Exploring Research Designs and The Relationship to the Research Essay

Exploring Research Designs and The Relationship to the Research Question - Essay Example 3. Provide an example of the hypothesis for the study. 4. Write a 750-word paper including the research question and design, and explain why the research design is appropriate for the research question. 5. Identify the research design as correlational, quasi-experimental, or experimental, and defend your choice using a critical approach including cited references. 6. Provide an example of how you could change the research question to use a different research design. Topic: Exploring Research Designs and The Relationship to the Research Question Exploring relationship between research design and the research question By The present study aims to explore the linkage between the research design and the research question. While â€Å"research is the discovery of answers to questions through the application of scientific and systematic procedures†; the research question asks what the tentative relationship among variables might be, or it asks about the state of nature of some pheno menon (Keyton, 2006). On the other hand, a research design can be viewed as somewhat like a master plan. It stipulates the methods and procedures that are to be adopted for collecting and analysing the necessary information for the research (Zikmund & Babin, 2007). A different perspective of research design was presented by Zikumnd & Babin (2007) – that the research design is somewhat like a master plan, which specifies the methods and procedures to be adopted for collecting and analysing the required information. The research problem Considering these definitions, the present work proceeds to develop a research question for a quantitative study on the relationship between one dependent variable ‘wage’ and three independent variables - (1) educational attainment, (2) skill (professional qualification) and (3) ability (experience). A variable is an element that is specifically identified in the research hypotheses or questions, necessitating to be expressed as mor e than one value or in various categories (Keyton, 2006). It is common wisdom that education benefits the individual, the nation and the society as well in many ways. While, the individual is benefitted in the form of increase wages and consequently a better lifestyle; the nation is benefitted in terms of increased taxes. The society too is benefitted as researchers have observed that college graduates have shown to have lower smoking rates, more positive perception towards personal health, and healthier lifestyles than the less educated (Baum & Ma, 2007). Overall the society is benefitted in the form of more responsible citizens, which is believed to be due to educational achievement. Whereas, these benefits generally delineate the qualitative characteristics of the issue, there is a need to know how educational attainment, professional qualification and experience influence the wages earned by an individual. The research question The study is significant and desirable and therefor e, it is worthwhile to undertake a research on the subject. Accordingly, the purpose of the study was to explore the correlation between

Chomsky, propaganda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chomsky, propaganda - Essay Example However, he observes that language development is achievable up to a certain age. Indeed, since the children are born with the ability to grasp new languages, this theory is applicable in the study of computer science. Computer science involves the use of a unique technological language. Children cum students have the ability to grasp this language at the early ages when they still posses’ ability to language development. The computer language in reference to different soft ware, hard ware, data, applications, networks, and commands is not easily under stable at later ages but is so convenient in early student life. As such, it is the in-born ability to learn new languages and the development of the universal grammar, which will aid in comprehending the computer language. In addition, the language theories are also applicable in campaign against teen drug use. Indeed, the teens possess the ability to learn and contain new things. The campaign against teen drug use is a new lan guage that children can easily learn and adapt in. Since the campaign is mostly against common beliefs, the teens will be in opposition to learn the language of abstinence from drug use at the early ages than while they mature when their language development potential is exhausted. It has always been easy to cushion children against drug use than

Positive Effects of Using Correct Writing Strategies Research Paper

Positive Effects of Using Correct Writing Strategies - Research Paper Example Mistakes are part of learning and should thus be taken positively. The student can assess their mistakes and those of their peers and learn from the experience. However, the learning process occurs when correcting mistakes. The correction process should involve giving positive feedback, which enlightens the learner on the areas that require improvement. There are different types of mistakes that learners of a second language can make. Some errors are serious to an extent that they hamper communication. This happens when the learner is incapable of constructing comprehendible sentences. The main errors that make communication through writing impossible are mainly grammatical errors, which can be corrected. There are varying strategies that can be used by teachers to correct learners. In my leaning inkshedding and peer review turned out to be very helpful and enabled me to learn how to write correctly. Inkshedding could help students learn a language since it enables them to realize the best strategies to use in writing to communicate their idea to others effectively. In most cases, learners are unaware of their mistakes and require someone else to help them identify and correct their mistakes. On the one hand, inkshedding helps the ESL to communicate with the teacher, and the teacher is able to give valuable comments that enable the students to identify their weaknesses and improve their writing skills. Additionally, inkshedding enables the teacher to motivate the learners without making them feel anxious. After identifying their mistakes, the students are able to correct them even on their own. According to W. Susan, (2001)"Teacher can get an immediate glimpse into what each student thinking, this is more useful than the limited amount of feedback one receive from few students who are just routinely talking." Indeed, whenever I get my inkshed back, I see many valuable comments ma de by the instructor.  Ã‚  

Chomsky, propaganda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chomsky, propaganda - Essay Example However, he observes that language development is achievable up to a certain age. Indeed, since the children are born with the ability to grasp new languages, this theory is applicable in the study of computer science. Computer science involves the use of a unique technological language. Children cum students have the ability to grasp this language at the early ages when they still posses’ ability to language development. The computer language in reference to different soft ware, hard ware, data, applications, networks, and commands is not easily under stable at later ages but is so convenient in early student life. As such, it is the in-born ability to learn new languages and the development of the universal grammar, which will aid in comprehending the computer language. In addition, the language theories are also applicable in campaign against teen drug use. Indeed, the teens possess the ability to learn and contain new things. The campaign against teen drug use is a new lan guage that children can easily learn and adapt in. Since the campaign is mostly against common beliefs, the teens will be in opposition to learn the language of abstinence from drug use at the early ages than while they mature when their language development potential is exhausted. It has always been easy to cushion children against drug use than

Cuba and China Essay Example for Free

Cuba and China Essay Democracy, or the power of people, is rather old form of rule. While the word â€Å"democracy† originated in the Ancient Greece in 5th century BC, this form of rule had existed even before this, found in ancient India republics before 6th century BC. However, it was the city-state of Athens in the Ancient Greece that presented this word in the sense which resembles, in some features, the modern vision of democracy. In Athens, people had the right to vote, to take the most important decisions, influencing the political situation of their state. Of course, not all the population could vote – women and children could not vote as well as disabled people. In fact, only one forth or one sixth of the citizens of Athens could vote and participate in a political life of their state. However, it was the first form of democracy and it had many aspects in common with today’s notion of democracy. For example, all the citizens of Athens, poor or rich, powerful or powerless, had the right to vote, they were equal in this right. The democracy, in the form in which it existed in Athens and in the Ancient Greece, was not preserved until our time. Moreover, great changes took place in Europe in 18-19th centuries, in the form of revolutions. The right to vote and to participate in the political life of a state directly is not the main factor characterizing democracy in the modern world. Democracy in the modern sense includes such basic postulates as the basic freedoms: of speech, of expression, of the press, of association et cetera. The democracy in the western world is much more associated with the notion of free market and free trade. However, these preconditions are not exactly true for some countries, for example for China, where free market and free trade can coexist with the lack of democracy, where there are no basic freedoms (for example, the freedom of association – the assembly of Falun Gong in China was violently dispersed by police and banished for practicing in China). Cuba which has made some steps toward the free market economy, opening some part of its economy for the US dollars, does allow the internationally recognized organization of the Red Cross to its prisons, where political prisoners are kept in big numbers. The rule of Communist Party as the only party in the country is observed both in Cuba and in China. And this excludes another characteristic feature of democracy – pluralism, the possibility of many political parties to take part in the political life of the state. Before we proceed to explain the lack of democracy in Cuba and China, it is necessary to understand what democracy means and why China and Cuba should become democratic. In the twentieth century, democracy has gained such popularity that most world rulers describe their rule as democratic. However, most countries were not democratic, and some even became totalitarian. Generally speaking, the term â€Å"democracy† is misused in two ways. First, democracy is expanded into a laundry list that contains almost all kinds of good things. Second, democracy is modified by adding an adjective to the term. Since Western bourgeois democracy is the prototype of modern democracy, modifications are made along two lines. Either rulers characterize their systems not as bourgeois democracies, but as â€Å"people’s democracies,† â€Å"proletarian democracies,† or â€Å"socialist democracies,† or they emphasize local characteristics of their system, such as â€Å"Burmese type of democracy† or â€Å"African type of democracy. † What is democracy? Etymologically, the term means rule by the people. Democracy originated in Athens more than 2,500 years ago, when Cleisthenes allowed all citizens of Attica to preside over the affairs of the city. Athenian democracy took the form of direct democracy. Citizens, which excluded women, slaves, and resident aliens, participated directly in making laws. Moreover, regardless of their properties and talents, rulers were selected not by ballot but by lot. Not surprisingly, virtually all famous Greek scholars were no fans of democracy, regarding tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy as corrupt forms of government. Democracy includes two forms: popular sovereignty and individual liberty. This paper defines democracy in terms of political freedom, which involves both positive and negative aspects. Positive freedom refers to a situation in which people have the ability to participate in government; negative freedom means a situation in which people are free from arbitrary interference from government. Modern democracy adheres to the dual principles of popular sovereignty and individual liberty, but has its own distinctive features. Ideal as the principle of popular sovereignty may be, it is technically impossible to let the people in a nation-state decide everything. As a result, modern democracies are representative, not participatory (or direct). The principle of popular sovereignty in modern times hinges on two major mechanisms: the separation of powers and the competitive election. While the ruled choose their rulers during an election, rulers are mutually checked and balanced before and after the election. In determining the nature of a particular political system, the competitive election is more important than the separation of powers. A division of labor is employed in any government, particularly a modern one. Despite the importance of liberalism for modern democracy, popular sovereignty precedes individual liberty. Popular sovereignty talks about the purpose of government; individual liberty comprises the notion of government. The term that means â€Å"people† has undergone great changes in terms of class, education, gender, race, and age. Besides, individual liberty is historically and culturally specific. In the twentieth century, democracy and totalitarianism are regarded as two ends of the political spectrum. To put it in terms of ideal types, a government respecting both popular sovereignty and individual liberty is democratic; a government violating them is totalitarian. Falling somewhere in between, most systems are neither democratic nor totalitarian in the strictest sense of the terms. Some may respect popular sovereignty but violate individual liberty; others may violate popular sovereignty but respect individual liberty. Today’s Islamic Republic of Iran and eighteenth-century Britain are cited as respective examples of these two types. Throughout human history, not many regimes have ever been totalitarian and most have been authoritarian. Compared with totalitarian regimes, authoritarian regimes are less willing and less able to damage people’s rights and interests. The United States of America when compared to China or Cuba, presents the example of â€Å"democratic† democracy towards which China or Cuba should strive. Because now, when we took a closer look at the notion of democracy in the modern world, we are going to analyze the kind of democratic situation and democratic changes that took place in two of the most controversial countries in the world: China and Cuba. To reach conclusions as to the qualitative aspects of Cuban politics in the post-transition era, we will examine aspects of political culture as they relate to the formation and practices of civil society in democracy. From this angle one can interpret some key dimensions of politics in particular settings. Transition to democracy (and its consolidation) depends on a multiplicity of factors, including elite decisions, institutional arrangements, pacts between competing social actors, a constitution and organizations typical of liberal democracies, a favorable moment in world history, supportive international structures, and a measure of good luck. Political and economic factors also impinge on the likelihood of democratic transitions and survival. But political and economic factors determine neither transition to democracy nor democratic stability. The impact of the economy on democracy is not automatic, unidirectional, or necessarily predictable. According to Mattiace and Camp (1996), democracy is the product of multiple causes working together. In contexts where the system confronts unresolved foundational issues and consensus is elusive – on such matters as how the political community is defined, who has authority, what the rules of the game are – political questions become an affair of the heart, lending themselves less to compromise and pragmatism. As a result, democracy tends to be endangered, particularly in places where institutional democratic norms are weak and personalism is high. This is likely to occur in Cuba after Fidel Castro (as it has before and during the socialist years). Though democracy will be established in Cuba sometime in the future, Cuban democracy will not conform to normative models of liberal democracy. Democracy in the way it is in Cuba will be characterized by features of incivility in civil society. The democracy that is most likely to emerge on the island will be far from perfect, will share striking continuities with the past, and will dash the hopes of many who dream of democracy. The cynicism about democracy also has a long genealogy in Cuban intellectual history. As far back as the nineteenth century cultural pessimists on the island have remarked on the frustration that has followed modern projects of independence, nationalism, republicanism, and democracy. Democratic aspirations have a long history on the island, as long as the trajectory of their frustration. The notion is not as alien to Cuban soil as many believe (Dealy, 1996)

Japanization and Japanese Working Practices

Japanization and Japanese Working Practices Introduction Japan, a land of incredible diversity; modern yet steeped in custom; home of the friendliest of welcomes. Japanese celebrate the time of year with hanami (cherry blossom viewing) parties under the blossom trees. Japanization is the process in which Japanese culture dominates, assimilates or influences other cultures. It’s also called nippanization. Japanese style management and HRM has been selectively adapted and applied around the world. Japan has a homogenous culture and foreign immigrants are very small percentage of its population. Japanization is not accepted completely around the globe. Here we are going to examine why the spread of Japanese management is constrained by local culture and working practices with the help of a case study material. Japanization Japanese are collectivistic, where as Britain and United States people are individualistic. In-group in Britain includes only a nuclear family i.e., spouse, children and sometimes spouse’s widowed or infirm parent. In India it is a joint family includes grand parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, other relatives and close friends. But in Japan we can find an additional member in the in-group: the company for which a person works. In Hofstede’s study Japan scored 46 on individualism. On the other hand USA and UK scored 91 and 89 respectively. Japanese are very hard working. Also they have strong sense of duty and indebtedness. (Tayeb, 2005) The trade unions in Japan are company based. The companies like Toyota, Nissan and Hitachi has their own unions. In UK it is craft based. I.e. fire fighters, mine workers and teachers and so on has their unions. Indebtedness: In 2003, canon prepared to buy Mizuho shares, but later it fell into financial troubles i.e. to pay a debt to Fuji bank. Fuji bank made canon out of trouble when it fell into problems 30 years ago. Ringi method: It is a special characteristic of Japanese enterprises in decision making. In this process the written proposal will be circulated first to those who are going to be affected and then to the senior management. It is very time consuming process. So it is used for only important decision making. (Misumi, 1984). Quality circles: It is a small group activity in which blue collar and white collar workers from different departments of a company assembled voluntarily. These volunteers are trained in problem identification and problem solving techniques. It is perfectly tuned with the Japanese collectivism. Life-time employment (Nenko): Japanese HRM practices are sustained by their certain management practices such as life time employment. This obviously creates stable work environment and no fear of Unemployment. It means that employees are hired after their education and remain with the same company till their retirement. Nenko is operated by large firms. Japanese Management Kaizen philosophy: Kaizen is defined as continuous improvement that involves each and every employee from executives to labourers with managers in between them. Kaizen is a driving force and a vital tool to Japanese success. This philosophy has been implemented round the globe followed by the Japanese successful lead. It is used as a method to increase production values and improve employee morale and safety. Kaizen is taken from words ‘kai’, which means continuous and ‘zen’, which means improvement. Kaizen concept is the primary difference between how change is viewed by Japanese and in the west. Western companies reject kaizen just because of without knowing about it. American companies run by years without any change. On the other hand Japanese companies are in a state of continuous change and improvement. After World War 2, most of the Japanese companies brought new challenges everyday and moulded those challenges into progress. Displaying goals, recognition and suggestions helps to improve communication and boost morale. This is an endless process. If we do not maintain the standards it results in the â€Å"two steps forward and one step backward† effect. Only for this reason maintenance and improvement go collectively by Japanese managers. By improving standardised activities and processes, kaizen aims to eliminate waste. â€Å"People are behind our success. Machines don’t have new ideas, solve problems and grasp opportunities. Only people who are involved and thinking can make a difference. Almost every auto plant in UK and USA has the same machinery but how people are utilized and involver varies widely from one company to another. The work force gives any company its true competitive edge†. (Toyota motors-general manager) Generally Japanese managers have an easier time implementing employee suggestions than managers in the USA. Japanese managers show their willingness to  go along continuous change which contributes to following change. Making the job easier. Making the job more productive. Removing drudgery from the job. Improving product quality. Removing nuisance from the job. Saving time and cost. Making the job safer. Japanese manufacturing techniques: Japanese style of manufacturing has three interlinked parts involved in it. Flexibility Quality Minimum waste In the 1980’s, imported cars accounts for 27% of us sales. Same changes had occurred in other industries in UK and USA also. The manufacturers like motorcycles, camera, television and video equipment have disappeared by the higher quality Japanese products. Poke-a-yolk: It is purely a Japanese term which means mistake or fool proofing. Poke-a-yolk is the basis of zero quality control method used for eliminating and avoiding mistakes. Basically this technique is used in manufacturing units, hospitals, aircraft maintenance and human resources. Lean production: Lean production system is one which produces cars more cheaply with higher quality than its rivals. In 1998, ford and GM took 50% more hours to make a car than Toyota. In 2006, Toyota builds an average car within 29 hours. On the other hand GM workers took 33 hours. It’s a big improvement. Mr Cowger said, 90% of the 178 gm plants almost in 33 countries adopted the lean production system. Toyota implemented the ‘just-in-time’ manufacturing system in which suppliers sends parts daily or many times a day. Toyota develops a new model in 18 months compared to three years it takes GM. This is not Japanese companies vs. American companies; it is smart Japanese companies vs. smart American companies. The key reason why Toyota is over taking GM as the dominant car industry is its production system i.e. lean production system. In Toyota, workers grouped into teams and they are allocated to individual goals to correct mistakes. (s.steve, BBC news) Historical perspective: The origin of benchmarking There is no doubt that the art of benchmarking is originated in Japan. Simply it is defined as loaning of employees to other organisations. Benchmarking means being humble enough to acknowledge that others may be smarter, and being clever enough to learn how to become just as smart – or even smarter. The essence of benchmarking is it enables us to learn our own processes and also from others. USA, UK and other companies are benchmarking Toyota production system (TPS). It is mainly focuses on the implementation of the waste reduction tools. This system is known as ‘the Toyota way’. (Forrest breyfogle, 2008). The reasons for the failure of Japanese firms overseas: Inability to cope with larger overseas responsibilities Difficulties with new environment Personal or emotional problems Lack of technical competence Inability of spouse to adjust Japanese style management is more suitable to blue collar than white collar workers Poor communication Status difference between managers and staff Improper presentation of objectives No promotion for non-Japanese Local managers not involved in key decisions Toyota acts on overwork culture: Japanese corporate culture has been criticised in UK for being workaholic. Previously it allowed workers to work two hours overtime a month for voluntary activities such as ‘qc’, stands for quality circles. This decision came into action after a court order at the death of a 30 year old Toyota worker collapsed at the plant and died due to overwork. Public criticism has been growing on overworking culture. Toyota is best known for using ideas of employees to improve production methods and minimize costs. (BBC news, 2008) Psychological safety: Psychological safety was the root cause for the failure of Toyota concept in other countries. It is especially crucial where knowledge constantly changes, workers need to be collaborating and workers make decisions without intervention of the management. (p.gupta, 2008). Hofstede’s research: Hofstede’s framework is widely used by researchers and practitioners in the field of intercultural management. According to hofstede the differences in responses could be examined by four main factors. Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Individualism Masculinity Power distance: Power distance relates to the extent to which societies discriminates the different levels of employees in any organization i.e. how unequally the employees are treated in any company. It is the relation between blue collar and white collar workers. It should be less in order to achieve any success. In high power distance countries superiors seen to be more powerful than heir subordinates. Countries with low power distance favour a more democratic style of management. Uncertainty avoidance: It refers to the degree to which they try to avoid uncertain situations by discouraging the risk taking activities. Countries with low uncertainty avoidance will adopt flexible structures and encourage more diverse views. (Chris. B, Paul. S guy. V, 2007) Individualism: Individualism means the extent to which individuals try to merge into groups. In the usa we can find more individualism. It is to gain self-respect and personal achievement. In the contrast, collectivistic society’s people are integrated into strong groups. Masculinity: It measures the extent to which male values are dominated such as assertiveness, acquisition of money and goods and not caring for others. References: Toyota works on over work culture, Thursday, 22 may 2008 http://search.bbc.co.uk/search?site=News+-+Businessq=toyota%20culture%20in%20uktab=allscope=all Misumi, J. (1984).’Decision making in Japanese groups and organisations’, in international year-book of organisational democracy. Volume. 2, Chichester: Wiley. Forest breyfogle,dec 10th 2008. http://www.smartersolutions.com/blog/forrestbreyfogle/?p=551 Monir h. tayeb 2005. International human resource management, a multinational company perspective Gupta,p.’general motors and Toyota cultural differences’.

Data WareHouse :: Technology, Database

Being a market leader today requires competitive advantage over rival organizations. By investing in data warehouses, organizations can better predict the trends in market and offer services best suited to the needs of their customers. A Data Warehouse (DW) can be defined as a subject-oriented, non-volatile database having records over years [1,2]. DWs support the strategic decision-making process and help to answer questions such as "Who was our best customer for this item last year?"[3]. Different DW systems consists of different components, however, some core components are shared by most DW systems. The first component is the data sources. DW receives input from different data sources (such as Point-Of-Sales (POS) systems, Automated Teller Machines (ATM) in banks, checkout terminals etc). The second component is the data staging area. The data comes from data sources and it is placed in the staging area, where the data is treated with different transformations and cleansed of any anomalies. After this transformation, the data is placed in the third component which is known as storage area, which is usually a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). This process of data extraction from data sources, transformation and finally loading in storage area is regarded as Extract, Transform and Load (ETL). The saved data from the storage can be viewed by reporting units. Different On-line Analytical Processing (OLAP) tools assist in generating reports based on the da ta saved in the storage area [4,5,6,7,8]. We believe that testing should be ingrained in DW development. Thus, each of the DW components should be tested. One of the main challenges in testing the DW systems is the fact that DW systems are different among organizations, each organization has its own DW system that conforms with its own requirements and needs, which leads to having differences between DW systems in several aspects (such as database technology, tools used, size, number of users, number of data sources, how the components are connected, etc.)[9]. Another big challenge that is faced by the DW testers is regarding the test data preparation. Making use of real data for testing purpose is a violation of citizen’s privacy laws in some countries (for example, using real data of bank accounts and other information is illegal in many countries). For a proper testing of a DW, presence of a huge amount of test data is necessary. In real-time environment, the system may behave differently in the presence of terabyt es of data [10].