ROLE OF COMPUTERS IN RESEARCH

While computers are designed to help, a good understanding is required to be able to benefit from them. Knowledge of computers and the relevant programs is extremely important and ultimately saves time. A good background in statistics is necessary in order to know what program to run, which options to choose in that program and how to construct valid conclusions based on the program's output. Following are some points which prove that computers are indispensable tools for business research:

1. Computers primarily help to save labour in manual data analysis and in calculation of descriptive and inferential analysis. They provide us with tools that increase our speed, handle complicated statistical and mathematical procedures, type the report and display the analysed data and present them graphically.

2. Statistical programs contain a wide variety of data editing capabilities and procedures, any of which can be applied to the user's data by a few standard commands. These programs and softwares have all the statistical operations and tests. Some of the more commonly used packages are:

i. Statistical Packages for Social Services(SPSS),

ii. Systat, Epistat, Unistat,

iii. E-Views and

iv. Stata, etc.

3. Since computations done by hand often result in mistakes or crude answers, especially when the number of observations is large, calculations done by computers greatly improve the accuracy of our results.

4. With the availability of computers, analysis of large data sets is technically as easy as that of small ones, which is desirable since large samples usually provide more information than small samples.

5. Websites are potential sources of data in their own right. Employing both printed and website materials has the potential to bring out interesting contrasts and can also provide the basis for cross-validating sources.

6. The increasing prominence of the internet as a device for communication, marketing and distribution has meant that many companies today have their own attractive and entertaining websites and social media presence that appeal to potential customers and create strong brand identity. Consequently, market researchers are interested in examining the determinants of consumer attitudes towards corporate websites and in exploring patterns of usage and visits.

7. Research methods also entail the use of the web as a platform for collecting data from the individuals. These offer certain advantages:

i. Usually more economical in terms of time and money.

ii. Can reach a large number of people easily.

iii. Distance is no problem.

iv. Data can be collected and collated very quickly.

Some disadvantages are:

i. Lack of access to internet.

ii. Invitations to take part in research may be viewed as a nuisance e-mail.

iii. Loss of personal touch.

iv. Concerns among participants about confidentiality of replies and widespread anxiety about fraud and hackers.