The Importance of Parents and Sexual Education

My FavouritePaper Sample

My Favorite Book, Essay/Paper Sample Most Influential Book The course of individual life is regularly formed by the experiences and encounters that an individual experiences. In fact, the decisions that people make are controlled by the exercises that they have learnt in their lives. Maybe the greater part of the exercises that people apply are gotten from the artistic works that that they go over and investigate. For my situation, Ben Carson’s book â€Å"Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence† has had the most impact in my life. The book subtleties the life and encounters of one of the world’s most eminent neurosurgeons, from the time he was viewed as a dunderhead in primary school to the time he got one of the most brilliant clinical understudies and specialists of his time. This book not just underlines the adequacy of difficult work and assurance, yet in addition reestablishes singular confidence in God while additionally establishing the unimportant idea of the humbleness of one’s beginnings in d eciding his predetermination. In the first place, â€Å"Think Big† underlines the adequacy of difficult work in defending the accomplishment of one’s objectives and destinations. In reality, the creator characteristics the adjustment in his presentation in school to the difficult work and exertion that he put in the class. He subtleties how he went the additional mile and read not just the points and subjects that were doled out in the study hall yet additionally different subjects that were not even remotely associated or connected with the course he was doing (Clarrissimeaux, 2011). This individual activity and difficult work proved to be useful in extending his basic reasoning resources and improving his exhibition even in the course that he took. It is vital that the exertion that he put in his examination directly from primary school had a heading on his accomplishment of his objective of turning into a neurosurgeon later on throughout everyday life (Clarrissimeaux, 2011). Besides, the book restored my confidence in God as the writer perseveringly ascribes his prosperity to Him. Directly from the earliest starting point, the creator traces the determined idea of his mom, a characteristic that came off on him. On various events, Ben Carson looks for the direction and help of God so as to conquer the difficulties on his way (Lozada, 2015). For example, as much as he had buckled down, he despite everything credited his achievement in training to God. To be sure, the notes that if people recognize their requirement for God, He will rush to help them. Different models are given during progressively genuine situations, for example, when he was playing out his first cerebrum medical procedure, the first in the clinic where he was working (Lozada, 2015). This reestablished my confidence in God as it underlines the way that independent of the size of individual achievements and shrewdness, people are as yet restricted and, truth be told, will consistently requi re God. Finally, the book underlined the way that one’s beginnings ought not decide his ability to accomplish his fantasies. It is recognized that the creator didn't originate from a well-off foundation. Being a dark child of a single parent, he subtleties how his family didn't generally have adequate assets (Carson Murphey, 1996). His mother’s pay was not adequate to raise the two young men and give extravagances in which case they were only enduring. In any case, he expresses that one’s beginnings or looks don't make a difference and that if people perceive their capacities and have the readiness to learn and use their insight in helping others, their place on the planet is unblemished (Carson Murphey, 2006). This concretes the way that the personal satisfaction that an individual has is exclusively dictated by his activities and the decisions the individual makes. Taking everything into account, Ben Carson â€Å"Think Big† has been the most persuasive in my life as it not just underlines the viability of difficult work and assurance, yet in addition restores singular confidence in God while additionally establishing the unimportant idea of the humbleness of one’s beginnings in deciding his fate. The encounters of the creator concrete the way that people have power over what occurs in their lives, and repeats the need to consistently approach God for help, while additionally establishing the estimation of difficult work in accomplishing one’s goals throughout everyday life. References Carson, B., Murphey, C. B. (2006). Think enormous: Unleashing your potential for greatness. Great Rapids, Mich: Zondervan. Clarrissimeaux, A (2011). Never Give Up: Dr. Ben Carson’s just youth advantage was his mother’s support. Achievement, Web recovered from success.com/article/never-surrender Lozada, C (2015). Ben Carson, the humblebragging instrument of God. The Washington Post, Web recovered from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/book-party/wp/2015/11/05/ben-carson-the-humblebragging-instrument-of-god/?utm_term=.ffebc605eb69

What 5 Factors Determine Your Credit Score

What 5 Factors Determine Your Credit Score What 5 Factors Determine Your Credit Score? What 5 Factors Determine Your Credit Score?If you have a bad credit score, the way to fix it isnt a mystery! Just take a look at these five factors and figure out where you need to improve.Your credit score was important in 2018. And guess what? It’s going to continue being important in 2019. Whether you’re shopping for an online loan, applying  for a credit card, looking to rent an apartment, or even applying for car insurance, your credit score is going to be vital.With so much riding on your creditworthiness, a lousy score is something youre going to want to fix pronto. But it’s not always obvious what the best way to fix your credit score is.That’s because your credit score isn’t based off just one thing. Your credit score is based on the information in your credit reports, which are compiled by the three major credit rating agencies. That information is broken down into five major categories that determine whether your score is great, good, or bad.Once you know a littl e bit more about these five factors are and how you can better manage them, you’ll be on your way to becoming the 2019 Credit Score Champion! Payment history.This is the big one. It’s also the one you were probably already aware of. If you’re not paying your bills, it’s going to reflect poorly on your credit score. At 35 percent, it’s worth over a third of your total score, more than any other single factor.“When trying to improve your score, the number one factor is ensuring that your payments are paid on time and as agreed,” explained Nathalie Noisette, owner of Credit Conversion (@credconversion). “Since payment history accounts for 297.5 points of your score, Id pretty much do whatever it takes to make sure that those payments were in on time.“With that being said, she added, automating payments ensures that your bills are getting paid and you dont run the risk of forgetting to pay. The number one reasons most of my clients dont pay is not because they dont hav e the money, its because they dont have the memory.Automating payments is a good tool. As a precautionary measure, I would also advise setting up alerts. When your bill is due, daily balance updates and even changes to your score are all good alerts to be in the know of.”Amounts owed.The amount of debt you actually owe is the next most important factor, worth a little less than a third of your total score.“The second most important factor used in determining a credit score is how much of your available lines of credit you actually use,” outlined RJ Mansfield (@DebtAssassin1), consumer’s rights advocate and author of  Debt Assassin: A Black Ops Guide to Cleaning Up Your Credit.“This determines thirty percent of your score. You can pay your bills on time forever and still have a poor credit score because you carry too much debt.”Another sub-factor within your amounts owed is your credit utilization ratio. This measures how much of your available credit youre currently usin g. In order to maximize your score, try to keep your open revolving balances under 30 percent of your total credit limit.Length of credit history.If owing too much in debt is a drag on your credit score, surely the smartest move would be to never take on any debt at all, right? Wrong!15 percent of your credit score is determined by the length of your credit history. The longer, the better, which means not having any credit history at all is not a good thing for your score.But this also doesnt mean that you need decades of credit use to have a good score.“A short credit history can be great as long as you’ve made your payments on time,” advised financial coach and author  Karen Ford.It does mean, however, that closing lines of credit isnt always the best choice.“It usually does not make sense to close out credit cards because you want to establish a long credit history,” warned Alissa Todd, financial advisor with The Wealth Consulting Group (@WealthCG).Once youve paid an ol d credit card off, its probably a good idea to keep the card open. This is especially true for older cards that youve had open for a long time.Just make sure that you dont end up using it! Giving in to that temptation and racking up additional debt could end up undoing all your hard work.Credit mix.The last two factors are worth 10 percent each. One of those factors is “credit mix.” So what does that mean?“Credit mix isn’t nearly as weighted as the other factors,” explained Jacob Dayan, CEO of  Community Tax, LLC (@communitytaxllc). “However, if you want to further improve your credit score to earn the lowest interest rates or top credit cards, you’ll want to mix it up with different loans, like auto, home mortgage loans, different types of credit cards, etc.”New credit inquiries.OK, now what’s this one?Well, every time you apply for a personal loan, auto loan, mortgage, or credit card from a traditional lender, the lender will run a credit check on your applicatio n. This results in hard inquiry being listed on your report.Hard inquiries usually ding your score, but the effect wont last that long. Still, why would you risk  any unnecessary  harm to your score? If you dont need credit, dont apply for it.“New credit is a little complicated and requires some further research on your own,” Dayan suggested. “But, the best way to improve it is to only open lines of credit as needed. If you open too many lines of credit within a short time, it can signal that you’re in financial distress and need to borrow money.”Most short-term bad credit loansâ€"like payday loans, title loans, cash advancesâ€"dont result in hard credit inquiries. This is why theyre also known as no credit check loans. But dont be fooled: there are plenty of other reasons to avoid these products.Some bad credit installment loans, meanwhile, will result in a soft inquiry on your credit, but that wont affect your score. You can learn more about the difference between hard a nd soft credit inquiries in this post.But wait, there’s more!It’s not just your actions that can have an effect on your credit score.“If you cosigned a loan or are married and hold a joint credit account, it is important to realize that your credit behavior does affect your joint account holder and vice versa,” warned Todd.Now that you know the five credit  score factors and what you can do to improve them, you’re all set to tackle your credit-related resolutions in the new year. May your credit score reach 2019!(But actually the highest score is 850 so you’ll probably be shooting for something closer to that.)To learn more about credit scores, check out these related posts and articles from OppLoans:A Brief History of Credit ScoresWhat Are the Side Effects of Bad Credit?How to Build Credit When You Have No Credit at AllNo Credit Card? Here Are 6 Ways You Can Still Fix Your Credit ScoreDo you have a question about credit scores youd like us to answer?  Let us know! You c an find us  on  Facebook  and  Twitter.  |  InstagramContributorsJacob Dayan is the CEO and Co-Founder of  Community Tax, LLC (@communitytaxllc) and  Finance Pal, LLC. He began his career in Wall Street New York at Bear Stearns working in the Financial Analytics and Structured Transactions group. He continued to work in Wall Street until early 2009. When he then left New York and returned to Chicago to be with his family and pursue his lifelong dream  of self-employment. There he co-founded Community Tax, LLC followed by Finance Pal in late 2018.Karen Ford is a Master Financial Coach, Public Speaker, Entrepreneur, and Best- Selling Author. Her #1 Amazon Best Selling Book “Money Matters” is a discovery for many.  In “Money Matters” she provides keys to demolishing debt, shares how to budget correctly, and gives principles in wealth building.RJ Mansfield  (@DebtAssassin1) is a consumer’s rights advocate and author of  Debt Assassin: A Black Ops Guide to Cleaning Up Your Cre dit.Nathalie Noisette is the Founder of Credit Conversion, a credit counseling, and repair company located in Avon, MA. Credit Conversion uses principles of behavioral change to not only allow clients to improve their score but understand the habits that lend to poor credit. “Through our repair and training, it is our vision to see all of our clients repair and maintain near perfect credit scores.”Alissa Todd is a Wealth Advisor at The Wealth Consulting Group where her team helps clients simplify their financial life and use money to live a life they love. She learns what is most important to you and then creates an implementable action plan to help you pursue financial independence so that you can live your life by design, not default. Alissa grew up in Europe (The Netherlands amp; Ireland) prior to moving to California 10 years ago. Growing up in a bilingual household of English and Japanese, Alissa stays involved in the community by being a board member of the Japanese Americ an Citizens League San Diego chapter. Outside of work, you can catch her on one of many hikes in San Diego, practicing yoga.

Copyright Notice and the Use of the Copyright Symbol

A copyright notice or copyright symbol is an identifier placed on copies of the work to inform the world of copyright ownership. While the use of a copyright notice was once required as a condition of copyright protection, it is now optional. Use of the copyright notice is the responsibility of the copyright owner and does not require advance permission from, or registration with the Copyright Office. Because prior law did contain such a requirement, however, the use of a copyright notice or copyright symbol is still relevant to the copyright status of older works. The copyright notice was required under the 1976 Copyright Act. This requirement was eliminated when the United States adhered to the Berne Convention, effective March 1, 1989. Although works published without copyright notice before that date could have entered the public domain in the United States, the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) restores copyright in certain foreign works originally published without copyright notice. How Is a Copyright Symbol Useful Use of the copyright notice may be important because it informs the public that the work is protected by copyright, identifies the copyright owner, and shows the year of first publication. Furthermore, in the event that a work is infringed, if a proper notice of copyright appears on the published copy or copies to which a defendant in a copyright infringement suit had access, then no weight shall be given to such a defendants defense based on innocent infringement. Innocent infringement occurs when the infringer did not realize that the work was protected. The use of the copyright notice is the responsibility of the copyright owner and does not require advance permission from, or registration with, the Copyright Office. Correct Form for the Copyright Symbol The notice for visually perceptible copies should contain all the following three elements: The copyright symbol  © (the letter C in a circle), or the word Copyright, or the abbreviation Copr.The year of first publication of the work. In the case of compilations or derivative works incorporating previously published material, the year date of first publication of the compilation or derivative work is sufficient. The year date may be omitted where a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work, with accompanying textual matter, if any, is reproduced in or on greeting cards, postcards, stationery, jewelry, dolls, toys, or any useful article.The name of the owner of copyright in the work, or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner. Example: copyright  © 2002 John Doe The  © or C in a circle notice or symbol is used only on visually perceptible copies. Phonorecords Certain kinds of works, for example, musical, dramatic, and literary works may be fixed not in copies but by means of sound in an audio recording. Since audio recordings such as audio tapes and phonograph disks are phonorecords and not copies, the C in a circle notice is not used to indicate protection of the underlying musical, dramatic, or literary work that is recorded. Copyright Symbol for Phonorecords of Sound Recordings Sound recordings are defined in the law as works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds, but not including the sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work. Common examples include recordings of music, drama, or lectures. A sound recording is not the same as a phonorecord. A phonorecord is a physical object in which works of authorship are embodied. The word phonorecord includes cassette tapes, CDs, records, as well as other formats. The notice for phonorecords embodying a sound recording should contain all the following three elements: The copyright symbol (the letter P in a circle)The year of first publication of the sound recordingThe name of the owner of copyright in the sound recording, or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner. If the producer of the sound recording is named on the phonorecord label or container and if no other name appears in conjunction with the notice, the producers name shall be considered a part of the notice. Position of Notice The copyright notice should be affixed to copies or phonorecords in such a way as to give reasonable notice of the claim of copyright. The three elements of the notice should ordinarily appear together on the copies or phonorecords or on the phonorecord label or container. Since questions may arise from the use of variant forms of the notice, you may wish to seek legal advice before using any other form of the notice. The 1976 Copyright Act overturned the strict consequences of failure to include copyright notice under prior law. It contained provisions that set out specific corrective steps to cure omissions or certain errors in the copyright notice. Under these provisions, an applicant had 5 years after publication to cure omission of notice or certain errors. Although these provisions are technically still in the law, their impact has been limited by the amendment making notice optional for all works published on and after March 1, 1989. Publications Incorporating United States Government Works Works by the U. S. Government are not eligible for U.S. copyright protection. For works published on and after March 1, 1989, the previous notice requirement for works consisting primarily of one or more U. S. Government works has been eliminated. However, use of a notice on such a work will defeat a claim of innocent infringement as previously described provided the copyright notice also includes a statement that identifies either those portions of the work in which copyright is claimed or those portions that constitute U. S. Government material. Example: copyright  © 2000 Jane Brown.Copyright claimed in Chapters 7-10, exclusive of U. S. Government maps Copies of works published before March 1, 1989, that consist primarily of one or more works of the U. S. Government should have a notice and the identifying statement. Unpublished Works The author or copyright owner may wish to place a copyright notice on any unpublished copies or phonorecords that leave his or her control. Example: Unpublished work  © 1999 Jane Doe

Creating A Positive Influence Essay - 805 Words

Our team is made up of people from different parts of the United States. Like the United States, different persons, or different parts of the country, have diverse attitudes and values. Also, we naturally have different emotions and personalities. For all of our differences, like the United States, we can strive to achieve and excel through collaboration, compromise, and adopting a team first attitude. In terms of increasing the motivation, satisfaction, and performance of the team, the makeup of behavior styles seems like they were naturally designed to motivate each other through strengthening each other’s weaknesses. Each member brings a distinctive personality with a variety of experiences that could be very different from the†¦show more content†¦Asking these two for input first will always satisfy their desire to get things done. Susan and Shannon are of the interactive style and have come across as people pleasers through group discussions. They are both very pleasant, which could be seen as a bad quality because of their ability to be walked on. They generally agree with majority decisions so as to not â€Å"rock the boat† but, in direct relation to Fred and Jason, that could prove costly if the wrong lead on a task is up for debate. Encouraging these two team members to be more cautiously vocal could be the perfect water for the seeds of achievement. I was the only member cast into the perfectly fitting cautious behavioral style. In terms of our group, I fit in well. I may serve as the check to the Go-Getters balance or possibly the comment spurring motivator to the interactive style members. Blended together, my role could also prove detrimental to our progress because of the tendency to over-analyze things or be overly critical. These things could slow the Go-Getters progress down or scare the interactive styles of Susan and Shannon into not sharing an opposing thought with the group. All considered, we all seem to be very willing to discuss things out logically and collaboratively thus, I believe all differences between us actually strengthen the abilities of the group. Our Emotional Intelligence scores were very normal whenShow MoreRelatedCreating a Plan for Positive Influence1245 Words   |  5 PagesCreating a Plan for Positive Influence LDR/531 Johnny Morris September 29, 2010 Creating a Plan for Positive Influence You can help leaders achieve positive change in behavior in three ways. One way is gree on one desired behavior to change—one that will make the biggest positive change in leadership effectiveness. Pick only one or two areas. Leaders can’t be expected to change behavior if they don’t know what desired behavior looks like. The second way is determine who should weighRead MoreCreating a Plan for Positive Influence1093 Words   |  5 Pagesbe safe to assume others knew of the behavior of Kozlowski and Swartz? If so, Ferguson reasoned â€Å"witnessing or learning of an employee who engages in organizational misbehavior without fear of being caught or reprimanded is a basic ingredient in creating a contagion effect† (2006). When lower level employees witness misbehavior by the board of directors or senior level management â€Å"the pervasiveness of such behavior increases the likelihood that the misbehavior will be picked up by additional membersRead Mo reCreating a Plan for Positive Influence1113 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction The purpose of this essay is to create a plan for positive influence within an imaginary project my team has been assigned. This plan will address several key factors that are necessary for positive workplace cohesion and productivity. The plan described within this essay will focus on the human qualities that are most important in any team situation. The plan will exploit the human resources my team possesses and makes the most effective and efficient use of time and capital. My planRead MoreOrganizational Culture : Business Practices1011 Words   |  5 Pagesexample throughout the paper (Apple Inc. – innovation, acceptance, training and development, etc.) Ethical culture can be defined as the aspects that stimulate ethical conduct. Kaptein (2011) identifies five dimensions of ethical culture found to influence ethical or unethical behaviours; Ethical role modeling behaviour by managers and supervisors, capability to behave ethically, commitment of managers and employees to behave ethically, openness by managers and employees to discuss ethical issues,Read MoreSchool Culture Analysis Essay1655 Words   |  7 Pagesrelationships, teaching, leadership practices and the structure of the organization. Several studies have concurred that student performance is directly related to school climate. Students in schools with a positive school culture have higher achievements. Therefore, creating and maintaining a positive school culture should be essential to the role of school administrator. Good schools depend on a strong sense of purpose and leadership (MacNeil Maclin, n.d.). Principals must steer their staffRead MoreA Positive Motivation Plan1199 Words   |  5 PagesA Positive Team Motivation Plan Patrick Hall, Joyce Woodbury, William Leonardi LDR 531 July 09, 2012 Eric Heard A Positive Team Motivation Plan In today’s business world, each business organization has a diverse workforce and each worker has specific motivations and emotions. An effective manager understands the challenges involved in creating a workplace that combines the employees’ motivations, satisfactions, and performance into a cohesive and effective workforce. A manager must developRead MoreWho is a Leader?1332 Words   |  5 Pagesan important person who is responsible in an organization. A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal. â€Å"Culture isn’t simply one aspect of the game, it is the game and once you enter a successful culture, you feel it immediately† (Laurie Hillis, Ma). The quotation are form an article that give the view about the possibilities for a leader to influence people, creating culture and eliminate culture. Culture is group or organizational-level of shared beliefsRead MoreThe Demonstration Of Leadership Style1569 Words   |  7 Pageswell as the organization. RNAO (2013), stated that, organizational supports and positive personal resources, will influence transformational leadership practices which will then influence the health outcomes of all. This means that the form of leadership practices has a huge impact. Leadership practices implemented in my setting includes building relationship and trust, balancing and managing competing values and creating an empowering environment (RNAO, 2013). As stated in Cowdent, Cummings Profetto-McgrathRead MoreSelf Control And Self Leadership835 Words   |  4 PagesSelf-leadership is defined as the process people influence themselves to establish self-direction, self-management, and self-motivation (Neck Manz, 2010). In another study, Stewart, Courtright, and Manz (2011) emphasised that self-leadership is different from self-control and self-management, which provides a person with a good self-leadership skill three great advantages. First of all, self-leadership allows individuals establish a higher level of self-influence. Manz (1986) indicates that a standard canRead MoreEffects Of Parental Influences On Children Essay1636 Words   |  7 Pagesminutes a day of PA. However, how do parents have an influence on the physical activity their children are receiving? Gwendolyn Kay VanDerworp and Sarah-Jane Ryan’s 2014 article â€Å"Parents’ Perception of their Influence on their Child’s Physical Activity† studies how parents perceive their influence on there children’s PA. During this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study, three major themes arose in how they perceived their influence on PA. These themes; environment of opportunity, negative

Boon or Bane Free Essays

string(370) " probability sampling or conducting a census that used the Web as the only response mode; \(2\) Surveys in which respondents were allowed to choose one of several response modes, including at least one Internet-based response mode; and, \(3\) Surveys in which respondents were assigned one of several response modes, including at least one Internet-based response mode\." Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet Research Surveys: Evidence from the Literature Ronald D. Fricker, Jr. and Matthias Schonlau RAND E-mail and Web surveys have been the subject of much hyperbole about their capabilities as well as some criticism about their limitations. We will write a custom essay sample on Boon or Bane or any similar topic only for you Order Now In this report we examine what is and is not known about the use of the Internet for surveying. Specifically, we consider evidence found in the literature regarding response rates, timeliness, data quality and cost. In light of this evidence, we evaluate popular claims that Internet-based surveys can be conducted faster, better, cheaper, and/or easier than surveys conducted via conventional modes. We find that the reality of cost and speed often does not live up to the hype. Nonetheless, it is possible to implement Internet-based surveys in ways that are effective and cost-efficient. We conclude that the Internet will continue to grow in importance for conducting certain types of research surveys. INTRODUCTION With the advent of the World Wide Web (Web or WWW) and electronic mail (email), the Internet has opened up new vistas in surveying. Rather than mailing a paper survey, a respondent can now be given a hyperlink to a Web site containing the survey. Or, in an e-mail survey, a questionnaire is sent to a respondent via e-mail, possibly as an attachment. As either an alternative or an adjunct to conventional survey modes (e. g. , the telephone, mail, and face-to-face interviewing) Internet-based surveys offer unique new capabilities. For example, a Web survey can relatively simply incorporate multi-media graphics and sound into the survey instrument. Similarly, other features that were once restricted to more expensive interviewer-assisted modes, such as automatic branching and real-time randomization of survey questions and/or answers, can be incorporated into self-administered Web (and some e-mail) surveys. However, not unlike when phone and mail surveys were first introduced, concerns exist about whether these Internet-based surveys are scientifically valid and how they are best conducted. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, prior to the widespread availability of the Web, e-mail was first explored as a survey mode. As with the Web, e-mail offers the possibility of nearly instantaneous transmission of surveys to recipients while avoiding any postal costs. Early e-mail were primarily ASCII text-based, with rudimentary formatting at best, which tended to limit their length and scope. The only significant advantage they offered over paper was a potential decrease in delivery and response Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 1 imes, though some also hypothesized that the novelty of the new medium might enhance response rates (Parker, 1992; Zhang, 2000). The Web started to become widely available in the early to mid-1990s and quickly supplanted e-mail as the Internet survey medium of choice because it was easy to implement, it provided an improved interface with the respondent, and it offered the possibility of multimedia and interactive surveys containing audio and v ideo. For convenience samples, the Web also offered a way around the necessity of having to know respondents’ e-mail addresses. As a result, â€Å"quick polls† and other types of entertainment surveys have become increasingly popular and widespread on the Web. Internet-based surveys are now in vogue—those conducted via the Web in particular—because of three assumptions: (a) Internet-based surveys are much cheaper to conduct; (b) Internet-based surveys are faster; and, (c) when combined with other survey modes, Internet-based surveys yield higher response rates than conventional survey modes by themselves. Yet, does the evidence in the literature confirm these assumptions? Are Internet-based surveys faster, better, cheaper, and/or easier than surveys conducted via conventional modes? What can we conclude about the strengths and current limitations of Internet-based surveying from the facts in the literature? In this report we synthesize the literature about the use of the Internet (e-mail and the Web) in the survey process. Other accounts of the literature include Schonlau, Fricker and Elliott (2002), Couper (2000), Dillman (2000), and Tuten et al. (2002). In addition, an extensive source of Web survey literature can be found on the Web at www. ebsm. org. LITERATURE SUMMARY FOR INTERNET-BASED SURVEYS In this section we summarize key characteristics of Internet-based surveys—that is, surveys using the Web and e-mail as a response mode—as documented in the literature. We employed a professional librarian to conduct a thorough literature search in the Social Science Database and the Conference Paper Index database. The Social Science Databas e indexes more than 1,500 of the most important worldwide social sciences journals since 1972. Additional articles relevant to the social sciences are also incorporated from over 2,400 journals in the natural, physical, and biomedical sciences. The Conference Paper Index provides access to records of the more than 100,000 scientific and technical papers (since 1973) presented at over 1,000 major regional, national, and international meetings each year. Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 2 The literature search yielded 57 papers that were substantively interesting and informative. Here we report on a subset of those articles of direct relevance to this discussion. (Appendix B of Schonlau et al. , 2002, lists 52 papers and we have augmented the list here with an additional five that have appeared since Schonlau et al. was published. ) We consider the following key characteristics of surveys: (1) response rate, (2) timeliness, (3) data quality, and (4) cost. We compare what has been published in the literature about Internet-based surveys to a natural conventional survey alternative: mail. While no survey mode is going to be optimal in all of these areas, we chose mail because both mail and Internet-based surveys are self-administered, mail surveys tend to be the least expensive of the conventional modes, and virtually all of the comparisons made in the literature are to mail surveys. Response Rates A standard way to summarize survey performance is by comparing response rates among various survey modes. By â€Å"survey mode† (sometimes called response mode) we mean the mode by which the survey itself is conducted: Web, e-mail, mail, etc. In this section, we compare response rates for studies classified into one of three categories: (1) Surveys employing probability sampling or conducting a census that used the Web as the only response mode; (2) Surveys in which respondents were allowed to choose one of several response modes, including at least one Internet-based response mode; and, (3) Surveys in which respondents were assigned one of several response modes, including at least one Internet-based response mode. You read "Boon or Bane" in category "Papers" We begin with results for studies that used the Web as the primary or only response mode with either censuses or robability samples (Table 1). The table is ordered by year and it shows that Web-only research surveys have currently only achieved fairly modest response rates, at least as documented in the literature. Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 3 Table 1. Response Rates for Web-only Surveys Using Probability Samples or Censuses Sample Size 1,602 14,150 Response Rate 42%d 8% Population University of Michigan Students College-bound high school and college students Everingham (2001) 1,298 44% RAND employees Jones and Pitt (1999) 200 19% University staff b 9,522 41% Purchasers of Dillman et al. 1998) computer products c 2,466 38% Purchasers of Dillman et al. (1998) computer products a Most respondents were contacted via their parents, which reduced the response rate. A mail response mode was added late in the survey protocol. b A relatively plain Web survey design was used in this experimental arm. c A relatively fancy Web survey design was used in this experimental arm. d Another 5. 6 percent of partially completed surveys were also received. Survey Couper et al. (2001) a Asch (2001) In fact, the results in Table 1 may overstate response rate performance for research surveys of broader populations because Dillman’s results are based on participants who were initially contacted by phone and had agreed to participate in a Web survey and Everingham’s sample was of a closed population of employees at one company. Jones and Pitt (1999) sampled staff at â€Å"10 universities whose staff directories were available on the WWW† and Couper et al. (2001) surveyed 1,602 University of Michigan students. In all of these cases, the potential survey participants were likely to be more homogeneous and more disposed to respond compared to a random sample of the general population. In addition, because university populations often tend to have greater access to the Internet, and today’s college students can be expected to be more computer- and Internet-savvy. In Table 2 we summarize the studies published in the literature that allowed the respondent to choose to respond either via the Web or through the mail, ordered in terms of the fraction that responded via the Web. Since for many populations the fraction of respondents that can or will answer via the Web may not be sufficiently large, and mail emerges as the most relevant second mode for a dual mode survey, these studies are important. Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 4 Table 2. Studies Allowing Respondents to Choose a Web or Mail Response Mode Total Sample Size a Study % Chose to Respond by †¦ Mail Web Overall Response Rate Population U. S. military and spouses Quigley et al. (2000) (DoD study) 7,209 83% 27% 37% Civilians c b 45% 58% U. S. Geriatric Chiefs 57 52% Raziano et al. (2001) Zhang (2000) 201 20% 80% 78% Researchers d Schleyer and Forrest (2000) 84% 74% Dentists 405 16% NOTE: The multiple Quigley et al. and Raziano et al. entries represent multiple arms of the same study. a This arm of the study used mail as the contact mode. b Includes e-mail. The authors do not distinguish between e-mail and Web as a response mode. c This arm of the study used e-mail as the contact mode. d The response mode in this case was either e-mail or fax. 21,805 Raziano et al. 2001) Sedivi Gaul (2001) and Griffin et al. (2001) (American Community Survey [2000]) Sedivi Gaul (2001) and Griffin et al. (2001) (Library Media Center Survey [1998]) Sedivi Gaul (2001) and Griffin et al. (2001) (Library Media Center Survey [1999]) Quigley et al. (2000) (DoD study) 57 9,596 924 13,440 96% 95% 95% 81% 77% 4% 5% 5% b 77% 38% 38% 63% 42% U. S. Geriatric Chiefs U. S. households Librarians Librarians 19% 23% In Table 2 we see that for most of the studies respondents currently tend to choose mail when given a choice between Web and mail. In fact, even when respondents are contracted electronically it is not axiomatic that they will prefer to respond electronically, as in Raziano et al. (2001) that did not find a statistically significant difference in response rates. Zhang (2000) and Schleyer and Forrest (2000) are the only studies that contradict this conclusion and they tend to represent groups of respondents that are largely or entirely computer literate and comfortable with electronic communication. In comparison, Quigley et al. (2000) and the American Community Survey (2000) study tend to represent general cross-sections of the U. S. ublic in terms of computer literacy and availability and for these studies the fraction that chose Web as the response mode was quite small. In Table 3 we present studies that compared response rates between groups assigned to one of either two or three response modes. Here we see that Internet-based mode response rates generally do not achieve response rates equal to mail surveys. (The table is first ordered from lowest to highest e-mail response rate and then by Web response rate. ) Further, Sheehan (2001) concludes that e-mail response rates are declining over time (though the reason for the decline is unknown). Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 5 Table 3. Studies With Multiple Study Arms: Comparing Response Rates for E-mail, Web and Mail Response Modes Total Sample Size 400 500 418 153 262 8,000 904 140 200 1,800 Response Rate E-mail Mail 6% 27% 7% 52% 19% 57% 28% 78% 40% 45% 43% 71% a 58% 53% 68% 38% 34% 72% -54% -62% Population University staff University staff MIS and marketing faculty Health educators BBS newsgroup users Federal employees WSU faculty ATT employees University staff Businesses in Slovenia Undergraduates at the University 600 of Florida McCabe et al. 2002) 5,000 63% -40% University of Michigan Students — Indicates not applicable; the indicated response mode was not evaluated in the study. a An additional 5 percent that were returned by mail are not included in this number. b In the 2nd follow-up of both study arms respondents were contacted by both mail and e-mail. c An additional phone study arm achieved a response rate of 63%, an additional contact mail / response fax study arm achieved a response rate of 43%. Study Tse et al. (1995) Tse (1998) Schuldt and Totten (1994) Kittleson (1995) Mehta and Sivadas (1995) Couper et al. 1999) Schaefer and Dillman (1998) Parker (1992) Jones and Pitt (1999) c Vehovar et al. (2001) b Pealer et al. (2001) Web ——–19% 32% 58% Parker (1992) is the only study of which we are aware in which e-mail achieved equal or higher response rates when compared to postal mail. Parker conducted a survey of 140 expatriate ATT employees on matters related corporate policies for expatriation and repatriation, reporting a 63 percent response rate via e-mail (63 returned out of 100 sent by e-mail) compared to a 38 percent response rate for postal mail (14 returned out of 40 sent by mail). Interestingly, Parker (1992) also attributed the difference in response rates to the fact that, at the time, ATT employees received a lot of corporate paper junk mail yet, over the internal e-mail system, they received little to no electronic junk mail. Hence, recipients of the paper survey were more likely to discount its importance compared to e-mail survey recipients. With the spread of e-mail â€Å"spam,† this situation is likely to be reversed today. In an example more typical of the current state of affairs, and in one of the few studies to randomize respondents to mode, Couper et al. (1999) obtained an average email response rate of about 43 percent compared to almost 71 percent with mail in a survey of employees in five federal statistical agencies. Couper et al. chose e-mail as the Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 6 mode for the survey over the Web because e-mail was almost universally available in the five agencies while the Web was often not available. Turning to the Web, McCabe et al. 2002) conducted an experiment in which 5,000 University of Michigan students were randomized to receive a survey about drug and alcohol use; 2,500 potential respondents received a mail survey and 2,500 were notified of an equivalent Web-based survey. Respondents in both groups received a $10 gift certificate incentive. In this study, McCabe et al. achieved a 63 percent Web response rate compared to 40% for mail. In contrast, howeve r, Pealer et al. did not find a statistically significant difference between Web and mail response rates for a survey of undergraduates at the University of Florida. The only other published study that achieved exceptional response rates with an Internet-based survey is Walsh et al. (1992) in which potential respondents were solicited by e-mail and offered the option to respond by e-mail or request a paper survey by postal mail. While they did not conduct an equivalent postal mail only survey for comparison (and thus are not listed in Table 3), Walsh et al. achieved a 76 percent overall response rate of a randomly sample of subscribers (300 out of a total population of 1,100) to a scientific computer network for an e-mail survey. In addition to providing nonrespondents with two follow-up reminders, a lottery prize of $250 was employed as an incentive. Walsh et al. found that 76 percent of the respondents replied by e-mail and the other 24 percent responded by postal mail. They also received requests from an additional 104 subscribers (who were not chosen in the sample of 300) to participate in the survey. For the self-selected 104, 96 percent responded by e-mail. Not surprisingly, they also found a positive correlation between propensity to respond electronically and amount of network usage. In conclusion, there is little evidence in the literature that Internet-based surveys achieve higher response rates, as a general rule, than conventional surveys. The few Internet-based surveys that have achieved higher response rates have tended to be either of university-based populations or small, specialized populations. The majority of results reported in the literature show Internet-based surveys at best currently achieve response rates equal to conventional modes and often do worse. The reasons for this difference are not yet clear and require more study. Yet, as we have seen, there are also a few examples of Web surveys outperforming mail for some specific populations. Whether this was idiosyncratic of these few surveys, Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 7 or it is an indication that methodology is developing to achieve higher response rates in the new medium is yet to be shown. It is important to note that, contrary to intuition, there is no evidence in the literature that concurrent fielding of a survey via a conventional mode and via an Internet-based mode results in any significant improvement in response rates. This may be because, as Table 2 shows, except in specialized populations, when given a choice between mail and Web surveys, most individuals tend to respond to the mail survey. In addition, there is no evidence that those who would normally refuse to complete a mail survey would choose to respond if the survey was Internet-based. Of course, these results are specific to the current state of the art of Internet-based surveying, existing technology, and the current state of respondent attitudes toward surveys, both Internetbased and conventional. Future developments may significantly alter these findings and more research is certainly warranted in an attempt to improve the response rate performance of Internet-based surveys. Finally, we note that while research surveys based on probabilistic survey sampling methods are generally recognized as being necessary to conduct statistical inference to any population outside of the sample, convenience sampling can also be useful to some researchers for other purposes. For example, early in the course of research, responses from a convenience sample might be useful in developing research hypotheses. Responses from convenience samples might also be useful for identifying issues, defining ranges of alternatives, or collecting other sorts of non-inferential data. In fact, in certain types of qualitative research, convenience samples on the Web may be just as valid as other methods that use convenience samples. There are a number of studies in the literature that used convenience samples, for which response rate comparisons do not apply (and hence precluded their inclusion in Tables 1-3), often with respondents recruited through advertising of some form. While response rates for these studies are meaningless, we present a few of the more interesting studies here to illustrate alternative ways that Web surveys can be used. In a social science study of geographic mobility and other topics Witte et al. (2000) recruit a large number of respondents: 32,688. Similarly, Vehovar et al. (1999) conducted a large-scale survey targeted at the Internet population of Slovenia, which corresponds to about 13 percent of the total population of Slovenia. In both cases, similarly sized traditional mail surveys would likely have been more complicated and very expensive to field. Coomber (1997) conducted a survey about drug dealer practices, where his target population was illicit drug-dealers throughout the world. Coomber solicited responses by e-mail and Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 8 through advertising, and collected responses on the Web hoping his respondents would be encouraged to respond more honestly because of a perceived anonymity. Timeliness In today’s fast-paced world, survey timeliness is increasingly stressed. The length of time it takes to field a survey is a function of the contact, response, and follow-up modes. Decreasing the time in one or more of these parts of the survey process will tend to decrease the overall time in the field. However, it is important to keep in mind that the relevant measure is not average response time but maximum response time (or perhaps some large percentile of the response time distribution) since survey analysis generally does not begin until all of the responses are in. Most studies tend to conclude, often with little or no empirical evidence, that Internet-based surveys are faster than surveys sent by postal mail. This conclusion is usually based on the recognition that electronic mail and other forms of electronic communication can be instantaneously transmitted while postal mail takes more time. However, simply concluding that Internet-based surveys are faster than mail surveys naively ignores the reality that the total amount of time for survey fielding time is more than just the survey response time. A complete comparison must take into account the mode of contact and how long that process will take and the mode of follow-up allowing for multiple follow-up contact periods. For example, if e-mail addresses of respondents are unavailable and a probability sample is desired then respondents may have to be contacted by mail. In this case a Web survey only saves time for the return delivery of the completed questionnaire, and not for the contact and follow-up, so that the resulting time savings may only be a fraction of the total survey fielding time. In the case of e-mail surveys, where the presumption is that the potential respondents e-mail addresses are known and can therefore be used not just for delivering the survey but also for pre-notification and non-response follow-up, the time savings can be substantial. For example, one is often forced to allow for a week of delivery time in the postal mail. With an advance letter and a single mail follow-up, this one week delay telescopes into over a month in survey fielding when two weeks must be budgeted for initial survey delivery and return time, plus an additional two weeks for a single followup reminder delivery and response time. By comparison, in an all-electronic process the same operation has the potential to be completed in a few days or less. Yet, even in an all-electronic environment it is not necessarily true that the Internet-based survey will be timelier. For example, in a comparison of response speed Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 9 between e-mail and mail, Tse et al. (1995) did not find a statistically significant difference in the time between sending and receipt of an e-mail survey to university faculty and staff and an equivalent survey sent by mail. Furthermore, to achieve sufficiently high response rates, it may be necessary to leave an Internet-based survey in the field for an extended period of time. For example, a prominent commercial Internet survey company, Knowledge Networks, has indicated that to achieve 70-80 percent response rates they must leave a survey in the field for about 10 days. This period comprises one workweek with two weekends, because they find that most respondents complete their surveys on the weekend. However, there are cases in the literature that did show more timely response. Tse (1998) found a statistically significant difference in the average initial response time for those that received an e-mail survey compared to those that received a paper survey in the campus mail (one day versus 2-1/2). Further, in Tse’s experiment, most e-mail survey recipients either responded almost immediately (within one day) or they did not respond at all, which raises the question of the effectiveness of non-response follow-up in the electronic forum. Schaefer and Dillman (1998) also document faster e-mail response rates: 76 percent of all responses were received in 4 days or less. Pealer et al. 2001) found a statistically significant difference in the average return time between their e-mail study arm (7. 3 days) and their mail study arm (9. 8 days). However, the final e-mail survey was received after 24 days and the final mail survey after 25 days—a negligible difference in overall fielding time. In conclusion, while it is certainly reasonable to conclude p rima facie that the delivery time of an Internet-based survey is faster than the delivery of a survey by mail, it does not necessarily follow that the increased delivery speed will translate into a significantly shorter survey fielding period. Two points are relevant: (1) dramatic improvements are only possible with an all-electronic process, which is currently only possible for specialized populations; and, (2) even for populations in which all-electronic surveys are possible, the literature is not very informative as there is no information available about the length of fielding time required to achieve particular response rates. Quality When the primary purpose of a survey is to gather information about a population, the information is useless unless it is accurate and representative of the population. While survey error is commonly characterized in terms of the precision of statistical estimates, a good survey design seeks to reduce all types of errors, including coverage, Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 10 sampling, non-response, and measurement errors. (See Groves, 1989, for a detailed discussion of the â€Å"Total Survey Error† approach. ) Indeed, even when a survey is conducted as a census, the results still may be affected by many of these sources of error. Coverage error is the most widely recognized shortcoming of Internet-based surveys. Today the general population coverage for Internet-based surveys still significantly lags behind the coverage achievable using conventional survey modes. However, there are some important caveats to keep in mind. First, the coverage differential is rapidly closing and may become immaterial in the relatively near future (though this is far from a preordained conclusion). Second, even though conventional modes have the ability to reach most of the population, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get people to respond (e. g. answering machines are routinely used to screen calls these days and, hence, screen out telephone surveyors and solicitors). Third, while conventional modes have near universal coverage, there will always be special subpopulations that have little or no coverage for any mode. Fourth, in the case of Internetbased surveys, access is only one consideration. Even if the respondent in principle has Internet access (e. g. through a library), there are large portions o f the population that are still computer illiterate and would have difficulty correctly responding to such a survey. Finally, access and computer literacy are necessary but not sufficient conditions for success: Respondents must also have compatible hardware and software. However, less than universal access to the Internet can be immaterial for some studies, such as studies that focus on closed populations with equal access or Internet users, for example. In order to improve coverage, Dillman (2000) recommends a mixedmode strategy for contact, using both e-mail and postal mail for pre-notification. Similarly, using mixed response modes, such as Web and e-mail can be used to increase coverage. However, as we previously mentioned, there is little evidence in the literature that concurrent mixed mode fielding increases response rates over what would have been achieved using a single, conventional mode. In addition to coverage, data quality is a function of a number of other dimensions, including: (1) unit and item nonresponse; (2) honesty of responses, particularly for questions of a sensitive nature; (3) completeness of responses, particularly for openended questions; and, (4) quality of data transcription into an electronic format for analysis if required by the survey mode. All other things held constant (such as pre-notification and non-response followup), unit and item non-response are generally smaller using interviewer-assisted modes (de Leeuw, 1992) compared to self-administered survey modes. Face-to-face interviews Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 11 have long been considered the gold standard of surveys and tend to result in the lowest unit and item non-response as well as minimizing respondent misinterpretation of questions and skip patterns. However, it has been shown that interviewer-administered survey modes, particularly face-to-face, yield more socially desirable answers than selfadministered modes (de Leeuw, 1992, Kiesler et al. , 1986, p. 409). This is particularly relevant for surveys of sensitive topics or for surveys that contain sensitive questions, such as questions about income or sexual practices, for example. Mail and other selfadministered modes tend to be the least expensive but often have higher unit and item non-response rates. On the other hand, they tend to elicit the most accurate responses to sensitive questions. Data quality is usually measured by the number of respondents with missing items or the percentage of missing items. For open-ended questions, longer answers are usually considered more informative and of higher quality. In those studies that compared e-mail versus mail, for closed-ended questions, it appears that e-mail surveys may incur a higher percentage of items missing than mail surveys. As Table 4 shows, for studies in the literature that reported the percentage of missed items, the percentage for mail respondents was less than or equal to the percent for e-mail respondents. Table 4. Average Percentage of Missed Items for E-mail and Postal Mail Surveys Postal Mail Population 14. 2 Undergraduates, University of Florida 0. 7 Business school deans and chairpersons 0. 4 Names and addresses purchased from Internet magazine in the U. K. 0. 5 Fourth-year medical students 0. 8 Employees of five U. S. federal agencies 0. 3 Active U. S. users of bulletin board system (BBS) news group Study Peale et al (2001) Bachman at al. (1996) Comley (1996)a Paolo et al. (2000) Couper et al. (1999)b Mehta and Sivadas (1995)c a E-mail 14. 2 3. 7 1. 2 1. 2 0. 8 0. 3 Based on three questions. Based on 81 attitude questions. c Across five different study arms, one of which allowed for both mail and e-mail responses. b At the respondent level, Paolo et al. (2000) also found that 27 percent of e-mail respondents did not respond to at least one question versus 9 percent for mail respondents. Kiesler and Sproull (1986) found the opposite: in the e-mail (contact and response) study arm only 10 percent of respondents failed to complete or spoiled one Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 12 item compared to 22 percent in the mail (contact and response) study arm. Tse (1995, 1998) found no difference in quality of responses. For open-ended questions, studies found that e-mail responses are either longer or of the same length as mail responses. Comley (1996) found that in the two open-ended questions e-mail respondents gave longer answers. One respondent even wrote a miniessay. Mehta and Sivadas (1995) found that there was â€Å"hardly any difference between the average completed responses for both the open and close-ended questions† (Mehta and Sivadas, 1995, p. 436). Kiesler and Sproull (1986) found that the total number of words did not significantly differ for e-mail and mail respondents. If one also takes into consideration that open-ended items for mail respondents are not always encoded for cost reasons, it appears that Internet-based survey modes may be better suited to open-ended questions. Other quality issues for Internet-based surveys resulting from some sort of sampling error are generally the same as for conventional surveys. However, as the Internet becomes more ubiquitous, collecting much larger samples becomes more feasible. Indeed, we have talked to some organizations recently that have electronic access to their entire population and are considering eliminating sampling and simply conducting censuses. Often these census efforts result in much larger numbers of respondents than otherwise could have been gathered using traditional survey sampling techniques and those larger numbers give the appearance of greater statistical accuracy. However, such accuracy may be misleading if non-response biases are not accounted for and researchers need to carefully consider the trade-offs between smaller samples that allow for careful non-response follow-up and larger samples with less or no follow-up. The former may have larger standard errors but less bias while the latter may have much smaller standard errors but an unknown, and potentially very large, amount of bias. Finally, we note that Web surveys offer the ability to clearly improve on other forms of self-administered surveys in terms of data validation, skip pattern automation, and the elimination of transcription errors, all of which help to minimize measurement error. Web surveys can be programmed to conduct input validation as a logical check of the respondent’s answers. These types of checks improve data quality and subsequently save time in the preparation of the analysis file. As with logic checks, Web surveys can also be programmed to manage the process of skipping questions. This will eliminate errors and, from the respondent’s point of view, simplify the process of taking the survey. And, while all conventional surveys required some form of conversion into an electronic Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 13 format for analysis, for Web surveys respondents’ answers are directly downloaded into a database, avoiding transcription errors. Cost Designing a survey fundamentally involves making trade-offs between the quality and quantity of data and cost. For smaller research surveys that are not subsidized in any way, a major component of total survey cost is frequently the researchers’ time for survey design and subsequent data analysis. However, these costs vary little by survey mode. A major expense that does vary by mode is the labor cost of the personnel who actually execute the survey. Depending on the size of the survey and the complexity of the design, either researcher labor costs, survey personnel labor costs, or a combination of the two will likely dominate the survey budget. Comparing the costs of doing a Web survey versus a mail survey or other some other mode in the literature is difficult because different authors define costs different ways. Academics frequently only consider postage and reproduction costs and often fail to account for the cost of one or more of various types of labor, including: survey design and/or programming, coding, analysis, and other such items. Estimates also vary depending on whether they are given on a per mail-out or per complete survey response basis and, unfortunately, most studies in the literature omit any discussion about costs altogether. However, the question often reduces to how to price the time spent programming a Web survey and whether and how to price the time of the investigator or a survey coordinator. While lower costs are often touted as one of the benefits of Internet-based surveys, Couper et al. (1999) found no cost benefit in e-mail compared to postal mail surveys in their work. In a large and comprehensive survey effort of different government agencies Couper et al. compared an all e-mail survey (contact, response, and follow-up) versus an all mail survey. They found that evaluating and testing the e-mail software took over 150 hours – almost 4 times as much as they budgeted. For the mail survey, costs for printing and postage were $1. 60 per reply; and data editing and entry cost about $1. 81. For the email survey, managing the e-mail cost $1. 74 per completed case. In addition, they handled over 900 toll-free calls of a mostly technical nature. While the printing and mailing costs were eliminated for the e-mail survey, Couper et al. found that the costs of evaluating and testing the e-mail software, additional post-collection processing, and the costs of maintaining a toll-free phone line which was largely dedicated to responding to technical questions related to the e-mail surveys offset any savings. (For example, while Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 14 the e-mail survey was designed so that respondents would use the reply function of their e-mail program so the resulting replies could be automatically read into a database upon receipt. Further, almost 47 percent of the e-mail surveys required some type of clerical action to prepare them for automatic reading. On the other hand, Raziano et al. (2001) in a small study of 110 Geriatric Chiefs across the U. S. , compute the cost per respondent for their mail study arm to be $7. 70 and for their e-mail study arm $10. 50. The programming time to construct the e-mai l survey is factored into this calculation. However, the total programming time accounted for, two hours, may be unrealistic for a large or complicated survey operation. Also, these estimates fail to reflect the fact that their postal arm response rate from the first mail-out exceeded the e-mail arm response rate after four contact attempts. Hence, for a given desired response rate, the difference in costs would be less as fewer mailings would be required. Similarly, Schleyer and Forrest (2000) in their study received responses over the Web, by mail, and by fax and found the total costs for the Web survey turned out to be 38 percent lower than for the equivalent mail survey. Asch (as reported in Schonlau et al. 2002) found that adding a Web response option to a mail survey to be economical when about 620 responses are obtained over the Web when the Web is first used as the primary survey mode and surveys are only mailed out to non-respondents. Their calculations were based on the trade-off of the expected savings in postage, printing, and labor costs to prepare survey mailing packages and code the subsequent survey returns against the expected extra costs of programming, additional management effort, and maintaining a telephone help-line for the Web survey. This study did achieve a cost savings since it garnered over 1,000 Web responses. In two studies that essentially ignore personnel costs, Mehta and Sivadas (1995) and Jones and Pitt (1999) conclude, not surprisingly, that Internet-based surveys are less costly than mail surveys. These conclusions simply stem from the fact that Internetbased surveys do not incur postage and printing costs while mail surveys do. In conclusion, when only considering postage and printing costs, e-mail and Web surveys almost by definition are cheaper than mail surveys. However, when the total costs of a survey are considered, including labor and other costs, Web surveys may or may not be cheaper depending on whether the additional expenses incurred with that mode, such as programmer costs, are offset by savings, such as postage and data entry costs. When planning for and subsequently executing a Web survey, care must be taken that unanticipated technical problems are minimized or these problems can easily eliminate all potential cost benefits. Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 15 SUMMARIZING THE CURRENT PERFORMANCE OF INTERNET SURVEYS In the Introduction we said that Internet-based surveys are in vogue – those conducted via the Web in particular – primarily because of three assumptions: (a) Web surveys are much cheaper to conduct; (b) Web surveys are faster; and, (c) combined with other survey modes, Web surveys yield a higher response rate than the other survey modes by themselves. That is, the usual naive generalization about Internet-based surveys is that they can be conducted faster, better, cheaper, and easier than surveys conducted via conventional methods. How do these claims stand up when compared to what has been published in the literature? Faster? Web surveys are thought to be much faster than conventional survey modes. While there is no question that the delivery time of an Internet-based survey is faster than a survey sent via the mail, there is little to no evidence in the literature to substantiate whether this increase subsequently results in a shorter overall fielding period. We are aware of a couple of organizations that have implemented all-electronic survey processes by communicating with respondents via e-mail, but this is only currently possible for prerecruited panels or specialized subsets of the population. If respondents must be contacted through mail or phone, which generally is the case if a probability sample is required by the research, then there may only be a marginal improvement in overall response times. Better? Response rates for Web surveys where no other survey mode is iven have tended to range from moderate to poor. The reasons for this are not clear. It is possible that potential respondents simply do not respond as well to electronic solicitation or response. If true, this may improve as Internet-based communication methods continue to spread and become routine with all segments of the general population. It is also possible that the execution of the Internet-based survey experiments have been less than optimal – something th at will improve with surveyor experience. There are a few examples of Web surveys outperforming mail in some of the more recent comparisons between these two media. Whether this was a unique result for these few surveys, or whether it is a leading indicator that the field is maturing and learning how to achieve higher response rates in the new medium is not known. In either case, it Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 16 is of concern that any improvements in these areas may be offset by over-saturation of the population with other forms of commercial surveys. Setting the question of response rate aside, Web surveys offer some advantages over conventional modes. For example, if multi-media and/or interactive graphics are required then there are few conventional alternatives (and those alternatives, such as face-to-face interviewing, would likely be significantly more costly). If a convenience sample will suffice for the research, then Web can be an excellent medium to use, particularly if the desired respondents are geographically diverse or hard to find/identify. A major issue for Web surveys is their ease of implementation facilitates naive misuse. The particular concern for this medium is the easy collection of large numbers of surveys can result in surveyors and survey data consumers confusing quantity with quality. There is on-going research about the effects of surveying via the Internet, the Web in particular, on unit and item non-response and on the affect the medium has on survey responses. Preliminary results have been reported at some conferences and symposia, but little has appeared in the literature as yet. Cheaper? The usual claim that Web surveys are much cheaper than mail surveys is not necessarily true. Web and e-mail surveys can save on some or all mailing costs, but except for very large surveys these may be small costs in the overall survey effort. Web surveys can also eliminate data entry costs; e-mail survey results may not because they often require additional manipulation before they can be downloaded into an analytical database. However, savings in data entry may be partially or completely offset against higher programming costs and additional help desk staffing requirements. The literature mostly neglects labor costs, which form the highest cost component for Web surveys. Nonetheless, adding a Web survey to a mail survey can be cost efficient if done carefully and properly. Easier? The implementation of Web surveys is technically more involved than mail or phone surveys. Survey designers need to specify many issues related to the technical control of Web surveys (e. g. how to move back and forward between questions, input validation, passwords, for what questions answers are not optional) that are simpler or not required with conventional survey modes. Web surveys also require more extensive Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 17 pretesting to ensure both that the questions elicit the desired information and that the program works properly across numerous hardware and software configurations. The fielding process may or may not be made easier. Internet-based surveys have the potential to eliminate some of the more labor-intensive fielding tasks, such as survey package preparation and mailing and the subsequent data entry. Yet, if mixed modes are required to obtain sufficient population coverage and/or response rates, then these tasks cannot be completely eliminated and the fielding process may actually then become more complex since support for two or modes must be maintained and managed. What is the Future of Internet-based Surveying? The first Internet browser was introduced only about a decade ago and early use of the World Wide Web as a survey medium only started about five years ago. The result is that significant research results about the use of this new survey medium have only recently begun to become available in the literature. Hence, there is a great deal that is still not well known about Internet-based surveys. While some predict that Web surveys will replace other survey modes, we expect Web surveys to develop into a distinct survey mode with advantages and disadvantages that will have to be weighed against the conventional alternatives. Little is known about Web instrument design and the effects of instrument design on how survey participants respond to a survey or a particular survey question, and what enhances response rates and response accuracy. For example, at the 2001 American Association of Public Opinion Researchers conference, some anecdotal evidence was presented that respondents taking surveys on the Web had shorter attention spans, tending to browse the survey like they browse other Web sites. If true, this would suggest that long surveys and/or surveys with complex questions may not perform as well on the Web as by mail. While many of the design principles from paper-based surveys may translate to Internet-based surveys, much more research is required. To date, most Web surveys have been conducted on convenience samples or in organizations where a list of target populations readily exists. However, Internet-based surveys with probability samples can be fielded by using the mail or telephone for respondent contact and the Web for response. There is currently no equivalent to random digit dialing for e-mail. Even though the fraction of the population having access to email will continue to grow, it is unlikely that one will ever be able to construct a random e-mail address in the same way a random telephone number is constructed. However, Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 18 large commercial e-mail lists may yet emerge that are of high enough quality to be useful in survey research. A major challenge for researchers will be to distinguish themselves and their survey from the plethora of commercial and entertainment surveys that exist and continue to multiply on the Web. These other surveys will continue to proliferate because the financial and technical barriers are so low for Web surveys. Thus, just as telephone survey response rates have continued to decline because of telemarketers, it s likely to become increasingly difficult to achieve superior response rates in the new medium. Nonetheless, Internet-based surveys are here to stay. The challenge for researchers is to learn to use the new medium to their best advantage. REFERENCES Asch, B. , (2001). RAND, Santa Monica, California. Personal communication. Bachman, E. , J. Elfrink, and G. Vazzana (1996). Tracking the Progress of E-Mail vs. Snail-Ma il, Marketing Research, 8, 31-35. Bradley, N. (1999). Sampling for Internet Surveys. An Examination of Respondent Selection for Internet Research, Journal of the Market Research Society, 41, 387395. Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling Techniques, 3rd edition, John Wiley Sons, New York, NY. Comley, P. (1996). Internet Surveys. The Use of the Internet as a Data Collection Method, ESOMAR/EMAC: Research Methodologies for â€Å"The New Marketing,† Symposium ESOMAR Publication Services, vol. 204, 335-346. Coomber, R. (1997). Using the Internet for Survey Research, Sociological Research Online, 2, 14-23. Couper, M. (2000). Web Surveys, A Review of Issues and Approaches, Public Opinion Quarterly, 64, 464-494. Couper, M. P. , J. Blair and T. Triplett (1999). A Comparison of Mail and E-mail for a Survey of Employees in U. S. Statistical Agencies. Journal of Official Statistics, 15, 39-56. Couper, M. P. , M. W. Traugott, M. J. Lamias (2001). Web Survey Design and Administration. Public Opinion Quarterly, 65, 230-253. Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 19 de Leeuw, E. D. (1992). Data Quality in Mail, Telephone, and face to Face Surveys, Ph. D. dissertation, University of Amsterdam, ISBN 90-801073-1-X. Dillman, D. A. (2000). Mail and Internet Surveys, The Tailored Design Method, 2nd ed. , John Wiley Sons, New York, NY. Dillman, D. A. , R. D. Tortora, J. Conradt and D. Bowerk (1998). Influence of Plain vs. Fancy Design on Response Rates for Web Surveys. Unpublished paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Statistical Association, Dallas, TX. Dillman, D. A. (1978). Mail and Telephone Surveys, The Total Design Method, John Wiley Sons, New York, NY. Everingham, S. (2001). RAND, Santa Monica, California. Personal communication. Fowler, Jr. , F. J. (1993). Survey Research Methods, 2nd ed. , Applied Social Science Research Methods Series, volume 1, SAGE Publications, Newbury Park, CA. Griffin, D. H. , D. P. Fischer, and M. T. Morgan (2001). Testing an Internet Response Option for the American Community Survey. Paper presented at the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Groves, R. (1989). Survey Errors and Survey Costs, John Wiley Sons, New York, NY. Hamilton, C. H. (2001). Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base, personal communication. Henry, G. T. (1990). Practical Sampling, Applied Social Research Methods Series, Volume 21, SAGE Publications, Newbury Park, CA. Jones, R. and N. Pitt (1999). Health Surveys in the Workplace: Comparison of Postal, Email and World Wide Web Methods, Occupational Medicine, 49, 556-558. Kiesler, S. and L. S. Sproull (1986). Response Effects in the Electronic Survey, Public Opinion Quarterly, 50, 402-413. Kish, L. (1965). Survey Sampling, John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY. Kittleson, M. J. (1995). An Assessment of the Response Rate Via the Postal Service and E-Mail, Health Values, 18, 27-29. McCabe, S. E. , Boyd, C. , Couper, M. P. , Crawford, S. , and H. d’Arcy (2002). Mode Effects for Collecting Health Data from College Students: Internet and US Mail. Paper under review. Mehta, R. and E. Sivadas (1995). Comparing Response Rates and Response Content in Mail versus Electronic Mail Surveys, Journal of the Market Research Society, 37, 429-439. Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 20 Nichols, E. , and B. Sedivi (1998). Economic Data Collection via the Web: A Census Bureau Case Study Proceedings of the Section On Survey research Methods, American Statistical Association,366-371. Paolo, A. M. , Bonaminio, G. A. , Gibson, C. , Partridge, T. and K. Kallail (2000). Response Rate Comparisons of e-mail and mail distributed student evaluations, Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 12, 81-84. Parker, L. (1992). Collecting Data the E-Mail Way, Training and Development, July, 5254. Pealer, L. , R. M. Weiler, R. M. Pigg, D. Miller, and S. M. Dorman (2001). The Feasibility of a Web-Based Surveillance System to Collect Health Risk Behavior Data From College Students. Health Education Behavior, 28, 547-559. Quigley, B. , Riemer, R. A. , Cruzen, D. E. , and S. Rosen (2000). Internet Versus Paper Survey Administration: Preliminary Finding on Response Rates, 42nd Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association, Edinburgh Scotland. Raziano, D. B. , R. Jayadevappa, D. Valenzula, M. Weiner, and R. Lavizzo-Mourey (2001). E-mail Versus Conventional Postal Mail Survey of Geriatric Chiefs. The Gerontologist, 41, 799-804. Schaefer, D. R. and D. A. Dillman (1998). Development of a Standard E-mail Methodology: Results of an Experiment. Public Opinion Quarterly, 62, 378-397. Schleyer, T. K. L. and J. L. Forrest (2000). Methods for the Design and Administration Web-Based Surveys, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 7, 416-425 Schillewaert, N. , F. Langerak and T. Duhamel (1998). Non-probability Sampling for WWW Surveys: A Comparison of Methods, Journal of the Market Research Society, 40, 307-322. Schonlau, M. , Fricker, R. D. , Jr. , and M. Elliott. (2002). Conducting Research Surveys via E-Mail and the Web, RAND: Santa Monica, MR-1480-RC. Schuldt, B. A. and J. W. Totten (1994). Electronic Mail vs. Mail Survey Response Rates, Marketing Research, 6, 36-44. Sedivi Gaul, B. (2001a). Web Computerized Self-administered Questionnaires (CSAQ). Presentation to the 2001 Federal CASIC Workshops. U. S. Census Bureau, Computer Assisted Survey Research Office. Sedivi Gaul, B. (2001b). United States Census Bureau, Washington, D. C. Personal Communication. Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 21 Sheehan, K. B. (2001). E-mail survey response rates: A review. Journal of ComputerMediated Communication, 6(2). Retrieved March 9, 2002, from http://www. ascusc. org/jcmc/vol6/issue2/sheehan. html. Tse, A. C. B. , Tse, K. C. , Yin, C. H. , Ting, C. B. , Yi, K. W. , Yee, K. P. , and W. C. Hong (1995). Comparing Two Methods of Sending Out Questionnaires: E-mail versus Mail, Journal of the Market Research Society, 37, 441-446. Tse, A. C. B. (1998). Comparing the Response Rate, Response Speed and Response Quality of Two Methods of Sending Questionnaires: E-mail versus Mail, Journal of the Market Research Society, 40, 353-361. Tuten, T. L. , D. J. Urban, and M. Bosnjak (in press, 2002). â€Å"Internet Surveys and Data Quality: A Review† in: B. Batinic, U. Reips, M. Bosnjak, A. Werner, eds. , Online Social Sciences, Hogrefe Huber, Seattle, 7-27. Vehovar, V. , K. Lozar Manfreda, and Z. Batagelj (1999). Web Surveys: Can the Weighting Solve the Problem? Proceedings of the Section on Survey Research Methods, American Statistical Association, Alexandria, VA, 962-967. Vehovar, V. , K. Lozar Manfreda, and Z. Batagelj (2001). Sensitivity of e-commerce Measurement to the Survey Instrument. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 6, 31-51. Walsh, J. P. , S. Kiesler, L. S. Sproull, and B. W. Hesse (1992). Self-Selected and Randomly Selected Respondents in a Computer Network Survey, Public Opinion Quarterly, 56, 241-244. Witte, J. C. , L. M. Amoroso, and P. E. N. Howard (2000). Research Methodology – Method and Representation in Internet-based Survey Tools, Social Science Computer Review, 18, 179-195. Zhang, Y. (2000). Using the Internet for Survey Research: A Case Study, Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 5, 57-68. Ron Fricker is a statistician at RAND. He has designed, managed, and analyzed many large surveys of national importance, including a survey of Persian Gulf War veterans about Gulf War Illnesses and, most recently, a survey on domestic terrorism preparedness in the United States. Dr. Fricker holds Ph. D. in Statistics from Yale University. In addition to his position at RAND, Dr. Fricker is the vice-chairman of the Committee on Statisticians in Defense and National Security of the American Statistical Association, an associate editor of Naval Research Logistics, and an adjunct assistant professor at University of Southern California. Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 22 Matthias Schonlau, Ph. D. , is an associate statistician with RAND and heads its statistical consulting service. Dr. Schonlau has extensive experience with the design and analysis of surveys in areas such as health care, military manpower and terrorism. Prior to joining RAND, he held positions with the National Institute of Statistical Sciences and with AT Labs Research. Dr. Schonlau has co-authored numerous articles as well as a recent RAND book â€Å"Conducting Internet Surveys via E-mail and the Web. † In 2001, he and his team won second place in the data mining competition at the world’s largest conference on data mining â€Å"KDD. † Acknowledgements. The helpful and substantive comments of three anonymous reviewers and the editor significantly improved this work. Our research was supported by RAND as part of its continuing program of independent research. Field Methods, Vol. 14 No. 4, 2002 347-367. 23 How to cite Boon or Bane, Papers

Similarities and Differences between the Role of Women in Australia and China

Over the last four decades, there has been a major focus on the roles of female citizens in various countries. Although ranked behind Europe and North America, the Asia-Pacific nations have strived to make significant steps towards recognizing the role of women in their socioeconomic and political systems (Cotter, 79). Australia and China are some of the nations that have demonstrated evidence of the changing roles of women. In particular, Australia ranks third behind New Zealand and Philippines.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Similarities and Differences between the Role of Women in Australia and China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although China performs poorly in terms of empowering women in all leadership sectors, recent evidence suggests that women in the country are increasingly taking various positions in corporate, social, academic and other fields. Arguably, Chinese and Australian women are increasin gly taking the advantage of fast growing economies and social transitions in their countries to improve their welfare and equality, albeit in comparably different ways. The feminism movements of the late 19th century and 20th century produced a profound impact on how the Australian societies perceive women. After gaining the rights to vote and to stand for parliamentary positions in the late 19th century, feminism movements in Australia focused on achieving equality in other areas such as labour, leadership in social and civil sectors, business and corporate, security and military fields (Genardini 34). In the modern world, Australian women are ranked among the most learned females in the region, alongside their counterparts from Philippines and New Zealand. It is worth noting that Australian women have achieved almost equal recognition as potential employees in most sectors. In fact, it has been shown that only a few job categories are considered â€Å"men jobs† in the moder n world. In addition, a number of legislations have been established with an aim of protecting females from gender-based discrimination in education and labour. These factors have contributed to an increase in the number of women competing with their male counterparts at work and in labour market every year. However, human rights commission of Australia (1) provides statistical evidence that women are yet to achieve the desired standards of equality at work. For instance, statistics show that women make about 57% of the total employees of the commonwealth public service. In 2010, the federal government set a target of 40% of all positions in the government boards for women, which is equal to the positions set for men. Apart from these boards, the target also applies to a number of other areas such as government business and private-public sectors. However, a good number of boards have less women members than 40% (Greig, Frank and White 51).Advertising Looking for essay on histo ry? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In politics and political leadership, the role of women in Australia has become evidence. The political role of women has changed over the last three decades. For instance, a number of women have successfully vied for local and parliamentary positions at the state and federal region. Moreover, women occupy about 24% of the elected members of the House of Representatives and about 38% of the national senate. This is an indication that women roles have gained positive attention form the society. It is worth noting that the election of Julia Gillard as the first female prime Minister of Australia provides evidence of the changing perceptions that the society has for women. In academia, Australian women occupy more than 42% of the total lecturing and leading positions in public universities. However, women have not achieved the expected 40% of the number of professors in public universities. This is an indication that males continue to dominate in the academic field. In law, statistics have shown that women have overtaken men in terms of the number of individuals graduating with law degrees every year. For instance, about 61% of all law graduates in the country are women. However, they hold only 20% of the senior positions in private law firms, which shows that women roles in the field need more attention. Moreover, women occupy only 16% of the total positions in the federal court. Despite these achievements, a number of factors hinder the improvement and recognition of the role of women in public and private sectors. For instance, women bear the largest burden of child rearing. A large number of Australian women remain at home taking care of their children and families, despite having equal chances of employment and leadership with their male counterparts. Secondly, aboriginal women are still considered as subjects of their male counterparts in their societies. They are suppos ed to perform the roles of housekeeping and child rearing rather than seeking education and leadership positions. Like Australia, the role of women in China has evolved from the traditional belief that women’s role is only at home and child rearing to a modern paradigm that allows women to participate in socioeconomic development.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Similarities and Differences between the Role of Women in Australia and China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In labour and workforce, women in China perform better compared to their Australian counterparts. For instance, studies have shown that about 45% of the total working population comprises of women (Li 12). In addition, more than 80% of women who graduate from national and regional universities in China find jobs in the local market (Matthews and Nee128) However, Chinese women bear the burden of illiteracy when compared to Australian femal es. For instance, a large number of rural women in China are illiterate and poor than males. This is not common in Australia, where females and males in the rural areas have equal chances of education and jobs. Australia performs better than China in terms of empowering women to participate in politics and political leadership. In fact, there is a severe underrepresentation of Chinese females in all political settings. While Australia has experienced women leadership, including a Prime Minister, no Chinese woman has ever made it to the top level of political decision-making bodies, including the Communist Party. Moreover, the Chinese cabinet is primarily made of men. In fact, most regimes have maintained a low number of women ministers (Tamney 81). For example, the Chinese cabinet had only three women by 2011. In fact, recent statistics indicate that Chinese women shy away from competing with men in politics, especially in the parliament. However, Chinese women have better and leadi ng roles in business and corporate fields. Studies have shown that legalization of divorce and abortion in China has improved women rights (Jeffreys 67). In turn, this has empowered women. It has enabled them to run businesses, seek board membership in corporations and own companies. In conclusion, women in Australia and China have significantly similar roles and positions in the society and family. Women rights and responsibilities have also evolved over time in the two nations, resulting into a new perception of their abilities and roles. Works Cited Cotter, Mooney. Gender Injustice: An International Comparative Analysis of Equality in Employment. Sydney, Ashgate, 2010. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Genardini, Nancy. A Woman’s Place: The Role of Women in Australian Society. Sydney: Lloyd O’Neil, 2007. Print. Greig, Alastair Frank Lewins and Kevin White. Inequality in Australia. Sydney, Ashgate, 2011. Print. Jeffreys, Elaine. Sex and Sexuality in China. London, Routledge, 2010. Print Li, Xiaorong. Gender Inequality in China and Cultural Relativismin Women, Culture and Development: A Study of Human Capabilities. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print. Matthews, Rebecca and Victor Nee. Gender inequality and economic growth in rural China. Social Science Research, 29. 4 (2000): 606–632. Print Tamney, Joseph. Modernization, Globalization, and Confucianism in Chinese Societies. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2011. Print. This essay on Similarities and Differences between the Role of Women in Australia and China was written and submitted by user Raegan Z. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Battle of York in the War of 1812

Battle of York in the War of 1812 The Battle of York was fought April 27, 1813, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815). In 1813, American commanders around Lake Ontario elected to move against York (present-day Toronto), the capital of Upper Canada. Though lacking in strategic value, York presented an easier target than the main British base on the lake at Kingston. Landing on April 27, American forces were able to overwhelm Yorks defenders and captured the town, though promising young commander Brigadier General Zebulon Pike was lost in the process. In the wake of the battle, American troops looted and burned the town. Background In the wake of the failed campaigns of 1812, newly re-elected President James Madison was forced to reassess the strategic situation along the Canadian border. As a result, it was decided to focus American efforts for 1813 on achieving victory on Lake Ontario and the Niagara frontier. Success on this front also required control of the lake. To this end, Captain Isaac Chauncey had been dispatched to Sackets Harbor, NY in 1812 for the purpose of constructing a fleet on Lake Ontario. It was believed that victory in and around Lake Ontario would cut off Upper Canada and open the way for an attack on Montreal. In preparation for the main American push at Lake Ontario, Major General Henry Dearborn was ordered to position 3,000 men at Buffalo for a strike against Forts Erie and George as well as 4,000 men at Sackets Harbor. This second force was to attack Kingston at the upper outlet of the lake. Success on both fronts would sever the lake from Lake Erie and the St. Lawrence River. At Sackets Harbor, Chauncey had rapidly constructed a fleet that had wrested naval superiority away from the British. Meeting at Sackets Harbor, Dearborn and Chauncey began to have misgivings about the Kingston operation despite the fact that the objective was only thirty miles away. While Chauncey fretted about possible ice around Kingston, Dearborn was concerned about the size of the British garrison. Instead of striking at Kingston, the two commanders instead elected to conduct a raid against York, Ontario (present-day Toronto). Though of minimal strategic value, York was the capital of Upper Canada and Chauncey had intelligence that two brigs were under construction there. Battle of York Conflict: War of 1812Dates: April 27, 1813Armies Commanders:AmericansMajor General Henry DearbornBrigadier General Zebulon PikeCommodore Isaac Chauncey1,700 men, 14 shipsBritishMajor General Roger Hale Sheaffe700 regulars, militia, and Native AmericansCasualties:Americans: 55 killed, 265 woundedBritish: 82 killed, 112 wounded, 274 captured, 7 missing The Americans Land Departing on April 25, Chaunceys ships carried Dearborns troops across the lake to York. The town itself was defended by a fort on the west side as well as a nearby Government House Battery mounting two guns. Further west was the small Western Battery which possessed two 18-pdr guns. At the time of the American attack, the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, Major General Roger Hale Sheaffe was in York to conduct business. The victor of the Battle of Queenston Heights, Sheaffe possessed three companies of regulars, as well as around 300 militia and as many as 100 Native Americans. Having crossed the lake, American forces began landing approximately three miles west of York on April 27. A reluctant, hands-off commander, Dearborn delegated operational control Brigadier General Zebulon Pike. A famed explorer who had traversed the American West, Pikes first wave was led by Major Benjamin Forsyth and a company of the 1st US Rifle Regiment. Coming ashore, his men were met by intense fire from a group of Native Americans under James Givins. Sheaffe ordered a company of the Glengarry Light Infantry to support Givins, but they became lost after leaving town. Map of the Battle of York.   Public Domain Fighting Ashore Outflanking Givins, the Americans were able to secure the beachhead with the assistance of Chaunceys guns. Landing with three more companies, Pike began forming his men when they were attacked by the grenadier company of the 8th Regiment of Foot. Outnumbering their attackers, who launched a bayonet charge, they repelled the assault and inflicted heavy losses. Reinforcing his command, Pike began advancing by platoons towards the town. His advance was supported by two 6-pdr guns while Chaunceys ships began a bombardment of the fort and Government House Battery. Directing his men to block the Americans, Sheaffe found that his forces were being steadily driven back. An attempt was made to rally around the Western Battery, but this position collapsed following the accidental detonation of the batterys travelling magazine. Falling back to a ravine near the fort, the British regulars joined with the militia to make a stand. Outnumbered on land and taking fire from the water, Sheaffes resolve gave way and he concluded that the battle was lost. Instructing the militia to make the best terms possible with the Americans, Sheaffe and regulars retreated east, burning the shipyard as they departed. As the withdrawal began, Captain Tito LeLià ¨vre was sent to blow up the forts magazine to prevent its capture. Unaware that the British were departing, Pike was preparing to assault the fort. He was approximately 200 yards away interrogating a prisoner when LeLià ¨vre detonated the magazine. In the resulting explosion, Pikes prisoner was killed instantly by debris while the general was mortally wounded in the head and shoulder. In addition, 38 Americans were killed and over 200 wounded. With Pike dead, Colonel Cromwell Pearce took command and re-formed the American forces. A Breakdown of Discipline Learning that the British wished to surrender, Pearce sent Lieutenant Colonel George Mitchell and Major William King to negotiate. As talks began, the Americans were annoyed at having to deal with the militia rather than Sheaffe and the situation worsened when it became clear that the shipyard was burning. As talks moved forward, the British wounded were gathered in the fort and largely left unattended as Sheaffe had taken the surgeons. That night the situation deteriorated with American soldiers vandalizing and looting the town, despite earlier orders from Pike to respect private property. In the days fighting, the American force lost 55 killed and 265 wounded, mostly as a result of the magazine explosion. British losses totaled 82 killed, 112 wounded, and 274 captured. The next day, Dearborn and Chauncey came ashore. After prolonged talks, a surrender agreement was produced on April 28 and the remaining British forces paroled. While war material was confiscated, Dearborn ordered the 21st Regiment into the town to maintain order. Searching the shipyard, Chaunceys sailors were able to refloat the aged schooner Duke of Gloucester, but were unable to salvage the sloop of war Sir Isaac Brock which had been under construction. Despite the ratification of the surrender terms, the situation in York did not improve and soldiers continued to loot private homes, as well as public buildings such as the town library and St. James Church. The situation came to a head when the Parliament buildings burned. Aftermath On April 30, Dearborn returned control to the local authorities and ordered his men to re-embark. Before doing so, he ordered other government and military buildings in the town, including the Governors Residence, deliberately burned. Due to foul winds, the American force unable to depart the harbor until May 8. Though a victory for American forces, the attack on York cost them a promising commander and did little to alter the strategic situation on Lake Ontario. The looting and burning of the town led to calls for revenge across Upper Canada and set the precedent for subsequent burnings, including that of Washington, DC in 1814.