Thursday, April 11, 2019
DSC2006 Unofficial Mid-Term Mock Test Essay Example for Free
DSC2006 drumhead Mid-Term Mock Test EssayDSC2006 Unofficial Mid-Term Mock Test2010/11 Semester 2Select the disclosego answer1. Business organizations consist of three major functions which, ideally a) support one an oppositeb) are mutually exclusivec) exist independently of each new(prenominal)d) function independently of each othere) do non interface with each other2. Revenue management is concerned witha) a surgical operation designed to determine the best handling of funds gene investd through sales. b) the part of marketing tools to increase revenue.c) the use of accounting tools to monitor cash flow. d) the use of pricing to increase the profit gene strayd from a limited hand over of supply chain assets.e) the appropriate use of operational tools to improve operational efficiency with a moot to increasing revenue.3. In narrate to make oppositeial pricing effective, which of the side rake issues are to be dealt with?a) The household essential unalikeiate betw een the market segments and structure its pricing to make one segment wage more(prenominal) than the other.b) The firm must control choose such that the lower give segment does not use the entire availability of the asset.c) The firm must secure enough capacity to meet imply from each segment. d) The firm should structure pricing according to diametric market segments and alike control demand in such a way that the lower segment does not utilize the entire availability of the asset.e) The firm must secure enough capacity to meet demand of each segment and also control demand in such a way that the lower segment does not utilize the entire availability of the asset.4. In edict to differentiate between different market segments, the firm must a) negotiate separately with different market segments that value mathematical product or service attrisolelyes differently.b) hit barriers by identifying product or service attributes that the segments value differently.c) develop pri cing structures based on the volume of various product or service attributes.d) eliminate barriers that identify product or service attributes that the segments value differently.e) take in barriers by identifying product or service attributes that the segments value differently and also negotiate separately with different market segments.5. Under which of the following condition(s) is the concept of revenue management is applicable?a) Capacity is perishable.b) The selfsame(prenominal) whole of capacity finish be used to deliver product or service to different submarkets having their hold demand curves with different legal injury elasticity. c) Using appropriate booking rules, a firm can create a fence among the relevant submarkets.d) Capacity is perishable, the same capacity can be used to different submarkets having their own demand curves with different price elasticity and also the firm can create a fence among the relevant submarkets.e) Capacity is perishable and the same capacity can be used to different submarkets having their own demand curves with different price elasticity 6. Throughput clipping cannot be reduced in a border bya) Reducing the utilization of bottleneck equipmentb) Performing activities using a serial move upc) Changing the place of activitiesd) Reducing interruptionse) All of the above are ways by which throughput time can be reduced 7. According to Littles Law, which of the following ratios is used to find throughput time?a) Cycle time/ suffice timeb) Throughput time/Process velocityc) Process velocity/Throughput timed) Work-in-Process/Throughput ratee) Value conducted time/Process velocity8. A firm can participate in the quantity discount illustrated on a lower floor when purchasing a product. It cost $20 to amaze an order each time. The holding cost rate is 20%. The annual demand for the product is 10,000 units. Lead time for the product is 1 month. Quantity520 woo$12$10$9What is the minimum conglomeration cost that t his firm can purchase and caudex this item while facing a quantity discount?a) 90,468b) 90,853c) 90,894d) 100,000e) 100,8949. Which of the following determines the capacity of a doing line? a) the takt timeb) the throughput timec) the theoretical minimum number of civilise stationsd) the efficiency10. Which of the following types of manufacturing layout is considered a hybrid? a) Process layoutb) Product layoutc) Fixed- pose layoutd) Cellular layout11. Compute the required cycle time for a process that operates 8 hours dailywith a required output of 300 units per day.a) 0.625 proceedingsb) 1.6 minutesc) 37.5 minutesd) 0.027 minutes12. Which of the following is NOT a mark of a good layout in manufacturing? a) Straight line flow patter (or adaption)b) Predictable production linec) Bottleneck operationsd) Work stations boney togethere) Open plant floors ( uplifted visibility)13. Revenue management is not especially useful wherea) Capacity is relatively fixedb) The market can be f airly clearly segmentedc) The service cannot be exchange in advanced) The service/product can be stored14. Which is the correct order for process types kickoff with low volume/high variety and moving to high volume/low variety?a) potty processes, compute processes, line of merchandise obtain processes, mass processes, unremitting processesb) Project processes, chain reactor processes, mass processes, job shop processes, continuous processesc) Project processes, job shop processes, chaw processes, mass processes, continuous processesd) Job shop processes, batch processes, mass processes, continuous processes, project processes15. Which is the correct sequence in order of increasing process flexibility? a) Job shop / batch / project / continuous / productb) Project / job shop/ batch / continuous / productc) Job shop/ batch / project / product / continuousd) Project / job shop/ batch / product / continuouse) Continuous / product / batch / job shop/ project16. Which of these s tatements is correct?The Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)a) Is a formula that calculates a realistic purchase price for an item b)Will depend on how legion(predicate) related parts are required in the same periodc) Is used to calculate how much safety stock should be carried d) Determines the lowest order quantity by balancing the cost of ordering against the cost of holding stocke) Should be deliberate once a year17. Under the ABC system of account priorities a Class A item is a) The 80% of high-value items that account for some 20% the total stock turnover valueb) The 20% of high-value items that account for around 20% the total stock turnover valuec) The 20% of high-value items that account for around 80% the total stock turnover valued) The 80% of high-value items that account for around 80% the total stock turnover value18. The layout where the equipment, machinery, plant and people move as necessary is known asa) Product layoutb) Fixed-position layoutc) Cell layoutd) Process layout19. A supermarket is usually positioned asa) Cell layoutb) Process layoutc) Fixed-position layoutd) Product layout20. A self-service cafeteria is usually positioned asa) Cell layoutb) Product layoutc) Fixed-position layoutd) Process layout21. Which of the following is usually considered a peculiarity of a product or line layout?a) This layout can proceedsously handle high volume but low variety b) This layout tends to be genuinely pliantc) Transforming resources are costly to maintaind) This layout can easily handle high variety but low volume e) Transforming resources move to the work22. A product layouta) Groups transforming resources into dedicated cellsb) Involves locating the transforming resources entirely for the convenience of the transformed resourcesc) Is appropriate for low volume operationsd) Allows a wide variety of products to be manufactured on the same equipment e) Moves resources to the place where the operation is to be carried out23. Cell layouts typica llya) Locate transforming resources entirely for the convenience of the transformed resourcesb) Cost more to run than other types of process layoutc) Involve all the operations on a product being located adjacent to each other d) Are dominated by the transforming resourcese) Are the roughly efficient form of process layout24. Which of the following is the least likely decision to be made by Operations Managers?a) Designing and improving the jobs of the workforceb) Selecting the location and layout of a facilityc) How much capacity is required to balance demandd) How to use quality techniques to reduce wastee) Deciding which market areas to manufacture products for25. Which of the following would not normally be considered a general characteristic of a service?a) Many services involve both literal and intangible outputs b) Production and consumption are simultaneousc) Production and consumption can always be spatially separated d) Low contact services can often be made more effic ient than high contact servicese) Production and sales cannot easily be separated functionally26. Which of the following is not usually considered a characteristic of a fixed position layout?a) Fixed position layouts are often used for large or delicate products or services b) Transforming resources are class in cellsc) The recipient of the process or the work being undertaken remain in the same placed) Fixed position layouts are able to offer high flexibility e) Transforming resources often move to the work27. Operations management isa) decision making involving the design, planning, and control of the processes that produce goods and services.b) decision making involving accounting, engineering, marketing, and strategy expression that affect operations.c) decision making involving operations productivity and the reliability, durability, and manufacturability of products.d) decision making involving analyzing the competitive environment, appraising the organizations skills and re sources, and examining the limitations of political economy and technology on operations.28. Inputs to the transformation process of operations include a) Labour, capital, management, and genuine.b) Product design, materials planning, production planning, and product distribution.c) strategical planning, marketing, engineering, and purchasing d) Steel, plastics, fibres, food crops, or other raw materials. 29. Some characteristics of services that differentiate them from goods (manufactured products) area) intangible, neighboring(a) consumption, high customer contactb) inventory, immediate consumption, options availablec) delayed consumption, intangible, customer contactd) immediate consumption, options available, inventory30. The concept of value-added meansa) the customer must add value to a product by paying for it b) machines add value to the production process because of their low cost c) only service operations add value for the customerd) outputs of a process are worth more to customers than the sum of inputs31. Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) differs from a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) in thata) CIM usually includes one or more FMSs as components.b) An FMS does not use computers at all.c) CIM is only one component of an FMS.d) CIM is concerned only with data while FMS involves production processes. 32. A union is planning to produce a product that will compete in a high-volume market that is very price-competitive. What type of process would be most appropriate?a) projectb) job shopc) batchd) continuous33. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a product layout? a) standard product.b) high volume production.c) same sequence of operations for each unit.d) each order may require a unique sequence of operations.34. The desired production rate for an assembly line is 120 units-per hour. What would be the cycle time?a) 30 seconds per unitb) 40 seconds per unitc) 0083 minutes per unitd) 2 minutes per unit35. Which of the followin g is an advantage of a cellular layout? a) higher volume than an assembly line.b) greater f1exibility than a job shop.c) reduced material handling.d) use of more employees.36. A company has a set of tasks that must be completed to encounter a product. The total time for these tasks is 96 minutes. The cycle time is 3 minutes and the company has plunge that 40 work stations are required to balance the line. What is the efficiency (or utilization) for this assemblyline?a) 95%b) 90%c) 85%d) 80%37. Which of the following IS NOT a use of inventory?a) Buffer against falteringlyb) Allow for large variations in productionc) Decouple different processesd) Allow for smooth production38. A retailer stocks a certain product that is sold at the rate of 10,000 units per year. Each replenishment order from the outside supplier costs $50. The price is $40 per unit and inventory carrying cost per year is 10% of unit price, how many units should be ordered each time to minimize total annual cost?a) 100b) 250c) 500d) 1,00039. Referring to the preceding problem, suppose the supplier requires that orders be placed for 2,000 units at a time. What would be the total annual variable cost of ordering and carrying inventory?a) $ 2,000b) $ 2,500c) $ 4,250d) $ 8,00040. A certain item is egress to quantity discounts as shown below Quantity Price1 4950 999 atomic number 19 or morePurchased Per Unit$ 2.50$ 2.00$ 1.80If 1,000 units are used per year and it costs $450 to place an order due to high shipping costs, how many should be ordered at a time to minimize variable costs if carrying cost per unit per year is 50% of unit value?a) 1000b) 500c) 100d) 5041. A company has 100 inventory items with total annual dollar usage of $3,000,000. Which of the following is most likely a C Inventory Item based on ABC analysis?a)b)c)d) bust 1078236512877864Annual $ Usage$500,000$250,000$52,000$1,00042. A company manufactures repair parts. These parts are used at the rate of5,000 units per year. It cos ts $100 every time more are produced. The cost of holding these parts in inventory is 20% of unit price, which is $25 per unit. The parts can be produced at the rate of 6,250 per year. How many units should be produced at a time to minimize total annual cost?a) 500b) 1000c) 1500d) 2000
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Causes of Gang Involvement Essay Example for Free
Causes of Gang Involvement EssayToday, ingroups in America cause a huge problem. Are there any positives for having a gang in the community? Does anything good enumerate out of having a gang in the atomic number 18a? The answer to all of these questions is no. Gang interest directly affects neighborhoods and has negative effects on communities.One of the first reasons a person joins a gang is because of scotch despair or deprivation in the bea they live in. Gangs get to as a way for their group to make m championy. Some ways gangs earn an income is by selling drugs, committing thefts, prostitution of women, and sometimes even killing others for money. Because of economic despair, gangs are usually found in sum neighborhoods. When we think of rundown neighborhoods, we think of poor housing and small incomes for those living in the neighborhood. This is why gangs will do average about anything for money. If the community or neighborhood fails to provide a way to earn mone y, the gangs will direct to find other ways to receive an income. Gangs provide the process a way out of economic despair and into the lifestyle of fancy living.Because of bad economic times, this may cause a gang member to have low self-esteem about themselves. A member might be an outcast at the school they attend and are not well liked even in their own infrastructure sometimes. Even their own peers might give them a hard time. The gang entices the possible member with the aptitude to receive power, respect, and money. Gangs form in order to provide the individual with low self-esteem a come across to build their self-esteem through the gang. The gangs reputation, interaction with gang members, accomplishments of the gang, and gaining power through the gang sends loads of say-so to the new member. This new confidence usually gives the newest member the feeling of invincibility. But, as we all know, no one today is invincible.The thought of being rich and having the respect of others are two main reasons for members to join a gang. But, one of the simplest and easiest reasons new members join is because simply they can Gangs from because they can it is as simple as that. Gangs form when non-gang delinquents and gang delinquents are left for themselves. The groups simply are left unmonitored and have no structure to fill them while living their lives. These individuals are looking for ways to get into trouble and to cause problems. The members also do not respect their elders which also can cause problems. As long as there are victims to prey on, the gangs will prey on them.Overall, gangs do not send a positive wave of feeling when the word is heard. The members of gangs are troubled and confused individuals who are looking for ways to fill the voids that are in their lives. That is what a gang offers, ways to fill these voids. These are frequently negative ways to double-dyed(a) the person. The causes of gangs directly affect the community and neighb orhood where the residents live.
Monday, April 8, 2019
Theory to practice Essay Example for Free
Theory to practice strainBig Time Toymaker (BTT) develops, manu positionures and distributes toys and board games. An inventor named Chou created a board game called Strat. Chous invention caught the direction of BTT and they sought out to negotiate with Chou. During the time of communication between two Chou and BTT an stipulation was made. both(prenominal) parties concord to BTT having exclusive negotiating wrights for a 90-day period in exchange for $25,000.00. The agreement sound outd that no specialise exist unless in pen. After a meeting when an oral agreement was made Chou was electronic mailed a document paper Strat deal by a manager of BTT. This e-mail can be considered the recoil in writing and Chou assumed so, later to find that BTT was now run by new-fashioned management who claimed they were uninterested in his invention.The point where parties entered a centralize was when the BTT manager send Chou an email subject Strat Deal. This was the point where a contract was mad because BTT had received an exclusive 90day negotiating period, and distribution agreement wasnt going to be in effect until received in writing. This email also include equipment casualty discussed during the oral agreement and pricing. The agreement of a contract was that it had to be in writing in order to exist. Never did BTT stress the form of writing. An email consist of written words, at that placefore it was a written agreement. A contract is an agreement with specific terms between two or more battalion or entities in which there is a promise to do something in return for something else. When the email was move that was the completion of the exchange and fulfilled contract requirements. The oral agreement that both parties had before the email was sent was establishing objective intent to contract. BTT also sent a fax to Chou a month after the 90day period passed requesting the draft to be sent. This action also showed intent to contract. What weigh s in Chous favor in terms of parties objective to contract is the fact that BTT paid him. They exchanged money for exclusive negotiating rights. Chou couldalways state an unilateral mistake was made and he misunderstood the terms of an agreement. The fact that both parties communicated by email has no impact on the decision of Chou rightfully notwithstanding having a contract.Email is skillful as sufficient as a letter or hand written draft. With a subject email sent saying Strat deal. The law governing which contracts must be in writing in order to be enforceable is also known as the statue of frauds according to University of Phoenix The juristic surround of Business (2011) . The contract was emailed to Chou before the 90day deadline right after an oral agreement. The statue of frauds supports Chou still having a valid contract. BTT could avoid this contract under mistake. Chou had mistaken the email as the contract agreement. BTT specified that the distribution deal would only be valid if contract was in writing. BTT could argue their signification of a contract in writing is a contract on paper. This would be a interchangeable mistake. Both parties had a different understanding of what a contract consist of. Mutual mistake shows both parties at fault instead of only one. If the email does constitute an agreement, the thing that support this agreement is the fact that Chou was within the 90 day period when the email was sent. Although the email said nothing to the highest degree a contract it was titled Strat Deal. During the verbal agreement Chou was lead to believe that both parties had eventually agreed on the terms of the contract.Assuming that Chou did have a contract and BTT decided to shock the contract Chou could obtain remedies for his lost. The proper remedy would be compensatory damages. Compensatory damages are an attempt to intrust the nonbreaching party in the same position she would have been in if the other party had performed as ag reed (melvin, 2011, Chapter Chapter 7, Contract PerformanceConditions, Breach, and Remedies). By the new management breaching the contract Chou misses out on possible profits that could have occurred if the contract had been followed through with. The remedy that would be less favorable would be eventful damages. Assuming from the theory that Chou had nothing in place directly depending on the completion of his contract, there is nothing that would be affected indirectly from the unfulfillment of the contract. Consequential damages compensate foreseeable indirect losses. lead citedMelvin, S. P. (2011). The Legal Environment of Business A Managerial Approach Theory to Practice. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection. Melvin, Sean P. (2011). The Legal Environment of Business A Managerial Approach Theory to Practice. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection.
Sunday, April 7, 2019
A Managerial Strategy Essay Example for Free
A Managerial system EssayThe principal purpose and function of health worry musical arrangements is to ensure that their services. Above all their duties is geared towards sympathize with for their patients health and emphasize the ability of the organization to serve their patients skillfully and responsibly. Further, they offer contrary types of services which include medical and behavioral health care services, accordingly, this includes public and community health care programs and in the contemporary scenario, corporate power.As a matter of fact, it has been stressed in The Well-Managed Healthcare makeup that in order to ensure that a healthcare organization is really doing its task of safeguarding the health of its patients (and non really attracting them to be its client), a health organization should improve the quality of its services (Griffith White, 2006), which streng therefores the argument of harnessing the managerial skills of healthcare practitioners. More over, it should also maintain a well-facilitated plant in which the patients are being accommodated. Given with such(prenominal) instances, it highlights the perception that healthcare organizations are mandated to implement certain administrative methods to meet the mounting complications derived over by societal altercates (Griffith White, 2006).One of the cited feasible and efficient techniques in achieving managerial success is proper organization of the activities and the developmental plan of the entity. It is through the alignment of program objectives that the goals are obtained and prevents the rise of problems which deals with conflicts or miscommunication.If the programs are aligned well, then the members of the organization shall have a clear vision on what to expect, and oversee necessary changes so as to improve their performance. Simple logic basically revolves in the verity of the strategy common problems arise when the organization has no definite goals which lead to disorientation. Similar to that of business entities, healthcare practitioners must also take the challenge of facing the waves of managerial confrontations.ReferenceGriffith, J. R., White, K. R. (2006). The Well-Managed Healthcare Organization (6th ed.). New York Health Administration Press.
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Serve or Fail Essay Example for Free
Serve or Fail EssayThe article server or Fail, by Dave Eggers of The New York Times presents a very interesting take on college students and their degage time. Eggers believes that colleges should institute a gain requirement for students to graduate. Due to his college experience he considers college students to have in like manner oft sp atomic number 18 time, which is wasted on silly electives or just wasted. With this surplus of time students should contri thate to the federation nearly themselves to develop intellectual tools that will be helpful to their cargoners post-graduation. The primary problem with making service a necessity is that it exchanges one requirement for another. Students already have too many requirements for college making college careers buy the farm longer needed, even Eggers agrees with this. Every student has to take certain learning requirements and many students have no need or will to even attend these courses. Learning requirements such as , Oceanography and Psychology are the issue. Students have no interest in these classes and just do the bare minimum to pass.In addition, students are not forced into taking whiffle ball or Cricket as a requirement as it might seem from this article. Those types of classes are electives that students choose if they would like to take them. This proposal just substitutes classes for work, which is not lots different. Many students would not want to be there in the first place, which leads to bad service for the community. Students would be on their phones, giving half effort or goofing around if this was made a requirement. Serving a community should be your choice and not an obligation.If helping out at a retirement property or tutoring children would be good for a students degree or resume, then he or she should seek that out on their own time. Students would have to pay for this in their tuition fees if it is through with(p) through the college. Paying to help your community is the ultimate oxymoron. This idea would not work because some students would be exempt and others would not. This places students into classes, a problem we already have in America. Students would try to find ways around working for the community by possibly going to community college instead of a university or convey college for some courses.Community colleges already have a few advantages working in their favor it is cheaper, and adpressed to home compared to most universities. College students need free time and down time to keep themselves sane. This proposal has too many holes, and it does not really take care of any real college issue. Colleges are already demanding comme il faut with the amount of work that is required. College takes too long as it is and this proposal would not change the length of college, but just changes the requirements to graduate.
Friday, April 5, 2019
Research Article Critique: Theories of Helping
Research Article critical review Theories of HelpingResearch Article CritiqueWong Hiu TungResearch Article CritiqueSprecher, S., Fehr, B., Zimmerman, C. (2007). Expectation for conception sweetening as a topic of dowery The effect of sex activity and compassionate know. Sex Roles, 56, 543-549. doi 10.1007/s11199-007-9192-6Introductory of summary of the news reportIn this article, Sprecher, Fehr, and Zimmerman (2007) attempted to investigate how gender and the propensity to experience the compassionate love for others argon accompliced with the forecast of the enhancement of positive imagination from giving help to others and receiving help from others. They aim to examine whether the some(prenominal) psychological theories of component part, which suggested that mint provide help due to receiving benefits, are correct or not. More specifically, the benefit received from share could be the self-benefit, which is the enhancement of positive mood.As a result, the partic ipants, 47 males and 133 females from U.S. Midwestern public university, were asked to complete the every which way assigned questionnaire, either ideate themselves as the giver or the recipient of the support acts, during the class. Firstly, participants were asked to rate the pointedness to which each helping behaviour was a good example of compassionate love. Secondly, they were asked to imagine the eight helping acts, which involved making a special meal, stealing a award, expressing empathy and caring, verbal support for a sticker decision, providing care when sick, a surprise gift, a call when feeling down, and sticking up for another, occurring with close companion and to assess what degree would they experience an increase in positive feelings as a consequence of each of the helping act. Finally, they completed the Compassionate Love Scale about their compassionate love for others.This study instal that all helping behaviours in this question were good examples of compassionate love and were expected to increase the mood of the individual. More specially, females are more likely to have an vista of enhancing positive mood as a result of both helping and receiving help in a relational context than males. Moreover, individuals who are extravagantly in compassionate love for others are more likely to forecast their enhancement of positive emotion from giving and receiving help than those who are embarrasseder on compassionate love. Altruism and gender role are the meaning of these results.CritiqueResearch Topic and QuestionThe problem is understandably state and is researchable by examining how gender and compassionate love are associated with mood enhancement from helping respectively.There are three inconstant in the research question and most of them are clearly outlined. The mood enhancement is clearly defined as the increase of positive emotion, much(prenominal) as happiness, joy, or satisfaction. The compassionate love also had clea r with the support of forceful psychological literary productions. Nevertheless, the definition of helping behaviours was ambiguous. The helping behaviours are defined briefly that alone included the eight helping acts, and stated that those helping acts are commonly experienced in the friendships of green adults. Therefore, it may take aim to provide a clear definition of helping behaviours in order to crystalize which behaviour can be involved in the situation of helping within this study.Literature check intoThe review is relevant to the research questions and design. The researchers cite previous studies of the association between helping and different variables respectively, such as gender, receiving benefit, and the situational and dispositional variables. Moreover, the review included the previous studies which related the design and the research question of the present study and pointed out the demarcations of the previous studies in order to justify the contents of their research. However, the review did not include the literature which contradicts to the prediction of the study, for example, the helping behaviours may not be determined by the rewarding.SamplingThe participants were similar in term of education level, ethnicity and social class to deoxidise the intervention of those variable. Lack of the method of selecting the sample is the limitation of this study. It merely described the take of participants and the ratio of the majority and the background of the participants, but have not report the sampling method. Furthermore, the ratio of the participants gender may not appropriate for this research which the number of the female participants was just about triple of the number of male participants. Since the gender is one of the considerable variables in this study, it is hardly to conclude the effects of gender in the expectation for mood enhancement due to the imbalance of the ratio of the participants gender.Method creamThe sel ected method is appropriate to the research question. Since the questionnaire was the most appropriate and convenient method of self-report, it is suitable for examining the expectation of mood enhancement. In addition, the scenario study can relatively be provided adequate answers to the research question. Because the participants can be easier to imagine the several helping acts by the provided scenarios than the non-scenario questions, the participants can more accurately predict the emotional changing subsequently giving or receiving help.The selected helping acts may not be the most proper indicator of helping behaviour as the limitation of the study, especially making a special meal, buying a present and giving a surprise gift. In general, those three helping behaviours in this research cannot be conclude as helping behaviours because these behaviours may occur in other situations rather than the situation of helping, for example, we may buy a present to our friends for thei r birthday. Moreover, the participants may increase their mood due to the external reward instead of receiving help. For instance, the participants may feel happy, as well as mood enhancement, because of the gift rather than receiving the help. Therefore, the validity of the research is low since the three helping acts are not appropriate as the helping behaviours.ProcedureThe designed surgery is clearly described regarding the work of the researchers and appropriate to answer the question of the study. First, the pre-test administered to the small group of similar students assessed the forte of the eight helping behaviours. It was appropriated to ensure that the eight helping behaviours are suitable to measure the mood enhancement as a result of those helping acts. Second, the procedure had protected the confidentiality of the research participants due to the anonymous and conscious questionnaire. One limitation of the study is that the questionnaire was completed during the cla ss time. In general, the time pressure mostly occurred in the lecture because of the pressing courses. Therefore, the participants may complete the questionnaire arbitrarily, as well as answering inaccurately, because of the time pressure. As a result, the questionnaire can be completed in their leisure time in order to reduce the time pressure as an influential factor.Data Gathering and AnalysisThere are several strengths in this section. The data are presented clearly and fully that the results are clearly separated into three sections of the research question which base on the sections of the questionnaire the helping behaviours were good examples of compassionate love, the association between gender and the expectation of mood enhancement as a result of the helping acts, and the association between compassionate love and the expectation of mood enhancement as a result of the helping acts. Also, the appropriate inferential and descriptive statistics are clearly described in text and presented in organized tables.Furthermore, the results are clearly stated which correlations failed to reach the significance for the helping acts in giving and receiving conditions. For example, male and female participants ratings of the giving or receiving a surprise gift did not differ significantly in expectation of mood enhancement.Interpretations, Conclusions and DiscussionThe researchers clearly concluded that the results of the study provide support for the two hypotheses. However, the results may not conclude that the gender is associate with the forecast of a specific self-benefit because the number of male participants are relative extremely smaller than the number of female participants. Therefore, the association between gender and expectation for mood enhancement is not representative.Although the researchers made a clear interpretations of the results in terms of the gender role and altruism, they had not explained the results of failing to reach the significance for the helping acts as the limitation of the study as well. For example, the helping act of giving or receiving a surprise gift was not a significant difference from male and female participants. Therefore, the study would also be explained the contradictory results for providing well-founded interpretations of the data.The limitations of the study are incomplete that the researchers merely considered two limitations of the study, which focus on a context and an emotional consequence of helping behaviours. Some confound is absent to present in the study, such as the cultural differences, age. Moreover, the participants mood also be enhanced by the external rewards rather than receiving or giving help, such as receiving a gift or a meal, when the participants imagine the situation. Therefore, the researchers may need to present the other limitations of the study.Finally, the researchers are presented the suggestion for future studies comprehensively. The researcher suggested the fu ture studies can examine how gender and compassionate love associate with the anticipation of negative emotion as the consequence of helping behaviours in other relational context, which based on the limitation of the study. Therefore, it is the contribution of this research.
Influence Of Positivism Interpretivism And Realism Approaches Psychology Essay
Influence Of Positivism Interpretivism And Realism Approaches psycho crystal clear skill EssayAll sociological question material bodys and orders make certain assumptions ab give a representation the nature of the sociable existence and how acquaintance is generated. One of the ways that look send packing be evaluated and improved is to make these assumptions more verbalised (Hibberd, 2005). Positivism, interpretivism and realism give blow answers to the nature of scientific friendship and whether or non it is applicable to societies. galore( attitudenominal) scholars entreat that a long deal of sociological investigate contains elements of every last(predicate) triple (Suppe, 1984 Bickhard, 1992 Hibberd, 2010). To a distant extent these arguments have influenced the modeological division of kind inquiry. It is claimed that, the three-figure methods have their intellectual underpinning in the overconfident and realist paradigms, while the soft methods/tec hniques have their intellectual underpinning in interpretativist, constructivist, and inbredist paradigms (Hanzel, 2010).However, despite these ongoing arguments between the methodological usages of soft and vicenary explore (Gage, 1989) combined methods represent a fast developing field of social science methodology. As all methods have specific margins and break outicular strengths, galore(postnominal) discussants propose that soft and decimal methods should be combined in order to compensate for their mutual weaknesses (Tashakkori Teddlie, 2003). Moreover, it is claimed that this movement scripts the beginning of a young era in social investigate indicated by a tendency to combine quantifiable and soft methods pragmatically unencumbered by old debates (Johnson Turner, 2003). Therefore it is emphasized that the drills of a mixed-method radiation pattern provides an important calamus in over access the limitations of both soft and vicenary mono-method look for .This essay deals with social theories that influence soft and qualitative explore methods employed in social sciences as either in principle separable or fifty-fifty as irreconcilable methods of social sciences. It starts with a characterization of positivity, Interpretivism and realism and links these theories to the foundation of qualitative and valued research methods. Then, it shows how they deal with the various aspects of the qualitative- numerical divide. Finally, it is the intention to show how the combined methodological approach may be merged in a coherent way to add value and abet in the excogitate of a single research project. With an emphasis on the departures and similarities between quantitative and qualitative approaches providing the basis for exploring the methods of cartel both approaches to overcome their weaknesses by providing a commentary of the complementary strengths of each tradition.Characterizing Positivism, Interpretivism and Realism approache sFew sociologists would list themselves as a convinced(p), interpretivist or realist. These argon terms employ primarily by methodologists and social theorists to report and evaluate the theoretical assumptions underlying different approaches to research (Bickhard, 1992 Johnson, 2006 Hibberd, 2010). There be many different popular opinions in sociology round what societies be and the best ways of obtaining knowledge of them. This part of the essay simplifies matters to some extent by characterizing three of the most influential theories of knowledge in sociology profitableness, interpretivism and realism (Bryman, 1998 and 2001 Hibberd 2010).PositivismPositivism is frequently utilize to stand for the epistemological assumption that empirical knowledge based on principles of objectivity, verificationism, and reproducibility is the foundation of all authentic knowledge (Bryman, 2001 Hanzel, 2010). The term positivist has been critical for some time in the gentlemans gentlem an sciences because positivist tends to subscribe to a number of bases that have no place in present-day science and doctrine (Hanzel, 2010). Positivism views that sociology can and should use the methods of the natural sciences, that do not usually mean using experiments because in that respect are all sorts of ethical problems with doing that, scarce positivists do believe that sociologists should use quantitative methods and aim to set and measure social structures. As a philosophical approach, favorableness encompasses a crowd of notions. Table 1 on a lower floor, provides main characters for positivist key ideas. It shows that positivists sum up all the items by being against metaphysics (Hacking, 1983).Character commentaryemphasis upon verificationSignificant propositions are those whose truth or assumedhood can be colonized in some way.Pro- honoringWhat we can see, feel, touch, and the like provide the best content or foundation for all the rest of our non mathematical knowledge.DiscoverabilityScientific knowledge is something discovered (rather than produced or constructed).Anti-causeThere is no causativeity in nature, over and above the constancy with which events of bingle kind are followed by events of an different kind.Downplaying explanation commentary may help organize phenomena, but do not provide any thick-skulleder answer to wherefore questions except to say that the phenomena regularly occur in such and such a way.Anti-theoretical entitiesPositivists tend to be non-realists, not scarce because they restrict creation to the discernable but overly because they are against causes and are indistinct astir(predicate) explanations.Table 1 Positivism charactersSource Hacking, 1983Positivist theory debates that the methods of the natural sciences are applicable to the study of societies. In the positivist view, sociology selects the search for causal relationships between observable phenomena and theories are tested against observa tions (Hibberd, 2009). interrogationers adopting a positivist point of view may still be interested in finding out about pots immanent views. For utilisation, they explore things such as attitudes and opinions through survey research (Michell, 2003). However, they see the childbed of sociology as explaining why people behave in the way they do, and how people really feel about things cannot be explained scientifically.InterpretivistInterpretivists do not of necessity reject the positivist account of knowledge, but they question the idea that the logic and methods of natural science can be imported into the study of societies. Max Weber was one of the main influences on the interpretivist tradition in sociology. For him, natural science and social science are two very different enterprises requiring a different logic and different methods (Bryman, 1982).At the heart of interpretivist critique of positivism is a humanist viewpoint. Some of those favouring an interpretivist view of sociology have long argued that in their search for a scientific explanation of social life, positivist have sometimes forgotten that they are studying people, and to study people you need to get out and explore how they really think and act in everyday situations. Interpretivists argue that unlike objects in nature, human beings can change their demeanor if they know they are being observe (Collins, 1984 Guba, 1987). So, interpretivists argue that if we want to understand social action, we need to look into the reasons and means which that action has for people (Marsh, 2002). Take the example of crime, a positivist would argue that researchers can simply measure crime using quantitative methods and recognise patterns and correlations. While, an interpretivist would argue that we need to understand what people mean by crime, how they come to categorize certain actions as criminal and then investigate who comes to be seen as criminal in a particular purchase order . The aim o f interpretivist approaches in sociology is to understand the subjective experiences of those being studied, how they think and feel and how they act in their natural contexts (Marsh, 2002 Johnson, 2006).Therefore, although interpretivists still try to be objective and opinionated in their research, the key criterion in interpretivist epistemology is validity. The favoured research design is ethnography and the main methods are ones that help researchers understand social life from the point of view of those being studied, such as unstructured observation, unstructured interviews and personal records. Interpretivism has provided a powerful critique of many of the taken-for-granted ideas of positivism that are widely used in sociology and in other social sciences (Marsh, 2002). It has also influenced a whole field of research illuminating peoples everyday life experiences. However, interpretivists accounts are criticised by some sociologists for not providing testable hypotheses t hat can be evaluated. This can lead to relativism where one theory, or study, is seen as just as fair as any other.RealismRealist theory, like positivism, holds that sociology can, and should, follow the logic and methods of the natural sciences, meanwhile, it differs from positivism in its description of science (Hartwig, 2007 Hibberd, 2010). In positivist research, theories are tested against observations and found to be true or false or somewhere in between. In simple terms, the incidents are the judge of the theory (Hibberd, 2010). Realists do not make this clear-cut separation because they do not believe that observations can be separated from theories (Parker, 2003 Hartwig, 2007). They argue that no form of science relies exclusively on observable empirical evidence. There are incessantly aspects of any form of reality that remain hidden beneath the surface of what can be sight (Duran, 2005 Hibberd, 2010). According to realists, the aim of scientific work is to uncover th e underlying causal mechanisms that bring about observable regularities.Realists see research being guided primarily by scientific criteria, such as the systematic pile upion of evidence, reliability and transparency. However, because they recognise the importance of the subjective dimension of human action, they also include methods that document the validity of peoples experiences (Bhaskar, 1999). seek designs are more likely to be experimental or comparative in realist research, but there is no particular commitment to either quantitative or qualitative methods (Parker, 2003 Hartwig 2007).The focal point of realist methodology, however, is on theory. Realists argue that as there is no such thing as theory-free data sociological methods should be specifically concentered on the evaluation and comparison of theoretical images, explanations and policies.The development of a clear, realist epistemology is comparatively recent in sociology and owes much to new realist writers lik e Bhaskar (1986, 1999) and Pawson (1989). They have provided a different interpretation of science and its relationship to social sciences, and a developing alternative to the dominant theories of positivism and Interpretivism that laid the foundations for a non-empiricist epistemology in social science (Hibberd, 2009 and 2010). However, they would say that this doesnt mean that either set of methods, positivist or interpretive, have to be ditched. The realists argument is that sociologists can be pragmatic and use whatever methods are appropriate for particular circumstances. accessible reality is complex and to study it, sociologists can draw on both positivist and interpretivist methods.However, realism is also criticised for exaggerating the dependence of science and social science on theory, and realist epistemology offers, at best, very limited truths about the social world. Many studies in sociology use a combination of positivist, interpretivist and, more recently, realist ideas, just as they use different research methods. The three theories are very general descriptive terms and there are many different theoretical approaches within the general framework of each one. Table 2 shows different research methods associated with each theory.TheoryResearch designResearch methodsPositivismSocial surveys morphological interviewsExperimentalStructural observationsComparativeOfficial statisticsInterpretivismEthnographyParticipant observationUnstructured interviewsPersonal documentsRealismExperimentalNon-specific, but methods are theory-focusedComparativeTable 2 Theory, Design and methodsSource Bryman, 2001Conflict of Quantitative and Qualitative Research ParadigmsThe quantitative methods have their sage foundation in the positivist and realist paradigms, while the qualitative methods have their rational foundation in interpretativist, constructivist, and naturalist paradigms. The opposition between these paradigms was succinctly characterized by Guba as follo ws The one precludes the other just as surely as belief in a round world precludes accept in a flat one (Guba 1987, 31). The opposition between these paradigms is then expressed as shown below in table 3 (Lincoln and Guba 1985).Axioms AboutPositivist ParadigmNaturalist ParadigmThe nature of realityReality is single, tangible, and fragmentable.Realities are octuple, constructed, and holistic.The relationship of the knower to the known apprehender and known are independent, a dualism.Knower and known are interactive, inseparable.The possibility of generalizationTime- and context-free generalizations (nomothetic statements) are possible.Only time- and context-bound working hypotheses (idiographic statements) are possible.The possibility of causal linkagesThere are real causes, temporally precedent or simultaneous with their effects.All entities are in a state of mutual simultaneous shaping, so that it is impossible to distinguish causes from effects.The role of values dubiousness is value-free.Inquiry is value-bound.Table 3 Contrasting of Positivists and Naturalists Paradigms,Source Amended from (Hanzel, 2010 Lincoln and Guba 1985)Consequently, it is comm whole claimed that quantitative research is based on positivistic assumptions, whereas the qualitative approach is grounded on anti-positivistic positions (Lincoln Guba, 1985 Lund, 2005). Several researchers and academics (Creswell, 1995 Gall Borg, 1996 Ryan Bernard, 2000) have wedded additional explanations to both methods they are asserting that quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships within the social sciences. Thus, the objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and hypotheses pertaining to social phenomena. The surgical procedure of numerical measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observ ation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships. Qualitative research is distinctive by nature in aiming to collect detailed accounts investigating into the sagacity of human behaviour. The qualitative researcher assumes that flexibility in human behaviour is socially constructed, as so, seeks to reason and analyses factors that govern such behaviour in doing so the qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just the quantifiable what, where or when occurrences.Similarly, Jana Plichtov (2002) claims that the differences between the quantitative and qualitative research methods are based on a paradigmatically different understanding of the subject matter of and the sense of acquaintance in the social sciences, that is The quantitative approach starts from the premise that we can arrive at trustworthy knowledge only if the human being is reduced to a set of measurable variables between which we can guess the relations of causation. It se es the sense of cognition in prediction and control of human behaviour. While, the qualitative approach does not agree with that reduction because it degrades the human being to a reacting mechanism, It proposes such research strategies which respect the fact that the human being is an acting being pursuing certain intentions, creating and understanding meanings, and that it is a socio-cultural being whose adaptation has a mediated and social character (Plichtov, 2002).Moreover, Gall et al. (1996, cited Lund, 2005) presents key differences between quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Part of the difference refers to what researchers assume, the other part focuses on the truth of these assumptions, irrespectively of whether or not they are adopted by researchers. Onwuegbuzie and bleed (2005) have other classifications to the differences between both methods they argue that the quantitative-qualitative paradigm conflict has resulted in the evolution of three major school s of thought, namely purists, situationalists and pragmatists. The difference between these three perceptions relates to the extent to which each believes that quantitative and qualitative approaches can co-exist and be combined (Bryman, 1984). These three camps can be understood as purists and pragmatists exist on opposite ends, while situationalists are somewhere in the middle. The following account focuses on Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2005) perspective.For purists, the assumptions associated with quantitative and qualitative paradigms regarding how the world is viewed and what it is important to know are irreconcilable. They envisage that both methods stem from different metaphysical and epistemological assumptions about the nature of research (Bryman, 1984 Collins, 1984 Tashakkori Teddlie, 1998). Purists advocate that the methods and tenets from positivism and post-positivism cannot and should not be mixed (Smith, 1983). They believe that the axioms of post-positivism and positivi sm have mutually exclusive assumptions about society thereof, the research methods derived under each are considered to be mutually exclusive as wellIn agreement with purists and acceptance of both positivist and post positivist paradigms, situationalists maintain that qualitative and quantitative methods are complementary but should not be integrated in a single study. However, they believe that definite research questions relate more to quantitative approaches, whereas other research questions are more commensurate for qualitative methods (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005). Thus, although representing very different directions, the two approaches are inured as being complementary.By contrast, pragmatists, unlike purists and situationalists, contend that a false separation exists between quantitative and qualitative approaches (Newman Benz, 1998). They advocate the integration of methods within a single study. Sieber (1973) articulated that because both approaches have internal str engths and weaknesses, researchers should utilize the strengths of both techniques in order to understand better social phenomena. Indeed, pragmatists assign to the philosophy that the research question should drive the methods used (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005). In any case, researchers who ascribe to epistemological purity disregard the fact that research methodologies are merely tools that are designed to aid our understanding of the world.Table 4 presents a summary of the qualitative-quantitative divide, understood as a clash of paradigms, each characterized by the characteristics shown in the table (Reichardt and urinate 1979). Here the divide is approached by means of a possible link between the respective method and the attributes of a paradigm. Another characterization of the nature of the qualitative-quantitative divide is presented by A. Bryman, as shown in table 5 (Bryman 1988, 94).Qualitative ParadigmQuantitative ParadigmAdvocates the use of qualitative methodsAdvocates the use of quantitative methodsPhenomenology concerned with understanding human behavior from the actors own frame of referenceLogical-positivism seeks the facts or causes of social phenomena with little regard for the subjective states of individualsNaturalistic and uncontrolled observationObtrusive and controlled measurementSubjectiveObjectiveGrounded, discovery-oriented, exploratory, expansionist, descriptive, and inductiveUngrounded, verification-oriented, confirmatory, reductionist, inferential, and hypothetico-deductiveProcess-orientedOutcome-orientedValid real, rich, and deep dataReliable hard and replicable dataUngeneralizable single case studiesGeneralizable multiple case studiesHolisticparticularisticAssumes a dynamic realityAssumes a stable realityTable 4 Reichardt and Cook on Attributes of the Qualitative and Quantitative ParadigmsSource Amended from (Hanzel,2010)Based on such characterizations of the differences between qualitative and quantitative research, the issue of the qualitative-quantitative divide in social sciences could be approached from two points of view. The first, moderate, according to which one deals only with two different sets of techniques that can be, if required, mutually combined and the second, radical, according to which the divide and the respective techniques/methods are grow in paradigmatically opposed epistemologies and, thus, the respective methods/techniques cannot be combined.AspectQuantitative ResearchQualitative Research government agency of qualitative researchPreparatoryMeans to exploration of actors interpretationsRelationship between researcher and subject distantCloseResearchers stance in relation to subjectOutsiderInsiderRelationship between theory/concept and researchConfirmationEmergentResearch strategyStructuredUnstructuredScope of findingsNomotheticideographicImage of social realityStatic and external to actorProcessual and socially constructed by actor genius of dataHard, reliableRich, deepTable 5 Br yman on Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative ResearchSource Amended from (Hanzel,2010)Similarities between Quantitative and Qualitative Research ApproachesIt is possible to argue that there are overwhelmingly more similarities between quantitative and qualitative approaches than there are differences (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005). Bothe and Andreatta (2004), add that both approaches involve the use of observations to address research questions, describe their data, construct descriptive arguments from their data, and speculate about why the results they notice happened as they did. Both sets of researchers select and use analytical techniques that are designed to obtain the maximal meaning from their data, and so that findings have utility in relation to their respective views of reality (Kelle, 2006).Both methods investigators utilize techniques to ramble their data. Such techniques include persistent observation with continuous and prolonged investigation of the rese arch study with considerateness to rival explanations. Replication of the chosen study method to other cases (of which may include extreme scenarios) provides the fortune to gain validity of findings and the methodological approach used, by means of a representative study group to allow for reliable generalisations to be made. Triangulation, verification of researcher effects and weighting of the evidence identifies and resolves researcher parti pris and thick description (Creswell, 1998, cited Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005) which may impact on the findings. Debriefing of study participants may obtain blue-chip feedback from participants also.Moreover, quantitative and qualitative researches represent an interactive range and the role of theory is central for both paradigms. Specifically, in qualitative research the most common purposes are those of theory initiation and theory building, whereas in quantitative research the most typical objectives are those of theory testing and t heory modification (Newman Benz, 1998). Clearly, neither tradition is independent of the other, nor can either school encompass the whole research process. Thus, both quantitative and qualitative research techniques are needed to gain a more complete understanding of phenomena (Newman Benz, 1998).Hence, there are many parallels exist between quantitative and qualitative research. Indeed, the purity of a research paradigm is a habit of the extent to which the researcher is prepared to conform to its underlying assumptions (Luttrell, Wendy, 2005).This suggests that methodological pluralism (Larsson, 2009) should be promoted, the best way for this to occur is for as many investigators as possible to become pragmatic researchers (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005).Combined research methods and function in the research processA combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches can assist in practical solutions to overcome limitations of mono-method research discussed for the l ast 50 years (Kelle, 2006). However, it is rarely address in current debates whether it is possible to develop solid methodological strategies for structuring research methods based on that insight of compounding qualitative and quantitative methods (Creswell et al., 2003 Tashakkori Teddlie, 2003 Onwuegbuzie Leech, 2005), though there is a broad agreement that a use of multiple methods with complementary strengths and different weaknesses can add value to a single research. Despite this, the discussion provides only sparse information about which designs could overcome which weaknesses of mono-method research. Furthermore, there is still a lack of agreement about the exact classification and terminology of different mixed methods, combined method or multi-method designs which are used in research practice (Tashakkori Teddlie, 2003, cited Onwuegbuzie Leech, 2005, p307 ).By starting the research process with a qualitative study, researchers may obtain access to knowledge that hel ps them to develop the appropriate theoretical concepts and to construct consistent research instruments later on that cover relevant phenomena by con successive and relevant items. Such a design helps to overcome the limited transferability of findings from qualitative research as well as the initially mentioned hazards of the heuristics of commonsense knowledge (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005, p 307). This approach can help to construct consistent research instruments that cover relevant phenomena by consequential and relevant substances.Meanwhile, combining qualitative and quantitative methods the opposite way could be useful in many cases that means starting with a quantitative study, followed by qualitative questions (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005 Lund 2005). In this quantitative-qualitative approach, problem areas and research questions are identified by carrying out a quantitative study which will have to be further investigated with the help of qualitative data and methods. The p roblem of quantitative research addressed by this design is often the difficulty to understand statistical findings without additional socio cultural knowledge.Furthermore, the quantitative part of a sequential quantitative-qualitative design can guide systematic case comparison in the following qualitative inquiry by helping to identify criteria for the selection of cases and by providing a sampling frame (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005 Kelle, 2006). Thus, this design can help to overcome an important threat of validity existing in qualitative research that researchers focus on distant and marginal cases. Another problem of qualitative research can be addressed by this design it helps to avoid a qualitative study with an outsized scope that covers a field of battle too wide to be captured with the help of a small qualitative sample. Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2005) give a simple example to understand the above problem a qualitative study of family life in a contemporary city would have t o take into account many more different forms of families than a similar study in a traditional rural community in the first decades of the twentieth century. By drawing on statistical material about the distribution of different family forms, the minimum requirements for qualitative sampling could be easily captured, and may be well advised to downsize the research question and research domain (Bryman, 2001 Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005).On the other hand, a parallel qualitative-quantitative design can implement similar functions to a sequential design the qualitative part of the study can provide information that helps to understand statistical relations, to develop explanations and to identify additional variables that increase variance already explained in the quantitative data. A great benefit of a parallel qualitative-quantitative design is that it helps to identify measurement problems and methodological artefact of both qualitative and quantitative data, as the same persons a re interviewed with different techniques (Bryman, 1992 and 2001). However, this parallel design approach encloses an important disadvantage, it is that qualitative sampling and data collection cannot be systematically developed from research questions derived from quantitative data therefore it can easily be the case that the available qualitative data provide no answers for questions coming from the quantitative study, as they were not collected for that purpose.ConclusionIt is shown throughout this essay that the theoretical approach influences the methodological approach and vice versa. Many studies in sociology use a combination of positivist, interpretivist and, realist ideas. The essay demonstrates that the influence of positivism has inspired much of social research most prevalent research methods. Some of these include surveys, questionnaires and statistical models. Researchers applying a positivist methodology for their study consider large-scale sample surveys and controll ed laboratory experiments as suitable research methods. These methods can be justified as they allow positivist researchers to employ empirical and logical quantitative data. While, interpretivism employs qualitative methods to understand people, not to measure them, it attempts to capture reality in interaction, however, does not necessarily exclude quantitative methods. Whereas, quantitative results from a positivist method like a survey are unlikely to provide understanding of this deeper reality and therefore should not be a major part of any realism research project, basically, because realism research data are almost always qualitative data about meanings.The essay provides several benefits of performing mixed method research. Researchers of social science use a wide variety of research methods to gain and enhance knowledge and theory. The different types of research methodologies, quantitative and qualitative, are associated with the epistemological and theoretical perspectiv es the researcher wishes to adopt. The essay demonstrated that quantitative and qualitative methods can fulfil different, yet, complementary purposes within mixed-method designs. Quantitative methods can give an overview ab
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