The Paradigm Debate Essay Example for Free

The Paradigm Debate Essay The heart of the debate between the quantitative and qualitative paradigms in research is based on the authenticity and correctness of the data gathered from each approach. I believe that the central debate is based on which paradigm best portrays what is real, what is scientific and what is valid. The endless debate of these two approaches will stay if not for the most part of the 21st century but a few more decades from now, since there has been slow development in the field of research methods (Mahoney Goertz, 2006). The quantitative approach says that the rigors of science, the objectivity of the scientific approach and the use of statistics will generate the true picture of the problem as what the research had entailed to investigate. On the other hand, the qualitative approach says that human life cannot be thought of as variables, experiments or even number because it takes out the essence of the social interaction, the emotional and mental processes involved in the experience or the behavior. In the past, the distinction between what data or variables lend itself better to quantitative approach and which data should be examined using the qualitative approach was clear (Tashakkori Teddlie, 2003). But at the moment, the rising awareness of the qualitative approach as a valid research method and the quantitative approach becoming more cognizant of the less objective variables are in a battle to which approach will yield the most valid and truest result. In the past the quantitative approach was the only way to do research, the introduction of anthropology and ethnographic researches have widened the research methodology of various disciplines (Salomon, 1991).   With it was the start of the unending debate over which approach was most beneficial to the research. The idea however is a far cry from the present state of mixed methods approach, recognizing that each approach had its own merits, a different breed of research approach now utilizes the two paradigms and calls it mixed methods approach. As a student of psychology, I am inclined to favor the qualitative approach as it is more able to provide a deeper understanding and meaning of the variables being studied, it would make more sense to me to explore how bipolar construe friendships which can never be captured by the use of a quantitative friendship scale which offers less insight to the experiences and dynamics of friendships. However, the scientific part of me wants to believe in the wisdom of objectivity and science, I have been trained under the old school experimental and behavioral psychology which gave much importance to experimentation and control of variables. This would mean that my orientation towards research is that of the quantitative fervor. Choosing which side to favor is like asking me to choose between the devil and the deep blue see, each approach presents a different understanding of the variables under study and I am often reminded of the nature and nurture debate which predominated the developmental psychology field. Therefore, I would rather say that I support the quantitative approach because it has been around far enough to at least become more refined to provide better measures and control for the study of variables   which in the past have been questioned with regards to the validity and reliability of the results of the study (Adcock Collier, 2001). Moreover, the quantitative approach is the form mostly accepted by the scientific community and therefore is more established and more credible, although it does not mean that all quantitative researches are excellently written but that some may have sacrificed the integrity of the conduct of the research due to budget constraints or a poorly designed research method (Mahoney Goertz, 2006). The quantitative approach has reached an almost cult like following and dissenters have naturally went to support the qualitative approach but whichever it is, I am convinced for now that the quantitative paradigm has more sense and purpose than qualitative approaches (Mahoney Goertz, 2006). References Adcock, R. Collier, D. (2001). Measurement validity: A shared standard for qualitative and quantitative research. American Political Science Review 95; 3: 529-546. Mahoney, J. Goertz, G.(2006). A tale of two cultures: Contrasting quantitative and qualitative research. Political Analysis 14: 227-249. Salomon, G. (1991). Transcending the qualitative-quantitative debate: The analytic and systemic approaches to educational research. Educational Researcher, 20, 10-18. Tashakkori, A. Teddlie, C. (2003). Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social Behavioral Research. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage Publications.

Business and Management Personal Statement Examples Essay Example for Free

Business and Management Personal Statement Examples Essay Since my early years, I have been naturally introduced to the world of Business and Economics. Growing up near Central London and Canary Wharf I had always been intrigued by my surroundings and the mechanics of business, and was introduced into the world of Economics further on in my life. My childhood was filled with mini business ventures as well as supporting the start-up businesses of my family’s confectionary store and a technology store, which became the catalyst of my passion for the subject. Recently, I have taken up the initiative to read ‘The Economist’ to broaden my subject knowledge and keep up-to-date with current affairs. I believe a degree related to economics will help me excel in many different fields of work such as business, management, and marketing. I believe that Economics at A-Level and Business at GCSE, equip me with the invaluable skills needed for a degree. The skills I have acquired from studying Business include calculated decision-making as well as learning the ways of raising finance, motivation strategies, and promotional methods. Economics at A-Level has broadened my understanding of economies, firms, and government policy-making as well as making me grasp the importance of finance in society. In my A-Level study of Information Technology, I created an IT-based solution for a business-related problem. This enabled me to develop problem-solving abilities, as I had to evaluate several possible ways of achieving the required solution. Geography requires extensive research and the gathering and creating of information from various sources. I am excited about the challenges that I may face at University, and the chance to advance my skills further. During the summer, I had a work experience placement at Deloitte. I was required to organize and create solutions to different situations in risk advisory, financial services, and technology. This enabled me to apply my skills gained from business such as intense decision-making into a situation. The aim was to analyze each situation and be able to easily identify areas of improvement. I currently have a part-time job at Gadget Converters. Working as a Sales Advisor has helped me to become more confident as I am required to socialize with people from different backgrounds and ages and to handle situations in a professional manner, which I can transfer to a University environment. I also learned about bookkeeping, organizing cash receipts, creating expenditure spreadsheets, and selling platforms. My decision to study a degree related to business was reinforced because of the enjoyment and success I gained in my work experience and current work. Watching documentaries on current affairs ignited my curiosity about the economy and what factors shape it. This degree will allow me to gain wider knowledge and help challenge my theories. I thoroughly enjoy reading; particularly the news and the articles that stem from certain stories. I have also published an article on an upcoming football site called the ‘Liverpool Transfer Room’. This opened the door of publishing articles through the WordPress platform and has given me the opportunity to write to an audience. Furthermore, I regularly take part in activities in my local youth club such as table tennis and FIFA competitions. I have been involved in Young Enterprise scheme, in which students were tasked with brainstorming a product, creating a unique selling point and deciding the target market amongst other factors. The workshop provided me a unique insight into the decisions and running of a business. These activities also strengthened my abilities to lead and comm unicate effectively within a team. I look forward to becoming involved in all aspects of university life, not only academically, but also socially and I feel that I would benefit greatly from a place in university as this will help me to pursue my career in Economics.

Fragile X Syndrome Case Study Health And Social Care Essay

Fragile X Syndrome Case Study Health And Social Care Essay From seven years old, Michaels speech was still rather incoherent, he spoke very quickly and under his breath and didnt make much eye contact. Only up until the last couple of years his speech has improved and is much clearer, although he still tends to perseverate and get stuck on a subject and repeat the same thing over and over. Michael has a sister 2 years older and in 1992 they were both referred to the genetics clinic in the Royal Childrens Hospital by our pediatrician as they both presented with significant developmental delays and the doctor suspected some genetic condition may be at the root of the problem. Tests were performed, even an X-ray on Michaels head as they noted he had rather dysmorphic features, but nothing proved positive and there was no known reason for their problems. ______________________________________________________________________________The patient presented in the above case study is a classic case of Fragile X-Syndrome, the most frequent cause of inherited mental retardation. Patients presenting with this syndrome are affected in various facets of functioning, including intellect, emotion, behavior, and physical characteristics. The cause of the syndrome involves the expansion of a single trinucleotide gene sequence on the X chromosome. Other disorders that are placed in this category include Huntingtons Disease, Kennedy Disease, Dentatorubralpallidoluysian atrophy, and Friedrichs ataxia. This consequently results in the failure to express a protein that is required for normal neural development, and coded by the FMR1 gene. Because it is an X-linked disorder, cases are seen in all carrier males and in 35% of carrier females. Because of the subtle nature of signs of the syndrome and difficulty in diagnosis, all children with mental retard ation should be tested for Fragile X syndrome and family members are advised to undergo genetic counseling in order to decrease the recurrence of Fragile X in the family. Etiology The abnormality of the chromosome presented in Fragile X syndrome is found on the Xq27.3 site and commonly used as a diagnostic marker for the syndrome [1]. In most cases, the expansion of the single trinucleotide gene sequence includes 50 to 200 CGG repeats at the site and these repeats are passed down from generation to generation [1]. In comparison, the number Mathew 2 of repeats in a normal individual is between 6 and 50. Due to the increasing expansion of the trinucleotide gene sequence, there is methylation of the DNA which in turn silences the FMR1 protein [3]. FMRP plays important roles in learning and memory, and also appears to be involved in development of axons, formation of synapses, and the wiring and development of neural circuits. Diagnosis Because there is no clinical diagnostic criteria, scoring systems have been developed to select individuals for Fragile X Syndrome [4]. It can also be diagnosed using molecular genetics testing of the FMR1 gene. One method of diagnosis is based on chromosomal study to present the chromosome under special folic acid deficient culture conditions [3]. There are two different types of molecular DNA tests. The screening tests are polymerase chain reaction based. Additionally, they need to be confirmed using Southern blot hybridization [5]. It is important to diagnose affected patients as early as possible to provide early intervention and supportive care (i.e., specific developmental therapy and an individualized education plan) and to inform parents for further family planning [4]. One half of families in a 2002 survey reported having an additional child with fragile X syndrome before the older affected child was diagnosed [4]. Family history collection should include questions about other family members, with particular attention to developmental delay, mental retardation, and psychiatric disorders [4]. In addition, a family history of women with premature ovarian failure and men with FXTAS should be ascertained. A positive family history in a proband with developmental delay should prompt consideration of genetic testing of the FMR1 gene [4]. The American College of Medical Genetics recommends testing, regardless of family history, for all males and females with mental retardation of unknown etiology [4]. Therapy/Treatment Treatment is supportive, requiring a multidisciplinary team and including anxiety-reducing measures, behavior modification, and medications to manage associated psychiatric disorders. Individual education plans are necessary for school-age children [2]. Although several Mathew 3 medications have been proposed to treat fragile X syndrome, none of them are supported by ]good evidence [2]. While there is no current cure for the syndrome, there is hope that further understanding of its underlying causes would lead to new therapies. Currently, the syndrome can be treated through behavioral therapy, special education, and when necessary, treatment of physical abnormalities [2]. Persons with the fragile X syndrome in their family histories are advised to seek genetic counseling, to assess the likelihood of having children who are affected, and how severe any impairments may be in affected descendants [2]. The Fragile X syndrome been the subject of numerous studies, and recent investigations have addressed the question of whether this disorder is amenable to either prenatal diagnosis or to treatment with folic acid [3]. In a previous study, the effect of oral folic acid therapy (10 mg/day) in a blind study of 14-year-old monozygous twins with the fragile X syndrome was examined [3]. They reported on eight patients with psychotic-like symptoms. Seven were improved by therapy with I M 5-formyltetrahydrofolate (folinic acid) at doses of 0.5 mg/kg body weight for a period of a few weeks [3]. Three patients had an almost total recovery from psychotic-like symptoms [3]. One 14-year-old boy who was severely hypotonic and disinterested in his environment became responsive and able to sit and crawl after 2 months of therapy with folic acid in doses of 1 mg/kg day [3]. Harpey also reported some success with therapy with intramuscular folinic acid and hydroxocobalamin by mouth [3]. In a recent re port, a male fetus was diagnosed as having fragile X and the mother was started on a regime of folic acid 2 mg/day [3]. After delivery, the baby was treated with 1 mg/day of folic acid. On evaluation at 6 weeks of age, the baby was described as having a dolicocephalic head, long ears, a flattened malar area, enlarged testes, and a high frequency of fragile X chromosomes (20/60 cells). Two studies attempted controlled trials of folate in the fragile X syndrome, and one of these has been reported in some detail [3]. Brown conducted a double-blind crossover study in which two brothers with the fragile X syndrome were treated with either intravenous folic acid (1.6 mg/kg daily as a single dose) or saline placebo for 8 days [3]. Following the controlled trial, the brothers were maintained on 10 mg/day of oral folic acid for 3 weeks. Over 6 weeks, the dose was increased to 500 mg/day for the younger brother and 1,000 mg/day for the older brother, and then both Mathew 4 brothers were maintained on 1,000 mg/day from 1 month to 5 months after the onset of the study [3]. Because this disorder is a very common cause of familial mental retardation, and because of the in vitro effect of folate in decreasing expression of the fragile site, one may be tempted to attempt folate therapy in these patients. However, two studies to date have failed to demonstrate any abnormality of folate metabolism in cultured cells from patients with the fragile X syndrome [5]. Therefore, we urge continued caution in the expectation of beneficial results and advise against routine use of folate therapy in patients with established mental retardation and the fragile X syndrome [5]. Because there is no cure for Fragile X syndrome, the hope is that future investigations into the underlying causes that will further lead to new therapies.

The Constant Status of Beta Essay -- Business, Stock Returns, Investme

Beta being an efficient measure of riskiness of a security is an important financial instrument in investment decisions regarding estimation of market models, development of investment portfolios, estimation of cost of capital and emerging derivative markets. Since 1960s, the practical implication of CAPM has been in vague until recently challenged by some researchers Fama and French, (1992) for beta being insufficient in estimating the future returns of stocks based on historical data. The constant status of beta in estimating stock returns is questionable by the academic researchers for the high-low variation in its parameters. As systematic risk is time variant in nature, thus it is necessary to consider beta as a time series process withholding within it the stochastic behavior. Faff, Hillier and Hillier (2000) have demonstrated three modeling techniques to estimate time-varying beta namely multivariate generalized ARCH model (M-GARCH), another time varying heteroskedastic market models identified as EGARCH, TARCH and Kalman Filter approach. The dataset comprises of daily returns of 32 UK industry portfolios for the time period of January 1969 to April 1998. All the three models explain the time variability in systematic risk in the stocks. Of all the three models, Kalman Filter approach along with random-walk parameterization out-performs in efficiently explaining the stochastic behavior of betas in the daily stock returns of UK. The Kalman filter approach can be summed up as an optimal recursive computation of the least-squares algorithm. It is a subset of a Bayesian filter where the assumptions of a Gaussian distribution and that the current state is linearly dependant on the previous state are imposed. In oth... ...el errors while estimating these models using a Kalman filter algorithm has been considered and taken into account. The magnitude of reduction in the variance of market model errors that can be achieved if betas are allowed to vary is also measured. This gives a useful technique for comparing time-varying beta models with the constant beta model. This work also suggests that time-variation in beta is present in case of developing markets as in case of developed markets. The overall results have important implications for portfolio diversification and hedging strategies. Another implication of this academic research is that a dynamic hedging strategy, in which the hedge ratios are frequently adjusted in the light of the new information, will perform better compared to a static strategy where the hedge ratio is chosen at the beginning of the investment horizon.

Graduation Speech :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Tonight marks the end of an era. Years of books, plays, dances and sports have all led to this gratifying moment. As we, the graduation class of 2006, sit here watching as the last of our high school careers fade into twilight and nervously awaiting what new adventure tomorrow will bring, it is important that we share a moment to reflect and appreciate the enormity of our fine accomplishment. For tonight's graduation marks not only our passage from the halls of Bears High School, but is also a declaration of our commitment and effort. This last year has been a tragic one for American high schools. With incidents such as the mindless shootings at Columbine, it often seems as though todays' youth are no longer capable of positively participating in and shaping the world. Media hype and the neat label of Generation X has branded us as incapable of achieving. We should be lazy and incompetent. Tonight we sit here as proof of hope for the future. We are the businessmen, the teachers and the parents of tomorrow. By our own dedication to our success in high school having qualified us to lead the future, tonight we rise above and shed those labels. For tonight's graduation is the culmination of our commitment, from efforts from that first day of kindergarten to now as we await the satisfaction of diplomas in our hands. While at times it may have been easy to have been drawn into the negative aspects of school, we have chosen to pursue and to accomplish. Worthy of pride, this is why I congratulate you. With the support of our parents, our teachers and our friends we made it to this day and to the beginning of a new stage of our lives. Where we go from here and what new frontiers we are meant to discover may remain unseen, but as we step out those doors tonight and stare into the first lights of what is to come and what is to be, always remember tonight's victory.

A Critical Appraisal of Qualitative Research Essay -- Article Analysis

Described below is a critical appraisal of a qualitative article by Lisa Booth using the frame-work suggested by Ryan, Coughlan and Cronin 2007 to establish its believability, robustness, credibility and integrity (Ryan, Coughlan & Cronin, 2007). Qualitative research is regarded as an inductive process, which within natural settings attempts to produce insights on the subjective experiences, meanings, practices and point of views of those involved (Craig & Smyth, 2007). The aim here was to investigate factors influencing the communication styles used by the radiographers, therefore, allowing a better understanding to patient-centred care within diagnostic radiography. The title was well formulated and unambiguous, however, why a more precise title of "diagnostic radiographer-patient relationship" was not selected is unclear as the study incorporated diagnostic radiographers only (Dawson, 2002). The article had appropriate citations except the researcher's qualification and designation, which otherwise indicate the degree of knowledge in the field (Ryan et al, 2007). Included was the 'Keyword' section facilitating retrieving of the search by those interested (Hart, 2001). Its publication in a peer-reviewed journal allowed scrutiny from suitable experts, thus making more valid and original. In contrast, to a non peer-reviewed journal where high chances of information being flawed cannot be denied (Holloway & Wheeler, 2002)? Losing the relevance of the information was not a threat as it was published within the optimum time (Hart, 2001). Abstract is a condensed version of the full report; this was well formulated by using headings instead of single paragraph style, thus looked uncluttered (Macnee, 2004). The purpose had c... ...the data did not involve member checking thus reducing its robustness and enable to exclude researcher’s bias. Although a constant comparative method was evident in the discussion which improved the plausibility of the final findings. Themes identified were well corroborated but not declared was anytime a point of theoretical saturation ï‚ ¯Thus, the published report was found to be particularly strong in the area of believability and dependability; less strong in the area of transferability; and is weak in the area of credibility and confirmability, although, editorial limitations can be a barrier in providing a detailed account (Craig & Smyth, 2007; Ryan, Coughlan, & Cronin, 2007). Works Cited Ryan, F., Couglan, M. & Cronin, P. (2007). Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. Part 2: qualitative research. British Journal of Nursing, 16(12), 738-744.

A Review of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, by John Perkins Essay

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, by John Perkins, is supposed to be a book about the author’s real life activities as a covert agent of the United States. Unlike other agents, Perkins alleges that he and others, operated to undermine the economic stability of other nations. While this book uses a number of references, few of these books seems to have any economic relevance at all. One book, The Blood Bankers: Tales from the Global Underground Economy, by James S. Henry, does make similar claims to those of Perkins; however, unlike Perkins, Henry investigates worldwide economic crimes that are both overt and subversive in nature. Perkins states that he was recruited to work as a covert agent of the government shortly after graduating from college. In his role as an economic hit man, Perkins was expected to meet with leaders of various countries, to convince them to make large investments and to accept loans for which they can ill afford to make the payments. These machinations resulted in these countries being in debt to larger powers, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, often in more ways than one. After a time, Perkins claims, he grew uncomfortable with his role and left his position as an economic hit man. Perkins claims that now that he is no longer a part of this corrupt operation, he feels compelled to tell his story. Perkins claims that he has good reason to write this book. By telling his story, he claims that not only can he make people aware of what is happening all over the world, but that he can also create solutions to the world’s economic problems. If this book has any one flaw, however, it is in Perkins’ credibility. Despite his claims that he was responsible for economic subterfuge, Perkins never backs his claims with undeniable facts, statistics, or figures. Neither does he connect his work with any other texts or documents that have a firm factual grounding. His bibliography is not scholarly in nature; rather, virtually all of his sources are secondary. The points that Perkins makes may have some validity. While this book was interesting to read, however, a critically thinking reader would have to question his role in the events that he claims occurred.