STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN - Coursework Example The strategy is to become the ‘preferred destination by providing food that is up to one week fresher than the supermarkets’. The operations of Sunripe are affected by the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors. These factors influence the operations and decisions of Sunripe in varying degrees. The influence of economic, social and environmental factors on Sunripe appears to be more pronounced than the other factors of macro environment. 2.1.1 (c) The set up of the Ontario Food Terminal (OFT), where food items received from more than 100 countries are sold under one roof indicates that the government enjoys good diplomatic relations with other countries and has adopted a liberalised trade policy. 2.1.2 (b) The target market of Sunripe consists of people with ‘above-average’ incomes. Thus most of the economic factors, predominantly the income levels of the consumers, will affect Sunripe’s revenue. 2.1.6 (b) The case study only refers to the minimum hourly wage of $7.45 to be paid to part-time employees. Sunripe is not really affected by this aspect since it employs mostly full-time employees. 2.2.3 (b) Customers wait for retailers to roll out discounts and promotional offers. 2.2.3 (c) Sunripe makes price redundant since it competes on the plank of differentiation; fresh, high quality food at reasonable prices. Will Willemsen, the founder of Sunripe, is the single most important force behind Sunripe’s success. He painstakingly sourced the merchandise for his stores. Willemsen did not mind paying a premium to procure high quality, fresh food. Sunripe employed 90, mostly full-time employees, to manage the operations of its two stores. Sunripe is an entrepreneurial set up and therefore has limited capital. The retailer has managed to obtain steady cash inflows due to its operational efficacy. Sunripe had a sound financial position with the

International Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

International Banking - Essay Example Measuring bank liquidity risk incorporates the comparison of accumulated expected cash shortfalls for a given period of time with the stock available for funding the cash sources. In accounting, the stock or the asset available in an organization should always be sufficient to fund the financial sources. To measure this risk, the accountant is required to assign the anticipated cash flows to periods in the future that have financial products with unpredictable cash flow timings (Musakwa, 2013). It is important to note that there is no agreed criterion that can be used to assign the cash flows. In other words, there is no common consensus on how to carry out the procedures. The variations in measuring funding liquidity risk are normally caused by the considerations of solvency, immediacy, as well as the cost of obtaining liquidity. First, solvency can only be applied in firms that are solvent. It can be defined in terms of funding liquidity risk as the capability of a firm that is sol vent to make the payments agreed upon in a timely manner. It should be noted that not only solvent banks that are liquid (Musakwa, 2013). At times, even insolvent banks may be liquid and this makes it difficult to use solvent as the main base for measuring banks liquidity risk. Further, a solvent bank can at times be illiquid. Insolvent banks may for instance be liquid in the event of information asymmetry. Such a situation may arise where the bank is fully aware of its solvency status but the public has no clue regarding the same. The distinction between solvency and funding liquidity risk is easy especially in the events of crises capped with information asymmetry. But it should be noted that solvency is normally covered by capital while ion the other hand funding liquidity risk is covered by cash inflows (Ruozi & Ferrari, 2012). Cost of obtaining liquidity is also likely to cause variations in bank liquidity risk. In most cases, funding is obtained with the main objective of cove ring obligations (Matz & Neu, 2007). However, it has to be obtained at an additional cost. The additional cost happens to be the major concern of accountants. In fact, some definitions of funding liquidity risk are based on this cost. For instance, the term funding liquidity risk could be defined as â€Å"the risk that a financial firm, though solvent, either does not have enough financial resources to allow it to meet its obligations as they fall due or can obtain such funding only at excessive cost† (Musakwa, 2013). This definition describes the cost of liquidity in in subjective terms. The defect of the definition is that the costs differ from market to market as well as across various banks. Under this concept, the bank liquidity risk is measured basing in the additional cost for obtaining the funds (Davis, 2004). Finally, the immediacy is an important aspect of funding liquidity risk. It defines the speed with which a bank can be in apposition to meet its obligations. In measuring funding liquidity under this concept, the time frame within which the bank is likely to become unable to meet its obligations is estimated (Hlatshwayo, et al. 2013). As mentioned earlier, known regarding the distribution of run off profile in most financial products for banks. However, there is an increased need for establishing a reliable method of measuring bank liquidity risk so as to avoid bank crises. In essence, the measure of bank liquidity ri

Visual analysis on Hadrian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Visual analysis on Hadrian - Essay Example Prior to the analysis of the craftsmanship that constitutes the foundation of the bust carving, it may appear essential to recall via historical context, that Hadrian is widely known as one of the five good emperors who made tremendous impact on establishing the Pax Romana – the age of abundant peace and prosperity for the Roman Empire. Examining the image of the bust, one necessarily considers in critical thought that the carving technique must have been conducted in a manner that reflects such perspective especially in the order, symmetry, and projection of the head and facial characteristics. In the absence of its body, the marble from the Greek island of Thasos was constructed to possess a volume that exudes prominence, poise, authority, and general dignified look typical of a Roman emperor. As conjectured by the smooth curves, the bust sculptor may be claimed to have attempted a most refined approach in carving the cheek and lip areas to balance with the furrowed brows wh ich occur to be a sharp contrast to the smoothness of front surface and edge contour. These details manifest how Hadrian could have been viewed by his subjects as an emperor with the traits of gentle wisdom and fierce heroic character in order to address the demands of his civilization at the

Planet Star 61 Virginis and The Origin of Life Assignment

Planet Star 61 Virginis and The Origin of Life - Assignment Example In fact, more studies are pursued nowadays by scientists aiming toâ€Å" create fully self-replicating artificial organisms in the laboratory† ( p.54). Indeed studying about how life evolved is exciting; however, a question remains: Is there life on another planet? The planet I am referring to is Star 61 Virginis, one of the extra solar planets added to the solar system a few years ago ( Laughlin, 2009). Having made further research about the planet revealed very interesting facts, namely: 1. It is visible to the naked eye on a clear summer sky – appears as yellow orange star; 2. It is too far from our solar system – 27.8 light years away; 3. It lies on a planetary system made up of ice like bodies yet it is very hot; The planet had only been discovered lately which presents a lot of speculations from people, especially college students. Although science facts are valid, this does not mean that they are unchanging. Take the case of Pluto which was taught as a pla net but later discredited much to the surprise of many people. The planet Star 61 Virginis has different characteristics including high temperatures that could not sustain life forms (de Mello et al., 308). However, this argument goes challenged because the origin of life tells us that in even extreme conditions, life was created. This topic got me so interested that I prepared a questionnaire to survey the opinion of some college students about possible life in star 61 virginis. First, I created a poster that invited students to participate in the survey. To attract participants, I gave an incentive – free movie tickets so the students would seriously answer my survey. There is also a special prize for a student who can answer the question: What kind of life forms can exist in this planet? The survey contained only ten questions because too many questions can be tiring for some students. Here are the questions that I created: 1. Do you think aliens exist? 2. Would you like t o communicate with aliens? 3. What part of their existence would you want to know? 4. Do aliens scare you ? Why? 5. Do you think aliens could live in a very hot environment? 6. If aliens are allowed to co-exist with us, are you in favor of that idea? 7. Do you suspect someone as an alien? 8. Do you think aliens existed in our planet a long time ago? 9. Can alien life be created? 10. How are aliens created? There were fifty respondents to the survey which is amazing because I never thought students would take aliens seriously. There were funny answers stating that their parents or teachers are real aliens. However, the most important result of the study showed that eighty-percent of respondents believed that aliens existed a long time ago. They think that the origin of life theory is not only applicable to terrestrial matters but to aliens as well. Around ninety-percent of the students also supported the idea that aliens can exist in very hot environment. In fact, there were so many speculations presented by the answers like: 1. Aliens can live in hot environments because they are not humans, their bodies can be made up of special matter; 2. Aliens were formed similar to the concept of primordial soup , as their planets evolved, they began to form; 3. Aliens can adapt to their environment thus they exist; I really find these answers interesting so maybe I can have group discussions about these topics and have the other students

The Review of Job Satisfaction Essay Example for Free

The Review of Job Satisfaction Essay Job satisfaction represents one of the most complex areas facing today’s managers when it comes to managing their employees. Many studies have demonstrated an unusually large impact on the job satisfaction on the motivation of workers, while the level of motivation has an impact on productivity, and hence also on performance of business organizations. Unfortunately, in our region, job satisfaction has not still received the proper attention from neither scholars nor managers of various business organizations. Key words: job satisfaction, Employees, performance Introduction: Research indicates that employees who are satisfied with their jobs are more likely to stay with their employers. According to this survey, 86% of employees indicated overall satisfaction with their current position, with 41% of employees reporting they were very satisfied. What’s more, majority of employees reported that the current economic climate has not made any difference in their level of satisfaction—and this is good news for employers, especially during the economically challenging time. It is not surprising that during the current economic downturn, which some have compared to the 1929 Great Depression, employees selected job security for the second consecutive year as the most important aspect of their job satisfaction. Benefits, compensation/pay, opportunities to use skills and abilities and feeling safe in the work environment rounded off employees’ top five very important job satisfaction contributors—nearly identical to the top five of 2008. Factors that were not strongly connected to employees’ overall job satisfaction were organization’s commitment to a ‘green’ workplace, networking, career development opportunities, paid training and tuition reimbursement programs, and organization’s commitment to professional development. Despite its vide usage in scientific research, as well as in everyday life, there is still no general agreement regarding what job satisfaction is. In fact there is no final definition on what job represents. Therefore before a definition on job satisfaction can be given , the nature and importance of work as a universal human activity must be considered. Different authors have different approaches towards defining job satisfaction. Some of the most commonly cited definitions on job satisfaction are analysed in the text that follows. Job satisfaction as any combination of psychological, physiological and environmental circumstances that cause a person truthfully to say I am satisfied with my job. According to this approach although job satisfaction is under the influence of many external factors, it remains something internal that has to do with the way how the employee feels. That is job satisfaction presents a set of factors that cause a feeling of satisfaction. Vroom in his definition on job satisfaction focuses on the role of the employee in the workplace. Thus he defines job satisfaction as affective orientations on the part of individuals toward work roles which they are presently occupying (Vroom, 1964). One of the most often cited definitions on job satisfaction is the one given by Specter according to whom job satisfaction has to do with the way how people feel about their job and its various aspects. It has to do with the extent to which people like or dislike their job. That’s why job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction can appear in any given work situation. Job satisfaction represents a combination of positive or negative feelings that workers have towards their work. Meanwhile, when a worker employed in a business organization, brings with it the needs, desires and experiences which determinates expectations that he has dismissed. Job satisfaction represents the extent to which expectations are and match the real awards. Job satisfaction is closely linked to that individuals behavior in the work place. Job satisfaction is a worker’s sense of achievement and success on the job. It is generally perceived to be directly linked to productivity as well as to personal well-being. Job satisfaction implies doing a job one enjoys, doing it well and being rewarded for one’s efforts. Job satisfaction further implies enthusiasm and happiness with one’s work. Job satisfaction is the key ingredient that leads to recognition, income, promotion, and the achievement of other goals that lead to a feeling of fulfillment. Job satisfaction can be defined also as the extent to which a worker is content with the rewards he or she gets out of his or her job, particularly in terms of intrinsic motivation. The term job satisfactions refer to the attitude and feelings people have about their work. Positive and favorable attitudes towards the job indicate job satisfaction. Negative and unfavorable attitudes towards the job indicate job dissatisfaction. Job satisfaction is the collection of feeling and beliefs that people have about their current job. People’s levels of degrees of job satisfaction can range from extreme satisfaction to extreme dissatisfaction. In addition to having attitudes about their jobs as a whole. People also can have attitudes about various aspects of their jobs such as the kind of work they do, their co-workers, supervisors or subordinates and their pay. Job satisfaction is a complex and multifaceted concept which can mean different things to different people. Job satisfaction is usually linked with motivation, but the nature of this relationship is not clear. Satisfaction is not the same as motivation. Job satisfaction is more of an attitude, an internal state. It could, for example, be associated with a personal feeling of achievement, either quantitative or qualitative. We consider that job satisfaction represents a feeling that appears as a result of the perception that the job enables the material and psychological needs . Job satisfaction can be considered as one of the main factors when it comes to efficiency and effectiveness of business organizations. In fact the new managerial paradigm which insists that employees should be treated and considered primarily as human beans that have their own wants, needs, personal desires is a very good indicator for the importance of job satisfaction in contemporary companies. When analyzing job satisfaction the logic that a satisfied employee is a happy employee and a happy employee is a successful employee. Job satisfaction is under the influence of a series of factors such as: The nature of work, Salary, Advancement opportunities, Management, Work groups and Work conditions. A somewhat different approach regarding the factors of job satisfaction is provided by Rue and Byars, Figure 4. When talking about factors of job satisfaction the fact that they can also job dissatisfaction must be kept in mind. Therefore the issue weather job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are two opposite and excludable phenomena? There is no consensus regarding this issue among authors. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory is probably the most often cited point of view. In fact the main idea is that employees in their work environment are under the influence of factors that cause job satisfaction and factors that cause job dissatisfaction. Therefore al factors that have derived from a large empirical research and divided in factors that cause job satisfaction (motivators) and factors that cause job dissatisfaction (hygiene factors)

Young Parenthood And Teen Fathers Social Work Essay

Young Parenthood And Teen Fathers Social Work Essay Much of the researches available on young parenthood have focused on the experiences of teenage mothers and mainly those separated from the young fathers. Subsequently, efforts have been made to ascertain the proportional involvement of fathers in various aspects of parenting and the distinctive contributions of fathers (knight et. Al, 2006). There are significant gaps in the provision of service for teenage fathers (Cater et al 2006). Practitioners wishing to offer support for the young fathers face a number of barriers such as the difficultly in finding young fathers, the lack of adequate support for young fathers when they are identified, complicated family issues, educational difficulties and the negative attitudes of individual professionals. Despite the growing research on young fathers, there remains a dearth of research that recognises the wide diversity of young fatherhood and the different needs young fathers may have (e.g. young fathers in care, young fathers in prison, non-resident fathers, young fathers from ethnic minority groups). Young fathers are invisible as a group, yet they are more likely to require support services and be affected by unemployment, poor housing, and a lack of education (Speak et al., 1997). It is therefore not surprising that little is known about the expectations and experiences of young fathers in accessing support and the barriers they face. The study arose from the observation that there is limited information available in current research on the views and experiences of young fathers in Outer London Borough. Much of the research that is available on young parents focuses on the experiences of young mothers. This study sought to establish, from the perspective of young fathers and the organisations that worked with them their expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support available. Research questions How accessible and effective are the support available to young fathers in meeting their socio-economic needs in Outer London Borough? Aims The aims of my research are: to identify which organisations are offering support to young fathers and how they worked with them; to explore young fathers view of support available to them and the obstacles they face in accessing it; to establish, from the view point of young fathers and the organisations that worked with them the effectiveness of the support. Research methodology The qualitative paradigm aims to understand the social world from the viewpoint of respondents, through detailed descriptions of their cognitive and symbolic actions, and through the richness of meaning associated with observable behavior (Wildemuth, 1993). The research would be undertaken using the following qualitative research techniques: Desk scoping. Structured interviews with young fathers and service providers. Case study review of projects and initiatives that provide practical support to young fathers. Desk Scoping Desk Scoping focused on investigating into the existing evidence. This included searching the following sources: An extensive search was made of all relevant databases, libraries and journals for literature sources pertaining to the project issue. In addition a comprehensive review of internet based literature and resources were made. Using the London South Bank University library online resources via http://library.lsbu.ac.uk, ASSIA (Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts), an electronic resource, was searched, 51 results were found using the term young parenthood (search was from 2001 to current), 33 results were found using the term teenage father (search was from 2002 to current to reduce the search result to a manageable number) and 9 results were found using the terms young father and support. ASSIA covers English language journals in applied social sciences and includes health, economics, social issues social policy, organisational behaviour and communication. Relevant governmental organisations websites were searched for information gathering. As relevant reports were identified through these avenues, the references within these reports were followed as a way of further identifying relevant research reports. Interviews The most common forms of collecting qualitative data are participant observation and in-depth interviewing (Kenworth, Snowley Gilling 2004). Cohen Manion (1993) interviews are initiated by the reviewer for the specific purpose of obtaining research-relevant information and focused by (her or) him on content specified by research objectives of systematic description, prediction or explanation. 7 semi-structured interviews will be conducted with service delivery personnel from those organisations offering specialist support to young fathers (social services, connexions, parenting support, parentingUK, first housing, health agency, and employment support). These interviews would be conducted by telephone to identify common/different support practices and to evaluate their perceived effectiveness. In addition to the interviews, local service providers would take part in informal meetings. Some would be interviewed at the start of the study and provide information on the local context. Others would provide ongoing dialogue during the time of the study, particularly those from maternity services in the study localities. A roundtable dissemination event would be held towards the end of the study to discuss findings and their relevance for local practice and policy. A minimum of 10 semi-structured interviews would be held with young fathers (young fathers in care, young fathers in prison, non-resident fathers and young fathers from ethnic minority groups) who have either received or not received support. Due to the delicate nature of these interviews and the potential vulnerability of the participants, an appropriate qualified researcher, following the strictest ethical guidelines, will sensitively conduct interview. Prior to any interviews, the researcher will update their Child Protection Training to ensure that s/he is fully aware of current relevant issues. The core themes to be explored through the structured interviews are: identifying the support needs of young fathers; local services available to young fathers, both practical and emotional; partnership working among agencies that provide young fathers with support; opportunities and challenges to providing practical support to young fathers. Interview will be conducted in the participants homes and supported by adult family member or friend. Parental/guardian consent will be confirmed prior to the interview and all interviews will be recorded digitally. Data will be held in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Their names and other identifying information would be anonymised in the presentation of finding. The young people taking part would be assured in writing and verbally that the narratives they shared would be treated in confidence and that confidentiality would be breached only in the event of disclosure or child protection concerns being revealed regarding issues not already known to the relevant agencies. A semi-structured interview will be used by the same researcher to ensure consistency; all interviews will be digitally recorded with consent and lasted between 20 and 60 minutes. Digital recording the interviews would enhance the reliability of the interview. Using semi-structured interviews in this study enables the interviewer to be guided by the participant who should be encouraged to talk freely, even though the interviewer may have certain points to cover. Participant will be recruited in the following way: Young fathers who have used organisations offering specialist (social services, connexions, parenting support, parentingUK, first housing, health agency, and employment support) support will be contacted via a list to be provided by the agencies and invited to join the study only after securing the young persons agreement and parental/guardian consent. For others who have not used specialist services, would be recruited through their childrens mothers or via local contacts and word of mouth. Young fathers will be encouraged to participate in the study, through awarding a  £10 ASDA voucher to all participants. Should sufficient participants be identified, selection through criteria including age, gender and ethnicity type will be made to ensure a broad representation of demographic groups. Case Study To explore in more depth the experiences of young fathers and to understand more fully the practice of those organisations offering activities to young fathers, three case studies were reviewed. These case studies are examples of projects or initiatives that provide practical support to young fathers. The aim of the review was to explore the range of approaches that have been developed to support the practical needs of young fathers, highlighting successes, challenges faced and lessons learned. The findings reported here centre mainly on the experiences of becoming and being a father from the viewpoints of the young men involved in the case studies. Additionally the report includes some young womens perspectives on the young men as fathers. Research design It is anticipated that in order to complement existing longitudinal survey data, the current study will employ primarily qualitative methods to explore the young fathers expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support they receive. The aim of a qualitative researcher is to explore peoples experiences, feelings and beliefs so that statements about how people interpret and structure their lives can be made (Holloway Wheeler 1996). The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach would be used for this study and will provide an insight and understanding of young fathers expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support. IPA was chosen over the Grounded Theory approach (Glaser Strauss 1967), as we do not want to develop a theory but to understand and explore how the participants understood their personal and social environment and what experiences and events meant for them. It is envisage that a retrospective, life-history approach, including a range of groups (e.g. young fathers in care, young fathers in prison, non-resident fathers, young fathers from ethnic minority groups and practitioners) will give insights into young fathers expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support they receive. I expect the sample to reflect a sufficient range of potentially significant variables such as gender, age, ethnicity and social background. The ethical committee within the London South Bank University (LSBU) would consider the study for approval. All participants would be given information sheets explaining the procedure. Before giving signed consent, participants would be advised that they were free to leave at any time. Pilot studies would be done of the questions being asked to check the clarity of the language. Beck Hungler (2001) suggest that four ethical principles must be considered when participating in research: (1) the right not to be harmed, (2) the right to be fully informed on all aspects of the study, (3) the right to decide to take part or not (and the right to withdraw at any time) and (4) the right to privacy, anonymity and confidentiality. Qualitative research commences during the process of data collection. While the researcher processes the information patterns are then looked for during the interview and then select a theme to follow. The data analysis continues throughout the interviews and also once data is collected. Two researchers will independently undertake the analysis and checked and re-checked with each other for emergent themes. Diversity within the sample would allow for the exploration of young fathers experiences across a range of circumstances relating to their age, locality, education and employment, living arrangements, relationships with their partner, support from family and friends, contact with formal services, etc. Social work and qualitative research share the mutual goals of dealing with subjectivity, describing the complexity of lived experience, and appreciating realities where intuition is valued. Qualitative methodology is, therefore, in my view a suitable method to be employed in researching the expectations and experiences of young fathers in accessing support. Researchers would take necessary steps not to introduce bias by accidentally reporting their interpretation of participants feelings. At the beginning of the study researchers would declare and record their feelings. The researchers would also ensure that the level of subjectivity remains at a relatively neutral level. Ethical issues are important and would be considered at every step of the research process. This is not just about obtaining ethical approval for a study but also ensuring the rights of participants are not violated. When reporting the findings of the research, participants anonymity and confidentiality would not be breached. The role of the interviewer is to encourage participants to discuss their experiences of the phenomenon. It is possible that in the cause of the interview participants could inadvertently discuss personal information that they had not planned to reveal, or that may rekindle tragic or uncomfortable experiences related to this study. Researchers would continue to negotiate with participants to ascertain whether they wish to continue with the interview or not. Psychological support would be in place to manage any emotional distress that may result from the interview. Everything would be done in the course of the study to protect the rights of vulnerable respondents. The researchers would not make any exaggerated claims as to the significance of the research and implications for practice, and further research would be located in the studys findings. Moreover, the researcher would relate the findings of the study back to the original research purpose, and illustrate whether or not it has been adequately addressed (Thorne et al., 2005). The researchers would conclude by placing the findings in a context that indicates how this new information is of interest, and its implications for social work. These conclusions would reflect the studys findings and ideally would offer recommendations as to how they may be developed. The most common criteria used to evaluate qualitative research studies are credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability (Lincoln et al., 1985). It is therefore important that the readers are able to identify the criteria used and are able to clearly follow each step of the research process. To ensure the credibility of the study process, the study would address the issue of whether there is consistency between the participants views and the researchers representation of them. The participants would be consulted at every stage of the study and they would be allowed to read and discuss the study findings. The researcher would also describe and interpret his experience as a researcher. The study would provide evidence of a decision trail at each stage of the research process. Future researchers would clearly be able to follow the trail used by the researchers and potentially arrive at the same or comparable conclusions. The researchers would demonstrate how conclusions and interpretations have been derived from the data. Its hoped that the findings would be transferable to other context outside the study situation and people who were not involved in the research study would find the results meaningful. One of the shortcomings of a qualitative research based study of this nature is their lack of objectivity and generalisation of their findings. The study has been designed to seek answers to how persons or groups make sense of their experiences. In my view small qualitative studies can gain a more personal understanding of the phenomenon and the results can potentially contribute valuable knowledge to the community. Hamilton (1980) asserts that the value of a study is established by reference to the phenomena it seeks to comprehend and the understandings it aspires to develop. Stake (1980) suggests that using qualitative methodology in this type of study may be in conceptual harmony with the service users experience and thus be a natural basis for generalization. Liiicolii Y, Cuba E (1985) Nainrnlisik /nijiiir). Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA Koch T (2l)06 Establishing rigour in qualitative research: the decision trail. J Adv Nurs 53(1): 91-100 Tobin G, Begley C (2004) Methodological rigour within a qualitative Framework J Adv Nurs 48(4): 388-96 Thorne S, Darbyshire P (2005) Land mines in the field: a modest proposal for improving the craft of qualitative health research. Quality Health Research 15(8): 1105-13 Myers, M. (2000). Qualitative research and the generalizability question: Standing firm with Proteus. The Qualitative Report, 4(3/4).   http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR4-3/myers.html

Why Is Religion Important? :: Why Study Religion?

Why is it important to study the world's religions in the college and university curriculum? Religious Studies is intellectually exciting because it provides access to the mystery of the other. Religion is one of the primary disciplines for investigating the boundary questions of life and death, of love and hate, that characterize the human condition. All persons crave for self-transcendence in one mode or another. Religious Studies provides the opportunity to understand, with depth and nuance, the many beliefs and rituals that move persons to appreciate the alternative world of the religious reality. Religious Studies is academically enriching because it is a transdisciplinary mode of inquiry that engenders deep intercultural literacy. Serious study of the world's religions inculcates unique cultural sensitivities among students. Since it straddles the boundary between objective evidence and subjective experience, religious studies is methodologically diverse, globally aware, and academically transgressive. Religious studies is rigorously and playfully open to a multicultural and international way of being that bursts the boundaries of the conventional and the everyday. Religious Studies is personally meaningful because it raises questions of purpose and value along with developing important life skills. Religious studies enables the development of crucial aptitudes -- critical thinking, communication competence, interpersonal awareness, and intercultural literacy -- necessary for success in a global society. The aim of liberal education -- healthy, holistic education -- is about gaining wisdom, not the accumulation of knowledge as such. Practically speaking, religious studies can enable students to better practice the task of selfhood by both building self-esteem and making possible the acquisition of competencies crucial for one's well-being in increasingly diverse world cultures What role should religion play in the curriculum? To learn about the religious dimensions of world cultures is essential to a fully informed and multicultural educational curriculum. But it should be noted that teaching about religion on a comparative, educational basis is not the same as teaching religion. To teach about religion is to study the religions of the world in a manner that is comparative, factual, and fair-minded, and that avoids any hint of faculty or students trying to persuade other faculty or students to subscribe to this or that religious (or non-religious or anti-religious) belief-system. To teach religion, on the other hand, is a rhetorical exercise that attempts to persuade students to believe (or not) in a particular religion or system of ideas. To teach about religion, then, is