Term Paper on "Integration of Quantitative Methods in U.S. Society"

Term Paper 10 pages (2654 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Integration of Quantitative Methods in U.S. Society

The American society of today is more developed than it has ever been; but it is even more pressuring than it has ever been. It for instance presents individuals and groups with numerous opportunities for growth and development, but it also presents them with countless challenges. An economic agent for instance is now able to transcend boundaries and benefit from the comparative advantage of other regions, but on the other hand, it will also face incremental competition within the domestic market. At the level of the individual, he/she is presented for instance with the opportunity of enhancing their educational attainment and improving their job prospects, but they will then have to fight the fierce competition for the positions; will have to prove their worth and continually develop in order to maintain the position.

In order to make sense of this amalgam of opportunities and challenges, individuals and groups have to constantly review the issues with which they are presented and decide what best suits them. The decision making process of today then is highly complex and involves a wide array of components. Two of the most relevant components of decision making are represented by qualitative and quantitative methods. At a general level, qualitative methods are non-numeric and based on observations, whereas quantitative methods are based of facts and figures. This latter category of decision making tools represents the focus of the current project and emphasis falls on the identification of examples as to how quantitative methods are used within the modern day American society. Before launching such an investigation however, it is necessary to provide a deeper understanding of quantitative methods and reveal the forms in which they are applied.

2. Understanding quantitative methods

The quantitative methods refer to a multitude of numeric-based processes and techniques which process factual information and create measurable results and outcomes. In a more professional -- yet highly simplistic -- formulation, the quantitative techniques are defined as "the range of mathematical and statistical techniques used to analyze data" (Answers, 2011).

Quantitative techniques reduce the influence of the researcher by striving to eliminate human bias and focusing alone on facts and figures. Unlike qualitative analysis -- where the results only describe the features of the assessed sample -- the results retrieved with the aid of quantitative analyses can be extrapolated to explain the behavior of the entire community.

The selection of the qualitative vs. quantitative methods depends on the preference of each individual researcher, but also on the features of the researched phenomenon. A phenomenon which is for instance described in words and observations would be dealt with through the qualitative approach, whereas a phenomenon which has a numeric manifestation would be dealt with through the quantitative approach. Overall, the quantitative research methods are characterized by four specific features, which differentiate them from qualitative methods:

They use figures, rather that words

They are objective, rather than subjective

They use deductive approaches rather than inductive ones

They generate results that can be generalized, rather than results only valid of the restricted sample (Fortune City, 1999).

3. Types of quantitative methods

The use of quantitative methods has significantly increased throughout the years and this is due to the flexibility of the techniques. However this might seem a paradox since quantitative tools are rigid and figure based, they have in fact evolved throughout the years and have become more specific. This virtually means that the modern day researcher, student, organization and so on is now able to implement the precise type of quantitative technique which best suits the endeavor for which they had set forward.

Fortune City (1999) identified three major categories of quantitative research, namely:

Descriptive quantitative techniques

Quasi-experimental quantitative research techniques, and Experimental quantitative research techniques.

Each of these categories of techniques is characterized by its own features. Descriptive quantitative techniques for instance are developed and implemented without any data manipulation and do not strive to establish causality. They are used for reasons such as identifying what another party is doing in a similar situation, to identify a problem, to identify the specifics of an issue and so on.

Experimental quantitative research occurs when a particular phenomenon is observed through an experiment or a randomized control trial (RCT). The scope of this quantitative approach is that of assessing the behavior of the phenomenon and the relationship between its variables -- emphasis is placed on causality. The three common forms of experimental research are manipulation, control and randomization.

Through manipulation, the researcher influences at least some participants in the sample; in the case of control, the experimental situation is controlled with at least one control technique; finally, with randomization tool, the researcher divides the participants in the experiment in various groups, in a random manner.

The quasi-experimental tool of quantitative research has been developed as an alternative solution to experimental research and is applied when true experiments cannot be created for a sample (Fortune City, 1999). Within the United States society, all categories of quantitative research are implemented, with numerous variations and in countless applications.

4. Evidence of quantitative methods in U.S. society

Despite the fact that this is not often realized, quantitative methods are present in countless contexts of the personal and professional lives. The current section is focused on revealing some of the more relevant examples of the usage of quantitative methods in every day life and within the American society.

a) Elections

A first relevant example of how quantitative methods are used within the modern day American society is represented by elections. In the United States, elections have not only a political importance, but also a cultural one, since freedom and democracy are the core values at the basis of the American nation. Elections as such represent the process by which Americans select their leaders, who represent their hopes and dreams of a better life. And not only that they have the responsibility of serving the American people, the American presidents are the most powerful people on Earth.

In this context and importance of the elections, quantitative methods are an omnipresent tool to the management of the elections. Some specific examples as to how quantitative methods are used in the election process refer to the following:

Before the elections, statistics are completed to estimate the popularity of the candidates. Even before people come to vote, the primary competitors are identified and assessments are made on who would win the competition and even with how many votes.

During the actual day of the election, the quantitative methods are used to express the numbers and percentages of the people voting, the demographic description of the votes (e.g. The states with the higher levels of presentation to the voting vs. The states with the lowest levels of voting participation), the percentages of votes obtained by each candidate as well as other issues relevant in the election process.

When the election process is complete, the use of the quantitative methods allows for the creation of the lists which reveal who had won the elections, the percentage of votes received, but also the places onto which the other candidates have placed.

After election statistics are also used to reveal the characteristics of the people who voted in a specific manner. In the 2008 presidential elections for instance, the quantitative tools revealed the following:

64.1 per cent of the Americans votes, the highest participation rate since 1908

49 per cent of the American men voted for Barack Obama and 48 per cent voted for John McCain; 56 per cent of the American women voted for Obama and 43 per cent of them voted for McCain

66 per cent of the votes under the age of 30 voted for Obama

95 per cent of the African-Americans, 66 per cent of the Latinos and 61 per cent of the Asian-Americans voted for Obama. Subsequently, however Obama had the support of numerous whites, it was the support of the minorities that made the difference (The Society Pages, 2008).

Overall, the post-election findings allow for the politicians to better understand their supporters. These results would help politicians improve their future campaigns by identifying the population samples which were unaddressed and which did not vote for them.

b) Medical trials and drug tests

The contemporaneous American society is filled with paradoxes, one of them being revealed at a medical level. While living in the day and age of revolutionary medical evolution, the population in the United States is sicker than it has ever been. The higher rates of illness are generally linked to an unhealthy lifestyle, through lack of physical exercise and inadequate nutrition. With the aid of technology however, the medical field is advancing and striving to create solutions to the medical problems of the century. Most of these efforts are however in a trail version and they have to be tested on patients in order to reveal their effectiveness and their results. In such a context then, quantitative methods play an increased role within the… READ MORE

How to Reference "Integration of Quantitative Methods in U.S. Society" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Evidence of the Integration of Quantitative Methods in US Society Term Paper

Society

Quantitative methods of research and information dissemination have been historically associated with science, industry and medicine. Other schools of thought have also adopted quantitative methodologies, to bolster the "scientific"… read more

Term Paper 8 pages (2663 words) Sources: 6 Style: APA Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

Different Preferences in Learning Between American and French Learners in a Multinational Corporate Setting Dissertation

Preferences in Learning between American and French Learners in a Multinational Corporate Setting

The way training is delivered in a corporate environment has a tremendous effect on results. This study… read more

Dissertation 65 pages (23082 words) Sources: 65 Style: APA Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

Gillette Company's Global Strategy Term Paper

GILLETTE COMPANY'S GLOBAL STRATEGY

Today, the Gillette Co. (the "company" or "Gillette") is an $8 billion manufacturer of male and female grooming products, alkaline batteries and manual and power toothbrushes,… read more

Term Paper 31 pages (8412 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Business / Corporations / E-commerce

---

Evaluating the Chosen Companies Dissertation

Competition Between McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's: The Finances of Fast Food

The following research proposal demonstrates the need for achieving greater consistency, accuracy, and reliability in the financial assessment… read more

Dissertation 36 pages (9987 words) Sources: 30 Topic: Economics / Finance / Banking

---

J.E. Rischard, the World-Bank's Vice President Capstone Project

J.E. Rischard, the World-Bank's vice president for Europe, the next twenty years will be the most important for the world's survival. Two major issues concern everyone -- the precipitous population… read more

Capstone Project 10 pages (2838 words) Sources: 6 Style: MLA Topic: Business / Corporations / E-commerce

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>