This book highlights major quantitative and qualitative methods and approaches used in the field of urban analysis. The respective chapters cover the background and relevance of various approaches to urban studies and offer guidance on implementing specific methodologies. Each chapter also provides links to real-world examples. The book is unique in its focus on Australian examples and subject matter, presented by recognized experts in the field.

In many international settings, developing economies are in danger of declining as the digital divide becomes the knowledge divide. This decline attacks the very fabric of cohesion and purpose for these regional societies delivering increased social, health, economic and sustainability problems. The examples in this book will provide leaders, policy developers, researchers, students and community with successful strategies and principles of ICT use in education to address these needs. This book will discuss how educational technology can be used to transform education and assist developing communities to close the knowledge divide. It will provide comprehensive coverage of educational technology in development in different professions and parts of world. The book will provide examples of best practice, case studies and principles for educators, community leaders, researchers and policy advisers on the use of educational technology for development. In particular, it will provide examples of how education can be provided more flexibly in order to provide access to hitherto disadvantaged communities and individuals.

Are you planning a desk-based qualitative research project, but aren't sure how to get started? This essential book provides all the guidance and advice you'll need to complete your project. Using two key visual pedagogical tools, the Metaphorical Tent and the Research Triangle, the book shows you how to produce vibrant and stimulating in-depth qualitative research that draws on high-quality data readily available via the internet. The book * takes you through the research process step-by-step, from choosing a topic to writing up conclusions; * examines a wide range of written, visual and audio data sources; * includes helpful case studies to demonstrate the practical application of concepts. Concise, practical and jam-packed with valuable tips, features and examples, this book will enable you to complete a successful desk-based research project you can be proud of.

The Handbook series provides a compendium of thorough and integrative literature reviews on a diverse array of topics of interest to the higher education scholarly and policy communities. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of research findings on a selected topic, critiques the research literature in terms of its conceptual and methodological rigor, and sets forth an agenda for future research intended to advance knowledge on the chosen topic.

Edwin Hartman offers an account of his intellectual journey from Aristotle to organization theory to business ethics to an Aristotelian approach to business ethics. Aristotle's work in metaphysics and psychology offers some insights into the explanation of behavior. Central to this sort of explanation is characteristically human rationality. Central to successful organizations is characteristically human sociability. That human beings are by nature rational and sociable is the basis of Aristotle's ethics. Though a modern organization is not a polis in Aristotle's sense, it has good reason to treat people as rational and sociable on the whole, and thereby to preserve the organization as a commons of people linked by something much like Aristotle's account of strong friendship. Organizations that are successful in this respect, particularly those that deal with a nationally diverse workforce, may offer a far-reaching and attractive model.

This book examines some of the major and most commonly used methods and statistics necessary for social science research. It is meant primarily for the beginners, and hence does not require any prior training in research methodology or statistics. The methods discussed include aggregate data analysis, the method of survey research, experimental and quasi-experimental research designs, participant observation, content analysis, and focus groups study. In a separate chapter the issue of quantitative and qualitative research methods and their uses has been discussed. An attempt has been made to assess these methods especially from the point of view of their adoption and application by social scientists working in the developing economies. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Bhutan)

What is educational research? What are its current approaches, methods and methodologies? How should existing literature be reviewed and evaluated critically? What are the key philosophical debates in and on educational research? How should research in education be conducted and how should it be presented? And what is the value of such research?With this extensively revised edition of a much-admired and engaging guide, Jerry Wellington provides clear and constructive answers to these questions, complete with detailed advice on methods such as interviewing, surveys, documentary research and the use of focus groups. Thoroughly overhauled and updated, this edition includes new case studies, helpful 'key theories' and 'key theorist' boxes, and a range of activities or 'points to ponder' to foster engagement with current issues. Retaining the clarity and concision of the previous edition, and its approachable and practical style, Jerry Wellington provides an invaluable text for all those engaged in educational research.

A non-calculus based introduction for students studying statistics, business, engineering, health sciences, social sciences, and education. It presents a thorough coverage of statistical techniques and includes numerous examples largely drawn from actual research studies. Little mathematical background is required and explanations of important concepts are based on providing intuition using illustrative figures and numerical examples. The first part shows how statistical methods are used in diverse fields in answering important questions, while part two covers descriptive statistics and considers the organisation and summarisation of data. Parts three to five cover probability, statistical inference, and more advanced statistical techniques.

This study explores the flow of information within and among academic disciplines in the social sciences and humanities through analyses of the patterns of scholarly book reviewing. An elite sample of scholarly monographs published by university presses between 1971 and 1990 was used.

Beginning with Derek de Solla Price, the measurement of communication within the disciplines of science has been ongoing. In the present book that field of inquiry is summarized and provides a basis for examining the flow of information in the social sciences and humanities.

This book presents a series of analyses of educational policies - largely in the UK, but some also in Europe - researched by a team of social scientists who share a commitment to social justice and equity in education. We explore what social justice means, in educational policy and practice, and how it impacts on our understanding of both 'educational science' and 'the public good'. Using a social constructivist approach, the book argues that social justice requires a particular and critical analysis of the meaning of meritocracy, and of the way this term turns educational policies towards treating learning as a competition, in which many young people are constructed as 'losers'. We discuss how many terms in education are essentialised and have specific, and different, meanings for particular social groups, and how this may create issues in both quantitative survey methods and in determining what is 'the public good'. We discuss social justice across a range of intersecting social characteristics, including social class, ethnicity and gender, as they are applied across the educational policy spectrum, from early years to postgraduate education. We examine the ways that young people construct their identities, and the implications of this for understanding the 'public good' in educational practice. We consider the responsibilities of educational researchers to acknowledge these issues, and offer examples of researching with such a commitment. We conclude by considering how educational policy might contribute to a socially just, equitable and inclusive public good.

This thoroughly revised, extended and updated second edition of Silvia Gherardi's classic book gives the reader a must-read orientation through the myriad of methods and styles involved in practice-based research. Practice-based approaches to knowing, learning, innovating, and managing have thrived in recent years. Calling upon numerous narratives from a range of research fields, the author offers insight into the many possibilities of practice research, highlighting the inextricable links between humans and technology as the key emergent trend in management studies. Developing an innovative posthumanist approach, this novel book offers a useful and insightful compass for the navigation of practice-based studies through the lens of exemplar vignettes from internationally acclaimed researchers. A valuable and instructive work, this book is critical to any scholars of practice theories, as well as management and organizational studies and those with a keen interest in research methods. Masters students seeking insight into the development of practice-based studies, and PhD researchers developing their own methodologies will also find the guidance of this book indispensable in their studies.

Advances in Autoethnography and Narrative Inquiry pays homage to two prominent scholars, Arthur Bochner and Carolyn Ellis, for their formative and formidable contributions to autoethnography, personal narrative, and alternative forms of scholarship. Their autoethnographic-and life-project gives us tools for understanding shared humanity and precious diversity; for striving to become ever-more empathic, loving, and ethical; and for living our best creative, relational, and public lives. The collection is organized into two sections: "Foundations" and "Futures." Contributors to "Foundations" explore Carolyn and Art's scholarship and legacy and/or their singular presence in the author's life. Contributors to "Futures" offer novel and innovative applications of autoethnographic and narrative inquiry. Throughout, contributors demonstrate how Bochner's and Ellis' work has created and shifted the terrain of autoethnographic and narrative research. This collection will be of interest to researchers familiar with Bochner's and Ellis' research. It also serves as a resource for graduate students, scholars, and professionals who have an interest in autoethnographic and narrative research. This collection can be used in upper-division undergraduate courses and graduate courses solely about autoethnography and narrative, and as a secondary text for courses about ethnography and qualitative research.

A striking expose of the insidious business practices that have generated enormous profits for the companies operating within the UK's gambling industry. 'A methodical, sensitive and occasionally harrowing polemic about the gambling industry . . . The book has echoes of Patrick Radden Keefe's award-winning Empire of Pain.' SUNDAY TIMES 'A serious attempt to grapple with the extent of Britain's problem.' THE SPECTATOR 'Persuasive.' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Fascinating.' IRISH TIMES 'Eye-opening.' TELEGRAPH *** 716: the number of gambling logos displayed in a single Premier League football match GBP421 MILLION: the salary of Bet365's CEO in 2020. GBP14 BILLION: the annual losses incurred by British gamblers. Over half of the population gambles in the UK every year. How did we get here? What keeps us hooked when the odds are so heavily stacked against us? And who are the real winners and losers? Jackpot dives deep into gambling's seedy underbelly to answer these questions, and many more. From the first National Lottery draw in 1569 to the Wild West of today's online casinos, Guardian reporter Rob Davies follows the money to show who profits - and at what cost.

This book provides an overview of the developments in the area of Bayesian evaluation of informative hypotheses that took place since the publication of the ?rst paper on this topic in 2001 [Hoijtink, H. Con?rmatory latent class analysis, model selection using Bayes factors and (pseudo) likelihood ratio statistics. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 36, 563-588]. The current state of a?airs was presented and discussed by the authors of this book during a workshop in Utrecht in June 2007. Here we would like to thank all authors for their participation, ideas, and contributions. We would also like to thank Sophie van der Zee for her editorial e?orts during the construction of this book. Another word of thanks is due to John Kimmel of Springer for his con?dence in the editors and authors. Finally, we would like to thank the Netherlands Organization for Scienti?c Research (NWO) whose VICI grant (453-05-002) awarded to the ?rst author enabled the organization of the workshop, the writing of this book, and continuation of the research with respect to Bayesian evaluation of informative hypotheses.

This textbook considers statistical learning applications when interest centers on the conditional distribution of a response variable, given a set of predictors, and in the absence of a credible model that can be specified before the data analysis begins. Consistent with modern data analytics, it emphasizes that a proper statistical learning data analysis depends in an integrated fashion on sound data collection, intelligent data management, appropriate statistical procedures, and an accessible interpretation of results. The unifying theme is that supervised learning properly can be seen as a form of regression analysis. Key concepts and procedures are illustrated with a large number of real applications and their associated code in R, with an eye toward practical implications. The growing integration of computer science and statistics is well represented including the occasional, but salient, tensions that result. Throughout, there are links to the big picture. The third edition considers significant advances in recent years, among which are: the development of overarching, conceptual frameworks for statistical learning; the impact of "big data" on statistical learning; the nature and consequences of post-model selection statistical inference; deep learning in various forms; the special challenges to statistical inference posed by statistical learning; the fundamental connections between data collection and data analysis; interdisciplinary ethical and political issues surrounding the application of algorithmic methods in a wide variety of fields, each linked to concerns about transparency, fairness, and accuracy. This edition features new sections on accuracy, transparency, and fairness, as well as a new chapter on deep learning. Precursors to deep learning get an expanded treatment. The connections between fitting and forecasting are considered in greater depth. Discussion of the estimation targets for algorithmic methods is revised and expanded throughout to reflect the latest research. Resampling procedures are emphasized. The material is written for upper undergraduate and graduate students in the social, psychological and life sciences and for researchers who want to apply statistical learning procedures to scientific and policy problems.

The competitiveness of firms, regions and countries greatly depends on the generation, dissemination and application of new knowledge. Modern innovation research is challenged by the need to incorporate knowledge generation and dissemination processes into the analysis so as to disentangle the complexity of these dynamic processes. With innovation, however, strong uncertainty, nonlinearities and actor heterogeneity become central factors that are at odds with traditional modeling techniques anchored in equilibrium and homogeneity. This text introduces SKIN (Simulation Knowledge Dynamics in Innovation Networks), an agent-based simulation model that primarily focuses on joint knowledge creation and exchange of knowledge in innovation co-operations and networks. In this context, knowledge is explicitly modeled and not approximated by, for instance, the level of accumulated R&D investment. The SKIN approach supports applications in different domains ranging from sector-based research activities in knowledge-intensive industries to the activities of international research consortia engaged in basic and applied research. Following a general description of the SKIN model, several applications and modifications are presented. Each chapter introduces in detail the structure of the model, the relevant methodological considerations and the analysis of simulation results, while options for empirically validating the models' structure and outcomes are also discussed. The book considers the scope of further applications and outlines prospects for the development of joint modeling strategies.

This book focuses on how important massive information is and how sensitive outcomes are to information. In this century humans now are coming up against the massive utilization of information in various contexts. The advent of super intelligence is drastically accelerating the evolution of the socio-economic system. Our traditional analytic approach must therefore be radically reformed in order to adapt to an information-sensitive framework, which means giving up myopic purification and the elimination of all considerations of massive information. In this book, authors who have shared and exchanged their ideas over the last 20 years, offer thorough examinations of the theoretical-ontological basis of complex economic interaction, econophysics, and agent-based modeling during the last several decades. This book thus provides the indispensable philosophical-scientific foundations for this new approach, and then moves on to empirical-epistemological studies concerning changes in sentiments and other movements in financial markets.

"Social Simulation for a Digital Society" provides a cross-section of state-of-the-art research in social simulation and computational social science. With the availability of big data and faster computing power, the social sciences are undergoing a tremendous transformation. Research in computational social sciences has received considerable attention in the last few years, with advances in a wide range of methodologies and applications. Areas of application of computational methods range from the study of opinion and information dynamics in social networks, the formal modeling of resource use, the study of social conflict and cooperation to the development of cognitive models for social simulation and many more. This volume is based on the Social Simulation Conference of 2017 in Dublin and includes applications from across the social sciences, providing the reader with a demonstration of the highly versatile research in social simulation, with a particular focus on public policy relevance in a digital society. Chapters in the book include contributions to the methodology of simulation-based research, theoretical and philosophical considerations, as well as applied work. This book will appeal to students and researchers in the field.

This book seeks to introduce students to the challenges of 'real life' social research through a detailed consideration of eight recent empirical studies. Designed to complement existing introductory methods texts, it emphasises the importance of context in understanding and interpreting both the practice and 'product' of empirical research. The book focuses on research from eight key sub-areas of sociology, making it a useful secondary text for introductory courses on contemporary British society.

Investigates theoretically and empirically what it means to design technological artefacts while embracing the large number of practices which practitioners engage with when handling technologies. The authors discusses the fields of design and sociomateriality through their shared interests towards the basic nature of work, collaboration, organization, technology, and human agency, striving to make the debates and concepts originating in each field accessible to each other, and thus moving sociomateriality closer to the practical concerns of design and providing a useful analytical toolbox to information system designers and field researchers alike. Sociomaterial-Design: Bounding Technologies in Practice takes on the challenge of redefining design practices through insights from the emerging debate on sociomateriality. It does so by bringing forward a comparative examination of two longitudinal ethnographic studies of the practices within two emergency departments - one in Canada and one in the United States of America. A particular focus is placed upon the use of current collaborative artefacts within the emergency departments and the transformation into digital artefacts through design.

This open access book gives insights into feminist methodologies in theory and practice. By foregrounding the experiential and embodied nature of doing feminist research, this book offers valuable tools for feminist research as a continuous praxis. Emerging from a rich collective learning process, the collection offers in-depth reflections on how feminists shape research questions, understand positionality, share research results beyond academe and produce feminist intersectional knowledges. This book reveals how the authors navigate theory and practice, candidly exploring the difficulty of producing knowledge on the edge of academia and activism. From different points of view, places and disciplinary positions, artistic and creative experiments and collaborations, the book provides a multi-layered analysis. This book will be a valuable resource and asset to early career researchers and interdisciplinary feminist students who can learn more about the doing of feminist research from realistic, accessible, and practical methodological tools and knowledge.

During the last two decades, structural equation modeling (SEM) has emerged as a powerful multivariate data analysis tool in social science research settings, especially in the fields of sociology, psychology, and education. Although its roots can be traced back to the first half of this century, when Spearman (1904) developed factor analysis and Wright (1934) introduced path analysis, it was not until the 1970s that the works by Karl Joreskog and his associates (e. g., Joreskog, 1977; Joreskog and Van Thillo, 1973) began to make general SEM techniques accessible to the social and behavioral science research communities. Today, with the development and increasing avail ability of SEM computer programs, SEM has become a well-established and respected data analysis method, incorporating many of the traditional analysis techniques as special cases. State-of-the-art SEM software packages such as LISREL (Joreskog and Sorbom, 1993a, b) and EQS (Bentler, 1993; Bentler and Wu, 1993) handle a variety of ordinary least squares regression designs as well as complex structural equation models involving variables with arbitrary distributions. Unfortunately, many students and researchers hesitate to use SEM methods, perhaps due to the somewhat complex underlying statistical repre sentation and theory. In my opinion, social science students and researchers can benefit greatly from acquiring knowledge and skills in SEM since the methods-applied appropriately-can provide a bridge between the theo retical and empirical aspects of behavioral research."