One Way Analysis of Variance Essay Example for Free

One Way Analysis of Variance Essay One-way Analysis of Variance (Abbreviated one-way ANOVA) is a technique used to compare means of two or more samples (using the F distribution). This technique can be used only for numerical data. It consists of a single factor with several levels and multiple observations at each level. With this kind of layout we can calculate the mean of the observations within each level of our factor. The residuals will tell about the variation within each level. It can also average the means of each level to obtain a grand mean. And then look at the deviation of the mean of each level from the grand mean to understand something about the level effects. Finally, can compare the variation within levels to the variation across levels. Hence the name analysis of variance. Used to determine whether there are any significant differences between the means of three or more independent (unrelated) groups. It tests the null hypothesis that samples in two or more groups are drawn from populations with the same mean values. And compares the means between the groups you are interested in and determines whether any of those means are significantly different from each other. Formula F= q MSBMSWWhere: F = Fisher’s Ratio K = Number of Columns N = Total Number of items MSB= SSBK-1 MSW= SSWN-K Attitudes of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year EHS students towards their computer subject Attitude| Year| Average Weighted Mean| Rank| | 1st| 2nd| 3rd| 4th| | | Study regularly| 3.44| 3.37| 3.50| 3.56| 3.47| 9| Regularly exercise the skills| 3.73| 3.88| 3.65| 3.58| 3.71| 6.5| Listen attentively during class discussion| 3.62| 3.71| 3.67| 3.85| 3.71| 6.5| Always do the assignment without hesitation| 3.63| 3.73| 3.83| 3.75| 3.75| 5| Always work on projects without hesitation| 3.94| 4.10| 4.12| 4.00| 4.04| 2| Enjoy the hands-on activity| 4.13| 4.38| 4.06| 4.25| 4.21| 1| Search and use other computer reference| 3.83| 3.83| 3.54| 3.92| 3.78| 4| Always take down notes during discussion| 3.67| 3.67| 3.77| 4.04| 3.79| 3| Ask questions whenever the topic is unclear| 3.37| 3.38| 3.54| 3.63| 3.48| 8| Likeability of the subject| 2.98| 3.62| 3.12| 3.25| 3.24| 10| | | | | | | Grand Means| 3.63| 3.77| 3.68| 3.79| 3.72| The table shows the summary of the attitudes of the EHS students towards their computer subject. Having computed the Average Weighted Means, Rank 1 is indicator f, which is â€Å"I enjoy our hands-on activities† with an average mean of 4.21. The Last rank goes to indicator j, which is â€Å"I like my computer subject†, with an average mean of 3.24. This indicates that the EHS students do not like their computer subject. Though the third year likes their computer subject, they are only a fraction of the whole which do not like their computer subject. This further indicates that the students manifest positive attitude towards their computer subject because of the grand weighted mean of 3.72. This signifies that even though they do not like their computer subject, they still manifest positive attitude for they have the majority of the indicators. Reference Anonymous.August 23,2013.One-way analysis of variance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-way_analysis_of_variance Anonymous.August 23,2013.One-way ANOVA. https://statistics.laerd.com/statistical-guides/one-way-anova-statistical-guide.php Anonymous.August 23,2013.One-Way ANOVA. http://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/ppc/section2/ppc231.htm

Digital image processing

Digital image processing Vision is the most dynamic of all our senses since it provides us with a huge amount of information about what surrounds us. It is not surprising that an ancient Chinese proverb that quotes: â€Å"A picture is worth a thousand words† is still widely used. All this information is valuable for simple procedures (for example planning our everyday activities), but also for more complex processes as the development of our intelligence. At the level of social organization, images are also important as a means of transmitting information, and almost all of todays media are based on our vision. The huge amount of visual information and the need for its processing, lead scientists and technicians towards research in order to discover a means for digital image storage and processing using computers. This effort resulted in a new Information Engineering Industry called â€Å"Digital Image Processing and Analysis†. This industry began to grow fifteen years ago. However, it has show n a dynamic development, especially during the most recent years and it is considered a science and technology with a promising future and many potential. As the title indicates, Digital Image Processing is concentrated on digital images and their processing by a computer. Therefore, both the input and output of this process are digital images. Digital image processing can be used for various reasons: improvement of the quality of images, filtering of noise caused by transmission, compression of image information, image storage and digital transmission. On the other hand, digital image analysis deals with the description and recognition of the content of an image. This description is usually symbolic. Therefore, the input when it comes to digital image analysis, is a digital image and the output is a symbolic description. Image analysis principally tries to mimic human vision. Therefore, an identical term which is often used is â€Å"Computer Vision†. It has to be underlined that computer vision is a complex neuro-physiological mechanism driven by upper level knowledge (high level vision). The characteristics of this mechanism are not known and existing mathematical models are yet inadequately accurate. As a result, it is difficult to simulate high level vision by a computer. For this reason, the methods used for image analysis when it comes to machine vision and human vision vary significantly. Image analysis is easier in the case of applications where the environment, objects and lighting conditions are fixed. This is usually the case of a production process in industry. The branch of computer vision which is used in industry is called â€Å"Robotic Vision†. The analysis is much more difficult in applications where the environment is unknown and there is a large number of objects or the different objects are unclear or difficult to separate (for example in biomedical applications or in outdoor / natural scenes). In such applications, even exper ts find it difficult to recognize objects. For these reasons, it is still difficult to obtain a general image analysis system. Most existing systems are designed for specialized applications. OTHER RELATED RESEARCH AREAS Digital image processing and analysis are related to various other scientific areas because of their subject of research. Recently, there is a tendency, at least in terms of applications, for digital image processing to become an interdisciplinary industry. Some related research areas are: Digital Signal Processing Graphics Pattern Recognition Artificial Intelligence Telecommunications and Media Multimedia Systems We will examine the relation of each of these areas with digital image processing and image analysis independently, since the way they are related is not very clear. Digital Image Processing Vs Digital Signal Processing Every image can be described as a two-dimensional signal. Therefore, for the analysis and processing of digital images all the techniques of digital signal processing can be used. This area provides the theoretical and programming base for image processing. Digital Image Processing Vs Graphic Fundamentally, the subject of graphic is digital synthesis. Therefore, the input is a symbolic description and the output is a digital image. For this purpose a geometric modelling of the display object takes place, as well as a digital description of the lighting conditions and digital production of the objects illuminants in the assumed position of the camera. Digital Image Processing Vs Pattern Recognition Pattern recognition deals with the classification of an object to a class of models (class pattern). For example, trying to recognize whether a new object is a resistor, a capacitor, or an integrated circuit. For this purpose, an object has to be described using certain characteristics (features), mostly numbers (for example: diameter and area), and then it can be classified based on these characteristics. Digital Image Processing Vs Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence and image understanding are areas where a symbolic representation of an image is converted to another more complex representation or a representation more easily comprehensible to humans. Usually, techniques for representation of human knowledge (knowledge representation) and reasoning (inference) are used for this purpose. The analysis of a â€Å"scene† requires higher cognitive processes and that is why it is also known as high-level vision. On the other hand, image processing is more related to the lower levels of vision, that take place in the human eye and optic nerve and as a result it is also known as low level vision. Digital Image Processing Vs Telecommunications The field of telecommunications is related to digital image transmission in telecommunication networks that transmit voice and data. The resulting networks are called Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN). A key problem concerning image transmissions is the compression of the images content, since a colour image requires about 750 Kbytes for its description. The construction of special algorithms for coding and decoding is also required. Digital image processing is also directly connected to the HDTV (High Definition TV). Its basic aim is the compression of the vast amount of information and the improvement of the quality of images that are received. Digital Image Processing Vs New Generation Databases The new generation of databases includes image, signal (voice) and data storage. In this field, digital image processing deals with image coding and analysis by finding smart ways of recovery (retrieval) of images. DIFFERENT AREAS OF DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING Digital image processing includes several areas that are closely related. Some of those areas are mentioned below: Capture of the image Digital Filtering of the image Edge Detection Region Segmentation Shape Description Texture Analysis Motion Analysis Stereoscopy It is logical that the description of all these areas is not possible in a short presentation. However, the literature is so wide that several books would be needed in order to describe adequately the digital image processing. Moreover, image processing is a cognitive area that makes extensive use of specialized mathematical, which makes it difficult to be presented to an audience. For this reason the description of the area it is purely qualitative. Capture of the Image The first thing that has to be described is the capturing mechanism of the images. The most classic means of capturing an image is by a photographic camera and a film. However, this technique is not very useful in the field of digital image processing, since the captured image cannot be easily processed by computer. On the other hand, electronic capture is particularly interesting because the image can be digitized and then processed by a computer. For this reason, conventional electronic video cameras are widely used. Electronic video cameras scan the image and produce an electrical signal as an output. There are various camera technologies (for example Orthicon, Vidicon, CCD). The electric signal produced by the camera is then led to a frame grabber. During the process of digitalization, the analogue signal is converted to a digital signal using an A / D converter. Thus, the image is converted into a matrix of 256256 or 512512 points (spots). Each point is typically represented by 8 bits, i.e. 256 levels of brightness. However, a common technique in some fields (e.g. robotics) is a binary representation of images that uses only 1 bit / position. This representation is used in order to save memory and speed in the case of simple applications. In some other cases where the colour of an image is critical, colour cameras and three A / D converters are used. In this case the three primary RGB colours (red-green-blue) are saved with 38 bits / position. As a result, digital image processing has large memory requirements, even for black and white images. The digitized image is stored as a file on the computers local disk. To be able to see the image, we need to transfer it to a special RAM memory (image memory) connected to a monitor. Such monitors may be black and white or colour (RGB). Colour monitors are mostly used even in black and white applications because they have the ability to show â€Å"pseudocolours†. Finally, the image in any program of image pro cessing appears as a two-dimensional table (array) 256256 or 512512 which is â€Å"filled† by the computers local disk or by the image memory in which the image is stored. The process of capturing an image can cause the following distortions: Blurring Noise Geometric Distortions Therefore, before any application the correction of these distortions is essential. Geometric corrections are mostly needed where geometric information is important, e.g. stereoscopes, topography. The reduction of blurring is done through the process of recovery (restoration). The recovery process is particularly important in applications where there is movement, (e.g. a ‘scene of a road) because the motion introduces blurring. In most cases the filtering of the image is also very important in order to remove noise. This can be done by various linear or nonlinear filters. Usually, nonlinear filters are mostly used because they maintain the contrast of the edges, which is a very important factor for human vision. The overall image contrast can also be improved by special non-linear techniques (contrast enhancement). Edge Detection Another important process of image analysis is the recognition (tracing) of contours. There are many techniques that can be used for edge detection. The development of various edge detection techniques was imperative due to the important information about the objects used for identification, which can be found in the contours. The dual problem of edge recognition is the recognition of regions in an image. This problem is called image segmentation. Usually the different regions of an image are coloured with â€Å"pseudocolours†. Texture Analysis In several industrial applications the recognition (or analysis) of the texture is very important. An example of the importance of texture recognition in industrial applications is its use in recognition of different fabrics, or recognition of flaws in a cloth. Recognition of traffic is also a very important field of computer vision for many applications, e.g. traffic monitoring, automatic driving, recognition of moving objects, digital television, videoconferencing, telephone with image compression and broadcast animation. Is should be noticed, that recognition of traffic has large memory requirements for storage and real time processing. This can only be achieved through parallel image processing and use of special VLSI chips. Shape Description Another area of computer vision which is particularly useful in pattern recognition is the description of shape (shape representation). A shape is described either by its border, or by the area it covers. The edge of a shape can be described in different ways, e.g. Fourier descriptors, splines. The area of a shape can be described by methods of mathematical morphology, decomposition with simple shapes, etc. These methods are used either for the storage of a shape, or for its identification. Stereoscopes Many applications require measurement of depth. In this case stereoscopy with two cameras can be used. Stereoscopy is particularly useful in photogrammetry and robot movement in a three dimensional space.

Steps in Conflict Resolution Process

Steps in Conflict Resolution Process Gina Bonham Lee Holmes ABtech Conflict Resolution Project Conflict is a characteristic of human existence. It is part of the dynamic of life that drives us into the future. But it needs to be managed constructively. When associated with violence, destruction and killing, it is no longer a healthy part of life. Violent conflict solves few problems, creates many, and breeds more unhealthy conflict to come. Conflict has characteristics of its own, and it is possible to analyze its structure and behavior. When conflict is understood, it’s easier to find ways to predict it, prevent it, transform it, and resolve it. Sarah and Desidra have lived together harmoniously for a year. One day, Desidra brings home a new puppy, and Sarah is upset because she does not want to deal with the care of or mess from this new animal. Sarah decides to approach Desidra about the problem. Desidra has brought this puppy home and Sarah doesn’t want to have anything to do with the care of or having to clean up the mess that the puppy will bring. Sarah has decided to approach Desidra about the problem in hopes to work this out. What will happen is yet to be determined. Sarah and Desidra have lived together harmoniously for a year. The stage of their relationship is one that can be classified as being in the intensifying stage. Desidra will test Sarah to the potential of their relationship with various degrees of self-disclosure to see if that will be reciprocated and to test the impressions that she may make. Relationships grow and self-disclosure becomes more apparent and deep. There are no set guidelines for every relationship in the intensifying stage. Every relationship possesses unique characteristics that maybe difficult to actually predict if efforts further the relationship will succeed or fail. Sarah and Desidra are dealing with complementary conflict styles. They each have opposite point of views. The symmetrical conflict style is where the two individuals mirror each other’s behavior. Sarah does not want to have anything to do with the new puppy. Desidra wants the new puppy and seems to think that Sarah will be okay with it. Sarah seems to have the more dominant power over Desidra. She is not happy with Desidra bringing home a new puppy and she decides to approach Desidra about the problem. Desidra thinks that everything will be okay between the two of them and that Sarah will love the puppy and want to help take care of it. The conflict that may arise between Sarah and Desidra we can use the Filley Model for conflict resolution. First we can look at the antecedent conditions, perceived and/ or felt conflict, manifest behavior, conflict resolution or suppression, and resolution aftermath. The big picture would be for Sarah doesn’t want anything to do with a new puppy. Desidra will have all responsibility to do whatever needs to be done to keep the dog. Desidra will be accounted for if anything goes wrong in regards to the dog. The conflict would not be substantive. This would mean that it would be so much more than just the essential conflict with no resolution in sight. The Pillow method is a situation that has four sides to it like a pillow. The first position states I’m right and you’re wrong. Position two states your right I’m wrong. Position three states that both right both wrong. The fourth position states that this issue isn’t as important as it seems. Yes, Sarah and Desidra could use the Pillow Method to adjust the perception of the conflict. For Sarah and Desidra to come to some kind of agreement will be to create a win-win situation. First Sarah and Desidra will need to identify the problem. Have a discussion to understand both sides of the problem. The goal at this initial stage is to identify what you want and listen to what the other person wants. Define the things that you both agree on, as well as the ideas that have caused the disagreement. It is important to listen actively to what the other is saying. Come up this several possible solutions. His is the brainstorming phase. Drawing on the points that you both agree on and your shared goals generate a list of as many ideas as you can for solving the problem. Evaluate these alternative solutions. Now go through the alternative solutions to the problem, one by one. Consider the pros and cons of the remaining solutions until the list is narrowed down to one or two of the best ways of handling the problem. It is important for each person to be honest in this phase. The solutions might not be ideal for either person and may involve compromise. Decide on the best solution. Select the solution that seems mutually acceptable, even if it is not perfect for either party. As long as it seems fair and there is a mutual commitment to work with the decision, the conflict has a chance for resolution. Implement the solution. It is important to agree on the details of what each person must do, who is responsible for implementing various parts of the agreement, and what to do in case the agreement starts to break down. Continue to evaluate the solution. Conflict resolutions should be seen as works in progress. Make it a point to ask the other person from time to time how things are going. Something unexpected might have come up or some aspect of the problem may have been overlooked. Your decisions should be seen as open to revision, as long as the revisions are agreed upon mutually. Between Sarah and Desidra the parts of the plan of action that may seem difficult would be to decide the best solution and to implement it between the two of them. Sarah’s decision would be not to have the puppy at all were as on the other hand Desidra’s decision would be to what seems fair and the decision is mutual. The consequences for a win-lose outcome would be that Sarah values her point more than their friendship. Sarah would have the power because it would be to defeat Desidra to get what she wants. This would be to Sarah’s advantage because it’s her way or no way. The consequences for a lose-win outcome would be that Sarah values their friendship more than this point. This is known as accommodating which occurs when you allow others to have their way rather than asserting your own point of view. Sarah could end up having high concerns for Desidra about the new puppy which results in a lose-win situation. The consequences for lose-lose outcome would be that Sarah could just avoid the whole problem. Avoiding occurs when people nonassertively ignore or stay away from conflict. Sarah has an attitude about Desidra bringing home a new puppy and believes that there is no good way to resolve the issue at hand. The consequences of compromise outcome would be that Sarah thinks that this is not important enough to fight about and she doesn’t want to be unreasonable. If Sarah lets Desidra bring home a new puppy then maybe she’ll give me something else. We could both live with that. Compromising is sometimes touted as an effective way to handle conflicts. On a personal note, the call schedule that we have at the facility where I work. Each month we have to sign up to be on call if needed in the OR. Some days you think that your schedule is fine and then a wrench gets thrown in. Other changes have to be made which may cause a conflict with others. Fellow co-workers have already gotten there schedule and know when their day is accounted for. But there may come times that you may have to help pull someone’s call just to help out. At times it’s not that easy but you give in because you care about that patient and to do what is right.

The Individual Versus Society in Kerouac and Ginsberg Essay -- Allen G

The Individual Versus Society in Kerouac and Ginsberg    One theme that is prevalent throughout much of the literature we have covered so far is that it is very critical of the conformist values of late 1950s society. In an era of Levittowns and supermarkets and the omnipresent television, there was a call to leave the conformist suburban culture in search of something higher. Two major proponents of the individual as opposed to society were Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, two of the central figures in the Beat movement. Through their work one can gain a perspective on the anti-conformity spirit that was brewing under the surface in the Beat culture. The Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouac, tells us through the mouth of Ray Smith about his time with Japhy the Zen Lunatic. His narrative depicts a critique of modern culture, with its demands, expectations, and plastic rewards. Even the title of the book suggests this, as the Buddhist word Dharma means one's niche, or spiritual duty in the universe. Thus a Dharma Bum would be one whose natural place in the world, where he rightly belongs, is living the life of a transient. In other words, Kerouac is saying that there is no shame in a life which is outside of the normal realm of society, if this is where one's life takes them. One central theme of The Dharma Bums is Buddhism. One of the most important things to note about the religion in this book is the two forms it takes, and the significance these forms have on the plot and meaning of the book. Ray Smith is a neophyte in the school of Theraveda Buddhism, which is a school dedicated to movement towards enlightenment. Under the teaching of the Theraveda canon, everything a person does should be done with the end goal of perso... ...the top of the mountain and climbing still higher. However, Ginsberg sees desolation and the decay of our society into a homogenous, conformist slop. The reason for this difference could be attributed to their particular situations; while both were climbing higher and higher both in the Beat circles and in the literary world, Ginsberg was still confronting his own sexuality and past. At any rate, however, it becomes clear through the readings of these poets that both were proponents of the individual, and that both condemned conformity. By the late 1950s, the main question on the minds of these men would be whether we could rise above the "faceless wonderless crapulous civilization." Works Cited Allen, Donald, ed. The New American Poetry 1945-1960. Berkely, CA.: U. of California P., 1999. Kerouac, Jack. The Dharma Bums. New York: The Penguin Group, 1976.

Immigrants and The American Dream Essays -- Essays on the American Dre

The "American dream" is different for every person. To some it means financial success, to others it means freedom of expression, while others dream to practice their religion without fear. The "American dream" is a complex concept providing immigrants with the hope of better life. The U.S. government provides the environment and resources for everyone to pursue their dreams. Each year millions of people around the world apply for the Diversity Visa lottery program provided by the U.S. government, however only a few thousand people are lucky enough to come here. America is the place where people are judged by their achievements instead of having references or connections. Even though the American economy is in recession and the achieving of the American Dream is harder, many immigrants still achieve religious, political, financial, and sports dreams here in the U.S. Throughout the history of this nation there are thousands of upon thousands of immigrants coming to this country and achieving the American dream. The Irish immigrated to the United States in 1840 – 1850s in big numbers driven by hunger and by the oppression of the British. Many of them became successful politicians, police officers and businessmen. One of the brightest examples in the history of Irish immigration success is Henry Ford. His grandfather immigrated in the 1840s escaping the potato famine. Henry Ford himself was born in a poor family in Dearborn, Michigan went on to become the most successful car builder in the country (Hennigan). Between 1880 and 1920 the first wave of Italians mainly from South Italy immigrated in the United States (Hendin 13). Many escaped from the poor countryside in Southern Italy to seek better life in America. Shining ex... ...cal Engineering 122.10 (2000): 82. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. More About the Film â€Å"Joe DiMaggio: The Hero’s Life. Joe DiMaggio. PBS., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. â€Å"The Bulgarians beyond the ocean.† BTV the Reporters. BTV Channel. 19 Feb. 2011. Television. Thomas, John F. Documentation. Cuban Refugees in the United States. N.d. 46-57. International Migration Review. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. Thomas, Oliver "Buzz". "How To Keep The 'United' In United States: Coping With Religious Diversity In The World's First 'New' Nation." Church & State Feb. 2007: 19+. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. "U.S. Coptic church gets bishop." Christian Century 113.3 (1996): 70. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. Wills, Chuck, Destination America: The People and Cultures That Created a Nation. New York: DK Publishing, 2005. Print.

Pro Clean Case Essay

Pro Clean’s owner has more than 15 years of experience, has good reputation in Knoxville and has established a sustainable customer base. The company offers good service at considerable price, and maintains good relation with its past customers. Weaknesses: The Company has many problems in its marketing, management and accounting systems. It tries to reach out to customers from every segment, and probably exceeding its capacity. The company’s staff has very limited skills in sales, can only approach certain group of customers, and has ambiguous responsibility in day-to-day functions. Lastly, the company is financially weak, due to poor financial management. This is likely to be the problem to their higher operating cost and cash flow problem. Opportunities: Given the current environment, Pro Clean has certain opportunities to survive in Knoxville. There is clear market segmentation, which to allows Pro Clean to avoid direct competition with competitors from other strategic group. Threats: Pro Clean faces other competitors who offer similar or service at the same price, threatening its customer base. Also, a change in financial policy, such as an increase in interest rates, can threaten the survival of the company, given its current financial situation. (See Appendix C for the SWOT analysis table) Building Core Competency From our analysis in the previous segments, we advise Pro Clean to build its core competency in two dimensions: Customer Relationship in combination with an excellent cleaning service and a high quality. Valuable: By focusing and creating an unique relationship with its customers, Pro Clean can definitely be considered as a valuable company * Rare: Pro Clean will offer a wide range of extra services and supporting tools which aren’t offered by other cleaning companies * In-imitate: By providing innovative services, Pro Clean will enjoy a competitive advantage over its competitors. * Non-substitutable: Once become a member of the custom er base, customers will be offered an excellent service and loyalty programs. The better the relationship between Pro Clean and its customers, the higher the switching costs will be for the customers. Value Chain Analysis The following is a value chain analysis on what activities Pro Clean can do based on their core competencies, and also some of the other activities that they can improve on to give them a strategic competitive advantage: Primary Services: Currently, the service quality of Pro Clean is good and we feel that they can leverage on it, by adding on the hardwood floor cleaning service and improving their scheduling to suit the customers’. Sales & Marketing: To grow the business, Pro Clean should focus on market penetration and increasing their revenue stream from its existing customer base. Increase penetration: * Referral programmes can be initiated by offering discounts to customers who refer their neighbours. * Wilson should also take advantage of the on-site estimate service by rewarding employees who bring in more of such jobs. Doing so should increase the closing rate, and increase sales. * Sales can also be improved by â€Å"advertising† the other services that Pro Clean has to offer. They can also get employees to ask customers if they need other services while they are on-site. * Pro Clean should also explore the possibility of expanding into the commercial business, as it is currently a greatly underserved market. Increase average customer spending: * As a large part of sales is derived from people seeing Pro Clean’s van being driven around the neighbourhood, Pro Clean can get technicians to drive the van around the neighbourhood more often to increase their visibility. They can also come up with a bigger range of packaged services to cross sell to customers. Support Infrastructure: It was identified earlier that Wilson is pretty weak in managing the finances of the company. Hence we recommend that he should outsource this part of the business to an accountant. In addition, we think that he should also move his operations back to his home office to cut costs. HR management: This is an area that also needs to be worked on in order to successfully implemen t the other plans. We think that a new staffing plan is needed. We propose that Turner should be re-hired as a technician for the skills that he already has and keep Scott as the sales/marketing manager. A detailed portrayal of the new organization structure can be found in appendix D. Vision Our aim is to become a household name, associated with high service quality, in the cleaning services industry with 100% customer satisfaction. Mission Statement Our mission is to provide the highest quality cleaning service to our customers, within the shortest response time possible at the convenience of our customers.

Social Research Methods

Social Research Methods/Unobtrusive Research Introduction – Unobtrusive measures are ways of studying social behavior whithout affecting it in the process. Unobtrusive research is simply the methods of studying social behaviorwithout affecting it. – There are three types of unobtrusive research: Content Analysis Analysis of existing statistics Comparative and historical analysis Content Analysis – With content analysis you focus on the details of recorded human communications.For example you would analyze a painting a written document, photos, films, and things like face book. – Appropriate topics include who says what, to whom, why, how, and with what effect. For example, if our unit of analysis is writers, then we can use units of observation like novels written by them, chapters and paragraphs of the novels, etc. – Variable identification and measurement in content analysis depend on clarity of the unit of analysis. – Content Analysis involves coding which may attend to both manifest and latent content.The determination of latent content requires judgements by the researcher. – Both quantitative and qualitative techniques are appropriate for interpreting content analysis data. – There are four characteristics that are usually coded in content analysis: 1) Frequency – a count of the number of occurrences of a word, phrase, image, etc 2) Direction – the direction in meaning of the text content (e. g. positive vs negative or active vs passive) 3) Intensity – degree or strength of a text reference 4) Space – the size of the passage, image, or other content Strengths of content analysis:Research poses little to no harm on subjectsTime efficient, cheapAllows researcher to correct mistakesCan look at processes occurring over timeGood reliabilityWeaknesses of content analysis:-Limited to what the researcher is able to record -Validity can be limited – In content analysis we could employ any conventional sampling techniqu e like random, systematic, stratified, or clustered sampling. When concerning sub-sampling, sampling needs not to end with our unit of analysis.For example, if our unit of analysis is writers, then we can use units of observation like novels written by them, chapters and paragraphs of the novels, etc. Analyzing Existing Statistics – With analysis of existing statistics, your focus would be mainly statistics of different studies without confusing this with secondary analysis which is just obtaining a copy of somebody's data and carrying out ones own analysis. – When analyzing existing statistics, it may be the main source of data or a supplemental source of data. Most existing statistics come from governments and large intergovernmental organizations.When describing the units of analysis, existing statistics describe groups. You must be aware of the ecological fallacy. This means making assumptions regarding individuals based on characteristics of entire population. â⠂¬â€œ Whenever we base research on an analysis of data that already exists we’re limited to what exists. The existing data do not cover exactly what we are interested in, and our measurement may not be altogether valid representations of the variables and concepts we want to make conclusions about. Two characteristics of science are used to handle the problem of alidity in analysis of existing statistics: logical reasoning and replication. – Problems of validity in the analysis of existing statistics can often be handled through logical reasoning and replication. –Existing statistics often have problems of reliability, so they must be used with caution. Comparative and Historical Research – And lastly comparative and historical research which is the examination of societies (or other social units) over time and in comparison with one another. – An example of comparative and historical research is the U. S. nthropologist, Lewis Morgan, who saw a pro gression in societies from â€Å"savagery† to â€Å"barbarism† to â€Å"civilization. † Also Robert Redfield noticed the progression from â€Å"folk society† to â€Å"urban society. † Pitirim Sorokin however respresnts a different form of this research. He theorizes that societal trends follow a cycle pattern between two points of view. One he called â€Å"ideational† and the other â€Å"sensate. â€Å"Later he developed third point of view, which he called â€Å"idealistic. † – Historical research and sociology often use the same tools and datasets as history, but they have different goals. istoriography – methodology of doing historical research The comparative historical method was the backbone of 19th century sociology. Sociologists such as Durkheim and Weber focused in on societies and studied and categorized them during different stages of development. In the mid-twentieth century, as the United States became the center of sociological research, the comparative historical method virtually disappeared.It has been revived in the U. S. in the past 35 years by researchers inspired by the European sociological classics. – There are two types of sources a researcher can use when conducting historical research. )primary sources – physical artifacts of human societies; (ex. documents, letters, official records, personal recollections) 2)secondary sources – books and papers published by governments and historians; (ex. statistical running records) Examples of famous studies include Durkheim’s Study of Suicide and Kentor’Consequences of Globalization. – The unit of analysis of existing statistics describe groups.Means you must be aware of the ecological fallacy which involves making assumptions regarding individuals based on characteristics of entire population. Although often regarded as a qualitative method, comparative and historical research can make use of quantitative techniques. – Archives are the most important type of comparative and historical reserach because they are well maintained by reliable organizations. However, they can by biased or partially incomplete. Ethics and Unobtrusive Research – While the use of unobtrusive research does avoid many ethical issues that are frequently present in other techniques of data collection and analysis, potential ethical risks still exist.For example, the use of diaries or private communications in content analysis give rise to questions of confidentiality. – Sometimes even unobtrusive measures can raise the possibility of violating subjects privacy. – The general principles of honest observation, analysis, and reporting apply to all research techniques. – – Traditional Approaches – To conduct field research of the past, primarily using materials such as letters, diaries, documents, oral histories, etc. (often these are case studies and a re not necessarily comparative)To study different societies, using the differences and similarities to highlight macro-social theories, primarily using history books and newspapers (the facts of history themselves). Often these are studies of current history and are not necessarily truly historical. – The actual comparative study of societies and their development over long stretches of history using a variety of resources. This produces research that is both comparative and historical. – Coding: Procedure of turning raw data into a standardized form that can be interpreted by a machine and processed/analyzed.E. g. A processed scantron for an exam. Coding is the process whereby raw data are transformed into standardized form suitable for machine processing and analysis. Content analysis is essentially a coding operation. In content analysis, communications- oral, written, or other- are coded or classified according to some conceptual framework. Coding in content analys is involves the logic of conceptualization and operation, as in other research methods, you must refine your conceptual frameworks and develop specific methods for observing in relation to that framework.Latent Content: In connection with content analysis, the underlying means of communication. E. g. In a war movie, how effective the movie depicted actual combat via the flow of the movie scenes or the general reality of how well the war was captured on a subjective interpretation. Latent content is as used in connection with content analysis, the underlying meaning of communications, as distinguished from their manifest content. – Manifest Content: In connection with content analysis, the actual concrete terms within human communication.E. g. In a war movie, how many times â€Å"fire†, â€Å"shoot†, or â€Å"bomb† is said (concrete, objective terms). Coding the manifest content, the visible surface content, of a communication is analogous to using a stand ardize questionnaire. Manifest coding is more reliable than latent coding, but is generally less valid – Archives are the most important source for this type of research. They are maintained by governments, private foundations, and some corporations and