Limitations for using participant observation to study truancy free essay sample

There are many strengths and limitations for using participant observation to study truancy. Truancy is defined as an unauthorised absence from school. Sociologists may want to investigate why truancy occurs, what anti-school subcultures are more likely to truant and what effect truancy has on pupils’ future careers or achievements. Participant observation is where the researcher takes part in the event that they are observing (in this case truanting) whilst observing it. There are two different types of participant observation, overt observation and covert observation. Overt observation is when the researcher would tell the pupils that they are being studied and makes sure he/she gets their permission before the observation occurs. This makes their research ethical, however truants may behave differently because they are being observed therefore giving unreliable results. This is called the Hawthorne effect. The other type of participant observation is covert studies. This means the truants wouldn’t be told they were being watched, so they are more likely to behave like they normally would. We will write a custom essay sample on Limitations for using participant observation to study truancy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This would give the researcher valid results, however this raises ethical concerns such as the right to withdraw and deception. A strength of participant observation when investigating truancy from school is that participants behave as they normally do so the data collected is valid. Results are usually valid compared to getting the students to fill out a questionnaire about truancy when there is no real way of telling if they are giving accurate answers. On the other hand a limitation of participant observation when investigating truancy from school is that it is time consuming. Especially if the group is big, participant observation in the case of truancy can be seen to raise costs and waste more time as the truant may not even be present. The researcher will also not know who the truant is as there are no written statistics or evidence from the observations. If it is covertly observed, any important findings from the discussion in the truant group may be written down later by the researcher but can be written wrong or partially remembered, therefore the data collected is not entirely dependable which makes it difficult for data to be interpreted. This could result in the researcher having to spend more time in school to catch up with the truants and consuming more time raising practical issues. However if it was to be an overt observation then data may be openly recorded giving in depth data that is reliable. Another great strength would be the detail and depth of knowledge that the researcher obtains from using participant observation (in this case to study truancy), especially in covert situations. This would provide plenty of qualitative information. This type of research has been the source of some of the most striking and valuable studies in sociology. For example; Hey (1997) used participant observation to study girls’ friendships in two London schools. Hey suggests that feminist researchers have a tendency to romanticize girls’ friendships, to view them through the celebratory lens of girls’ capacity for sharing, caring and mutual support. She concluded girls can be seen to be engaged in patterns and practices of friendship that are fuelled by tensions and con? ict as much as support and care. A limitation would be the ethical issues that emerge from doing the observation. Researchers need to be aware and be considerate of the issues the issues that appear such as child protection/abuse. To gather relevant information; the researcher will have to ask the truants why they truant but there may be cases where the child is truanting because of problems such as bullying or disputes. For this reason they constantly truant, furthermore the child might not want to answer the question as he/she may get upset or offended. Overall I believe that using participant observation whether it is covert or overt is a decent way to study truancy. Although it has many limitations such as ethical issues or that it is time consuming, it also has its strengths too such as the depth of knowledge and qualitative data you receive from asking the pupils questions like why they truant or simply their point of view.

Ancient Indian Empires and Kingdoms

Ancient Indian Empires and Kingdoms From their original settlements in the Punjab region, the Aryans gradually began to penetrate eastward, clearing dense forests and establishing tribal settlements along the Ganga and Yamuna (Jamuna) flood  plains between 1500 and ca. 800 B.C. By around 500 B.C., most of northern India was inhabited and had been brought under cultivation, facilitating the increasing knowledge of the use of iron implements, including ox-drawn plows, and spurred by the growing population that provided voluntary and forced labor. As riverine and inland trade flourished, many towns along the Ganga became centers of trade, culture, and luxurious living. Increasing population and surplus production provided the bases for the emergence of independent states with fluid territorial boundaries over which disputes frequently arose. The rudimentary administrative system headed by tribal chieftains was transformed by a number of regional republics or hereditary monarchies that devised ways to appropriate revenue and to conscript labor for expanding the areas of settlement and agriculture farther east and south, beyond the Narmada River. These emergent states collected revenue through officials, maintained armies, and built new cities and highways. By 600 B.C., sixteen such territorial powers- including the Magadha, Kosala, Kuru, and Gandhara- stretched across the North India plains from modern-day Afghanistan to Bangladesh. The right of a king to his throne, no matter how it was gained, was usually legitimized through elaborate sacrifice rituals and genealogies concocted by priests who ascribed to the king divine or superhuman origins. The victory of good over evil is epitomized in the epic Ramayana (The Travels of Rama, or Ram in the preferred modern form), while another epic, Mahabharata (Great Battle of the Descendants of Bharata), spells out the concept of dharma and duty. More than 2,500 years later, Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi, the father of modern India, used these concepts in the fight for independence. The Mahabharata records the feud between Aryan cousins that culminated in an epic battle in which both gods and mortals from many lands allegedly fought to the death, and the Ramayana recounts the kidnapping of Sita, Ramas wife, by Ravana, a demonic king of Lanka (Sri Lanka), her rescue by her husband (aided by his animal allies), and Ramas coronation, leading to a period of prosperity and justice. In the late twentieth century, these epics remain dear to the hearts of Hindus and are commonly read and enacted in many settings. In the 1980s and 1990s, Rams story has been exploited by Hindu militants and politicians to gain power, and the much disputed Ramjanmabhumi, the birth site of Ram, has become an extremely sensitive communal issue, potentially pitting Hindu majority against a  Muslim minority. By the end of the sixth century B.C., Indias northwest was integrated into the Persian Achaemenid Empire and became one of its satrapies. This integration marked the beginning of administrative contacts between Central Asia and India. Magadha Although Indian accounts to a large extent ignored Alexander the Greats Indus campaign in 326 B.C., Greek writers recorded their impressions of the general conditions prevailing in South Asia during this period. Thus, the year 326 B.C. provides the first clear and historically verifiable date in Indian history. A two-way cultural fusion between several Indo-Greek elements- especially in art, architecture, and coinage- occurred in the next several hundred years. North Indias political landscape was transformed by the emergence of Magadha in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain. In 322 B.C., Magadha, under the rule of Chandragupta Maurya, began to assert its hegemony over neighboring areas. Chandragupta, who ruled from 324 to 301 B.C., was the architect of the first Indian imperial power the Mauryan Empire (326-184 B.C.)- whose capital was Pataliputra, near modern-day Patna, in Bihar. Situated on rich alluvial soil and near mineral deposits, especially iron, Magadha was at the center of bustling commerce and trade. The capital was a city of magnificent palaces, temples, a university, a library, gardens, and parks, as reported by Megasthenes, the third-century B.C. Greek historian and ambassador to the Mauryan court. Legend states that Chandraguptas success was due in large measure to his adviser Kautilya, the Brahman author of the Arthashastra (Science of Material Gain), a textbook that outlined governmental administration and political strategy. There was a highly centralized and hierarchical government with a large staff, which regulated tax collection, trade and commerce, industrial arts, mining, vital statistics, the welfare of foreigners, maintenance of public places including markets and temples, and prostitutes. A large standing army and a well-developed espionage system were maintained. The empire was divided into provinces, districts, and villages governe d by a host of centrally appointed local officials, who replicated the functions of the central administration. Ashoka, grandson of Chandragupta, ruled from 269 to 232 B.C. and was one of Indias most illustrious rulers. Ashokas inscriptions chiseled on rocks and stone pillars located at strategic locations throughout his empire- such as Lampaka (Laghman in modern Afghanistan), Mahastan (in modern Bangladesh), and Brahmagiri (in Karnataka)- constitute the second set of datable historical records. According to some of the inscriptions, in the aftermath of the carnage resulting from his campaign against the powerful kingdom of Kalinga (modern Orissa), Ashoka renounced bloodshed and pursued a policy of nonviolence or ahimsa, espousing a theory of rule by righteousness. His toleration for different religious beliefs and languages reflected the realities of Indias regional pluralism although he personally seems to have followed Buddhism (see Buddhism, ch. 3). Early Buddhist stories assert that he convened a Buddhist council at his capital, regularly undertook tours within his realm, and sent Buddhis t missionary ambassadors to Sri Lanka. Contacts established with the Hellenistic world during the reign of Ashokas predecessors served him well. He sent diplomatic-cum-religious missions to the rulers of Syria, Macedonia, and Epirus, who learned about Indias religious traditions, especially Buddhism. Indias northwest retained many Persian cultural elements, which might explain Ashokas rock inscriptions- such inscriptions were commonly associated with Persian rulers. Ashokas Greek and Aramaic inscriptions found in Kandahar in Afghanistan may also reveal his desire to maintain ties with people outside of India. After the disintegration of the Mauryan Empire in the second century B.C., South Asia became a collage of regional powers with overlapping boundaries. Indias unguarded northwestern border again attracted a series of invaders between 200 B.C. and A.D. 300. As the Aryans had done, the invaders became Indianized in the process of their conquest and settlement. Also, this period witnessed remarkable intellectual and artistic achievements inspired by cultural diffusion and syncretism. The Indo-Greeks, or the Bactrians, of the northwest contributed to the development of numismatics; they were followed by another group, the Shakas (or Scythians), from the steppes of Central Asia, who settled in western India. Still other nomadic people, the Yuezhi, who were forced out of the Inner Asian steppes of Mongolia, drove the Shakas out of northwestern India and established the Kushana Kingdom (first-century B.C.-third century A.D.). The Kushana Kingdom controlled parts of Afghanistan and Iran, and in India, the realm stretched from Purushapura (modern Peshawar, Pakistan) in the northwest, to Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) in the east, and to Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh) in the south. For a short period, the kingdom reached still farther east, to Pataliputra. The Kushana Kingdom was the crucible of trade among the Indian, Persian, Chinese, and Roman empires and controlled a critical part of the legendary Silk Road. Kanishka, who reigned for two decades starting around A.D. 78, was the most noteworthy Kushana ruler. He converted to Buddhism and convened a great Buddhist council in Kashmir. The Kushanas were patrons of Gandharan art, a synthesis between Greek and Indian styles, and Sanskrit literature. They initiated a new era called Shaka in A.D. 78, and their calendar, which was formally recognized by India for civil purposes starting on March 22, 1957, is still in use.

International Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

International Marketing - Assignment Example Three aspects of McDonald’s global marketing management are discussed – the degree of standardization or adaptation of marketing mix, the globalization model employed, and the country of origin effect, of McDonald’s international operations. 1.0 Standardization or adaptation of McDonald’s marketing mix Critically analyse the extent that your chosen global brand’s marketing mix is standardised and/or adapted across international markets. Conclude by providing a 2-3 paragraph summary that discusses whether you consider this to be an appropriate strategy(s). Remember to support your answer. Product – McDonald’s continuously innovates its products in line with the changing tastes and preferences of its local market. An example is McDonald’s Indian market, where the customers are predominantly vegetarian. As a result of adaptation, the company removed some of its popular international offerings – ham, beef, and mutton burgers – from its menu, and instead offered a predominantly vegetarian menu. It does, however, offer Chicken Maharaja Mac, a recent concoction based on consumer taste. In Spain it has McMuffin con Huevo, and in Hawaii it has Kahuna Burger (Nation’s Restaurant News, 2005). Illustrated below is one of the localized products of McDonald’s, and a curiosity among Western customers used to the Big Mac. Below is shown the vegetarian burger specially developed for the Indian market, with the ingredients and taste custom designed to suit this growing market. Source: Bhartiya, et al., 2008, p. 22 Place – McDonald’s policy on place, specifically referring to distribution channels, is to have its product available to the customer at the right place, at the right time, and in the right quantity and quality. In the USA, nearly half of all customers are within a 3 minute drive to an outlet of McDonald’s. In the outlets, customers are offered McDonald’s â⠂¬Ëœvalue propositions’ – hygienic environment, pleasant ambience, specially programmed music, polite and prompt service. Certain areas are dedicated to children where an indoor playground is usually situated. More recently, internet wifi service has been provided. As far as place is concerned, McDonald’s maintains the same quality standard worldwide. Price – McDonald’s strategy of affording value pricing and bundling strategies are largely standardized, such as the happy meal, combo meal, and family meal, for which it offers discounted pricing. However, as to the price vis-a-vis meal portions, these are strategically adjusted to target the middle and lower income consumers. Promotion – McDonald’s promotional thrust is a combination of standardization and adaptation. Standardization is evident in the style, the message, and the use of the same mascots, particularly Ronald McDonald who has represented the company throughout the world s ince 1963. A market study determined that Ronald McDonald has the second highest name recall