...Examine the view that theoretical issues are the important factor influencing sociologist’s choice of research methods (20 marks) Sociologists’ opinions differ among theoretical factors being the more important against other factors such as practical and ethical in influencing method choice. Positivists believe that sociological research should produce quantitative data e.g. official statistics and social surveys) as they identify and explain variable relationships between variables this is good for offering comparative explanations. They like data that is reliable, objective and representative; data allows the researcher to establish facts over interpretation. An example is the through using official statistics. Quantitative data shows a cause and effect relationship between two variables. An example would be Durkheim’s le suicide. Emile Durkheim created a hypothesis that suicide was related to the extent an individual was integrated into society. The less integrated the more suicidal. Quantitative research is theoretically positive this is because generally is more generaliasable and it’s able to be applied through triangulation. This would influential in choice of research method as this method is only applicable to some research and not in the case of true understanding of the research. Interpretivists however believe the opposite; that society cannot be studied through numerical data and you need verstehen to be able to truly understand cause and effect. Society is...
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...Examine the view that theoretical issues are the most important factor influencing sociologist’s choice of research methods. Many sociologists argue that theoretical issues are the most important factors to affect choice of method. Theoretical issues refer to what we think society is like and if we can obtain an accurate and truthful picture of it. There are four different concerns regarding theoretical issues which influence sociologist’s choice of research methods. Validity is a method that gives a true or genuine picture of what something is really like, which helps the researcher easily find out the truth. Sociologists argue that the use of qualitative methods such as Participant Observation gives a more valid, truthful account as it provides us with a deeper insight through firsthand experience. The next issue that influences sociologist’s choice is reliability which comes from Latin, replica meaning an exact copy of something. This results in the method being able to be repeated and creates a less bias and more accurate research again and again. Quantitative methods such as written questionnaires can be used as they are more reliable results than qualitative methods such as unstructured interviews. Another theoretical issue is representativeness which refers to how much of the characteristics you are looking for is represented by the people being studied. For example if a sociologist is researching single parent homes, you will not interview nuclear families, because...
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...Version 3.0 General Certificate of Education January 2013 Sociology 1191 SCLY2 Education with Research Methods; Health with Research Methods Unit 2 Final Mark Scheme Mark schemes are prepared by the Principal Examiner and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation meeting attended by all examiners and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation meeting ensures that the mark scheme covers the students‟ responses to questions and that every examiner understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for the standardisation meeting each examiner analyses a number of students‟ scripts: alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed at the meeting and legislated for. If, after this meeting, examiners encounter unusual answers which have not been discussed at the meeting they are required to refer these to the Principal Examiner. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and expanded on the basis of students‟ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year‟s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. Further copies of this Mark Scheme are available to download...
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...GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DIPLOMACY STUDENT GUIDELINE NOTES GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY MODULE Paste the notes here… Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government. Political economy originated in moral philosophy (e.g. Adam Smith was Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow), it developed in the 18th century as the study of the economies of 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...
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...chapter one Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method What sets human beings apart from all other forms of life? Why is sociology an important tool for your future? How should you respond to people whose way of life differs from your own? ISBN: 0-536-12116-8 Societ y: The Basics, Eighth Ed itio n by Jo hn J. Ma cio nis. Published b y Prentice -Hall. Co pyright © 2006 by Pear son Edu cation, In c. ISBN: 0-536-12116-8 L The sociological perspective shows us patterns of behavior common within a society. Here, a member of Brazil’s Pataxo tribe offers a traditional greeting to a visitor. Societ y: The Basics, Eighth Ed itio n by Jo hn J. Ma cio nis. Published b y Prentice -Hall. Co pyright © 2006 by Pear son Edu cation, In c. I f you were to ask 100 people, “Why do couples marry?” it is a safe bet that at least ninety would reply, “People marry because they fall in love.” Indeed, it is hard for us to imagine a happy marriage without love; likewise, when people fall in love, we expect them to think about marriage. But is the decision about whom to marry really so simple and so personal? There is plenty of evidence that if love is the key to marriage, Cupid’s arrow is carefully aimed by the society around us. In short, society has a number of “rules” about whom we should marry. What are they? Right off the bat, society rules out half the population because U.S. laws (despite recent actions in cities such as San Francisco and likely...
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...the higher education institutions. Consequently, this has led to the rise of several studies concerning international students on many aspects, including their perceptions, living experiences, and their behaviors towards the renowned values of the choice of their private higher education institution in Malaysia. In this context, there are very few studies that have looked into international students’ overall satisfaction with their experiences in private higher education institutions. This study is committed to investigate the factors affecting decision making of international students in choosing Malaysian private higher education institutions as a study destination for their postgraduate studies. Sampling chosen for this research are international students currently studying at XX College, one of the leading private higher education institutions in Malaysia. This study contains a theoretical framework done by Sheth, a successful sociologist. Sheth managed to establish a framework that is currently being used to research various aspects of behavior and its influences on student choice on private higher education institutions. Sheth developed a theoretical framework with the aim of explaining complex factors that determine the choice of enrollments by international students covered by the...
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...Glossary of Sociological Terms |11-Plus Exam |Examination introduced with the 1944 Education Act, sat by all pupils in the state sector| | |at the age of 11. If they passed they went to the selective Grammar School, or if they | | |failed to the Secondary Modern School. This exam still exists in some counties such as | | |Kent and also in Northern Ireland. | |12-Plus Exam |Exam made available only to a minority of 'high-flyers' in Secondary Modern schools, | | |offering a late chance to go to Grammar School at the age of 12. | |'30-30-40 society' |A term associated with Will Hutton to describe an increasingly insecure and polarised | | |society. The bottom 30 per cent is socially excluded by poverty from the rest of society.| | |The next 30 per cent live in fear and insecurity of falling into poverty. Only the top 40| | |per cent feel secure and confident. ...
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...Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management ___________________________________ by Sajna S. Shenoy December 2005 Advisor: Dr. William C. Norman ABSTRACT The subject matter of this dissertation is food tourism or tourists’ participation in `food related activities at a destination to experience its culinary attributes. In addition, the culinary tourist or the tourist for whom food tourism is an important, if not primary, reason influencing his travel behavior, is its focus. The empirical objectives of this dissertation concerned identifying the underlying dimensions of food tourism, developing a conceptual framework that explains participation in food tourism, develop taxonomy of food tourists by segmenting the tourists based on their participation in food tourism, and finally identifying the variables that predict membership in these food tourist segments. The effect of sociodemographic variables on participation in food tourism, and their association with the food tourist segments were also examined. Further, all the findings were analyzed within the theoretical framework of the world culture theory of globalization and the cultural capital theory. Based on the survey responses of 341 tourists visiting the four coastal counties of South Carolina, the analyses revealed that food tourism is composed of five dimensions or classes of activities. These include dining at restaurants known for local cuisines, purchasing local food products, consuming local beverages...
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...31 31 REVIEW OF LITERATURE This chapter attempts to review different literatures on customer satisfaction with reference to hotel industry and presents various studies made regarding the issues related with hotel industry and customer satisfaction. Customer – De finitions Paul S. Goldner (2006) 1 Grigoroudis, E and Siskos, Y (2009) defines, “...a customer is any organization or individual with which you have done business over the past twelve months”. 2 “Customer means the party to which the goods are to be supplied or service rendered by the supplier”. provide definition for ‘customer’ upon two approaches: With refe rence to loyalty, “A customer is the person that assesses the quality of the offered products and services” and on process oriented approach, “the customer is the person or group that receives the work output” (p.9). 3 Customer Satisfaction – Definitions Satisfaction has been broadly defined by Vavra, T.G. (1997) as a satisfactory post - purchase experience with a product or service given an existing purchase expectation. 4 Howard and Sheth (1969) 5 According to Westbrook and Reilly (1983) define satisfaction as, “The buyer’s cognitive state of being adequately or inadequately rewarded for the sacrifices he has undergone” (p.145). 6 , customer satisfaction is “an emotional response to the experiences provided by, associated with particular 32 products or services purchased, retail outlets, or even molar patterns...
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...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...
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...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...
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...UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACTORS INFLUENCING CAREER CHOICE AMONG THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE SOUTH TONGU DISTRICT OF VOLTA REGION, GHANA DANIEL KWASI GAMELI AVUGLA JULY, 2011 UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACTORS INFLUENCING CAREER CHOICE AMONG THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE SOUTH TONGU DISTRICT OF VOLTA REGION, GHANA DANIEL KWASI GAMELI AVUGLA (B.ED BUSINESS EDUCATION, ACCOUNTING OPTION) A Thesis in the Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of EDUCATIONAL STUDIES Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, University of Education, Winneba, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for award of the Master of Philosophy (M. Phil Guidance & Counselling) degree JULY, 2011 DECLARATION STUDENT’S DECLARATION I, DANIEL KWASI GAMELI AVUGLA declare that this Thesis, with the exception of quotations and references contained in published works which have all being identified and duly acknowledged, is entirely my own original work, and it has not been submitted, either in part or whole for another degree elsewhere SIGNATURE: ............................................................................. DATE: ......................................................................................... SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of this work...
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...SMC University Dr. Babu P. George July 26, 2014 Abstract The paper seeks to examine the arguments surrounding the issue of standardization versus localization as it highlights specific advantages and disadvantages of both as obtained from a review of the prevailing literature. It links cultural patterns with consumerism and seeks to outline an effective approach to market research for entry into international markets. There are strong arguments for implementing standardization and localization but the literature seems to suggest that either strategy in its purest form represent polar extremes and most strategies consists of some elements of both whereby a middle ground is found. Appropriately designed market research unearth local appeals and cultural patterns which play a crucial role in informing the international marketer of the best suited marketing strategy. Keywords Multinational Corporation, Global Corporation, Standardization, Localization, Cultural pattern Introduction For several years there has been an interesting ongoing debate on the subject of what is the most suitable marketing strategy to be implemented; that of standardization across national markets as opposed to a strategy which espouses an adaptation to individual national markets. Levitt (1983) is frequently identified as a strong proponent of the market standardization of products. Opponents to this view have stated that the various barriers to standardization limits its usefulness and maintain...
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...CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PEOPLE’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS RISK CUTURE THEORY CHRONICLING RISK CULTURE STRENGTHENING RISK CULTURE Road Map For Continuous Cultural Improvement MEASURING CORPORATE CULTURE CULTURE PERSPECTIVE -Functionalist and interpretive view of culture ATTAINING RISK MATURITY CONCLUSION REFERENCES INTRODUCTION This paper intends to examine the influence of culture, and psychology of human behaviour on the appreciation of risk and uncertainty. In other words, the paper seeks to provide managers with the proper tools to develop sound responses to risk based on objective analysis of facts in lieu of distorted cultural biases and shallow psychological influences. Effort would be made to chronicle how our responses to risk are often influenced by heuristic biases, psychometric paradigms, and emotional literacy. These influences form the attitudes that become mental hurdles to approaching risk objectively and proactively. Risk in general terms is the possibility of deviation from expectations. Risk covers the entire spectrum of known and unknown possibilities. Risk in this sense, is seen from the standpoint of opportunities, uncertainties and hazards. People’s perception, knowledge and ‘world-view’ shape their understanding of risks, especially hazard risk, and thus influences their risk response actions. In other words, cultures and psychological orientations have tangible and intangible influences on people, and are vital in designing...
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...Dr. Javier Fadul Javier.fadul@waldenu.edu Walden University February 5, 2011 ABSTRACT Breadth This Knowledge Area Module (KAM) broadens common knowledge of societal and cultural development by looking beyond economic and conflict theories for understanding other positions regarding social advancement. The Breadth Component studies societal and cultural development in terms of evolutionary, cyclical, and fundamentalist theories and demonstrates why it is important to looking beyond the popularly accepted knowledge about social development represented by economic and conflict theory. This approach provides a more robust generalization that more adequately describes social advancement, and concludes that classical researchers did not consider leadership as a social segment to be studied, that influences societal and cultural development. Leadership understanding of societal and cultural development is critical for enabling them to lead positive social change. ABSTRACT Depth The Depth section compares modern research in societal and cultural development to the theories of classical researchers in order to further develop the findings of the classical study, and to determine if leadership consideration has been addressed in modern times. The study shows that the theories of classical researchers are sufficiently robust to support a consistent, continued basis for understanding societal and cultural development into modernity. This study broadens the Breadth section presentation...
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