Case Study Research

No one likes case study research. People either love it or hate it. You see, case study research flies against all normal scientific principles. People want hard facts – or at least what looks like facts. They want normative statistics, not qualitative research case studies. That is why, when I decided to specialize in case study marketing research, my advisor was so quick to discourage me. He had a lot of respect for me, something which really helped me in my studies, but he also saw me as somewhat rash and impulsive. He told me that, once I was labeled as a case study researcher, it would close off a lot of doors for me. I told him that I respected his opinion, and then did what I pleased. I knew that I would have a lot of doors open as well!

What makes case study research such a powerful tool in marketing is that it has a much better way of painting a picture than other research methods. Marketers don't have to understand all the rules of business. They need to understand how to make a specific project succeed. Researching case studies can give you that understanding. You can find a situation where another business had to deal with similar marketing branding issues, look at how they dealt with them, and observe whether it worked or not.

Case studies research doesn't give you statistics, but it does give you a story to tell. In most cases, the story is better than statistics. You can't sell a product based on statistics – you need stories as well. Saying that something is 60% likely to succeed is boring, but saying that something will give the product, say, a niche appeal to counterculture youth based on a trick inspired by a marketing campaign from the 1950s, lets them know exactly what you are talking about.  It sucks them into your idea, and makes them see your proposal through your eyes.

Another great thing about case study researchers it is often possible to find services which are willing to write it up for you. Most marketing research requires a lot of number crunching, but case study research just requires a good story. You might think this is a little cynical, but it doesn't even really matter if your conclusions based on the case study research are accurate or true.  All that matters is that it suggests a viable marketing strategy, one that seems worth using.

Associate Degree Vs. Bachelor Degree

There really are few ways to compare a two-year education with a four-year education that would be fair to either degree program. The truth of the matter is that both are excellent for certain things while both also offer serious limitations. When it comes to pros and cons they both have their own set of both that make excellent food for thoughts.

Two-Year Education

Pros

When it comes to a two-year college program there are several things you should consider in its favor before you take the plunge. First of all, you should keep in mind that the degree or certification at the end of your studies doesn't necessarily indicate the end of your education. Two-year degrees are excellent starting points for four-year degrees but also allow you the option to venture out into the workplace with your own skills and knowledge that will allow you greater earning potential than a high school diploma. You will also have the benefit of entering the work place much sooner with an associate's degree than with a bachelor's degree. Most importantly for many who are limited by budgets, two-year colleges offer an affordable alternative for an education or even the first two years of your education.

Cons

The biggest cons that most people find when it comes to getting a two-year degree is the growing competition for limited jobs. In fact, it is difficult to remain competitive in any industry when there are more and more entering the work force with bachelor's degrees. It is simply more difficult to maintain a competitive edge with only a two-year degree though it is not impossible. The other obvious con when it comes to two-year college degrees is that fact that some positions will not even consider anyone with less than a four-year degree. This means that you aren't even in the running required to worry about competition.

Four-Year Degrees

Pros

A bachelor's degree will earn you far greater earning potential in your lifetime than a high school education without a doubt. It will also place you in a position of serious competition within your chosen field or industry. This means that you will often be given preference when seeking jobs over those who do not have degrees or those with lesser degrees regardless of experience. There is also not enough that can be said about the personal confidence that goes along with earning your degree. You will find that you are much more confident on both a personal and a professional level once you've earned your bachelor's degree.

Cons

The single largest con associated with a bachelor's degree is the expense. Both in terms of time and money bachelor's degrees exact a price. You should be certain that you are both willing and able to pay that price before setting out to get your degree.

Regardless of whether a two-year degree or a four-year degree is in your personal best interest at the moment neither are a waste of time or effort. I hope that you will eventually seek a four-year degree, as this will give you a competitive edge in business, however, even the smallest improvement in your education level can mean big changes over the course of your lifetime. Sometimes it helps to improve your education in steps. Take one class at a time until you have your associate's degree then repeat until you have your bachelor's degree. Good luck!

A Community College Education is a Good Start

Many people search and search for the University they will attend upon graduation from high school. Eager students look forward to their time at university while parents wring their hands hoping that their children choose to attend a university that is not only close to home but also within their budget limitations. Another worry that parents have when their children decide to attend college is whether or not that university they attend will have the specialized and individualized services that their children were accustomed to receiving in high school. Face it; larger universities tend to be rather impersonal when it comes to the education of their students.

One answer to all those worries and more is to transition your students from high school to a two-year college rather than throwing them to the university wolves so to speak. Many people find that two-year colleges can in fact provide superior educations to four-year universities for those first two years or foundation college level courses. You will not get the specialized or specific instruction in a two year college that is available to upper level students on a university level but most students find the first two years of their college educations focused on getting the requirement and pre-requisite courses rather than the specialized courses in their intended field of study.

Many people also find that those first two years at a community college-transitioning from a small pond to a larger lake-are much easier to handle than going straight from high school to a university-out of the pond and into the ocean. Universities often have lower level classes as auditorium classes. These classes offer little individual instruction and are often sink or swim sorts of classes. Those students who have special learning needs are often lost in the shuffle when entering a university. Community colleges offer smaller classes and ample opportunities for tutoring as well as classes on how to learn to study.

Two-year colleges are also much easier on the budget than most universities. Most people find that community college does not place nearly the financial burdens on families that universities place. Add to that the fact that most community colleges offer very flexible class scheduling and even some courses online and you will find that there are many reasons to consider community college that go well beyond mere budgeting requirements.

Another benefit to students who wish to enter the work force sooner rather than later is that you can actually get a degree or certification in certain programs from a two-year college. This means that you can actually graduate and begin earning much sooner than if you were to attend a four-year college in search of a degree. If you aren't sure you want to invest the next four or five years of your life in pursuit of a degree or you simply aren't ready to commit yourself to one line of work for the rest of your life it is a good idea to spend two years in a community college rather than making the leap straight into a university setting.

If you are considering whether or not a community college or two year education is the best course of action for your specific needs, I really recommend creating a list of pros and cons of each and balancing your budget to see where your needs are most likely to be fully met. Remember you can always transfer to a university once you've completed your two-year college education or at any time during that education as long as you meet the universities admission requirements. Good luck and remember that your college education is one of the largest indicators of your future earning potential so take it seriously.

Home Schooling Tips: Helping You Become Successful In Home Schooling

Recently, home schooling has exploded in the country. A lot of parents and children are doing it and most of the time, they are successful. There are quite a lot of reasons why home schooling is preferred by more and more families. However, before you start deciding home schooling your children, you have to remember that home schooling is simply not for everyone.

Although home schooling may be successful for some people, it will not work as well for others. You have to remember that home schooling will require a commitment from both the parents and the children. Before you decide to home school your children, there are still so many questions that you have to answer in order for you to determine if home schooling is the best for your kids or not.

So, here are things that you may want to look into in order for you to decide if home schooling is the right choice or not.

First of all, you need to understand the laws about home schooling in your state. Make sure that you can follow the requirements before you decide. You have to remember that home schooling demands a lot of time from the parents. If both parents are working, then home schooling may not be the right choice.

You also need to ask yourself if you and your children have a close personal relationship. Although this question may seem a bit odd, try figuring out if you can get along with your children well. If you have a hard time being around your children at any given amount of time, then you can expect to have a tough time home schooling them.

You also need to ask yourself about your educational skills. Even if you will be teaching basic math, reading and writing, you have to remember that these basic skills are the most important things that you should teach your kids. If you are not good at any of it, then you may want to give up on home schooling. Both parents can also share the load. For example, if you are good at math, but bad in reading and writing but your spouse is good at reading and writing but bad in math, you can share the load for teaching. Aside from ensuring the best education for your children,
both parents will be able to spend quality time with their children.

Your communication skills should also be another factor that you should look into. Try asking yourself if you are good at communicating with others. Remember that you will be a teacher to your children and good communication skills are required in order for your children to understand what you are trying to teach them.

You also need to be observant. If you are naturally observant and that you really know your children, then home schooling can work for you. You have to remember the fact that parents are not just there to provide food for their children, but they are also there to love and also guide them in order to let them grow up well and develop good values as well as discourage undesirable ones.

Organization is also an important skill that you must have. Ask yourself if you are organized enough to handle home schooling. Although this may look easy,  you have to consider the fact that there are other things that you will need to do. You need to work, make lunch, dinner, clean the house, and any other issues that may come during the day. If you can organize all these things and still give plenty of time for home schooling, then this is for you.

Remember these tips and you can be sure that home schooling will indeed work for you. Just remember that if you are going to decide if home schooling is right for your kids, ask yourself the question if this kind of method of education is the best for your kids.

A College Degree is Nearly a Necessity

Your education is the single greatest gift you can give yourself. While there are educational opportunities all around us, some of them come at a greater cost than others. A college education might require a hefty investment of time and money up front but the pay off is much better over time than if you used your life experiences in order to achieve the same level of education that you can pack into 2, 4, or 5 years of an undergraduate education on the college level.

In other words, over the course of your lifetime you are likely to pay far less for your college education than you would pay (in earning potential) for not having a college education. At the same time, each level of college education you receive increases your overall earning potential. This means that a one-year degree in a technical field will provide a modest boost from a high school diploma when it comes to earning potential but an associate's degree will provide an even better boost. You will see an even more significant improvement in earning potential when you increase from an associate's degree to a bachelor's degree. The vast majority of students enter the work force upon completion of a bachelor's degree. Those students, however, who remain in school for graduate studies often, find that a master's degree even further improves their lifetime earning potentials.

The problem for most when it comes to making the jump between degrees and educational levels is cost. There are times in life when we simply need to get out of school and get to work. The good news is that it is gradually becoming easier for those with careers to further their education without sacrificing either their careers or their family during the process. Of course there will be some sacrifices along the way but it isn't an all at once or nothing endeavor. You can work towards your degree by taking online classes, night classes, and Saturday classes. The information age has made it easier than ever before to achieve the educational goals you need to meet in order to satisfy your dreams for the future.

Your level of education will get your foot in the door when it comes to certain jobs and your lack of education will limit you far more than a lack of experience will limit you in many cases. As time grows on, more and more companies are seeking employees that have degrees rather than those who have experience in the field. If you hope to remain competitive in the business world you need to arm yourself with the proper education. Check with your company to see if they offer any sort of incentives for employees continuing their education. You might be surprised to find that your company offers to match your tuition funds or even completely reimburse them if you are working towards a degree that will assist you in your job functions.

There is no wrong reason to get an education. Even if you are applying for a job that won't use your specific degree, you might find that having a degree at all gives you a boost over other applicants for the same position. A college degree is becoming more and more necessary in today's business climate. You need to take every opportunity that is available to you in order to get your college degree.

Is an Online Education Right for You?

We live in the information age. We have grown so accustomed to information at the speed of light that the prospect of not having immediate access to countless numbers of facts and figures with the mere click of a few buttons for many of us is simply disconcerting. For this reason, it only makes sense that there are many people across the nation and around the world that are embracing the idea of online learning and educational opportunities with every ounce of enthusiasm they can muster.

At the same time there are equal numbers of people around the world who are trying desperately to hold on to traditional methods of dealing with certain things. In fact, some people actually still play solitaire with a deck of playing cards. For people who feel that the information age has left them behind to some degree the chances are quite good that online learning may not be the best available option for you.

Below you will find a few questions that can help you narrow down whether or not you would truly benefit by taking some of the many online courses that are being offered in today's information age of learning.

1) Are you disciplined? This may seem like such an innocuous question because we would all like to think that we are disciplined to some degree. The problem is that when you are in the driver's seat for your own education you need to have a little more than some small degree of discipline. You need to be able to meet deadlines, take the tests, and hold yourself responsible for actually learning the information that you need to learn in order to pass the course. There is no one to blame but yourself if you do not manage to do well in your online classes and some people simply do not like being in the drivers seat when it comes to motivating and pacing themselves and their learning practices.
2) How do you learn best? We all have different methods of learning for which we retain information better than others. Online courses are reading intensive. If you have difficulties retaining the information you read you may need to find an alternate learning method or seek solutions with the assistance of the course instructor before moving forward in an online learning environment.
3) Do you have a true desire to succeed? The answer to this question is quite important in determining whether or not online learning is in your best interest. There are many paths you can take in order to achieve the education and degree you desire. This is not the path of the masses, at least not yet. This type of learning, more than any other is easy to give up on through apathy. If you aren't determined to do the assignments, to study the notes, and to really learn the material that is presented to you then you really do not need to waste your time or the instructor's time by continually making up excuses. Online courses are largely self-paced but you do have a limited amount of time in which to learn the material before you need to move on. The teacher is responsible for providing you the information and material but you are responsible for everything that happens from that moment on. Are you ready for that responsibility?

Whether you are a first time college student or a professional that is returning to school after a long absence online learning can open new doors of opportunity for your learning pleasure. You must be willing to walk through those doors and take the information that is presented to you however in order to be successful. My sincere hope is that everyone reading this will carefully consider whether or not the lack of structure that many online courses provides is going to be conducive to your specific learning and educational needs before taking the plunge.