The word quantitative means "of, relating to, or expressible in terms of quantity," according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. "Quantitative observation" is defined by the University of South Alabama as "standardized observation." Simply put, quantitative observations are those in which the focus is the numbers.
Examples of Quantitative Observations
An example of a quantitative observation is "John spends $300 dollars a month in petty cash." Another is: "This is the fourth time in two weeks John has worked overtime." Both of these observations consist of hard numerical data, and are quantitative.
Qualitative Observations
Quantitative observations should not be confused with qualitative observations, or those pertaining to quality. The observation "John works hard, but seems distracted," is not quantitative; it refers to the quality of John's performance, so it is qualitative.
Use in Business
Situations in which emotionless, rational decision making is necessary, call for someone who can make purely quantitative observations. In employee evaluation for example, the numbers don't lie. Sticking to the facts can save your business time and, ultimately, money.
References
About the Author
David White begin writing professionally in in 2004. His work appears in the State University of New York, Oswego campus newspaper, "The Oswegonian," and The Wilbur Weekly, an internet based weekly entertainment leaflet. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in cinema studies from SUNY, Oswego.
Photo Credits
Numbers image by paul hampton from Fotolia.com