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Preparing Study Resources: Research on the suitability of a manual as a study aid for IT Tallaght Accounting Students.
No full textThis dissertation studies the suitability of an accounting manual as a study aid for IT Tallaght accounting and finance students. Research of the literature was carried out to assess the pedagogical approaches to be used in preparing this resource. Sample chapters were written based on that literature review and the chapters were then used as a resource in class with feedback on their appropriateness being obtained from students. Students were surveyed to answer the research questions as to the suitability of such a manual as a study resource for independent learning and the appropriateness of the approaches used therein for the learning needs of students. Student feedback overwhelmingly favoured the compilation of such a resource and the approach used in the sample chapters was positively received with students finding that the inclusion of many worked examples gave them the “scaffolding” they needed to move from novice learners to more expert learners in the topics covered. Further positive feedback was also received together with some suggestions from students for additional material to be included therein. The availability of this resource for IT Tallaght students will provide them with a resource useful in encouraging their learning both now and in the “real world” when they put that learning into practice
An Analysis of Suicide Reporting in Three in Print Daily National Newspapers – Irish Independent, Irish Examiner and the Herald, over two twelve month periods, 1999 and 2016
No full textSuicide reporting can be dilemmatic, whereby the Irish in print newspapers have to make on the spot decisions as to whether they should publish a suicide news story that is in the public’s interest, even it might cause further upset to the families involved. Thereby, suicide reporting can become a dilemmatic issue for the newspaper involved, who has to strike a balance between producing good quality suicide reports which comply with media guidelines or breaching the guidelines and produce poor quality suicide reporting, just to satisfy the public’s curiosity. Therefore, this research aims to analyse suicide reporting in three Irish in print daily national newspapers, over two twelve month periods, 1999 and 2016, so as to analyse the quality, quantity of suicide reporting and to give a retrospective look at how suicide reporting has changed, over two twelve month periods, 1999 and 2016. This dissertation focuses on analysing suicide reporting in three Irish in print daily national newspapers – Irish Independent; Irish Examiner and Herald, so as look at how suicide reporting on can stigmatise and/or sensationalise the issue of suicide in Ireland. This dissertation has met the research aim through a Triangulation research method approach, which is a mix of quantitative and qualitative content analysis research methods. This research has produced an analysis of the relevant literature pertaining to the analysis of suicide reporting, which discusses the use of media guidelines; news frames, news values and images in suicide reporting, in in three in print newspapers – Irish Independent; Irish Examiner and the Herald, over two twelve month periods, 1999 and 2016. This research reveals that whilst the coverage of suicide was high in 1999, it raised awareness of suicide in a negative way because the newspapers did not adhere to media guidelines, which could have an effect on imitative suicide behaviour in vulnerable people, who are susceptible to the way suicide is reported on in print newspapers. The main conclusions which can be drawn from this research is that the high amount of coverage given to suicide in 1999 coincided with the high suicide rate in 1998 and this made suicide newsworthy. Moreover, it can be concluded that the quality of suicide reporting in 2016, in comparison to the corresponding reporting period in 1999, has significantly improved and can be attributed to all three daily national newspaper’s compliance to media guidelines on suicide reporting which are enforced by Headline, the Media Monitoring Programme. This research argues for the continued compliance of the in print daily national newspapers to media guidelines on suicide reporting and to foster a more open and destigmatised attitude towards suicide in the Irish in print newspapers and the general public
The portrayal of women in online and print advertising
No full textAdvertising and the media have a significant and influential role in society, because we want to know what is going on around us and they set the agenda for this. Advertisements tell people what to buy, what to look like, and what to desire. Images are used to grab the attention of the potential market. Advertisers often use women for this, and in doing so exploit and demean women’s rights. Consumers are exposed to these negative portrayals of women continuously due to smart phones, social media platforms, and outdoor advertisements, as well as the traditional forms of media. This study investigates a particular group of sexist image adverts, from the years 2007 to 2017, in order to identify what form of sexism is present, documenting trends that occur along the way. A second source of research is in the form of a focus group to gather opinions from a third party regarding the depiction of women, including how/ if this depiction has changed since the 1960s. The 1960s was chosen as a comparative decade as this was the time when the degree of women’s rights was argued, leading to the emergence of the second wave of Feminism. It was found that the female depiction had altered to a different form of sexism, but had not progressed significantly, and did not reflect a modern societal attitude. Throughout the research, the impact advertising has on men, and how women are used to market to a male audience is considered
Do health-and-fitness magazines influence males’ and females’ perceptions of health and fitness differently?
No full textThe present research had to two goals: (1) to discover how healthy health-and-fitness magazines actually are, and (2) to discover if health-and-fitness is portrayed differently by health-and-fitness magazines based on gender. The study involved two separate elements: a content analysis and a survey. Study 1 involved a content analysis of four magazines over a three-month period from June 2017 to August 2017. Two male-audience targeted magazines and two female-audience targeted magazines were analysed. The magazines involved in this study were Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Women’s Health and Women’s Fitness. The content analysis revealed that both men’s and women’s health-and-fitness magazines exhibit appearance-related content more so than health-related content. However, it was discovered that they promote different types of appearance-based messages. Men’s health-and-fitness magazines are more focused on muscle gain and bulking, i.e., getting bigger, whereas women’s health-and-fitness magazines are more focused on slimming down and improving one’s glutes. It appears that male-focused magazines are encouraging their readers to gain muscle in every area of their body and make it bigger and stronger, whereas female-focused magazines are encouraging their readers to slim down every part of their bodies but their glutes. The content analysis also determined that both men’s and women’s health-and-fitness magazines largely fail to promote better health. The majority of the so-called health articles present in the magazines are mostly unproven ‘health myths’ with little or no research backing the claims. Similarly, only one health advertisement was present in the magazines analysed: P20 sunscreen. Study 2 involved a survey of 120 participants from an array of nine countries. The survey titled ‘Perceptions on Health and Fitness Survey’ proved that the majority of people are of the opinion that health-and-fitness magazines promote unnatural and unattainable physiques and contain airbrushed images. The results also indicated the majority of people who engage in physical activity do so for their health, wellbeing and enjoyment, not for appearance-related reasons, which contradicts the messages being put forward by both men’s and women’s health-and-fitness magazines
Should the emergence of English as a lingua-franca, inform the development of an ELT teacher training course?
No full textNew media, the internet and ease of travel in the 21st century constantly reminds us that we are living in a global village. These technologies are bringing global communities together creating the need for a common means of communication. As the English language is now the most commonly taught and spoken second language worldwide it has become a global Lingua Franca of choice. English as a global language is the; “The dominant international language of the 21st century”. (British Council, 2013) This paper will outline the importance of educating language teachers about English as a Lingua Franca. English is now; “Spoken at a useful level by some 1.75 billion people – a quarter of the world’s population”. (British Council, 2013) The English Language Teaching (ELT) industry is an important part of the global economy. It was estimated to be worth $82.6 billion globally in 2011 (Adkins, S. 2012 P3). Learners from across the globe want to learn English to access global; “Communications, science, information technology, business, entertainment and diplomacy”. (British Council, 2013) But this raises the question, what type of English should we be teaching? Who should be setting the norms of language use? This is a Dissertation by practice. The purpose of this research is to establish if; The emergence of English as a Lingua Franca should inform the development of an ELT teacher training course? In this paper the author will consider the impact of English as a global Lingua Franca. The author will establish how English as a Lingua Franca can inform ELT teacher training. The Research will identify which elements of English as a Lingua Franca English Language teaching (ELT) professionals need to be cognisant of. Applied linguistics no longer advocate one single pedagogical approach language learning (Richards, J.C. & Rodgers, T.S. 2001). Rather ELT educators are tasked with identifying learner needs and choosing the most appropriate pedagogical approach. Tailoring language teaching to specific learner needs requires extensive professional development and support for ELT professionals. The author’s research will identify if an understanding of Global English should be part of this professional development
The Naming Right Deal – Assessment of the European Market and the Fans’ Attitudes
No full textThe dissertation purpose was to establish an overview of the actual situation on the Naming Right market in the European market and to provide insights about the different elements that compose the reaction of the fan. This a new practice in Europe, only massively developed before the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany. The methodology was to understand the current situation in Europe through different countries and different sports and to analyse the different reactions posted by the fans on the forums related to the clubs news. It was obvious that there is real differences between the North American and the European market in terms of market development. The European countries can be divided in two subparts within which France, Italy and Spain are the most backward countries and United Kingdom and especially Germany that are really forward. The fans attitudes has been divided upon three themes: Culture related, Finance related and Globalisation related. This research has pointed out two main element in relation to the fans attitudes towards the Naming rights deals, this was that the culture is an essential part of the club and that they could have negative reactions if they understand that this practice may distort the club history. The second important matter concerns the branding from the naming right owner, the communication needs to be thought carefully by the brand
How to survive in the pool of festivals: A guide for the right use of PR to promote music festivals
No full textMusic festivals have been around since the ancient Egyptian times and they’ve developed into an even bigger, more popular thing in the recent history. Beside all the already existing festivals around Europe, there are new ones being created all around the continent year after year as well. This arises the question, how those can survive in the pool of already existing festivals. I wanted my research to mainly focus on Ireland and Germany in comparison, but since it’s becoming more and more popular to travel for festivals and since some events are also famous beyond the border of their home country, I decided to include a few other countries as well. In order to answer the question I was conducting a content analysis with articles about ten different festivals in 20 different newspapers around Germany, Ireland, England and the US. The timeframe included 2010 to 2016 and I looked at both successful and failing events. On top of that, I conducted six interviews with journalists, both German and Irish, and two interviews with festival organisers, one Irish and one Suisse. The whole research showed, that there’s not much difference in the basis of festival promotion within Europe, it only depends on its size and at times on the size of the country. It became clear as well, that branding should be the first step when establishing a new music festival. The research also showed that the line‐up will probably always be the most important factor and that even bigger festivals can get negative comments about their choice of headliners. On top of that, it is important to be different and not copy other festivals in what they’re doing in order to get attention from journalists and the public
The Genocidal Rape of Bosnian Muslim Women during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina
No full textIn this dissertation, it was shown that rape was used in the Bosnian war as a genocidal tool by Serb forces against Bosnian Muslim women. A historical narrative was chosen in order to show exactly what led to the war, going back to the Second World War and Yugoslavia's peak. Nationalism, particularly Serb nationalism, was paid attention to as it resurfaced once Yugoslavia started to decline and it became stronger during the war leading to it playing a part in the usage of rape against Bosnian Muslim women. Socio-legal methodology was also used, and there was a focus on the work of the ICTY, particularly its cases involving sexual violence. This study was able to come to a conclusion that the rapes conducted by Serb forces against Bosnian Muslim women could be characterized as genocidal rapes. However, there were no prosecutions for that specific crime and this dissertation highlighted that despite the fact that no court has specifically stated that rape was used as a tool of genocide there were still compelling arguments for framing the rapes committed as a genocidal weapon of war. This dissertation was written in order to provide a new outlook to the crimes committed during the Bosnian war, and to reinforce the statement that the genocide recognized at Srebrenica is not the only genocide that occurred during the war. The aim of this dissertation was to show that the rapes conducted during the war went beyond sexual relief for the perpetrators, and instead were part of a larger campaign that could have been classified as genocide. This dissertation was written in order to highlight the complexity of the Bosnian war, which was illustrated by the historical narrative taken, and how women's rights were violated during the war. The dissertation showed that simply by looking at the definition of genocide commonly accepted by international law, the rapes committed against Bosnian Muslim women could be classified as genocide and should have been prosecuted as such
The Development of an Online Learning Environment for an Existing Professional Paper.
No full textThe purpose of this research is to develop an online learning environment for an existing professional paper which promotes the use of asynchronous online activities to engage learning. The study involves three phases of developing the online learning environment (the product) using qualitative questionnaires and includes a final interview phase. Participants are from the CPA P1 Managerial Finance professional accounting e‐learning course. The product was developed and evolved throughout the three phases of development concluding with a structured e‐learning product that contributes to the online learning environment though student engagement. The research will identify the fundamental aspects of asynchronous online methods that both enhance and transform the ways in which students engage with their learning. This research would suggest that while the current online learning environment conforms to best practice a need does exist for further research into the feasiblity of the inclusion of a synchronous component to the current online learning environment
Bridging module for first year Computing Science students
No full textStudent retention in higher education, especially of first year students has been the centre of
research for the past decades (Kantanis, 2000; Ramsay, Elphinstone, and Vivekananda, 2005;
Hillman, 2005). Multiple factors have been identified that affect the likelihood of a particular
student completing first year and subsequently being awarded a degree. One of the tactics to assist
students in transitioning to higher education is support and encouragement from academic
departments.
Based on an earlier study (O’Riordan, 2014), an early support module has been incorporated into
the BSc in Computing degree program which aims to equip learners with the skills necessary to
manage learning on their own and academic life in general. The aim of this project is to develop a
similar module, which would provide the necessary field-specific skills for computing science
students to successfully transition from secondary level education or in coming back to education in
their selected field.
To inform the development of the module, the author has consulted relevant literature and
analysed similar bridging course programs running in multiple institutions. For the selection of
topics for the module, interviews were conducted with fellow lecturers and first year students in
the College and the results analysed. Based on these results and from other sources in literature,
topics in Maths, Physics and Business were identified for inclusion.
The module was defined as a 12 week program aimed at level 6 of the National Framework of
Qualifications (NFQ), to help incoming students prepare for their level 7 studies. The curriculum
was developed based on the defined Learning Outcomes. The Module will be delivered online.
Materials prepared for the Module include presentations, videos, practice worksheets in different
formats and quizzes for formative feedback. These enable students to practice what they have
learned during the presentations and assess their own progress.
Further work is to be carried out on developing additional course material and refine existing items
based on the feedback of students and lecturers. The selection of topics could also be modified
based on feedback and possible future changes in the Learning Outcomes of the supported degree
programmes