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◆ Subjective and objective: If the researcher notes only one’s
own experiences, then the observation is subjective rather if
he observes everything it is objective.

◆ Casual and scientific: If the observations are made as and
when the researcher notices events casually, it is not scientific
as proper observation checklists are adopted in scientific
method.

◆ Factual and inferential: The observations may just provide
description of factual information or it may lead to inferences
in an advanced way.

◆ Direct and indirect: where the researcher directly observes
by being present in the scene, it is direct observation. It is an
indirect observation, if the researcher makes use of another
person to record the observation.

◆ Participant and non-participant: Sometimes the researcher
says in case of tribal community studies, stays along with
the residents and observes their culture, habits etc.. This is
a participant observation. If a researcher visits a company to
study its working capital management he/she is just seeking
the information needed and makes observations relating to
the scope. Here the researcher is a non-participant.

◆ Structured and unstructured: When the observation process
is well structured it is known as structured like with a check
list and when the observations are not done in a pre-planned
manner, it is unstructured.

◆ Controlled and non-controlled: In controlled observations,
the observations are done according to a well-defined plan
in a particular environment. For example, if ten customers
are selected and asked to shop in a supermarket to study
the consumer behaviour and observations are made with
the help of recording on a hidden camera, it is a controlled
observation. On the other hand if the researcher visits a
market place and observes the behaviour, then it is a non-
controlled observation.
Advantages

◆ It is an effective method when data cannot be gained through
a questionnaire.

◆ It can bring out the actions and habits of an individual or a
group.

◆ Observation eliminates subjective bias, if it is performed
accurately.

120 SGOU - SLM -MCom Research Methodology