Critically evaluate research methods in scholarly business articles, identifying strengths and weaknesses to select appropriate methods to investigate research questions

College of Business

METH3A: Assignment 1

Assessment Type:	Individual assignment
Assessment Weight:	30% of final grade
Assessment Format:	Report: Microsoft Word
CLO under assessment:	CLO1: Critically evaluate research methods in scholarly business articles, identifying strengths and weaknesses to select appropriate methods to investigate research questions.

Instructions:

This assignment aims to develop students’ ability to critically evaluate and apply quantitative research methods by analyzing real-world examples in scholarly literature. You need to critically evaluate the research methodology employed in the attached article, assessing its appropriateness, strengths, and weaknesses. You should comprehensively review the article and reflect on the research gap(s), aims and objectives, research question(s), research design, sampling techniques, data collection, and results’ statistical analyses and interpretation. You also need to provide recommendations for improvement or alternative approaches where necessary. To this end, as discussed in class lectures, you need to consider relevant criteria for your analysis. Use the attached checklist of essential points for article review as well.

General guidelines:

• The report should begin with a cover page that includes the research title, with student name/IDs.
• The word count for the submitted report is approximately 1500-2500 words, excluding appendices and references.
• Use adapted diagrams and tables or ones you develop if you wish, and use subheadings clearly to indicate the structure of your work.
• Insert page numbers.
• Follow the APA citation and referencing format. Please refer to the following link for further information and guidelines: https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/apa-seventh- edition-changes/
• Please use Times New Roman font size 12 and line spacing 1.15 for all except References. For Reference, use Times New Roman font size 12 and line spacing 1.0.
• Show clear, organized structure, with sub-headings as appropriate
• Quotations, tables, charts, diagrams, etc., must be clear and relevant.

Sample Answer

1. Introduction

Quantitative research methods are pivotal in understanding organisational dynamics, particularly when exploring complex constructs such as leadership and employee engagement. This report critically evaluates the research article “The Influence of Leadership Styles on Employee Engagement: A Quantitative Study in the Hospitality Industry”, authored by Thompson and Malik (2021). The evaluation considers the study’s research gap, design, objectives, methodology, data collection, and statistical analysis. Recommendations are provided to address identified limitations.

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2. Research Gap and Rationale

The article identifies a research gap in empirical studies linking specific leadership styles (transformational and transactional) to employee engagement within the hospitality sector. Although existing literature discusses both variables, few studies quantitatively examine this relationship in a single industry. The authors justify their study by citing high turnover rates and low engagement levels in hospitality, thereby presenting a relevant and timely gap. This rationale is clearly articulated and well-supported by recent sources.

Strength: Strong justification based on sector-specific concerns.
Weakness: No mention of how findings might be generalised across regions or countries.

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3. Research Aims and Objectives

The aim is to investigate how different leadership styles influence employee engagement in mid-sized hospitality firms in the UK. The objectives include:

• To identify the prevalence of transformational and transactional leadership styles.

• To evaluate their statistical impact on employee engagement.

• To determine any moderating effects of demographic factors (age, experience).

The objectives are clear, measurable, and aligned with the research questions, satisfying key SMART criteria.

Continued...