Assessment Type

[pic] Westminster International College Module Title: Research Methodologies Programme: MBA Part Time Groups: 9,10,11,12 & 13 Module Period: 22 February 2013 – 23 March 2013 Lecturer: Dr. Lester Massingham Tutor: Dr. Kui Juan Tiang Date of Completion and Submission: 23 March 2013 Submission Method: Online via turnitin Assessment Type: A type-written assignment Assignment Question: The aim of the module is to equip students to plan and conduct a research project leading to the production of a Masters level dissertation. The general goal is to introduce and develop the skills needed to conceptualise a problem and a viable research topic.Students will make use of available literature, design a research strategy, evaluate, organise, and integrate relevant data (both existing and new), derive useful solutions, and communicate those solutions in an appropriate form to clients and colleagues. The module will prepare students to continue their own professional education and contribute to the development of the profession as a whole, at a standard commensurate with the current level of knowledge. The module surveys the basic processes of research methodology as practised in the social sciences.Underlying principles of science and logic are emphasised and special attention is directed toward the recognition of common sources of error and bias in the implementation and interpretation of research studies as it affects the outcomes of research utilisation. You are required to submit a research proposal. The content of the document produced by each student is required to cover the specific areas and to be within specific maximum word lengths (marks allocation and word lengths in brackets) as follows: 1. Title and Introduction. Form a clear title of a proposed research.Elaborate on the background of the industry and/or company to be researched as well as the problem or issue identified. Also explain the significance and rationale of the proposed research. (15 marks / 8 00 words maximum) 2. Research Questions. Construct the questions to be answered in the proposed research. (5 marks / 100 words maximum) 3. Research Objectives and Framework. State the research objectives in terms of the factors or causes identified (independent variables) and their relationships with the identified problem or issue (dependent variable).Following the stated objectives, construct a proposed research model or conceptual framework. (5 marks / 100 words maximum) 4. Literature Review. With reference to various relevant literatures, write a critical review and analysis of both the conceptual/theoretical and practical aspects of the identified problem/issue and factors/causes. (40 marks / 2,000 words maximum) 5. Research Methodology and Design. Elaborate the concept, types and approaches in research.Propose a research design for the research topic selected with detailed explanation on elements such as the sample, sample size, types and sources of information, collection met hods and operationalisation or measurement of variables. (15 marks / 800 words maximum) 6. Ethical Considerations. Identify ethical issues involved and steps taken to prevent breach of research ethics. (5 marks / 100 words maximum) 7. Timescale or Gantt Chart. Construct a Gantt Chart in weeks that includes the stages and milestones of the research tasks and their respective time allocations. 5 marks / 100 words maximum) 8. References. Using the Harvard referencing system, provide a comprehensive list of references. (10 marks) Assessment Requirements: †¢ The submission of your work for assessment should be organised and clearly structured in a report format as outlined in 1. 0 to 8. 0 above. †¢ Maximum word length allowed is 4000 words, which includes sections 1. 0 to 7. 0 in the report. The word count excludes section 8. 0. †¢ This assignment is worth 100% of the final assessment of the module. Student is required to submit a type-written document in Microsoft Word fo rmat with Times New Roman font type, size 12 and line spacing of 1. 5. †¢ The Harvard Style of Referencing system is COMPULSORY. †¢ Indicate the sources of information and literature review by including all the necessary citations and references adopting the Harvard Referencing System. †¢ Students who have been found to have committed acts of Plagiarism are automatically considered to have failed the entire semester. If found to have breached the regulation for the second time, you will be asked to leave the course.Plagiarism involves taking someone else’s words, thoughts, ideas or essays from online essay banks and trying to pass them off as your own. It is a form of cheating which is taken very seriously. Take care of your work and keep it safe. Don’t leave it lying around where your classmates can find it. Malaysian Qualifications Agency Learning Outcomes Module Learning Outcomes: †¢ Demonstrate the skills necessary to assess and interpret existi ng research as a prelude to carrying out further investigation and the knowledge and understanding of range of research designs and their appropriate utilization. Conceptualise a problem; formulate hypotheses and objectives; design a research strategy, collecting, analyzing, and interpreting both quantitative and qualitative data, including commonly encountered statistical procedures. †¢ Understand the theoretical principles underlying inferential and descriptive statistics. †¢ Integrate the findings of existing research to ask a new research question. †¢ Engage in critical thinking when reading and comprehending research articles. Choose the most appropriate statistical analyses, interpret results, and write up the results accurately and completely. Notes on Plagiarism & Harvard Referencing Plagiarism Plagiarism is passing off the work of others as your own. This constitutes academic theft and is a serious matter which is penalised in assignment marking. Plagiarism i s the submission of an item of assessment containing elements of work produced by another person(s) in such a way that it could be assumed to be the student’s own work. Examples of plagiarism are: the verbatim copying of another person’s work without acknowledgement †¢ the close paraphrasing of another person’s work by simply changing a few words or altering the order of presentation without acknowledgement †¢ the unacknowledged quotation of phrases from another person’s work and/or the presentation of another person’s idea(s) as one’s own. Copying or close paraphrasing with occasional acknowledgement of the source may also be deemed to be plagiarism if the absence of quotation marks implies that the phraseology is the student’s own.Plagiarised work may belong to another student or be from a published source such as a book, report, journal or material available on the internet. Harvard Referencing The structure of a citation under the Harvard referencing system is the author's surname, year of publication, and page number or range, in parentheses, as illustrated in the Smith example near the top of this article. †¢ The page number or page range is omitted if the entire work is cited. The author's surname is omitted if it appears in the text. Thus we may say: â€Å"Jones (2001) revolutionized the field of trauma surgery. †¢ Two or three authors are cited using â€Å"and† or â€Å"&†: (Deane, Smith, and Jones, 1991) or (Deane, Smith & Jones, 1991). More than three authors are cited using et al. (Deane et al. 1992). †¢ An unknown date is cited as no date (Deane n. d. ). A reference to a reprint is cited with the original publication date in square brackets (Marx [1867] 1967, p. 90). †¢ If an author published two books in 2005, the year of the first (in the alphabetic order of the references) is cited and referenced as 2005a, the second as 2005b. †¢ A citation is pla ced wherever appropriate in or after the sentence.If it is at the end of a sentence, it is placed before the period, but a citation for an entire block quote immediately follows the period at the end of the block since the citation is not an actual part of the quotation itself. †¢ Complete citations are provided in alphabetical order in a section following the text, usually designated as â€Å"Works cited† or â€Å"References. † The difference between a â€Å"works cited† or â€Å"references† list and a bibliography is that a bibliography may include works not directly cited in the text. †¢ All citations are in the same font as the main text. Examples Examples of book references are: †¢ Smith, J. (2005a).Dutch Citing Practices. The Hague: Holland Research Foundation. †¢ Smith, J. (2005b). Harvard Referencing. London: Jolly Good Publishing. In giving the city of publication, an internationally well-known city (such as London, The Hague, or New York) is referenced as the city alone. If the city is not internationally well known, the country (or state and country if in the U. S. ) are given. An example of a journal reference: †¢ Smith, John Maynard. â€Å"The origin of altruism,† Nature 393, 1998, pp. 639–40. An example of a newspaper reference: †¢ Bowcott, Owen. â€Å"Street Protest†, The Guardian, October 18, 2005, accessed February 7, 2006.

The Future Of Marketing Is Automation With Chris Davis From ActiveCampaign

The Future Of Marketing Is Automation With Chris Davis From ActiveCampaign Want to provide a better experience for your prospects and customers, and make your work life a little more efficient at the same time? That’s the dream behind marketing automation. It’s about delivering the right messages to the right people in the most effective way. Today, we’re talking to Chris Davis, director of education at ActiveCampaign. He teaches us that marketing automation goes beyond email marketing and shares ideas on how you can improve your customer experience with automation. Marketing automation is the process of employing technology to execute a marketing strategy Hire and train each tool that you use in marketing to solve a problem Owners wear many hats; marketing automation lets them do more of what they want to do in their business, than what they have to do Examples of automation include someone filling out a form and your company following up or giving away something for free to obtain email addresses Biggest mindset shift to automation is looking at your platform not as a way to send out emails, but as a way to collect data Sole purpose of marketing automation is to scale personalization and make people feel individualized; automation allows you to sort or segment contacts Before doing anything technical, define segments in your business; who are you going to be talking to? First 2 segments: customers and non-customers Simple things become complex when understanding isn’t in close proximity; most businesses struggle to understand marketing and technology Email can be the channel or means in which a message travels; send a message to customers to break the barrier of technology Marketing automation qualifies customers and determines who should follow-up with them; automation serves as a facilitator People prefer to buy online, rather than going into a store; their guards are down, but everybody still wants to be treated like a human being and individual Outsourcing marketing can be a mistake; you may need someone internal to your business that is involved in the day-to-day to unleash your marketing Links: ActiveCampaign Jobs to be Done Drip Write and send a review to receive a care package If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Chris Davis: â€Å"Our customers need optimization across the entire customer journey.† â€Å"When I think of marketing automation, it’s the process of employing technology to execute your marketing strategy.† â€Å"Your biggest mindset shift when it comes to marketing automation is to stop looking at your platform as a means of sending out emails, and look at it as a means of collecting data.† â€Å"The goal is to be able to do more of what you want to do in your business, than what you have to do.†

Law statement of purpose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Law statement of purpose - Essay Example eveloped an interest in law during my elementary school years, following an interesting legal argument at the United States Supreme Court, I aligned my interest to studying law and was already biased to law related subjects during my high school. This further influenced my decision to study Islamic law at the undergraduate level. Studying law at the graduate level will also offer me an opportunity to work with my former University. In addition, my interest in human rights has motivated my intention to study law at the graduate level for a better understanding of laws on the rights and possible gaps that exists in the laws for improvements. My experience in law includes internships with law firms and volunteer work with human rights based nongovernmental organizations. Upon completing the graduate program, I will establish myself in the legal profession and use my professional and social position to inform legal policies and to advocate for greater recognition of human rights, especially rights of marginalized populations. Besides my intrinsic motivation into the graduate program and my academic background in law, I have availed resources and planned my schedule to ensure successful completion of the program. I look forward to your

Applied management project Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15000 words

Applied management project - Dissertation Example The emergence of corporate communication was brought about by the need of organisations to build and maintain relationships with its key stakeholders in order to sustain the survival of the organisation's business in its respective industry. The management of communication functions has evolved from fragmented disciplines into a holistic setting. Previously, organisations have made use of communication disciplines as individual units that would serve its distinct purpose in line with the employed strategies. Through the course of communication development, organisations have realized the importance of an integrated approach towards managing communication functions. ... Aims and Objectives Communication is not just an integral factor between personal relationships and groups, it also applies to organisations. Success cannot simply be measured by performance and quality; it can be culminated through proper communication to form a clear and lucid relationship between firms and its publics. Most companies fail to see the importance of what integrated corporate communication can do to improve their businesses (Van Ruler & de Lange 2003). At present, the prevailing principle in regards to the basis of an organisation's survival in the industry depends on how it is perceived by its key stakeholders, which comprises of both internal and external publics. Internal audiences are investors, stockholders, shareholders and employees; whereas external audiences are the consumers and other members of the community such as the government, institutions and media (Argenti, Howell & Beck 2005). Such principle had been further proved by recent events such as corporate crises, recession, financial crisis and the liberalism of trade. These have led to the decisions of senior executives among leading organisations to fortify the reputation of their firms and place significant emphasis on it as one of their key strategic goals. This goal entails the process of formulating, maintaining and protecting the reputation of the firm. Such objectives are the core tasks of a corporate communication specialist. In spite of significance highlighted on the organisation's image and reputation, the purpose and the benefits provided by corporate communication is yet to be fully grasped (Marchand 1998; Van Ruler & de Lange 2003; Argenti et. al 2005). This concern has made specialists

Follow the attachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Follow the attachment - Essay Example It is about a court ruling in Europe that all social networks sites should install monitoring programs to avoid internet piracy. The article goes against the ruling saying that the step is wrong and illegal. The article was compiled by Don Reisinger. The other article is Car tech from the category of Reviews. It is composed by Cunnington Wayne. The article is, 2012 Honda CR: AN exercise in moderation (CNET.com). Wayne says that the car keeps many of its values intact making it a popular small SUV car. However, the car never takes the advantages of the existing new opportunities to make it better or improve its quality. With the existing earth dream initiative, Honda is developing other efficient engines compared to the current engines. The next article from reviews is about the new tablets and some coolest gadgets. The article title is: Incredible light, superfast laptops (CNET.com). It talks about a laptop which is ultraportable in nature. The laptops are of all pieces, as well as, operating systems. However, all of them are easily portable compared to other brands. The last article is from the Mac Software in the downloads category. The title of the article is; â€Å"With Mountain Lion, Apple brings iOS and OS X a big step closer† (CNET.com).The article is posted by Kent German. OS X also has ability to unify the experience of the user while adding new and unique security protection. Technology is very important to human life in several aspects. However, not all the existing technological tools are healthy or safe to human use. We do understand that these innovations are very crucial for human survival in different areas of life including hospitals, as well as various matriculation institutions. In the first case, the article talks of a machine that will make human work easier than before by aiding in the management of different electrical appliances. The article does not

University of Phoenix Online Learning System User’s Manual Essay Example for Free

University of Phoenix Online Learning System User’s Manual Essay The University of Phoenix Online Learning System is a web-based education program that offers students to earn degrees in the most convenient and efficient way possible. Students would have to be enrolled first in the University of Phoenix before they can register to the University’s Online Learning System. To access the system, students would have to login to https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/login. asp and enter their specified user login name and password. The user login name and password could be specified by registering to the website. First time users would have to register. To do this, users would just have to click on the link that states â€Å"New Users SIGN UP here† found at the upper-left hand corner of the page and fill out the form that appears on the next page. Note that the user could choose his or her preferred login name and password. Once the user has successfully registered, he or she could now login to the University of Phoenix Online Learning System. The user would have to input the user login name and password to access the system. The user login name and password must match those that were specified during registration. Also note that the password is case-sensitive. Once successfully logging in, the system will direct the user in his or her main page where current enrolled courses are listed. Links to other services like publications, site tools, resource information and others are also listed on the left side of the page. There are also links to important messages in the right side of the page. There is also links where users could pay his or her bills, access his or her learning resources, view the grade report, and access the learning team. However, the most important is being able to enter into the class. Clicking on the â€Å"Open rEsource† link allows the users to view lectures. Lecture topics are organized by week. Each topic listed per week is a link where resources for the lectures are displayed under the â€Å"Materials† section. Topic objectives and assessments are also displayed. Clicking on a resource found under the â€Å"Materials† section opens a new window where the lecture is displayed. Note that some lectures are from an e-book collection and may or may not be able to be viewed using the browser. In cases where it does not allow to be viewed on the browser, the e-book must be downloaded. Users could download the e-book by clicking on the â€Å"Download eBook† link found on the upper part of the page. Users could also choose to buy the book by clicking on the â€Å"Buy This Book† link, and choose to print the current chapter by clicking on the â€Å"Print Chapter† link. These links are found at the upper portion of the page, along with the â€Å"Download eBook† link. Also note that some e-book collections are in protected PDF format from which username and password are required. Users could use the same user login name and password used to log into the system to view the contents of a protected PDF resource. Users could now read at their convenience the resource for the lectures. As already specified, the user’s main page displays classes currently enrolled in by the user. The details include the course name, schedule, and the instructor’s name along with other information. Each course has a button or link that states â€Å"Go To Class. † Users would have to click on that link to enter the class and access class discussions and lectures. Students enrolled in online courses could also collaborate with a working team. The link that states â€Å"Learning Team† found with each course listed on the main page allows users to access their learning team. The University of Phoenix Online Learning System allows students t complete coursework through electronic forums. This is accessed by entering a class from the user or student’s main page. The Online Learning System also allows students to receive lecture notes, questions, and assignments electronically. Students who are enrolled in online courses have therefore the luxury of studying at their convenience by choosing the time and place to study—that is, students could avoid conflicting schedules.

The Rationality Of Azande Witchcraft

The Rationality Of Azande Witchcraft Rationality is the way in which we come to form our decisions and views, to say that something is rational, one might say that it is characterised by reason. Rationality arose in the 17th and 18th centuries when philosophers, such as Descartes and Locke, started declaring that the use of reason was the best method of obtaining objective truths. It was also at this time that science became central in Western thinking. The ability to reason was believed to be the one essential difference that separates man from other animals. As the importance of rationality grew in Western society other traditions and superstitions were deemed irrational and lost place in Western society. Things that were now unexplainable through rational means became invalid. Rationality is a vital concept to anthropologists as it has a tremendous impact on how they interpret the way of life for the culture that they are studying. In order to understand if Azande witchcraft is rational one must understand the backgr ound behind their beliefs and how they were formulated. In this essay I will be exploring the relationship between rationality and Azande witchcraft. Witchcraft may be defined as The use of supernatural powers for the purpose of obtaining and exercising control over other people, circumstances, or events. Witchcraft often poses problems anthropologists, as its supernatural nature is perhaps conflicting to the common Western notions of rationality, mainly deemed superior. E.E. Evans-Pritchard describes in great detail in his ethnography Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande, the beliefs and practices of the African tribe. In it he states how fundamental this witchcraft is everyday Azande life, saying it is apparent in their law and morals, etiquette and religion; it is prominent in technology and language. He even goes so far as to say that there is no niche or corner of Zande culture into which it does not twist itself. According to the Azande witchcraft is believed to be a substance in the belly, which is inherited from parents of the same sex. The substance can remain dormant, meaning someone might not know that they are a witch. However it is believed that sometimes this substance will act by striking someone the witch seeks revenge upon. Because witchcraft is believed to always be present, there are several rituals connected to protection from and cancelling of witchcraft that are performed almost daily. When something out of the ordinary occurs, usually something bad, to an individual, they may blame witchcraft, just as non-Zande people may say bad luck. Luck may be defined as an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another. According to Azande belief, various misfortunes encountered in daily life may be attributed to the action of witches. Someone may fall ill, crops may fail or a hut may catch fire. Such events may be due to the magic of a witch who lives nearby. Azande witchcraft involves no rituals, spells or medicines. Evans-Pritchard describes it is a psychic act whereby the soul of witchcraft leaves a witchs body and travels over not too great a distance to interfere with its victim (1976: 10-2). Witches inherit the property of being a witch from a parent of the same sex. Their bodies contain a witchcraft substance found in their belly, which is what makes them a witch. After the death of a suspected witch, it may be determined whether they were indeed a witch by examining the contents of their intestines for the presence of witchcraft-substance (1976: 15-6). The poison oracle serves as a norm on the basis of which Azande accept beliefs about events which occur in daily life. This norm is different from any norm that we possess. However, it does not suffice for relativism merely to provide an instance of an alternative epistemic norm. It must also be argued that rational justification is relative to the norms that are in fact employed within different belief systems. The Azande employ a number of techniques to determine the action of unseen forces. One of these, which Evans-Pritchard calls the poison oracle, is used to answer a very broad range of questions not limited to witchcraft (1976: 122). The poison oracle is the preferred way for the Azande to determine whether a particular mishap is due to the action of a witch. In the poison oracle, a poisonous substance known as benge is administered to a chicken (1976: 134-8). A series of questions is posed. The chicken is either unaffected by the poison or, more frequently, has violent spasms. Sometimes the chicken dies. But just as often it survives. The manner in which the chicken reacts to the poison is interpreted as indicating the presence or absence of witchcraft. In certain circumstances, for example if a legal matter is at stake, poison is administered to a second chicken in order to confirm the result. When this is done, the questions are framed in such a way that, if the chicken dies the first time, the second chicken must survive, and vice versa. The Azandes use of the poison oracle is an example of an epistemic norm that differs from any norm that we employ.1 For the Azande, appeal to the oracle provides reason to believe that a particular occurrence either is or is not the result of witchcraft. The oracle serves as an epistemic norm which operates in Azande society as the basis for beliefs about witchcraft. In this paper, I will use the Azand e poison oracle as an example to illustrate the epistemological relativist claim that epistemic norms vary with belief system. Evans-Pritchard in his ethnographic text Witchcraft Oracles and Magic Among the Azande wrote about the Azande people of Sudan. The belief in witches and witchcraft was an integral part of Azande life at this time. Evans-Pritchard gives the example of when an old granary collapses, killing or injuring somebody resting beneath it. He stresses that Zande people know that termites eat away at the wood, and that in the heat the granary provides shade. The Azande people however seek to determine why at that point that particular granary fell on that particular person. The first port of call is always witchcraft because If there had been no witchcraft, people would have been sitting under the granary and it would not have fallen on them, or it would have collapsed but the people would not have been sheltering under it at the time. Witchcraft explains the coincidence of these two happenings. To the Azande people it is perfectly rational to suspect witches are responsible for these acts, as t hey believe that witchcraft existing is a self-evident truth. They do not question if witchcraft but rather how. A Western scientist would consider the non-existence of witchcraft to be a self-evident truth and therefore conclude something different, that the death was an accident. E. Mansell Pattison believes that the difference is not a question of rationality but rather à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦our differing construction of what reality is. ; the self-evident truths we hold, and it would seem these are not as objective as we like to think they are. The extract from EE Evans-Pritchards Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Amongst the Azande is a much-discussed text. It attracts attention both for its interesting account of the ways in which the Azande and in particular the Azande men see the world, take decisions and live in it, and for the methodological and philosophical questions that it raises. Throughout the book, Evans-Pritchard takes issue with Là ©vy-Bruhls belief that the savage thinks in a different way from modern men. The Azande may have a world-picture which is different from our own, but in their reasoning and in their actions, they are just as logical and just as reasonable as we are. Moreover, the customs which seem bizarre or mistaken to us are, in the end, just as useful as our own. The anthropologist says that he used the poison oracle himself, and that it proved as satisfactory a way of organizing his life as any other. In view of this, it is rather surprising to discover that the philosopher, Peter Winch, has argued that Evans-Pritchards account is flawed. It is flawed because, says Winch, in the end, the anthropologist subscribes to the view that Azande witchcraft beliefs, and their faith in the poison oracle are mistaken. The European adopts a scientific view where the Zande adopt a mystical one and, says Winch, for Evans-Pritchard, the European is right and the Zande is wrong. Now, I dont know about you, but, if this really is Evans-Pritchards position and Im not absolutely sure that it is then it seems, on the face of it, to be quite reasonable. I do not myself believe that feeding poison to a chicken will or can offer me any enlightening information about the behaviour or motives of my neighbours. Nor do I believe that anyone can affect my health or my emotions by casting a spell on me. Moreover, I am convinced that my belief is well-founded. It is, I will claim, a scientific view of things, and has behind it all the weight of the immense advances in human knowledge and control of nature that science has brought about. What, then, can Winchs objection be? In essence, Winch argues that it is mistaken to compare the scientific view-point and Azande witchcraft beliefs at all. It is, he says, a category-mistake. My conception of the mystical which I then dismiss as nonsense is different from the Zandes conception of the oracle or the witch. In fact, the problem is that I do not have the same category magic that the Zande possess, and so I mistakenly try to understand it by measuring it against a category that I do possess science. From this point of view, the Azande have a richer culture than I do: they have a primitive technical sphere which, although rudimentary compared to mine, is adequate to their needs. But they also have magic, which I do not. Magic gives them the tools with which to do things that I cannot do, to think about things that I cannot think about (I think I am paraphrasing Winch here). I look at the Zande accounts of oracles and of witchcraft with amused condescension. But the Zande may have more justification in looking askance at my own cultural poverty.