Research Articles Base: Research Proposal Samples

The Negative Impacts of Divorce on Children – Case Study of Oman

The Negative Impacts of Divorce on Children – Case Study of Oman   1.0  Introduction Technically, divorce means official ending of a marriage through a decision made in a court of law. Divorce simply means a separation, and the intricacies become even more complicated when it involves children especially since the factors that led to divorce may have already had negative impacts on children other than the time when divorce actually occurred. Divorce affects a child in a multitude of ways and it may have longer term impact on the child/children. To wit, divorce and its ensuing consequences have significant and life-altering impact on the well-being and development of the child.  Divorce in Oman is now a common phenomenon which burdened the authorities of the reasons of the divorce. Local Sablah reported that one of the reasons of the divorce is greed for money and that married couples could divorce even after two months of marriage. Women are granted the right of divorce on specific grounds such as if they are not financially supported and if their husbands are missing for more than a year or if he is jailed for three years or more.  If newlyweds resort to divorce while the marriage is still fresh, what more on couples that are already married for 3 years onwards? This means that they now have their own children which could be affected by the process. While the divorce affects the couples separating, it has more devastating effects for their children which are in the situation of pre-, during and post-divorce.    2.0  Problem Statement There are so many researches about children and how they are being affected by divorce. One aspect that has received a great deal of attention is the effect of divorce on psychological development of the children. Other than that there are also others such as behavioral, social, spiritual, physical and also academically hence the well-being of the children. Specifically, these are not explored in the context of children of divorce in Oman. The key question that will be addressed in the study is: What are the negative impacts of divorce to children living in Oman? Specific research questions that will be given answer to as well are: 1)    How does divorce affect the well-being of the child? 2)    How do the children perceive the effects of divorce on them? 3)    What are the short- and long-term negative effects of divorce on children? 4)    What are the negative effects of divorce manifesting at home, in schools and in communities?    3.0  Objectives The main aim of this study is to assess the negative impacts of divorce to children in Oman. As such, this means to determine the negative effects of divorce to psychological, as behavioral, social, spiritual and physical of divorce as well as academically. In lieu with this, the study will address the following research objectives: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Evaluate how divorce implicate the quality of life of the children</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Distinguish short and long term outcomes of divorce to children </li> </ul>   4.0  Methodology The research strategy that the study will utilize is the descriptive method. A descriptive research intends to present facts concerning the nature and status of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study (1994). It is also concerned with relationships and practices that exist, beliefs and processes that are ongoing, effects that are being felt, or trends that are developing ( 1970). In addition, such approach tries to describe present conditions, events or systems based on the impressions or reactions of the respondents of the research (1994). This research is also cross-sectional because of limited time. This research is a study of a particular phenomenon (or phenomena) at a particular time. (2003) Accordingly, cross-sectional studies often employ the survey strategy, and they may be seeking to describe the incidence of a phenomenon or to compare factors in different organizations. In this study, primary and secondary research will be both incorporated. The reason for this is to be able to provide adequate discussion for the readers that will help them understand more about the issue and the different variables that involve with it. The primary data for the study will be represented by the survey results that will be acquired from the respondents. On the other hand, the literature reviews to be presented in the second chapter of the study will represent the secondary data of the study. The secondary sources of data will come from published articles from books, journals and theses and related studies.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Negative Impacts of Divorce on Children – Case Study of Oman

The Negative Impacts of Divorce on Children – Case Study of Oman 1.0 Introduction Technically, divorce means official ending of a...

An investigation into AIS and software application

An investigation into AIS and software application

Proposal on the Portrayal of Women’s Images in Hong Kong Magazine Advertisements

Proposal on the Portrayal of Women’s Images in Hong Kong Magazine Advertisements     Introduction Along with the changing business world, customers change as well, becoming more demanding and knowledgeable than before. The consumers of mass communication messages today are active and critical in the simple choices they make as the mere purchase of everyday necessities has proved to be crucial in analyzing the consumer market at present. In turn, company management had shifted their focus on their clients or customers so as to stay successfully in business. The changing world has then placed much emphasis on the importance of communication for effective marketing. All types of communication are involved in marketing communications, including literature, training, advertising, mail, telephone, product promotions and other contact relevant to marketing communication (1992). This transition meant that organizations have to completely reformulate their conventional business aims and purposes from being process-focused to customer-centered (1997).   In this age of globalization and information technology, deciding which brand to choose can be a problem. Competition is evident and intense, and the marketing and management divisions of corporations are surely giving everything they can to establish their brands. Competition forces certain brand names to become stronger than others because of product loyalty and name recognition. Consumers tend to buy what is already familiar to them (1997). A fine and well-advertised brand might have a competitive edge from a lesser exposed brand name. But then, a lesser known brand can also have an edge over price, given that they cost less than known brands (2002). Market researches are most of the time conducted before and after the launching or implementation of an advertising campaign so as to provide generalization or specific definition of the characteristics of the type of people belonging in market category as well as the reactions of the consumers to the product or service being made available ( 2002).   Such practice makes it easier for the product or service providers to predict the outcome of a particular advertising campaign. However, in the end, the decision still lies within the consumers. They are the ones who basically absorb all the messages being disseminated by companies or all the information pertaining to the products, whether they are positive or negative. In this light, this paper presents a proposal on the portrayal of women in magazine advertisements in Hong Kong in order to identify the generalizations made by the commercial industry regarding Chinese women in Hong Kong and to verify the validity of such personality definitions and conceptualizations in the cultural, social, and political context of today’s women.     Background of the Study According to (2001), consumer buying behavior refers to the buying behavior of the individuals and households who buy the goods and services for personal consumption. Consumers around the world are different in various factors such as age, income, education level and preferences which may affect the way they avail of goods and services. This behavior then impacts how products and services are presented to the different consumer markets. There are many components which influence consumer behavior namely: cultural, social, personal and psychological (2001). These characteristics cannot be controlled by the companies; therefore, a need to assess these elements in order to create an effective marketing plan.   Companies who provide products and services to the consumer market are most importantly interested in the behavioral segmentation of the target market or the market subdivisions according to consumer knowledge, attitude, use, or response to a product (2001).  There are studies which have shown that situational factors such as the personal relevance of an issue or the level of external distraction can influence the extent of message processing and thus the route to persuasion (1986). (1983) found that the attitudes of individuals exposed to an advertisement under relatively high situational motivation were more influenced by the quality of the attribute claims in an ad than were individuals exposed to the same ad under low motivation conditions. On the other hand, subjects in the low motivation conditions were more influenced by the celebrity status of the product endorsers than were subjects in the high motivation conditions.   Based on the integrated model, culture influences behavior through its manifestations: values, heroes, rituals, and symbols ( 2001). The combination of both etic and emic perspective on the manifestations, can basically reveal culture’s strong relation with customer behavior. The etic philosophy is based on the definition of culture as “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another’’ (1997). On the other hand, the emic philosophy stresses upon understanding issues from the perspective of the subjects being studied (2001). As cited from  (1988), this philosophy determines the coordinates of social action and productive activity, specifying the behaviors and objects that issue from both. Furthermore, research on sensation and perception, attention, categorization, inference making, information search, memory, attitude and behavior, attitude formation and formation, conditioning and satisfaction have been undertaken to understand consumer behavior. In the area of sensation and perception and attention, most works are confined primarily to visual or auditory processes. Among the studies on this area include those of  (1994) who examined attention to packages on store shelves, as measured by eye fixations.   Since Television is considered as THE advertising media as people from all over spend a large piece of their time watching everyday than reading the newspaper and any other media.  Television most often than not, attracts people from its interactive and multimedia nature as it combines sight, sound and motion in one fall.  Because of its unique capacity to instantly garner the attention of the audience, the Television may be considered as the most persuasive medium (2000). After arresting the audience into watching the Television advertisement in question, the audience listens and watches attentively and as the attention span is maintained, the audience finds themselves agreeing to the message and pleased at the visuals and sounds that enrapture them.  An effective Television Campaign will positively influence viewers for as long as the advertisement is properly and persuasively designed.  The radio as a broadcast communication medium can likewise help in the efficient promotion and education of the consumers through announcements and advertisements (2000).   But this does not mean that the print media should be screened out from the options that may bring an advertising campaign to a success. The broad and diverse circulation and distribution of newspapers, magazines, journals, comic digests as well as the use of printed materials like leaflets, invitations, and promotional teasers are all forms of effective campaigning to take hold of the attention of consumers and make them aware of the options available in the market ( 1999). Advertising strategies should be conceptualized based on the characteristics of the products or services and that of the consumers and clients of a particular brand. This will ensure that the message channeled by the advertising and promotional message is properly delivered to the right people from whom the business organization can generate income from thereby increasing market share and eventually, company profit (1998;2000; 2000).   The mass media and the messages that it presents and feeds to the audience have long been criticized for consumerism and its passive treatment to the audience. According to  (1961) media and other related technologies have homogenized consumer tastes and that whatever differences that the individual person exhibits is broadly generalized that they are almost indistinguishable with each other. He supported this point of view when he introduced the concept of international advertising. Such criticisms are inevitable in the nature of work in the media and advertising industry and the reason why proper precautions are observed in this profession and there are active media and advertising boards that attend to the possible exploitations that may happen. In the market, legality of the content of the message and the presentation of a product or service in the public arena is governed by the constitution that is enacted.     Research Questions This research paper deals with the portrayal of women in magazine advertisements in Hong Kong. As such, the following research questions will be provided through completion of the academic activity by utilizing the perception of the selected Chinese women participants in Hong Kong:   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> What are the existing norms, beliefs and traditions in Hong Kong that govern the social roles of women?</li>   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> What are the generalizations made by the commercial industry regarding the Chinese women in Hong Kong?</li>   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> How do magazines advertisements in Hong Kong characterize a typical Chinese woman?</li>   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> How do magazine advertisers validate personality conceptualizations and definitions that they hold regarding the Chinese women in Hong Kong?</li>   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> What beliefs do Chinese women in Hong Kong hold regarding their social roles and status in the community? </li>     Significance of the Study All marketing communications should be directed to a particular target. This aspect suggests that in implementing marketing communication, the company should clearly identify the targeted constituents and stakeholders, or to whom the marketing communication strategy should be directed (2002). Wrong beliefs about the product or service may be countered through a campaign; therefore, companies need to be regularly updates on the beliefs of its target market. The purpose of this aspect is for the company to create or apply communication instruments that will encourage the market to purchase or patronize the product.   Companies now face the challenge of making its target consumers respond accordingly to their marketing efforts. Those who understand its consumers’ responses will have a great competitive advantage. The starting point towards this is through the stimulus-response model of buyer behavior which involves examining the marketing and other stimuli in the consumer’s black box that translates into buyer responses (2001). The American magazine, Martha Stewart Living for instance, is a publication that contains ideas on cooking, homemaking, gardening and other related topics, which was naturally supported by female patrons within the age of early 20s to late 50s. By having this clear identification of the target market, the publication is then able to generate ideas that this market will most likely support. Aside from gaining support, communicating to a particular target market enables the company to establish a fixed asset out of regular consumers.   Moreover, the products or services should always be in synch with the tastes, lifestyle, economic status and purchasing power of the prospect market.  Mutual recognition of rules between and among the advertisers, the business organization and the policy-makers of a particular locality should be at all times observed in order to avoid legal confrontations and eventual failure of the marketing strategy. Gaining the trust of the local government and reviewing the economic policies and legal matters that govern the country in which the product or service will be made available will be a strong ground from which the advertisers can make as a take off point in pursuing the any further business venture. All these issues will be given light upon the completion of the research activity being proposed.   To the people in the academe to whom this research endeavor will be of most interest, the results and findings of this paper will contribute to the bulk of studies related to business and organizational management. As such, this may also open new avenues for further researches and studies so as to provide the civil society with relevant information that are dealt with in the everyday life of each individual. Its application for the common interest and good of the public will be hopefully uphold.                 The researcher on whom the majority of the responsibility of completing this research project is given will be the first to gain and experience the benefits of the success of this research paper in meeting the requirements of the course and in satisfying the intellectual drive of a learning individual.     Objectives of the Study In order to learn how magazine advertisements portray Chinese women in Hong Kong, discussions regarding the cultural, social, and political generalizations on Chinese women will be presented by the research study. as such, the researcher aims to complete the following research objectives to fulfill the purpose of this academic activity:   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> To discuss the existing norms, beliefs and traditions in Hong Kong that governs the social roles of women.</li>   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> To determine the generalizations made by the commercial industry regarding the Chinese women in Hong Kong.</li>   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> To find out how magazines advertisements in Hong Kong characterize a typical Chinese woman.</li>   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> To validate the personality conceptualizations and definitions of magazine advertisers regarding the Chinese women in Hong Kong.</li>   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> To describe and explore the beliefs hold by Chinese women in Hong Kong regarding their social roles and status in the community.</li>     Scope and Limitations Conceptualization of the whole research study will prove some difficulties in constructing an effective questionnaire that will not tire the respondents yet has the ability to exhaust all the needed information from the participants for the completion of the project. The potential and empirical obstacles will include the difficulties in the data gathering procedures and the subsequent circumstances that every researcher face in the field such as complete participation of the subjects and the problems regarding figures of authority who have the power and prerogative to hold information that will be of great relevance for the success of the study.   Sampling procedures will be a great challenge to the researcher in relation to the representativeness of the selected individuals who will take part in the data collection procedures. Sometimes a few of the selected participants of the study will decline the involvement in the research project. There are also respondents who will inquire on the specifics of the investigation which the researcher can not divulge since it could spoil the data that the participant will share in the collection of the information.   Planning the gathering period while keeping in mind the possible constraints that could be encountered in the field as well as the time available to complete the investigation will prepare the researcher in the further execution of the research project.        Overview of Methodology This study will operate under the quantitative paradigm wherein the survey method will be utilized in order to elicit the relevant information needed to complete research (1992). Besides, quantitative research plainly and distinctively specifies both the independent and the dependent variables under investigation (2002). It also follows resolutely the original set of research goals, arriving at more objective conclusions, determining the issues of causality and eliminates or minimises subjectivity of judgment (  1996).   The survey method will be implemented in three successive data collection procedures. These will include the pretest of the questionnaire, the actual survey, and the back-checking after the analysis of the data. The pretest of the survey will be necessary in order to identify possible shortcomings of the instrument that may hinder the efficient collection of valid and reliable data. On the other hand, the back-checking that will be implemented will provide assurance that the results of the analysis are consistent with that of the available information and facts in the field. The researcher will gather secondary data and collate published studies from different local and foreign universities and articles from social science journals   The data collection instrument will be a structured questionnaire that will be based on Likert scale. A Likert Scale is a rating scale that requires the subject to indicate his or her degree of agreement or disagreement with a statement. By rating scale we mean the scales that are usually used to measure attitudes towards an object, the degree to which an object contains a particular attribute, (Like or dislike), toward some attribute, or the importance attached to an attribute.   The use of stratified random sampling technique was grounded on the need to ensure the represenativeness of the respondents in the survey method. This particular sampling technique ensures the validity and reliability of the data based on the number or quantity of the respondents who filled out the survey questionnaires. Stratified random sampling technique operates by classifying the target population into group classifications as set by the researcher. The samples are chosen through several selection procedures that usually take several stages depending on the complexity of the characteristics of the possible respondents and the interest of the researcher ( 2001).   Ensuring the validity of the accumulated data is considered to be the most crucial stage of the research endeavor. Since a methodology is always employed in the service of a research question, validation of the inferences made on the basis of data from one analytic approach demands the use of multiple sources of information through validation study built into the design (1998; 2002; 2001).     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Proposal on the Portrayal of Women’s Images in Hong Kong Magazine Advertisements

Proposal on the Portrayal of Women’s Images in Hong Kong Magazine Advertisements Introduction Along with the changing business...

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Competitor Intelligence (CI) as a Management Tool: A Case Study of NLNG Ltd, Migration from Business Intelligence to Competitor Intelligence

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Competitor Intelligence (CI) as a Management Tool: A Case Study of NLNG Ltd, Migration from Business Intelligence to Competitor Intelligence     Introduction The modern age of digital electronics made it possible for business and corporate organizations to keep up with the demands of their industries. At present, most business organizations are equipped with the latest information technology (IT) systems that enable them to function fully and effectively. IT has given everyone an opportunity. It has provided every person with the ability to communicate and perform tasks which were impossible to do before the arrival of the 21st century. As such, modern information technology has been considered the result of a crucial connection between digital and communication technologies. It has been declared as the fundamental core of an information system, which involves various interactions between data, the users, software, hardware, business corporations and their environment.   Information has always been a critical factor to a success of a business. For this reason, every company in this age must realize the importance of information technology. Not only does it play a role, but it must somehow, blend with the corporation’s business strategies and techniques. To fully understand the concept of information technology, one must examine its interaction with the world and all its factors around it such as economic, political and social issues. Unless IT professionals are aware of this fact, they are most likely to remain as mere pawns to those who are. Likewise, in the corporate world today, business firms who encounter many setbacks with regards to their IT projects are a result of their failure to understand all the factors that are involved in information systems.   In this case, aside from information technology infrastructures along with privacy, security issues and the ethics and moral obligations of industrial espionage that beset the international business environment, understanding of the strategic plans and objectives of corporations will contribute to the full comprehension of evolving means to doing business at present. Hence, this research activity is geared towards the investigation of the case of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited’s (NLNG Ltd) migration from business intelligence to competitor intelligence (CI) as part of its management tool. Evaluation of the effectiveness of competitor intelligence as a management tool will be highlighted by utilizing the implementation and application used by NLNG Ltd.      Methodology This study will operate under the quantitative paradigm wherein the survey method will be utilized in order to elicit the relevant information needed to complete research (1992). Besides, quantitative research plainly and distinctively specifies both the independent and the dependent variables under investigation (2002). It also follows resolutely the original set of research goals, arriving at more objective conclusions, determining the issues of causality and eliminates or minimises subjectivity of judgment (1996).   The survey method will be implemented in three successive data collection procedures. These will include the pretest of the questionnaire, the actual survey, and the back-checking after the analysis of the data. The pretest of the survey will be necessary in order to identify possible shortcomings of the instrument that may hinder the efficient collection of valid and reliable data. On the other hand, the back-checking that will be implemented will provide assurance that the results of the analysis are consistent with that of the available information and facts in the field. The researcher will gather secondary data and collate published studies from different local and foreign universities and articles from social science journals   The data collection instrument will be a structured questionnaire that will be based on Likert scale. A Likert Scale is a rating scale that requires the subject to indicate his or her degree of agreement or disagreement with a statement. By rating scale we mean the scales that are usually used to measure attitudes towards an object, the degree to which an object contains a particular attribute, (Like or dislike), toward some attribute, or the importance attached to an attribute.   The use of stratified random sampling technique was grounded on the need to ensure the represenativeness of the respondents in the survey method. This particular sampling technique ensures the validity and reliability of the data based on the number or quantity of the respondents who filled out the survey questionnaires. Stratified random sampling technique operates by classifying the target population into group classifications as set by the researcher. The samples are chosen through several selection procedures that usually take several stages depending on the complexity of the characteristics of the possible respondents and the interest of the researcher ( 2001).   Ensuring the validity of the accumulated data is considered to be the most crucial stage of the research endeavor. Since a methodology is always employed in the service of a research question, validation of the inferences made on the basis of data from one analytic approach demands the use of multiple sources of information through validation study built into the design (1998; 2002; 2001).     Literature Review A number of articles, academic papers, journals and other relevant references have provided and researches on the concept of information management. The continuous advancement in technology gave way to inquisitive inquiries on the logic that governs information management, its importance and its drawbacks. It has been studied in the perspective of different disciplines such as social, political, legal management, communication, science, and business courses. Information management has been a familiar concept since then. Earl (1998) discussed the importance of good information management in the ever-increasing demands of the global business industries which are common nowadays. He emphasized the relevance of the search for global efficiency, local responsiveness, transfer learning and external alliances through proper information management in a particular business organization.   Information management (IM) is the administration of data with regards to its uses and transmission as well as the application of theories and techniques of information science to be able to create, modify, or improve information handling systems within a particular business organization (slim.emporia.edu). It is the function of managing the organization’s information resources which includes the creating, capturing, registering, classifying, indexing, storing, retrieving and disposing of records and developing strategies to manage records. It also includes the acquisition, control and disposal of library and other information products, items kept for reference purposes, and the provision of services to internal and external customers, based on information resources. Data administration, archival records and the handling of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests are also classified under this category ().   IM describes the measures required for the effective collection, storage, access, use and disposal of information to support agency business processes. The core of these measures is the management of the definition, ownership, sensitivity, quality and accessibility of information. These measures are addressed at appropriate stages in the strategic planning lifecycle and applied at appropriate stages in the operational lifecycle of the information itself (). It is the provision of relevant information to the right person at the right time in a usable form to facilitate situational understanding and decision-making. It uses procedures and information systems to collect, process, store, display, and disseminate information (atiam.train.army.mil). Information management is the handling of knowledge acquired by one or many disparate sources in a way that optimizes access by all who have a share in that knowledge or a right to that knowledge ().   According to  (2002) the private sector intelligence and security is necessary in order for companies to profit for the interest of the owners, shareholders, and mangers. The marketplace intelligence or the competitive intelligence is the most significant area of the private investigation sector that focuses on the knowledge management and information utilization for the benefit of the business organization. The market intelligence has been popular due to the drive of the Society for Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) to encourage the members of the private industry to make use of intelligence in undertaking their business processes. In this regard, competitive intelligence will contribute to the business decision-making of the stakeholders of the company through access to important information outside the organization.   However, the collection-analysis process of the concept of competitive intelligence is most critical when it comes to the strategic planning of the company particularly those that operate in the international market. The media as well as the academic sector have not been very adept to such subject as evident in the limited literature tackling the issues and implications of practicing competitive intelligence by the business sector. But undeniably a very busy network of professionals is involved in the business of political risk analysis who provide information and recommendations to prospective investors that are interested in starting up businesses overseas. Most of the professionals in this career are concerned to in the social, political, and economic information of developing countries along with other business environment or setting where business deals present dangers to the entirety of the organization (2002).      Objectives and Deliverables In order to meet the expected outcomes of this research proposal, the researcher is duty-bound to attain the following aims and objectives of this particular research study:   1.    To find out the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing competitive intelligence in the business sector.   2.     To determine the reasons why NLNG Ltd management decided to undertake strategic change migrating from business intelligence to competitive intelligence.   3.    To explain the processes utilized by NLNG Ltd in realizing the goals of competitive intelligence in the context of the company.   4.    To enumerate the implications of the perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of the members of NLNG Ltd management and staff involve in delivering the goals of competitive intelligence.   5.    To analyze the implications of the practicing competitive intelligence in the industry where NLNG Ltd belongs to. .     Project Plan A data or information analysis plan was prepared to organize the information collected orderly so as to make the presentation of the results more comprehensive as well as to make sure that research objectives are achieved and the research questions were answered. In summary, the researcher will undergo four major phases to complete the study:   Phase 1: Problem Identification for Research This involves reviewing existing theory, research, and practices from professional literature. This process helped integrate theoretical perspectives and empirical findings with the own understanding of the problem, and discern the aspect of the problem the researcher want to research and learn more about. Phase 2: Administration of the Instrument. After reviewing literature, the researcher will formulate questions for the survey and makes a set of guide questionnaires for the interview. These are then presented to the adviser for validation purposes. After this the researcher initiated a process of building collaborations with the respondents who participated in the study.   Phase 3: Data Collection and Analysis. In the third phase, the researcher will collect and analyse data for the purposes of identifying critical contextual variables specific to their setting. These data will enable the achievement of a specific understanding of the problem. Phase 4: Data Synthesis and Generation of Recommendations. The researcher will synthesize the findings from the previous phases and relevant previous research to modify existing hypotheses and account for different factors that will transpire during the analysis, as well as generate recommendations based on new understandings. During this phase, practice-based recommendations for action will be generated.   The schedule of activities that the researcher will need to undertake in order to complete this particular research endeavor is illustrated in the Gantt chart below:     Data Gathering Data Analysis 1st Draft Additional Data 2nd Draft Finalization of Paper Week 1             Week 2             Week 3             Week 4             Week 5             Week 6             Week 7             Week 8             Week 9             Week 10                 Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Competitor Intelligence (CI) as a Management Tool: A Case Study of NLNG Ltd, Migration from Business Intelligence to Competitor Intelligence

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Competitor Intelligence (CI) as a Management Tool: A Case Study of NLNG Ltd, Migration from Busines...

The Effects of Saxon Mathematics as a Tool to Increase Standardized Test Scores

Proposal The Effects of Saxon Mathematics as a Tool to Increase Standardized Test Scores   Introduction             The Saxon approach to mathematics is based on the incremental development model. ( 1987) It involves three processes to ensure comprehension and retention among the students: (a) incremental development; (b) continuous distributed review; (c) frequent cumulative testing. () The complicated mathematical concepts are broken down into several related parts that “are easier to teach and easier to learn” and it is distributed among the different grade levels. ()             John Saxon, the author of Saxon, once said that math is not really that difficult.  And it is this misconception about math that inspired him to create a program that will help the students to understand the subject easily. Incremental development involves the process of breaking down the complex concepts to be taught in school. () Continuous distributed review is the process which deals mainly with helping the students to retain what they have learned from the incremental development. This stage involves giving out homework assignments and work sheets for the review of the students. () The problem sets contain questions for the particular lesson and questions involving the incorporation of the previous lessons to the current ones. (1997) The frequent cumulative testing involves determining the preparedness of the students to advance to the next level math. () In the statement of  (1990), the incremental development approach has proven to increase the level of student learning as compared to “mass presentations”. () Literature Review             John Saxon was a retiree from the Air Force who taught “at a junior college in Oklahoma”. () Saxon observed that there is low retention rate among his students in Algebra. () That is why he was amenable to the suggestion of one of his students to make problem sets for the class and it resulted to increased retention rate among his students. () He continued to write textbooks for ”high school algebra students” and encouraged the other high school teachers to try his program. () After the success of the program of the participating high school teachers, Saxon tried to get his work published in New York but no publisher would accept his work.  () But Saxon is determined to get his manuscript published in order to help the students. Upon his return to Oklahoma, the money from the mortgaged of his home and his inheritance from his mother, he was able to publish his book, Algebra 1 in October 1980, under the name of his publishing company Grassdale Publishers. () Under the new name of his company in 1986, , Inc., Saxon has published four books, including, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Algebra1/2, and Advanced Mathematics. ()             Saxon mathematics has proven its worth as a tool in helping the students to understand the seemingly complex concepts in mathematics. The most prominent record of Saxon mathematics is the study among 1400 students, which showed that the students who used the Saxon mathematics were able to solve more than two, 2.6, mathematical problems for every one (1) problem solved by those students who did not use the program, the control group. () A number of magazines have reported about the success of using Saxon mathematics, among them are; 60 Minutes, Reader’s Digest, Time, Newsweek, and a number of other newspapers. () Aside from Algebra, the publishers have made the Saxon program available in the other fields of mathematics, from kindergarten to calculus. () There are reports of “increased enthusiasm and confidence for mathematics following the use of Saxon Program”. () The program is not only helping the students but it also facilitates the teacher in the conduct of mathematics class. According to , there are reports about the usefulness of the program especially to the substitute teachers. The substitute teachers can easily fill in and carry on without disrupting the lesson structure. () Also, aside from mathematics, the Saxon program has also found its usefulness in other educational areas like for those students having problems reading and spelling, where the book Phonics Intervention is being used and in physics. ()             Standardized tests are typically conducted for the purpose of comparison in the evaluation of instruction. (1990)The standardized tests are designed for specific objectives and the items should be relevant for the intended use of the test to ensure the content validity of the test. (1990) As a tool for determining the effects of instruction, the behavioral objectives and the instructional objectives of the test must be correlated. Although standardized tests are less frequent in schools because of the other tests and measurements that can be used by the teacher, these tests are still used “as diagnostic and predictive devices”. ( 1974)                         There have been critics to the use of Saxon mathematics in schools. One of the major criticisms is that the program is “strong in drill and practice but severely lacking in conceptual development”, that it was designed to ensure that the processes are memorized and used correctly but without substance but no methods involved. (2001) But the more a student is trained on the basic knowledge, the greater the probability of success because there is a strong foundation for building up knowledge. In a statement of a principal from Sacramento, Saxon mathematics may be boring and repetitive but the students are trained to use the tools automatically, which fulfill s the objectives of using the program. ( 2001)              (1998), enumerated a number of schools that adopted the program in order to improve the ranking of their schools. An increasing number of Houston schools has been adopting Saxon mathematics, because according to a principal it is a “proven solution because they’re accountable for the results”. (1998) Curriculum Specialists are also sent to different places to determine how the ranking of a school may be improved from “acceptable” to “recognized”. A school superintendent sent out his math teachers who returned with Saxon mathematics and raised the ranking of their school from “acceptable” to “recognize” in two years, while another school was able to rise in rank using the same program in just one (1) year. (1998) According to the study of English,  (1934) the distributive method of instruction, by using intervals, has resulted in “greater student achievement” rather than those that were not distributed. () Another study conducted by  (1988), (1974) and(1964), confirmed the effectivity of distributed instruction including mathematics. () And this is the one of the three pillars that hold Saxon mathematics, to teach mathematics incrementally in order to build a strong foundation from which understanding complex concepts will be made easier to understand. However, in order to be effective the foundation of knowledge should be retained in the minds of the students. In order to this, there should be a continuous review of the concepts and lessons already learned. This has been proven in the studies conducted by Good and  (1979),  (1984), (1986),  (2002), (1991) and  (1990). It was shown in their researches that the students “with a mathematics curriculum that uses continual practice and review show greater skill acquisition and math achievement”. () While in the studies of  (1987) and (1980) it was shown that “distributed practice results in higher performance than massed practice”. () The last pillar of Saxon mathematics is the frequent cumulative testing, which serves as a response to the standardized tests. These tests are conducted primarily to measure the development of the students and their improvement in mathematics with regards to using the program. The cumulative testing assessment of Saxon mathematics is based on the research of (1991) which showed that “effective assessment is frequent and cumulative rather than infrequent or related only to content covered since the last test”. () Statement of the Problem             The research will determine the effectivity of Saxon Mathematics in increasing standardized test scores.                         Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Effects of Saxon Mathematics as a Tool to Increase Standardized Test Scores

Proposal The Effects of Saxon Mathematics as a Tool to Increase Standardized Test Scores Introduction The Saxon approac...

Gender Objectivity in International Business Management

Gender Objectivity in International Business Management: The Probability of Women Gaining Recognition and Acceptance  in the Global Realm of Business         Introduction               In Megatrends 2000, t named the 1990s as the decade of women in leadership. He is optimistic about the role of women in the workforce. For one thing, women are ubiquitous: As he points out, women without children are even more likely to work than men in that category – 79 versus 74%.             Many may believe that marginalization of women have been eradicated   along with the seeming changed notion of women being somebody belonging to the home raising children and attending to household work. Many would argue that women are now equal with men. After all, we are few decades into the women’s movement. The civil rights act is almost 30 years old, and the resulting executive orders deal directly with, and enforce, equal employment opportunity for women. And surely, today’s generation of women is far more capable of dealing with the problems that confronted women in the past.             If we will accept this simple summary of the present we may not find value in studying gender objectivity in International Business Management and the probability of women ever gaining equal recognition and acceptance in the realm of International Business for the problems are not simple nor at a deeper level have things changed all that much.             There is little doubt that the legal drive to enforce equal opportunity has succeeded in making business organizations more aware of women both in blur-collar and managerial jobs. Simultaneously, the women’s movement has heightened women’s awareness of themselves, their rights and their work situations. There are evidences that more women now hold management positions than they did twenty or thirty years ago, yet the most recent statistics show that while women make up 39% of the labor force, less than 5% of Officials, Managers and Proprietress are women. However, why are they so small? The explanation lies at least in part in the concept on which the equal opportunity laws are based. These laws legislate for equal opportunity. They do not and cannot legislate truly equal access to that opportunity, and most importantly, they cannot ensure tat people who have traditionally been discriminated against will immediately and automatically demonstrate the ability to take advantage of whatever access to opportunity may exists.             At the same time there is a real growing reaction to the enforcement of equal opportunity. It comes from those whose opportunities have been cut back in order to provide room for the inclusion of legitimized outsiders. These people who must make room for newcomers are becoming hurt, angry, resentful. While law controls formal structure, the implementation of its well-intended thrust must take place through the mechanisms of the informal structure. And in industry that informal structure is populated almost entirely by men, the same men whose opportunities have now been curtailed.             In most organizations the informal system of relationships finds both its origin and its present function in the male culture and in the male experience. It forms, its rules of behavior, its style of communication and its mode of relationships grow directly out of the male developmental experience. This cannot be viewed as something bad or good. It is real. Men founded and developed the vast majority of organizations we know. Men made them places where they could work and live and their settings were intended for both comfortable and familiar. And if organizations in general are dominated by the male culture, then we need to note that at the managerial level, and particularly in its highest ranks, the informal system is truly a basis of the male lifestyle.             If we think of men who belong to these informal systems as the insiders – people who understand and support each other, the structure, and the rules; people who share common aspirations and dreams; people who grew up with similar backgrounds; who played together, learned together, competed together; and concurrently we think of how differently women grow up: their different orientations, expectations, aspirations and experiences – then we can understand why in spite of the law, very little may really have changed for women.             What makes this particularly threatening to the future of women in management is that the informal system is at the heart of the middle management function and grows still more critical with every step upward. Few women are part of this system and most women don’t even recognize it exists. Thus a picture emerges in which those people whom we have called insiders operate knowledgeable and carefully within a system whose membership typically excludes women; a system which reacts to threats to its members by functioning in such a way as to make it even more difficult for women to become part of it.     Review of Related Literature             A number of studies have been made in connection with women in the business world. Most of which hail the women who made it to the top management, as in A few Good Women by (1992). Featured in the book are women par excellence, all from the United States. These include Karen Reimer, the Director of Corporate Transactions for Honeywell Inc.; Shirley Prutch of Martin Marietta who is considered the first female to be named vice president of the .8 billion corporation in 1979, after having already attained the presidency of Share, an organization of IBM computers, in 1974;  Nancy Faunce of Eastman Kodak; Loraine Binion of Levi Strauss anad Co.; Sara Westendorf of Hewlett-Packard Co.; Melissa Cadet of River West Developments; Jacquie  Arthur of M/A-Com Inc.; Linda Wroblewski of Richard Eisner and Co.; Sara Levinson of MTV; Philiss Swerskey of AI Corp. Inc. and Carlene Ellis of Intel Corporation. In a much earlier endeavourer, (1976) jointly examine women executives at that time. The study encompasses a wide spectrum of women in management – their assumptions, perceptions and behavior; men in management and the organizational environment; and real and potential outcomes for both men and women in terms of carrier achievement. Other studies dealt with surveys on numbers of women in the realm of different professions, including business.  (2000) says that in many professions women have increased from a minority as low as 10% in 1970 to a critical mass ranging from 30 to 50 percent. He also points to the growth of Working Women magazine, which at a circulation of 900,0000 in 1988 is surpassed only by the Wall Street Journal among business publications. The number of women joining the ranks of certain profession has mushroomed over the last three decades, according to  (1989). The population of female lawyers and judges has sky-rocketed from 7,500 in 1960 to more than 180,000; female doctors from 15,672 to 108,000, and female engineers from 7, 404 to 174,000. The demographic makeup of institutions that provide the imprimatur for success in business has been found to change as well. In the 1950s, women made up only 20% of college undergraduates in contrast to 58% today, and two-thirds of them dropped out to get their “Mrs.” Degree instead of holding for their BA ( 1992). In an anecdote in Business Month in 1990, it is stated that when Harvard University first grudgingly accepted women to its business school in 1959, while women are allowed to attend class with their male peers, these women had to  sit in the back of their exams at Radcliffe College. The gray eminences at Harvard would have a tough time finding enough room in the back of the class for females if they tried to enforce the practice  now: Women now account for 37% of MBA students, compared to 4% in 1972. In the same time period, the percentage of women at Stanford’s Business school has mushroomed from 2% to 43%, and at Columbia University from 7% to 42%. However, these numbers only tell half of the story. They reflect the fact that the expectations of women have certainly improved; women expect to pursue a college degree and they expect to be successful in the workplace/ However, when one starts to measure statistics reflecting success – i.e., the numbers of women in the top management – you’re no longer measuring expectations but acceptance. Unfortunately, most men don’t want women in the club (1992). There are only so many jobs to go around. But one very seldom see COOs, CFOs or even Executive Vice Presidents either. Among Fortune 500 companies, only 1.7 % of corporate officers are women, according to the statistics in early 1900s done by Glinow, a professor in the School of Business at the University of Southern California. The magazine that invented the term Fortune 500 came up with similar findings. When fortune magazine examined 1990 proxy statements of 799 of the top public companies it found only 19 women listed among the highest paid officers or directors – or less than one half of a percent. It was also found that minority women find it tougher. Black females made up just 2% of the managers in companies with 100 or more employees in 1988, compared with Black men, who accounted for 3% of this group and white women, who totaled 23%, according to the data available from the Equal Opportunity Commission (1990). Not one black woman was among the top 25 Black managers in corporate America when Black Enterprise magazine ran an article naming them in 1988. Studies of how far women have moved up within individual professional specialties – banking, accounting, finance, etc., also produce dismal findings.   Statement of the Problem             This researcher finds the necessity for a study that specifically tackles gender objectivity or sensitivity in international business, especially in Joint Ventures. The general objective of this study is to identify why women are marginalized in the realm of international business. Specifically, this study will try to answer the following queries:   1.      What is the standard for good management in International Business? 2.      Why are men more preferred than women in handling complex and powerful positions in the International Business circle? 3.      What are the common positions (job titles) of women in the International Business? How does it compare with their male counterpart? What does it imply in terms of salary grade, compensations, benefits? 4.      What are the factors that lead to the seeming isolation of women in International Business?   Nature and Significance               Although a whole gamut of studies have focused on the status of women in the business community, limited studies, if any, have traversed the boundaries of local businesses. This writer deems it necessary to fill this wide gap of knowledge concerning the role of women in the business world as a whole by zeroing in on the realm of International Business, specifically International Joint Ventures (IJV).  This writer feels that the marginalized status of women in local business will be reflected, if not magnified all the more in International Business, an arena more powerful and multifaceted.             An IJV is a distinct enterprise, a multi-organizational agreement, created as an alliance between two or more parent organizations working across country borders in designing-managing venture (Woodside, 1996). In real-life, designing and IJV usually takes six months to three years. The decision process in creating IJV is messy and time-consuming, more so its management.             This study will be a significant endeavor in establishing the role, if any, that women play in International Business, specifically in IJV. It will shed light to the inquiry why women seem not to par with men in the territory that is international business. It will discover the tough nature of the so-called “old boys club” and why these is difficult to penetrate. The points at which women seemed to be on a disadvantage will be discovered and considered and carefully examined. In the end, a recommendation will be made that may give pointers to businesswomen to reach top IJV management.             Methodology              A number of IJV top management, both males and females, will be surveyed and interviewed as to the realm of this study. People in the top management of five to six IJVs based all over the world will be sent questionnaires pertaining to the topic. Their cooperation will be fervently sought after. Those that are based locally, if any, will be visited and observed. A descriptive analysis (with strictest confidence given to financial aspect) of its organization will be undertaken, form the organizational structure down the most intricate detail permitted. The object is to find out the exact nature of IJV, of how powerful and complex it is.             In line with the descriptive analysis of two or more IJVs the women in these tough ventures will be examined. Interviews will be scheduled to cover the information that is vital to this study, such as the characteristics of some top (or middle) management women. Their educational and family background will be examined and will be correlated with the success they achieved using Pierson Correlation. The data will be coming from accomplished questionnaire and interviews.             At the end of the data gathering period this researcher must have gathered enough information on (1) the IJVs under study; (2) the characteristics of the top management and (3) the women in these IJVs. It is supposed that not so many women have penetrated this realm, save for those that hold secretarial jobs.             In line with these data gathering objectives the following points will be given enough attention for each data category: On the IJVs: 1.      When did it start? 2.      Who pioneered its management team? 3.      What is the vision/ mission/ goal/ nature of the IJV? 4.      How strong is the IJV in terms of market? 5.      How many does it employ? What is the ratio of men to women employees?   On the top management: 1.      What is the composition of the top management? How many are males and females? 2.      Who holds the highest position? What is his educational attainment? Socio-economic status? Family history? 3.       What is his most valuable contribution to the venture? 4.       What are his personal characteristics? How can he be described as a person? 5.      Who are the company’s biggest personalities? Is a woman one of them? What are their educational attainments? Socio-economic status? Family history? 6.       What are their most valuable contributions to the venture? 7.      What are their personal characteristics? How can they be described as be described as a person? 8.      What does the top management consider in choosing its employees? Its managers? Does gender bias exists in the selection? If so, to what extent?   On Women in Top Management <li style="line-height: 200%; margin-right: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"> What is her educational attainment? Socio-economic status? Family history? </li> <li style="line-height: 200%; margin-right: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"> What is her most valuable contribution to the venture? </li> <li style="line-height: 200%; margin-right: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"> What are her personal characteristics? How can she be described as a person? </li> <li style="line-height: 200%; margin-right: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"> What is her most significant contribution to the venture? </li> <li style="line-height: 200%; margin-right: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"> What challenges did she face before reaching the top? </li> <li style="line-height: 200%; margin-right: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"> What is her future plans as a career woman? As a  person in general? </li>   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Gender Objectivity in International Business Management

Gender Objectivity in International Business Management: The Probability of Women Gaining Recognition and Acceptance in the Global...