Social Theories essays

Social Theories essays Sociology has been defined s the scientific study of human interaction and, as such, is accepted as a scientific activity (Leming 1997). Social science aims at discovering and explaining observed events of and in nature by means of a framework that can be tested. The goal of sociology is, therefore, to produce a body of knowledge that will provide a body of knowledge that will provide not only an understanding of the causal processes influencing human behavior but also enable sociologists to predict social behaviors (Leming). As a science, it pursues observable and provable regularities and explains these regularities by means of a set of observable and provable propositions or statements of relationship (Leming). The very effectiveness or success of sociology lies precisely in the explanatory and predictive power of this body of knowledge derived from The basic components or elements of a theory are a conceptual scheme, a set of propositions that states the relationships between variables, and a context for verification (Leming). The conceptual scheme consists of ideas that possess abstract properties not yet immediately verifiable by direct sensory observation. It also has a system of interrelated statements of relationships between variables, which seam the parts of the concept together. The conceptual scheme and the statements of relationships are joined together and organized under a paradigm (Leming). A paradigm is the basic image of a particular subject matter within a science and serves as context for the verification (Leming 1997). It defines what should be studied and asked, how the questions should be posed and the rules to observe in interpreting the answers that will be obtained. It is the broadest unit of consensus within a science, which subsumes, defines and inter-relates the examples and/or variables, theories, methods, and instruments within it (Leming)...

Microsoft is acquiring LinkedIn! What do you think it means for you

Microsoft is acquiring LinkedIn! What do you think it means for you Today Microsoft and LinkedIn announced that Microsoft will be acquiring LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. LinkedIn shares jumped 47% following the news, while Microsoft shares slipped slightly by 3.2%. This deal comes on the heels of a weak performance by LinkedIn in the first part of the year, from which the social media platform was already starting to recover. I am no business acquisition expert, but I do see that Microsoft might benefit from a wide social networking platform. LinkedIn’s millions of members will give Microsoft a huge audience into which they can tap for their cloud business. For LinkedIn, the acquisition seems to be a boon. LinkedIn’s CEO and other employees will stay in place and the company will retain their autonomy, at least for now. I’d like to open up a discussion here. What do you think about this deal? What are the pros and cons for Microsoft? For LinkedIn? What do you think this new structure will mean for you as a LinkedIn user? What are your fears about having Microsoft as LinkedIn’s new owner? What might the future look like with Microsoft behind the curtain? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comment area below!