Sample Essay - How to Avoid Being Plagiarized and Avoiding Errors

Sample Essay - How to Avoid Being Plagiarized and Avoiding ErrorsIf you are looking for sample essays online to help you with your writing and learning, here are a few tips. Some of these sample essays are very useful when used in studying, but some are just plain awful, and in some cases they can even get you a failing grade on the test that is on the line.A sample essay written by a child or an adult can be a real source of inspiration. However, make sure you don't fall into the trap of plagiarism by using someone else's work. It is not a good idea to use someone else's ideas from a journal article, newspaper, or essay, or a statement made by the president or your favorite celebrity.Plagiarism can happen for many reasons, some of which include: using somebody else's work and ideas without crediting them; using someone else's words and thoughts to make up a whole bunch of new content that is not original; and of course, doing so with something like a sample essay written by somebody else. In other words, you are basically rewriting the essay and make it look new, especially if you are using someone else's idea for your own. If this is your main source of income, then you might want to reconsider that idea.Do not start writing without having a plan. As with any writing project, a proper plan will help you avoid being stalled by procrastination. The good news is that there are several different plans that you can choose from. There are different plans for each writing and learning aspect.Just as with the other parts of the writing and learning process, you should also take into consideration grammar. There are free grammar checkers available online that you can use to check for a few areas of concern. One way to do this is to study the sample essay and find the grammar mistakes and how they affect the overall sense of the essay. Other than that, another way to evaluate a sample essay for its ability to hold your attention is to use a scoring system, also known a s a 'word score'. This will help you determine whether the essay is worth reading.When you are trying to write a better sample essay, remember to exercise caution with your writing. You want to make sure that you use only those samples that are useful and informative.

One Brain or Two free essay sample

Many agreed to participate in the experiments. The experiments that they held focused on finding out what kind of limitations would each brain have if they operated independently, how the 5 senses would be affected as well as finding their unique abilities. The two hemispheres were analyzed with three different tests. One of the tests studied their visual abilities and interpretations. The test consisted on placing an image at a specific place while having their eyes fixed at a determined point.So that would make the patient capture the visual information in only one of the visual fields (area) of the right or left hemisphere. Interesting findings came out of this test. The patients claimed verbally to not have seen anything on the right field. However, when they were asked to point at the image seen, they pointed at the image on the right field where they had claimed to not have seen anything. We will write a custom essay sample on One Brain or Two? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These results lead Sperry and Gazzaniga to a logical conclusion: Our speech is controlled by the left hemisphere only.In other words, split-brain patients were not able to verbally express or even confirm what the right hemisphere has seen. Another of Gazzaniga and Sperry tests focused on tactile stimulation. This test was really simple. It consisted on being able to touch different items without seeing or hearing it. The results of this experiment give to the previous Gazzaniga and Sperry logical conclusion more credibility. At the time the patients used their right hands (connected to the left hemisphere), they could not name or describe verbally anything related to the objects.However, it was not the same story with the left hands of the patients (connected to the right hemisphere). They could match and point at the objects without problem; proving again the lack of speech ability that the right hemisphere has. The other test held was an auditory test. The test was done in two different ways. One way was finding the objects in a bag that were mentioned verbally and the other was identifying the item reached by touch. This test’s results were also supporting the previous researchers’ logical conclusion about the left hemisphere ability of speech.It confirmed the right hemisphere’s ability of comprehending language and its ability of expressing it in a nonverbal way. During the test, evidently, the right hemisphere had no trouble identifying the unknown objects by touch as the left hemisphere did. Moreover, some three- dimensional drawings of the slit-brain patients, who were all right handed, developed much better drawings using their left hands compared with their right hands. Those three types of tests were combined to make new tests. But the results are all similar to the ones mentioned before. These amazing findings get us to the conclusion that we possess two different brains with different abilities and behaviors. Gazzaniga emphasizes the possibility of doubling the brain’s performance by separating both halves. In other words, to put each brain half to think on their own. I find this hypothesis of perhaps being able to manage 2 tasks or having 2 extreme different thoughts at the same time very interesting. Knowing that something that sounds like fiction could actually be a possible truth one day provokes me countless thoughts about our so uncertain future.

Free Essays on Yoga And Its Benefits

YOGA AND ITS BENEFITS Many health and lifestyle benefits are associated with the practice of Yoga. However, it is impossible to understand the attainment of these benefits without explaining the classical form of Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, as a way of life, the philosophy it is based on, and the eight methods that makes it up. Yoga is a way of life whose creation and systemization is credited to Maharishi Patanjali. According to Patanjali, the basic idea of yoga is to unite the atma or individual soul with the paramatma or the Universal Soul. According to Yoga philosophy, by cleansing one's mind and controlling one's thought processes one can return to that primeval state, when the individual self was nothing but a part of the Divine Self. This is the sense encapsulated in the term samadhi. The aim of the yogi is to be able to perceive the world in its true light and to accept that truth in its entirety. The term 'yoga' stands for 'union'. A yogi's ultimate aim is to be able to attain this 'union' with the Eternal Self with the help of certain mental and physical exercises. Different schools of thought have been derived from Ashtanga Yoga, but they all adhere to different applications of the Ashtanga discipline, and are all ultimately aimed at liberation of the soul and an understanding of the Divine Un ity. For the purposes of this paper, the understanding of the benefits that can be derived from Yoga, only and in-depth discussion of Ashtanga Yoga is necessary. The Patanjala Yoga philosophy is also known as Ashtanga Yoga and is the practical manifestation of the Sankhya and Vedantic philosophies. It is an attempt to understand the nature of the mind, including â€Å"Its different states of being, impediments to growth, afflictions and the methods of harnessing it for the achievement of absolute self realization†. Sankhya philosophy assigns three functions to the mental body: mind, intelligence and false knowledge. Vedanta a... Free Essays on Yoga And Its Benefits Free Essays on Yoga And Its Benefits YOGA AND ITS BENEFITS Many health and lifestyle benefits are associated with the practice of Yoga. However, it is impossible to understand the attainment of these benefits without explaining the classical form of Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, as a way of life, the philosophy it is based on, and the eight methods that makes it up. Yoga is a way of life whose creation and systemization is credited to Maharishi Patanjali. According to Patanjali, the basic idea of yoga is to unite the atma or individual soul with the paramatma or the Universal Soul. According to Yoga philosophy, by cleansing one's mind and controlling one's thought processes one can return to that primeval state, when the individual self was nothing but a part of the Divine Self. This is the sense encapsulated in the term samadhi. The aim of the yogi is to be able to perceive the world in its true light and to accept that truth in its entirety. The term 'yoga' stands for 'union'. A yogi's ultimate aim is to be able to attain this 'union' with the Eternal Self with the help of certain mental and physical exercises. Different schools of thought have been derived from Ashtanga Yoga, but they all adhere to different applications of the Ashtanga discipline, and are all ultimately aimed at liberation of the soul and an understanding of the Divine Un ity. For the purposes of this paper, the understanding of the benefits that can be derived from Yoga, only and in-depth discussion of Ashtanga Yoga is necessary. The Patanjala Yoga philosophy is also known as Ashtanga Yoga and is the practical manifestation of the Sankhya and Vedantic philosophies. It is an attempt to understand the nature of the mind, including â€Å"Its different states of being, impediments to growth, afflictions and the methods of harnessing it for the achievement of absolute self realization†. Sankhya philosophy assigns three functions to the mental body: mind, intelligence and false knowledge. Vedanta a...

The Importance of the Price Elasticity of Demand Research Paper

The Importance of the Price Elasticity of Demand - Research Paper Example On the other hand, Fair Trade is a controlled certification method where there are conditions set on agricultural commodities production. The goods of Fair Trade that are produced according to the criteria followed in the trade are warranted a small price above the price of the world market. The main important part of this Trade is the products’ market in the countries that are developed. The main purpose of this study is to look into factors that mainly affect Fair Trade coffee demand and work out the coffees’ price elasticity of demand. This research is mainly aiming in giving answers why many purchasers may buy products of Fair Trade at higher prices than the substitutes of Fair trade goods. In addition, there is price elasticity of demands impacts on retail revenues mentioned in this paper. The findings obtained from this study showed that Fair Trade demands of coffee depend on various functional features like brand, price, taste and locations of sales. According to the theoretical models that are founded on the complementary utility, conclusions that arise are that price elasticity of demand mainly depends on the Fair Trade and regular coffee price differences and the demands of Fair trade coffee shares in comparison to the consumption of the whole coffee (Giovannucci, 105). Price elasticity of demand measures products quantity responsiveness to changes of the products price. It is referred to as the own price demand elasticity for a product sometimes. Many theories provided have concepts of consumers aiming to make best use of their personal utility. It would be unreasonable if a customer is likely prepared to spend more on the Fair Trade goods than for the Fair Trade good substitute if they have the same quality (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, 1). Many people using this product have interests on the conditions used in producing the Fair Trade goods even though there may be no effect on the standard product quality. Fair Trade coffee is described a product that has innovations, whereby making the process of production to be good increases the product quality in a slight way. Many consumers, who are aware of the product and like it, are willing to spend more on the product quality that has been improved. In addition, consumers may be gr ouped separately. Some consumers will take a product due to their characteristics and others due to the price of the product. Prices of these products are supposed to vary in different point of sales except there are features that permit the sellers to price the products differently. The location effects depend with the mobility of the consumers and if they buy all their products in one locality. There are various reasons that may lead to the Fair Trade coffee demand (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, 1). The reasons may be the flavor, the brand, quality, price and convenience of the coffee may affect the decisions used while purchasing the product. Another factor that may affect the decision of purchasing is the origin of the coffee. There are negative values in the price elasticity of demand for products, this is there would be demand in a certain commodity if the price is low. In Fair Trade coffee, the price elasticity of demand is important in various ways (Riley, 1). Retailers may discriminate prices among customers if there is a low price elasticity of demand. In a case where the demand is not elastic, there will be a less demand decrease to be suffered by the producers, even if the coffee prices are high. According to Giovannucci (161), this theory concludes that if there is a small Fair Trade Coffee price elasticity of demand, there will be great revenue obtained from the product sales even if there is an increase in the

What is a MBA Really Worth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is a MBA Really Worth - Essay Example Some degrees are more profitable according to Weston (2006) who states that although her assumptions, based on 1996 Census Bureau figures, are an understatement as there are too many factors. She determined the "present value" of the increase in future income that could be expected with various educations by the fact that a dollar paid in the future is worth less than a dollar today. Ditto, usually, a bachelor's degree. Any bachelor's degree you get at a public university is likely to pay off handsomely, as well. If you're attending a private college, though, you might want to steer clear of education degrees. Some degrees are a step back. Thinking of a master's degree in a liberal arts or social sciences field Let's hope you're in it for the love of learning, because on average there doesn't seem to be any financial payoff. High school graduates earned about $25,000 per year while college graduates with a Bachelor's degree earned about $48,000 per year. This is a difference of $700,000 over a time period of thirty years. This was based on statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, National Student Loan Survey, Nellie Mae 2002. (Thinking about College: Is it Worth it, n.d.) In conclusion, a college education is worth the time and costs especially in certain careers, or fields, in the long run. There are also intrinsic values that are priceless. Student Say College is Worth It (2005) quotes Krueger (2005), "But in addition to just learning job skills, college has become about honing life skills and learning to balance academics with rigorous work and extracurricular schedules. Gorsuch (2005) is also quoted, "college experience is based on internships, study abroad, networking opportunities, making lifelong friends, and pretty much everything done outside the confines of the classroom that makes

Quantitative And Qualitative Research Techniques And Procedures Psychology Essay

Quantitative And Qualitative Research Techniques And Procedures Psychology Essay The term research is usually used interchangeably with investigate, study, explore examine and make inquiries of a specific topic. In general terms, research can be defined as the gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge. The Princeton University wordnetweb published some interesting definitions of research including: Attempt to find out in a systematically and scientific manner; Systematic investigation to establish facts inquire into or a search for knowledge; In the scientific and academic terms however, the common use of the team tends to refer to the definition of research in a scientific context where it is used to mean performing a methodical study in order to prove a hypothesis or answer a specific question. This scientific understanding and application of research assumes a research process which involves manipulation of the variables in general with exceptional of process that use case studies and pure observational science for which this generalization does not always hold true. Research methods are technique(s) for gathering data (Harding, 1986) and are generally dichotomized into being either quantitative or qualitative. It has been argued that methodology has been gendered (Oakley, 1998), with quantitative methods traditionally being associated with words such as positivism, scientific, objectivity, statistics and masculinity. In contrast, qualitative methods have generally been associated with interpretive, non-scientific, subjectivity and femininity. C. R. Kothari categories research methods into three main types depending on purpose, area of focus and research approach: i. Depending on its purpose, research is said to be exploratory research which is also divided into two subtypes of descriptive and analytical research. This type of research is purposed to and structured to identify new problems or relationships between phenomena. Thus, it is aimed at describing the state of affairs as it exists and it is usually done through survey to get new facts which are analyzed to find new connections: ii. Based on the focus and the result of the research process, we do find the Constructive research also known as applied research. This type of research is used to develop solutions to practical problem at hand. In this same category, there is Empirical research through which researchers tests the feasibility of a solution using observed data: iii. Based on the approach, research can also be categorized as qualitative or quantitative. This categorization is based on the research methods used. The choice between the two is based on the properties of the subject matter and or the objective of the research. (C. R. Kothari 2004). Those two are the most commonly used categorisations and form the main schools of thought in research. Although they are commonly used together in complex research processes, the merits of one of over the other hotly debated especially in the field of social science research. Due to the scope and space limitation, I do not intend to cover the entire field of scientific research. The reminder of this paper will therefore focus on the examination of these two methods in iii above Looking their key characteristics, date collection and analysis methods, and identifying the respective advantages and disadvantages, validity level and the discussing the contemporary usefulness on the two methods in the research process. Quantitative Research Techniques and Procedures Qualitative analysis is a process that is often the precursor to quantitative, statistical work; a process to make the tacit underpinnings of an issue explicit; a process you can use to deepen your understanding of complex social and human factors that cannot be understood with numbers; a process that helps you figure out what to count and what to measure (Kerlin, 1999, p. 1). Some of the common methods of carrying out quantitative research are surveys and observations. Surveys are commonly carried out either the respondent or the researcher filling in questionnaires. While observational research involves the research watching or observing various behaviors and patterns. Mary other different kinds of quantitative research methods are used besides the surveys and observations. More complicated forms of quantitative research are experimental research or mathematical modelling research (Peter J.P. Donnelly J.H, 2000). In the social sciences, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships. The process will involve the development and use of the different mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena to measure empirical observation and mathematical expression that evidence the quantitative relationships. Although this research approach is commonly used in the social sciences such as psychology, sociology and anthropology, quantitative research mathematical sciences such as physics is also quantitative by definition, though this use of the term differs in context. In the social sciences, the term relates to empirical methods, originating in both philosophical positivism and the history of statistics, which contrast qualitative research methods. (http://en.wikipedia.org) One of the key characteristic of quantitative research is that it Involves analysis of data like numerical date, word, pictures and objects. (Miles Huberman (1994) Qualitative Research Techniques and Procedures Qualitative research is a generic term for investigative methodologies described as ethnographic, naturalistic, anthropological, field, or participant observer research. It emphasizes the importance of looking at variables in the natural setting in which they are found. Interaction between variables is important. Detailed data is gathered through open ended questions that provide direct quotations. The interviewer is an integral part of the investigation (Jacob, 1988). This differs from quantitative research which attempts to gather data by objective methods to provide information about relations, comparisons, and predictions and attempts to remove the investigator from the investigation (Smith, 1983). According to Andrew (2007), qualitative research is a method of inquiry appropriated in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed, rather than large samples. According to Andrew (2007), qualitative research is used to denote approaches which are supported by a set of hypotheses concerning the way the social world functions. It deduces many of its basic principles from the perspective that there are fundamental differences between the science of human world and science of natural world and consequently needs to use distinctive methods. Here, attention is focused upon looking at the world through the eyes of studied objects and upon evolving concepts and theories which are grounded in the collecting data. So, qualitative research connected with own accounts of the individuals of their attitudes and behavior. The significance of qualitative research consists in setting stress on describing, understanding complex phenomena. It investigates, for instance, the relationships and patterns among factors or the context in which the activity happens. It is concentrated on understanding the full many-dimensional picture of the subject of investigatio n. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses (informative guesses). Qualitative research is aimed at deepening our understanding about phenomenon, and will usually involve going beyond surface analysis of numbers and the statistics to the deeper meaning behind story being told by the numbers. It aims to gives the reasons and establishes causal relationships. It is often contrasted to quantitative research which focuses on the quantitative elements of phenomena. In practice however, the two methods are often used together to get to the bigger picture. Face-to-Face Interviews and Focus Groups The most common forms of qualitative research are face-to-face interviews and focus groups. Face-to-face interviews are just that: Meeting someone in person and discussing various issues. The informant or person you are interviewing may be an expert in a particular field (e.g. the editor of a newspaper) or they may be someone who is affected by the issues you are researching (e.g. someone who is HIV positive or who reads the media). Focus groups involve discussions with two or more participants. While questions for focus groups need to be prepared to guide and focus the discussions, the responses are often free-ranging, as the participants are encouraged to explore the issues at hand in an in-depth way. While focus groups and interviews will help you develop explanations for quantitative data, sometimes they can provide you with quantitative data themselves Basic Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Research Techniques Quantitative and qualitative research methods differ primarily in: their analytical objectives the types of questions they pose the types of data collection instruments they use the forms of data they produce the degree of flexibility built into study design The key difference between quantitative and qualitative methods is their flexibility. Generally, quantitative methods are fairly inflexible. With quantitative methods such as surveys and questionnaires, for example, researchers ask all participants identical questions in the same order. The response categories from which participants may choose are closed-ended or fixed. The advantage of this inflexibility is that it allows for meaningful comparison of responses across participants and study sites. However, it requires a thorough understanding of the important questions to ask, the best way to ask them, and the range of possible responses. Qualitative methods are typically more flexible that is, they allow greater spontaneity and adaptation of the interaction between the researcher and the study participant. For example, qualitative methods ask mostly open-ended questions that are not necessarily worded in exactly the same way with each participant. With open-ended questions, participants are free to respond in their own words, and these responses tend to be more complex than simply yes or no. In addition, with qualitative methods, the relationship between the researcher and the participant is often less formal than in quantitative research. Participants have the opportunity to respond more elaborately and in greater detail than is typically the case with quantitative methods. In turn, researchers have the opportunity to respond immediately to what participants say by tailoring subsequent questions to information the participant has provided. Merriam (1988) provided a basis for differentiating qualitative and quantitative research techniques based on their characteristics. Characteristics of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Point of Comparisons Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Focus of research Quality (nature, essence) Quantity (how much, how many) Philosophical roots Phenomenology, symbolic interaction Positivism, logical empiricism Associated phrases Fieldwork, ethnographic, naturalistic, grounded, subjective Experimental, empirical, statistical Goal of investigation Understanding, description, discovery, hypothesis generating Prediction, control, description, confirmation, hypothesis testing Design characteristics Flexible, evolving, emergent Predetermined, structured Setting Natural, familiar Unfamiliar, artificial Sample Small, non-random, theoretical Large, random, representative Data collection Researcher as primary instrument, interviews, observations Inanimate instruments (scales, tests, surveys, questionnaires, computers) Mode of analysis Inductive (by researcher) Deductive (by statistical methods) Findings Comprehensive, holistic, expansive Precise, narrow, reductionist However, there is a range of flexibility among methods used in both quantitative and qualitative research and that flexibility is not an indication of how scientifically rigorous a method is. Rather, the degree of flexibility reflects the kind of understanding of the problem that is being pursued using the method. Merits of Quantitative Analysis The use of surveys permit a researcher to study more variables at one time than is typically possible in laboratory or field experiments, whilst data can be collected about real world environments. The usefulness of a survey is that the information you get is standardized because each respondent the person who fills out the questionnaire is answering the exact same questions. Once you have enough responses to your questionnaire, you can then put the data together and analyze it in a way that answers your research question or what it is you want to know. Since case studies follow a structured format, different situations can be compared or analyzed comparatively. Case studies are typically short (often no more than 5 pages long) and usually only contain the essential information needed to present a situation and, if necessary, to describe and properly analyze a problem. Quantitative data can determine when students have achieved or failed a task, and they can provide national ranking, percentiles, and allow researchers to conduct comparison analyses. Nevertheless, they cannot provide the total picture of why a particular student has either succeeded or failed (Burnaford et al., 2001; Gall et al., 1996 and Mc Bride Schostak, 2000). In quantitative research, the researcher neither participates in nor influences what is being studied; thus, he/she examines the circumstances objectively. In some qualitative research, the researcher may play a more subjective role and participate by being immersed in his/her research. That is, the observer may be the teacher or the facilitator. This role is often the case with when action research, case studies, and focus groups are used in educational research. Advantages of surveys Good for comparative analysis. Can get lots of data in a relatively short space of time. Can be cost-effective (if you use the Internet, for example). Can take less time for respondents to complete (compared to an interview or focus group) Specific concrete example; Can help with problem solving; Are often interesting to read. Demerits of Quantitative Analysis A key weakness of quantitative analysis is that it is very difficult to realise insights relating to the causes of or processes involved in the phenomena measured. There are, in addition, several sources of bias such as the possibly self-selecting nature of respondents, the point in time when the survey is conducted and in the researcher him/herself through the design of the survey itself. It could be argued that the quantitative researcher is more precise, but the response would be that with people it is not possible to be so precise, people change and the social situation is too complex for numerical description. Quantitative research has a tendency to clarify where clarification is not appropriate. (Mc Bride Schostak, 2000, pp. 1-2) Disadvantages of Surveys Responses may not be specific. Questions may be misinterpreted. May not get as many responses as you need. Dont get full story. Can take time to develop; Depending on format, may need some level of good writing skills; Do not usually give broad overview of issue at hand. Merits of Qualitative Techniques The approaches of the qualitative research differ from the methods of the quantitative research. Quantitative methods have their aim in dividing into clearly defined parts, or variables. When we research an issue which we know how to quantify, for example, what can be quantified for sure, we may leave out the factors which are crucial to the real understanding of the phenomena under study (Andrew, 2007). Qualitative methods are helpful not only in giving rich explanations of complex phenomena, but in creating or evolving theories or conceptual bases, and in proposing hypotheses to clarify the phenomena. Besides, value of the qualitative research consists in validity of the information received; people are minutely interviewed so as the obtained data would be taken as correct and believable reports of their opinions and experiences. Its major disadvantage is that small group of interviewed individuals can not be taken as representative (Andrew, 2007). Case studies involve an attempt to describe relationships that exist in reality, very often in a single organization. Case studies may be positivist or interpretivist in nature, depending on the approach of the researcher, the data collected and the analytical techniques employed. Reality can be captured in greater detail by an observer-researcher, with the analysis of more variables than is typically possible in experimental and survey research. Another type of qualitative analysis is site visits. Site visits help you understand your research better; site visits (e.g. when you visit an organization, a manufacturing plant, a clinic or a housing project) are very useful and sometimes even necessary ways of gaining additional insight and making your theoretical information concrete in your mind. They allow you to observe what is going on, and to ask questions you may not have thought about. Qualitative research has a phenomenological focus that can provide an enriched and detailed description of the participants actions and/or viewpoints (Veronesi, 1997). Advantages of Face-to-Face Interviews Can allow for in-depth knowledge sharing; Helps to develop the bigger picture; Helps with analysis of results; Good for networking (e.g. you may be referred to other people to interview). Advantages of Focus Groups Good for community participation (grassroots input); Helpful in developing ideas and sharing latent, or hidden, knowledge spontaneously; Enables you to get information from a number of individuals simultaneously. Advantages of Site Visits and Observation Demerits of Qualitative Analysis Case studies can be considered weak as they are typically restricted to a single organization and it is difficult to generalize findings since it is hard to find similar cases with similar data that can be analyzed in a statistically meaningful way. Disadvantages of Face-to-Face Interviews Can be time consuming; May be difficult to arrange an interview time; Can be difficult to compare and analyze information. Disadvantages of Focus Groups Can be difficult to set up; Participants may need to be paid; Need to be sensitive to who the facilitator is; May need a translator; Sometimes difficult to organize and analyze information. Disadvantages of Site Visits and Observation Take time; Can be expensive (depending how far you need to travel); With observation in particular, you need to be careful how you interpret what you see. With site visits, you may want to make sure you have a guide so that you can ask questions However, the disadvantage of the quantitative as well as qualitative research is that they do not always underpin understanding of multi-dimensional pictures (Andrew, 2007).

Team and Small Group Experience

There have a few experiences that I have had, where I have been a member of both a team and a group. There are many similarities as well as differences among a team and a group. One of the biggest and most common similarity is that both of them want to be able to reach a particular goal. The team that I am currently a member of is a women’s basketball team. I am also part of a small group. I met a few local girls through Facebook that have been wanting to loose weight just like me. My team was started up by some friends that wanted to form a league to play for the city. They put some ads on Craigslist and Facebook to see if anyone wanted to try out for the team. After doing the try outs and deciding who was actually going to be on the team, we got together twice per week for a period of one month for practice basketball games. Currently, we are in the â€Å"tournament period† and we play every Tuesday at 7:00 pm with other teams that are also playing with the city. We have three games left before we know how we placed and if we go to finals. After every game we get together for a few minutes and discuss how we did and what we can do to do things better and to strategize. Communication among the team has really made us improved the way that we play and make us better in every game. The group I belong is made up of six girls including myself. We all chat online and make plans, we state our goals and what we want to achieve with them. Each week one of us will make an exercising plan for the entire week and then at the end of the week we meet up somewhere to talk about how we did with our exercise plan. It is not all about work, we also get together to have some fun, like go to the movies, eat dinner or take out our kids to the park. Most of us have lost at least 10 lbs since we started our little group. We just support each other when we are lacking motivation. There are some differences that I noticed between the team and the group. For example, we had to try out for the basketball team. Then we were chosen and assigned to a position by the organizers of the team. We have all been working together to make our team better and become a good and strong team. The group that I am currently was actually made up by a group of friends that just wanted to have a support system to lose weight. We have made sure to always have something going on to help us stay fit or keep helping us lose weight. The team used practice basketball games twice a week and a little get together that we had at the beginning of the season to motivate us and help us to get to know each other. This helped us feel more relaxed at the actual games and to know how each team player was used to playing in the court. The coach and the assistant coach wanted to do these two things to ensure that there was a healthy relationship among the players because in the past not knowing each other had cause much tension in the games, causing many looses. Getting the basketball team together virtually would have not been a good idea. Practices needed to get done and there was no possible way that it could have been done over a computer, The best method of communication for the basketball team was in person, by phone or by text messaging. This methods were used to communicate with each and to be updated on times and location for basketball practices or actual games. My group of fitness pals, is able to interact virtually. We were able to chat via skype, email and use sites such as Facebook to stay in touch with each other. We were also able to interact with each other virtually to make actual plans to meet with each other on a weekly basis in person. Whenever the teams or groups meet exclusive using virtual communications, there is no physical contact, for that reason, the relationship would be more impersonal rather than personal. This is not the case with either the team that I am involved with or the group that I am involved in, since in both cases we do see each other face to face. The team and the group work well the way that they have been communicating and meeting, exclusive virtual communication would not be an option for either of them. Each player on the times played on assigned position, depending on the tryouts and what the coaches thought they would be best at. In the group, every week, a different person would take leadership and make a fitness plan for all of us, she would also plan a day during the week where we could all meet, talk or just hang out in person. It worked out better that way because that way we would not run in to reoccurring exercises or activities. Everyone in the basketball team did the same thing. We all showed up for our practice games and we would also show up 30 minutes before an actual game, just to make sure that we had a complete team. We got sponsored by my husband’s place of employment, so with the sponsorship they also gave us red uniforms for all the girls. Every week our coach assigned one of the team members to bring bottled water for all of the team players. Most of the time all of the players play fairly but in some instances things would get out of hand and the team member would either get benched or even suspended for a game. For the fitness group, there were not many rules. The only thing is that everyone had to participate in some way. Everyone had to take initiative at least once every two months two make plans and set goals on how to lose weight. That same person also had to plan something fun for us to do so that we could meet in person. Status and differences for the team was each individual team player, they had different positions and they each were in charge of covering it on the games. The coach and the assistant coach decided who would start in each position after they held the tryouts and saw us play. In rare occasions the players were change from positions, but mostly we always held our own position. In our fitness group, every week we had someone doing all the planning for our fitness goals and weight loss progress. A certain person would plan and then all of us would follow the plan and at the end of the week meet somewhere and discuss our progress. So basically the only thing that would change is that every week we had a different leader and different fitness plans and weight loss goals. According to the Maslow theory, the team’s belongingness depended on the power of the team players in that position that they were given by the coach and assistant coach to play in. Good self esteem was built because the team players feel that they are doing a good job with their position and in their own way feel that they are helping the team win the games. Safety in the basketball team was very important. All of team players needed to feel protected by one another when playing the game. The small group worked very close and well together. According to Maslow’s belongingness theory, the group worked well because they worked together to achieve a goal that they all had. Esteem was built by the group because we would talk to a daily basis and get together with each other once a week making us have some sort of bond. Each member of the group felt safe with each other because we were all working for the same urpose and we didn’t feel the need to hide anything from each other. In conclusion, I think that the main purpose of working with a team and having specific roles in it is to accomplish a goal. In this case the one goal that the basketball has is to win as many games possible. Working with a does not have many differences from a team, but in my group in particular we all have the same goal, which is too lose weight and get fit. A small difference is that on the group we are all working for ourselves instead of for a victory that belongs to everyone else.