...Examine the reasons why some sociologists choose not to use overt observation when conducting research There are several types of observation to distinguish between. Firstly, non-participation observation where the researcher simply observes the group or event without taking part in it, for example, using a two-way mirror to observe children playing with toys. There is also participant observation where the researcher actually takes part in the event or the everyday life of the group while observing it. Secondly there is overt observation, in which the researcher makes their true identity known to those being studied and the sociologists is open about what they are doing. On the other hand, there is covert observation in which the study is carried out under cover. The researcher’s real identity and purpose are kept concealed from the group being studied. The researcher takes on a false identity and role, usually posing as a genuine member of the group. Sociologists face two main issues when conducting a participant observation study; getting in, staying in and getting out of the group being studied and whether to use covert or overt observation. To do a study, the sociologists needs to first gain entry to a group and some groups are easier to enter than others, for example, joining a football crowd is likely to be easier than joining a criminal gang. Making the initial contact with the group may depend on personal skills, having the right connections or even by pure chance...
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...A sociologist, when using an observation will have to consider what type of observation to use. A participant observation involves the observer interacting with the group they are observing; whereas or may even observe them over CTV cameras or other devices. As well in a non-participant observation the observer does not interact with the group being observed at all, as this a sociologist could consider whether to use a covert or overt approach; both methods have their strengths and weaknesses so the sociologist must consider carefully which route to take before conducting the study. An overt observation is where the group being observed is fully aware that they are being studied; however in a covert observation the research group is unaware that they are being studied. One practical issue with using an overt observation is gaining access to particular research groups. For example, if the group the observer wishes to study is involved in illegal activities or is some sort of gang, i.e. football hooligans, then they may refuse to be studied if asked. Therefore in a situation where the research group would be likely to refuse being observed then a covert observation would be more practical as they wouldn’t be aware that they are being observed. One practical issue surrounding a covert observation is withdrawing from the study. This could be considered a dangerous or difficult manoeuvre for the sociologist; as if the research group is some gang or group involved in illegal activities...
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...Participant Observation Research 1. Participant observation is one type of data collection method typically done in the qualitative research paradigm. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly cultural anthropology, less so in sociology, communication studies, human geography and social psychology. Its aim is to gain a close and intimate familiarity with a given group of individuals (such as a religious, occupational, sub cultural group, or a particular community) and their practices through an intensive involvement with people in their cultural environment, usually over an extended period of time. The method originated in the field research of social anthropologists, especially Bronisław Malinowski in Britain, the students of Franz Boas in the United States, and in the later urban research of the Chicago School of sociology. 2. Direct observation, also known as observational study, is a method of collecting evaluative information in which the evaluator watches the subject in his or her usual environment without altering that environment. Direct observation is used when other data collection procedures, such as surveys, questionnaires, etc., are not effective; when the goal is to evaluate an ongoing behavior process, event, or situation; or when there are physical outcomes that can be readily seen. Direct observation can be overt, when the subject and individuals in the environment know the purpose of the observation, or covert, when the subject and individuals...
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...PERU E. M COLLINS COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS TERM PAPER ARGUEMENTATION STUDENT ID NO: D33/34238/2010 AN ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH PAPER ON RESEARCH TOPIC: WHAT IS SCIENCE? TOPIC: Dispelling Misconceptions; Physical and Natural Sciences are not superior over Social Sciences. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract. 3 Introduction 4 Recommendations 22 REFERENCES 25 Abstract. Science in general is a great and highly developed human enterprise. Its intricacies are clearly not limited to the scientists alone, but it is essential for the entire human race. If we think of science as a space within the larger space of society then it is at the interfaces between these two spaces that human beings are involved with science. To see this interface clearly from the space of science is not the same as seeing it as a mere collection of facts that should be construed to be true and nothing but the truth. Science is beyond facts, ideals and thoughts. It is a process and a model that has undergone tests, been tried, reviewed and accepted as a true representation of the processes and occurrences in the natural world However, due to the broad nature of science, and the work, time and resources involved in pursuit of knowledge in different science fields which entails different interests, and thereby different values too; and the different...
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...states — polities, hence political economy. In late nineteenth century, the term "political economy" was generally replaced by the term economics, used by those seeking to place the study of economy upon mathematical and axiomatic bases, rather than the structural relationships of production and consumption (cf. marginalism, Alfred Marshall). History of the term Originally, political economy meant the study of the conditions under which production was organized in the nation-states. The phrase économie politique (translated in English as political economy) first appeared in France in 1615 with the well known book by Antoyne de Montchrétien: Traicté de l’oeconomie politique. French physiocrats, Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Karl Marx were some of the exponents of political economy. In 1805, Thomas Malthus became England's first professor of political economy, at the East India Company College, Haileybury, Hertfordshire. The world's first professorship in political economy was established in 1763 at the University of Vienna, Austria; Joseph von Sonnenfels was the first tenured professor. In the United States, political economy first was taught at the College of William and Mary; in 1784 Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations was a required textbook. Glasgow University, where Smith was chairman of Logic and Moral Philosophy, changed the name of its Department of Political Economy...
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...5 Ethics in business research Chapter outline Introduction Ethical principles Harm to participants Lack of informed consent Invasion of privacy Deception 122 128 128 132 136 136 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 145 Other ethical and legal considerations Data management Copyright Reciprocity and trust Affiliation and conflicts of interest The difficulties of ethical decision-making Checklist Key points Questions for review © Oxford University Press 2011. Alan Bryman and Emma Bell. Business Research Methods 3e 122 Ethics in business research Chapter outline Ethical issues arise at a variety of stages in business and management research. This chapter is concerned with the concerns about ethics that might arise in the course of conducting research. The professional bodies concerned with the social sciences have been keen to spell out the ethical issues that can arise, and some of their statements will be reviewed in this chapter. Ethical issues cannot be ignored, in that they relate directly to the integrity of a piece of research and of the disciplines that are involved. This chapter explores: • • • • some famous, even infamous, cases in which transgressions of ethical principles have occurred, though it is important not to take the view that ethical concerns arise only in relation to these extreme cases; different stances that can be and have been taken on ethics in business research; the significance and operation of four areas in which ethical concerns...
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...Y METHODS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH From Theory to Practice Marguerite G. Lodico, Dean T. Spaulding, Katherine H. Voegtle METHODS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH Y METHODS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH From Theory to Practice Marguerite G. Lodico, Dean T. Spaulding, Katherine H. Voegtle Copyright © 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.josseybass.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this...
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...Research Methods –STA630 VU Research Methods (STA630) Contents Lesson 1: INTRODUCTION, DEFINITION & VALUE OF RESEARCH ........................ 14 What is Research?................................................................................................................... 14 What is the value of Research? ............................................................................................... 14 Research helps in developing methodologies ......................................................................... 15 We are surrounded by research............................................................................................... 16 Lesson 2: SCIENTIFIC METHOD OF RESEARCH & ITS SPECIAL FEATURES ...... 17 Important Characteristics of Scientific Method ...................................................................... 17 1. Empirical......................................................................................................................... 17 2. Verifiable ........................................................................................................................ 18 3. Cumulative ..................................................................................................................... 18 4. Deterministic.................................................................................................................. 18 5. Ethical and Ideological Neutrality ............................................................
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...your research project your research project a step-by-step guide for the first-time researcher NICHOLAS WALLIMAN with Bousmaha Baiche SAGE Publications London • Thousand Oaks • New Delhi To my wife, Ursula © Nicholas Walliman 2001 Chapter 2 © Dr Bousmaha Baiche 2001 First published 2001 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. SAGE Publications Ltd 6 Bonhill Street London EC2A 4PU SAGE Publications Inc 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd 32, M-Block Market Greater Kailash – I New Delhi 110 048 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 7619 6538 6 ISBN 0 7619 6539 4 (pbk) Library of Congress catalog record available Typeset by Keystroke, Jacaranda Lodge, Wolverhampton. Printed in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press Ltd, Trowbridge, Wiltshire CONTENTS Acknowledgements Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Research and the Research Problem Information...
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.... Organization Theory Challenges and Perspectives John McAuley, Joanne Duberley and Phil Johnson . This book is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive and reliable guide to organisational theory currently available. What is needed is a text that will give a good idea of the breadth and complexity of this important subject, and this is precisely what McAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringing together the very diverse strands of work that today qualify as constituting the subject of organisational theory. Whilst their writing is accessible and engaging, their approach is scholarly and serious. It is so easy for students (and indeed others who should know better) to trivialize this very problematic and challenging subject. This is not the case with the present book. This is a book that deserves to achieve a wide readership. Professor Stephen Ackroyd, Lancaster University, UK This new textbook usefully situates organization theory within the scholarly debates on modernism and postmodernism, and provides an advanced introduction to the heterogeneous study of organizations, including chapters on phenomenology, critical theory and psychoanalysis. Like all good textbooks, the book is accessible, well researched and readers are encouraged to view chapters as a starting point for getting to grips with the field of organization theory. Dr Martin Brigham, Lancaster University, UK McAuley et al. provide a highly readable account...
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...and taught sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and honors seminars at the university level. As a professional writer, he has written nonfiction books, journal and magazine articles, novels, and stage plays. Contents Contents INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS LESSON ASSIGNMENTS LESSON 1: PSYCHOLOGY: THE SCIENCE OF THE MIND LESSON 2: THE MIND AT WORK LESSON 3: MOTIVATION, EMOTION, DEVELOPMENT, AND PERSONALITY RESEARCH PROJECT LESSON 4: PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS LESSON 5: PSYCHOLOGY FOR TWO OR MORE CASE STUDIES SELF-CHECK ANSWERS 1 7 9 43 75 117 127 147 167 171 iii YOUR COURSE Instructions Instructions Welcome to your course, Essentials of Psychology. You’re entering a course of study designed to help you better understand yourself and others. For that reason, you can think of this course as practical. It should be of use to you in living your life and reaching the goals you set for yourself. You’ll use two main resources for your course work: this study guide and your textbook, Psychology and Your Life, by Robert S. Feldman. OBJECTIVES When you complete this course, you’ll be able to ■ Describe the science and methodologies of psychology in the context of its historical origins and major perspectives Outline the fundamental structure of the human nervous system and explain how it relates to the organization of human sensory perception Relate altered states of consciousness to sleep, hypnosis, meditation, sensory deprivation, and physiological responses...
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...CONSUMER BEHAVIOR PART ONE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR INTRODUCTION As the twentieth century has come to a close and we have moved into the third millennium, we can see many developments and changes taking place around us with all the industries and firms within each industry trying to keep pace with the changes and diverse needs of the people. Though for decades together, marketers have regarded ‘customer’ as the king and evolved all activities to satisfy this concept is gaining more momentum and importance today. This can largely be attributed to the prevailing market situation. Not only competition has become intense but over an above with the market being flooded with many products. The challenge before the marketers is to understand the diversity of consumer behavior and offer goods and services accordingly. Today the company image is built and made known by its customers. Thus the success of the firm will be determined by how effective it has been in meeting the diverse consumer needs and wants by treating each customer as unique and offering products and services to suit his needs and creating a life time value and relationship with him. (Nair 2004; 3) Marketers have come to realize that their effectiveness in meeting consumer needs directly influences their profitability the better they understand the factors underlying consumer behavior, the better able they are to develop effective marketing strategies to meet consumer needs. (Assael 2001; 3) Today, the digital revolution...
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...THE CONSEQUENCES OF MASS COMMUNICATION Cultural and Critical Perspectives on Mass Media and Society Kirk Hallahan ii For Jean and Jenna Copyright info to be set by McGraw-Hill. iii Foreward This book is a brief survey of contemporary ideas about the cultural impact of mass media on society. The use of consequences in the title reflects the fact that most cultural researchers prefer this term (instead of media effects) to describe media's influence on human experience. During the past 30 years, culture has emerged as a major theoretical framework in which to investigate media. Chapter I examines how media influence culture generally, as suggested by various contemporary media scholars and others. Chapter II then focuses on critical-cultural theories about the nature of media power and its potentially negative influence. This book can adopted as a supplementary text in introductory mass media courses along with a survey text such as Joseph R. Dominick's The Dynamics of Mass Communication (available from McGraw-Hill). It also can serve as a foundational text for other assigned readings in advanced courses dealing with mass media and society, communication theory, or cultural studies. Students are encouraged to focus thoughtfully on the main ideas, not attempt to merely memorize details. Important concepts and names appear in boldface and are defined in italics. The abridged Subject Index lists the page with the primary discussion of each topic. Sidebars throughout...
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...The McGrawHill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may be reproduced in print form solely for classroom use with A First Look At Communication Theory provided such reproductions bear copyright notice, but may not be reproduced in any other form or for any other purpose without the prior written consent of The McGrawHill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. PREFACE Rationale We agreed to produce the instructor’s manual for the sixth edition of A First Look at Communication Theory because it’s a first-rate book and because we enjoy talking and writing about pedagogy. Yet when we recall the discussions we’ve had with colleagues about instructor’s manuals over the years, two unnerving comments stick with us: “I don’t find them much help”; and (even worse) “I never look at them.” And, if the truth be told, we were often the people making such points! With these statements in mind, we have done some serious soul-searching about the texts that so many teachers—ourselves included—frequently malign or ignore. As we have considered our quandary, we have come face-to-face with the central paradox that characterizes the genre: Teaching manuals tend to be distant, mechanical, impersonal, and lifeless, when in fact good teaching is immediate, flexible, personal, and lively. In this manual, therefore, we have attempted to communicate to fellow teachers...
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...GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND HUMAN VALUES UNIT I & II – HUMAN VALUES The Story of a Carpenter An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house- building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss his paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed over the house key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “it is my parting gift to you.” What a shock! What a Shame! If only he had known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he built none too well. (Modified from LIVING WITH HONOUR by SHIV KHERA) Do we find ourselves in similar situations as the carpenter? Moving through our work hours fast paced, driven to “get the job done”, without much thought to moral values. How do we regain our focus as individuals and organizations? This is the challenge for the employee and the employer. Ethics are fundamental standards of conduct by which we work as a professional. VALUES Values...
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