IB9HN0
Research Methodology
Term Two 2021/2022
WARWICK BUSINESS SCHOOL
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100% Individual Assignment

3500 words:
This is a strict limit not a guideline: any piece submitted with more words than the limit will result
in the excess not being marked.

This individual assignment contributes 100% of the overall mark for the module. It should be
submitted by 20.00 on Tuesday April 26, 2022.
The assignment task provides an opportunity for you to (1) apply and synthesise the knowledge of
research methods that you have developed over the module and (2) develop and practice skills in
research design. To accomplish these learning goals, the assignment task requires you to design a
research project to investigate a research question, problem, puzzle or issue that interests you.
Please note that the assignment task does not require you to design your dissertation project – this
comes later in your MSc journey. Instead, the assignment prepares you to undertake your
dissertation project by deepening your skills training as a researcher who is equipped to design and
evaluate research projects that are epistemologically coherent and methodologically robust.
The assignment requires the following steps to complete:
1. Identify a question, puzzle, or problem based on your reading of the academic literature in
your discipline area coupled with your own values, interests and experiences.
2. Develop an appropriate, coherent and robust research plan for investigating your
question/puzzle/problem. Your plan should include the rationale for your choices of
research paradigm, methods (quantitative, qualitative or mixed), strategies for data
collection and analysis, techniques and procedures including sampling, and ‘goodness’
criteria.
3. Write up your assignment as a 3500 word individual assignment that describes your
question/puzzle/problem, evaluates a suitable research plan, and justifies all of your choices.
Specifically, your 3500 write-up must include:
a. A description of the research question/puzzle/problem that your empirical study will
investigate and why it is important. You should consider both theoretical and practical
relevance;
b. An explanation of the research paradigm which underpins your approach to investigating
your research question/puzzle/problem, including your ontological and epistemological
assumptions;
c. An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative
methodologies for investigating your research question/puzzle/problem and justification for
your choice of quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods; and
d. An evaluation of the particular research methods that will be used to collect data and their
strengths and weaknesses relative to other possibilities for addressing the research
question/puzzle/problem;
e. An explanation and justification of the sampling strategy that will be used to select the
sources of data;
f. A description of the analytical strategy or strategies that will be used to analyse the data
together with an appraisal of their strengths and weaknesses in generating findings that will
contribute to existing knowledge of the topic and to practice and/or policy; and
g. The criteria by which the ‘quality’ of the research can be judged and why these criteria are
appropriate.
Note: This assignment should be 3500 words excluding the list of references at the end of the
document. This is the absolute word limit for the body of the assignment.