RE-SIT ASSIGNMENT RESEARCH CREDITS: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BUSINESS RESEARCH USING SAMPLES FROM COMPANIES VS. SAMPLES FROM ONLINE PANELS.
Business Administration is an empirical science which means that both practical and theoretical problems and insights must be tested empirically. Particularly research questions that concern the behavior of human beings (e.g., related to marketing, leadership, but also behavioral accounting or finance) require gathering data from human samples. Two popular sources for this type of data beyond relying on students in university laboratories (like the ABS Lab) are, on the one hand, online panel providers like Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) or Prolific and, on the other hand, gathering data yourself from employees in companies. The choice of data source has implications on the research expenses, the trustworthiness, reliability and validity of the data collected as well as the conclusions drawn. Therefore, the selection of the right data source is critical for the field of business administration.
Assignment
Write an individual essay (3000 words of pure text, i.e., not counting references or table of content) analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of using human data samples from companies versus online panels for business administration research. Examine at least two different research questions to discuss why answering the respective research questions would benefit from collecting human data from companies or from online panels. Consider the benefits and limitations unique to each type of data source and elaborate on the specific aspects the researcher must consider when designing the study.
Whatever the topic, make sure you primarily use scientific articles from academic sources/journals such as Organizational Research Methods or the Journal of Marketing Research! Please also note that a lot of journals from different business content areas publish methodological articles (e.g., Journal of Business & Psychology, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Management Science).
In sum, you should first give an overview of several advantages and disadvantages of the two distinct sources for human behavioral data. Then, demonstrate these (dis)advantages by discussing how at least two research questions can best be answered using human data samples from companies versus online panels. Please use at least three academic textbooks and ten articles from academic journals. And don’t forget to include a cover page including your name and student number.
Your essay will not receive a detailed grade but only be graded on a pass/fail basis. The deadline for handing in the essay is June 29th, 23:59. Please send the assignment by email to [email protected].
A FEW ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR ESSAYS
Basics.
● DO YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION?!
● Do you use a clear structure: a BRIEF introduction (including a problem statement), the main body of your argument, and a strong conclusion.
● Is there a logical order and cohesive argument running through the paragraphs? (Conclude paragraphs properly; introduce new ideas properly; link points together.)
● Are there clear topic sentences in each paragraph?
● Do you use enough typesetting signals to clarify the structure of the text?
● Is your English correct? Please run ‘Spelling and Grammar’ before submitting your work!
Knowledge
● Do you use relevant theory and/or empirical evidence? Do you use it correctly?
● Do you support your judgements based on theoretical insights or empirical evidence?
● Is your discussion of ideas in the literature parsimonious (i.e. not too long and detailed)?
● Do you provide sufficient empirical basis for your statements/ conclusions (through references to previous research, or case descriptions)? Remember: unsubstantiated statements are merely your opinion – back them up with evidence.
Critical/analytical quality
● Do you present insights in a scientific manner?
● Does every point contribute to your answer? Or are some points unnecessary?
● Do you indicate the different angles from which you can view the problem (different theories often highlight different aspects of the situation, and people may have very different perspectives on the same issue, depending on their stake and involvement)?
● Do you present pros and cons of solutions?
● If you draw conclusions, did you make clear why (because….)?
Referencing and use of the Internet.
● Do you make use of academic literature (i.e., academic textbooks and articles from academic journals) in your answer?
● Do you reference material properly in your answer? Please do not use footnotes for your references. You can use the APA system or the Harvard system (the examples below are the Harvard system). In any case make sure you are complete and if you literally quote someone that you add the page number:
o In the text: Author (Year: Page number) – “Brewster (1996: p24) says ‘…’”
o In the Bibliography/ References: Author(s), Initial(s), Year, Title of article, title of journal or book, page references.