Thesis vs. Dissertation. How to Tell One From The Other

Thesis vs. Dissertation. How to Tell One From The Other If youve considered grad school- or simply know someone who has an advanced degree- youve likely heard about theses and dissertations. Both are long research papers that a student submits at the conclusion of his or her studies. Such papers are required in order to earn an advanced degree. But whats the difference between the two? Are the terms interchangeable? Heres the low-down. Are Theses and Dissertations the Same? According to thesaurus.com, thesis and dissertation are synonyms. Either word can be used to refer to a written discourse. Discourse is just a fancy word for a formal discussion (written or oral). Technically, the paper you write during your senior seminar as an undergrad is also a discourse. However, for clarity, people have come to use specific words to refer to papers at each level of education. An undergraduate usually writes a research paper for the senior project. A masters candidate writes a thesis. A doctoral candidate writes a dissertation. An easy way to keep the two graduate papers straight is to remember that both doctorate and dissertation start with a d. The goal of such papers, regardless of your academic level, is to assess what youve learned over the course of your school career. The paper begins with an idea that you have about something in your field. You would then do research on this subject so that you can find supporting literature or otherwise prove your idea. Along the way, your adviser will help you plan your research and guide you through any hurdles you encounter as you work on the paper. Ultimately, youll be judged on your ability to conduct research, your general knowledge of the subject matter, and your writing skills. The Differences Between Theses and Dissertations So are both papers exactly the same? Not really. Or, more accurately, not necessarily. The guidelines for a research paper vary from one educational institution to the next. Because a masters degree is one step below a doctorate, most schools have less stringent guidelines for the thesis, as you might expect. But a thesis at one university might be quite different from the thesis at another. All schools have their own standards and length requirements. Moreover, the requirements for a paper in one discipline of study can be quite different from those for another discipline. For example, an M.S. student may be required to perform some type of experiment or conduct a study that requires human participation, whereas this would be unusual for an M.A. in English or history. What Is a Thesis? In a thesis writing, your basic task is to analyze the previous works of established thinkers in your field. For example, if youre studying psychology, you may posit that an absent or inattentive father has a serious impact on his female children in terms of their ability to form healthy romantic relationships. You would then find existing literature that proves your hypothesis. Once you have finished drafting the paper, you will submit it to your adviser for a preliminary review. After youve made the suggested revisions, you will submit the new draft to a department head or director, who will approve or reject the paper. Keep in mind that most masters candidates who have followed the guidelines and worked diligently are not rejected. Approval is necessary for the awarding of the final degree. Dissertations Defined A dissertation asks a bit more of the student. Instead of focusing on the works of others to back up your idea, you will be presenting your own original ideas. Dissertation writing is more like an expert (you) writing a book. A committee will review your work, and then you will be appointed a time to defend your idea before them. The members of the committee will ask you in-depth questions about what youve written and how you developed your ideas. The panel may request revisions to the dissertation, after which you would go through another defense. Once the paper is approved, you will be qualified to earn your doctorate degree. Heres a simplified way of illustrating the difference between a masters thesis and a doctoral dissertation: A masters candidate could theoretically make his or her case by using the dissertation of another. Now that you know more about theses and dissertations, you can feel more confident about your applications to grad school, knowing what will be expected of you.

Organizational Behavior Forces Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Behavior Forces - Term Paper Example These factors either independently or collectively possess a huge potential in building an organizations standing in the market. An Organization is a body comprised of several identities and particular structure assembled together under a single roof for the achievement of a particular goal or a set of identified objectives. As stated by Carter McNamara (2007), an organization is basically a group of people that are intentionally structured to achieve a complete and a common target of aims. These organizations can consist of either two to millions of people. This firm structure called as an organization possesses a great deal of factors that can affect it directly and indirectly as well. Similarly, an organization includes internal and external factors that can lay down several impacts and effects upon it. The internal factors possess the capability to inspire the organizational activities internally. Contrarily, the external factors can influence the organizational acts externally. The internal forces of an organization include the organizational mission, the structure and strategy of the organization, the organizational design, the organizational culture, the administration and the top team of the organization and many others. The organizational mission enables the basic standing of the organization. If the mission of a firm is strong and stable, the entire organizational team is focused towards achieving and accomplishing the goal. Contrarily, if the organizational goal is unidentified and unclear, the team shows no motivation and encouragement towards the goal accomplishment. The organizational structure and strategy are the essential forces that lay down the basis for the organizational development and progress (Burke, 1982). Through the strategy of an organization, all the team members can be bonded and united and can be motivated towards the attainment of the organizational goal. The

Standardization of Accounting Regulations Essay

Standardization of Accounting Regulations - Essay Example As a result of this, the effect of standardization of accounting must be regarded beyond capital market settings; therefore, these effects should also be examined on other areas, including flows of information, policies and people. Although the way standardization of accounting affects accounting information more especially on the internet is rather vague, these transfers are relatively unstructured and unregulated in current accounting practices. "However, technologies in accounting are legitimizing certain sets of information, and give attention to certain voices in the quest for global attention." (Graham & Neu, 2003) Such a body is the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it assist the international governments handle tackle the economic, social, and governance challenges of a global economy. They scrutinize government and help examine such performance indicators as laundering, transportation, and pension. Also, they help to review process performance measurements both to observe and to direct government performance. The funding of internet information is provided largely by the U.S Department of Defense in the 1970s and 1980s, for the purpose of developing advance communications networks linking the U.S. militaries and universities, this is shaped by standardized accounting in the development of informational technical infrastructure. "Some other agencies that have helped fund Internet communication, like (The National Science Foundation and the Advanced Research Projects Agency) have also relied on accounting technologies to balance technical and economic goals." (Graham & Neu, 2003) Flow of policy Standardization of accounting has also helped to regulate foreign policies; accounting practices are most times imposed on distant sites. By and through the terms of lending conditionality, the receiving counties are coerced, albeit co-operatively, to adopt and accept mainstream neo-liberal financial policies. This scenario is evident in most third world where they are made to abide by the conditions of the lending countries. And I such cases financial assistance is given by IMF. Accounting technologies make visible certain problems, offer certain solutions, and make these solutions operational. In most cases, practices from international sources are thus mixed with resident financial practices of the country in concern so that the problem could be solved. Ultimately, this flow of policies will produced economic survival. Flow of people The standardization of Accounting has helped to keep track of people as they move from area to area. Movement of people are monitored and analyzed as they cross borders, and accounting is deemed to be a major player in the immigration policies and practices of many countries. For instance, an accounting system which manages loans to immigrants is in operation Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) makes loans to immigrants in order to assist them in various ways, and such includes transportation, proving admissibility, and general assistance (Government of Canada, 2003, as cited in Graham & Neu, 2003). Thus, the movement of people into Canada are enabled and enhanced by accounting technologies. More also, these people are monito

Ford and the World Automobile Industry Essay Example for Free

Ford and the World Automobile Industry Essay Changes in the structure of the auto industry The 1965-1972 automobile industry was a low competitive environment, and as a consequence was a profitable industry. Indeed, during this period: ?Industry rivalry was rather low: ?The automotive market was fragmented into separate national markets and the primary concern of manufacturers was their domestic sales. As a consequence only a few competitor were disputing each market. ?The supply was meeting the demand in a correct manner: the production could provide the number of vehicles bought each year, without a major over-capacity. As a consequence, fixed costs were â€Å"under control†; no manufacturer was trying to gain market share in order to spread fixed costs over sales volume. ?Car models were much more differentiated that during the 2000’s. Several technologies were used in the various models available. As a consequence, models were considered as more unique by customer, hence a weaker tendency to switch between manufacturers. ?Suppliers power was almost inexistent, as manufacturer were much â€Å"vertical integrated†, to reduce costs and increase flexibility. Oil price was not a concern, with barrel under $15 during the whole period (expressed in 2006 US $). With no environmental concern, the substitution threat was very low. ?Low competition in national market and high capital costs were mainly responsible for the low threat of new entrant in each local market. Moreover markets were far from being global, notably due to the transportation problems, which were on the verge to be so lved : becoming global would have required at that time to completely reinvent the production process, as shipping components would have been excessively complex. Between 1972 and the beginning of the 2000’s, the world automobile market has faced a major upheaval, which primarily is due to one major phenomenon: â€Å"globalization†. The GATT and other international agreement have provided a framework for global trades, including the automobile industry. Moreover the slow growth rates of the industry provided incentives for manufacturer to look for new markets. This resulted in a major shift in the industry structure: ?The competition intensified during the period, The introduction of completely new manufacturers of market that used to be stable: the new production, management and transportation methods gave a boost to the competition atmosphere. ?Excess capacities were added during the 80’s and 90’s, when Japanese companies tried to enter foreign markets (and most notably the US), resulting in high fixed costs that had to be covered. This high fixed costs problem was reinforced by the rising new models development c osts. ?Car model standardization induces less differentiation, hence an easier customer switch between manufacturers. Moreover the fact markets have globally the same structure among different countries (luxury car/SUV/salient/low-cost cars) make it easy to compete around the world. ?Consumers have been requiring more â€Å"esthetic† personalization, requiring more flexibility in the manufacturing technology. That has reduced the benefits of economies of scale. ?New entrants have appeared and are still threatening to enter. Despite the major capital requirements to enter the automobile industry, several new competitors have emerged on each market segment during the last 40 years. On the one hand, developing countries have created national manufacturers, often protected by their own legislation before deciding to go global. On the other hand, existing multinational do have the cash required to enter new segment market, as the SUV example shows. ?The suppliers bargaining power has had a tendency to rise, and more and more manufactured decided to outsource the component manufacturing. This is reinforced by the fact that several component supplies have become as big as automotive manufacturers. Buyers have never been so well informed about models, performance, security concerns and innovation. As a consequence, major manufacturer have to constantly integrate new technologies into their cars, resulting in major costs. The automobile industry has undergone major changes in 40 years. The major increase in competition due to globalization, the industry structural changes and consumer evolution has made it much more difficult to generate profit. 2. Next 5 years struct ure changes? Observing the current automobile industry, one can try to predict some major trends that will characterize the future market. Competition will probably intensify above the current level, with several emerging countries on the verge of entering the world market (e. g. Tata Motors from India and Chery Automotive Company from China – see [3]). As a consequence, new major plants will probably being built by those new competitors, to provide the market with their own model, while existing leader will go on building their own on growing markets. So excess capacity will last. The price on war resulting will probably induce industry concentration, which will be divided into two different categories: on the one hand, one can predict mergers and acquisition, as it has existed until now, resulting in fewer competitors. On the other hand, closing of brands owned by international companies are likely to happen, because their profitability plummeted due in particular to lack of investment . From the customer point of view, several trends are to be noticed. First customer all over the world will become more and more concerned about environment. This problem along with the high oil price will force manufacturer to develop models consuming less gasoil, or using alternative energy sources. As a consequence, new model development prices are likely to get higher that now, requiring major investment. Second selling model to developing countries and lowering purchasing power in the western countries will provide incentive the develop new small and cheap models. 3. Future profits? As a consequence, it is likely that the industry will be less profitable during the next 5 years: intense price competition, heavy investment, major flexibility required by customers’ changing demand and personalization requirement will force manufacturer to lower their costs and profit as much as possible. 4. Successful companies As seen above, future leaders on the automobile industry will have to be: ?Able to face major investment costs, with available cash flow and not suffering from major high production costs, including for example the healthcare and retirement problem the 3 major US manufacturers are facing. Able to reduce prices as much as possible, by offshoring, reducing wages, automation and innovation in production management. ?Able to flexibly adapt their models to the demand. That requires production adaptation as well as deep understanding of the local markets, notably through a strong retail network. However, the evolution of transportation conditions and wages in developing countries (see [5]) will provide incentives for â€Å"near shoring†. Companies from BRIC countries will not as a consequence benefit from better costs conditions on their own countries, despite the developing costs will be under control. Moreover, developing an efficient retail network within 5 year is very strong challenge. To conclude, the companies that are likely to succeed on the world automobile industry during the next 5 years are production efficient and huge companies, which have already entered the major world markets and solved their major cost issues. 5. Ford solutions Where considering the three majors key points exposed above answering question 4, it can be deduced that Ford will have to face important issues to keep its position on the international automobile industry, especially with the new entrant threats. As a consequence, one major issue that Ford will have to address is the healthcare and retirements plans that lie in its balance sheet, and degrade its capacity to invest. Some great negotiation will unions will consequently have to occur. General Motors show a path during the year 2008 that could be used by Ford as well. As pressure on costs will still be prevalent, Ford will have to adapt its production tool. Some great effort on flexibility will have to be made, to be able to quickly react to the customer changing needs. May new factories need to be built, they should be placed near shore their target market. This strategy will allow cost reduction as well as adaptations to the local markets, which always show some important differences even if the market structure is often the same. To reduce costs, Ford will probably have to reduce its brands portfolio (for example to 3 or 4 brands in the US), to cover the whole industry market while lowering developing model costs and keeping fixed costs under control. Finally, one important point would be to get more important control over distribution channel, as it is a greater profitable industry that the manufacturer industry. Moreover, it appears from some analysis (see [8]) that the added value is mostly located into that area: customer can feel the differentiation there rather than on the pure manufactory area.

Philosophy’s Prejudice Towards Religion Essay -- Philosophy Philosophi

Philosophy’s Prejudice Towards Religion ABSTRACT: Religion acquired a bad press in philosophical modernity after a rivalry developed between philosophy and theology, originating in philosophy’s adopting the role of our culture’s superjudge in all of morality and knowledge, and in faith’s coming to be seen as belief, that is, as assent to propositional content. Religion, no longer trust in the face of mystery, became a belief system. Reason as judge of propositional belief set up religion’s decline. But spirituality is on the rise, and favors trust over reason. Philosophy could make space for the spiritual by acknowledging a difference between belief as propositional assent and religious faith as trust, a distinction lost with the mixing of Greek philosophy and Christian faith. Artistic or religious truth disappeared as authentic forms of knowing. But Michael Polanyi reintroduced knowledge as more than can be thought. Also postmodern and feminist thought urge us to abandon autonomous reason as so le limit to knowledge. We have space again for philosophy to look at openness to the spiritual. If spirituality confronts us with the mystery of the existential boundary conditions, religion may be a form of relating to the mystery that confronts us from beyond the bounds of reason. That mystery demands our attention if we are to be fully in touch with perennial issues of human meaning. At least philosophically speaking, religion has acquired a bad press in modernity. It may be explicitly rejected, simply not be talked about, or perhaps be discussed as an area of investigation. But religious adherents who explicitly involve their religion in doing philosophy are both rare and seldom respected. Much of this goes back to a history o... ...es. Grand Rapids, Mich., Eerdmans and Amsterdam, Rodopi, 1989. In the series Currents of Encounter. (3) See the earlier mentioned works by Neusner/Chilton and Cantwell Smith. (4) Hans Georg Gadamer and Thomas Kuhn also contributed to the decline of identifying knowledge with only true (propositional) belief, with assent to rational understanding. Barry Allen has recently taken up this theme in various articles. See for example "The Ambition of Transcendence," forthcoming in Religion without Transcendence? edited by D. Z. Phillips, London, McMillen, Claremont Studies in Religion; "Forbidden Knowledge," in The Monist, April 1996, 79,2, pp. 294-310; and "What was Epistemology?" in Rorty and his Critics, edited by Robert Brandon, London, Blackwell, 1997. (5) In the Ten Commandments sin spreads its effects for three generations, while love endures for thousands.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream- A Shakespearean Comedy Essay

Desperate lovers, mischievous fairies, bad actors, and a flower which causes love upon first sight-these are just some of the components that add to the comedic flavour of Shakespeare’s work _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_. The main elements of a classic Shakespearean comedy are clearly portrayed in this play. An identity mix-up of Lysander and Demetrius, continuous references to music and dance to signify happy events and finally a happy ending all help to prove that _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ is indeed a comedy. The plot of a Shakespearean comedy often includes a mix up of identity. In _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ Puck mistakes Lysander for Demetrius and rubs the love potion on his eyes. As a result, Lysander stops loving Hermia and instead falls in love with Helena. When Puck and Oberon find Lysander wooing Helena, Puck realizes his mistake and admits to Oberon, â€Å"This is the woman, but not the man.† (3.2.42). Puck’s mistake helps to develop the plot as well as bring out several comedic situations throughout the play, such as the quarrel between Hermia and Helena. This mistaken identity helps to make this Shakespearean work a comedy. Although Shakespearean plays often have tragic endings, his comedies end on optimistic notes, which are often signified through several marriages. _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ ends with the grand marriages of Duke Theseus and the lovers Hermia and Lysander as well as Helena and Demetrius. Upon finding the lovers in the forest, Theseus decides to ignore Egeus’s will, â€Å"Egeus I will overbear your will† (4.1.177). and chooses to marry the lovers. He declares, â€Å"For in the temple, by and by, with us / These couples shall eternally be knit† (4.1.178-180). The lovers are elated and everyone at the court watches the mechanicals’ hilarious performance of â€Å"Pyramus and Thisbe† as a way to happily wait for their nuptial hour. This happy ending helps to keep the comedic air alive in the play. Throughout the play, several references are made to reveling through dance and song as a way to signify and bless happy events. This is shown when Titania asks Oberon to join her in blessing the marriage of Theseus and  Hippolyta. She asks, â€Å"If you will patiently dance in our round, / And see our moonlight revels, go with us.† (2.1.140-141). Through this quote, Titania refers to dance as a way to bring happiness to the marriage of the Royals. The dance and song throughout the play lighten the mood of the play, helping it become a comedy. The mistaken identities of Lysander and Demetrius, the reveling through dance and song, and the happy ending, which is symbolized through several marriages help prove that _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ is indeed a comedy. The inclusions of these basic elements make a comical and entertaining play for all audiences to enjoy. WORKS CITED Gill Roma, ed. _A Midsummer Night’s Dream._ Great Clarendon Street, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2005. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: ESSAY PREPARED BY: RISHITA APSANI PREPARED FOR: MR.LANDRY DATE: 12/13/2007 Rishita Apsani English

A Glance Into The Mind Of Alzheimer s Disease - 1766 Words

A Glance into the Mind of Alzheimer’s Connor Doss English III Trull October 20, 2014 What would you do if you or a family member was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease? More than 5 million senior citizens in America are living with Alzheimer’s. In 2002, my grandfather was diagnosed with this condition. It has changed his life and my family’s lives ever since. Taking care of him is a bit challenging when you don’t understand the disease. Alzheimer’s is a progressive illness that is a type of dementia. Dementia is the decline in mental ability that is serious enough to affect daily life habits. Alzheimer’s causes memory loss, and problems with thinking, and with behavior (Alzheimer’s, p.1). Many people think that Alzheimer’s is a normal part of aging, but it is not. The majority of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are at the age of 65 and older. However, five percent of people have early onset Alzheimer’s. People with early onset are in their 40s and 50s. Early onsets is a sign of Alzheimerâ€⠄¢s at a younger age. People that have early onset have trouble with memory similar to patients with Alzheimer’s (Younger, p.1). This disease is progressive, which means it worsens over time. It is split up into seven stages. The first stage is normal. The individual acts like a normal person. There are no signs and symptoms that prove that the patient is going to develop the disease. He can function properly, has no trouble with memory, and also has noShow MoreRelatedSymptoms And Treatment Of Alzheimer s Disease2254 Words   |  10 Pagescommon is that they’re aware of who they are and what they want to accomplish, well for the most part that is. There are many people living in this world with a disease called Alzheimer’s, which is a very deadly and mysterious disease. Alzheimer’s is a type of Dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. This disease is a progressive cognitive disorder that deteriorates brain cells eventually to the point of destroying them. This kind of deterioration leads to memory loss asRead MoreAmerica Needs Mental Health Care2384 Words   |  10 Pages120 million people suffer from depression, 50 million from epilepsy, 37 million from althezimers disease and 24 million from schizophrenia. About 1 million people worldwide commit suicide every year, and approximately 20 million unsuccessfully attempt suicide. In the United States, suicide is the eighth leading cause of death—another life is taken this way every 17 minutes. With these figures in mind it brings up the question Do we as a society handle mental health properly? From a global scale toRead MoreAmerica Needs Mental Health Care2384 Words   |  10 Pagesmillion people worldwide commit suicide every year, and approximately 20 million unsuccessfully attempt suicide. In the United States, suicide is the eighth leading cause of death—another life is taken this way every 17 minutes. With these figures in mind it brings up the question Do we as a society handle mental health properly? From a global scale to how we all individually handle the mental health of others. Lots of people claim that mental health is being treated properly stating preposterous thingsRead MoreStatement of Purpose23848 Words   |  96 Pagesaddressed in other parts of your application, any extenuating circumstances or special conditions, such as taking a full load of classes and working twenty-five hours a week. If you do make reference to an inconsistency or blemish, keep these ideas in mind: a) address it head on; b) take responsibility for your actions; c) make it a positive; d) integrate it into your discussion; e) indicate or suggest that it won‘t happen again. You might also reference teaching or tutoring experiences, which might