Sociological Analysis of Food Access in North Carolina: Assignment 3

This sociology assignment analyzes research findings on food availability in North Carolina, focusing on low-income Black and Latino women in urban areas. The key finding is that unequal food store distribution creates challenges for accessing healthy food. The assignment applies Conflict Theory, explaining how societal inequalities, particularly economic disparities, impact food access. It also discusses the qualitative research method used, detailing its advantages (in-depth analysis, flexibility) and disadvantages (subjectivity, time-consuming data collection). The assignment suggests a quasi-experimental method as an alternative, comparing interventions between urban and affluent populations. The document references relevant sociological literature and provides a comprehensive analysis of the research, its theoretical underpinnings, and methodological considerations.

Running head: RESEARCH FINDINGS ON AVAILABILITY OF FOOD IN NORTH
CAROLINA
Research findings on availability of food in North Carolina
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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RESEARCH FINDINGS ON AVAILABILITY OF FOOD IN NORTH CAROLINA
Key findings of the research
The research was conducted on the black and Latino low-income females who are
residing in the urban areas of North Carolina. The research was on how we should identify
and measure food. The key findings of the research is that most people of the area claims that
they face major problems in getting healthy food items due to unequal distribution of food
stores. The women claims that price and income are the strongest motivators for selecting a
store but difficulties in the transportation system and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program contribution also affected the shopping behavior of the people.
Conflict Theory
Karl Marx suggests the conflict theory. The theory claims that society is facing
perpetual conflict due to competition for inadequate resources. It says that the powerful and
the dominating ones rather than conformity and consensus maintain the social order. The
conflict theory suggests that the wealthy people of the society holds on to the power by
suppressing the poor people of the society. The conflict theory considers economic and social
institutions as struggling tools between classes and groups used for maintaining inequality
and dominance of the powerful class. According to the conflict theory, society is divided into
the proletarian working class and bourgeois ruling class. The theory includes the range of
social happenings like revolutions, wars, poverty, wealth, domestic violence and
discrimination (Gallo, 2013). It talks about the primary development of the human history
like civil rights and democracy, to capitalistic attempts of controlling the ample rather than
fulfilling the desires of the social order.
The research findings can be related to the conflict theory. The lack of resources in the urban
areas can be related to the discriminations in the society between the rich and the poor

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RESEARCH FINDINGS ON AVAILABILITY OF FOOD IN NORTH CAROLINA
people. The resident in the urban areas faces major problems in terms of price of the healthy
food items, which are available in a distant place in the supermarkets. The availability of
these resources is much easier for higher class of the society due to availability of personal
cars, excess income and easy availability of the supermarkets. Thus it portrays the aspects of
conflict theory prevailing in the society.
Research method used
The research method used for this experiment is Qualitative research method. The
experiment dealt with the naturalistic inquiry that requires in-depth understanding of the
phenomenon of the society. The three main focus of the experiment includes societies and
cultures, language and communication and individuals.
Advantages and disadvantages of the research method
Advantages
 Subject matter can be evaluated with greater detail
 Research framework is usually fluid and depends on the available data.
 The research method depends on the observations and human experience, which will
provide genuine and authentic information.
 The available data has analytical quality (Silverman, 2016).
 Qualitative method of research operates within the fluid structures.
 The complex data can easily be incorporated into generated conclusions.
 The research method is an open-ended process.
 Within the qualitative research method, creativity is a desirable aspect.
 Qualitative research method creates insights that are industry-specific.

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RESEARCH FINDINGS ON AVAILABILITY OF FOOD IN NORTH CAROLINA
 Sample sizes of such research methods are small that saves on the costs.
 More content for marketing and creative teams are available through this method of
research (Silverman, 2016).
 Explanations of the human attitudes are possible only through this research method.
Disadvantages
 The quality of the collected data in qualitative research method is immensely
subjective.
 Rigidity of data is very difficult to demonstrate and assess.
 The collection of the data from various sources is time consuming.
 The findings created from the qualitative research method are valuable but they are
very difficult to present (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015).
 The data collected through this research method is always not accepted.
 The influence of the researcher may have a negative impact on the gathered data.
 Qualitative research does not allow replication (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015).
 Difficult experiments require repetitive periods of qualitative research.
 In this process of research, unseen data might disappear.
Alternate research method
Another method for that can be used for effectively completing the experiment is
Quasi-experimental method. This can be executed by comparing two groups, both the groups
having two different interventions (Campbell & Stanley, 2015). Here, quasi research method
may include the people of the urban area and rich people of North Carolina to share their
persona interventions regarding the availability of healthy food items especially in the food
deserts. The experiment will concentrate on the viewpoint of both the group and compare the

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RESEARCH FINDINGS ON AVAILABILITY OF FOOD IN NORTH CAROLINA
challenges in order to understand the basic issue of the experimental subject (White &
Sabarwal, 2014).

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RESEARCH FINDINGS ON AVAILABILITY OF FOOD IN NORTH CAROLINA
References
Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J. C. (2015). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for
research. Ravenio Books.
Gallo, G. (2013). Conflict theory, complexity and systems approach. Systems Research and
Behavioral Science, 30(2), 156-175.
Silverman, D. (Ed.). (2016). Qualitative research. Sage.
Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research
methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
White, H., & Sabarwal, S. (2014). Quasi-experimental design and methods. Methodological
Briefs: Impact Evaluation, 8, 1-16.