A Critical Discussion of Research Methods and Approaches The WritePass Journal

A Critical Discussion of Research Methods and Approaches Introduction: A Critical Discussion of Research Methods and Approaches Introduction:Research Philosophy:Theoretical Perspective:Research Approach: Inductive and Deductive ResearchResearch Methodology/ Strategy: Case StudyReferencesRelated Introduction: Progressing further from the literature review, a research methodology is proposed and formulated concentrating on the design, implementation and careful analysis of the data to achieve the main research objective which is to analyse what staff at Asda think of the electronic training and induction which takes place within the company.   This would be carefully analysed in further details. Research Philosophy: Saunders et al (2007) defines research philosophy as the manner in which knowledge is being developed and interpreted.   Literature by Saunders et al (2007) indicates that there are three important variables that must be considered when looking at a research philosophy.   These are Ontology, Epistemology and Axiology respectively. Ontology is mainly concerned with the nature of reality; it raises questions on how the world functions and various views that people hold within.   Whereas, Epistemology is the way knowledge is demonstrated and how it can be justified.   Axiology is a branch of philosophy which studies judgements about value and it stresses upon that what role the researcher’s value play in the research.   (Saunders et al 2007). This research is taking place in Asda store in Edinburgh and the philosophical approach it will adopt is Epistemology.   Epistemology as defined by Baker and Foy (2008) is the branch of philosophy which is concerned with the nature of knowledge and mainly concerns at what does and what does not constitute as warranted knowledge. According to Easter-by-Smith et al (2004), adopting a research position is vital in research because of the following reasons.   First, it helps to clarify the research design.   Second, it identifies which design will work and which will not.   Third, it allows the researcher to stay within the research objectives and also indicate some limitations of a particular research approach and last it can help the researcher to introduce his or her personal experiences in the research process.   However, there are two philosophical positions that have emerged from within the rank of Epistemology.   These are Objectivism and Constructivism.   (Saunders et al 2007) Further, Johnson and Clark (2006) argues that the most important issue is not which philosophical space the research occupies but on how well the research is reflected and defence against the alternatives the researcher could have adopted.   More so, the theoretical perspective history presents a graphical illustration of the philosophical positions below: Theoretical Perspective: Objectivism as an epistemological stance holds the view that social entity exists in reality and is independent of people’s perceptions.   However constructivism is opposite to objectivism.   Truth and meaning do not exist in some external world and people construct their own meaning in different ways, even in relation to the same phenomenon.   (Remeyi et al 2005) This research will mainly adopt a constructivist approach because it is about looking at people’s views and beliefs.   However, there is a very little element of objectivism in the research as to look at past figures and study the previous trends of young and older workers beliefs and views.   Therefore, focusing mainly on constructivism thus, making it fairly justifiable for using this constructivist approach.   This correlate with the theoretical perspective of interpretivism.   Saunders et al (2007) defines interpretivism as an epistemological approach which is necessary for the researcher to understand the difference between the humans in the role as a social actor.   This approach is adopted by those who regard the business world as too complex to permit the discovery of definite laws.   According to Saunders et al (2007), interpretivism refers to way people make sense of the world around them, which bears different perceptions of the way people judge, think a nd feel about organisational operations.   However, proponents of interpretivism are criticised for undermining the general ability of research findings.   Reasons for adopting this philosophical approach is that the staff at Asda is going to base and construct their own understanding and knowledge on electronic training and induction which is offered to them therefore they will have their opinions and feelings about it and whether they like it or not. Remeyi et al (2005:104) nicely summarised the underpinning features of objectivism and constructivism in the table below:- Objectivism Constructivism Basic beliefs: World is externally and objectiveObserver is independent World is socially constructed and subjectiveObserver is part of what is been observed Focus on meaning Researchers should: Focus on factsLook for causality and fundamental lawsReduce phenomena to simplest elements Formulate and test hypothesis Try to understand what is happening Look at totality of each situation Preferred methods: Operationalise concepts so they can be measuredTake large samples Use multiple methods to establish different views of phenomena Small samples investigated in depth or over time Source:Remeyi et al (2005:104) Research Approach: Inductive and Deductive Research There are two major approaches to a research development namely induction and deduction.   Deductive approach is similarly to that of the scientific research.   It involves the development of a theory which is subjected to a rigorous test.   (Collis and Hussey2003) Deductive approach in a research works from a more general to more specific and conclusions can be drawn from an available theory. (Saunders et al 2007). For instance: Herzberg’s Two Factor theory can be used to identify job satisfaction within a workplace. Inductive approach on the other hand works the other way round moving from much specific to broader generalisation and conclusions are based on the facts identified in the research findings.  Ã‚   The purpose of this is to get a feel of what is going on so as to understand something in a much better way.   (Saunders et al 2007) Inductive approach will be suitable for this research because the research objectives are context specific, gathering general ideas and views of people and the research will be carried out to get a better understanding of the workplace systems and finally conclusions will be arrived from the research findings. Research Methodology/ Strategy: Case Study According to Remeyi et al (2005) research strategy provides the overall direction of the research and has identified several research strategies namely action research, case studies, forecasting, survey, ethnography, grounded theory and archival research. Robson (2002) defines case study as a strategy for doing research which involves an investigation of a particular existing fact within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence.   Morris and Wood (1991) states that the case study strategy is of a greater interest if the researcher wishes to gain a rich understanding of the context of the research and the process being enacted.   Case study strategy also generates answers to the questions, for this reason the case study strategy is often used in explanatory and exploratory research. For the purpose of this research, the researcher will focus on case study strategy.   The use of this strategy will comfortably accommodate better understanding and provide rich picture of the current situation and training systems in place within Asda. Purpose of the Research: Descriptive, Exploratory or Explanatory: The classification of the research purpose most often used in the research methods is among one of the following: exploratory, descriptive or explanatory.   However, the research project may have more than one purpose.   (Saunders et al 2007) Robson (2002) points out, that the purpose of enquiry within the research can also change over time. Descriptive Study: Robson (2002) states that, the aim of descriptive research is to portray an accurate and exact profile of people, events or situations. Exploratory Study: An exploratory study is very valuable way of finding out what is happening or to seek new insights, to ask questions and to assess phenomena in a new light.   It is a very useful if the research is about clarifying and understanding of any problems and there is also a willingness to change direction in exploratory study.   (Robson 2002) Explanatory Study: This involves a research which focuses on studying a situation or a problem in order to explain the relationships between variables.   (Saunders et al 2007) This research is going to use exploratory study because it involves getting a general understanding of electronic training given to staff in Asda and exploring any problems within the workplace faced by the employees finally willing to make any adjustments according to the needs and requirements of the employees. Qualitative and Quantitative Data: Saunders et al (2007) describe qualitative data as non-numerical data and which has not been quantified.   Carter and Litter (2007) hold the view that qualitative research enables the researcher to rely on words rather than using numerical data when carrying out the investigation.   The researcher can pose open the questions about the nature of things as they happen in real life rather than putting out to test already established hypothesis. However, on the other hand quantitative data as described by Saunders et al (2007) as numerical data that have been quantified and it is the data that can be measured. Carter and Little (2007) describe quantitative data as data which is based on facts and figures. This research is mainly focused on Qualitative method because it involves describing things for instance getting feelings of staff over induction and training method used in Asda which is the main objective of this research.   The qualitative data will be collected from interviews to get a general feeling of things.   However, there is also little Quantitative analysis involved within the research because the researcher will gather some numerical data by giving out the questionnaires in order to access the effectiveness of electronic induction and training.   Previous figures can also be collected from management for accessing the effectiveness of e-training but the main focus still relies on the qualitative analysis.   Quantitative data can be represented by using pie charts, bar charts or reports.   Easterby-Smith et al (2004) states that the combination of both methods of research enhances and maximises the quality of the research. Data Collection Methods: This research is based on a realistic philosophical stance based on inductive approach, the research strategy being a case study, the purpose of the research being exploratory using both qualitative and quantitative analysis but mainly emphasising on qualitative analysis.   Data collection methods are simply how the information is gathered.   There is a wide range of data collection methods available namely:   surveys, sampling, questionnaire, observation, interview, focus groups.   (Easterby-Smith et al 2004) However for the purpose of this research the researcher is going to use three methods to collect data (questionnaire, semi-structured interview and focus group discussions) for the purpose of triangulation. Questionnaires: A questionnaire is a set of carefully prepared questions designed with the aim of collecting reliable data from selected participants.   (Remeyi et al 2005) Oppenheim (1992) defines a questionnaire as a tool for collecting and recording information about a particular issue of interest.   It is made up of a list of questions and it should always have a definite purpose which is related to the objectives of the research.   Questionnaires are commonly used to gather straightforward information relating to people’s behaviour or to look at basic attitudes and opinions of people relating to a particular issue.   The questionnaire can be designed using both open and closed ended questions to get both qualitative and quantitative data. For the purpose of this research, the researcher will distribute the questionnaires to the permanent staff specially focusing on staff that has been to both electronically and classroom based training sessions.   Reason for using a questionnaire is that it will enable the researcher to get a clear picture about the effectiveness of e-training.   A sample size of about 30 staff will then be chosen.   This will include 25 shop floor workers, 2 team leaders, 2 line managers and 1 personal training buddy.   The questionnaire will be in the form of both open and closed ended questions to get a mixture of quantitative and qualitative data.   The questionnaire is focused to those employees and managers who can share and express their views in interviews and focus group discussions. Further, Cohen et al (2000) states that advantages of a questionnaire is that the feedback is anonymous which encourages openness and honesty and it gives the opportunity to each employee to participate.   The use of questionnaires gives the following advantages: it is cost and time efficient in collecting and analysing data.   However, questionnaires also possess some sort of difficulty for example open ended questions may require the respondent to give detailed answers which may be a challenge to some respondents whereas, closed ended questions may limit the in-depth enquiry of relevant information.   (Easterby-Smith et al 2004)  Ã‚  Ã‚   The researcher will carry out a pilot test using five questionnaires to check that the questions are easily understood and that there are no particular problems relating to the length, sensitivity and sequence of questions. One to one Interviews: According to Easterby-Smith et al (2004) one to one interviews can take various forms: structured, semi-structured and unstructured.   This requires a face-to-face conversation between the interviewee and the interviewer and the sequence of questions are open ended. This research will adopt a semi-structured interview.   Remeyi et al (2005) states that semi-structured interview provides an opportunity to probe complex issues in a relaxed atmosphere. The reason for carrying out the research in a semi-structured interview technique is because it provides quick and rich evidence because the respondent can provide detailed insights of facts.   Participants for the semi-structured interview will be selected on the basis that they have gone through both electronic and classroom trainings programmes.   The sample for the interview would be five members mainly: 1 personnel manager, 1 departmental manager, 1 line manager and 2 shop floor workers.   The interview questions will be drawn out from the literature review however; the researcher may add any relevant questions or drop any issues which may seem inappropriate while conducting the interview. Focus Group Discussions: A focus group discussion is a group of people who have been brought together to discuss a specific topic in depth.   According to Saunders et al (2007) focus group discussions involves the use of comprehensively group interaction whereby participants are chosen because they have something to contribute on the topic.   A focus group can precede both quantitative and qualitative data. The researcher will use focus group discussions as third method to gather data.   Reasons for doing a focus group discussion is because one session of a group discussion produces a large amount of information in a relatively short period of time.   The research will involve five participants in the focus group discussion; 1 line manager, 1 team leader, 1 training buddy and 2 shop floor workers and the sessions will last for 25 minutes. Triangulation: According to Wolf (2010:145) ‘’triangulation refers to the combination of different research modes or looking at the same topic from different angles.’’ As stated above, three methods have been adopted for this research.   They will better explore the outcome of the e-training process thus enhancing validity.   The reason is to provide broader breadth and depth of the research objectives and also offer greater clarity about the gaps in philosophical commitment during data collection and analysis levels.   (Cox and Hassard 2005) Validity and Reliability of Research Design: Validity and reliability are very important criteria in evaluating a research.   According to Joppe (2000), validity determines whether the research truly measures that which was intended to measure or how truthful the research results are.   Remeyi et al (2005) refers to validity as representing a good fit between theory and reality, in the same sense that when a description of a process is evaluated; best fit between theory and reality can be traced.   The primary reason for considering this is to indicate how the research will be accepted as a piece of academic writing. Since the research will include little bit of quantitative data, statistical validity will be very paramount to ensure consistency and integrity.   Also validity of qualitative data will be prompted whether the researcher has gained full access to knowledge and information about the case study.   (Remeyi et al 2005) Reliability is that similar observations should be made by researchers on different occasions and the concern is that how replicable the study is.   (Remeyi et al 2005)  Ã‚   This is achieved by keeping the data which is been collected safely and to enable others to investigate if any doubts arise in the research results.   This provides transparency and trust in the philosophy, approach and methods used in collecting and analysing data since they are open for scrutiny.   (Remeyi et al 2005). Research Ethics: The researcher will bear in mind the ethical issues; these will be in accordance with research ethics framework presented by the University of Bolton Institutional Repository and also the Economic and Social Research Council: to ensure the design and the research itself will respect honesty and quality standard.   Its been guaranteed that the intended used methods shall be clearly understood by the participants and privacy will be respected in terms of when gathering data and anonymity of respondent.   Finally, the author will observe the widely cited suggestions given by Remeyi et al (2005) relative to the theft of ideas, choice of sampling, obtaining assistance from others, misrepresentation of work done and lastly to avoid illegal and unlawful conducts with the entities of the organisation being studied. Evaluation of Overall Research Design: The research philosophy, approach, strategy and methods adopted for the research are judged by the researcher as the most suitably fit for the research objectives.   However, the researcher is aware of the lapses in the research design and these might cause hindrance in convincing conclusions.   The researcher has envisaged the following possible limitations and has outlined backup plans. Firstly, the issues could rise in the inclusion and exclusion of sampling criteria may rise constraints in the research design.   For example: age discrimination and ethnicity might be a problem and overall logistic costs and general feasibility of the research design can hinder the collection of sufficient data.   Also selected participants maybe unavailable due to being absence, some participants being on sick leave, workers taking pre-booked holidays and most importantly the busy schedule of management may cause disruptions in the research.   In addition, the current management within the department might be altered through transfers hence; this might slow down the research process completely. Secondly, the sample of 30 participants may not provide a broader picture of the electronically based training and induction in Asda. Thirdly, errors and non-responsive attitude of the participants might cause problems in the sample representation. Furthermore, by using a case study strategy it makes it difficult to generalise the outcomes of the research since it may not present a wider view of the store or Asda organisation.   This can raise questions about the validity and reliability of the research.   Also, the time available to carry out the research is limited.   This limits the collection of vital information through semi-structured interviews and focus groups discussions which might cause some loop holes in the research process. Accurate and appropriate data collection analysis tools maybe difficult to find sometimes.   Again, since the purpose of the research objective seems to be limited and focuses on a more tangible issue such as technology; this might limit participants interest in the research thus can cause setbacks in the research process.   Equally important is that access to vital information about the personnel department might cause constraints in the research itself; as stated by Wolf (2010) it is common for researcher to encounter accessibility difficulties during the data collection stages of their research. Finally, the research project is the first independent project carried out by the researcher of such magnitude, although the author has written essays for up to three thousand words but this may cause inaccuracies in the overall research design. The use of questionnaires will target wide sample size, this will ensure appropriate response.   Interviews and focus group discussions will enable the researcher to obtain valuable information for limited time since management will be involved. As data analysis and interpretation of data is concerned, the researcher will apply simple co-efficient method by comparing between samples, the higher co-efficient reflecting higher score and vice versa.   (Cavusgil and Das 1997) With regards to internal and external validity of the research, the author will ensure causality between the research objectives, literature review and the research design and also ensure that the research design matches with other research patterns. In addition, triangulation has been adopted to provide richness in the data collected.   Similarly, the author will follow the recommendations provided by Gilbbert and Ruigrok (2010) to ensure external validity; generality in external setting does not mean that case study should give up generalisability but the key is to distinguish between statistical and analytical generality. With respect to ethical concerns, the research will guarantee transparency through careful documentation and organisation of the research process with relevant materials to be kept secured to facilitate retrieval for any further investigation. Furthermore, the author will ensure for the sample criteria all cultures are respected.   Inclusion criteria will follow the provisions of Equality and Discrimination Act 2010.   The author will use random sample in order to avoid any representation errors. Also with regards to accessibility, the author will keep closed contact with the management.   More so, the author works within the company as a seasonal staff during the holidays and has been working there for three years so this makes it easy for the management and employees with regards to communication flow so the communication gap has been eliminated.   The issue of cost especially travelling and other logistics from Bolton to Edinburgh will be handled since Edinburgh is the author’s main UK residency place. In short, the research design coupled with the research objectives and the literature review are fundamental in critically evaluating the process of electronic training and induction in Asda Edinburgh. References Baker, M.A., Foy, A. (2008) Business and Management Research, 2nd Ed, Argyll: Westburn Publishers Carter, S.M., Little, M. (2007) Justifying Knowledge, Justifying Method, Taking Action: Epistemologies, Methodologies and Methods in Qualitative Research, Journal of Qualitative Health Research, vol.17, no.10, pp.1316-132 Cavusgil, S.M., Das, A. (1997) Methodology Issues in Cross-cultural Sourcing Research – a Primer, Marketing Intelligence and Planning Journal, vol.15, no.5, pp.213-220 Cohen, L., Manion, L., Morrison, K. (2000) Research Methods in Education, 5th Ed, London: Rouledge Falmer Collis, J., Hussey, R. (2003) Business Research: A Practical Guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students, 2nd Ed, Basingstoke: Macmillan Cox, J.W., Hassard, J. (2005) Triangulation in Organisational Research: A Representation, Organisation Science Journal, vol.12, pp.109-133 Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., Lowe, A. (2004) Management Research: An Introduction, 2nd Ed, London: Sage Publications Gibbert, M., Ruigrok, W. (2010) The ‘What’ and ‘How’ of Case Study Rigor: Three Strategies Based on Published Work, Journal of Organisational Research Methods, vol.13, no.4, pp.710-737 Johnson, P., Clark, M. (2006) Business and Management Research Methodologies, Sage Publications Joppe, M. (2000) The Research Process, The Quantitative Report Journal, vol.8, no.4, pp.597-607.   Available from: nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR8-4/golafshani.pdf  Ã‚   [Accessed on 25th April 2011] Morris, T., Wood, S. (1991) ‘’Testing the survey method: continuity and change in British industrial relations’, Work Employment and Society, vol.5, no.2, pp.259-82 Neuman, W.L. (2000) Social Research Methods, 2nd Ed, London: Allyn and Bacon Oppenheim, A.N. (1992) Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement, 2nd Ed, London: St. Martins Press Remeyi, D.W., Money, A., Swartz, E. (2005) Doing Research in Business and Management: An Introduction to Process and Method, London: Sage Publications Robson, C. (2002) Real World Research, 2nd Ed, Oxford: Blackwell Saunders, M., Lewis, P., Thornhill, A. (2007) Research Methods for Business Students, 4th Ed, Harlow: Pearson Education Wolf, F. (2010) Enlightened Eclecticism or Hazardous Hotchpotch? Mixed Methods and Triangulation, Journal of Mixed Methods Research, vol.4, no.2, pp.144-16

The Best Way to Read the Passage in SAT Reading

The Best Way to Read the Passage in SAT Reading SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT Reading section presents you withchallenging tasks. Not only will you have to sustain your focus over a long 65-minute section, but you’ll also have to search activelyfor evidence in each passage to back up your answers. The testmay be time intensive and full oftricky â€Å"distractor† answers, but you can learn to avoid the common pitfalls with the right approach. This guide will discuss the best strategies for reading the passages effectively and achieving a high score on the new SAT Reading. To start, let’s go over what the redesigned passages are going to look like on your test. Types of Reading Passages On the SAT Since the 2016 SAT (out of 1600 points) was rolled out, every SAT reading test featuresfour individual passages and one pair of passages. One of these passages comes from US and World Literature, two come from History and Social Studies, and two deal with Science.In total, each passage (or set of paired passages combined) will contain about 500 to 750 words. One or more of them will feature a graph, table, or chart. You’ll be tasked with answering a total of 52 Reading questions.You’ll complete the Reading section all at one time in one 65-minute section- the first section you'll do on the SAT. There are a few strategies you can use when readingthe passages. Before delving into these reading strategies, let’s review the types of Reading questions you’ll encounter. Types of Reading Questions On the SAT The new SAT asks reading comprehension questions about main points, details, inferences, vocabulary in context, function, author technique,evidence support, and data analysis from a graph, table, or chart. The new SAT is primarilyconcerned with howyou connectevidence to your answersand deconstruct logic and arguments. By keeping this emphasis in mind, you can keep an eye out for relevant details and meaningas you read through the passages. These are the main ways that College Board will test your reading comprehension skills: Big Picture / Main Point: What is the overall purpose of the passage? Is it describing an issue or event? Is it trying to review, prove, contradict, or hypothesize? Little Picture / Detail: Detail questions will usually refer you to a specific line within the passage. They might ask what a sentence means or how it functions within the overall passage. Inference: These questions ask you to interpret the meaning of a line or two in the passage. Don't worry, they won't be too vague or open to interpretation, as there can only be one absolutely correct answer. Vocabulary in Context: These questions usually also refer you to a specific line and ask how a word functions within a sentence. These words are often not too advanced; instead, they're often common words that may have an unusual meaning based on context. Function: These questions often ask what a phrase, sentence, or paragraph is accomplishing within the context of the whole passage. This links to your understanding of the big picture / main point. Author Technique: What's the author's tone, style, or other technique in this passage? Paired passage questions often ask you to compare and contrast author techniques or opinions. Evidence Support: These questions ask you to choose a line or series of lines that provide the best evidence to your answer to a previous question.Therefore, an evidence question could refer back to any of the question types mentioned above, with the exception of vocab-in-context. These evidence support questions often take the form, â€Å"Which choice provides the best evidence to the previous question?† While these questions can help you check your thinking, they may also contain a trap; if you answered wrong to the previous question, you'll probably find that the mistake in your thinking hasa corresponding answer in the evidence question. Data Analysis: These questions are entirely new and refer to graphs and charts. They may ask something like, â€Å"Which claim about traffic congestion is supported by the graph?† The hardest ones may combine with an inference question, like, â€Å""The author is least likely to support which interpretation of the data in this figure?† Understanding the types of passages and questions will begin to improve your understanding of the Reading section and how you approach each passage. As you take SAT practice tests, keep a critical eye on how each question fits into one or more of the above categories.Now let's look specifically at what steps you should take when reading through the passages to maximize your comprehension and take control of your time management. One step at a time... How to Read the Passages Some students jump into reading, others read the questions first, and still others swear by a â€Å"back and forth† method. In our view, the five steps described below represent a tried and true approach that works for most students. It uses effective methods to understand the important points of the passage before you even read it, and it helps you save time digesting the passage. With five passages to read and 52 questions to answer in only 65 minutes, time is of the essence. Read over these steps, give this approach a try, and see if it helps you preserve your focus and work efficiently as you prep for the SAT Reading. Step 1 A good standard approach is to glance over the corresponding questions before you begin to read the first passage. This way, you'll have a sense of what you're looking for and where to focus your attention. Even though the passage may be a fascinating description of space mining or Japanese marriage customs, deep reading is not your goal here- answering the questions correctly and efficiently is. You can always learn more about a topic after the SAT. For now, you want to laser your focus onto the tasks at hand. As you read the questions, you can circle the Big Picture / Main Point questions right off the bat. You can leave these for the end, as in this example from College Board'sSAT Practice Test 1: Here,the main purpose question comes first. You can choose to answer it last, though, once you have a strong understanding of the passage. As for the specific line questions, you can make a mark on the lines referenced and pay special attention to them when reading. All of this marking and prioritizingis not to suggest that you won't be quickly reading the whole passage; instead, it's a way to know what you're looking for before you start. Again, this is an approach that saves time for most students, but you should also feel free to use the method that works best for you. Step 2 Quickly read the information blurb that comes at the very beginning of the passage. This shouldhelp you situate the passage in context. When is the author writing, for instance? Is she an author of fiction, a scientist, or a historian? Having this context at the beginning may help you begin to have an understanding of the tone, style, and purpose of the passage. This passage is from the dads of DNA themselves! Things are about to get science-y! Step 3 Now, go ahead and read the passage. You should read quickly, even skimming for important features. These include the last line of the introduction (usually the thesis of the passage), opening sentences of paragraphs, and the conclusion. Also, look out for transitional words and phrases, like however, additionally, and despite,that might mark a shift in or continuation of ideas. This approach will be much more helpful and time-saving than trying to understand each and every word. Another consideration as you read is your own mindset. You probably know that being interested in a subject helps you pick it up faster. You may think you can't help what you're interested in, but actually, you have a great deal of control over your mindset. If you try to approach the passages beingreally interested in, even fascinated by, the topic at hand, then you'll be able to speed up your reading and improve your retention. You might be skeptical, but the SAT actually can have some pretty intriguing, random information, and they have such a great range you're likely to be interested in some, if not all, of the passages. Step 4 On to answering the questions. Leave the ones you circled for the end. It can be helpful to predict your own answer before actually looking at the answer choices. They are designed and worded so that they all sound plausible, so they could distract you from your original understanding of the question. If your passage includes a chart or graph, then you'll have one or two data interpretation questions. You may be able to answer these even before skimming the passage, but in most cases it will be helpful to have context. Many of these questions don't ask for data analysis alone, but instead ask if the data supports a claim made in the text or if the author incorporated a data point to prove or refute an argument. These kinds of questions will call on you to find evidence in numbers as well as in prose, as in this tableand questionbased on the above mentioned passage by Watson and Crick: Notice how this question isn't straightforward data analysis. It goes one step further by asking a "little picture/detail" question about the authors' proposed pairing of bases in DNA. You'll have to locate info in both the passage and the table. As you work through the various passage and data-based questions, itcan be distracting to go back and forth between the test booklet and bubble sheet. It can be useful and save timeto answer the entire set of questions in your test booklet and then transfer all your answers to the bubble sheet in one chunk.But make sure you don't run out of time doing this, and be careful that your answers line up corrently on the bubblesheet! The detail questions shouldgo in chronological order with the passages, so the first detail question might refer to a line near the beginning of the passage and continue in order after that. They're not all mixed up in random order, but rather coincide with the flow of the passage. Step 5 Once you've answered the other questions, you can go back to the general purpose questions you circled. You should have your best sense of the passage at this point, after you've read it and answered other questions about it. Finally, you can go ahead and carefully transfer your answers to the bubble sheet. These 5 steps are an effective approach for most students reading and answering questions on the Critical Reading passages. If you've never tried this kind of reading strategy before, definitely try it out on your next practice test and see if your score improves. This is especially effective if you find that you keep running out of time! Let's discuss some other tips and strategies that are helpful to keep in mind. Be on the lookout for SAT "red herrings"! Tips and Strategies forCritical Reading Beyond practicing your reading efficiency, you can use some other strategies as you answer the questions and prep for this section. The age-old trick of process of elimination is alwayse useful. An unexpected preparation strategy is to practice answering ACT Science questions. Read on for a few more useful strategies that will help you do your best on SAT Reading. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! Look to Eliminate Wrong Answers None of the answers will be glaringly wrong. In fact, they're worded in such a way that they'll often all seem plausible! This means you'll have to play interception on your own brain. It may be easily distracted by answers that seem sort of right, but you have to halt your distracted thought processin its steps. If you find yourself overly rationalizing or justifying an answer, it's probably not the correct one. There is only one 100% correct answer, and it won't cause you too much overthinking. Generally, wrong answers are too specific, too broad, describe a relationship in reverse order, or just present a totally unrelated concept. This article goes into further detail about how to eliminate wrong answers in order to land on the one 100% correct one. A good rule of thumb is to avoid extremes. Words like "never" or "always" are not usually present in the correct answer. But to follow my own advice, I should never say never! Another essential mindset, and one that the new SAT will ask to use explicitly, is one that looks for evidence. Back Up Your Answers With Evidence Don't just choose an answer that "feels" right- instead, make sure you can back up all your answers with evidence direct from the text. None of these questions require you to have any pre-existing knowledge of the topic. Instead, they're testing your reading comprehension. All your answers should be proven and supported by the passage. Even if the answer were to be factually inaccurate (don't worry, it won't be), the questions are still completely about the passage, not about knowledge you already have. This is an important point to remember for the SAT, which will use texts with which you may be familiar or that are especially relevant to history or contemporary life. To answer questions correctly, it's crucial that you turn off your personal biases or opinions and base your understanding completely on the text at hand. Luckily, the new evidence support questions will be a good reminder to keep referring back to the text for your responses. You’ll likely get two to three evidence support questions per passage that explicitly ask you to choose one or a few lines that prove your answer to a previous question. These help you check your thinking and ensure that you have proof for an answer. Even if a question is not followed by an evidence support question, though, you should try to use this mindset of backing up your responses with evidence directly from the text. That way you know you’re basing your answer on the words on the page, rather than on your own assumptions. Practice Data Analysis with ACT Science Questions Those who consider themselves English buffs may not love the addition of charts, tables, and graphs in their SAT Reading questions. What's this data doing in a reading comprehension section, anyway? According to College Board, the inclusion of data analysis is part of itsattempt to connect the new SAT with what students are learning in the classroom and with real-world skills. You can actually sharpen your data interpretation skills by practicing with ACT Science questions. The ACT questions may call for more specialized scientific knowledge, but they still demand the same skills of interpretation as will the SAT Reading questions. By referring to charts and graphs for your answer and looking for evidence in data, you'll be better prepared for the data and evidence-based Reading questions on the SAT. Know Your Literary Terms and Techniques SAT Reading is primarily concerned with understanding function (of words, sentences, paragraphs) and argument. Therefore, most of your SAT reading practice should focus on deciphering the logic and structure of a piece. However, it's stilluseful to review the most common literary terms, like theme, style, tone, foreshadowing, and imagery, as well as some of themost common words to describe them.In addition to reviewing definitions, you should learn how to apply and find them in something you read.It's one thing to know that a tone can be somber, hopeful, or suspicious; it's another to determine the tone of a given passage. Test prep will help you get better and better at this, along with reading and analyzing as much as you can in and out of the classroom. Study Vocabulary As mentioned above, the vocabulary questions based on passages will not test your understanding of little-usedbig words.Instead of obscure vocab, Reading questionsmight ask aboutrelatively common words that are used in an unusual way within the context of the passage.This means you should practice interpreting meaning in context, along with understanding the denotations (definitions) and connotations (what words imply or suggest) of words. To give a simplistic example, note how the phrase, "Nice job," can have two very different connotations in these two contexts. "Nice job," Kathy snickered to her friends, after tripping you in the cafeteria. "Nice job!" Kathy said admiringly, as you showed her the bowl you made in ceramics. Understanding multiple-meaning words, as well as tone, is all aboutcontext. Given these steps and strategies,how can you strengthen your Reading skills? Practice, Practice, Practice The Reading section on the SAT is not always so closely aligned with your high school English classes, although the redesigned version is more connected than ever before with its emphasis on evidence-based reading. While your English classes may encourage you to be creative and support all kinds of interpretations, your SAT Reading questions will only have one absolutely correct answer, and that answer must be derived from and supported by the text itself. You can strengthen your ability to read and answer questions quickly with serious test prep, which will not only help your reading comprehension skills, but also your time management and pacing. Reading sources outside of class, like news articles from the New York Times, will also help you hone your skills of analyzing logic, deconstructing arguments, and determining author opinion and tone. If you're applying as a humanities or social sciences major, you especially want to make sure you score highly on the Reading section of the SAT. Take practice tests, identify your weaknesses,understand your mistakes, and practice often and effectivelyso you can score highly on Reading. With the right approach and sufficient test prep, youcould even achieve a perfectReading score. What's Next? Now that you know about the changes tothe Reading section, check out ourComplete Guide to the New SATto learnabout the rest of the redesigned test! Are you deciding between the new SAT and the ACT? You can readall about how the two tests compare to each other here, as well as learn about the changes taking place to theWriting section of the ACT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Federal Medical Malpractice Reform Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Federal Medical Malpractice Reform - Case Study Example The American Medical association and several Congressional work groups including the Simpson-Bowles commission and the Domenici-Rivlin Debt Reduction Task Force have voiced strong opinion that reform in the sector lies at the heart of servicing federal deficit and securing justice for injured patients. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that in the next decade up to $ 62.4 billion will be spent on a defective medical malpractice system. In light of these facts and the majority public support for reform in the sector, the failure of the bipartisan malpractice reform bill at the senate that was slated to cap non-economic damages at $250, 000 and indeed countrywide failure to comprehensively enact reform legislation requires a return to the drawing board. Medical liability reform is at the heart of health care access. Key Concepts of Malpractice Reform The sky-rocketing premium costs incurred in covering doctors from malpractice suits much publicized court cases involving phy sicians has been argued to be behind the cut-backs in risky medical procedure that deprived ordinary Americans much needed medical services. This feature termed defensive medicine has ramifications that go beyond just the health department. In certain states physicians are planning to move to states where premiums are lower and insurers are exiting the industry. The problem is partly judicial as out-of-control jury awards have caused the unrestrained rise in costs, (Pozgar, 2011). Because of these hefty insurance costs that are passed on to patients, they drive inflation in the medical sector. Thus any health plan that is directed at liability reform should have measures aimed at stabilizing these rising costs. Of importance is the cap on non-economic damages which has the effect of stemming surges of indemnity losses by lowering the severity of claims and consequently premiums. Non-economic damages, sometimes termed hedonic damages, compensate harms that are hard to quantify. Every aspect of malpractice award can be quantified save for this and left to the discretion of the jury. The cap could be enhanced by allowing punitive damages. These have also been shown to have a significant impact on costs tied to the medical malpractice system (Kachalia & Mello, 2011). An offset for collateral payment could also lower the financial exposure of physicians and also the multiplicity of suits at which damages are collected. There have been recent developments that have impacted how much premium health care providers paid and the possible exposure risked. Among these are; physician exit of carriers in the market that offer affordable rates and over which physicians have some degree of control; growth of hospital self-insurance that creates a risk pool enabling more high-risk features; by affiliating with their institutions, hospitals that buy policies for their doctors stabilize insurance costs passed to doctors and finally the emergence of joint underwriting association s and patient compensation funds that cover losses exceeding the care provider’s policy limit. Other developments work to raise these costs. These are claim-made policies as opposed to occurrence policies that leave wide berth for a multiplicity of suits on which further damages are collected since they are filed once a year; increases in re-insurance costs are passed on to the doctors by their primary insurers. A dip in investment returns also

The history and evolution of Chinese women' rights Research Paper

The history and evolution of Chinese women' rights - Research Paper Example This created way for the formation of the communist government in the country under the name of the People’s Republic of China (Johnson 121). The new government committed to implementing social changes with the aim of uplifting the status of women in the society. The evolution of women’s rights in China has been a slow, painful but steady process discussed in the essay below. The growth and radical changes leading to the modern liberal Chinese society that embraces the gender equality has been slow and with myriad sacrifices, between 1966 and 1976 for example, the country experienced a massive cultural revolution as feminist movements sought the inclusion of women in the governance of the country. At the time of the formation of the new people’s republic of china, the country’s workforce had only seven percent of the women. The new communist government formulated and implemented new radical changes that with the view of increasing the status of women in th e new society but the male dominated society resisted most of such changes. By 1992, the percentage of the women in the country’s workforce had risen to thirty eight percent. Marriage in the traditional Chinese society was an arrangement between families. Young girls would be married off to men of the family’s choosing thus nurturing the women in order to befit specific requirements of the spouse’s family. Such arrangement denied women the right and privilege to fall in love and determine their lives. They simply married the men their families thought right for them. The male dominated society thought such to be effective ways of developing strong social ties but at the expense of the girl children. The great Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976 sought to address the social vice that had threatened the development of effective cultures in the society. Prior to the revolution, the communist government had initiated policies that sought to address the vice. I n 1950, the government formulated the marriage law. The law provided for the revocation of all previous family arrangements thus setting women previously bound by their families free. The law was a result of effective government research on the effects of such marriages and family arrangement on the social development of the society. By revoking all such arrangements, the governments sought to formulate better and more ethical policies and systems of marriage in the country. The men in the Chinese society opposed the legislation but through concerted government efforts and the works of the numerous feminist movements in the country, the law successful laws. In 1980, the government formulated another family law that banned arranged and forced marriages in the country. By banning such marriages, the government set the children especially the female children free from the dominance of their parents who used benefited from such arrangements. The marriage law of 1950 further permitted wo men to instigate divorces in the society. This would provide disadvantaged women in the forced, arranged and even purchased marriages the freedom to break away and foster their own independent lifestyles. Prior to the legislation, the society only permitted a divorce if it befitted the man. Additionally, the society also permitted polygamy thus allowing men to marry as many women as they wanted. In fact, the number of women in a homestead symbolized wealth and influence in the society. While

Observation study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Observation study - Essay Example Introduction Tim Hortons cafe is one of the most populated cafe in the New York region. There are various branches of the cafe in New York area, and still several in the Rochester region (Nelson, 2009). They emanate from a chain of business cafes operating under the same name from Canada. In the USA, Tim Hortons cafe has opened over 800 branches. Tim Hortons cafe, 1508 Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY 14624 is one of the cafe from the Tim Hortons chain of cafes (Craves, 2007). Methodology To be able to determine why Tim Hortons cafe has many customers than many other cafes and restaurants in the region, a structured qualitative observation methodology was applied. In this study, 45 minutes of full-time observation were utilized, during a Wednesday evening, starting 5: 30 pm to 6:15 pm. The location was particularly selected due to its popularity, as well as the access, since it is situated on the Buffalo road. Structured observation entailed the observation of different activities within th e cafe, including the way the customer arrive and leave the cafe, the time taken since a customer’s arrival to the time the customer is served, and the nature of the service that the customers in this cafe are offered. ... en, since the pre-selection of some participants would render the study skewed towards the desirable characteristics and relationships between the employees and the customers. Therefore, a random sampling method of participants was applied, to ensure that the observational study will be accurate and no desirable social characteristics are elicited on either the customer participants or the employee participants. The selected participants were representative of every aspect of demographic characteristics. Thus, the participants were selected from different ages, gender and racial groups, as well as perceived different economic classes. To establish why customers like Tim Hortons cafe, the researcher looked for the following: 1. The arrival and departure rate of customers 2. Customer-to-employee relationship in terms of language and communication 3. The service time gap between when the customer arrives and when they are served 4. The opening and closing schedule of the cafe 5. The pri cing strategy of the cafe Data and Measurement For the purpose of accuracy of the data collected, the data measurement applied two methods, namely structured observation as well as brief interviewing. This combination was resulted to, after a session of debating that found that observation alone was not adequate for the nature of the study, since simply observing the atmosphere of the cafe, the nature of the relationship between the employee and the customers, as well as the pricing of the cafe would not give plausible and adequate information regarding the other innate reasons that attracts the customers to the cafe. Therefore, interviewing was resulted to, as a complimentary method, to compliment the information obtainable through observation, for the sake of clarification and certainty,

Organizational Behavior, Dr. Pavlov Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organizational Behavior, Dr. Pavlov - Essay Example Reinforcement means repeating a set pattern of actions, considering them pleasurable when doing so and doing it enough times for the body to bypass conscious evaluation of action and respond immediately with the set pattern that is linked to a stimuli. Pavlov's father was reinforcing him for priesthood after his accident. Athletes use reinforcement to prepare themselves, repeating the motions of their particular sport, enjoying the process even when they seem to be in physical plan and use repetition till the execution of the desire motion becomes second nature, this is reinforcement. Extinction is best explained like this. Constant exposure to a stimulus lowers its perceptible threat, given a new element is not introduced. Dr. Pavlov's indifference towards the danger of offending Stalin, who uncharacteristically didn't respond, explains extinction. The feeling of being annihilated is intense when the stimulus is new, but with constant exposure, the threat reduces and we feel safer. This is how children evolve from the fear of the boogeyman. With constant exposure to darkness (provided no one is trying to scare them), boogeyman does not feel so threatening anymore. The Pavlovian concept of discrimination is based on how a stimulus is evaluated and responded to, the response can be conditioned based on past experiences or unconditioned due to uncertainty on evaluating a new stimuli that has been introduced. Dr. Pavlov reprimanding his assistant for being late to the laboratory despite pitched battles taking place on the streets shows how he discriminated the situa tion differently from those around him. The most common examples of discrimination can be seen among people who have different preferences in music genres. An individual who prefers classical music like that of Mozart and Beethoven, discriminates the current hip hop scene very differently from one who lives off on such kind of music. Discrimination is based upon past conditioning and acquired response, but it can and does change over a period of time. Generalization, as the name suggests, is the perceptual experience of an uncommon situation, expressed through evaluation with past experiences. Dr. Pavlov's indifference to practicalities like taking care of his finances or personal safety, irrespective of penury or losing his son or on becoming a Nobel Prize winner and writing angry letters to Stalin, display his generalization towards practical matters. Most prominent generalizations are seen on television networks covering natural disasters like hurricanes. Before a hurricane hits shore, certain patterns are detectable, based on this predictions are made. Whenever a similar pattern emerges, a call for cover against hurricanes is called for; sometimes it is a false alarm. But generalizations have been made based on past data, assuming that when A = C, the chances of C happening when A manifests itself is highly probable, this is generalizing, the media conglomerates have understood this concept well and use it periodically and effectively.

Mergers & Acquisitions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mergers & Acquisitions - Essay Example â€Å"Mergers and acquisitions represent the ultimate in change for a business No other event is more difficult, challenging, or chaotic as a merger and acquisition. It is imperative that everyone involved in the process has a clear understanding of how the process works†. Since the past decade, the globalisation of the businesses across the globe has initiated a search for the competitive advantage, worldwide. With the increased competition to fetch the customer satisfaction in a cost effective way, the companies have responded to the pressure of attaining scale in a quickly consolidating global economy. In addition to some other trends, such as privatisation, deregulation and corporate restructuring, globalisation has encouraged an unparalleled surge in the cross-border merger and the acquisition activities.Cross-border consolidation activities are a significant component of global business operations.This report will look into the mergers and acquisitions of companies in th e light of current issues. For better understanding, the analysis would be done in the light of relevant theories and applications with the mention of specific examples in the arena of merger and acquisitions. Through ‘merger’, two companies would join together to create a new company.Acquisition refers to one company taking over the assets of another company. Merger and acquisition can be of three types: Horizontal, Vertical and Conglomerate. In horizontal mergers and acquisitions, two firms, involved, deal across similar products and services. This type of mergers and acquisitions is frequently used as the mean for an organisation to enhance the market share through getting into merger with a competing firm or by acquiring the same. For an instance, consolidation among Mobil and Exxon would allow these companies to attain a large chunk of share in the oil and gas market. Vertical mergers and acquisitions happen when two organisations are merged through the value-chain , such as any manufacturer firm merging with one supplier or a manufacturer acquiring its supplier firm. Vertical consolidation processes are mostly used as significant mean to gain the competitive advantage in the respective marketplace by leveraging on the value chain. For an instance, Merck, a leading pharmaceuticals manufacturer, merged with the leading pharmaceuticals distributor, Medco. This was done to fetch the benefits in products distribution. Consolidations are conglomerate when two firms from entirely dissimilar industries merge. For an instance, a gas pipeline organisation merging with high technology organisation or acquiring the same can be seemed as a conglomerate merger. Conglomerates are mostly used as significant mean to smooth out broad fluctuations in the revenue amount and offer more constancy in the growth in long-term. Typically, organisations in the mature industries which have poor growth prospects would seek to broaden their businesses horizons through mer gers and acquisitions. For an instance, General Electric has diversified its business through merger and acquisition activities. GE has got into new segments like television broadcasting and financial services through a number of mergers and acquisitions of the financial services and entertainment organisations. Mergers and Acquisitions in United Kingdom United Kingdom has been the host of a number of mergers and acquisitions. The value of UK domestic acquisitions in the third quarter, 2010, amounted to ?2.6 billion which is slightly up