An analysis is a deep study of a subject, object or situation in order to know its foundations, its bases and reasons for its emergence, creation or original causes. A structural analysis includes the external area of the problem, in which the parameters and conditions that will be subject to a more specific study are established, the variables that should be the object of intense study are denoted and delimited, and the exhaustive examination of the issue of the thesis.
What is an analysis
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It is the meticulous study of a subject in order to know its qualities and thus draw conclusions from it. Its etymology comes from the ancient Greek term ἀνάλυσις, where ἀνά (“ana”) means “from bottom to top”, “entirely”, and the suffix λυσις (“lysis”) that means “dissolution”, is composed of the verb λύɛιν (“ lyeín ”or release) and the suffix –σιϛ (“ sis ”or action), so together it means“ to release or completely dissolve things down to their elementary parts to examine individually their components, causes and formants ”.
Based on this, what an analysis is can be interpreted, clarifying that this is the breakdown of a particular topic, where each part of that whole will be inspected and studied objectively and thoroughly for its understanding. This process allows for definitions, characteristics and important features of the subject to be studied, but in addition to the content contemplation, it is followed by conclusions from said study. In general, the analysis is divided into sections, which are applied according to the field in which the ideas are developed.
Here's a tour of the most common types of scans:
Analysis types
Structural analysis
Inherent to the physical sciences, structural analysis is performed by determining each component of a structure and how these elements are related to each other, as well as their characteristics. In this process, the product is disassembled or disassembled, a count is made of the elements it contains, identifying the functions that each one fulfills and establishing the connection between them in order to function as a whole. It is used for sciences such as engineering or architecture.
In this type of study equations for the resistance of materials are used and applied to determine what elements infer the deformation of the structure of the object or building. It is complemented by dynamic analysis, which studies the dynamics of the structure and the possible oscillations or movements that may cause damage to it.
Various methods are used depending on the complexity of the structure of the object analyzed, according to its resistance and rigidity, the model of the materials and their behavior, the equilibrium at each node or point of the structure and whether they support pressure or load, taking also take into account the external factors and the foundation where the structure is.
A structural mathematical model must be applied that represents the behavior of the system, getting as close as possible to reality.
Formal analysis
In architecture, formal analysis refers to the observation of the physical form of an object, in which a drawing is made with its views and perspectives, and its proportions with its measurements.
On the other hand, in literature, it refers to the identification of the structure of the text, the arrangement of the paragraphs that make up its outline, or its textual properties.
There is also the formal analysis of concepts, which is a mathematical theory that is used to analyze data related to concepts of human thought. Its objective is to define a method based on mathematics that corresponds to the conceptual thinking of man. It has been applied in areas such as knowledge management, software development or biology.
Conceptual analysis
The conceptual analysis is the one that is applied to study the meanings, the relationships between the terms, words and concepts, to make connections about the message that you want to convey in a text.
For this, mental maps, antecedents, or aspects in different areas can be analyzed. Its objective is the acquisition, formalization and refinement of knowledge, a task carried out by knowledge engineers, who refine and modify the information contained in a database.
In the research methodology, this method is carried out for the decomposition of a concept into other sub-concepts, which will help the researcher to determine which conceptual pieces he needs for the construction of his research work. It is a non-empirical method that works with definitions, examples, descriptions, lists, formulas, analogies among other resources, giving context to the definition in the area in which it is being mentioned.
Experimental analysis
In psychology, the experimental analysis of behavior refers to the study of the behavior of the individual subjects, its complexity, their interaction with the environment, and this behavior may be public or in their privacy, and whether this behavior was learned or their own. In this type of evaluation, behavior is the only object of study in psychology, since it can be observed directly, taking into account the importance of the consequences of behavior and its modification.
This type of study is also part of one of the three disciplines that behavioral analysis contains, focusing on the investigation of basic behavioral processes. It is characterized by considering that human behavior is not arbitrary, but a product of natural laws of a scientific nature, with behavior being the dependent variable and causes, the independent ones, so that, through these laws, behavior could be predicted and modified.
According to this type of analysis, there are three types of relationships in which the environment influences behavior according to evolutionary levels:
- Phylogenetic (possibilities of the species).
- Cultural (concepts built in the group to which it belongs).
- Ontogenetics (self-development of the subject).
Quantitative analysis
Within the financial area, quantitative analysis refers to the application of mathematical procedures to perform economic analysis and develop trading strategies (technical and fundamental analysis and the application of a strategy), the optimization of investment portfolios, risk management and analysis. credit.
Thanks to it, you can evaluate an investment and predict the behavior of economic variables and how it will affect it, making it a useful and necessary method for making financial decisions. The tools used in this study come from the areas of statistics and physics.
The experts who practice this type of study are called "quants", who are competent in the area of mathematics, algebra, differential and integral calculus, probability, and linear differential equations. They are present in banks, insurance companies, hedge funds and management consultancies.
On the other hand, in chemistry, this type of evaluation seeks to determine the concentration of a chemical substance present in a sample to define its properties. Different methods can be applied, such as the quantification of mass, its volume, its radioactive interaction, among others.
Qualitative analysis
It is one that focuses on the study of the characteristics or qualities of something, emphasizing quality instead of quantity. It is used to give a name or define appreciative qualities such as the way of being, or its properties. This type of analysis is used in job interviews, where the recruiter evaluates the skills and qualities of the candidate for the position, in order to observe their abilities at the time of performing the tasks inherent to the position for which they have chosen.
Within an organization, this evaluation is carried out when there is a risk of losses, so it allows obtaining data that is useful for the search for strategies that can change the course of the company.
In chemistry, qualitative analysis refers to the identification of chemical elements or groups in a sample and the methods used for the recognition of these compounds, causing an observable reaction in their properties.
Morphological analysis
Morphological analysis refers to determining the form, category or grammatical class of each word that makes up a sentence, to place them in their respective grammatical categories. Its function is to examine the structure and composition of each word. Some linguists advocate the application of such analysis to examine syntax, while others state that it must be done separately from syntactic schemas.
It is also the technique of decomposing a concept to its most basic structures, based on which a matrix can be built that will allow combining and relating the elements of that whole, generating ideas.
Syntactic analysis
This type of analysis is usually confused with the morphological one, since while the latter refers to the grammatical categorization of each word in a sentence, it refers to determining the function of each word or group of them in a sentence.
It seeks to examine the agreement of words grouped in simple and compound sentences and phrases (group of words that constitute a syntactic unit, whose nucleus can be an adjective, noun or other grammatical element). Thanks to the correct application of syntactic analysis, a text can be interpreted and understood correctly. It is widely used in documents on technology, politics and law.
Result analysis
The result analysis is carried out to ensure that the theoretical approach that was presented is supported by the empirical data presented. It is achieved through two processes:
- The analysis, which is the conclusion or response to the objectives set in an investigation, based on data collected for this purpose.
- The interpretation of the results, which is the search for meaning to the result of the analysis, giving it sociological meaning and thus making some contribution to the problem posed.
In order to offer an analysis of the correct result and approximate to reality, a good field study must be carried out, which is carried out in a planned manner in its different stages. If the way of executing the analysis is quantitative, the results are expressed numerically, and if it is qualitative, the concepts should be organized, reviewing what the interlocutors expressed. It must be accompanied by conclusions and recommendations.
Analysis applications in different fields
Clinical analysis
A clinical analysis is what is commonly known as a clinical laboratory test, in which, by means of the extraction of blood or some other sample, medical studies are carried out that yield a conclusive result on some value of the patient's organism to which it is he stole the sample.
The results shown by the clinical analyzes can be quantitative, by some value expressed in numbers; or qualitative, in which the presence of some substance or value is positive or negative. They are very useful, since thanks to them, diseases that do not present symptoms can be detected in time.
The best known type of clinical analysis is the blood test, from which the pregnancy test, glycemia, hematology, HIV, among others, is derived. The results of a laboratory test should not be handled in isolation, since it will usually require a study and interpretation by a doctor to dictate a proper and accurate diagnosis.
Financial analysis
Financial analysis is the study of the accounting information of a company to determine its financial situation and make future projections to guarantee the solvency, stability and production of the organization, and make the most correct decisions in favor of it. This, as such, must provide information on three main aspects: liquidity, profitability and solvency; After obtaining a series of objective data, decision-making is favorable.
This analysis is useful for economic agents with interests in the company, internally it is of interest to its administrators; and externally, for investors.
In order to carry out these reports, there must be two tools: the financial statements, which numerically reflect the financial situation of an institution, and the economic indicators, which establish a relationship between the statements and other accounting-type reports of the company, thus leaving a perspective of current behavior objectively.
SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is a tool that allows to know the positive and negative aspects of an organization, project or individual, and the external elements that could positively or negatively influence it.
Its acronyms correspond to Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats, with strengths and weaknesses being internal aspects, while opportunities and threats correspond to external agents, or that they cannot control. It is also known as SWOT analysis.
Risk analysis
Also known as risk assessment, risk analysis is one where the causes, the potential threats of some risk and the possible consequences that these may generate are determined. For this, an appropriate risk management must be carried out in a company, to determine the most successful preventive measures and prevent such disasters from being triggered.
All the methods applied in this management, start from the identification of the organization's information resources (information or data, hardware, documents, human resources), and based on this, the identification of possible vulnerabilities or threats is carried out, which they are events that could affect the information. These events could be natural disasters, computer viruses, mistakes made by staff, among others.
Analysis of data
It is the close inspection of data where useful content is highlighted in order to suggest results that support decision making. In this process, the data is subjected to undefined operations, since during the collection of the information, difficulties may arise. Data analysis has application in organizations, as well as in the scientific or social field.
When conducting a survey, researchers must go through different stages, ranging from data processing to analysis, which can be quantitative or qualitative. In the qualitative, the information collected by the researchers is structured and managed to fix links, translate, extract meanings and conclusions, so that certain aspects can be found within the research that will merit starting new review cycles. The quantitative is analyzed based on numbers and variables that can be measured to establish statistics, so its results are more accurate.
Market analysis
It is a study that is carried out on the elements that make up a market, whose main factors to take into account are the need, desire and purchasing power. This study is used to structure commercial strategies, which must be adapted to the reality and current situation of the market, based on the aforementioned factors.
Likewise, and as the main element, the market analysis must define the target or target audience, and can provide information about customers, suppliers, industries and the competition, in order to use this information for making the right decisions when preparing a campaign or some other marketing strategy.
Content analysis
It is a method of the social sciences and bibliometrics (mathematical and statistical methods of scientific writing), in which the contents of a text are studied for a specific purpose. The objective of content analysis is to know the meaning of said texts, as well as the methods for their production.
The types of content analysis are:
- Content exploration, which paves a field of possibilities for a hypothesis.
- Verification of content, which verifies the veracity, realism and foundations of the hypothesis.
- Qualitative content analysis, which evaluates the topics and words in the content.
- Quantitative content analysis, which quantifies the data between the frequencies and comparisons with each other.
- Direct content analysis, which is more literal than has already been established as the standard of study.
- Indirect content analysis, when the elements are analyzed by way of interpretation.
Job analysis
It is a method used in the human resources area, through which the responsibilities and duties implicit in a specific position are defined, as well as the determination of the type of person who should occupy it in terms of capacities and experiences.
The job analysis procedure must be carried out during the formation of an organization, when new jobs are created, when the positions already established must be adapted to new technologies and the changes that this implies in the responsibilities and functions of the person who exercises it., when the salary table will be modified, when there is ambiguity regarding the assignments, among other situations that warrant it.
Competition analysis
It refers to the analysis of the resources, advantages, strategies, capacities, weaknesses, among others, of a company against its competition, understanding this term as that agent or company that offers similar or equal products or services.
The competition analysis will allow the company that carries out this study, strengthen its weaknesses, improve the quality of its product, be aware of the next strategies that its competitors could carry out and take advantage of the weaknesses that they have.
Literary analysis
Literary analysis is a method through which the historical context of the author of a text is analyzed, the resources used by him for the execution of said work, the language used, the target audience, the message and its intentionality.
As for how to do a literary analysis, the author's biography should be briefly reviewed, to what genre and movement the text belongs, the type of narrator, their characters and roles, the plot and topics addressed, the structure (if it is by chapters or parts), the time and description of environments, their arguments and personal assessment of the text.
What is SWOT analysis
It is a planning tool used to determine what are the factors for and against an organization, a project or an individual. These factors can be internal and external. Its acronyms obey the words Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats.
This will allow the creation of solid strategies for the future of what has been analyzed, since it is a simple and effective tool to face any problem or to reinforce what is being executed in the best way.
This type of analysis is performed with a SWOT analysis template, which consists of four quadrants:
Before carrying out the matrix, an objective must be defined, and based on it, carry out the analysis focused on it; solutions or plans will emerge from there, which must be executed.
