support@essaywritingexpert.orgUnitec Institute of Technology 1 School of Applied Business
School of Applied Business
Master of Applied Business- MAB
BSNS8004– Business Research Methods
Assignment 2: Methodology critique Semester 2, 2024
Date Issued: 26th Feb 2024
Due date and time: Week 10: 24 Sep at 5 pm
Delivery: Turnitin via Moodle
Total Marks: 100
Weighting: 20%
Expected number of
hours to spend on this
assessment:
22
Word limit: Maximum 1,500 words
Instructions: Complete this cover sheet and attach it to your assignment.
Collusion, copying or plagiarism may result in disciplinary action.
Lecturer: Mitra Etemaddar
Individual declaration: I confirm that:
• My submission is original and entirely my own work.
• Where I have used ideas, tables, diagrams etc. of other
writers, I have acknowledged the source in every case using
APA7 style.
• My submission has not been submitted as assessed work for
any other academic course.
• Students may be required to answer any questions to
validate the authenticity of the assessment.
Student name: Student ID: Specialisation Student Signature
Unitec Institute of Technology 2 School of Applied Business
This Assignment relates to the following Learning Outcomes:
2. Critique and evaluate a range of qualitative and quantitative business research methods.
Aim of the Assignment
The aim of this assignment is to develop a critical understanding of the strengths and limitations
of quantitative and qualitative research designs, and to apply this knowledge to develop an
appropriate research design to address their research question developed in assignment 1. By
completing this assignment, students will be able to develop an informed perspective on the
appropriate use of quantitative and qualitative research approaches, and to identify the key
considerations involved in designing and conducting rigorous and ethical research. This is the
second part of the ‘Research Proposal’ necessary for the BSNS9000 industry research project.
Assignment Instructions
Using the ‘Bell, E., Bryman, A., & Harley, B. (2022) Business research methods’ textbook, as a
guide:
1. State and interpreat your research question developed in assignment 1.
2. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses (e.g. suitability) of quantitative and qualitative
research designs to address your research question(s). Compare and contrast the key
differences. You must explain why one design is more appropriate than another.
3. Discuss in detail what sampling methods, data collection procedures, and analysis
techniques you plan to use, along with justification of their selection.
4. Discuss the ethical considerations for your chosen data collection methods, including
issues related to informed consent, confidentiality, and the protection of participants.
5. Explain the limitations of your chosen research design.
6. All arguments and justifications must be based on the academic literature.
7. Use referencing software (e.g. Zotero), which is a powerful tool for researchers as it
saves time, reduces errors, improves accuracy, and streamlines the writing process. By
using referencing software, you can focus on your research and writing, without
worrying about the details of formatting references and citations.
8. All sources must be acknowledged and properly referenced using APA 7th style.
Please refer to the Grading Rubric on the mark allocation and as a guide to ensure you satisfy
the criteria for the Assignment.
For this assessment, you are not allowed to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI)
tools such as ChatGPT, Bard, Grammarly Go etc for any purpose, including summarising
texts on the subject. You may continue to use:
• spelling/grammar checkers, e.g., Microsoft spell-check, and Grammarly.
• referencing software, e.g., Endnote, Zotero and Mendeley
Engaging with Gen AI for this assessment constitutes, and will be treated as, a breach of
academic integrity.
Unitec Institute of Technology 3 School of Applied Business
Note:
• The word limit is to guide you on the length required. Marks may be deducted for
exceeding the word limit.
• Ensure APA 7th referencing style is used to acknowledge all sources. For guidelines on
the APA 7th style go to http://libguides.unitec.ac.nz/apareferencing .
• Formatting should be Calibri 12 pt font / 1.5 line spacing, with all pages numbered.
• Ensure that the Assessment Cover Page is completed, signed and attached.
• Written report should be professional, grammatically correct with no spelling errors,
therefore, proof-read your report thoroughly, more than once.
• Please note Unitec’s late assessment policy detailed in the Course Information Sheet on
Moodle.
Help with your Assignment
To do the best that you can do on this assignment you may:
• Talk it over with your lecturer, or Academic Programme Manager.
• Visit the “Ask Me” desk in Te Puna (B180, Level 1) to book learning advice and support or
Ph 0800 10 75 10, email learningadvisors@unitec.ac.nz
• Seek counselling or medical advice at the Medical Centre (B180 Te Puna, level 0). Ph 0800
10 75 10, email studentwellbeing@unitec.ac.nz
• Visit the Maia Marae team (B180, Level 1, Room 1001) for academic support for Māori.
• Visit the Pacific Centre (B180, Level 1) for Pacific Development and Support, or email
askpacific@unitec.ac.nz
• Contact the Student Support service about general advice and support
studentsupport@unitec.ac.nz phone 0800 10 75 10.
• Contact the Student Advocate service to raise a concern about your learning experience
studentadvocate@unitec.ac.nz phone 0800 84 48 32.
• Visit the Access4Success team (B180, Level 1) if you have a learning disability or email
disabilityservices@unitec.ac.nz phone 021 0221 1686.
Unitec Institute of Technology 4 School of Applied Business
BSNS8004: Assignment 2 marking rubric
Student Name: _________________________ Student ID: _______________________
Criteria Excellent Good Poor
Clarity, feasibility and relevance of the research
question 9-10 5-8 0-4
Understanding and explanation of different research
designs, properly referenced using APA 7th style 13-15 8-12 0-7
Justification of chosen research design, properly
referenced using APA 7th style 18-20 10-17 0-9
Detail and justification of sampling and data collection
methods, properly referenced using APA 7th style 13-15 8-12 0-7
Detail and justification of data analysis techniques,
properly referenced using APA 7th style 9-10 5-8 0-4
Discussion of ethical considerations, properly
referenced using APA 7th style 9-10 5-8 0-4
Identification of limitations of the research design,
properly referenced using APA 7th style 9-10 5-8 0-4
Writing style and organization 9-10 5-8 0-4
Total out of 100:
Further comments: