Combination in the adjective Essay Example for Free

Combination in the adjective Essay Another feature of gothic novels, which helps to create the grim atmosphere, is the weather. Weather in gothic literature is normally cold and wet, adding to the dullness of the environment. The Hound of the Baskervilles features lots of references to cold, wet weather, reinforcing the feeling of gloom. In chapter 9, Dr. Watson refers to a cold night wind. This phrase creates an ominous feeling as the two adjectives convey to the reader darkness and bleakness. Dr. Watson also speaks of the dull moaning of the autumn wind which sets a depressing atmosphere because of the heavy initial consonant and vowel combination in the adjective. The mysterious and long oan sound makes the setting seem intimidating. Moaning can reflect pain, which links to the idea of the moor being a dangerous place to be. The phrase also shows Conan Doyle using personification, which has a strong effect on the reader as it makes elements seem human, therefore powerful, and perhaps uncontrollable. Nature is a strong force in itself though, so the personification could be designed to show the reader that even nature can seem in pain in these bleak and wild locations. The wind talked about in this sentence is another common characteristic in gothic novels, where weather conditions appear harsh and hostile. In the extract from Dr. Watsons diary in chapter 10, he writes, rain poured down. Describing the wet weather, poured tells us that the rain is heavy and the harsh p sound emphasises the harshness. Also from Dr. Watsons diary in chapter 10 comes this tempestuous and melancholy day. The word melancholy is also used repeatedly in the novel to reinforce the impression of the bleak landscape; it gives the whole setting a thoroughly depressing feel. Tempestuous adds to the sombre feeling of weather but also generates a sense of tension as tempestuous means stormy and violent. Such weather conditions, it could be argued, are reflected in the nature of some of the characters- a technique called pathetic fallacy. The Hound of the Baskervilles contains many of the typical weather conditions that are seen in gothic literature therefore, in this sense, the Hound of the Baskervilles could be classed a piece of gothic literature. A feature of the landscape included in The Hound of the Baskervilles is a place called Grimpen Mire. This is a boggy area upon the moor where people are liable to sink. Dangerous places like this are often evident in gothic novels and add to the dire atmosphere of the text. The mire is talked about mainly in chapter 7 where Stapleton is informing the other characters about the mire. When Dr. Watson first enquires about the mire Stapleton replies a false step yonder means death to man or beast. Here Stapleton is saying that it is a dangerous place for man and animal alike and so the statement creates a very grim mood. Further into chapter 7 Stapleton says, It is a bad place the great Grimpen Mire. The shortness of this sentence increases the impact of it, as it gives the impression that there is no doubt and that the statement is fact and cannot be challenged. The adjective bad clearly shows that it is a dreadful place and the word great suggests that it is a vast area. Combined, these words help the sentence to increase the miserable tone of the novel. Also, in chapter 7 Stapleton describes the mire again as the impassable mire. Impassable gives a sense of danger to the phrase and the harsh ss and im sounds suggest a strange, mysterious ambience. Harsh or difficult terrain occurs frequently in gothic novels and the descriptions set a mysterious and grim tone. This depressing atmosphere is also apparent in The Hound of the Baskervilles therefore I would class it as a piece of gothic literature. One factor of The Hound of the Baskervilles that distinguishes the novel as a piece of gothic literature relates to the locations featured within it. Buildings in gothic novels have a distinct style of architecture that includes points; arches; crenellated walls; partitioned and stained glass windows and the buildings are often raftered. The way buildings are described in gothic novels often creates an eerie atmosphere and usually causes the buildings to seem spooky because of the dark dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor creating a heavy and oppressive atmosphere. Many of theses characteristics are shown in The Hound of the Baskervilles. The two main buildings in the novel are Baskerville Hall and Merripit House. These two locations are described when the characters first arrive at Baskerville Hall in chapter 6 and when they first visit Merripit House in chapter 7. Primarily the buildings are described through the observations of Dr. Watson. The general feeling of these buildings is a creepy one. At the beginning of chapter 6 Dr. Watson describes the outside of Baskerville Hall by saying weather-bitten pillars. Pillars are a common feature of gothic buildings and the fact that they are weather bitten shows that they are old and also reinforces the idea of hostile weather conditions. The harsh tt sound within bitten emphasise the hostile weather conditions and give the impression that the outside of the building is rough and imposing. Also in chapter 6 Dr. Watson observes, The whole front was draped in ivy and ivy-covered walls frequently appear in gothic novels and are usual of gothic buildings. Ivy covered walls give a blanketing effect and the image created by an ivy covered wall gives a gloomy impression. Later in chapter 6 DR. Watson talks about the towers of Baskerville Hall: the twin towers, ancient, crenellated, and pierced with many loo pholes. Crenellated walls of towers appear regularly in gothic architecture and are often featured in gothic novels because they add to the impression of the buildings being towering and forbidding. Further into chapter 6 Dr. Watson describes Baskerville Hall as large, lofty and heavily raftered. The oak paneling of the building is also depicted in chapter 6 through Dr. Watsons observation huge balks of age-blackened oak and the oak paneling. Oak paneling and heavily raftered rooms often occur in gothic architecture and are common features of gothic buildings. They also make the rooms in gothic buildings seem very dark causing a negative impression. High, thin window of old stained glass is dr. Watsons account of the windows. Dr. Watson also depicts the windows in chapter 7, high mullioned windows. Something that is mullioned is vertically partitioned. Stained glass and partitioned windows are common in gothic buildings. Another feature Arthur Conan Doyle uses to help create an eerie atmosphere is a reference to shadows. In chapter 6, Dr. Watson depicts the shadows within Baskerville Hall, long shadows trailed down the walls and hung like a black canopy above him. This simile helps create the depressing and spooky atmosphere. The elongated sound of ong within the adjective long gives a depressing impression and the adjective dark creates a spooky image. During chapter 7 Dr. Watson describes Merripit house by saying the effect of the whole place was mean and melancholy. The words mean and melancholy emphasise the dreary atmosphere of the location as melancholy means sombre and the definition of mean is harsh. Dr. Watson also says There were large rooms furnished with an elegance. The large rooms and elegant furnishings mentioned are common of gothic style buildings, both of these features help to create a majestic atmosphere and show that the building is posh reinforcing the fact that the characters who own it are wealthy. I can conclude, from the fact that the buildings featured in The Hound of the Baskervilles contain so many features of gothic architecture, and from the negative atmosphere and impression the descriptions of the buildings create, that the novel is a piece of gothic literature, which was written, in the gothic period.

Methods Of Data Collection For Primary Data

Methods Of Data Collection For Primary Data Once the researcher has determined his research objective, research question, and the corresponding hypothesis for his research project, what he needs to do now is to collect the required data. Data is information from sample that the researcher would analyse in order to meet his research objective, facilitate his research question, and prove his research hypothesis. For example, the data or information about customers are gender, age, qualification, marital status, number of kids, monthly income, brand of car, type of house, religion, hobby, sports, leisure activities, credit cards, golf membership etc. Figure 5.1: Methods of data collection (primary data) Method for Collecting Primary Data Survey Method Observation Method Face-to-Face Interview Telephone Interview Computerised Questionnaires Direct Observation Mechanical Observation Content Analysis Personal Interview Mail Survey Self-Administered Questionnaires Actually, what variable to include in the study depends on your research objectives, research questions, and the corresponding research hypotheses. The researcher should always refer to the three elements above when determining what data to collect in order to avoid collecting the unnecessary data, or worse, not collecting the required data. Based on Figure 6.1, the method of data collection can be classified into survey methods and observation methods. A) Survey method According to Zikmund, Babin, Carr and Griffin (2010), survey is a research technique in which a sample is interviewed in some form or the behaviour of respondents is observed and described in some way. In survey method, questionnaires are given to respondents to elicit information for the study. Respondents are asked the questions based on the information needed by the study. The questions may be asked in the verbal forms (interview), writing (mail questionnaire), or through computer (internet or e-mail). Several advantages are Quick Efficient Inexpensive Accurate means of assessing information about a population B) Types of survey methods i) Personal interview: face to face communication in which an interviewer asks respondents to answer questions (Zikmund, Babin, Carr and Griffin (2010). Face to face interview In the face-to-face interview (sometimes called personal interview), the researcher will prepare the questions to be asked during the interview with respondents. Each question represents the variable that the researcher wants to obtain its data. The questionnaires cover all variables required from a respondent. Before the interview begins, the researcher would explain the objective of research, ask for cooperation, and give assurance that the response given is only for research purpose and the information is treated with confidential. This is important since personal data is confidential, and no one will reveal his personal information if the confidentiality is not assured. The interviewer should posses good personality so that the interview session proceeds smoothly and in a friendly atmosphere. During the interview, the interviewer will read the question and record the response. Personal interviews may be conducted at the respondents home, offices, or anywhere. Below are the common examples of places which are basically used to conduct the interview. Door-to-door Interview Door-to-door interview refers to the interview in which the respondents are interviewed face-to-face in their homes. The major advantage of this interview is high participation rate, but the disadvantage is high cost. Mall Intercept Interview Mall intercept interview refers to the personal interviews conducted in shopping malls. Interviewers typically intercept shoppers at a central point normally at the entrance to the mall. The advantage of this method is low cost since no travel required to the respondents home. Mall intercept interview is appropriate when the respondents need to see, touch, or taste the product before they can provide meaningful information. Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) This interview uses a computer to get the information from the respondents using several user-friendly electronic packages to design questions easier for the respondent to understand. However, this method is classified as personal interview technique because an interviewer is usually present to serve as a host and to guide the respondents. CAPI is normally used to collect data at shopping malls, product clinics, conferences, and trade shows. Advantages of face-to-face interview Higher response rate. With proper plan and approach, the respondents will not turn down the request for an interview. The interviewer must be friendly and creative in getting cooperation from respondents. The interview method normally achieves a response rate of more than 70%. Data more accurate. The face-to-face meeting allows the interviewer to clarify terms or anything which might confuse the respondents. Once the respondent understands the question, he will provide an accurate response. The interviewer can note specific reactions by respondents during interview. The physical reaction and facial expression by respondent can tell whether he is providing accurate responses or not. The interviewer can also note the physical environment surrounding the interview such as the respondents office, the house, the dress etc that should tally with his response. People will usually respond with good gesture and provide accurate responses when approached in person. The Malay culture of not saying no still holds true when someone comes to the door with polite and peaceful manner. An experienced interviewer can sense out if the respondent is trying to hide some information. In this case, he will use his creativity to clarify the intention or terminate the interview. Disadvantages of face-to-face interview High cost. Interviewers must be given specific training on methods such as the art of making personal approach, the art of asking questions, the art of requesting cooperation etc, which is expensive and time consuming. The interviewer must be confident enough to work on his own. At the same time, the daily allowance for travelling, food, lodging etc is very high. Incomplete response. Any small mistake by interviewer can cause error in the response. The mistake such as using a wrong approach, bad facial expression, coming at the wrong time, not sensitive to certain issue in the conversation sometimes could hinder respondents from giving truthful response. Error in recording. This happens especially when the interview session is in a hurry due to time constrain on part of respondents. The interviewer who needs to read the question and record the response quickly and simultaneously is prone to making mistakes. Require close supervision. The interviewers work should be supervised closely to avoid interviewer cheating. Sometimes, due to many reasons such as time constraint, respondent is difficult to contact or the respondent is not available during appointment time, the interviewer will fill the response on his own. Telephone interview Sometime it is possible to collect data through telephone conversation. This method is possible if the researcher has complete directory of telephone numbers of population under study. If the respondents are government officers, employees of private firm, professional people such as doctors, lawyers, accountants etc, then the researcher have the option of using this method. Traditional Telephone Interview In traditional telephone interview, respondents are called through the telephone and the interviewer will ask a series of questions and record the responses. Respondents are more willing to provide detailed and reliable information on a variety of personal topics over the telephone than with personal interviews. Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) CATI uses a computerized questionnaire administered to respondents over the telephone. The interviewer would contact respondents over the telephone, read questions posed on the computer screen, and record the respondents answers directly into the computer memory bank. The computer systematically guides the interviewer and checks the responses for appropriateness and consistency. Advantages of telephone interview Less expensive compared to the face-to-face interview. The financial cost for travelling, lodging, and outstation allowance is not involved. Less time consuming. The number of respondents interviewed through telephone in one day is much higher than the number interviewed through face to face. Easy monitoring. The researcher can monitor the interviewers work more easily since he can check the telephone numbers of respondents and the time called. Disadvantages of telephone interview Lower response rate. The rate of response is lower since the respondents can just hang-up the call when he realised it is time consuming, or unsure of the confidentiality of the conversation. Fewer questions could be asked. Usually the conversation through the telephone cannot take long especially when the topic of discussion is not interesting, especially for the respondent since he has no particular interest in it. Difficult to get good cooperation. Conversation through the phone is not convincing enough especially when trying to get cooperation from the respondent. It is difficult to convince someone when they cannot see you in person, your facial expression, you body gesture etc. 2) Self-administered questionnaire In this technique, the researcher distributes questionnaires to respondents personally, through mail service, by inserting in the newspapers, or by sending to the email address. The difference between self-administered questionnaires compared to personal interview is in the self-administered questionnaire, the respondents make an effort to read and respond to the questions. However, the effectiveness of self-administered questionnaire will depend on the efficiency of the written words rather than the soft skill of interviewers. Mail Survey A mail survey is a self-administered questionnaire sent to pre-selected respondents through the mail. Basically, a mail interview package consists of the outgoing envelope, cover letter, questionnaire, return envelope, and possibly an incentive. Mail Panel A mail panel consists of a large, nationally representative sample of households that have agreed to participate in periodic mail questionnaires and product tests. The data on the panel members is updated every year and households are compensated with various incentives. Mail panel is appropriate for longitudinal design studies which allow obtaining information from the same respondents repeatedly. Advantages of mail survey Low cost. No interviewer bias Disadvantages of mail survey Low response rate Slow data collection speed Structured questionnaires One of the most popular methods of collecting research data is through the structured questionnaire. These questionnaires are self-explained and self-administered. In using this method, the researcher designs carefully a series of questions that cover the variables of interest in the study such as the respondents demographic background, their opinions concerning certain issues, their perception concerning certain service performance, and their intentions to do in the future etc. Structured refers to the degree of standardization imposed in the process of data collection (questionnaires). In other words, the researcher arranges the questions properly on a paper together with the cover letter to explain the purpose of data collection, the instruction to the respondents on how to respond to the questions, and the assurance of confidentiality of information provided. Advantages of a questionnaire Lowest cost incurred. The cost is low due to no interview, no training of interviewers, no travelling, no lodging allowance involved. No monitoring cost incurred. Usually the sending of questionnaires and receipt of responses from respondents are done by the researcher himself. More respondents and wider area can be covered. The researchers can send his questionnaires to as many respondents as he likes since the cost for each respondent is very small. Response more accurate. Since there is no influence, no gesture, no facial expression, and no interruption from the interviewer, the respondents can answer the questions at his own convenience. This manner will assure the accuracy of responses. Disadvantages of a questionnaire The poor rate of response from respondents. Since the researcher does not have gestures or face-to-face contact with respondents, the respondents can just throw away the questionnaires. In this method, the researcher should make a regular follow up contact with respondents using letter or telephone call. Usually the researcher would call the respondents earlier to inform them that he is sending a questionnaire to obtain data for his specific objective. The call is made as a gesture in order to obtain good cooperation from respondents. Once the respondent has difficulty regarding certain terms or questions in the questionnaire, he will not bother completing the remaining questions since nobody is available to explain. Sometimes the respondents simply send back the incomplete response. There is no assurance that the person who responds to the questionnaire is the intended respondent or the legitimate respondent. This matter will result in sample not being representative of the population. Private agents who conduct surveys found that people are more likely to respond to mail questionnaire that has professional appearance and come together with attractive prizes such as lucky draws for the respondents who send the completed questionnaire in time. Some questionnaires obtain good responses from respondents especially the questionnaire that comes together with the warranty cards when customers purchase certain products. Customers will have to answer series of questions on the warranty cards before sending back to the manufacturer for product warranty. Computerised questionnaire Internet survey Lately, the internet poll has become one of the popular methods to obtain information from the public especially their opinion concerning certain issue of public interest. In internet survey, the researcher brings an issue to attention and requests the opinion from the public. The public can respond by voting the statement that closely resembles their opinion. At the same time they can view the current standing in term of the most popular opinion and the corresponding vote obtained. Internet survey appears when a computer user is asked to go to a particular Web site location and answer the series of questions displayed in the website. In this technique, the respondents are not selected using specific technique but those who visit the Web site where the survey is posted are invited to participate in the survey. 2. E-mail survey In the e-mail survey, questionnaires are sent out to the respondents directly through their e-mail address. The respondents would reply the email by providing their response to each item on the questionnaire. The professional market research groups are using the internet to send their questionnaires to the respondents email. The respondents would complete their respective questionnaires and also return through the internet to the researchers e-mail address. Normally, these research agencies would provide certain rewards in terms of discount coupons etc in order to encourage the respondents to participate in the study. Advantages of computerised questionnaire Low cost. Very high data collection speed. Non interviewer bias Disadvantages of computerised questionnaire Very low response rate Low control of data collection method B) The observation methods According to Zikmund, Babin, Carr and Griffin (2010), observation is the systematic process of recording the behavioural patterns of people, objects and occurrences as they are witnessed. Several types of observation methods are: Direct observation In this method, the researcher will identify his respondents and records the required data based on what he observes. This method is suitable for a research to study the behaviour of respondents. For example, the research is carried out to identify how car drivers behave on the road during traffic jam. In his observation, the researcher will record the type of drivers who follow the traffic rules properly, and the type of drivers who choose to ignore rules such as queue jumping or overtaking using emergency lanes. The researcher may also be interested to know the types of vehicles (motorcycles, cars, buses, and lorries) which always ignore traffic rules during traffic jams. Another area where this method is suitable is to observe customers behaviour in the supermarket. In the market research study for example, the researcher is interested to know how customers make decisions in choosing which shampoo to buy. The researcher will stand in the area where hundreds of shampoos of differen t brands are placed on the rack. He will record how the customers choose the shampoo. Most probably some customers have decided earlier which brand to buy; some customers will compare prices, packaging, and even the smells before buying the shampoo. The researcher will record specific characteristics of customers who prefer certain brands of shampoo etc. Advantages of direct observation The data obtained reflect the actual behaviour of respondents. The respondents will tend to hide their actual behaviour when approached in person or when answering the questionnaires. The researcher gets a clearer picture and a better feeling of the situations for his study. Hence, he will be in a better position to make a proper recommendation regarding the underlying phenomena in the study. Disadvantages of direct observation The respondent will not act his normal behaviour if he knows that he is being observed. The data collection process is cumbersome and tedious. Mechanical observation Sometimes certain mechanical devices such as video cameras, rather than human observers to observe are used and record customer behaviours. The devices do not require the respondents direct participation in the study but they will capture the respondents behaviour for analysis. The early application of this technique is in a study to determine the level of comfort among train passengers by taping or recording how they sat and moved in their seats. Advantages of mechanical observation It offers high disguise by using the hidden camera. However, other mechanical device such as the use of psycho galvanometers is very difficult to disguise. Low observation bias since mechanical observation involves the non-human observer. Disadvantages of mechanical observation Low ability to observe in a natural setting. However, it depends on the mechanical tools used in the observation. The degree is low when using psycho galvanometer but high if using turnstiles. Less flexible. Content analysis Content analysis is usually used to study communication rather than behaviour, or physical objects. It is defined as the objective, systematic, and quantitative description of the manifest content of a communication. Content analysis obtains data by observing and analyzing the contents or messages of advertisements, newspaper articles, television programs, etc. It involves analysis as well as observation which systematically analyze peoples communication to identify the specific information contents and other characteristics such as words, characters (individuals or objects), themes (propositions), space and time measures (length or duration of the message), or topics (subject of the message). Advantages of content analysis High degree of disguise since the data is collected over the situation to be observed. High degree of observation specification and measurement. Disadvantages of content analysis Low ability to observe in natural setting because observation takes place after the behaviour has occurred. Potential of observation bias because human observer is involved in data collection process. 5.3 Factors determining choice of survey methods. Selecting the type of survey you are going to use is one of the most critical decisions in many social research contexts. Youll see that there are very few simple rules that will make the decision for you you have to use your judgment to balance the advantages and disadvantages of different survey types. There are several factors needs to be considered: Population issues The first set of considerations has to do with the population and its accessibility. Can the population be specified? For some populations, you have a complete listing of the units that will be sampled. For others, such a list is difficult or impossible to compile. For instance, there are complete listings of registered voters or person with active drivers licenses. But no one keeps a complete list of homeless people. If you are doing a study that requires input from homeless persons, you are very likely going to need to go and find the respondents personally. In such contexts, you can pretty much rule out the idea of mail surveys or telephone interviews. Is the population literate? Questionnaires require that your respondents can read. While this might seem initially like a reasonable assumption for many adult populations, we know from recent research that the instance of adult illiteracy is alarmingly high. And, even if your respondents can read to some degree, your questionnaire may contain difficult or technical vocabulary. Clearly, there are some populations that you would expect to be illiterate. Young children would not be good targets for questionnaires Are there language issues? We live in a multilingual world. Virtually every society has members who speak other than the predominant language. Can you produce multiple versions of your questionnaire? For mail instruments, can you know in advance the language your respondent speaks, or do you send multiple translations of your instrument? Can you be confident that important connotations in your instrument are not culturally specific? Could some of the important nuances get lost in the process of translating your questions? Will the population cooperate? People who do research on immigration issues have a difficult methodological problem. They often need to speak with undocumented immigrants or people who may be able to identify others who are. Why would we expect those respondents to cooperate? Although the researcher may mean no harm, the respondents are at considerable risk legally if information they divulge should get into the hand of the authorities. The same can be said for any target group that is engaging in illegal or unpopular activities. What are the geographic restrictions? Is your population of interest dispersed over too broad a geographic range for you to study feasibly with a personal interview? It may be possible for you to send a mail instrument to a nationwide sample. You may be able to conduct phone interviews with them. But it will almost certainly be less feasible to do research that requires interviewers to visit directly with respondents if they are widely dispersed Sampling issues The sample is the actual group you will have to contact in some way. There are several important sampling issues you need to consider when doing survey research. What data is available? What information do you have about your sample? Do you know their current addresses? Do you have their current phone numbers? Do you have an up to date contact lists? Can these respondents be found? Can your respondents be located? Some people are very busy. Some travel a lot. Some work the night shift. Even if you have an accurate phone or address, you may not be able to locate or make contact with your sample. Who is the respondent? Who is the respondent in your study? Lets say you draw a sample of households in a small city. A household is not a respondent. Do you want to interview a specific individual? Do you want to talk only to the head of household (and how is that person defined)? Are you willing to talk to any member of the household? Do you state that you will speak to the first adult member of the household who opens the door? What if that person is unwilling to be interviewed but someone else in the house is willing? Can all members of population be sampled? If you have an incomplete list of the population (i.e., sampling frame) you may not be able to sample every member of the population. Lists of various groups are extremely hard to keep up to date. People move or change their names. Even though they are on your sampling frame listing, you may not be able to get to them. And, its possible they are not even on the list. Are response rates likely to be a problem? Even if you are able to solve all of the other population and sampling problems, you still have to deal with the issue of response rates. Some members of your sample will simply refuse to respond. Others have the best of intentions, but cant seem to find the time to send in your questionnaire by the due date. Still others misplace the instrument or forget about the appointment for an interview. Low response rates are among the most difficult of problems in survey research. They can ruin an otherwise well-designed survey effort Question issues Sometimes the nature of what you want to ask respondents will determine the type of survey you select. What types of questions can be asked? Are you going to be asking personal questions? Are you going to need to get lots of detail in the responses? Can you anticipate the most frequent or important types of responses and develop reasonable closed-ended questions? How complex will the questions be? Sometimes you are dealing with a complex subject or topic. The questions you want to ask are going to have multiple parts. You may need to branch to sub-questions. Will the screening of questions be needed? A screening question may be needed to determine whether the respondent is qualified to answer your question of interest. For instance, you wouldnt want to ask someone their opinions about a specific computer program without first screening them to find out whether they have any experience using the program. Sometimes you have to screen on several variables (e.g., age, gender, experience). The more complicated the screening, the less likely it is that you can rely on paper-and-pencil instruments without confusing the respondent. Can question sequence be controlled? Is your survey one where you can construct in advance a reasonable sequence of questions? Or, are you doing an initial exploratory study where you may need to ask lots of follow-up questions that you cant easily anticipate? Will lengthy questions be asked? If your subject matter is complicated, you may need to give the respondent some detailed background for a question. Can you reasonably expect your respondent to sit still long enough in a phone interview to ask your question? Will long response scales be used? If you are asking people about the different computer equipment they use, you may have to have a lengthy response list (CD-ROM drive, floppy drive, mouse, touch pad, modem, network connection, external speakers, etc.). Clearly, it may be difficult to ask about each of these in a short phone interview. Content issues The content of your study can also pose challenges for the different survey types you might utilize. Can the respondents be expected to know about the issue? If the respondent does not keep up with the news (e.g., by reading the newspaper, watching television news, or talking with others), they may not even know about the news issue you want to ask them about. Or, if you want to do a study of family finances and you are talking to the spouse who doesnt pay the bills on a regular basis, they may not have the information to answer your questions. Will respondent need to consult records? Even if the respondent understands what youre asking about, you may need to allow them to consult their records in order to get an accurate answer. For instance, if you ask them how much money they spent on food in the past month, they may need to look up their personal check and credit card records. In this case, you dont want to be involved in an interview where they would have to go look things up while they keep you waiting (they wouldnt be comfortable with that). Bias issues People come to the research endeavor with their own sets of biases and prejudices. Sometimes, these biases will be less of a problem with certain types of survey approaches. Can social desirability be avoided? Respondents generally want to look good in the eyes of others. None of us likes to look like we dont know an answer. We dont want to say anything that would be embarrassing. If you ask people about information that may put them in this kind of position, they may not tell you the truth, or they may spin the response so that it makes them look better. This may be more of a problem in an interview situation where they are face-to face or on the phone with a live interviewer. Can interviewer distortion and subversion be controlled? Interviewers may distort an interview as well. They may not ask questions that make them uncomfortable. They may not listen carefully to respondents on topics for which they have strong opinions. They may make the judgment that they already know what the respondent would say to a question based on their prior responses, even though that may not be true. Can false respondents be avoided? With mail surveys it may be difficult to know who actually responded. Did the head of household complete the survey or someone else? Did the CEO actually give the responses or instead pass the task off to a subordinate? Is the person youre speaking with on the phone actually who they say they are? At least with personal interviews, you have a reasonable chance of knowing who you are speaking with. In mail surveys or phone interviews, this may not be the case. vi) Administrative issues Last, but certainly not least, you have to consider the feasibility of the survey method for your study. costs Cost is often the major determining factor in selecting survey type. You might prefer to do personal inter

Evolution of Computers :: essays research papers fc

How many inventions in your lifetime can you think of that have changed everything in our society today? Computers have taken over today’s society. From everyday tasks to moving satellites in space, PCs have revolutionized almost everything in our society. Computers weren’t always this complicated though, and were around a long time before anyone even knew what the word â€Å"computer† meant. The Abacus was the first known machine developed to help perform mathematical equations. From what researchers have discovered it was invented around 500 to 600 BC in an area around China or Egypt. This early tool was used to perform addition and subtraction and can still be found used in some of today’s Middle Eastern cultures. In 650 AD the Hindus invented a written symbol for zero. Before this no true written calculations could be made, making this one of the most essential inventions to help computers. In 830 AD the first mathematics textbook was invented by a man named Mohammed Ibn Musa Abu Djefar. The subject of this textbook he wrote was â€Å"Al Gebr We'l Mukabala† which in today’s society is known as â€Å"Algebra† (History of Computers). So what does all of this have to do with computers? Well without numbers computers wouldn’t exist or have any reason to exist. The whole point of a computer is to perform mathematical computations. Computers weren’t the first to do these mathematical calculations though. In 1623 AD Wilhelm Schickard invented â€Å"The Calculating Clock† which would perform operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In the year 1801 Jacquard Loom devised a punch card system with a power loom and an automatic card reader. Later that century in 1890 Herman Hollerith invented a census calculator that put each person’s information on a punch card and sent it through an electrical/mechanical tabulating machine. This sped up the process from about 7 years to 2 years making this a very efficient method of performing a census, which in turn helped spread it around the world (History of Computers). Jump to the year 1937 when John V. Atanasoff invented the first electronic computer. This computer and others below, unless otherwise stated, were made using vacuum tubes, â€Å"an electronic device in which conduction by electrons takes place through a vacuum within a sealed glass or metal container and which has various uses based on the controlled flow of electrons† (Dictionary.com). From 1941 to 1954 the governments of various countries started developing different computers for different purposes (Sandiego 1).

Rawls View Of Ignorance :: essays research papers

Rawls' View of Ignorance Rawls theory of justice revolves around the adaptation of two fundamental principles of justice which would, in turn, guarantee a just and morally acceptable society. The first principle guarantees the right of each person to have the most extensive basic liberty compatible with the liberty of others. The second principle states that social and economic positions are to be a) to everyone's advantage and b) open to all. A key problem to Rawls is to show how such principles would be universally adopted and here the work borders on general ethical issues. He introduces a theoretical "veil of ignorance" in which all the "players" in the social game would be placed in a situation which is called the "original position". Having only a general knowledge of the facts of "life and society", each player is to abide based on their moral obligation. By denying the players any specific information about themselves it forces them to adopt a generalized point of view that bears a strong resemblance to the moral point of view. "Moral conclusions can be reached without abandoning the prudential standpoint of positing, a moral outlook merely by pursuing one's own prudential reasoning under certain procedural bargaining and knowledge constraints." Rawls proposes that the most reasonable principles of justice for a society are those that individuals would themselves agree to behind the "veil of ignorance", in circumstances in which each is represented as a moral person, endowed with the basic moral powers. What this position supports is that while each person has different ends and goals, different backgrounds and talents, each ought to have a fair chance to develop his or her talents and to pursue those goals - fair equality for opportunity. It is not a race or contest where the talented or gifted prevail, it should be complete cooperation among all so that there may be reasonable life for all. What the "veil of ignorance" brings out is that we can accept utilitarianism as a public conception of justice only if we are prepared to let someone be subject to conditions we would not be prepared to subject ourselves. However, it is not the responsibility of my actions to ensure the fulfillment of another persons goals. These principles create an equal distribution of the "pie", if you will, yet it is not attainable unless pursued or strived for. There is no room for idle observation, meaning, that while we all possess equal opportunity as we all are equally moral persons, the choice of what you wish to possess materially as well as intellectually is the discretion and capability of Rawls View Of Ignorance :: essays research papers Rawls' View of Ignorance Rawls theory of justice revolves around the adaptation of two fundamental principles of justice which would, in turn, guarantee a just and morally acceptable society. The first principle guarantees the right of each person to have the most extensive basic liberty compatible with the liberty of others. The second principle states that social and economic positions are to be a) to everyone's advantage and b) open to all. A key problem to Rawls is to show how such principles would be universally adopted and here the work borders on general ethical issues. He introduces a theoretical "veil of ignorance" in which all the "players" in the social game would be placed in a situation which is called the "original position". Having only a general knowledge of the facts of "life and society", each player is to abide based on their moral obligation. By denying the players any specific information about themselves it forces them to adopt a generalized point of view that bears a strong resemblance to the moral point of view. "Moral conclusions can be reached without abandoning the prudential standpoint of positing, a moral outlook merely by pursuing one's own prudential reasoning under certain procedural bargaining and knowledge constraints." Rawls proposes that the most reasonable principles of justice for a society are those that individuals would themselves agree to behind the "veil of ignorance", in circumstances in which each is represented as a moral person, endowed with the basic moral powers. What this position supports is that while each person has different ends and goals, different backgrounds and talents, each ought to have a fair chance to develop his or her talents and to pursue those goals - fair equality for opportunity. It is not a race or contest where the talented or gifted prevail, it should be complete cooperation among all so that there may be reasonable life for all. What the "veil of ignorance" brings out is that we can accept utilitarianism as a public conception of justice only if we are prepared to let someone be subject to conditions we would not be prepared to subject ourselves. However, it is not the responsibility of my actions to ensure the fulfillment of another persons goals. These principles create an equal distribution of the "pie", if you will, yet it is not attainable unless pursued or strived for. There is no room for idle observation, meaning, that while we all possess equal opportunity as we all are equally moral persons, the choice of what you wish to possess materially as well as intellectually is the discretion and capability of

Dame Ragnell: Searching for the Truth Essay -- Arthurian Legends Lite

Dame Ragnell: Searching for the Truth Throughout the Arthurian legends, the role of the mysterious hag is one that continually appears. The hag is often associated with great magical power and revelations - both physical and psychological. In "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell," Dame Ragnell is the magical hag that aids Arthur in his quest for the answer to the "Holy Female Question." It is ultimately because of the noble, chivalrous and courtly Sir Gawain, that the true identity of the hag can be revealed. While Dame Ragnell is not an evil character, the hag is ultimately a character of question. One must wonder how trustworthy the hag truly is when magic is involved. From other Arthurian legends, such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight we can see that the hag is a malevolent character who uses the hag image as a guise to fool others. In the end, the hag's real image is generally revealed along with her goal. Dame Ragnell is not a beautiful woman who has intentionally taken the form of a hag trying to deceive o thers like Morgana LeFey in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Dame Ragnell offers the truth to the men of the story and proves Sir Gawain to be as honorable as his reputation says he is. The story begins with Arthur hunting a stag in the forest. After the kill of the stag he stumbles upon a giant of a knight, Sir Gromer Somer Joure. In order to live, the knight makes a deal with Arthur. If he returns in a year and a day with an answer to the question "What do women want?" his life will be spared. Arthur and his confidant, Sir Gawain, ride throughout the land with two books. In these books they write down the answers they receive from women all over the land to Sir Gromer's question. Upon comparing their b... ...n cursed? Where is the proof of this curse? Apparently she can become fair at some point on her own. Does this mean she too practices magic? How do we know Sir Gromer and Dame Ragnell are not one in the same? How do we know Dame Ragnell is not really Morgana LeFey? Who IS Dame Ragnell? What exactly is her goal in this story? Does Dame Ragnell simply want to show the men with the highest power the way to fulfill a woman's true desire? Is she, like countless political women, plan to change things from the inside of hierarchy? Dame Ragnell may not have been quite the innocent maiden she was portrayed as in her marriage to Sir Gawain. The lessons she teaches, and the awareness she brings to the court of Arthur are definitely timeless lessons that human beings are constantly being taught. Never judge a book by its cover - you never know what it might really have to say.

A Study of Human Flesh Search and Its Social and Ethical Issues

Abstract: Human Flesh Search (HFS) is one of the biggest Chinese internet phenomena. It has attracted great interest from IT specialists, legalists, sociologists and criminologists. This essay analyses how HFS works based on a typical case of the â€Å"Kitten Killer† and then the advantages and disadvantages of HFS were canvassed. In addition, the social and ethical issues surrounding HFS will be investigated. Finally, a solution will be presented, concentrating specifically on the importance of keeping a balance between information and power. With the rising number of Chinese netizens and the development of internet forums, blogs and BBS (Bulletin Board System) technology, freedom of information is becoming more and more common. As a result, a revolution in online search -Human Flesh Search has appeared and grown rapidly in recent years. It is defined as a Chinese internet phenomenon that uses massive computer mediated participation to purify the information from search engines and internet media. What is revolutionary is the way that humans, instead of machines, actually deal with the search questions and therefore there is increasing accuracy in the search results. That’s why it is considered as a â€Å"human flesh search†, humans do the searching. Here is s an example that can help people understand more deeply how HFS works. Early in the year of 2006, a horrible video of a smiling woman killing a kitten by stomping on it with the sharp point of her high heel, was uploaded and spread through the internet. Most people were angry at this inhuman behavior, so they turned to the human flesh search engine to find out who she was in reality. They hoped justice could be done and their purpose was to punish her by exposing and shaming her in front of her neighbours, families, friends and colleagues. In the Mop forum (http://dzh. mop. com/), a user even wrote â€Å"Find her and kick her to death like she did to the kitten! † With a post asking â€Å"Is there a front-facing photo so we can see her more clearly? †, the human flesh search had begun. Netizens traced the e-mail address associated with the site to a server in Hangzhou city. A follow-up post asked about where the video was taken: â€Å"Are users from Hangzhou familiar with this place? † Locals reported that there was nowhere in Hangzhou that looked like the backdrop in the video. Furthermore, the story was reported on television and in newspapers as the extension of the event, and people all around China saw the kitten killer’s photo. â€Å"I know this woman,† wrote the user â€Å"I’m Not Desert Angel â€Å"four days after the search began. She continued with â€Å"She’s not in Hangzhou. She lives in a small town in northeastern China. God, she’s a nurse! That’s all I can say. † Only six days after the first Mop post about the video, the kitten killer was found in Luobei city, and her name Wang Jiao was made public, as well as her phone number and her employer. The perpetrator Wang Jiao and the cameraman who filmed her were fired from what the Chinese call iron rice bowls; government jobs that have a good salary and a work guarantee. From this kitten killer case, it is obvious that the HFS is highly efficient. It does display an awe-inspiring power. Wang Jiao’s life had been ruined in just 6 days. She lost her good job, and it would be almost impossible for her to get a new one. Most importantly, she would be thought of as a cruel, mad person by others and would be hated or treated unfairly in society. She has paid for her mistake. But it is questionable about whether she deserved such severe punishment. This is only one of the cases. There are a number of positive and negative cases which have happened over the last few years. In recent years, the Human Flesh Search has become an international web phenomenon. From 2001 to May 2010, there were a total number of 405 episodes which had occurred in the world, with 392 taking place in China, 6 in the USA, 2 in Japan, 2 in Korea, 2 in the UK, 1 in France and 1 in Lithuania. (Fei-Yue, et al. , 2010) Figure 1 plots the number of HFS episodes quarterly over this time. (Fei-Yue, et al. , 2010)As we can see from the bar chart, HFS has become more popular in the past 2 years and it is still very popular now. Why is it able to retain its popularity? There must be some advantages to it. The human flesh search has five advantages. Firstly, due to its â€Å"human flesh† feature, the human being can accurately understand the user’s search question, and manually collect and sort out information. Therefore, it is more accurate than an automated search machine. Secondly, it gathers the power of crowds to make it easier and quicker to share information, thereby increasing working efficiency. For example, it does a great job in helping people looking for missing relatives after a disaster. Thirdly, it provides a free-speaking space which helps with making better decisions and solving social problems. Fourthly, the politicians in power are supervised by public opinion which can reduce bribery and corruption. Fifthly, HFS uncovers the scandals, digs out the truth, condemns the â€Å"grievances† and therefore plays a significantly deterrent role on violation ethics. These five advantages are the reasons why HFS has not been eliminated by the Chinese government and its popularity increases. However, it also has some undeniable risks. The HFS has some disadvantages that cannot be ignored. Firstly, it can easily exceed the moral bottom line as it is virtual and uncontrollable. Some people might even lie to gain benefit from it. Secondly, it can cause a conflict of interest among different groups. Thirdly, it can infringe human rights and privacy that lead to harassment. Most importantly, some people’s lives may be seriously and negatively affected by the exposure of their private life and cyber violence. The biggest issue in human flesh search is the invasion of privacy. Privacy is defined as a citizen’s basic right and should be protected despite the fact that a person did something wrong or not. It is obvious that HFS is against the privacy law but people still use it as a way to punish immorality. It leaves a question about how to avoid this special form of online vigilante justice becoming a trigger of privacy infringement. Another issue we need to worry about is deception in the HFS. It is really hard to distinguish whether the purpose of a posted request is malicious or not. If the requestor has a hidden purpose, it would be so unfair for the person who is harassed by the wrong criticism and condemnation. Studying the advantages and disadvantages of human flesh search and the issues caused by it, shows that it is important to keep a balance between information and power. To achieve this, it has something to do with legislation and boundary. China has the highest number of HFS episodes in the world. The main cause of this situation is the lack of legislation leading to the lack of privacy awareness of the Chinese netizens. Although there are some laws in China to protect privacy, the legislation to protect privacy for networks is really weak. This issue is only related to in some relevant laws, such as the â€Å"Computer Information Network and the Internet Interim Provisions on the implementation of the anagement approach†. Article 18 provides: â€Å"Shall not distribute malicious information on the network, send a message in the fraudulent use of others name, violating the privacy of others†. â€Å"Computer Information Network and the Internet Security Protection and Management Measures† Article 9 states: â€Å"The user’s freedom and privacy of correspondence are protected by law, any unit or individual shall not be violation of the law and violations of freedom and privacy of correspondence of users using the Internet†. The People’s Republic of China Telecommunications Regulations† Article 58 provides that any organization or individual shall not: â€Å"Engage in activities of stealing or damaging others information, and damaging the legitimate rights and interests of others in the use of Telecommunications network†. (Guang&Zechao, 2010)These provisions provided a certain legal basis for the network to protect privacy, but they are too simple and general in terms of the accountability of severe consequences caused by human flesh search. The punishments provide no deterrent for people who are tempted to maliciously damage others through HFS. Also, the juridical operation is hard to implement. For every HFS episode, a large number of netizens are involved and therefore it is difficult to identify and charge the culprit. In order to avoid the tragedy that may be caused by HFS, it is important for the Chinese to take some action, even though this will be complicated due to the special features of HFS and the current imperfect Chinese legislative situation. Below are some countermeasures and suggestions for the improvement of the situation that may have arisen through Human Flesh Search use. They are mostly about reaching the balance between information and power. Firstly, some protection can be acquired through legislation. The government should enact a clear and independent law to prohibit unauthorized netizens from stealing and illegally publishing another’s personal information. Besides, there should be a specific law for online behavior to control the netizens from deliberate harassment. Secondly, by using the technology, the network organizations should enhance their supervision and controllability of the forum and information audit. They should keep a close watch on the online activities so that if something impropriate happens, they would be able to block or stop that immediately. Another important measure is to deal with this issue through internet regulation. The government should introduce a real-name registration system for bloggers and internet forum users. Finally, every netizen should enhance self-protection awareness and preventive measures. Also, they need to have the ability to distinguish between truth and deception. There must be a balance between trust and skepticism. The Chinese Government can help this by promoting internet safety and setting up some specific consultants. The rising Human Flesh search phenomenon has become a big challenge for both Chinese citizens and government. It has exerted a huge influence to not only network, but also the society. The statistic and situation that have been analysed also show that it is impossible to ban the HFS. However, it is of the highest importance to make every one realise the possible damages and consequences that HFS could cause so that all can be made aware of it. After a discussion of the advantages, disadvantages , social and ethical issues involved with HFS, it can be observed that a balance between information and power must be achieved. Some countermeasures and suggestions have been provided to ameliorate the negative features of HFS. It is time for people to take action to reduce future possible harm to the lowest degree and to fully take advantage of it.

Layers of the Atmosphere

Without our atmosphere, there would be no life on earth. Two gases make up the bulk of the earth's atmosphere: nitrogen (78%), and oxygen (21%). Argon, carbon dioxide and various trace gases make up the remainder. Scientists divided the atmosphere into four layers according to temperature: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. The temperature drops as we go up through the troposphere, but it rises as we move through the next layer, the stratosphere. The farther away from earth, the thinner the atmosphere gets. 1. TROPOSPHEREThis is the layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface, extending up to about 10-15 km above the Earth's surface. It contains 75% of the atmosphere's mass. The troposphere is wider at the equator than at the poles. Temperature and pressure drops as you go higher up the troposphere. The Tropopause:  At the very top of the troposphere is the tropopause where the temperature reaches a (stable) minimum. Some scientists call the tropopa use a â€Å"thermal layer† or â€Å"cold trap† because this is a point where rising water vapour cannot go higher because it changes into ice and is trapped.If there is no cold trap, Earth would loose all its water! Most of what we call weather occurs in the troposphere. The uneven heating of the regions of the troposphere by the Sun causes convection currents and winds. Warm air from Earth's surface rises and cold air above it rushes in to replace it. When warm air reaches the tropopause, it cannot go higher as the air above it (in the stratosphere) is warmer and lighter †¦ preventing much air convection beyond the tropopause. The tropopause acts like an invisible barrier and is the reason why most clouds form and weather phenomena occur within the troposphere.The Greenhouse Effect:  Heat from the Sun warms the Earth's surface but most of it is radiated and sent back into space. Water vapour and carbon dioxide in the troposphere trap some of this heat, preventi ng it from escaping thus keep the Earth warm. This trapping of heat is called the â€Å"greenhouse effect†. However, if there is too much carbon dioxide in the troposphere then it will trap too much heat. Scientists are afraid that the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide would raise the Earth's surface temperature, bringing significant changes to worldwide weather patterns †¦ hifting in climatic zones and the melting of the polar ice caps, which could raise the level of the world's oceans. 2. STRATOSPHERE This layer lies directly above the troposphere and is about 35 km deep. It extends from about 15 to 50 km above the Earth's surface. The stratosphere is warmer at the top than the bottom. The lower portion has a nearly constant temperature with height but in the upper portion the temperature increases with altitude because of absorption of sunlight by ozone. This temperature increase with altitude is the opposite of the situation in the troposphere.The Ozone Layer:   The stratosphere contains a thin layer of ozone molecules (with three oxygen atoms) which forms a protective layer shielding life on Earth from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. But this ozone layer is being depleted, and is getting thinner over Europe, Asia, North American and Antarctica. â€Å"Holes† are appearing in the ozone layer. 3. MESOSPHERE Directly above the stratosphere, extending from 50 to 80 km above the Earth's surface, the mesosphere is a cold layer where the temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude.Here in the mesosphere, the atmosphere is very rarefied nevertheless thick enough to slow down meteors hurtling into the atmosphere, where they burn up, leaving fiery trails in the night sky. 4. THERMOSPHERE The thermosphere extends from 80 km above the Earth's surface to outer space. The temperature is hot and may be as high as thousands of degrees as the few molecules that are present in the thermosphere receive extraordinary large a mounts of energy from the Sun.However, the thermosphere would actually feel very cold to us because of the probability that these few molecules will hit our skin and transfer enough energy to cause appreciable heat is extremely low. The thermosphere corresponds to the heterosphere , a zone where there is no uniform distribution of gases. In other words, the gases are not well-mixed; instead they are stratified that is layered, in accordance to their molecular masses. In contrast, the gases in the homosphere (consisting of the troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere) are uniformly distributed.