Research Methods

Project description
1 Download the weekly data of the index for the calendar year 2009 and make a time plot of the data. Comment on the variability of the index looking at the plot.

Report the standard deviation and the range of the data and any other measures of uncertainty you feel are suitable and appropriate.

2 Download the weekly data of the index for the calendar year 1999 and compare the data for 1999 and 2009 on a single plot. Which year has been more volatile?

Calculate the respective standard deviations and ranges of the two sets of data as well as and any other measures of uncertainty you feel are suitable and appropriate.

Do these numbers confirm your observations about the relative volatility of the two years?

3 Download the weekly data of the index S&P 500 for the calendar year 2009 and compare the data for same year for NASDAQ on a single plot. Which index has been more

volatile? Calculate the respective standard deviations and ranges of the two sets of data as well as and any other measures of uncertainty you feel are suitable and

appropriate. Do these numbers confirm your observations about the relative volatility of the two indices?

4 Download the weekly data of the index Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) for the calendar year 2009 and compare the data for same year for NASDAQ on a single plot.

Which index has been more volatile? Calculate and draw the respective Boxplots and Histograms. Do these graphs confirm your observations about the relative volatility

of the two indices?

5 Download the weekly data of the DJIA index for the calendar year 2013, year 1986+10 years (where DD/MM/YYYY your date of birth) and compare the data for 2013,

1986+10 years and 2009 on a single plot. Which year has been more volatile?

[This case study is adopted from the case at the end of the 1st chapter of the 6th edition of Aczel and Sounderpandian Complete Business Statistics]

Marking scheme: 50% of the mark comes from the aforementioned five questions (10% for each), and 50% from the overall presentation of the business report written as if

you are an Independent Analyst of Stock markets. A business report must have a nice cover, a good executive summary, an introduction and a main body that reads through

smoothly and uses lay terms, not using statistical jargon and be formatted with the highest possible quality. It must contain a lot of graphs and as much colour as

possible. No assumptions should be made on the academic background and experience of the potential readership. References should be used carefully and the majority

coming from practitioner/business sources (www, the press, etc) and any technical details /analysis should be in an appendix. Overall the main body should not be about

2500.

SKL5A1 RESEARCH METHODS

Assessment TWO – Individual project guidelines
Written Report – 60% TMM

LENGTH: 1500 words (+/- 10%)
EXCLUDING title and contents page, bibliography and appendices

REPORT DUE DATE: Week 12 – Friday of week 12 (09/12/16, 23.59hrs) via Turnitin

Topic requirements:
Working individually, you will either prepare a business report on a new topic of interest to you, OR you will continue working on the topic from Assignment 1.
If you choose the former option, first select a research question. Your tutor will help you with this. It should be related to business and organisational life.
For this assessment, you are expected to collect primary empirical data. Write up your research by using the guidelines given below. You should also look at the marking criteria (see below) to see what is expected from each section of the proposal and the balance between sections. Be aware that most of the marks for this report are awarded for the analysis and conclusions you research.

The content of your report
• Title page (including name of all group members, date of submission, course, title of course work)
• Introduction – this short section should offer rationale for your chosen topic.
• Report topic/question. Aims and objectives – These must be succinct, achievable and coherent.
• Literature review – a short review of the literature which sets out relevant concepts and ideas you plan to utilise in your empirical study. You should include 5 academic sources in this section.
• Methodology/methods – short methodology section focusing primarily on research design. Briefly outline the population, sampling and research methods. Also state your proposed data analysis technique.
• Discussion of Findings
• Conclusions and limitations

N.B –data collection is necessary for this piece of work.
Formatting advice
• Sub-headings should be used to separate main sections
• Sources of all research information must be clearly cited in the text. You are expected to use the Harvard referencing style. All sources of ideas other than your own in the report must be properly cited
• A separate references list must be included, with entries in alphabetical order
• Appendices are also allowed
• Text must be written in clear English
• Finished assignment will be well organized
• Finished assignments will demonstrate clear evidence of the group’s understanding of research methods and how they can be applied in practice

Presentation of the report
NB (The notes below refer to how the report looks. There is no oral presentation of this report in class).
• Reports must be word processed
• Line spacing: EITHER 1.5 lines OR double spaced
• Font: EITHER Ariel 12 OR Times New Roman 12
• Tables, charts and/or graphs may be used
• Reports must be spell checked
• Word count for the main text must be included

Marking Criteria for Group Assignment – assessment two
Total mark
Marker’s Remarks and Grades
Introduction: Clear description of the topic & justification for its selection. Research aim/question and objectives should be clearly stated.
(150 – 200 words).

5

Literature Review: In-depth knowledge of what others have written on the subject relevant to the research questions. In this section, you are required to provide a brief review of relevant literature, i.e. what are the main issue (s) of contention, concepts that you will utilise in your empirical study. Provide a correct in-text citations using Harvard Referencing style
(250 – 300 words)
15

Methodology: The research methodology needs briefly to explain the main steps in your primary research, including the sampling method, the research methods, i.e. how primary data was gathered and then analysed.
(150 –200 words).
15

Discussion of Findings
This section should present and evaluate your findings from the analysis of your primary data. For quantitative data (e.g. from a questionnaire survey), this should take the form of suitable tables or charts, accompanied by relevant analysis/interpretation. For qualitative data (e.g. from semi-structured interviews), the content of the material needs to be evaluated using other suitable forms of analysis. It should also include comparisons with the literature where appropriate and discussion of any unexpected/unique findings. The results should be presented in an organised, logical and coherent manner.
(600 – 800 words)
30

Conclusions and limitations
The conclusions should set out your findings on the research question/aim and objectives you set yourself in the Introduction. Your conclusions should be backed by evidence from your literature review and analysis of your primary data indicating the methodological and ethical limitations faced.
(500 – 600 words)
30

Report Presentation/effective written communication Observed 1,500 word limit, plus or minus 10%, excluding appendices, bibliography and abstract. Coherent structure. Referenced conventions adhered to. Good spelling & grammar practice.
5

TOTAL MARK
100