Data Management Analysis

Introduction 

The concept of data management encompasses all the disciplines that relate to the management of data as an essential resource in research. Data management comprises of such elements as data collection, a data management plan, and data handling, which play an essential role in completing a research project. A data management plan provides the roadmap that documents the data flow through the sequential stages of data collection, storage, screening, sorting, analysis, and archiving. A proper implementation of data management techniques is an essential aspect of establishing a proper data management plan that enables a proper analysis of the data in a given research study. The application of statistical techniques in data management enables a researcher to have a precise definition of the nature of data management and analysis process to be undertaken in a given research study. The use of qualitative and quantitative data helps in predetermining the nature of findings in a given research study based on the nature of hypothesis presented in a given research study. The analysis of numerical data is an essential aspect of the data management plan as it helps in the provision of proper statistical information that allows making a proper representation of the data in the given research ( Vardell, 2017, p.320 ). 

This survey seeks to establish how such factors as the price of housing, the size of the house, and the materials used in construction influence people’s choice of housing. The findings from the given research will focus on outlining the relationship between individual’s perceptions and the nature and choice of housing that selected by individuals in a given setting ( Arora, A., Gittelman, M., Kaplan, S., Lynch, J., Mitchell, W. and Siggelkow, 2016, p. 5 ). Other objectives of the given survey include describing how prices of a house and the size influence the choices and decisions made by individuals relating to the nature of houses selected. The survey seeks to make a compassion on the key factors that concern the housing structure and the individual’s choice on the nature of housing citing the level of influence of each factor in the overall contribution towards affecting the attitudes and perceptions of individuals. Conducting such a survey is interesting since it gives insight into the factors that make people prefer certain types of housing over others. Further, the survey could inform construction firms on the most preferred types of housing so that they can give them priority over others. The information from the survey plays a vital role in influencing the construction companies towards engaging in the manufacture of materials that seek to meet the needs of the individuals regarding their tastes and preference on the nature of housing structure. This report seeks to answer the question; 

How does the housing structure and price influence the choice of housing? 

Hypothesis 

The report will further focus on testing the following hypotheses; 

The price of housing influences the choice of housing. Price is an essential factor in making decisions that pertain to consumer spending ( Tan et al, 2009, p.550 ). Given that the majority of consumers are price sensitive, the majority of people tend to prefer low-priced houses. On the other hand, some consumers consider price as a reflection of quality, and, therefore, they opt for higher priced houses. Hence, in both cases, the price of housing is essential in influencing the choice of housing. It is, therefore, necessary to consider the characteristics of consumers in a given environment to ensure that they obtain the relevant type of housing based on their interest and affordability. Other factors that influence the prices set on the houses involve the physical environment, the social status and economic status of a region. These factors help in defining the nature of pricing strategy to be implemented in a given region to ensure that the individuals within the region obtain the desired level of customer satisfaction. 

The size of the house regarding the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and the square feet that a house covers influences the choice of housing. The majority of people, when selecting a house, they consider the size of their families as well as preferences regarding space, bedrooms, and the number of bathrooms. Hence, the size of the house influences the choice of housing to a significant extent. Some factors influence the choice of a large or small house thus leading to the decision on the nature of housing structure selected and preferred by an individual over the other. The first significant factor concerns the number of individuals that are required to use a given house. The second factor concerns personal traits that involve an individual’s need for space. Some people require large spaces in their houses while others do not care about the size of a house given the fact that the house serves the purpose of providing shelter and accommodation. Other factors the influence the selection of house based on the size involves the level of income where individuals with low income do not afford to large houses despite the number of persons in the given houses ( Van den Berg, A. and Struwig, 2017, p.115 ). 

The type of material used in constructing a house influences the choice of housing. Different people have different housing tastes and preferences. Although the size and price of housing have the most impact when making housing decisions, the type of material used in construction is also crucial in selecting a house since while some people may be comfortable with houses made of any material, others may only be comfortable with brick houses. The material used in constructing the house influences the nature of the choices made towards the purchases or renting decisions of the given houses. The economic and social status of individuals in the society are among the key factors that lead individuals towards selecting houses based on the nature of materials used in the construction of the given structures. Some individuals are scrupulous on the nature of materials used in constructing the houses to understand a level of durability presented by the given houses. However, other consumers in the society do not take note of the nature of materials and are only concerned with the aspect of the provision of shelter. 

Data and Research Methods 

The survey was conducted on a sample of 128 homes that were randomly selected. The survey included houses that are built of brick as well as other materials. Data was collected on such variables as the price of housing, the area covered by each house, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms that each house has, the material used to construct each house, and the number of offers for each housing type category. Different types of data were collected to facilitate the survey analysis, including categorical data, discrete numerical and discrete continuous data. Categorical data represent the types of data that can be categorized into groups, such as age groups, race, educational levels, and sex among others. The categorical data included in the survey comprised of families. On the other hand, discrete data comprises of data that only takes a particular value, which may be numeric or categorical such as good or bad, male or female, or pink and red. Further, continuous numerical data is unrestricted to defined distinct values, although it may occupy any value over a continuous range. The discrete data included in the survey include the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and the number of offers. 

On the other hand, continuous numerical data included in the survey included the square feet occupied by each house. Incorporating the given data methods in the given survey provided an avenue for the researcher to undertake a comprehensive study of the given issue and understand various factors that are related to the given issues in the society ( Divan, A., Ludwig, L.O., Matthews, K., Motley, P.M. and Tomljenovic-Berube, 2017, p.20 ). The implementation of data collection such as interviews and the use of questionnaires played an essential role in the obtaining of different types of data that includes categorical data, discrete numerical and discrete continuous data. The given data types provided the researcher with a platform to obtain the statistical figures relating to the issue and nature of the factors that influence the housing decisions among consumers in a given environment. The development of proper data and research methods is an essential element to consider while undertaking a given research proposal to ensure that the findings obtained from the research present utmost reliability considering the nature of research question and hypothesis being addressed by the given study ( Corti, L. and Van den Eynden, 2015, p.550 ). 

The main limitations encountered during the survey include increased a depth of analysis and the scope of the study, which emanated from the integration of additional data collection methods to allow for sufficient collection of data for analysis. Additionally, the depth and scope of discussions were significantly comprised in some levels when compared to the work produced by experienced scholars due to the lack of sufficient experience in producing academic papers and conducting research. Although limitations in a given research may create a hindrance on the reliability of findings in a given research, it is necessary to undertake a proper and comprehensive analysis on the research methods implemented to capitalize on enhancing the reliability and appropriateness of the research study ( Chen, X. and Wu, 2017, p. 350 ). The researcher uses the challenges and limitations as a stepping stone to tackle more issues and topics relating to the topic provided in the given study. In this case, the researcher undertook an in-depth research on different ways to overcome the challenges and issues associated with the given research in a bid to improve on the research tools and techniques undertaken to complete the study ( Ketter, W., Peters, M., Collins, J. and Gupta, 2015, p.1070 ). 

Findings 

The findings in a given research study play an important role in examining the level of success of the study and focus on ensuring the researcher implemented relevant and appropriate research techniques in the given study. The findings help in presenting the relationships between various variables undertaken in the given research study thus providing an avenue for explaining the nature of a relationship that exists between the key factors in the research study (Burchinal, M.R. and Neebe, 2006, p.7). The findings, in this case, answered the fundamental questions that were presented in the hypothesis and the research topic by indicating the actual relationship that exists between the nature of housing structure and the nature of decisions made based on the given structures. The findings presented the actual information relating to the individual's perceptions regarding the choice of the housing structure about the factors concerning the structure of the houses (Hogrebe, M.C. and Dwinell, 1984, p.412). From the collected data, the majority of families prefer non-brick houses. Further, the preference for housing based on size is majorly influenced by the family size. Majority of individuals shows interest in houses with two or three bathrooms based on the size of the given houses. On the other hand, most families demonstrate a preference for cheaper houses over expensive houses. The majority of large families prefer bigger and cheaper houses, which possess more bedrooms and bathrooms as well as houses that occupy more square feet.

Row Labels	Count of Home	Sum of Nbhd	Sum of Offers	Sum of SqFt	Sum of Bedrooms	Sum of Bathrooms
No	86	158	231	171070	258	205
Yes	42	93	99	85050	129	108
Grand Total	128	251	330	256120	387	313

Conclusion and Recommendations 

The price of housing, the size of a house, and the type of construction material are the key factors that influence people towards choosing a particular type of housing. When constructing houses for the public, therefore, contractors should take into consideration the size of the families that are most likely to occupy the houses to ensure that the houses are spacious enough and comprise of enough rooms to effectively accommodate the families. On the other hand, since most families demonstrate preference for non-brick houses, the contractors should focus more on the construction of the houses to ensure that the available houses meet the families’ tastes and preferences. Moreover, construction firms should invest in the construction of good quality low-priced houses since the majority of families are highly price sensitive and they demonstrate greater preference for cheaper houses.

References

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