Write a short report detailing a small interim analytical study on a development project of your own literary invention.

MEAL Assessment

 

There are two components of the assessment weighted 75%/25%. The former is formative assessment so feel free to contact me with queries. The latter is more summative so no help will be given.

 

Assessment 1.

 

Write a short report (*not more* than 2800 words (upper limit not a target number), not including supplementary information, if any, clearly delineated) detailing a small interim analytical study on a development project of your own literary invention. You are an analyst within the project team. To constrain your imagination there is a financial upper limit of £4 million pounds available for field methods so the use of unlimited vehicular resources or massive giveaways of wealth etc. is implausible. The £4 million is just a constraint on flamboyant methods, a financial plan is not required. You can create your own data. You don’t have to include a logframe (but it can do no harm) but you should mention and use its components.

The discussion should be limited to methodological issues. You should write the report in a style of an existing report (which should be clearly identified) perhaps one of the ones considered today, and your adherence to that style will contribute (albeit meagrely) to your marks. The report can take a mixed method approach if necessary. An abstract should be provided. The abstract can be technical or non-technical depending on your desired audience (that should be identified in a note at the beginning).

 

Marks will be given for

  1. adherence to appropriate style,
  2. feasibility/appropriateness of goals/questions,
  3. feasibility/appropriateness of methods with regard to logframe components and the avoidance of the sort of research problems we have discussed over the last few weeks. Failure to recognise some obvious flaw in your methods leading to an alternative explanation for your results will cost you marks,
  4. appropriateness and execution of statistics (mainly the former, this is not a stats module)
  5. appropriateness and execution of the qualitative component,
  6. appropriateness of conclusions given the results (again considering the points in the lectures).
  7. Realistic elements

 

You will NOT be marked down for any flaws in your methods which are openly considered and our unavoidable (given your potentially small budget). Indeed identifying unavoidable flaws will gain you marks. Not identifying, avoidable flaws will cost you marks. Honesty is the best policy.

 

For reproducibility purposes please supply your analysis code in the appendix. This does not count against the word limit.

 

Assessment 2.

 

Identify the flaws in the report given below. Suggestions should be made for alternative approaches if a negative comment is made. Your total text should not exceed the number of words in the original report! There are AT LEAST 5 flaws and could be a *lot* more.

 

 

 

 

Raising Adult Literacy Levels in Zimbabwe: Final Report

C.G.M. Paxton, Paxcation Limited, St Andrews, Fife

 

Introduction

Increasing adult literacy has been shown to be correlated with GDP worldwide (e.g. Burchfield et al. 2002). Just over 1 billion people worldwide cannot read or write, leading not only to limited job opportunities but an inability to undertake every day activities e.g. read labels (e.g. Raynal 1985), machinery instructions, and confirm commercial transactions. Increasing adult literacy is associated with longer term impacts notably an increased likelihood of sending offspring to school. Increasing the pool of literate and numerate people is essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A family’s economic poverty may force the parents to engage their children in the labour market in lieu of schooling. Furthermore, sending children to school may be considered less critical, especially in settings where education appears to have no immediate benefits to parents and encouraging children to begin working could provide immediate economic relief to the family. In some situations, inconvenience or inaccessibility may also deter parents from sending their children to school, leading them to enter the labour force as a result. Putting children to work instead of into school may create a vicious circle: initially, work may adversely affect schooling; later, low or no education may result in continued child labour in the following generation. Poverty may thereby be both a cause and effect of low educational attainment. Low levels of child literacy lead to low levels of adult literacy. Therefore ameliorating adult illiteracy will ultimately lead to ameliorating child illiteracy.

In this programme by Paxcation.org, we instigated a two year adult literacy campaign in South Matebeleland.

 

 

 

Methods

The programme was initiated in 2016 and consisted of Paxcation teachers offering classes in adult literacy for any consenting individuals within the studied communities. Twenty-nine villages in southern Matebeleland were identified as suitable candidates for consideration for this observational study. Adult literacy level of the participants was identified as an impact indicator. In each community class, a focal individual was identified who was repeatedly tested (3 times) for their literacy levels using an identical standardised test (perfected by pilot studies in Fife in 2015) to generate a single variable per test (so 3 per person). This was undertaken over a two week period at the end of the study (2018). Individuals were paid to participate.

In the qualitative component of the analysis, focus groups of volunteers were convened to ascertain individual motivations and histories in achieving low literacy levels.

 

Progress Evaluation

The literacy campaign was successfully finished as planned.

 

Quantitative analysis

The ages of the participants varied between 18 and 78 (mean 69). Scores in the literacy test for each village are shown in figure 1. Multiple pairwise ‘t’ tests were used to evaluate the differences across the villages. The mean P value across all the tests was 0.03 showing a very strong overall effect of the literacy programme. Statistical analysis was undertaken in R (R Core Team 2018). The mean scores per village are shown in figure 1.

Figure 1. Relative resultant scores in the literacy programme for each village (labelled 1-27). Every degree represents a literacy score of 3.1. 

Qualitative analysis

Focal group analysis of class participants revealed details of why individuals suffered from adult illiteracy.  It was caused by negative comments by classmates towards people who progressed in their reading.

 

Discussion

The mean literacy score of 43 clearly represents an increase over the mean nationwide level of literacy in Zimbabwe (27) suggesting the programme has been a considerable success. There is a strong basis for believing this successful programme should be rolled out over all sub-Saharan Africa. These results are in agreement with studies in South Africa and Botswana.

 

References

Burchfield, S.; Hua, H.; Baral, D.; Rocha, V. (2002) A Longitudinal Study of the Effect of Integrated Literacy and Basic Education Programs on Women’s Participation in Social and Economic Development in Nepal. Report for the Agency for International Development (IDCA) by World Education Incorporated.

 

Raynal, A.L., (1985) Use of over-the-counter medications in rural Matabeleland, Zimbabwe: the case for upgrading the dispensing skills of rural storekeepers. Central African Journal of Medicine 31, 92-97

R Core Team (2018). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL https://www.R-project.org/.

What are the differences between labor law in that country and in the United States? Are there significant cultural differences between the two nations?

Description
For as USA writer: Research any labor dispute that took place outside of the United States. In a paper of
between 250 and 600 words (1 to 2 pages), discuss the following questions.
-What was the nature of this dispute?
-Are there differences between the way the dispute was handled in this nation and how you think it would
have been handled in the United States? Discuss.
-What are the differences between labor law in that country and in the United States? Are there significant
cultural differences between the two nations?
-With these differences in mind, identify one guideline you could propose for conducting union-management
transactions across cultures.

develop the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) campaign that you will use to communicate the value of your product offering to your target market.

Now that you have most of the marketing plan completed, it is time to develop the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) campaign that you will use to communicate the value of your product offering to your target market. Remember to keep in mind the

  • objectives of the marketing plan
  • the target market themselves and
  • how you choose to position yourself in the marketplace

Step 1: Theme and Purpose

  1. First develop a theme for the campaign. This statement will unify all of your promotional efforts under the campaign. It should be something that is easily memorable but also something that can be transferred into something like a hashtag to leverage the viral nature of social media.
  2. Now discuss the purpose of your IMC campaign. This will be contingent upon what your objectives are and the nature of your marketing mix decisions this far. Is it to introduce a new product? Is it to introduce an improvement to an existing product? Be very clear what the purpose of the IMC campaign is. 

Step 2: PowerPoint presentation and Print Ads with Essay explanation

  1. Next, you’ll be expected to produce at leasttwo (2) advertisements as part of your IMC campaign.
    • . One of these ads must be a PowerPoint presentation that can be used as a video add with narration. NOTE: You may create a storyboard using PowerPoint.
  1. The other will be a print ad that can either be placed in a traditional print media or spread throughout websites and social media.
  1. After attaching the PowerPoint presentation or the story board, in one or two paragraphs explain how this particular ad supports the IMC campaign specifically. Also be sure to provide insight into where your target market will see this particular ad. If you choose television, you should choose specific shows that reflect the media habits of your target market. If you choose social media, explain which social media you will use to transmit the video. Remember that we are not just looking for creativity here, but good execution as well.
  2. For the print ad, provide a mockup of the advertisement itself followed by 1 to 2 paragraphs explaining how that ad supports the IMC campaign. Also be sure to explain where this ad will be seen. If you are choosing a traditional print medium, clearly identify it. If you were going to use social media, which platforms would be best for this particular ad.

Step 3: Promotion

Now develop one sales promotion. It could be anything from a specific discount, giveaway, some kind of product bundling, etc. Describe the sales promotion in detail, explain how you believe it would help complement your IMC campaign, and briefly describe how you would communicate this sales promotion to your target market. Be creative but also be pragmatic and ensure that the sales promotion adds value to your IMC campaign.

Step 4: Social Media Strategy

In a few paragraphs discuss your social media campaign.

  • What is the purpose of the campaign?
  • How will it support the rest of your IMC campaign?
  • What specific platforms will you be using and why?

After your narrative addressing the above questions, provide a screen shot of at least two different social media posts you have created for two different platforms. The platforms are up to you, but must be among those that you described in the narrative.

 

 

Is standardised testing within the UK education system fit for purpose?

Rationale

 

The evolution of education within the UK has witnessed significant change since its incorporation. Initial connections through religious establishments have matured to the state funded model that we now associate with modern times. Private education has also prospered. Numerous governments have initiated change, some more radical than others, in the hope that the UK education system establishes itself as a strong, rewarding entity. Progressive changes, such as the professionalisation of teachers, have helped strengthen the system, and many other facets within the structure have developed along the way. One of these facets is the framework of standardised testing and this forms the overarching topic of this paper. Over time, this model has become an expectancy for all students at multiple times throughout their school life and Regan-Stansfield (2017) argues that it is a contentious feature of many countries’ schooling system. If we consider the standardised tests within compulsory education, which include SAT’s, GCSE’s and A-Levels, there appears to be a belief that this is the preferred way to assess students and position them within the system such is its stronghold. Evidently, there appears to be a shortage of contemporary literature within the UK that justifiably supports this system, and, in my judgement, this system is not fully fit for purpose and Regan-Stansfield’s observations hold true. Through my own experience teaching GCSE’s mathematics for 12 years, I conclude that through many uncontrollable variables, the outcomes of standardised tests are not always a true reflection of the ability or knowledge for many of our GCSE age students and should be reconsidered. Such is the pressure applied to students to perform in exams, which over time has grown and grown, the ability to successfully navigate a series of exams and the associated pressures associated has become a significant task. Many pressures have become more evident to me throughout my career. I have observed specific instances such as test anxiety, stress and health matters which severely influence outcomes; I will be exploring these and investigate how they are connected to the standardised testing structure. I believe that this system considerably impacts and negatively shapes the progression and opportunity for many young people in society. Furthermore, Covid-19 significantly damaged the education system (Al-Samarrai, Gangwar and Gala, 2020). For successive summers, students were unable to sit traditional summer standardised tests causing immeasurable damage to many. Participation of adapted online study resulted in at best what was only a small proportion of what students would usually have learned in school (Schleicher and Reimers, 2020). Although pandemics are historically rare, the fixed model of assessing by standardised testing left an immense problem for the industry.  I believe the system can be improved.

Arguably, standardised tests are one of the core memories we consider when reflecting on our own individual journey through education. Its influence must not be underestimated, and it is the topic I have chosen for my dissertation.

 

Literature review

 

Standardised testing is a universal staple within the schooling systems of developed countries. Research I have considered so far appears to suggest that it is a critical part of the school accountability and performance model, with no viable front-running alternative. Results are published locally and nationally such is their perceived importance. Figlio and Loeb (2011) argue that standardised testing has a positive effect on pupil performance, and Burgess et al. (2013) find that GCSE attainment is strengthened through school accountability. This leads to social considerations that are impacted through the standardised testing model which Regan-Stansfield also highlight, with attention drawn to schools that are underperforming. Regan-Stansfield continues, stating that the model incentivises teachers to enhance their performance. Initial thoughts suggest that Regan-Stansfield fails to acknowledge the additional pressure that this puts teachers under. With league tables and data-driven providers and academies, this arguably reflects the neoliberal landscape that we are living in. Neoliberalism interests me from a political viewpoint, and I am keen to find links between this and standardised testing, not just the umbrella of education.

Research suggests that test anxieties and various other exam stresses are associated with children from an early age (Connor 2001, 2003) and that standardised tests have also contributed to demotivation and retention of teachers (Day and Smethen 2009). I am motivated through my own practice to examine this deeply throughout my studies and contribute to an area of study that appears to be gathering momentum. I also believe that standardised testing impacts self-worth and self-efficacy which in turn contributes to attainments and progression.

Pokhrel and Chhetri (2021) find that students requirements have not been satisfied through the adaptations that have been implemented through the pandemic and this is my final consideration. I will research literature with supporting data to highlight the issue that the standardised testing model has had throughout Covid-19.

 

Presentation of research question. Potential Questions.

 

Is standardised testing within the UK education system fit for purpose?

 

Proposed methodology and methods

 

Through my dissertation, I will investigate and present qualitive research. A questionnaire will be produced, unbiased, with an aim to obtain the views of over 100 teaching professionals regarding standardised testing. Targeted questions regarding its performance and suitability that is likely to be in a strongly disagree/disagree/neutral/agree/strongly agree format. Opportunities to add further individual detailed opinions will be encouraged as to address further unassumed considerations. My current theoretical position as outlined previously within my rationale, argues against the current system in its current format; therefore, I am extremely interested in the responses received. Are there any factors that I have not considered, or have I underestimated their relevance, as highlighted by Dudovsky (2018) who speaks about the importance of the quality of discussion and depth of analysis. Expectantly, these perspectives will trustfully provide a considerable sized sample from professionals working directly within the industry. Teaching staff will be sampled across many subjects, including English, mathematics, science, business studies, IT & media, art, music and humanities in addition to vocational studies such as construction and health and social care.

 

 

References

AL-SAMARRAI, S., GANGWAR, M. and GALA, P. 2020, The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Education Financing, World Bank, Washington, DC, https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/33739 (accessed on 15th November 2021).

BURGESS, S., WILSON, D., and WORTH, J. 2013. A natural experiment in school accountability: The impact of school performance information on pupil progress. Journal of Public Economics, 106, 57-67.

CONNOR, M.J. 2001. Pupil Stress and standard assessment tasks. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. 6 (2), 103-111.

CONNOR, M.J. 2001. Pupil Stress and standard assessment tasks (SATs) An Update. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. 8 (2), 101-107.

DAY, C. and SMETHEM, L. 2009. The Effects of Reform: Have Teachers Really Lost Their Sense of Professionalism? Journal of Educational Chance, 10 )2-3), 141-157.

DUDOVSKY, J. 2018. The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Dissertation: A Step-by-Step Assistance. Business Research Methodology.

FIGLIO, D. and LOEB, S. 2011. School Accountability. A Handbook in Economics of Education. Stanford University.

POKHREL, S. and CHHETRI, R. 2020. Review on Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Teaching and Learning [online]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/2347631120983481

REGAN-STANSFIELD, J. (2017). The impact of Standardised Testing on Later High Stakes Test Outcomes. The Department of Economics. Lancaster University Management School.

SCHLEICHER, A. and REIMERS, F. 2020. Schooling Disrupted, Schooling Rethought: How the COVID-19 Pandemic is Changing Education, OECD, https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/?ref=133_133390-1rtuknc0hi&title=Schooling-disrupted- schooling-rethought-How-the-Covid-19-pandemic-is-changing-education (accessed on 15th November 2021)

SOMEKH, B. and LEWIN, C. 2011. Theory and methods in social research. Sage Publications Limited. London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consider why laws requiring ecosystem restoration are needed as part of the response to threats from planetary change for ecosystem functionality. How can such laws assist with reviving the Earth’s capacity to support life?

Description
Answer ONE of the following:
EITHER:
1. ‘Laws which require that sites of particular ecological importance should be identified and made subject to
legal protection are essential but not sufficient for arresting global ecological deterioration’.
Discuss this statement.
OR:
2. Consider why laws requiring ecosystem restoration are needed as part of the response to threats from
planetary change for ecosystem functionality. How can such laws assist with reviving the Earth’s capacity to
support life? Support you answer with examples of relevant laws.

Provide information (numerical, if available) about the measure’s reliability and validity.

Description
This assignment requires you to read and summarize a peer-reviewed article that is based on
empirical research. You must base your answers on one of the following articles. Note that this assignment
does not ask you to critique the article. Make sure that you answer each question fully while avoiding
unnecessary wordiness.
Ting, L., Jacobson, J.M., & Sanders, S. (2011). Current levels of perceived stress among mental
health social workers who work with suicidal clients. Social Work, 56, 327-336.
Regardless of which article you choose, the assignment must answer the questions listed below
in the order as they appear here. Do not copy the questions onto your paper; rather, number your answers to
show the questions to which they correspond. Begin your paper with the citation to the article that you have
chosen, in APA publication style (7th Edition).
1. In your own words, describe the main research question(s) that the study was designed to
answer. Is this a deductive or inductive; qualitative or quantitative?
2. List the main variables that were studied, and describe them (What are the major dependent
and independent variables in the study?)
3. Explain how the main variables were operationalized and at what level each of the main
variables were measured.
4. Describe measures that were used, and if any of the measures were scales report the name of the scales
and a brief description of all instruments including how it is administered, the length (number of items),
general
scoring information and other relevant information. If you use external sources to give more information
about
the scale (their developers etc.), be sure to cite the sources you use.
5. Provide information (numerical, if available) about the measure’s reliability and validity.
6. Identify the study population for this research and whether a probability or nonprobability
sampling method was used to obtain a sample. Identify the specific sampling method used, and
describe the process by which the sample was recruited and selected. Report the final sample size.
7. Give information about the study design.
8. Describe the steps the researcher(s) took to protect the participants from harm.
9. Extra Credit (not required): Summarize the answer to the main research questions according to the study’s
findings.

NOTE : Please reference this book ( The practice of Research in Social Work by Rafael J. Engel Russell K.
Schut

What on the module had the greatest impact on you? Why was it impactful and in what way did it develop your critical thinking skills and/or your insight into being a university student?

Portfolio Task 4: Reflect on your learning journey

The assignment brief asks you to answer _ of the following questions in your reflection:

1 What did you find most useful on the module and why? How has this impacted you (or will it impact you) as a student or member of society?

 

2 What did you find most challenging – say why it was challenging, how you overcame it and how will this impact you in the future?

 

3 What aspect of the work on the module needs further development? Why do you think that and how will you improve for UGT study?

 

4 What on the module had the greatest impact on you? Why was it impactful and in what way did it develop your critical thinking skills and/or your insight into being a university student?

 

NB the word limit is 300 words (meaning 315 is the absolute maximum). When writing the reflection, please make it clear which question you are answering.

Read the following examples I created. What do you think? Does it fulfil the task completely?

1. I think the most valuable thing I learnt on the module was the ability to start to think critically. This is a hugely important skill where ideas, concepts, theories and beliefs are analysed deeply and not simply accepted as being true and completely valid. Being critical was difficult for me at first because in high school, I did not use to question the topics that we were taught. I simply tried to understand them and remember them for the exam. For Business and Society, I realise that I need to be more critical, for example, see things from business and societal perspectives, say which economic theory is most appropriate or whether the lecturer’s belief that more worker ownership of industry is practical. The lectures and seminars often included arguments for and against certain theories and systems as well as examining a topic with various stakeholders in mind. I remember when we looked at the lecture and seminar about free market capitalism, I started to question what I learnt about it being beneficial for the most talented people regardless of wealth and family background. I can see now that messages about poor people being lazy or not intelligent were said by people who were already wealthy and powerful in order to persuade people not to change the system. This whole process helped me to develop my own analytical skills and engage better with the concepts, and it also made the topics more interesting for me. I can see how this will help me engage better and fully understand the topics in my future studies and especially the wider implications of them. At KBS, I will need to apply theories, select the best approaches and evaluate strategies within the business world and critical thinking will help me enormously.

 

2. If I am completely honest, the part of the module I liked the least was seminar discussions because I found it really difficult to take part and very stressful. In seminars, I did not want to say much at first because other students seemed to be more fluent and have better knowledge about English grammar. I was a little embarrassed to speak up and it took me quite a lot of time to be ready to say what I wanted. Often, by the time I was ready, the discussion had moved on. In addition, I was not accustomed to speaking in class without being asked and it was easier for me to stay quiet while the louder students spoke. I knew I had to improve because I was worried that the teacher thought I did not know anything about the topics or do any of the asynchronous work. This was not true, so I tried to say a little more each week by asking a question or saying if I agreed or not. By getting used to speaking more and more, I grew in confidence and by the middle of term 2, I performed significantly better than before. Another key thing that helped me was that I tried to predict what we would discuss in class and in term 2, we were given the discussion questions in advance. This all helped me build my confidence and be better prepared. I think these strategies will make me a better student at undergraduate level and the teachers there will recognise my knowledge, preparedness and hard work more. I actually also think group discussions and speaking in front of people will be really useful for me in my future career as I can see that in many cultures that being able to do this leads to success and effective leadership.

 

3. Overall, I think I improved in almost every way during the academic year. However, I still find it difficult to take notes in lectures and follow everything that is said. At the end of the lecture, my notes are not as complete as many of my classmates, and I often perform less well in the seminar as a result. This is because the lecturer speaks very quickly sometimes, and the words and concepts used are complicated. Also, it is very difficult to write what is on the slides and listen to the speaker. Often, I am not sure what the key information is and what is just extra and less important. My IELTS listening score is not particularly low, so I think it is just a question of strategy rather than language ability. I spoke to some classmates, and they gave me some good suggestions for UGT study. Firstly, I will make sure I am familiar with the topic by reading about it more beforehand and seeing if there is any preparatory work to do on KEATS. If I am being completely honest, this year I did not always do all the asynchronous lessons, and this meant that the lecture topics and concepts sometimes felt very new to me. Another good piece of advice that I was told about is to use lecture capture recordings to check my notes and see where the gaps are. I will watch the lecture again online and with subtitles on, and hopefully I will see an improvement in how much I understand and am able to note down. I understand that much of the knowledge we gain from academics is given to us in large lecture theatres in UK universities, and I need to develop this skill more to gain a better experience of studying in this country.

 

4. The module taught us many very interesting concepts, theories and opinions about the effect of business-as-usual practices and processes on society. It helped me to consider the viability of alternative approaches that potentially had a more positive social effect. With this in mind, hearing real-life stories really touched me and helped to make the topics real for me to fully consider the implications of concepts that I assumed were the best way to do things. By looking at individuals and groups affected, I was able to better understand the impact of economic systems and business practices on wider society and not just the business world. The story about how Eid travelled to the UK to escape war and how he nearly drowned in the Mediterranean Sea getting here made me wonder why many governments choose war so quickly and what the benefits of this are for corporations are. The Rana Plaza disaster also made me reconsider my former assumptions. I now think that increasing worker rights is essential and that maximising profits at all costs is completely unethical.  By looking at the human cost of big business, I am able to see the bigger picture now. I think that being able to identify impacts for all stakeholders will help me with studying Business Management at KBS because it not only helps me to challenge what is seen as the way things are done in business but also develop alternatives for more future-proof and sustainable business. I think that by hearing about the lived experiences of those affected by the business structures, practices and processes that I had previously accepted as normal, I have developed the ability to think more critically, and I expect that this is something that good university students will need to do.

 

submit your Small Business Plan for grading.

Description
This assignment aligns with Learning Outcomes 1–6.
In this module you will submit your Small Business Plan for grading. Follow the Submission instructions
below to upload the file.
Business Plan Assignment
The purpose of this business plan assignment is to reflect on the concept you have acquired during this
course. It is important to complete and submit a business plan for any business. The business plan is often the
document that secures financing for a company and creates a framework for the organization. In this
assignment you will create a business plan (5-7 pages) to include the following:
Executive Summary: The executive summary is the first section of your business plan that is typically
written last. It provides an overview of all of the other sections in the business plan.
Company Description: The company description section of your business plan is typically the second
section, coming after the executive summary. The company description outlines vital details about your
company, such as name of your company, where you are located, how large the company is, what you do and
what you hope to accomplish.
Products or Services: The products or services section of your business plan should clearly describe what
products and/or services you are selling with emphasis on the value you’re providing to your customers or
clients.
Market Analysis: The market analysis section of your business plan comes after the products and services
section. It provides a detailed overview of the industry you intend to sell your products or services, including
potential competitors. This section also addresses valuable information about what works and what does not
in the marketplace.
Marketing Strategy: The marketing strategy section of your business plan builds upon the market analysis
section. This section outlines where your business fits into the market and how you will price, promote, and
sell your products or services.

Management Summary: The management summary section of your business plan describes how your
business is structured, introduces who is involved, outlines external resources, and explains how the business
is managed.
Financial Analysis: The financial analysis section of your business plan should contain, the start up cost, the
details for financing your business, what will be needed for future growth, as well as estimation of your
operating expenses.
The business plan assignment is due in Module 7 and is worth 200 points. See the rubric for grading criteria.

What are the main elements or criteria of a “good” theory?

Required Article Readings

  • Theory #1 Topic: Intelligence and Antisocial Personality Effects on Crime

-Rhee and Waldman (2002)

-Rocque, Welsh, and Raine (2012)

-Dhingra and Boduszek (2013)

Video: The Neuroscience of Restorative Justice (TED Talk Video with Daniel Reisel)

 

 

  • Theory #2 Topic: Social Disorganization Theory and General Strain Theory

-Walker and Zawisza (2014)

-Sampson (2006)

-Rebellon, Piquero, Piquero, and Thaxton (2009)

Video:

 

 

  • Theory #3 Topic: Sutherland’s Differential Association and Hirschi’s Social Control Theory

-Gardner and Steinberg (2005)

-Pratt, Turner, and Piquero (2004)

-Vaughn, Bouffard, and Piquero (2017)

Video:

 

 

  • Theory #4 Topic: Moffitt’s Developmental Taxonomy and Sampson and Laub’s Age Graded Theory of Informal Social Control

-Moffitt (1993)

-Bartusch et al. (1997)

-Farrington (2003)

Video:

Instructions for Final Paper(5 pages):

Answer the question in NO MORE than 5 double spaced pages on the topic.

Font must be Times New Romans, 12 point. Margins must be 1 inch around the page.

Type your name and the course number in the header at the top of the first page on the left, including pages numbers at the top right.

You MUST cite your sources in your exam answer in APA format as you reference materials. You should cite materials used in class, and include additional materials such as other journal articles you have found to support your claims in your exam as needed. Please include a reference page in APA format with full references used in the paper (not counted as part of the 5 page limit).

 

QUESTION:

What are the main elements or criteria of a “good” theory? Of the theories discussed in this course, identify one theory that meets your criteria and one theory that fails to meet your criteria. Using your criteria, go through each of the two theories and support your views using information and citations from the course readings.

 

Consider whether the theories have been properly evaluated, how well they explain crime and criminal behavior, what empirical evidence supports the theories, and if there are real-world policy implications that have been developed from the theories.

 

Read and reread the question, and be sure you address all parts in your final paper.