A note on secondary research methods and their evaluation: for Housing Studies and MBA students

A note on secondary research methods and their evaluation: for Housing Studies and MBA students (information from perplexity.ai)

My question 1: "Suggest 4 examples of secondary research methods (e.g. Internet research and desk research) in Housing Studies and MBA programmes."

The reply: "Secondary research methods in Housing Studies and MBA programs rely on existing data sources like reports, journals, and databases, offering cost-effective ways to build foundational knowledge without primary data collection. These methods are widely used for literature reviews, trend analysis, and policy evaluation. Four practical examples tailored to these fields include:

Literature Reviews

Literature reviews synthesize findings from academic journals and books on housing policies or business strategies. In Housing Studies, researchers analyze past studies on affordable housing trends; MBA students review case studies on market expansions.

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Government Reports Analysis

Examining official publications provides macroeconomic insights. Housing Studies applications include reviewing census data on tenure patterns; MBA programs use economic reports for industry forecasting.

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Market and Industry Reports

These compile sector-specific data from consultancies. In Housing Studies, reports on real estate valuations inform urban planning; MBA theses draw on financial market analyses for investment strategies.

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Bibliometric Analysis

This quantitative method maps publication trends using databases. Housing Studies scholars track research evolution in sustainability; MBA researchers quantify literature on corporate governance shifts."

My question 2: "In the context of describing a secondary research method in terms of its data gathering task and data analysis task, please further discuss the four secondary research methods mentioned above."

The reply: "

Literature Reviews

Data gathering entails systematic searches across academic databases like Google Scholar or JSTOR for peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses on topics such as housing affordability or market strategies. Analysis involves screening for relevance, extracting key findings, themes, and gaps, then synthesizing them into a narrative or thematic framework to identify trends.

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Government Reports Analysis

Gathering focuses on accessing official sources like census data, housing ministry publications, or economic bulletins from agencies such as Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department. Analysis includes categorizing quantitative data (e.g., tenure rates) via descriptive statistics or trend charting, alongside qualitative interpretation of policy implications for forecasting.

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Market and Industry Reports

Data collection draws from consultancy outputs like Knight Frank real estate reports or Deloitte business analyses, often via online repositories or subscriptions. Processing requires compiling metrics such as property valuations or financial forecasts, followed by comparative analysis using ratios or SWOT frameworks to evaluate sector viability.

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Bibliometric Analysis

This begins with querying databases like Scopus for publication metadata on housing sustainability or corporate governance. Analysis employs tools like VOSviewer for mapping co-citations, keyword networks, and publication trends, quantifying research evolution through metrics like h-index or growth rates."

My question 3: "Could you provide an illustrative example of a secondary research method (covering its data gathering task and data analysis task) with regard to the Housing Studies research theme of "the causes and severity of domestic violence in public estates in Hong Kong over the past 5 years"?"

The reply: "Government Reports Analysis serves as an illustrative secondary research method for examining the causes and severity of domestic violence in Hong Kong public estates over the past 5 years (2020-2025). This approach leverages official data without primary collection, aligning with Housing Studies by linking housing conditions to social issues.

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Data Gathering Task

Researchers access publicly available government reports from the Hong Kong Social Welfare Department (SWD), Census and Statistics Department, and Legislative Council papers via their websites or the GovHK data portal. Specific sources include annual SWD statistics on family violence cases (e.g., "Statistics on Child Abuse, Spouse/Cohabitant Battering and Sexual Violence Cases"), police crime reports filtered for domestic violence in public rental housing districts like Fanling or North District, and Housing Authority tenancy management reviews covering eviction data related to disturbances.

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Data Analysis Task

Quantitative analysis involves compiling case numbers, severity indicators (e.g., injuries, hospitalizations from Hospital Authority data), and estate-specific breakdowns using Excel pivot tables to calculate incidence rates per 1,000 households and year-over-year trends. Qualitative synthesis identifies causes like overcrowding or financial stress by cross-referencing with explanatory notes in reports, applying thematic coding to reveal patterns such as spikes during economic downturns."

My question 4: "Please comment on the research method design quality of the secondary research method (your example just mentioned). Examples of the quality criteria are internal and external validity, dependability, etc.)."

The reply: "The Government Reports Analysis method, as designed for investigating domestic violence causes and severity in Hong Kong public estates, demonstrates solid quality in several key criteria for secondary research, though it has limitations in scope and triangulation.

Internal Validity

This design scores high by relying on official, standardized sources like SWD statistics and police reports, minimizing researcher bias through direct data extraction and objective metrics such as case counts per estate. Excel pivot tables ensure consistent trend calculations, reducing measurement errors, but potential underreporting in official data (e.g., unreported incidents) could introduce selection bias.

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External Validity

Generalizability is moderate; findings apply well to public estates in districts like Fanling due to location-specific breakdowns, but limited to reported cases over 2020-2025, excluding private housing or unreported violence, which restricts broader Hong Kong applicability.

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Dependability

The method excels in reliability through transparent steps—publicly accessible portals, reproducible queries, and audit trails via pivot tables—allowing replication by other researchers. Timeliness is strong for the 5-year window, assuming annual reports remain online.

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Confirmability and Transferability

Objectivity is supported by thematic coding of explanatory notes tied to data, with thick descriptions of economic contexts enhancing transferability to similar high-density housing settings. However, lacking cross-verification with non-government sources (e.g., NGOs) slightly weakens confirmability."

My question 5: "Could you provide an illustrative example of a secondary research method (covering its data gathering task and data analysis task) with regard to the MBA research theme of "the Hong Kong tourism sector's effort of the city branding and its economic and non-economic impacts over the past 5 years"?"

The reply: "Market and Industry Reports Analysis illustrates a secondary research method for evaluating Hong Kong tourism sector's city branding efforts and their economic/non-economic impacts from 2020-2025. This approach suits MBA research by linking branding strategies to measurable outcomes like visitor spending and brand perception.

Data Gathering Task

Researchers collect reports from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), such as Blueprint 2.0 (2024), annual work plans (e.g., 2025-26), and tourism overviews, alongside industry analyses from sources like LegCo papers and Census data portals. Focus on 2020-2025 sections covering initiatives like mega events (e.g., dragon boat races, Kai Tak Sports Park openings), thematic promotions (e.g., panda tourism, "Hong Kong Great Outdoors"), and visitor statistics from GovHK or HKTB sites.

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Data Analysis Task

Compile economic impacts via metrics like visitor arrivals, spending growth, and GDP contributions using Excel for trend lines and ratios (e.g., branding spend vs. overnight stays). Assess non-economic impacts through thematic coding of reports for perception shifts (e.g., "East-meets-West" positioning), SWOT analysis of strategies like diversified source markets, and correlation with events for qualitative insights on sustainability and cultural appeal."

My question 6: "Again, briefly comment on the research methods design quality (e.g. in terms of validity and dependability, etc.) of the secondary research method example you have just mentioned."

The reply: "The Market and Industry Reports Analysis method for assessing Hong Kong tourism branding impacts over 2020-2025 exhibits strong design quality in key criteria, balancing efficiency with rigor for MBA research, though it shares secondary research limitations.

Internal Validity

High due to standardized metrics from authoritative sources like HKTB reports, with objective extraction via trend lines minimizing bias; however, causal inferences between branding and impacts risk confounding from external factors like post-COVID recovery.

External Validity

Moderate generalizability to similar Asian city branding efforts, supported by comprehensive 5-year data, but limited to official perspectives, potentially overlooking grassroots or competitor views for broader global transferability.

Dependability

Excellent reproducibility through public portals and documented Excel processes, with audit trails in thematic coding ensuring consistency across researchers.

Confirmability

Strong objectivity from data-driven SWOT and correlations, enhanced by thick descriptions of initiatives like mega events, though triangulation with academic sources would further bolster neutrality."

My question 7: "Please suggest 2 YouTube videos on the topic of secondary research methods, and then highlight the main ideas of these 2 YouTubes videos."

The reply: "Two recommended YouTube videos provide clear introductions to secondary research methods, suitable for Housing Studies and MBA students seeking practical overviews.

Video 1: "Using Primary and Secondary Research | Episode 33"

This Alanis Business Academy video (

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ8K_qCxUlw

) explains secondary research as accessing pre-existing information like printed sources, online databases, and surveys already conducted by others. Main ideas include starting with secondary methods for efficiency since data is readily available, contrasting it with primary research like focus groups, and emphasizing tools such as SurveyMonkey for quick insights without new data collection.

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Video 2: "Getting started with secondary analysis"

From the UK Data Service (

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F_ybxy3eFs

), this workshop covers key considerations for reusing data, including pros like cost savings and cons such as context mismatches. Highlights feature discussions on quantitative and qualitative secondary analysis, ethical issues, sampling challenges, and practical steps like exploring data documentation to ensure suitability for new research questions."

A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.