Post Positivist Approach

Post positivist approach is a metatheoretical stance philosophically rooted in positivism. Whereas positivists believe in the existing reality apart from our own perception of it and the importance of empirical observation as well as rock-solid general laws, post positivists share some similarities with a softer, amended approach. Realist and the social constructionist are both taken as ontology by post positivist researchers in communication discipline.That is, it can be true that post positivist researchers believe that there is an empirical, unchallengeable reality independent of our perceptions, but limitations like the complexity of the reality and the biases of researchers still exist which causes our incomplete understanding of the reality. Even though, by applying the mutiple measures and observation, post positivist believe researchers can enhance the objectivity and attain a more and more fully apprehended reality.At the same time, post positivists also have faith in multip le realities which can be constructed by social collectives through communicative interaction in relatively patterned ways and its effects should be regular and predictable which in turn reified social constructions. Thus, post positivists study regularities and patterns. Post positivist researchers in communication base their assumptions largely on the so-termed modified objectivist which holds to the notion that causal relationships for regularities observed in the social world is the center of the search for knowledge. Textbook, chpt3) Nevertheless, post positivists largely reject the value-free inquiry and the absolute authority of scientific method. Instead, post positivists believe that with careful and systematic operations as well as awareness of values, scholars can strive to be as unbiased as possible â€Å"by using controls and statistical tests, insisting on replication, and so forth. † (Textbook, chpt3) Therefore, post positivism does not equal to qualitative app roach as many may assume. In fact, post positivists apply quantitative research methods largely to safeguard objectivity and to advance knowledge.Post positivist researchers consist that theories should try to reach beyond the observation level of individual events to attain the abstract quality with clear logical links to the empirical world. By operationally defining theoretical constructs, researchers can test the theoretical concepts with substitution of empirical indicators to verify or falsify the theory. Moreover, post positivists hold to the three interlinked functions of theories–explanation, prediction, and control. That is, theories should first of all explain behaviour in a causal relationship manner.In addition, theories should be able to predict future behaviour in a patterned way due to the abstraction of a certain phenomenon. At the end, good theories also provide information to control future events. Taking these functions into consideration, one can generate a set of criteria for evaluating and comparing theories from a post positivist stance. (* is explained at the end) I would like to explore more on the complex mental decision making processes involved in choosing to consume media (information-filtering-related theories) in this information age.I would imagine that selective exposure theory and active learner theory* would be two comparable choices to explain questions in this field and may provide reasonable predictions and relative control on future events. Selective exposure theory is accurate within its conceptual boundaries since many laboratory experiments have been conducted to test it so it is empirically testable. For example, in one study, when individual were placed in state of boredom, they selected arousing media messages and avoided relaxing fare to achieve an optimal level of arousal. ( Bryant, Zillmann, 1984).Selective exposure theory is consistent internally and externally because there is no contradictory propositi ons or widely held theories in the relevant domain. It is parsimonious because it mainly focuses on emotional states. However, because of this, researches have been conducted mostly upon mood management and selective exposure effects (first regulate emotion, then measure the media choice) which is not the real life situations. Thus, it is not in a very broad scope. In addition, in labs, participants only need to focus on limited choices but in the real world we face abundant media.In this case, selective exposure theory may have limited external validity. Nevertheless, this theory provide plausible explanations in media choosing and can somehow predict future behaviour (eg: people use media to alleviate boredom and other negative emotions) and also bring up future possible research questions (how about on positive mood other than negative?†¦ ). Therefore, in general, it is a better theory to choose other than the active learner theory because the latter one lack empirical tests and cannot rule out possible interventions.The active learner theory is a pseudo-theory I personally came up with rather than a really existing one. I can be totally/partially wrong or this can have been better explained by some mature theories. It is not even a theory but I still want to give it a try based on my understanding of this mental decision making process. I think the choice that one individual makes on media consumption can represent more than what it appears to be. It is not only a personal mood management process but also can involve social context and group judgment into it.As individual make choices, they can consciously or unconsciously go over the considerations of others' feedback judgments and possible consequences aftermath. For example, if one has the instinctive drive to watch porn to maximize pleasure, before making the final decision, (s)he may consider the possible feedback from roommates or parents or friends who may see his/her behaviour, therefore quick ly decide not to do so. People may gain this kind of thinking from previous learning from personal experience, peer talking or education.Or, imagine a group of girls surfing the Internet in the same room, one may want to log onto Angel and read some articles but others are more interested in gossip and entertainment. Even though this girl has her own laptop and can choose what she wants to read but she doesn't want to be â€Å"distinct† or â€Å"nerdy† so she conforms. Thus, I name people as active learner, that is, we can quickly adjust our behaviour and adapt to situations around us through more complex mental procedures besides mood management process consciously and automatically.

Research paper The Apology of Socrates Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Apology of Socrates - Research Paper Example It is often said that Socrates acted unwisely in this defense and prior to the charges being brought against him because he purposely incited the wrath of many of the more powerful people of Athens. However, the defense he presents to the court suggests Socrates understood something more than normal men. His argument in the end is not that he didn’t break the law of Athens, but that he was acting in a necessary capacity for the development of the free and democratic society he understood Athens to be. The first charge brought against Socrates was that he was spreading sacrilegious ideas because he challenges other people’s beliefs. Socrates acknowledges these charges when he speaks against old enemies that have spoken falsely â€Å"telling of one Socrates, a wise man, who speculated about the heaven above, and searched into the earth beneath, and made the worse appear the better cause† (Apology: 944). His defense regarding sacrilege is based on the statement of the Oracle which once pronounced him the wisest man alive. Such a pronouncement caused him to take up a series of inquiries looking ‘into the heavens and earth’ to discover why that might be so. He points out this was a journey of discovery to learn why what they said was true. â€Å"At last I went to the artisans, for I was conscious that I knew nothing at all, as I may say, and I was sure that they knew many fine things; and here I was not mistaken, for they did know many things of which I was ignorant, and in this they certainly were wiser than I was. But I observed that even the good artisans fell into the same error as the poets; because they were good workmen they thought that they also knew all sorts of high matters, and this defect in them overshadowed their wisdom† (Apology: 947). Villa says this reveals that Socrates â€Å"obviously cared greatly for his city and fellow citizens† (2001: 39). His method was intended to open their minds to greater thought within a

Disc leade Mod 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Disc leade Mod 11 - Essay Example The assessment that has been an eye-opening of them all is the leadership trait questionnaire (LTQ). This is because it helped me determine my personal leadership traits, as I took the assessment and evaluated the score; I know have admirable leadership traits, even though previously, I was not certain on the same. In order to improve the organizations leadership and determine individuals that have leadership traits I can utilize the LTQ on my colleagues and followers in the firm (Rosch, 2007). Prior to introducing the assessment in the organization, I will conduct my personal research on the firm’s leadership structure and the traits of those in leadership. This research will give me an opportunity to determine the traits that need to be addressed, the strengths and weakness of my colleagues. I will then analyze these factors and start my assessment by asking my colleagues what they fill about varying leadership issues and the traits they believe a quality leader should have in order to help the firm attain its goals. In essence, I will be asking the questions contained in the LTQ and I will be ranking an individual’s response on the scale; at the long last I will evaluate my colleagues’ scores and thereby determine an individual that qualifies as a

Luxury Vehicles Are Exported To China Research Paper

Luxury Vehicles Are Exported To China - Research Paper Example This controversial business opportunity has been caused by the fact that the same luxury cars are sold at very different prices in China where customers in china can only get the same cars with almost three times the prices in USA. For instance, as Grossman (para 1) says, a BMW X5xDrvive35i is sold by BMW at an average of $56,025 in USA and the same car sells at $153,176 in China. These big differences in price between the two countries mean that individuals and even companies in the USA can buy a car and ship it to China, sell it at slightly lower price than the amount BMW is selling it in China and make a huge profit of over a hundred percent of what it costs them to buy and ship the car to China. The government has cramped down on this business, in most cases freezing the bank accounts of the people associated with these business. The fact that the buyers involved in this business are not breaking any laws but only taking advantage of a market loophole means that there is nothing that is not legal in what they are doing. Cramping on them and freezing their bank accounts is something that is against the constitution of the United States that gives every citizen maximum liberty. There are firms which have been set up to buy cars from the US Auto dealers and then shipping them from the US to China. To avoid suspicion, the companies train people to be buying the cars for them and them handing over the car to them. An individual is hired and recruited on how to buy the cars from the dealers. As Goldstein (para 28) reports, these recruits are trained so that they can buy the cars on behalf of these firms without raising suspicion. The buyers then walk into a dealership and buy the car they have been instructed to buy, go home with it and stay with it for some time. The person gets paid a few hundred dollars and the company takes the car from them so that they can ship it to the target market. These buyers who act as agents of these

Contemporary Issues in Accounting and Finance Essay - 1

Contemporary Issues in Accounting and Finance - Essay Example They consider all this to create an enabling environment that favors their objectives (Jaiswal, 2013). The Standards of the Auditors Ready Ratios (2013) asserts that in the 21st century the European Union came up with an outline of how the auditors should conduct themselves. The outline consisted of the law that stated and guaranteed matters concerning the freedom of the assessors of the law (Kumar & Sharma, 2006, p.134). This was similar to the laws that govern the accountants. It is said that the accountants were given their laws that govern their operations. They were given by the internal profession of the accountants (Knapp, 2010, p.204). In order to promote the equality in the people and all the other professions the European Union issued a framework that was to govern the legal analyst (auditors) and ensure that they were in line with their operation, expectations and their rights. Even though, this did not concur with some stipulations from the international federation of acc ountants. This is because the accountants were entitled to some fundamental freedom and rights that ought not to be compromised. And each accountant had an obligation of independence and doing the right thing. The directives the European Union gave, differed with the directives the international ethics for accountancy (Buijink et al., 1996, p.66). According to Sharma (2012, p.14), the differences were seen and they did expect the law auditors to operate within their stipulations. In giving their outline, the union for accountants had in mind the idea of public interest. They were interested in the good of the people. But in essence the European Union found the laws quite strict for the auditors to withstand (Puttick et al., 2008, p.56). So it was a two way drive. If the law analyst happens to execute their duties within the provisions of the international accountants, the result will be a stronger system in the operation. This is because there were quite stricter provisions. And if they do there duties in the boundaries of the stipulations of the European Union, they will be bound to some freedom (Basu, 2010, p.134). Discussion According to Greene (2005, p.11), a debate about the freedom of the person when conducting and assessing the legal issues forms the basis of the story. It is from this that the general theme of the work is, â€Å"the obligation of auditing†. This discussion is majorly rotating about this question. The title about the auditor being independent comes out from the following discussion (Morris et al., 2009, p.309). Some of the good principals are now in place and should be in mind of the any auditor or accounting profession. Whenever the auditing is to happen, the outstanding statute is the objective of the auditor. In order to show the public, the people moderating and using the audit opinions in particular, the auditor is supposed to be independent. Before entering an agreement with the client; the auditor should ensure a peaceful environment and his independence (Volosin, 2008, p.14). According to Gupta (2004, .1247), the European Union argues that, by defining the key audit partner, it does not

How To Reduce Hospital Infections Related To Invasive Devices Essay

How To Reduce Hospital Infections Related To Invasive Devices - Essay Example A very common example would be the performance of invasive procedures that use invasive devices such as urinary catheterization, naso-gastric tube insertion, and intravenous catheterization. Key words: invasive devices, invasive procedures, hospital infections, How to Reduce Hospital Infections Related to Invasive Devices Every year more lives are compromised or worst lost due to the increasing number of incidences of hospital related infections. It is very frightening to think that the hospitals and health care facilities which are supposed to save lives are the least places people would think that their health will be compromised and yet some studies point fingers on these health havens and say failure can be from the hands of the health care providers especially in handling invasive devices. Invasive devices such as catheters of different kinds are being utilized by the health care team for patients needing it—such patients needing hydration or infusion of antibiotic therap y are given IV catheter insertions. And such use of invasive devices for such procedures has been reported to have complications that put patient’s life at risk. ... terature in the use of invasive devices, the standard policies and procedures, as well as the solutions and better outcomes deemed and reviewed from published works and studies. Change Plan I. Over the years the increasing number of hospital related infections due to invasive devices increased. The use of these devices has been established to incur and help improve patient outcome by allowing better access to patients in terms of medication, nutrition, hydration and even drainage. But the increasing prevalence of complications from the use of such devices somehow places the credibility of such procedures at risk as well as doubting the ability of the nurse in performing procedures without causing further complications. The standard of safe practice in performing such procedures needs to be reevaluated and reinforced to be able to strengthen the chain of procedures without breaking the barrier to prevent infections. II. The prevalence of hospital infections due to invasive devices nee ds to be addressed. By reviewing the standard practice in the use of invasive devices, healthcare providers will be able to come up with the analysis and evaluation regarding the effectiveness of such practice in ensuring safety to patients and preventing further and additional complications. By performing such evaluation techniques the rate of prevalence of infections will be decreased and eventually totally avoided. Furthermore the review evaluation will increase the nurses’ and patients’ knowledge regarding proper procedure and care of invasive devices that will lead to better patient outcome and preventable related infections. III. Intravenous therapy is a crucial and indispensable aspect of nursing practice in acute settings, and is expanding into community care (Lavery & Smith,

People and organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

People and organisations - Essay Example They were based on Taylor’s scientific management processes which emphasised close supervision. However, more advanced studies such as the Hawthorne studies found out that specialisation created boredom, low productivity and high turnover. Furthermore, modern organisations operate in a global competitive climate which requires them to be flexible enough to adapt quickly to changes. As such, modern organisations now rely on contingency factors to structure organisations and teamwork to motivate workers. The organisation culture also plays an important role in defining how employees experience their work and how organisations are operated. The paper will discuss how two organisations differ in the way they are operated and how people experience work. This will be achieved by looking at their approaches to teamwork and teamworking, approaches to organisation structure and design, and the organisation cultures. Biogenia plc is a world-leading business dealing with crop-protection products (herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides) with 15000 employees in over 80 countries and has manufacturing facilities in 10 countries. Its activities are grouped into four functional areas but employees also work in cross-functional teams. The company is driven by innovation and employs highly qualified employees from diverse backgrounds. It also offers room for development through training courses and sponsoring education. It is also engaged in community activities by offering sponsorship. Sleepeasy Hotels on the other hand, is a mid-market hotel chain offering services to traveller and city-break tourists. Each hotel is headed by a manager who is responsible to the head office and manages day-to-day activities of the hotel. All the hotels perform similar functions such as reception, bar tending, room-cleaning, and cooking according to standard procedures and routines. Each manager recruits employees with assistance of central Human Resource function; some room-cleaners ar e permanent while others work part-time. The chain has a culture of performance management and review and disciplinary procedures. Approaches to Teamwork and Teamworking According to Forsyth (2009 p. 351), â€Å"teams are groups but not all groups are teams.† Some organisations work as a group to accomplish organisational goals while others form teams for specific purposes which are aimed at accomplishing the organisational goals. He points out the difference between groups and teams in that, teams require more collaboration and coordination in addition to having multiple members, interdependence and sharing of collective goals (p. 352). Each member is also assumed to possess unique knowledge, skills and abilities that he/she contributes to the effectiveness of the team. Classical organisations stressed individual work hence complex division of labour and specialisation but contemporary organisations have realised the need to utilize teamwork to achieve goals as well as trans mission of skills and knowledge between individuals’ hence organisational learning and increased motivation. Sleepeasy is an example of a classical organisation as each employee is responsible for his/her work which is monitored closely by a supervisor. The room-cleaning employees are supposed to attend 4 rooms in an hour failure to which disciplinary action is taken. For Biogenia, even though workers belong to a functional area they also belong to a cross-functional team. As observed by Forsyth (2009) teams come in different forms and perform different functions depending on organisational needs. Cross-functional or project teams comprise of members from different functional areas or departments, have different backgrounds and areas of expertise. These teams may