Update CW 3 – 2000 Words – CHOOSE 1 OF 3 OPTIONS
BMG871 International Business Research Skills
CW3 – 2000 WORDS – CHOOSE ONE OF THREE OPTIONS
This coursework is worth 40% of the overall marks for the module.
Please choose 1 of the 3 options below, and answer all questions with your chosen option.
Submission with CW2 (2 x mind maps) as ONE WORD DOCUMENT:
WEEK 12 – SUNDAY 15TH AUGUST 2021 via TURNITIN/BLACKBOARD
Option 1. Qualitative Research Tasks
You should answer all tasks (a, b and c)
You are required to watch the following video which is a poor example of how to conduct an interview
Provide a written report that outlines some of the key mistakes made by the interviewer during the interview.
Just to note, the interviewer is the one asking the questions.
The interviewee is the one answering the questions.
Guidance
You should think about the following to inform your report…
How the interviewer introduced the research topic to the interviewee.
The speed at which the interviewer talked.
Interviewer behaviour during the interview, including:
Her general behaviour
Her body language
Her approach to building rapport with the interviewee
Her listening skills
Was the interviewer respectful?
The way in which she asked questions and probed the interviewee
Were the questions objectively asked?
Did she ask leading questions, did she criticise the interviewee at times?
Was the way in which the interviewer ended the interview appropriate?
If no, then explain why it was not appropriate
You should also watch this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNMTJTnrTQQ0
Provide a written report outlining the good points on how the interview was conducted.
Guidance
Again, think about the following to inform your response:
How the interviewer introduced the research topic to the interviewee.
The speed at which the interviewer talked.
Interviewer behaviour during the interview, including:
Her general behaviour
Her body language
Her approach to building rapport with the interviewee
Her listening skills
Was the interviewer respectful?
The way in which she asked questions and probed the interviewee
Were the questions objectively asked?
Did she ask leading questions, did she criticise the interviewee at times?
Was the way in which the interviewer ended the interview appropriate?
If yes, then explain why/how it was appropriate
Please provide a detailed evaluation of participant observation.
Guidance
You should include the following sub-headings to structure your response
What is participant observation?
What is meant by overt or covert participant observation?
The advantages and disadvantages of overt and covert participant observation
Examples of the use of participant observation as a method to gather qualitative research.
Read about participant observation in Chapter 8 of the required textbook for the module Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R. (2016) Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach, (seventh edition). UK:Wiley
These YouTube links may be of some use to help your practical understanding of participant observation:
Word limit for all 3 tasks is 2000 words maximum
Option 2 – Quantitative Research Tasks
You should answer all tasks (a, b and c)
Please evaluate the structure and content of the covering letter provided for this task. It is a good example of a covering letter and one that should accompany a postal questionnaire to inform participants of the research.
Guidance
Consider both the structure and content of the letter.
Is it well structured? Is the layout clear?
Outline the key features of the cover letter – what is good about it? Is it informative?
Evaluate the implications of each component e.g. what impact does a university logo have on a potential research participant?
Please answer the following questions using literature to support your statements and your own examples to demonstrate your understanding of the terms.
Explain the difference between open and closed questions.
Explain the difference between positively and negatively worded questions.
Explain what is meant by a double-barrelled question.
Explain what is meant by a leading question.
Explain what is meant by a loaded question.
Guidance
Use the following subheadings to structure your response – open and closed questions, positively and negatively worded questions, double-barrelled questions etc.
Write a paragraph or so to address each question and use at least one example per each term e.g. an example of an open question is….
Read about survey design and the different types of questions in Chapter 9 of the required textbook for the module Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R. (2016) Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach, (seventh edition). UK:Wiley
You should endeavour to include references from other textbooks (see reading list in module handbook).
Pre-testing or piloting a survey questionnaire is an important phase of the research process. Explain why?
Guidance
Use your required textbook for the module Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R. (2016) Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach, (seventh edition). UK: Wiley
Additionally – Chapter 11 of Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2016). Research Methods for Business Students, (seventh edition). UK: Pearson.
Word limit for all 3 tasks is 2000 words maximum
Option 3 – International Business Research Tasks
You should answer all tasks (a, b, c, d and e)
A UK Retailer who sells Bicycles and Outdoor Pursuit Clothing is keen to expand their business operations into Latin America. The overall aim of the research is to determine which countries in Latin America have the greatest market potential for their products?
You have been employed to coordinate some research for this firm to help inform their decision making.
Using the above scenario, you are required to:
Provide a background on the importance of conducting this research and outline the potential uses of your research to inform managerial decision making of the UK retailer who has commissioned it. (500 words)
Outline a set of appropriate research objectives (250 words).
Identify and justify your chosen primary and /or secondary research approaches to fulfil the objectives of your research? (400 words)
Who is the target audience for your research? (350 words)
Outline and critically evaluate the key challenges associated with conducting your chosen reseach approach in this Latin American country of your choosing (500)
Guidance
The word count provided for each section is indicative. You may use more words in places, which means you will use less words in other places, to ensure that your overall word count is 2000, excluding references, appendices, title page and contents page.
For each of the different sections you should draw on what has been covered in lectures.
Section a) is the literature that best sets the background to the research
Section a) This section is literature based.
Please look at the lecture “Developing a critical literature reiew” also Chapter 4 of the Sekaran and Bougie textbook; Chapter 3 of the Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill textbook
In addition look at the lecture on International Business Research, and read Neelankavil Chapter 1 where research issues are covered. Try and incorporate new information by doing some additional independent research
Section b) Remember your objectives should begin with eg:
To determine
To explore
To investigate
Refer back to lecture topics Formulating and Clarifying a Research Topic PPT; and Generating Research ideas PPT; as well as chapter 3 Sekarin and Bougie textbook; Chapter 2, Saunders, Lewis. and Chapter 3 Neelankavil textbook
Section c)
Think about which research approach would be best to gather the evidence linked to the research objectives.
Explain your chosen approach
eg a qualitative approach, a quantitative approach or a mixed methods approach?
Will the chosen approach be based on gathering primary data or/and secondary data, and if so which reseach tools will you use?
For example if you are taking a qualitative approach, the research tool is the interview or perhaps focus groups?
Will the interviews or focus groups be semi-structured or structured? Think about an interview guide.
How do you plan to conduct these interviews – eg face to face; using meeting software or telephone
Section d) is all about your sampling approach to get a suitable population to participate in your research
Is your target audience consumers or businesses?
Explain what type of approach you will use – for example it might be non-random purposive sampling, which is often used for qualitative research.
What criteria will you use to select an appropriate sample population
Explain how you will gain access to the sample population. (400 words)
Section e) you should refer back to the lecture on International Business Research Skills, and Chapter 1 of the Neelankavil textbook, also any additional research to increase your knowledge and understanding.
The post Update CW 3 – 2000 Words – CHOOSE 1 OF 3 OPTIONS appeared first on PapersSpot.
