Research 80
Research 80
Complete and attach this cover sheet to your assessment before submitting
Due Date: Saturday 11th Jan 2020 (23.55) Date submitted: Monday 13th Jan 2020
By submitting this assessment for marking, either electronically or as hard copy, I confirm the
following:
This assignment is my own work
Any information used has been properly referenced.
I understand that a copy of my work may be used for moderation.
I have kept a copy of this assignment
Grade/Mark:
Comments:
Assignment 2 – Research Proposal (Individual)
You are required to write a 3000-word (+/- 10%) research proposal which focus on a specific aspect of
sustainable practices among small and medium sized furniture retailers in Bahrain.
Eco-labelling
Customer demand
Customer behavior
Regulatory factors
Method of sourcing furniture products
Willingness to pay higher prices
Awareness of the environmental impact
Etc
You must decide what you want to research - go back and look at your preliminary literature review and
see what interests you the most.
1. Title
Provide a clear working title for your research which is made up of key words that are relevant to your
research project. The title should inform the reader about the intention of the project and the central
issue(s) that it will address.
What are you proposing to research? What are the questions that your research will attempt to answer?
Why is your proposed research important? Look back at your preliminary literature review. [L.O. 1, 2, 3]
As discussed, avoid broad topics and make sure that the scope of work is appropriate (i.e. it is sufficiently
narrow and feasible).
This proposal should present your research methods including specific details to explain how you are going
to conduct your research (e.g. techniques, sample size, target populations, etc.).
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This section should be very detailed! For example, if you are proposing to carry out interviews, who will you
interview? How many interviews will you conduct? Will there be problems of access? The same level of
detail should be given for questionnaires or observations etc.
You should cover the methods that you are NOT going to use when conducting your research. Discussing
what you are not going to use and why, helps to justify what you are doing. For example, if you are
conducting semi-structured interviews, why have you decided to exclude structured and unstructured
interviews?
This section also needs to show that you have thought about the ethical considerations of your proposed
research. How, for example, will you avoid bias? How will you protect those involved in your research?
You should also provide a realistic schedule for completing your research which shows an appreciation of
the need to plan your research and how long it is likely to take. Use the timeframe for the Final Industry
Project as a reference. Effectively you have around 10 weeks to collect all your data with around 5 weeks to
analyze the data and write up your project. Include a visual representation of your schedule such as a Gantt
Chart, however, you must explain your schedule (e.g. Gantt Chart) using words. Explain the rationale
behind the various timeframes of the various stages of your research and specific activities. [L.O. 1, 2, 3]
5. References
Your proposal should include a list of references to key articles and texts discussed within your research
proposal which relate to the research topic and your research methods.
IMPORTANT: Some of this work (see Section 2 above) relies on your first assignment which was submitted
via Turnitin. It is a simple task for the tutor to compare your previously submitted work with this
submission. You are expected to revise your work so that it meets the requirements of this task. Do not
simply cut and paste it as it will not be marked. The same work cannot and will not be marked twice. There
must be clear differences between the two submissions.
To score well in this assignment you should cover all requirements and expand on them in full. The reason
for writing anything, including a research proposal, is to communicate your message effectively and failure
to do this will result in a loss of marks. Your proposal should be written in an academic style. Errors such as
typos, spelling mistakes and poor formatting do not meet academic standards.
This assignment should be written on this document (a Microsoft Word document - do not PDF the file) and
appropriately formatted; headings and subheadings should be used, you should use either Calibri or Arial
font (size 11 – excluding headings and subheadings), your work should be double-spaced, and pages should
be numbered. Remember to reference your work (including in-text referencing) at all times using the APA
style.
Submissions – Use this document as the template for your submission! Please submit the whole
document including cover page, instructions, your review and the rubric via Moodle. All assignments will
be checked for plagiarism and originality using Turnitin. All submissions must be saved using the following
naming convention (failure to do this may result in your assignment not being marked):
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BILM Assignments – Rules & Guidelines
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY & HONESTY: When submitting this assignment, you are confirming that you have adhered
to Bahrain Polytechnic’s policy on academic integrity and honesty including using APA referencing appropriately.
Any violation of this will be dealt with as stipulated in the policy.
LATE SUBMISSIONS: Late assignments are deducted 5 marks from your achieved mark for each 24-hour period
after the due date. For example, an assessment which has been graded as 73% will be reduced to 68% for the first
24 hours late, and to 63% if late for a further 24 hours and so on. This applies to every day of the week including
the weekend and all public holidays. Assignments which are submitted so late as to receive a negative mark will
receive a final mark of zero.
EXTENSIONS: On application, in writing, tutors may approve an extension up to a maximum of two (2) days
(including the weekend and public holidays) for an individual assignment. Applications for extensions must be
received no later than 72 hours (3 days) before the due date. Only one extension per course will be given. Please
note that extensions will not be given for group work, tests or exams.
WORD LIMIT: All assignments have a required word limit which we permit a variation of +/-10%. For example, an
assignment with a 3000-word limit means that you can submit between 2700 to 3300 words. These words come
from the main body of your writing i.e. your introduction to your conclusion. We do not include title pages,
contents pages, reference list or appendices. In-text referencing is included in the word count. Submissions which
are substantially under the word limit will receive a low mark for failing to answer the question fully. If a
submission is over the word limit, the tutor will simply stop marking at that point where it is 10% over (e.g. 3300
words for an assignment with a 3000-word limit). You will not receive any marks for work that is submitted outside
of the maximum word limit.
GHOST WRITERS / ESSAY MILLS: In cases where there is strong concern over the authorship of your submission
(i.e. we suspect someone has written it for you), you will be required to attend a meeting with your tutor and PM
or HoS to ‘defend’ your work. If you are unable to satisfy all parties that the work is yours by displaying a thorough
knowledge of the contents, concepts, terminology etc., a full academic misconduct investigation will be carried out.
Due to the severity of this, a possible outcome is your permanent exclusion from the Polytechnic.
Please refer to the generic Course Guide or your tutor if you require further clarification of the above points.
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Research Proposal (Assignment 2)
Table of Contents
.....................................................................1
Introduction................................................................................................................................7
Research overview......................................................................................................................7
Research Methods.......................................................................................................................8
One on One Interviews...........................................................................................................................8
Structured interviews...............................................................................................................................9
Semi-structured.......................................................................................................................................9
Focus groups.........................................................................................................................................10
Questionnaire.......................................................................................................................................10
Structured Questionnaire.......................................................................................................................10
Unstructured Questionnaire..................................................................................................................11
Survey...................................................................................................................................................11
Observation..........................................................................................................................................11
Sampling...............................................................................................................................................12
Data analysis.........................................................................................................................................12
Ethics....................................................................................................................................................13
Research Schedule.....................................................................................................................13
Gantt Chart...........................................................................................................................................13
References.................................................................................................................................15
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The acceptance of community housing
users sourcing eco-furniture in Bahrain.
Introduction
environment sustainable
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initiatives such as plastic, and electrical solutions within the private and public sector. This project aims at
providing additional support to enhance and develop the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in
Bahrain. The primary sustainable got for this project is to provide sustainable manufactured goods through
the supply chain to the community of Bahrain and will be achieved first by community housing. The
government and community housing users seem to have the potential to achieve the goal. Hence, with the
support of the government the community users will be granted the opportunity to have discounts from
several furniture enterprises that provide eco-furniture. This study aims that after implementation the
community will have more motive to support sustainable decision. The study will also be enhancing the
Research overview
Green logistics can be defined as having all practices among the supply chain less impactful to the
environment by including a corporate and environmental interaction managing green strategies to impact
in the field of business and the environment. The damage to the environment has adversely impacted
natural resources which forced green design to be more protective of the environment (Tamyez, Nor, and
Abdul Nasir, 2013). Eco-labelling is one of the most common green initiatives adopted worldwide. It is a
label that appropriately identifies the environmental impact of production and use. According to Potts &
Haward (2007) “Eco-labelling is a relatively new trend and one of the efforts to inform the customer about
the environmental friendliness of a product.” This means that eco-labels are a strong way of
communicating with the customers in the market. Hence, this provides the customer with a satisfactory
level and a more sustainable environment. With a strong commitment from the top management, the eco-
labels provide a crucial success and step-by-step guidance to keep the projects on track. Due to the
worldwide spread of the eco-labeling initiative, several researchers have conducted research-based articles
about the importance of adopting similar initiatives and its impact on consumers such as the research done
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Bahrain has taken several steps to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. It is paying
attention and strongly committed to achieving them. The proposed research will answer the question of
“are community housing users in Bahrain accepting of sourcing eco-furniture? “. One of the main reasons
behind conducting such research is the lack of information as there are no previous research-based articles
that solve the same questions about Bahrain. Thus, it fills the gap of information. Besides, it assists in
identifying the cultural differences between Bahrain and several countries that implement eco-labeling.
The study conducted by Tamyez, et al. (2013) looks at why the Malaysian SME’s lack of green practices and
technology in the furniture industry. The study found that consumers specifically in Malaysia are not aware
of the environmental impacts that are produced by furniture among the supply chain. While other studies
show that consumers are willing to pay more money for environmentally friendly products such as the
Yung Yau, (2012)’s research-based articles focus on the Eco‐labels and willingness‐to‐pay in Hong Kong. He
stated that people love spending the lowest money possible. Yet, acknowledging that the product is green
by attaching eco-labels assist in attracting the consumers as paying more money for a green product
without having an actual label acknowledging its environmental friendliness will not encourage consumers
to buy it. Therefore, it shows how different cultures and the lack of awareness affects the acceptance of
environmentally friendly furniture and impacts the buying behavior of consumers. Due to the creation of
new generations, the interest toward eco-labeling is more likely to change especially as the new generation
Research Methods
Research method is a tool used to question chosen participants to acquire responses from. The research
methods chosen are non-experimental as they are based on real life experience and not under fixed and
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controlled circumstances. A triangulation method is chosen for this research to assure the accuracy of
information gathered.
One on one interviews are conducted face to face. By this way, the researcher is granted the opportunity to
interpret non-verbal cues through observing the body language, facial expression and eye contact. Thus, it
enhances the chances of the interviewers of understanding the question and the topics they are facing.
Also, it allows the researcher to explore hidden meanings and deeper understandings through the face to
face interview. There are different types of one on one interviews. Which are the structured interview,
Structured interviews
According to Ryan, Coughlan and Patricia (2009) structured (or standardized) interview provides the use
interview schedule which contains structured questions to be asked which are in the same order. These
questions that will be asked are the exact same questions that will be asked to each candidate. Hence,
structured interviews questions do not allow any room for veering of topic. The questions that are
approached to the interviewer are similar to the questions in questionnaires and surveys. Whereas, there
are no deviation from sequence of questions or the language used. There may be literacy difficulties where
the candidate finds it hard to understand in questionnaire but in one on one interview the researcher will
identify in a more understandable matter. The answers of the respondents are easily analyzed, separated
and identified. Also, the process of the interview is easily followed. Contrarily, the interviewee is often
forced to chose only from the list of answer leaving no chance to elaborate or express their feeling or
opinion. Also, the researcher has to always stick to the guideline which also gives no chance for additional
information to be gained. Furthermore, the accuracy of the information in the structure may overpower
Semi-structured
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According to McIntosh and Morse (2015) semi-structured (or semi-standardized) is the chosen type of
interview for this research. The interviews offer the researcher more flexible approach in the interview
process while maintaining basic interview structure. The interviewer follows a guide and a sequence of
questions but may also stray from the guide when they feel it is appropriate for the matter. This research
needs this type of interview as it is flexible for both parties and allows the researcher to prompt the
interviewee if they are looking for more information or find what they are saying is interesting. It works
best when the interviewer has a number of areas to be sure to be addresses. Plus, when there is only one
chance to interview someone and when more than one person is involved in carrying out the interviews.
The questions proposed are open-ended which encourages more than a Yes or No. For example, the
interviewer may ask “I’d like to hear your thoughts on whether changes in government policy regarding
eco-furniture have changed the practices of medium enterprises in Bahrain. Has your work changed?”. This
would be useful when collecting attitudinal information on a large scale for this research. However, the
reliability may be affected due to the flexibility offered. Also, comparing responses may be time consuming
Focus groups
The interview is specialized form of communication between a sub group for a specific purpose associated
with some agreed subject matter. It is a group compromised of individuals with certain characteristics who
focus on discussions on a given topic. The group is formed from a number of six to nine. According to
Dilshad and Latif (2013) compared to other techniques, this type of interview serves as a rich source for
exploring people’s inner feeling and attitude. Dilshad and Latif (2013) also states that it is a more natural
environment than an individual interview as the participants are more influencing and influenced by others
just as they are in real life. The three most distinctive characteristics are that it prompts and motivates the
interviewees, the existence of the moderator does not make the group as they are being observed or
moderated and lastly the collective view is given more importance than the aggregate view. This form of
interview is preferred for this research as it will be useful to obtain certain information as it may be
challenging using other methods of data collection. The group interaction among participants has the
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potential for greater insights to be developed. Also, this type of interview is suitable for this research as it is
Questionnaire
According to Acharya (2010) a questionnaire can be defined as a paper including several questions and
different types of points that designed to seek data suitable to analysis. The questionnaire has many places
that can take a place on such as surveys, experiments and different types of observation. It is used to
gather information about a particular population. It is important to acknowledge that the questions chosen
for the questionnaire are not biased nor seemingly to be one sided. The seriousness of this research
requires to also avoid leading question to avoid the offenses of the respondents and such. The questions
must also be short and simple for each candidate along with avoiding questions with strong or negative
association. There are three types of questionnaires which are defined as structured, unstructured and
Quasi-structured questionnaires. The Quasi method is hybrid of both structure and unstructured.
Structured Questionnaire
According to Acharya (2010) this type of questionnaire includes pre-coded questions with well-defined
patterns to follow the sequence of questions. Pre-coded refers to that although it refers to a question that
is open ended but the respondents are granted the opportunity to choose fixed answers. Structured
questionnaires are more often used for quantitative data collection operations. The use of it comes from as
it creates less discrepancies, easier to analyze from responses, consistency in answers and easier to
manage. The benefits for this kind is applicable yet will still not meet the full requirement of the research
method goal.
Unstructured Questionnaire
The responses in this type is open ended and has a vague opinion-type questions. The questions are often
not in the format of interrogative sentences where moderator has to elaborate the sense of the question
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to the respondent. Frequently, this type is more suitable to be used on focus groups due to the need of
Survey
Surveys is a sample of questions used to query in order to collect data for analysis of a group of people. It
can be conducted through an e mail or through phone. However, neither options are suitable for the case
of this research. According to Mathiyazhagan and Nandan (2010) survey can also be defined as a method of
descriptive research used for collecting data based on verbal and written communication. The sequence of
the questions that will be used for this research will be the same as the questionnaires. However, part of
the questions will be changed as they will not be applicable for community housing users. The terminology
used for the survey regarding this research will be standard and below professional terms as papers will be
given to community houses users and may not be familiar with such language. Also, the language used will
be both English and Arabic bearing in mind the culture of the country and the education type. This type of
survey will be essential to complete the triangulation method of research as the accuracy of the
information that will be gathered will be also be dependent on the users themselves.
Observation
According to Kawulich (2012) this research method is based on collecting data by observing the culture,
process and data about people. The outcomes of observing are that it helps in identifying how people in
the setting interact and how things are organized and prioritized in that form of setting. The observer is
also able to ask questions if needed on why and how the process is in a certain way. The observation
method can be used on both quantitative and qualitative methods. The observation may be based on a
controlled environment such as containing chemical reactions or based on work fields. There are two
known types which are the direct and the participant observation. The direct method of observation
involves observing without interacting with the group of people. The participant observation is helpful as it
helps to allow the observer understand the participants’ world by actively participating. Also, the
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participant observation is useful to be applied at fields because when people recognize that they are being
watched or observed the behavior suddenly changes. This type of method is not applicable to be applied in
this research because of the huge sample of population of the community housing users.
Sampling
According to Mujere (2016), sampling is taking a group of people, items or objects from huge population
for a measurement. The sampling has many benefits which allows saving time to gather information,
represent the higher proportion of the people’ respond. Sample size mostly relies on the nature of the
analysis performed with the desired outcome. There are different methods that used in sampling such as
Simple Random Sampling, systematic Random Sampling, stratified Random Sampling, cluster Sampling and
non-Probability Sampling. The preferred sampling technique will be the Simple Random Sampling due to
several reasons that this technique offers. It provides the researcher with generalizations from the sample
to the population. Moreover, the simple random sampling will lessen the possibility of research bias since
there is no selection or interference of particular segment to impact the outcome data. In our case, the
target population is 1000 house, while the sample chosen would be 300 community houses. Simple
Random Sampling technique will be adopted in this research due its simplicity and effectiveness. Another
reason why this technique was preferred is that the participants will have an equal opportunity to involved
Data analysis
The accuracy of gathering data is a crucial element to gather the best pieces of information. It is also
important to avoid data fishing. Data fishing is a term used that refers to collecting only the data that the
research desires which causes the research to be bias. It is a process implemented amongst interviews,
questionnaires, observation notes and such. It is essential for all types of evaluation. The impact of
evaluations need to go beyond only assessing the size of effect to identify for whom or in what way it will
be successful. According to Peersman (2014), the data must be analyzed and synthesized to answer specific
Key Evaluation Question (KEQs). Peersman (2014) also stated that KEQs must be considered before the
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process of data collection as data collection should be geared towards the mix of evidence need to make
professional and appropriate judgments. Peersman explains to important data collection methods used by
UNECE which is the Evaluation matrix and the primary and the secondary collection data. The evaluation
matrix spoke about matching data collection to KEQs. The second was considering data collection as
Ethics
According to Parveen and Showkat (2017) ethical concerns are crucial while conducting information from
different participants. For example, as for interviews, the participant’ identity will be anonymous to protect
him. Furthermore, the participant has the freedom to decide if he will attend or refuse to answer any
question has been asked by the interviewer. Plus, the confidentiality of the participant’ information must
be protected and not exposed by any circumstances. The interviews will be performed based on their
approval and not by force. The researcher should inform the participants of the purpose from these
interviews and surveys. As the participants has the rights to know what their responds will be used for. the
participants should be notified that the interview will be recorded and he has the right to refuse.
Moreover, from the researcher side, in order to have a higher respond rates, it need to extend the duration
of gathering the data to increase the reliability of the data collected. Each participant is given a letter of
Research Schedule
Gantt Chart
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The acceptance of community housing users sourcing eco-furniture in Bahrain.
Project Schedule
Project Start Date 3/2/2020 (Monday) Display Week 1 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15
Project Lead 6/14/2020 (Sunday) 2 Mar 2020 9 Mar 2020 16 Mar 2020 23 Mar 2020 30 Mar 2020 6 Apr 2020 13 Apr 2020 20 Apr 2020 27 Apr 2020 4 May 2020 11 May 2020 18 May 2020 25 May 2020 1 Jun 2020 8 Jun 2020
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
WORK
WBS TASK LEAD START END DAYS % DONE M T W T F S SM T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F SS M T W T F SS M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S
DAYS
1 Research prepratio ns
1.1 Prior research steps Mon 3/02/20 Sun 3/08/20 7 0% 5
2 Interviews
Intrerviewing the
2.1 Mon 3/09/20 Wed 3/18/20 10 0% 8
companies
3 Fo cus g ro up
3.1 Conduct a focus group Thu 3/19/20 Wed 4/01/20 14 0% 10
4 Surveys
4.1 Publish surveys Thu 4/02/20 Wed 4/22/20 21 0% 15
5 Co ntent analys is
5.1 Analysing content Thu 4/23/20 Wed 5/13/20 21 0% 15
6 Research documentatio n
6.1 Writing the document Thu 5/14/20 Sun 6/07/20 25 0% 17
7 Presenting research
7.1 Prior presentation actions Mon 6/08/20 Sun 6/14/20 7 0% 5
The Research schedule is conducted by the Gantt Chart which is a tool plans deadlines of tasks and
deadlines efficiently. The illustration above of the Gantt Chart details each task for the completion of the
project with the number of days. Based on this research process the duration will take 15 weeks, starting
from the 2nd of March 2020, ending at June 8 th 2020. The process will be divided into two parts, the first
part will be compromising of gathering information and analyzing, the second will be finalizing the final
document. The first task is centered on the research preparation and includes one sub-task which is prior
research steps. The task duration takes seven days of gathering information about the eco-furniture,
Ministry of Housing, SME’s in Bahrain. Task 2 includes one-on-on interviews with Managers and CEO’s of
SME’s in Bahrain within the furniture field. The process is assigned up to 10 days to prepare questionnaires,
schedule interviews, locations and to the time of conducting interviews. Task 3 periods two weeks, the
group consists of the Minister of housing, 3 managers and 1 consultant within the Ministry of Housing and
3 Deputy heads from the Council of representatives. Each member will be informed ahead of time of the
actual group interview. The fourth task consist of creating the surveys. A maximum of 21 days given to
prepare the questions and print surveys, they will then be sent to the Ministry od Housing for distribution
to community housing users. Analyzing the information gathered needs time to be considered. Therefore,
Task 5 takes 21 days, to analyze the interviews, group and surveys. Writing the final document after
gathering all the information will take up 25 days including editing and proofreading.
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References
Dilshad M. R. & Latif I. M. (2013), Focus Group Interview as a tool for Qualitative Research: An Analysis.
https://www.bzu.edu.pk/PJSS/Vol33No12013/PJSS-Vol33-No1-16.pdf
Frances R., Coughlan M., & Patricia c. (2009), Interviewing in qualitative research: The one-on-one
interview. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261471599_Interviewing_in_qualitative_research
McIntosh J. M., & Morse M. J., (2015), Situating and Constructing Diversity in Semi-Structured Interviews
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2333393615597674
Papadopoulos, S., Karagouni, G., Trigkas, M., & Beltsiou, Z. (2014). “Mainstreaming green product
strategies - Why and how furniture companies integrate environmental sustainability?”,
pp. 293-317. www.emeraldinsight.com/1450-2194.htm
Peersman G. (2014), Overview: Data Collection And Analysis Methods in Impact Evaluation.
https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/brief_10_data_collection_analysis_eng.pdf
Susanty, A., Santoso, H., Sari, D. P., & Parasayu, S. (2017), Effect of Internal Green Supply Chain
Practices on Environmental Performance of SMEs of Wooden Furniture Industry,
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Vol. II, London, U.K.
Tamyez, P., Nor, N., & Nasir, S. (2013), The Adoption of Green Manufacturing Practices
in Furniture Firms, pp. 377-384.
Yung Yau, (2012) "Eco‐labels and willingness‐to‐pay: a Hong Kong study", Smart and Sustainable Built
Environment, Vol. 1 Issue: 3, pp.277-290, https://doi.org/10.1108/20466091211287146
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Marking Rubric for Assignment 2: Research Proposal (L.O. 1, 2, 3 are identified in the task description and are inherent in this rubric)
Excellent standard achieved Good standard achieved Satisfactory standard achieved Poor standard achieved No standard achieved
5 4 3 2 1
An excellent attempt to provide a A good attempt to provide a clear A satisfactory attempt to provide a A poor attempt to provide a clear No real attempt to provide a clear
clear working title working title clear working title working title working title
15-13 12-11 10-9 8-6 5-0
An excellent response to ‘What are A good response to ‘What are you A satisfactory response to ‘What A poor response to ‘What are you No discernible response to ‘What
you proposing to research?’ proposing to research?’ are you proposing to research?’ proposing to research?’ are you proposing to research?’
15-13 12-11 10-9 8-6 5-0
An excellent response to ‘What are A good response to ‘What are the A satisfactory response to ‘What A poor response to ‘What are the No discernible response to ‘What
the questions that your research questions that your research will are the questions that your questions that your research will are the questions that your
will attempt to answer?’ attempt to answer?’ research will attempt to answer?’ attempt to answer?’ research will attempt to answer?’
15-13 12-11 10-9 8-6 5-0
An excellent response to ‘Why is A satisfactory response to ‘Why is No discernible response to ‘Why is
A good response to ‘Why is your A poor response to ‘Why is your
your proposed research your proposed research your proposed research
proposed research important?’ proposed research important?’
important?’ important?’ important?’
30-26 25-22 21-18 17-12 11-0
An excellent description of how the A good description of how the A satisfactory description of how A poor description of how the No discernible description of how
research will be conducted (i.e. the research will be conducted (i.e. the the research will be conducted (i.e. research will be conducted (i.e. the the research will be conducted (i.e.
proposed research methods) proposed research methods) the proposed research methods) proposed research methods) the proposed research methods)
30-26 25-22 21-18 17-12 11-0
Satisfactory justifications No discernible justifications
Excellent justifications supporting Good justifications supporting the Poor justifications supporting the
supporting the proposed research supporting the proposed research
the proposed research methods proposed research methods (incl. proposed research methods (incl.
methods (incl. those not being methods (incl. those not being
(incl. those not being used) those not being used) those not being used)
used) used)
10-9 8-7 6 5-3 2-0
Ethical considerations are expertly Ethical considerations are well Ethical considerations are Ethical considerations are poorly Ethical considerations are either
covered covered satisfactorily covered covered barley or not covered
10-9 8-7 6 5-3 2-0
An excellent research schedule and A good research schedule and A satisfactory research schedule A poor research schedule and/or No discernible research schedule
supporting commentary is provided commentary is provided and/or commentary is provided commentary is provided and/or commentary is provided
10-9 8-7 6 5-3 2-0
Excellently referenced including in- Well referenced including in-text Satisfactorily referenced including Poorly referenced including in-text
Not referenced
text and the reference list and the reference list in-text and the reference list and the reference list
10-9 8-7 6 5-3 2-0
Academically written and Academically written and Academically written and Not academically written and/or Not academically written or
communicated with due care to communicated with only minor communicated but poor attention communicated with minor communicated with no attention to
detail issues to detail attention to detail detail