Theoretical Position. Standards for Evaluating Theories Essay

Theoretical Position. Standards for Evaluating Theories - Essay Example On the other hand, epistemology deals with the scope and nature of knowledge. Standards for Evaluating Theories There are five standards for evaluating theories and they include scope, testability, parsimony, utility and heurism. In the assessment of the scope of a theory, one has to determine how much and how good a theory defines and explains. Testability is the second standard for evaluating theories; in this aspect the theory is investigated to know whether it is correct or not, or [if it is incredible such that it does not require to be tested] (Can this be reworded without the word "incredible" and "does not require" to be tested? Our text does not cover the concept of a theory being so incredible it doesn't require testing). A third standard for evaluating theories is parsimony; parsimony can be referred to as simplicity. In this context, the theory does not have to be complex. The fourth standard is utility; many people tend to think that theory as being academic and esoteric (when it can have a functional use). The last standard in evaluating theories is heurism. What is the heuristic value of the theory? In this context, one asks himself if the theory leads to new thinking or its contribution to the knowledge of something and if it offers us with the possibility of further investigation (Wood, 2004). Some of the standards or criteria are more important than others; this is because I think they are more subjective than the others. I believe scope, parsimony, and utility to be more important than the others. In the context of scope, some of the theories claim to define and offer an explanation to almost all features of mass communication (including the medium, the recipient of the media messages, the content and the communicator). There are theories that provide an explanation and a description of only one feature of mass communication. For instance, â€Å"feminist theories which although can cover the whole domain of mass communication, often only foc us on media content and the portrayal of women in media content† (Fourie, 2001, p. 46). When considering how well a theory defines something, one has to distinguish whether the theory offers a full or partial description of all the important aspects of the phenomenon. For instance, a theory can focus on all or partial aspects of mass communications process (medium, messages, communicator and recipient) (Fourie, 2001, p. 43). In regard to parsimony, it is thought that majority of the best theories are simple and they permit sound description and explanation. For example, the Roman Jakobson’s theory of communication functions has been used in many ways by a number of researchers to investigate the components of mass communication (Jakobson, Pomorska & Rudy, 1985, p170). In the context of utility, theories are supposed to possess practical importance in terms of the individual understanding of the phenomenon with the aim of managing the phenomenon and enhancing the phenome non. A theory assisting us in understanding how mass communication operates â€Å"can lead to our control of this phenomenon to the benefit of people and society† (Fourie, 2001, p57). Ontology Ontology can be defined as the division of philosophy that deals with the organization and the nature of being (Maedche, 2002, p56). In other words, it is a branch of philosophy that explains the characteristic and organization of the being. My ontological position is that the characteristics and organization

Microeconomics Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Microeconomics Questions - Essay Example Therefore, a product with high total revenue is less elastic than the products with less or low total revenue. Bottled water is elastic since there exists alternative or substitute to bottled water like un-bottled water which might be cheaper. Toothpaste is also very elastic since there exists very many brands of toothpaste and some people may go without using toothpaste so they consider it not so necessary. The cookie dough ice cream has inelastic demand for changes in price leads to a small change in quantity demanded. This is because the product is not a necessity. Fresh green beans have an elastic demand for it is a perishable good, a small change in price will lead to a larger change in quantity demanded. Also, given a short time period allowed for the customers to adjust to the prices, the elasticity of the fresh green beans less elastic. For gasoline, being that there exist several substitutes for the product, there is a greater elasticity of the product. That is, a small chan ge in the price can lead to a larger change in the quantity demanded. Externalities: a positive externality is the effect of a project on the people not involved in the project but in a way that is productive or in a beneficial way to those people. For example, a project to tarmac a road leading to a sugar cane plantation benefits even those who are not concerned directly with the plantation when they enjoy the goodness that comes with a tarmac road even to access market with their own goods. On the other hand, a negative externality is the negative effect of a project or a cost to those who are not directly involved in the project. For instance, a paper milling factory emits poisonous gasses and heavy compounds to the environment posing the society around to health risks. The government therefore needs to encourage and promote positive externalities by providing subsidies and reducing taxes for the materials that are used in such projects. For negative externalities, the government needs to price higher the license for starting up such projects, can impose heavy taxes, tough regulations and charges or even issue a barn order to initiating such kind of projects. For instance, for the above examples, the government needs to subsidize the road construction or remove taxes on the materials used to build the road and in the case of the paper milling company; the government should impose tough regulations such as the factory should put up a hospital to treat the affected people freely and also to carry out frequent checks on the people to find out any developing diseases from them. Others can be to force the factory to reduce their waste into less harmful gases by installing pollution control devices which might be very expensive to install or impose heavy taxes on the factory if it is necessary to exist. Short and long run: being that the customers are so many in the restaurant on a daily routine and they eat without tables brings some sense that the issue on the table is not a very urgent need that should be dealt with as a short run problem. Therefore, the restaurant can just continue making profits with the already available fixed inputs and equipment and plan to provide tables much later after the business has made enough profits. In the short run therefore, the restaurant can major on how to increase labor that is used to prepare