Online Education Market Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Online Education Market Research - Essay Example The researcher has formulated research questions and objectives that will be achieved through primary and secondary data analysis. The research methodology is based on antipositivist research philosophy, inductive research approach and primary and secondary data analysis that assist each other in a great manner. Questionnaires will be designed to seek views and opinions of respondents on the research topic along with in-depth interviews based on snow ball sampling to understand and analyze the beliefs and opinions of respondents on online courses and overall usefulness and feasibility. At the same time, few hypotheses have been formulated that will be tested against the views and opinions of respondents in a critical manner. Based on the overall analysis, certain recommendations and conclusions will be formed that will help in understanding whether the proposed aim and objectives of the research have been achieved or not. Overall, the research has been designed in a logical and descriptive manner that will help in understanding the impact and influence of online courses in a significant manner. Life often offers a number of opportunities that are often accepted or rejected on the basis of priorities. Education can be considered as one of the most important priorities that is affected by lack of time and few other priorities like jobs, family look out and lack of sources and resources. In this regard, online courses have emerged as a savior for a number of students willing to learn along with adding value to their life in a desired manner ... f the most important priorities that is affected by lack of time and few other priorities like jobs, family look out and lack of sources and resources. In this regard, online courses have emerged as a savior for a number of students willing to learn along with adding value to their life in a desired manner (Nagy, 2005). When having a busy schedule; sometimes, it becomes hard to attend college and with little flexibility being offered by colleges, students tend to miss their important lectures along with missing valuable learning. However, with the advent of the online courses and learning, things have been changing at a rapid pace with a number of students willing to opt for such courses offering them a flexibility of striking a right balance between their education, personal and professional lives. The research aims at identifying the importance and worth of online courses in changing the conventional trend in the university education industry along with identifying ways to improve the quality of online courses and learning. In order to achieve the research aim, these objectives have been formulated: To identify the role of online courses in the conventional university education industry To analyze the acceptance and benefits of online courses along with identifying ways for improving them The research questions formulated for this purpose are; will the online course become the new trend in the university education industry and how to provide better online courses to university students along with finding ways to manage and meeting the expectations of students in a desired manner. Organization Background The organization chosen for the research purpose if DeVry University that is the parent organization for Keller Graduate School of Management and many other colleges.

Is Knowledge Closed Under Known Entailment Essay

Is Knowledge Closed Under Known Entailment - Essay Example This entails the skeptic hypothesis of falsity approach that suggests that such thoughts are false. The truth is that a person is a handless brain in a vat making all his experiences hallucinations. The falsity entailed within the skeptical hypotheses would be known by virtue of the fact that under the knowledge entailment is being closed. Since the skeptical hypothesis of falsity cannot be known as the skeptics support, the common sense truth must also not be known, which suggests that a person has hands. The anti-skeptics alternatively centralize around the possibility of the failure of people to be aware of the common sense truth proposition, and therefore, in the closure principle virtue, people can become aware of the entailed falsity within the approach of the skeptics. Although anti-skeptics sometimes use the closure principle, some view the closure rejection as the key to the skeptic’s reputation. The following case argument based on Fred Dretske work will help give a supposed closure counter example. At the zoo, Joe goes to a cage marked zebra. He looks at the caged stripped animal and believes it is a zebra. It seems, in fact, that Joe knows they are zebras. For the animal to be a zebra, then it cannot be a mule that has been cleverly disguised. Joe know what a zebra is, he is aware of this fact as well, which leaves the question if he knows that the animal right in front of him is not a mule, would that have been cleverly disguised? Dretske says, it does not and suggests that this answer is intuitive.

Marginal Costing and Absorption Costing Comparison

Marginal Costing and Absorption Costing Comparison Marginal costing is also termed as variable costing, a technique of costing which includes only variable manufacturing costs, in the form of direct materials, direct labour, and variable manufacturing overheads while determining the cost per unit of a product. Where as Absorption costing, is a costing technique that includes all manufacturing costs, in the form of direct materials, direct labour, and both variable and fixed manufacturing overheads, while determining the cost per unit of a product. It is also referred to as the full- cost technique. In the costing of product/service, a marginal costing technique considers the behavioural characteristics of costs (segregations of costs into fixed and variable elements), because per unit variable cost is fixed and total costs are variable in nature, where as total fixed costs are fixed and per unit fixed cost is variable in nature and furthermore variable costs are controllable in nature, while total fixed costs are un-controllable in nature. Marginal costing is useful for short-term planning, control and decision-making, particularly in a business where multi-products are produced. In marginal costing technique, the contribution is calculated after deducting variable costs from sales value with reference to each product or service, in order to calculate the total contribution from all products/services which are made towards the total fixed costs incurred by the business. As the fixed costs are treated as period costs, are deducted from total contribution to arrive at net profit. In the context of costing of a product/service, an absorption costing considers a share of all costs incurred by a business to each of its products/services. In absorption costing technique; costs are classified according to their functions. The gross profit is calculated after deducting production costs from sales and from gross profit, costs incurred in relation to other business functions are deducted to arrive at the net profit. Absorption costing gives better information for pricing products as it includes both variable and fixed costs. Marginal costing may lead to lower prices being offered if the firm is operating below capacity. Customers may still expect these lower prices as demand/capacity increases. Profit Statements under Marginal and Absorption Costing: The net profit shown by marginal costing and absorption costing techniques may not be the same due to the different treatment of fixed manufacturing overheads. Marginal costing technique treats fixed manufacturing overheads as period costs, where as in absorption costing technique these are absorbed into the cost of goods produced and are only charged against profit in the period in which those goods are sold. In absorption costing income statement, adjustment pertaining to under or over-absorption of overheads is also made to arrive at the profit. Terms explained: Product and Period Costs: Product costs: the costs of manufacturing the products; Period costs: these are the costs other than product costs that are charged to, debited to, or written off to the income statement each period.

Psilocybin :: essays research papers

Psilocybin History Psilocybin first appeared in Native American habitats as long ago as 1000 b.c. but was seriously investigated until 1936. Westerners first discovered the drug and it was first synthesized by Dr. Albert Hoffman in 1958. It was first used as a tool in psychotherapy and the treatment of emotional disorders. Yes, psilocybin is illegal and its possession, use, and sale carry heavy prison sentences and fines and disciplinary consequences. It is illegal because it had high potential for abuse and does not have any legitimate medical use. Psilocybin is in Schedule I. Schedule I is categorized as the most dangerous with no medical utility. Effects The physical effects include nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, drowsiness, and lack of coordination. Some users experience such extremely unpleasant hallucinations that the fear of that experience remains with them for life. Relationships with others are affected by use of Psilocybin just like the use of other drugs. People can become so obsessed with using that they no longer feel the need to maintain relationships with others. They sacrifice too many things, including relationships. Medical Use There is no longer any medical use for the chemical. Psilocybin used to be used to treat various emotional disorders. It is no longer used for medical purposes because studies have shown that hallucinogens do more harm than good. There is no longer any legitimate medical use. Miscellaneous Facts The drug is most often sold in the mushrooms themselves and are known by names like "psychedelic mushrooms," "magic mushrooms," and "'shrooms." Psilocybin does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior and addiction to hallucinogens such as Psilocybin is rare. Mushrooms have been taken in religious rituals in indigenous cultures in Mexico and

Video Games and Violent Children

Video Games and Violent Children Brittany Hern 02/02/2011 Critical Thinking and Composition Home video games, an industry worth $11 billion domestically that is now 30 years old, continues to be thrown into legal and moral debates regarding what age is deemed appropriate to participate. Video games, especially those deemed to be violent or rated â€Å"mature,† are at the center of the controversy. There are two sides to this debate. Video game companies and their supporters lead one side arguing that video games have no affect on children, and maintain that video games deemed â€Å"mature† are meant for those ages.The other side of this debate consists of psychologists and parents who argue video games are responsible for what they feel is a growing epidemic of increasingly violent and desensitized children. Video game companies continue to assert that the ratings issued by The Entertaining Software Rating Board (ESRB) are to be followed and any results stemming from ga mes being purchased against those ratings fall back on parents. There are five rating categories: Everyone, Everyone 10+, Teen, Mature, Adults Only. The ESRB rates every video game that is to be sold in the United States.Companies like Rockstar Games, which produces some of the most controversial video games, continue to maintain that their video games are produced for adults and are not marketed towards children. Rockstar developer Lazlow Jones was quoted in 2010 as saying â€Å"Our games are not designed for young people. If you’re a parent and buy one of our games for your child you’re a terrible parent†¦ † This quote came after the backlash of the release of another Rockstar Games title that was attacked for being too violent for children.Parents and psychologists agree the ratings are a first step in the right direction, but insist these titles should be pulled from shelves because the continuance of accessibility by children across America. Although t he ratings are in place, children in most states are able to buy video games rated â€Å"Mature. † In those states where identification is necessary, parents argue that homes often filled with adult gamers expose children in the same household to inappropriate video games. They contend that an epidemic of violence and desensitized children are the product of violent video games and not enough supervision.Numerous video game companies have turned to national crime statistics to prove their opposition wrong. Video games have been blamed for several high profile cases. One of the most infamous cases linking violence and video games is the massacre of 13 people at Columbine High School. Jerald Block, a researcher and psychiatrist in Portland, concluded that the two teenage shooters, both avid gamers, went on their shooting rampage after their parents took their weapon-based video game away.Linking video games to high profile violence around the country has not been uncommon. The Virginia Tech shooting was wrongly attributed to video games by several news stations and TV personalities around the country before it was concluded that the shooter did not play video games. Video game companies continue to point to crime statistics to disprove these links. Gaming gained mass appeal in the mid 1990’s and since then sales domestically have quadrupled. From 1995 to 2008, when the industry took strides, juvenile violent crimes fell 49. 3%.With these statistics in hand, video game supporters maintain that violent video games are not to be blamed for any acts of violence committed by underage gamers. The Federal government has played its own role in the debate on relating violence in video games to violent tendencies in children. In 1996 the US Marine Corps licensed a version of the then popular game Doom in order to train soldiers. Psychologists argue that if violent video games play no role in training children to become violent, why would the US Marineâ€℠¢s use a violent video game to train adults.Those against violent video games propose the question: If these adults are trainable via video games then why wouldn’t children, who are far more persuadable, take the things in the games as instructions or guidelines. In 2002, the US Army released a first-person shooter America’s Army in order to recruit soldiers and prepare those recruits for what the battlefield is like. Those against violent video games see this as a direct link between violent video games being a teacher and influencing rather than just being used as a form of entertainment.Furthermore, America’s Army, has been pointed out to look very similar to other first-person shooting games. There have been numerous studies conducted and while the results often are different, video game companies insist there is no formal research that shows any type of link that violent video games cause aggression. A study conducted in 2007 and published in the â€Å"Jou rnal of Adolescent Health,† consisted of 1254 participants, which were pre-teens in demographically diverse schools. The results showed that playing a â€Å"Mature† rated video game was a positive way to manage anger in half of the participants.While the study does say this could be an unhealthy way to manage emotions depending on the child, the participants correlated positivity with the â€Å"Mature† rated video game. Other studies have either been inconclusive and those ruling that violence is linked to violent video games have been dismissed by video game companies and supporters as being blind to other factors. The studies, they explain, do not divulge other contributing factors like a predisposition to aggressiveness, exposure to violence, and family dynamics; all factors that could contribute to violence.Those who oppose violent video games point out a 2000 FBI report entitled â€Å"The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective,† which documen ts likely characteristics of a school shooter. In their research, the FBI concluded that a fascination with violence-filled entertainment is a risk factor associated with a possible school shooter. The report lists â€Å"the student spends inordinate amounts of time playing video games with violent themes, and seems more interested in the violent images than in the game itself. Another study conducted was based on short-term effects of violent video games. The 2009 study conducted by members of the Department of Psychology from both Iowa and Kansas State University, had 91 participants and not only surveyed those participants, but monitored the heart rate to see if there was any deviation. The study added to existing literature that shows violent video games in fact increase aggressive behavior, aggressive feelings, aggressive thoughts, and arousal from baseline to post video game play.Whichever side of the argument you may land on, the opposition is fierce. The debate of whether v iolent video games produce violent children will rage on, both sides undoubtedly not losing any momentum with their opinions. Video game companies will continue to protect their multibillion dollar investment while parents and psychologists will continue putting pressure on lawmakers and the media to dive further into the numerous studies conducted on the possible link. References Barlett, C. , Branch, O. , Rodeheffer, C. nd Harris, R. (2009), How long do the short-term violent video game effects last? Aggressive Behavior, 35:  225–236. Whitworth, D (2010, May 01). Red Dead Redemption hoping for emotional response. BBC. Retrieved 02/01/2011, from http://www. bbc. co. uk/newsbeat/10136311 Nizza, M (2007, July 05). Tying Columbine to Video Games. The New York Times. Retrieved 02/02/2011, from http://thelede. blogs. nytimes. com/2007/07/05/tieing-columbine-to-video-games/ O’Toole, M (2000) The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective. p. 0. Retrieved 02/01/2011, from http://www. fbi. gov/stats-services/publications/school-shooter Olson, C et al. (2007). Factors Correlated with Violent Video Game Use by Adolescent Boys and Girls. Journal of Adolescent Health. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from http://www. jahonline. org/article/S1054-139X(07)00027-4/abstract. Croteau, S. (2010, November 26). Virtual Violence – Video game developers say blame misplaced. Telegram. Retrieved 01/31/2011 from http://www. telegram. com/article/20101126/NEWS/11260474/0/eworcester

Differences between Men and Women

Oftentimes, the difference between men and women is classified as two different cultures that can never be connected with each other. The statement that â€Å"men are from Mars and women are from Venus† had been the favorite phrase to define the difference between the two sexes. Aside from biological differences of men and women, there are also many distinctions that limit the two sexes to deeply understand each gender. Apparently, the society has been living in a world with full of issues in masculinity and femininity.The physical difference between men and women has gone to many conclusions and argumentations that these two gender also have differences in characters and personalities. The men’s ego to achieve their goals by themselves as a symbol of competence and power has been recognized by the society even in the earlier centuries. The emotional detachment of men has been the first in the list of complains of women toward them. Masculinity has been defined as a sen se of pride for the cluster of the society who provides the economic well being of the family.If women are known for their ability to talk about anything, men rarely talk about their problems and emotions. On the other hand, women are described based on all the exact opposites of the characteristics of men. Beauty, communication, love, and relationships are only few of the things that women value too much. If men are emotionally detached, the quality of relationships reflects the feelings and emotional side of women. Men’s great concern is the financial status; however women concern more on physical attractiveness and the quality of relationship that they would invest with their loved ones.For men, money and career reflects their masculinity, women viewed these issues as rejection of men to them and their relationships with women. The greatest challenge for women’s lives is to maintain their sense of self while expanding out to serve the needs of other people. This rol e of women makes this gender good mothers, partners, and peers. The care for others is the strongest trait of female. Men, on the other hand, tend to act, think, and feel in a way that expresses themselves as the primary and the other people as secondary only. (Evatt 16)In Deborah Tannen’s Genderlect Styles Theory, she states that â€Å"male and female conversation is a cross-cultural communication†. According to her, men are focused on status while women are focused on connection. This two different perceptions drive men and women apart and most of the time causes conflicts for both gender. Tannen suggests that men and women are from diverse cultures that cannot understand each other. In order to understand the theory better, Tannen gives five major areas to explain the difference between men and women. In her theory, she explains that men and women deal with things differently.Men tend to defend their masculinity in public and always aim to win the conversation but a ppear to be uncomfortable in speaking in private. Disclosure of feelings would take a long time for men, and women oftentimes initiate the disclosure. In contrast, women are reserved in public but more comfortable in intimate settings. (â€Å"Communication Theory†, 2008) In telling a story, men would narrate a story wherein they are the hero, but women would rather tell a story about other people. In some instance, men would tell a joke but women would narrate a story wherein they act foolish and let them put themselves on the level of the listeners.In other words, women always consider other people while men focus on themselves alone. Even in private conversation, the way men and women deal with the situation. Active listening and cooperative overlapping are women’s way to treat the speaker so as to encourage and agree with that person. Men oftentimes regard an interruption to have power over the speaker in the conversation. Men use silence as a weapon and power over the people that they are communicating with. Moreover, women ask questions to build a rapport or connection but men would refuse to ask for other people’s help because they consider asking as a form of verbal sparing.Women consider conflicts as threat to relationships, however men consider them as normal scene in the world that is full of competition. Gender differences have become a discourse between men and women. The idea that men are fundamentally different from women has become an important thought for the society that recognizes the all the gender issues. These differences have brought the two genders to two different planets that can never be merged into one. The society has formed a vast gender gap because of the stereotype judgment that men often seek for power while women always seek for connection.In most aspects, men and women are considered as fundamentally different from each other. Apparently, the stereotype judgment toward each gender has passed from generatio n to generation. However, this gender issues, according to genderlect styles theory can be resolved if the two different genders would try to understand each others language. The differences are human nature of both sexes and those can be understood if they are willing to learn each others’ characteristics. Oftentimes, social and political factors are neglected in analyzing why men often seek for power and women always care for others.Caring for others has been a connotation for women, but the society sometimes overlooks the effort that men do for other people too. The gender distinctions have grown to be a societal conflict and apparently gave men and women names to be acted upon. The typecasting has been the society’s basis to address a gender and assess the personality only based on what the culture has formed toward both sexes. The other factors in the society provide an underlying explanation why men and women act and talk the way they do. The power that has been associated for men is sometimes the goal of women for competing in the male and female society.The people often recognize the boundary between the two sexes but fail to search for the possible solutions to overcome the gender distinctions. Apparently, the society fails to recognize the other factors that cause men and women to act like what they have expected that makes the gender conflicts bigger. The stereotype that women are oppressed because their only function is to provide domestic services for other people may also open their minds and awaken the society that this role of women give them a total independence because they could work for other that make them whole as women.Perhaps men have found the happiness through achievements in the world of competition and would learn respect for the neglected dimensions of caring for others and concern for their partners. Women may have found ways to celebrate their femininity by caring for others and building a rapport for a quality rela tionship while men have found ways to guard their masculinity by having constant achievements and providing economic well being for their families.As a whole, men and women have differences that cannot be understood by the minds that have a strong belief about the incurable gender distinctions. However, these differences can also create a perfect connection instead of gap that provides a wall between the two sexes. Apparently, men and women have created with special tasks to perform and these fundamental differences are possessed in order to perfectly play their roles in this world. Languages and cultures can be learned as well as the gender distinctions that have been a societal issue in the world that is full of stereotype and typecasting.