Qualitative and Quantitative research methods are used to create research reports. They are two different ways of collecting data, so the reports can be prepared efficiently and effectively. They both have their own ways of collecting data and information, and they both have advantages and disadvantages Many people are not aware of the two types of research, Qualitative and Quantitative; they are both very important if you want to write a proper report. The purpose of this report is to compare the two methods of research. The report will discuss the differences between the two types of research and also the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Smaller groups will look at specific policy issues and legislation in detail. There are different committees with different roles e.g. offering advice, producing reports and altering legislation. Parliament has the responsibility to pass new legislation. The majority of new laws or changes to existing laws come from government but the can also come from MP’s, Lords or even a member of the public.
Qualitative and quantitative researches have several advantages and disadvantages, depending upon the researcher’s plan and area of focus. Qualitative research is useful in the early stages of a study when the researcher may be uncertain of what to be studied or what to focus on. This type of research does not require a specific plan before it begins. The researcher has freedom to let the study open out more naturally. Another advantage of qualitative research is that it gives more thorough data in the shape of complete descriptions in written form or visual evidence, such as photographs.
Simmel was interested in revealing the universal characteristics present in all social relationships, whether in an office, a family or a bus queue. Similarly historical studies of the social structure of the Roman Empire may have little relevance to today’s social problems. On the other hand, may sociologists are interested in solving social problems through their research. For example, sociologists who feel strongly about poverty or about inequalities in educational achievement have conducted research aimed at discovering solutions to the social problems. Many are employed directly by the government departments such as the Home Office or the Department for Children,
This means that structured interviews will appeal to positivists as they like sociological methods which gain reliability, gain quantitative date and can cope with a large sample size. Positivists like these because they all help to find the cause of something rather than the effect; this in turn lets positivists to seek the social science aspect of sociology. A sociologist may decide to use structured interviews if they are willing to study a sample of a large number of participants. Structured interviews will also gain a high response rate unlike questionnaires; this is because the interview is face to face rather than putting a set of questions through a door. However participants who are interviewed are those with a lot of time on their hands this can make the sample unrepresentative of the whole population as they may be lonely people who have a lot of time on their hands.
Examine the reasons why some sociologists choose to use structured interviews when conducting research (20 marks) Sociologists use different types of interviews in their research, these ranging from completely structures to completely unstructured interviews. The difference between them lies in how free the interviewer is to vary the questions and how they are asked. A structured interview involves one person asking another person a list of predetermined questions about a carefully-selected topic. The person asking the questions ("the interviewer") is allowed to explain things the interviewee (or "respondent" - the person responding to the questions) does not understand or finds confusing. Moreover structured interviews are like questionnaires; the interviewer is given strict instructions on how to ask the questions.
If the problems are quite vast and have deeply-rooted causes, you may want to secure the help of a neutral negotiator. This third party may be able to get inside the problem more thoroughly than an insider because when communication problems crop up, the group involved may choose to clam up or point fingers rather than admit to their role in creating the problem. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/652778, retrieved 01/10/2013. III. To maintain confidentiality, it is possible to use a tool such as a survey.
Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Karie R. Shepherd Ivy Tech Community College Abstract The study of sociology allows us to understand the relationship between people and other cultures. As we define culture by a set of norms and values, we can also study how these cultures can often change over time. Several concepts, such as ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, can often change the way we think or view other cultures. These topics become more relevant as you read Horace Miner’s “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” and force us to put these ideas into practice. How this short, but satirical, piece makes us initially feel or perhaps react to other cultures can say a lot about who we are as a person and our level of understanding and tolerance
Primary research (or field research) gathers original information directly for your purpose, rather than being gathered from published sources. Primary research includes: Observation Watching how consumers behave provides many insights, but can leave questions unanswered.
Financial accounting is those who deal with the others parties outside of the organizations. The people and organizations that they help are government ran programs. The financial accounting has outside recipients that deal with the data. The reports that are taken must follow certain guidelines. The guidelines come from the general accepted accounting principles also know as (GAAP).