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Critical Review Was the Brexit Decision in 2016 a Vote Against Globalization
Critical Review
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Critical Review
Was the Brexit Decision in 2016 a Vote Against Globalization?
Introduction
Globalization refers to a dynamic phenomenon that constitutes various elements, which cuts across various boundaries and leads to worldwide or global integration. In contrast, Brexit refers to the campaign spearheaded by the U.K to exit the European Union (EU). The existence of globalization today traces back to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 (Elliot, 2016). Globalization was an idea that was developed to ensure that countries had the opportunity to improve their transnational capital and allow the movement of people from one region to the other. Since 1989, globalization has accelerated, with there being high movements of goods, capital, and people. The high movements diminished the roles of states, and the market forces were believed to be unstoppable. However, globalization has faced many obstacles since its introduction. For example, the protests in Seattle of 1999, where there was the World Trade Organization meeting is evidence in opposition to globalization (Cohen & Schwartz, 2016). It was inevitable that globalization will still face rejection by different nations, especially the developed ones. The Brexit decision was a vote against globalization, but at the same time, the decision cannot slow the progress of globalization.
Brexit Vote was Against Globalization
Despite the role that globalization has played in improving trade and travel across the globe, there are individuals or natives in different countries, for example, England who feel like globalization has done the opposite. They think that it has led to an increase in unemployment and the high population growth, which also places the readily available jobs at risk for the natives (Coyle, 2016). The slogan that was used to campaign for Brexit itself led by the lead campaigner PM Boris Johnson was “Let’s take back control,” which shows how desperate Britons were to move out of European Union bureaucracy and globalization. The slogan also showcased the frustrations of Britons, which can be highlighted with some of the challenges that they have been facing since the incorporation of globalization. Brexit was just an option that was considered by countries that are trying to create a barrier to some of the negative impacts that have been associated with globalization (Blockmans, 2016). Generally, England thought that globalization was the problem since it is the root cause of some of the problems in their country.
Some of the reasons that led to the Brexit vote are deeply rooted in the U.K society, and it is attributed to globalization. The frustration is not only shared by a majority of Britons but also other citizens from other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Many households within these countries have not witnessed progress in their income growth since the year 20005 (Dustmann, Tommaso & Ian, 2013). Research has shown that a majority of young people from these regions think that they will never become richer than their parents (Dobbs et al., 2016). The United Kingdom has been experienced deindustrialization since the year 1970, and this can be attributed to the recession, which occurred in the 1980s and early 19990s. During this period, many manufacturing companies collapsed, and many people lost their jobs. One example of a company that collapsed was the Eastman Machine, which was known to produce sophisticated cutting tools (Cohen & Schwartz, 2016). Most affected companies were located in the North of England and in the midlands, and this would explain why most of the individuals that were pushing for Brexit came from these regions.
The rise of populist personalities and parties who believe that globalization does not offer enough for them played a huge role in the Brexit vote. For instance, in the U.K, PM Cameron had to resign after the conservative party won the push for Brexit Vote since he was at the forefront of supporting the U.K to remain in the EU. Rich countries such as U.S and the U.K, which are led by populists like Boris Johnson, Donald Trump have been on the forefront of leading push backs to globalization. In the USA, Trump has gain support from multiple blue collar individuals who believe that there is an influx of foreigners and a high rate of job losses (Chandran, 2016). They undermine the role that globalization provides such as cheap products, loads of opportunities, and easy travel (Buerkle, 2016). The campaign that was led by the PM Boris Johnson is mostly supported by rich populists who believe that globalization is a threat to development. Some of the populists include hedge fund managers and brokers who do not want to run their business in areas that are under E.U regulations.
It should be noted that economists rate the success of globalization on the overall economic impact in the country rather than individuals who only want to benefit themselves (Becker, 2016). For instance, Vodafone is a multinational company whose headquarters is located in London, but currently, they are considering relocating from England after the completion of Brexit vote. Such a move by Vodafone would result in the loss of employment opportunities by Britain’s employed by the telecommunications giant. Still at the same time, billionaires who own giant telecommunication companies within Britain will relish the opportunity to enrich themselves.
British Politicians and the citizens felt that globalization has caused the rise in the number of immigrants in the UK. They do believe that immigration policies affected by the EU unregulated policies has made borders porous (Chandran, 2016). When the borders are porous, it makes the natives insecure since they see the influx as a threat to the available job opportunities. In the UK, studies have shown that immigration has had a huge impact on the labor pool, specifically for the low skilled workers. The rise of refugees has also proved to be an obstacle for some countries, considering that if they are member of EU they have to oblige in opening their borders.
Some politicians championed for exit so that the government can model their own terms when engaging in business activities. Half of Britain’s import and export are accounted by the EU. UK benefits from their membership in the EU since this lowers trade barriers, which in turn improve business (Fouskas, 2016). When there are low trade barriers the British society benefit from cheap products. Despite all the advantages acquired by Britain, they still cannot negotiate their trade policies by non-EU members; rather they will have to consult the EU. Organizations such as EU are at the forefront championing globalization messages. However, when certain opportunities arise, which nations can take advantage of; they cannot go through with them due to the policies set by EU. Such policy also played a huge role on the reason for the Brexit vote. Withdrawal from Brexit allows Britain to negotiate trade agreements with countries who are not mebers of the European Union.
A majority of individuals who voted for Britain to leave European Union were found to be conservative and held certain political beliefs (Sampson, 2017). They were also against cosmopolitanism and thought that life in Britain was not getting any better. Globalization has lead to the integration of cultures and has promoted cosmopolitanisms, with inclusivity being the current change that has had a tremendous effect on the society (Sampson, 2017). People should be able to celebrate diversity since it is what makes nation great. The incorporation of individuals from different parts of the world promotes multiculturalism and avails knowledge from all walks of life.
Brexit Vote Will Have no Significant Impact on Globalization
The U. K used the Brexit vote to make the European Union a scapegoat for some of their failures as a country. Upon the completing the Brexit vote, the UK experienced a financial fallout in her currency. Before the vote, the pound had rose above $1.50 but after the vote it decreased to the lowest, $1.33 in a period of about 31 years (Buerkle, 2016). This shows that globalization has got great strength despite countries like UK undermining it. After the decrease in her monetary trade, the Bank of England vowed to provide liquidity and provide support to stabilize U.K’s markets; however, this approach is risky considering that over reliance on monetary policies by a country always makes it vulnerable. On the other hand, a decline in power of the pound creates a risk to a small number of countries that depend on foreign investment from England. The number of countries which are dependent on the pound at the same time are minimal, in most countries there would be minimal effect since there is a low probability the decline of the pound would have a ripple effect on the other countries.
One of the reasons for voting Brexit out was immigration policies in the U.K, however, the U.K has been suffering from immigration issues since the 1960s. The only difference is that most of the immigrants were coming from the West Indies and Asia but currently, most of them are from Eastern Europe (Becker, 2016). The same applies for countries like the USA, during the colonial times Mexicans used to be allowed to cross the border to work in USA farms hence the problem of migration cannot be solely be underpinned on immigration. It is the responsibility of U.K to come up with policies or actions that could help them manage the immigration issues. Besides, if some of the big companies relocated from England after the Brexit vote, some of their citizens may opt to look for greener pastures in other countries such as the USA to practice their profession. This can be showcased by many Britain actors who currently work in Hollywood where film industry is great. In addition, Britain will still need low skilled and high skilled workers from the European countries to work in some of their companies or businesses, which is a product of globalization.
Most of the voters who voted for the U.K to move out of the EU were discontented by the modern Britain; they felt like they were left out. At the same time, when the voters were asked if the European Union had played a major role in them being left out, they did not provide relevant information (Sampson, 2017). England cannot blame the EU for its low productivity and why their trains do not run on time. Most of U. K’s problems are local rather than international. Therefore, such problems cannot be solved by leaving the European Union. U.K needs to examine itself and come up with local solutions rather than international solutions. Most of the voters are simply influenced by politicians rather than critically examining what might be the repercussions of EU exit, this can be attributed to the large percentage of the population which voted for the U.K to opt out of E.U had no college or university education.
As much as more emphasis for massive job losses that was experienced in the manufacturing sector is placed on globalization, it has also created various job opportunities, specifically in London (Fouskas, 2016). It is among the leading cities as far as global economy is concerned. It is one of the leading centres for international business activities (Fouskas, 2016). Its’ success it is attributed to one of the factors which is not only availability of quality staff but also its access to transport infrastructure and markets. All these factors are brought about by the existence of globalization. Globalization has not caused massive job losses but rather improved the set of skills required by organizations within the nation. For instance, London has increased its skilled workforce, currently, 43% of the jobs that are available require higher qualifications or level 4 and by 2020, this number is expected to rise to about 50% (Fouskas, 2016).More emphasis should be placed on improving the education being offered at colleges and universities so that students can acquire the relevant skills that would help them secure opportunities in the job market.
Loss of jobs can also be attributed to the development of technology rather than globalization. A massive unemployment rate is an issue that is affecting almost all countries in the world and it is mainly due to the advancement in technology. Currently, technological advances mean that office-based workers, professionals, and white collar are at risk of losing their jobs (Bowler, 2017). Therefore, protectionist approaches such as the Brexit vote cannot downplay its effect in the 21st century, since technology is disruptive and surpasses borders globally (Bowler, 2017). Technology is going to help various continents such as Asia and Africa to have a leveled playing field to compete with other continents such as Europe (Eaton & Samuel, 2002). Voting against globalization will not help safeguard individuals’ jobs in England since there are other arising factors such as technology, which puts job opportunities at risk.
U.K may stand to lose a lot by exiting the European Union, and this would explain why despite leaving the country has not yet decided on the way forward. One of the approaches that UK can undertake after leaving the EU is to sign a free trade agreement with the E.U to govern their economic and trade relations. Britain receives the highest amount of portfolio investment and foreign direct investment (FDI) due to their membership status in the E.U (Fouskas, 2016). The other factor that also influences the rate of direct investment is the city of London. Studies have shown that London dominates the global foreign exchange market by having a turnover of almost £4 trillion. This explains why the country has remained reluctant to announce their next step but rather assess the situation since they are at a risk of losing billion dollars from FDI and portfolio investment. The best option for England will be negotiate with European Union to practice foreign trade. The argument that Britain would acquire many benefits post-Brexit is not convincing. According to open Europe (2015), there are more than fifty-seven regulations listed by the European Union, which will make England to accrue more costs than benefits. Overall, in the long run England may become poorer since there withdrawal from E.U will allow them to create barriers which will hinder foreign direct investment, trade and immigration. All of this shows that free trade, which is as a result of globalization still plays a huge role in building and maintaining economies.
The rise of populist parties and personalities such as Donald Trump, who have been pushing for the change of order to restrict globalization still face a lot of obstacles to achieve their vision (Frieden, 2018). Given the direction that England has taken, there are still options that other countries can undertake should it occur that the motion presented by the populists become effective. There are regional trading blocs such as the World Trade Organization, which China has taken advantage of to grow its economy (Autor, David &Gordon, 2013). The only likely hood effect from the current trend of populists like Donald Trump is that there would be more fragmented trading blocs. Besides, free trade options will still prevail if countries are to maintain their transnational capital revenue. The move by these populist parties and personalities is more of protectionism rather than hate for globalization (Owen &Noel, 2017). There is a risk that these populists will continue to increase if measures are not put in place.
Apart from trade and immigration, there is still one factor that unites many countries, which is the fight to counteract climate change. The impacts of climate such as desertification, turbulent weather patterns, rise in seal levels, and the spread of diseases are still affecting many countries in the world including developed nations (Hirst & Thompson, 2019). There are different agreements that have been put in place to counteract climate changes. One of the agreements is the Paris climate change accord, which brings together some of the developed nations, who are the lead contributors of CO2. The agreement requires the member countries to adhere to the regulations stipulated, to manage CO2 emissions. Currently, there is a pandemic in the name of coronavirus affecting many countries worldwide. There are over 190,000 cases and more than 7,000 deaths reported so far, and there is a risk that this number will continue to rise (Galai, 2020). In order to fight this pandemic, all countries in the world will have to join hands by allocating resources and putting measures in place to ensure that the pandemic is contained. There are many ways in which countries may partner, for instance, in global health practices. The incidences discussed above shows that countries will still have to cooperate in various fronts. Globalization is not only about trade and immigration but also health and climate change.
There are also minor benefits that countries like U.K get to enjoy as a result of globalization. One of them includes greater choice of imports and lower prices of commodities. In terms of greater choice of imports, globalization has significantly increased the options of consumer goods (Pettinger, n.d). For example, people have become accustomed to the year-round availability of fruit and vegetables due to food imports. Domestic monopolies have experience d international competition thanks to Globalization. When there is international competition it leads to existence of lower prices of commodities for the consumer. For instance, in industries such as electronics, food and clothing where the United Kingdom is a great importer.
Conclusion
The negative effects of globalization should not focus on the past but rather the present. From the Brexit vote, it has proven that there are countries who feel like European Union is not working out for them and there is likely hood that such approaches may start to pick momentum. Better globalization would result in better redistribution of its benefit across the world, which would result in the decline of populist’s parties and personalities who have been on the forefront looking for ways to jeopardize globalization. However, the solution is not to jeopardize globalization but rather be managed it in way that its intended concept does not lose focus. If globalization is placed under threat, poor countries will be at a risk of suffering since globalization has improved their wellbeing. Besides, developed nations have benefited a lot from globalization, which has led to higher investment, better jobs and improved health systems. There are multiple problems that countries like England suffer from which are not as a result of globalization. For instance, the loss of various job opportunities is as a result of low skills acquired by trainees from training centres rather than the rise of multinational corporations. Another factor that influences job opportunities is technology advances. Globalizations impacts cannot be undermined and if there are countries who feel like it is not working for them they should make rational decisions to address the situation.
References
Autor, D.H., David, D., & Gordon H. H. (2013). The China syndrome: Local labor market effects of import competition in the United States. American Economic Review, 103(6), 2121-2168. DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.6.2121
Becker, A. (July 2016). Brexit the end of globalization? DW. https://www.dw.com/en/brexit-the-end-of-globalization/a-19369680
Blockmans, S. (2016). Brexit, globalisation and the future of the EU. Intereconomics, 51(4), 182-183. DOI: 10.1007/s10272-016-0598-7
Bowler,T. (February 2017). Will globalization take away your job? BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-38600270
Buerkle, T. (June 2016). Brexit is a vote against globalization, not just the EU. Institutional Investor. https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b14z9n1lrzw5yp/brexit-is-a-vote-against-globalization-not-just-the-euChandran, N. (June 2016). How Brexit impacts globalization. CNBC .https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/28/how-brexit-impacts-globalization.htmlCohen, P & Schwartz, N, D. (June 2016). ‘Brexit’ in America: A warning shot against globalization. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/business/economy/for-america-brexit-may-be-a-warning-of-globalizations-limits.htmlCoyle, D. (August 2016). Brexit and globalization. VOX. https://voxeu.org/article/brexit-and-globalisationDobbs, R. A. Madgavkar, J. Manyika, J. Woetzel, J. Bughin, E. Labaye and P. Kashyap (2016), Poorer than their parents? A new perspective on income inequality, McKinsey&Company.
Dustmann, C., Tommaso F., & Ian P. 2013. The Effect of Immigration along the Distribution of Wages. Review of Economic Studies, 80(1),145–73.
Eaton, J & Samuel, K. (2002). Technology, geography, and trade. Econometrica, 70(5), 1741-1779. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0262.00352Elliot, L. (June 2016). Brexit is a rejection of globalization. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jun/26/brexit-is-the-rejection-of-globalisation
Fouskas,V.K. (May 2016). “Brexit”: the real threat to globalization. Open Democracy. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/brexit-real-threat-to-globalization/Frieden, J. (2018). The backlash against globalization and the future of the international economic order. The Crisis of globalization: Democracy, capitalism and inequality in the twenty-first century, 43. https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/jfrieden/files/frieden_future_feb2018.pdf
Galai, N. (2020). Coronavirus hits all 50 US states as death toll rises. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51939392
Hirst, P., & Thompson, G. (2019). The future of globalization. In J.Michie (ed.), The Handbook of Globalisation (3rd edition). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/9781788118590/9781788118590.xmlOpen Europe. (2015). The top 100 costliest EU-derived regulations in force in the UK. http://2ihmoy1d3v7630ar9h2rsglp.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Open_Europe_Top100_cost-liest_EU_regulations.pdf
Owen, E., & Noel P. J. (2017). Occupation and the political economy of trade: Job routineness, offshorability, and protectionist sentiment. International Organization, 71(4), 665-699.
Pettinger,T.(n.d). Effects of globalization on the UK economy. Economics Help. https://www.economicshelp.org/trade2/globalisation_uk_economy/
Sampson, T. (2017). Brexit: The economics of international disintegration. Journal of Economic perspectives, 31(4), 163-184. http://personal.lse.ac.uk/sampsont/BrexitDisintegration.pdf
Dialectical Analysis, Translation and Reflection
Dialectical Analysis, Translation and Reflection
Narrative 1: 8-year-old African American girl (from files of Bliss, Covington & McCabe)We went to the dentist before, and I was gettin’ my tooth pulled. And the doc, the dentist said, “Oh, it’s not gonna hurt.” And he was lying to me. It hurt. It hurted so bad I coulda gone on screamin’ even thought I think some…(I don’t know what it was like). I was, in my mouth like, I was like, “Oh that hurt!” He said no, it wouldn’t hurt. Cause last time I went to the doctor, I had got this spray. This doctor, he sprayed some spray in my mouth and my tooth appeared in his hand. He put me to sleep, and then, and then I woke up. He used some pliers to take it out, and I didn’t know. So I had told my, I asked my sister how did, how did the man take (it out). And so she said, “He used some pliers.” I said, “Nah, he used that spray.” She said, “Nope he used that spray to put you to sleep, and he used the pliers to take it out.” I was, like, “Huh, that’s amazin’.” I swear to God I was so amazed that, hum…it was so amazing, right? That I had to look for myself, and then I asked him too. And he said, “Yes, we, I used some plier to take our your tooth, and I put you to sleep, an, so you wouldn’t know, and that’s how I did it.” And I was like, “Ooouuu.” And then I seen my sister get her tooth pulled. I was like, “Ooouuu” cause he had to put her to sleep to, hmm, to take out her tooth. It was the same day she got her tooth pulled, and I was scared. I was like, “EEEhhhmmm.” I had a whole bunch cotton in my mouth, chompin’ on it ‘cause I had to hold it to, hmm, stop my bleeding. I, on day I was in school. I took out my own tooth. I put some hot water in the night, the, the night before I went to school. And I was taking a test. And then it came out right when I was takin’, when I finished the test. And my teacher asked me, was it bleeding. I said, “No, it’s not bleeding, cause I put some hot water on it.” And so my cousin, he wanted to take out his tooth, and he didn’t know what to do, so I told him. “I’m a Pullin’ Teeth Expert. Pull out your own tooth, but if you need somebody to do it, call me, and I’ll be over.”
Narrative 2: 10 year old African American girl (from files of Tempii Champion)Adult: Have you ever been a hero?Child: yes I been a hero to my brother, my brother an’ my friends. Well I was ridin’ my bike da street, an um, an my friend who was goin real fast cause I was taggin’ ‘er. An I da thing and had a race to see who’d won. An I was an I an I was tweeny seconds cause I had had had big gear. An’ I zoomin’ an’ she comin’ slow. I woulda had forty seconds. I was countin’ myself an she counts so she says twenty seconds. An’ I said your turn. I had a timer watch. An’ she was racing down da street. An’ she run she was zoomin on da bike. She’s use my bike. She didn know how da gear. An’ she run she was zoomin on da bike. She’s use my bike. She didn know how da gear. An’ I said do you know how? An’ she says she did ‘cause she always like to be you know know-it-all. An’ I said don’ say you know if you don’. She said ‘I know.’ An’ den a little girl was walkin’ across da street an comin across da street. A’ she’d been runnin’. She was goin’ real fast. An I an I said her name was Kim. An’ I said, “Watch out! Watch out!” An’ she didn’ hear me cause she had a walkman on. An I an I run as fas’ I could. An I just in time before she wa’ close to her pushed her aside. An an den um an den she an den den um she an I pushed her aside. An I moved aside so she wouldn’ hit her. An den den she said, “Whe where was dat little girl at?” An I said, “She came across da street an you almos’ hit her. An she got she pick da little girl up. She said sorry. An da last thing dat happened was she jus’ threw my bike in da road. An now I need a nother one. I have a kickstand, but she didn’ put it down. She jus threw it. I said da bike- I said “Da little girl was importan’, but you didn’t have throw it down. An’ I saved ‘er. You were gonna hit’er. And dat’s all.
From: McCabe, Allyssa and Lynn Bliss (2003). Patterns of narrative discourse: a multicultural, life span approach. Pearson Education, Inc. Chap. 4.
Critical review on shoplifting
Critical review on shoplifting
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Introduction
The research study done which is titled ‘research about shoplifting’ was conducted after a security manager found out that too much shoplifting was taking place in the large store. In the research projects, the researcher clearly indicates that shoplifting has become a huge problem for most and close to all shops. It is simply referred to as the stealing of items in a shop. The research study done in this particular shop was the first; none had been done before. Most of the shoplifting cases involve customers though to a minor extent it also involves staff or human workforce in the business. However, despite it being the first time for a research study to be done the researcher did not fully cover the introduction bit. Several aspects such as what items are frequently stolen from the shop, how often does shoplifting occur in the shop, and to what level are goods stolen. In the introduction of the study it would be appropriate to mention what goods are stolen mostly by the customers; are they petty, for example, sweets or undergarments or are they items such as clothes. The other thing that would have been appropriate to mention in the introduction would be how often shoplifting occurring in the shop is; does it occur every day or every week? Such information gives the readers and users of the study a full view of the degree of shoplifting occurring in the shop. Getting to know the amount of items stolen in a day or in a week also is significant to mention because through such information people can rate the degree of shoplifting hence enabling them to determine if it is a serious issue or one that can be handled internally.
In the objective clause, the author states the aim of the study which includes determining the amount of products being stolen, what influence CCTV cameras have on the issue at hand (shoplifting). The research also aims at determining the reason why customers steal things from the shop. The objectives of the study have been clearly stipulated; they are specific and are easily understandable.
After stating the objectives or the purpose of the study, stating the importance of the project would also be appropriate. Getting to understand what significance the study holds gives the research meaning. In this case study the main importance of carrying it is, it will enable the shop management team identify the reason why customers steal hence aiding them in coming up with a solution; the only way to come up with a solution to something is being able to identify the reason why the problem occurs. The second importance of the study is that it will enable the management to identify the amount of goods being shoplifted by the customers and what kinds of products are being shoplifted. This will also enable them to come up with a solution to the problem. Through the installation of CCTV cameras, what influence it has on the problem would be another significance of the project.
In most research studies, an overview of past research studies done is discussed. This aids in comparison and giving the researchers more information about other cases that are related to the current one. A literature review mostly dwells on criticizing and understanding past researches. Some of the other researches done based on the protection and reduction of crime includes the safer city program conducted in the United Kingdom (Berg, 2006). The aim of the program was to reduce crime and to reduce the fear of crime for both commercial and domestic purposes. The program’s strategy involved the funding of a city co-ordinator and their respective team, aided by the government and the police. The project targets a range of crimes which include commercial burglary and domestic crimes. The method used in the project involved the hardening of doors and setting up of city gates, neighbourhood watches were conducted and other methods such as distribution of leaflets to homes. The end result of the project was that the rates of crime decreased after the project was initiated and the degree of the crimes reduced as the level of intensity increased. This proved that the methods used were to some extent effective. Another research project used to decrease crime was the Liverpool city-safe program which strategized the use of gates to enclose alleys. The city council has enclosed over 5000 alleys hence protecting over 100, 000 residents and the project has lead to the reduction of crime in the area as well (Berg, 2006). The repeat victimization research program is aimed at getting to know why certain people become victims of crime repetitively. The program conducted by the Cleveland Police Department in the United Kingdom was aimed at interviewing burglary victims and getting to know where it happened and why it happened. Through this research studies the government department in charge of security is able to monitor and come up with effective ways to reduce the risk of being involved in crime and also assist in reducing crime in the respective areas.
Methodology of the research
The shoplifting research design was thorough as it included both a qualitative and quantitative research design; it involves both the use of questionnaires, official data, and the use of interviews. These are the research methods employed in the project. The author of this research is able to give the contents and the methods of data collection which is a good thing. However there is a shortcoming in the research design as the writer fails to mention who are the participants of the research study to whom the questionnaires will be administered to. This is important to indicate before carrying out the research itself; the author failed to give a comprehensive research design. The management team in this case took part in answering questions about the store and giving out information on statistics about shoplifting in the shop. In the administration of questionnaires the authors friends were the participants (Rumsey, 2004). Official data from the shop gave information about what is the amount of goods that are shoplifted. The research design section also gives information on how the data will be collected, presented and analyzed. The data will be collected through filling in information in the questionnaires; information collected will be written on tables and analyzed by the researcher (Rumsey, 2004).
By observing the records of the shop’s inventory both at the beginning and at the end of the month, the contents were recorded in the organization’s computer system. The information about the shop’s inventory is located in the company’s computer system hence getting the information only required access to the computer. This made it easy for the researcher to get the information saving time and at the same time acquiring accurate records. Through accurate and timely results the final information that the researcher got was valid. The results indicate that the level of shoplifting is high and it increased with every new month. The records were also helpful because they gave the actual figures of the initial and final inventory in the shop and it gave a difference, which signifies the goods unaccounted for (shoplifted). The use of official records, after the installation of CCTV, also provided data that was used to identify whether the installation of CCTV cameras in the shop had any influence on the rate of shoplifting; results indicated that through the installation of CCTV cameras the different between the initial and final inventory decreased drastically. The tabulation of records enables one to compare the results acquired especially if the study does not involve many variables. This makes the method used a proper way to do quantitative analysis of the data collected. All this information given is relevant to the research and it meets the study’s objectives. However, this form of data collection has its shortcomings as well; several errors could occur while the data was being put in the computer records. Cases of calculation errors may have lead to the case of some goods going unaccounted for (Bell, 2005). Collecting information from secondary records may lead to the carrying forward of the initial errors hence giving invalid conclusions. This is one of the limitations of the method used in getting the information about the amount of goods shoplifted. The method does not also give the researcher time to determine if the products were actually shoplifted or were missing because of other factors; the method used to identify the amount is based on assumptions that the goods have been shoplifted giving invalid conclusions. Some of the other factors that may lead to goods missing in a shop are misplacement while putting them on the shelves, disposal of damaged goods without recording the details (Bell, 2005). These become some of the limitations present in acquiring information for research studies from secondary sources. Another imitation of the use of observation as method in this study is that the conclusion might me biased because the researcher has not given the study enough time so as to determine whether shoplifting is the cause of the situation in which goods go missing in the shop. In general when it comes to validity of the conclusions it is not clear. In observation the author should give more attention to the results and should consider other factors which may lead to goods missing in the shop. While making the conclusion the researcher should also consider the other factors so as to prevent cases of biased results.
The other method used by the author to collect information in this research project is the use of interviews. This involves a face to face meeting between an interviewer and an interviewee. The interviewer gets information from the interviewee and it is considered to be a method under qualitative analysis. The author of this research had an informal interview with the line manager Jason Smith, who said that he thinks shoplifting is on the rise and he supported this by saying that the uniformed officers positioned in the shop caught more people every month. Through the interview the author is also able to determine who are taking part in the shoplifting; customers were identified to be the active participants in committing this commercial crime. The second interviewee was Stella Johnson a line manager, she stated that through use of tags as a way of reducing shoplifting the idea was not effective and that it did not make her feel safe. But with the installation of CCTV cameras, she and other women feel safer. This form of interview is considered to be a semi-structured interview where the meeting and questions asked are flexible (Bell, 2005). Interviews are considered to be efficient when it comes to qualitative analysis of data. The advantage of using this form of interview is that the interviewer can redirect the questions towards the main agenda at any time. For example in this research study, the interviewer has managed to ask the relevant questions and those that are related to the topic. It has also enabled the author to capture the feelings and personal opinion of the interviewee based on the shoplifting issue (Rumsey, 2004). It also saves time since note taking is not required and this gives more time to listen and give attention to the feelings and emotional gestures of the interviewee; thus helping the researcher in determining what are the outstanding issues concerning shoplifting. Informal interviews usually provide a free environment hence allowing the interviewee to freely express themselves which is an advantage in getting quality information. The data collected was relevant to the study as it affirmed that shoplifting was on the rise, the results were to a great extent valid; the method allowed the achievement of the objectives. However, with unstructured interviews it is difficult to qualify the data; it may be either of low quality or of high quality. Several limitations are linked to this form data collection, while conducting the interview the interviewer was carrying out other activities thus giving divided attention to the interview (Bell, 2005). This would lead to the missing out on important aspects that would be vital to the study. Another shortcoming of the method of data collection used was that it was allocated insufficient time, the interview duration was small which restrained the study from getting more information that would have helped in coming up with more sophisticated and extensive results. By nature interviews demand a lot of time so as to come up with quality results and valid conclusions. Another limitation of the interview method used in this study is that the author interviewed few people which is not appropriate as it may lead to biased conclusions (Bell, 2005). To get quality results it is required that several people be interviewed so as to allow the comparison of results hence giving valid and quality results at the end of the study. Another limitation of interviewing is that at times interviewees may be biased; they may base their answers on feelings not actual facts. In the shoplifting study the interviewee was exposed to the results before the interview which may have led to biasness; this leads to inaccurate results which lead to invalid results. No data was recorded hence no information is available for future reference (Bell, 2005). The researcher should pay more attention to the interview to prevent omission of vital details in the final results. The interview should be recorded somewhere either using a video, audio recorder, or taking notes; this allows storage of findings for future reference. The meeting should be held during a free day or hour so as to give it more time. Through these solutions better and quality results can be achieved.
The third and final method employed is the use of questionnaires. The researcher set up a few questions relevant to the study and gave out to friends and family to fill in the information; the questionnaires were done online. Generally questionnaires are significant in quantitative analysis as it allows one to collect information through administering questions to a sample of people. In this research study, the use of questionnaires was a good way to get data. However, it was not efficiently done the only correct thing that was done is that the questions asked were relevant to the topic. But several aspects were left out and they all require to be accomplished so as to achieve quality results which will give valid conclusions. The questionnaire that was administered was not appropriate as the researcher did not select an appropriate sample size, hence the results he received would not be an accurate representation of the population (Bell, 2005). The researcher gave it to few family and friends which provides a small sample group, this gives less information. A consequence of this is that the results may end up being biased and less information for comparison is available. With less information to compare it is not easy to come up with quantifiable results that would give valid results. The questionnaire should have been conducted at the site, and not online. The research should have been done in the presence of the researcher so as to save on time and to also enable monitoring of the sample group. With online administration (Bell, 2005), chances are that the people doing it will not give much thought while answering the questions and so long as they are not being timed they may take more time to answer the question. Also the researcher should not have included friends and family into the sample group as this can lead to biased results. Family and friends may tend to support the opinion of the researcher and their judgment is mostly dependent on the other. The format in which the researcher structured his paper was not efficient and within the article it was more personal by utilizing words like you; this leads to greater chances of biased results .The data collected was not presented in a way in which comparisons could be made, that is there were no graphical representations, diagrams, listing of most shoplifted products; this gives invalid results and biased conclusion. While administering the questionnaires the researcher should conduct it in the site of the study, and should involve several people so as to acquire extensive results which can be compared easily hence giving quality results. Use of simple and correct grammar in the questions enables the researcher to administer and formulate proper questions (White, 2009).
The results of the questionnaire, the interview and the observation are consistent to the discussion and data analysis of the research. The research does not raise any ethical problems as it is conducted in an appropriate way, with both genders presented.
The research done was both effective and faulty; with the qualitative and quantitative analysis, the research was properly done. Several faults came in when the researcher uses inefficient ways in the methods of data collection but with the recommendations it would be easier to achieve quality and valid results hence gaining the objectives of the study.
References
Bell, J. (2005) Doing Your Research Project: A guide for first time researchers in education, health and social science (4th ed), London: Sage
White, P. (2009) Developing Research Questions: A Guide for Social Scientists Basingstoke: Palgrave
Rumsey, S. (2004) How to find information: a guide for researchers, London: Sage
Berg, L. v. (2006). The safe city: safety and urban development in European cities. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate.