesn’t have what others have, so that he/ she won’t feel left out or inadequate. I really think that wearing school uniforms has helped with the self-esteem of some children because many of them are more focused on their learning and spend less time worrying about being picked on or bullied about what they are wearing.

Online reservation of Eden spring resort Essay

RATIONALE OF THE STUDY The web has become an opportunity for the marketers to add value to products and services. The phenomenal growth and rising of the popularity of the internet and the World Wide Web has become a key to attract more consumers and businesses to engage the benefits of Electronic Commerce (E-commerce). This E-commerce is sited as any form of business transaction in which the parties interact electronically rather than by physical exchanges or direct physical contact (Aldin, Brehmer & Johansson, 2004). This has transformed the traditional commerce and enhanced sales and exchanges of merchandise and information. It is not just considered as single entity of technology but a combination of technologies where applications, processes, business strategies are necessary to do business electronically. The availability of goods and services with the click of a mouse is changing the global setting. It is critical for companies to know how do they attract customers to their website, engage them to turn into paying customers and also retain them in returning to your website. Online communications techniques used to achieve goals of brand awareness, familiarity and favorability and to influence purchase intent by encouraging users of digital media to visit a web site to engage with the brand or product and ultimately to purchase online or offline through traditional media channels such as by phone or in-store (Chaffey, 2009). In the Philippines, e-commerce is mostly being implemented by major retailers and multinational corporations for bank-to-bank exchange. A number of Business-to-consumer transactions have emerged through the years such as auctions, online shopping, and online banking (Lacson, Pasadilla, 2006). This just shows that Filipino businesses welcome this new opportunity in selling goods since 16% of the population is using Internet. This new marketing strategy will not only benefit those big companies but also the small businesses who cannot afford to advertise their products. Just by creating a website in a very affordable cost would make the business grow in terms of sales and enhance the company image as well. As summer is fast approaching, everyone wants to relax and spend quality time with their family and have fun at the same time. One of these relaxation sessions that will come in mind is outing, nature-tripping and swimming. Eden Spring Resort was planned to be for private use only. Family gatherings, special occasion and some invited family friends. But as the time passed, they developed it and made it a business, a Resort, and as this resort started, many people may it be local or foreign appreciated the beauty of the resort. The nature, the view, the fresh air, the peaceful and quite environment enticed them so much that they want to come back and bring significant people from them to enjoy the same experience that they had. When their business started, we found out that the personnel of the Eden Spring Resort they’ve been using a manual reservation every time they have customers. we notice that the customer’s of the resort are having a hard time on how to reserved the resort like birthday parties, weddings, family reunion and different kinds of occasions. So our proposal is about the web based reservation of Eden Spring Resort. Through this research, we may be able to help the resort in the enhancement of their business in order for them to have many costumers and also they will have an organized filing of the different transactions. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Through this research project, we may be able to help the resort in their business and also to provide a hassle-free reservation for their customers. The aspects that are related to this research are the organized filing of reservations made by the customers, the level of the administrators’ computer literacy, assisting the management of the resort to be able to attain a smooth and systematic operation and procedures, to provide a dependable and accessible reservation system that will ensure their clients a quality service, the availability of management staff with related training and knowledge in modern information technology that will periodically update and improve service provider capability to sustain a quality and dependable internet connection. This study seeks to answer the following: 1. What are the possible transactions of the Eden Spring Resort that can be improved using the online reservation? 2. What are the needed information requirements of Eden Spring Resort in terms of: 2.1. Checking-In and out of  guests to rooms; 2.2. Reservation of different kinds of occasion (Birthdays, Weddings, Anniversary etc.). 3. What are the acceptance level of the developed online reservation of Eden Spring Resort in terms of: 3.1. Perceive of usefulness and 3.2. Perceive of ease of use? SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY Nowadays, computer plays an important role in our life, most especially to the people that are having their business. There are the people who will benefit on our research study: Owner. They will have an organized file with a complete data that they will be needed in the reservations. Employees. Their work will be much easier and faster. Present Researchers. This study will help them develop and improve their knowledge that they have learned and skills that they experience. This will also served as one of their requirements in passing this level. Future Researchers. This will serve as their additional reference for their research. SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY This study focuses on the online reservation of the Eden Spring Resort. The researchers will interview the owner and the employees, and also we will give some questionnaires so that we can gather information’s that we will need. This study will be conducted in the Eden Spring Resort, located at Sitio Tab-ang, Barangay Pagatban, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental Philippines and this study is limited only for the year 2014–2015. The respondent of this study are the owner and the employees of the said resort. DEFINITION OF TERMS Electronic Commerce (E-commerce) – commonly known as E-commerce or eCommerce, is trading in products or services using computer networks, such as the Internet. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) – is an electronic communication  system that provides standards for exchanging data via any electronic means. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY The theoretical framework of this study will be anchored on the Rapid application development (RAD) of James Martin (1991). Rapid application development (RAD) is a response to processes developed in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method and other Waterfall models. One of the problems with these methodologies is that they were based on a traditional engineering model used to design and build things like bridges and buildings. Software is an inherently different kind of artifact. Software can radically change the entire process used to solve a problem. As a result knowledge gained from the development process itself can feed back to the requirements and design of the solution. The waterfall solution to this was to try and rigidly define the requirements and the plan to implement them and have a process that discouraged changes to either. The new RAD approaches on the other hand recognized that software development was a knowledge intensive process and sought to develop flexible processes that could take advantage of knowledge gained over the life of the project and use that knowledge to reinvent the solution. (Martin, 1991) As Shown in figure 1 there are four phases in RAD, they are: Requirements Planning Phase, user design phase, construction and cutover. Requirements planning phase combines elements of the system planning and systems analysis phases of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Users, managers, and IT staff members discuss and agree on business needs, project scope, constraints, and system requirements. It ends when the team agrees on the key issues and obtains management authorization to continue. During the User design phase, users interact with systems analysts and develop models and prototypes that represent all system processes, inputs, and outputs. User Design is a continuous interactive process that allows users to understand, modify, and eventually approve a working model of the system that meets their needs. The third phase is Construction phase which focuses on program and application development task. In RAD, however, users continue to participate and can still suggest changes or improvements as actual screens or reports are developed. Its tasks are programming and application development, coding, unit-integration and system testing. The last phase is cutover phase. This  phase resembles the final tasks in the SDLC implementation phase, including data conversion, testing, changeover to the new system, and user training. Compared with traditional methods, the entire process is compressed. As a result, the new system is built, delivered, and placed in operation much sooner. This approach will help us in developing our system that will help the Eden Spring Resort in their online reservations. FIGURE 1: Theoretical Framework of the Study CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY Instead of using manual system that can cause a huge compilation of data using file cabinet of which is time consuming for the personnel in searching and retrieving a certain file. The researchers therefore suggest the use of a system which will help the management in terms of their transactions. The conceptual framework of the Online Reservation of Eden Spring Resort is presented below. The first phase is the requirements planning phase, the first thing that the researchers will do is to differentiate the different transactions of the Eden Spring Resort. However, the researchers already observe the common problems occur in their current system before the actual study begins. Because of the problems identified, the researchers proposed a system that will help them. After the researchers identified the different problems and the different transactions, the researchers will identify the needed requirements on every transaction to be use in developing a system. The researchers will also interview the owner and the employees to know how their transactions are being conducted. The second phase is the user design phase, the information that the will be gathered in the requirements planning phase will be used in making the user design of the system. The information gathered will be the bases in determining the inputs and outputs of the system. Researchers will also include the flow of the information so that users will be guided upon using it. The third phase is the construction phase; the researchers will start creating the program for the system and documenting as well. The documentation will serve as a guide on how to use the system. System testing will be done also while in this phase. Users can suggest some changes or improvements while the system is being developed. The last phase or the forth phase is the cutover phase, researchers will let  the users test the program to observe some errors and eliminate them to make the system work successfully and to meet the needs of the user. Users can still suggest some changes or improvements while the system is being tested. After it will be tested and no more errors or bugs were found, the system will now ready for deployment. FIGURE 2: Conceptual Framework of the Study REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES The application of the Internet in the business world has become a major trend in practice and generated a hot stream of research in the recent literature. The Internet, as a collection of interconnected computer networks, provides free exchanging of information. Over 400 millions of computers or more than 400,000 networks worldwide today are communicating with each other (Napier, Judd, Rivers, and Wagner, 2001). As such, the Internet has been becoming a powerful channel for business marketing and communication (Palmer, 1999), and for new business opportunities – as it is often called as â€Å"e-business† or â€Å"e-commerce† today (Schneider & Perry, 2001). This new e-business or e-commerce virtual marketplace allows small companies competing with business giants by just having a better web presentation of their products/services. Under the same wave, online customers can enjoy a wider choice of products or services, more competitive prices, and being able to buy their favorite items/services from the sellers located thousands miles away. It provides communication between consumers and companies and through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), buyers and sellers can exchange standard business transactions such as invoices or purchase orders with remarkable ease. The role of website quality in attracting online bookings and empirically test their proposed model with potential lodging customers. Authors indicate that information completeness and ease of use are important determinants of website quality. (Jeong et al.2005) According to the study of airfare reservation system, airfare reservation systems over attributes like information quality, system use, system quality, services quality, and customer loyalty. Their results show that North American-based websites outperform Asian-based ones.(Law and Leung 2002) The online booking in the hospitality industry (including  Hotel/motel, airlines, travels packages, etc.) is increasing at a very rapid speed recently, especially at the lower rate end. (Deegan & Horan, 2003) The hotel industry is certainly full aware of this trend and fully willing to contribute its share in this effort. In fact, the industry has realized that during those early forays into cyberspace, the industry didn’t view e-booking strategically (many hotels simply considered online room bookings at the time as a way to pick up additional business by selling distressed inventory through those online travel agencies), and handed over too much control of inventory and pricing to those third party online travel agencies. Now the industry is in the unenviable position of trying to take back the reins after early shopping patterns have been established. While the pressure to sell their inventory rooms online will be continuing, the industry has developed its new online stra tegy striving to get a better grip on this emerging marketing channel. (Jiaqin Yang, Jan Flynn & Krista Anderson) Online hotel reservations are becoming a very popular method for booking hotel rooms. Travelers can book rooms from home by using online security to protect their privacy and financial information and by using several online travel agents to compare prices and facilities at different hotels. People can book directly on an individual hotel’s website. An increasing number of hotels are building their own websites to allow them to market their hotels directly to consumers. Non-franchise chain hotels require a â€Å"booking engine† application to be attached to their website to permit people to book rooms in real time. One advantage of booking with the hotel directly is the use of the hotel’s full cancellation policy as well as not needing a deposit in most situations. (John Burns) According to Stuart study entitled â€Å"International Reservations Systems – Their Strategic and Operational Implications for the UK Hotel Industry†, presented details of the method and results of an investigation of the role and influence of international re servations systems within the UK hotel industry. The research comprised three questionnaire surveys of the use of computer reservations systems and distribution services by UK hotels. These were analyzed and produced an indication of general use of systems and the contribution which these currently make to hotel groups and consortia. The work also included a study of developments in access methods and changes in buyer behavior as observed by representatives of computer reservation and  distribution system, travel agency, hotel representation and intermediary companies. (Stuart 1995) According to this study, the system allows the guests to do their booking online by them self. Some of task that the system can do are providing a query for arriving date and the length of staying, providing the number of On rooms, view all available rooms and provides user the ability to choose one or more of them, recording the number of on rooms, view all available rooms and provides the user the ability to choose one or more of them, recording kind of guests and how many going to be in the single room, providing the cost of booking, asking the users if they want additional service; such as, dinner or breakfast, storing the guests detail; like, name, address and telephone, asking the user for confirmation, final confirmation views with the detail of booking and the guests can review or cancel the booking. (Louw, Door Janne, 2006) 658 Apartelle Online Reservation System, short term base lodging is the main reason that a hotel has been established. In the Philippines, wherein many foreign people go and have a vacation, hotel is always their first destination to have relaxation after long hours of travel in an airplane. Because of the rapid increase of foreigners visiting the Philippines for a vacation, a common sight is the establishments ad sophisticated hotels for competitive advantage. The 658 Apartelle Online Reservation Management System is not only a database for guest list but also an online reservation system, where potential guest can have online reservation which will automatically be sent to the database of the 658 Apartelle. Based on the proponent’s observation and interview, they have found many problems such as time consuming logging of the guest list names to the log book, difficulties in making reservations and difficulties in retrieving information on their previous guests because of the papers that are scattered everywhere and misplacing of the guestless records. (Bituin Abi, August 2010) A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, where visitors are being attracted to take their holiday or vacation. It refers to places, towns or sometimes commercial establishments operated by a single company. On the other hand, a hotel is differentiated as an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Computer programmers are continuously developing a system  application to better serve resort or hotel guests because some hotels and resorts are becoming fully automated while others are still striving for the similar setting. The researchers introduce a â€Å"LAN-Based Reservation with Billing System for Hacienda Gracia Resort and Hotel† to improve its reservation and billing system. The advent of new technology gave rise to easy and hassle-free interaction between and among humans. This is why most hotel and resorts prefer to employ computerization in their business. (Lagman , September 2012) RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES This section includes research design, research environment, research respondents, and data gathering procedure, research instrument and statistical treatment of the study. Research Design The researchers used the descriptive method in which the employees and the owner are the respondents in the Eden Spring Resort.   This method will be used in acquiring the response of the questionnaire and interview as the main tools in gathering the desired information that is needed for the study and getting the responses of the respondents regarding the information for the development of the online reservation of Eden Spring Resort. Research Environment This study was conducted at the Eden Spring Resort that was located in the Sitio Tab-ang, Barangay Pagatban, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental Philippines. The owners of this establishment are Mr. Dominador Torillo Ortaliz also known as Dennis and Mrs. Elizabeth Nodado Ortaliz also known as Beth. Eden was a combination of the names of the owners, Elizabeth and Dennis. They started constructing the Eden Spring Resort in mid of February but they started their business on June 14, 2012. Research Respondent The owner and the employees will serve as our respondent of our study. They are the one who will be frequently using the system. Data Gathering Procedures After asking permission to the owner of the establishment, we will be giving the questionnaires to the owner and the employee, we will also conduct an interview to them about the different problems encountered by the resort. Research Instruments The tool used by the researchers to gather the information’s needed is the questionnaires. The questionnaires are used to gather some data to the management of the resort regarding the current reservation or different transactions made by the Eden Spring Resort. Statistical Treatment of the Study This research study will use weighted mean formula in determining the acceptance level of the developed computerized recording system. Where: WX = weighted mean f = frequency x = values n = total number of respondents ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY This study will have (2) parts. Part 1 contains the Thesis write up which consists of three (3) chapters. Chapter I presents the problem and scope of the study. This covers the Rationale of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Significance of the Study, Scope and Limitation of the Study, Definition of Terms, the Theoretical Framework of the Study and its Schematic Diagram, Conceptual Framework of the Study and its Schematic Diagram. It also discusses further on the Review of Related Literature and studies of the research problem. It explained the research methodology, which comprises the Research Design, Research Locale, Research Respondents, Research Instruments, Data Gathering Procedure, and Organization of the Study. Chapter II includes the Presentation and Analysis of the Data Gathered from the respondents. The Data were presented in tabular form which were analyze and used as basis were implications can be drawn. Chapter III was the summary of Findings, Conclusion, and Recommendation, after which the program design. Part 2 contains the System Design, Flow Chart, Data Dictionary, and System  Requirements.

Leverage and leveraged finance

Leveraged finance usually means funding a company with more debt than it is worth. Leveraged finance is used to gain specific, short term objectives like acquiring a company through buy outs or buy-ins, or parking funds in assets which generate fast and excessive returns over the cost of funding. The Sub – Prime crisis of recent times makes it important to keep the above definition in mind. Implicit in all finance deals is the ‘down-side ‘or risk that a lot of value (money in plain terms) would simply disappear if the wrong calculations are made. In finance a lot of calculated instinct is based around the capacity of an entity to service or repay its loans. This also raises the question of faith – on the organization’s capacity to perform and therefore repay its debts along with associated costs, chiefly interest related, and returns. Putting a lever to something means firmly positioning it to perform a task. In the language of finance, leveraging would mean to strengthen the power of a company’s funds to attract more returns by borrowing yet more funds – usually short term.   Leveraged financing is the issue of high yielding bonds or funds borrowed from banks to fund the takeover of companies or buy outs by existing members (buy in) or an outside stakeholder (takeover). The ratio of the company’s debts (borrowings) and the company’s return on equity (money borrowed and invested elsewhere) decides the risk rating of a borrowing entity. Simply put, the company has to earn enough to repay the cost of its borrowings and make an extremely high profit for its stakeholders. If the cash flow from the operation is negatively affected by the high cost of debt servicing or interest for borrowed funds – the position of the lender is riskier. Therefore the interest or the ‘risk cost’ will be higher. (Fletcher, 288-92) The principle is utilized in investing in stocks. The price of a stock is a reflection of its debt to equity ratio at its market or book value.   Financial leveraging calculates the varying effects of one or the other in arriving at a ratio. It allows higher return to the investor. The loss may be higher too, for the company has to pay servicing costs for borrowings even if its stock is completely eroded. There are levels of leverage financing – either secured bank loans or bonds or comparatively ‘less senior’ subordinated bonds or loans. A leverage financier has to calculate how the finance is to be raised. If he overestimates a company’s capacity pay back the loan, he might lend too much at very low margins. The outcome of this would be that the financier will be unable to sell these loans or bonds. Then again, if a company’s value is underestimated, then the transaction results in a huge loss. The objective of leveraged buy outs is to acquire assets without utilizing its own capital. The following case studies illustrate the impact at different periods in recent times. The Sub Prime Crisis Sub Prime borrowers are those whose debt rating is ‘high risk’ – their ability to pay back their loans is considered weak by banks or financial companies. As compared to ‘prime’ borrowers like companies who are financed with ease, a sub prime or non prime borrower’s credentials are considered poor. This is because they are likely not to repay due to insufficiency of funds. They are then financed at sub prime or higher rates of interest than normal. This makes it profitable for lending institutions. In the USA, the bulk of sub prime borrowers are people who seek to buy houses. The majority has no stable income or is in employment which does not earn enough. Only some months back, in the USA debt was freely available to those who asked – in fact, banks fought among themselves to offer loans to leveraged takeovers and hired the services of agents to ferret out possible borrowers. But now, the markets are talking of credit squeeze. Banks are scrambling to tone up their balance sheets. What led to this problem? It is good to remember that householders, commercial banks, brokers and companies all use leverage differently. Homeowners are said to be ‘anti cyclical’ in their leverage. When assets (in this case, property values) appreciate faster, leverage – a factor of debt to equity, decreases. When asset values shrink, leverage rises. This is because householders keep paying mortgages regardless of cycles of increase or decrease in property values or share prices. When a householder takes, say, $300,000 on a $400,000 house, he has equity of $100,000 or a leverage ratio of 3. Supposing the house price was to increases to $500,000, his equity doubles to $200,000 toning down the leverage ratio to 1:5 (Kar, 165-71) Banks and companies are neither strongly anti nor pro cyclical, choosing fixed leverage ratios whatever happens to the market. Investment banks and broking houses are extremely pro cyclical, ramping up their leverage as asset prices move upward. Brokers employ specialized risk based accounting which allows increased borrowing while prices are rising. Conversely, they have to borrow less as prices fall. While adjusting to risk is natural, these brokers acted against what would be prudent judgment. To explain this – an amateur might think that high priced portfolios run a higher risk. On the other hand, a ‘calm’ market would make him cautious in anticipation of a storm. The finance professionals turn this judgment on its head through an instrument which they have devised called ‘Value at Risk’ (VAR) which considers current market values, no matter how unpredictable the market is. For example, in the valuation of complex portfolios, brokers tended to assume only recent history. A short calm period is taken to project future ‘tranquility’ for more years. So, when a real market risk is present, the ratio of VAR to valuation of assets is low. Companies would consequently be compelled to leverage more when, in fact, they should not have. Till 2007, brokers kept increasing their portfolios of householder finance, apparently because there was apparently less risk. Just as the signal would have been to buy when prices were high, the now confusing indications, based on wrong models, led to prospects of selling when   the housing markets was turbulent. As result, brokers are left with assets of almost $300 billion of hung deals- householders had simply walked away. (King, 68-71) The Long Term Credit Management Crisis of 1998 Another example of the failure of valuation models and the intervention of leveraged funds this crisis had a major impact on global markets. Long Term Capital Management (LTCM), founded in 1994 by John Meriwether, decided to deal in US and other government bonds. The idea was that over time government bonds would be identical in value if released within short gaps of each other. The rate at which these bonds appreciated would be different as in the case of US government bonds which would rise in value faster. The profit would be taken from selling costlier bonds and buying cheaper bonds. The profits did come to such an extent that LTCM had to look around for areas to invest its capital .It went into risk arbitraging -this was outside their expertise. They had to resort to highly leveraged finance to sustain return on equity. Their equity was almost 5 billion dollars against borrowings of $125 million. The proceeds were also used in investing in equity derivatives. By end August 1997, the company had lost most of its capital due to some downtrends which its managers could not read earlier –specially the Great Asian Meltdown of 1997 – and still had to pay the huge borrowing costs. Leverage had doomed the company. The Dot Com Bubble Through the early 90’s and till the first years of 2000, information technology was surging forward on extremely encouraging forecasts about its future in the world. Entrepreneurs were able to float technology companies, financed by venture capital which was riding on the prospects of fantastic returns. No one realized that these companies had nothing up front to offer which could be valued in rational terms. Huge leverage was sought in order to follow this boom around the world. The bubble was pricked as fast as it had been blown up – and companies and capital vanished. (Lamb, 434-38) Works cited: Fletcher, Robert. Art of Financial Economics: Beliefs and Knowledge; Believing and Knowing. Christchurch: Howard & Price. 2006 Kar, Pranab. History of Modern American Finance. Kolkata: Dasgupta & Chatterjee 2005 King, Herbert. Fiscal Fitness Today Vol. IV Plymouth: HBT & Brooks Ltd. 2005 Lamb, Davis. Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization on the Strategic Strata. Wellington: National Book Tru

Primary and Secondary Data Essay

1. PRIMARY ANDSECONDARY DATA We explore the availability and use of data (primary and secondary) in the field of business research.Specifically, we examine an international sample of doctoral dissertations since 1998, categorizingresearch topics, data collection, and availability of data. Findings suggest that use of only primarydata pervades the discipline, despite strong methodological reasons to augment with secondary data. INTRODUCTION Data can be defined as the quantitative or qualitative values of a variable. Data is plural of datum which literally means to give or something given. Data is thought to be the lowest unit of information from which other measurements and analysis can be done. Data can be numbers, images, words, figures, facts or ideas. Data in itself cannot be understood and to get information from the data one must interpret it into meaningful information. There are various methods of interpreting data. Data sources are broadly classified into primary and secondary data.Knowing how the data was collected allows critics of a study to search for bias in how it wasconducted. A good study will welcome such scrutiny. Each type has its own weaknesses andstrengths. Primary Data is gathered by people who can focus directly on the purpose in mind.This helps ensure that questions are meaningful to the purpose but can introduce bias in thosesame questions. Secondary data doesnt have the privilege of this focus but is only susceptibleto bias introduced in the choice of what data to reuse. Stated another way, those who gatherPrimary Data get to write the questions. Those who gather secondary data get to pick thequestions. IMPORTANCE OF DATA AND DATA COLLECTION Data is one of the most important and vital aspect of any research studies. Researchers conducted in different fields of study can be different in methodology but every research is based on data which is analyzed and interpreted to get information. Data is the basic unit in statistical studies. Statistical information like census, population variables, health statistics, and road accidents records are all developed from data .Data is important in computer science. Numbers, images and figures in computer are all data . DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES There are two sources of data collection techniques. Primary and Secondary data collection techniques, Primary data collection uses surveys, experiments or direct observations .Secondary data collection may be conducted by collecting information from a diverse source of documents or electronically stored information, census and market studies are examples of a common sources of secondary data. This is also referred to as â€Å"data mining.† PRIMARY DATA Primary data means original data that has been collected specially for the purpose in mind. It means someone collected the data from the original source first hand. Data collected this way is called primary data .Primary data has not been published yet and is more reliable, authentic and objective .Primary data has not been changed or altered by human beings; therefore its validity is greater than secondary data.The people who gather primary data may be an authorized organization, investigator, enumerator or they may be just someone with a clipboard. These people are acting as a witness so primary data is only considered as reliable as the people who gathered it. IMPORTANCE OF PRIMARY DATA Importance of Primary data cannot be neglected. A research can be conducted withoutsecondary data but a research based on only secondary data is least reliable and may havebiases because secondary data has already been manipulated by human beings. In statisticalsurveys it is necessary to get information from primary sources and work on primary data: forexample, the statistical records of female population in a country cannot be based onnewspaper, magazine and other printed sources. One such sourceis old and secondly theycontain limited information as well as they can be misleading and biased. Validity Validity is one of the major concerns in a research. Validity is the quality of a research thatmakes it trustworthy and scientific. Validity is the use of scientific methods in research tomake it logical and acceptable.Using primary data in research can improves the validity of research. First-hand informationobtained from a sample that is representative of the target population will yield data that willbe valid for the entire target population.AuthenticityAuthenticity is the genuineness of the research. Authenticity can be at stake if the researcherinvests personal biases or uses misleading information inthe research. Primary research tools data can become more authentic if the methods chosen to analyze and interpret data arevalid and reasonably suitable for the data type.Primary sources are more authentic because the facts have not been overdone. Primary sourcecan be less authentic if the source hides information or alters facts due to some personalreasons. There are methods that c an be employed to ensure factual yielding of data from thesource. Reliability Reliability is the certainty that the research is enough true to be trusted on. For example, if aresearch study concludes that junk food consumption does not increase the risk of cancer andheart diseases. This conclusion should have to be drawn from a sample whose size, samplingtechnique and variability is not questionable.Reliability improves with using primary data. In the similar research mentioned above if theresearcher uses experimental method and questionnaires the results will be highly reliable.On the other hand, if he relies on the data available in books and on internet he will collectinformation that does not represent the real facts. SOURCES OF PRIMARY DATA Sources for primary data are limited and at times it becomes difficult to obtain data fromprimary source because of either scarcity of population or lack of cooperation. Regardless ofany difficulty one can face in collecting primary data; it is the most authentic and reliabledata source. Following are some of the sources of primary data. Experiments Experiments require an artificial or natural setting in which to perform logical study to collectdata. Experiments are more suitable for medicine, psychological studies, nutrition and forother scientific studies. In experiments the experimenter has to keep control over theinfluence of any extraneous variable on the results.SurveySurvey is most commonly used method in social sciences, management, marketing andpsychology to some extent. Surveys can be conducted in different methods. Questionnaire is the most commonly used method in survey. Questionnaires are a list ofquestions either an open-ended or close -ended for which the respondent give answers. Questionnaire can be conducted via telephone, mail, live in a public area, or in an institute,through electronic mail or through fax and other methods. Interview is a face-to-face conversation with the respondent. It is slow, expensive, and theytake people away from their regular jobs, but they allow in-depth questioning and follow-upquestions.The interviewer can not only record the statements the interviewee speaks but he can observethe body language or non-verbal communication such as face-pulling, fidgeting, shrugging,hand gestures, sarcastic expressions that add further meaning to spoken words and otherreactions to the questions too. A problem with interviews is that people might say what they think the interviewer wants tohear; they might avoid being honestly critical in case their jobs or reputation might suffer.And the respondent deliberately hides information otherwise it is an in depth source ofinformation. So this enables the interviewer to draw conclusions easily. Observations can be done while letting the observing person know that he is being observedor without letting him know. Observations can also be made in natural settings as well as inartificially created environment.Primary data can be relied on because you know where it came from and what was done to it.Its like cooking something yourself. You know what went into it. ADVANTAGES OF PRIMARY RESEARCH Targeted Issues are addressedThe organization asking for the research has the complete control on the process and theresearch is streamlines as far as its objectives and scope is concerned. Researching companycan be asked to concentrate their efforts to find data regarding specific market rather thanconcentration on mass market.Data interpretation is betterThe collected data can be examined and interpreted by the marketers depending on theirneeds rather than relying on the interpretation made by collectors of secondary data. Efficient Spending for Information Unlike secondary research where the marketer may spend for information that is not needed,primary data collections’ focus on issues specific to the researcher improves the chances thatresearch funds will be spent efficiently. Decency of Data Usually secondary data is not so recent and it may not be specific to the place or situationmarketer is targeting. The researcher can use the irrelevant seeming information for knowingtrends or may be able to find some relation with the current scenario. Thus primary databecomes a more accurate tool since we can use data which is useful for us. Proprietary Issues Information collected by using primary research is their own and is generally not shared withothers. Thus, information can be kept hidden from competitors and potentially offer anâ€Å"information advantage† to the company that undertook the primary research. This gives anedge over competitors replying on secondary data. Addresses Specific Research Issues Carrying out their own research allows the marketing organization to address issues specificto their own situation. Primary research is designed to collect the information the marketerwants to know (Step 2) and report it in ways that benefit the marketer. For example, whileinformation reported with secondary research may not fit the marketer’s needs (e.g., differentage groupings) no such problem exists with primary research since the marketer controls theresearch design.Greater ControlNot only does primary research enable the marketer to focus on specific issues, it also enablesthe marketer to have a higher level of control over how the information is collected. In thisway the marketer can decide on such issues as size of project (e.g., how many responses),location of research (e.g., geographic area) and time frame for completing the project. DISADVANTAGES OF PRIMARY RESEARCH High Cost Compared to secondary research, primary data may be very expensive since there is a greatdeal of marketer involvement and the expense in preparing and carrying out research can behigh and has to design everything. Time Consuming To be done correctly primary data collection requires the development and execution of aresearch plan. Going from the start-point of deciding to undertake a research project to theend-point to having results is often much longer than the time it takes to acquire secondarydata, which can be collected in much lesser time duration.Inaccurate Feed-backs In case the research involves taking feedbacks from the targeted audience, there are highchances that feedback given is not correct. Feedbacks by their basic nature are usually biasedor given just for the sake of it. More number of resources is required Leaving aside cost and time, other resources like human resources and materials too are needed in larger quantity to do surveys and data collection. SECONDARY DATA Secondary data is the data that has been already collected by and readily available from othersources. When we use Statistical Method with Primary Data from another purpose for ourpurpose we refer to it as Secondary Data. It means that one purposes Primary Data is anotherpurposes Secondary Data. So that secondary data is data that is being reused. Such data arecheaper and more quickly obtainable than the primary data.These secondary data may be obtained from many sources, including literature, industrysurveys, compilations from computerized databases and information systems, andcomputerized or mathematical models of environmental processes. IMPORTANCE OF SECONDARY DATA Secondary data can be less valid but its importance is still there. Sometimes it is difficult toobtain primary data; in these cases getting information from secondary sources is easier andpossible. Sometimes primary data does not exist in such situation one has to confine theresearch on secondary data.Sometimes primary data is present but the respondents are not willing to reveal it in such casetoo secondary data can suffice: for example, if the research is on the psychology oftranssexuals first it is difficult to find out transsexuals and second they may not be willing togive information you want for your research, so you can collect data from books or otherpublished sources. SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA Secondary data is often readily available. After the expense of electronic media and internetthe availability of secondary data has become much easier.Published Printed SourcesThere are varieties of published printed sources. Their credibility depends on many factors.For example, on the writer, publishing company and time and date when published. Newsources are preferred and old sources should be avoided as new technology and researchesbring new facts into light. Books Books are available today on any topic that you want to research. The uses of books startbefore even you have selected the topic. After selection of topics books provide insight onhow much work has already been done on the same topic and you can prepare your literaturereview. Books are secondary source but most authentic one in secondary sources. Journals/periodicals Journals and periodicals are becoming more important as far as data collection is concerned.The reason is that journals provide up-to-date information which at times books cannot andsecondly, journals can give information on the very specific topic on which you areresearching rather talking about more general topics. Magazines/Newspapers Magazines are also effective but not very reliable. Newspaper on the other hand is morereliable and in some cases the information can only be obtained from newspapers as in thecase of some political studies. Published Electronic Sources As internet is becoming more advance, fast and reachable to the masses; it has been seen thatmuch information that is not available in printed form is available on internet. In the past thecredibility of internet was questionable but today it is not. The reason is that in the pastjournals and books were seldom published on internet but today almost every journal andbook is available online. Some are free and for others you have to pay the price. E-journals: e-journals are more commonly available than printed journals.Latest journals are difficult to retrieve without subscription but if your university has an e-library you can view any journal, print it and those that are not available you can make anorder for them.General Websites; Generally websites do not contain very reliable information so theircontent should be checked for the reliability before quoting from them.Weblogs: Weblogs are also becoming common. They are actually diaries written by differentpeople. These diaries are as reliable to use as personal written diaries. Unpublished Personal Records Some unpublished data may also be useful in some cases. Diaries: Diaries are personal records and are rarely available but if you are conducting adescriptive research then they might be very useful. The Anne Franks diary is the mostfamous example of this. That diary contained the most accurate records of Nazi wars. Letters: Letters like diaries are also a rich source but should be checked for their reliabilitybefore using them. Government Records Government records are very important for marketing, management, humanities and socialscience research. Census Data/population statistics Health records Educational institutes records Public Sector Records NGOs survey data Other private companies records ADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY DATA Ease of AccessThere are many advantages to using secondary research. This includes the relative ease ofaccess to many sources of secondary data. In the past secondary data accumulation requiredmarketers to visit libraries, or wait for reports to be shipped by mail. Now with theavailability of online access, secondary research is more openly accessed. This offersconvenience and generally standardized usage methods for all sources of secondary research.Low Cost to AcquireThe use of secondary data has allowed researchers access to valuable information for little orno cost to acquire. Therefore, this information is much less expensive than if the researchershad to carry out the research themselves. Clarification of Research Question The use of secondary research may help the researcher to clarify the research question.Secondary research is often used prior to primary research to help clarify the research focus. May Answer Research Question The use of secondary data collection is often used to help align the focus of large scaleprimary research. When focusing on secondary research, the researcher may realize that theexact information they were looking to uncover is already available through secondarysources. This would effectively eliminate the need and expense to carry out their ownprimary research. May Show Difficulties in Conducting Primary Research In many cases, the originators of secondary research include details of how the informationwas collected. This may include information detailing the procedures used in data collectionand difficulties encountered in conducting the primary research. Therefore, the detaileddifficulties may persuade the researcher to decide that the potential information obtained isnot worth the potential difficulties in conducting the research. DISADVANTAGES OF SECONDARY DATA Quality of Research There are some disadvantages to using secondary research. The originators of the primaryresearch are largely self-governed and controlled by the marketer. Therefore, the secondaryresearch used must be scrutinized closely since the origins of the information may bequestionable. Moreover, the researcher needs to take sufficient steps to critically evaluate thevalidity and reliability of the information provided.Not Specific to Researcher’s NeedsIn many cases, secondary data is not presented in a form that exactly meets the researcher’sneeds. Therefore, the researcher needs to rely on secondary data that is presented andclassified in a way that is similar to their needs.Incomplete InformationIn many cases, researchers find information that appears valuable and promising. Theresearcher may not get the full version of the research to gain the full value of the study. This is because many research suppliers offer free portions of their research and then chargeexpensive fees f or their full reports. Not Timely When using secondary research, one must exercise caution when using dated informationfrom the past. With companies competing in fast changing industries, an out-of-date researchreports many have little or no relevance to the current market situation. EVALUATION OF SECONDARY DATA Because of the above mentioned disadvantages of secondary data, we will lead to evaluation of secondary data. Evaluation means the following four requirements must be satisfied:- 1. Availability- It has to be seen that the kind of data you want is available or not. If it is not available then you have to go for primary data. 2. Relevance- It should be meeting the requirements of the problem. For this we have two criterion:- a. Units of measurement should be the same. b. Concepts used must be same and currency of data should not be outdated. 3. Accuracy- In order to find how accurate the data is, the following points must be considered: – a. Specification and methodology used; b. Margin of error should be examined; c. The dependability of the source must be seen. 4. Sufficiency- Adequate data should be available.Robert W Joselyn has classified the above discussion into eight steps. These eight steps aresub classified into three categories. He has given a detailed procedure for evaluatingsecondary data. 1. Applicability of research objective. 2. Cost of acquisition. 3. Accuracy of data. CONCLUSION Primary research entails the use of immediate data in determining the survival of the market.The popular ways to collect primary data consist of surveys, interviews and focus groups,which shows that direct relationship between potential customers and the companies.Whereas secondary research is a means to reprocess and reuse collected information as anindication for betterments of the service or product.Both primary and secondary data are useful for businesses but both may differ from eachother in various aspects. In secondary data, information relates to a past period. Hence, it lacksaptness and therefore, it has unsatisfactory value. Primary data is more accommodating as itshows latest information.Secondary data is obtained from some other organization than the one instantaneouslyinterested with current research project. Secondary data was collected and analyzed by theorganization to convene the requirements of various research objectives. Primary data isaccumulated by the researcher particularly to meet up the research objective of the subsistingproject.Secondary data though old may be the only possible source of the desired data on thesubjects, which cannot have primary data at all. For example, survey reports or secret recordsalready collected by a business group can offer information that cannot be obtained fromoriginal sources.Firm in which secondary data are accumulated and delivered may not accommodate the exactneeds and particular requirements of the current research study. Many a time, alteration ormodifications to the exact needs of the investigator may not be sufficient. To that amountusefulness of secondary data will be lost. Primary data is completely tailor-made and there isno problem of adjustments.Secondary data is available effortlessly, rapidly and inexpensively. Primary data takes a lot oftime and the unit cost of such data is relatively high.Often secondary data have been pre-processed to give totals or averages and the original details are lost so you cant verify it byreplicating the methods used by the original data collectors.In short, primary data are expensive and difficult to acquire, but they are trustworthy.Secondary data are cheap and easy to collect, but must be treated with caution. REFERENCES 1. http://www.ianswer4u.com/2012/02/primary-research-advantages- and.html#ixzz2B6ioqOwT 2. http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/impact/methods/datacoll.htm 3. Bryman, A. and E. Bell: 2003, Business Research Methods (Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York). 4. Dillman, Don A. Mail and Telephone Surveys: The Total Design Method. New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1978. 5. Galpin, T. The Use of Mail Questionnaires as a Method of Data Collection. (Sept, 1987) 14 of 15