Assessment Task One Guideline
Applied Business Research Methods
Due: Class Week 4.5
Type: Business Research Methods Evaluation
Value of Assessment: 30%
Rationale for Assessment:
This assessment offers learners the opportunity to demonstrate that they have gained understandings, critical and analytical skills that relate to learning outcomes 1- Differentiate common research methodologies applied in business and professional business advising (Range - Quantitative & Qualitative, Mixed Methods Model, Action and Appreciative Inquiry methods) and 2 - Critically evaluate a range of action and appreciative inquiry based business research project literature. Learners are required in this assessment to differentiate major methodological schools of research thought and practice, analyse action and appreciative inquiry research methodology and critically evaluate samples of action and appreciative inquiry based research literature. .
Guidelines for Assessment:
In this assessment Learners are required to exhibit the capacity to: differentiate major schools of research methodological thought; analyse action and appreciative inquiry research methods and evaluate action and appreciative inquiry based research project papers. The above assessment task is designed to form the basis for choosing one of these research methods for a research and ethics proposal and the topic or question focus of Assessment Task Two.
Core requirements the Assessment must include are set out below:
1. Review class notes, designated readings and preparatory activities and formative assessment task learning.
1. Formulate an Evaluation Format that includes the following section headings:
Introduction; Differentiation of the three Major Research Approaches; Critical Evaluation of Action Research Papers; Critical Evaluation of Appreciative Inquiry Research Papers; Reflection on Potential Research Project Foci, Summative Conclusion and References.
XXXXXXXXXXWord limit excluding references (1200 to 1800 words)
Marking Criteria
Marks may be awarded as set out below.
Assessment Requirements
Available Marks
1. Introduction
(Up to one mark maybe awarded for clarity of the introduction and ‘evaluation’ purpose).
2
1. Differentiation of the three Major Research Approaches
(Up to two mark maybe awarded for the clarity and accuracy of the differentiations of each of the three major schools of research thought)
6
1. Critical Evaluation of Action Research Papers
(Up to one mark maybe awarded for the accurate identification, analysis, articulation and future inferences drawn from evaluating the Action Research papers)
4
1. Critical Evaluation of Appreciative Inquiry Research Papers (Up to one mark maybe awarded for the accurate identification, analysis, articulation and future inferences drawn from evaluating the Appreciative Inquiry Research papers)
4
1. Reflection on Potential Research Project Foci
(Up to one mark maybe awarded for the reflection on the literature reviewed, additional case study material examined, analysis of the meanings drawn from these sources and identification of a ‘valuable research project topic and /or question for applied investigation)
8
1. Summative Conclusion
(Up to two marks maybe awarded for the accurate insights and articulation of the Evaluation outcomes for the Learner)
4
1. References
(Up to one mark maybe awarded for accuracy and completeness of the reference section purpose).
2
Total
30
Note to Assessor: Assessor should be informed by the generic Marking Ru
ic-Performance Criteria in the Learner Programme Handbook.
Recommended Readings
See required readings and handouts given in classes
Comparison of Environmental Impact of Plastic, Paper and Cloth Bags
Providing research and information services to the Northern Ireland Assembly
Research and Li
ary Service
Briefing Note
1
Paper 36/11 23 Fe
uary 2011 NIAR 139-11
Kirsty Bell and Suzie Cave
Comparison of Environmental
Impact of Plastic, Paper and
Cloth Bags
This Briefing Note looks at the environmental impact of different types of ca
ier bags- cloth,
paper and plastic. Their impact is compared based on four categories: decomposition, the
manufacturing process, their reusability and their recyclability.
1. Decomposition
Paper Bags
Research demonstrates that paper in landfills does not degrade or
eak down at a
substantially faster rate than plastic does. In fact, nothing completely degrades in
modern landfills because of the lack of water, light, oxygen and other important
elements that are necessary for the degradation process to be completed. A paper bag
takes up more space than a plastic bag in a landfill, but because paper is recycled at a
higher rate, saving space in landfills is less of an issue.1
1 http:
www.davidkrohn.net/what-are-the-impacts-of-plastic-paper-and-jute-bags-and-which-is-the-most-
environmentally-friendly/
http:
www.davidkrohn.net/what-are-the-impacts-of-plastic-paper-and-jute-bags-and-which-is-the-most-environmentally-friendly
http:
www.davidkrohn.net/what-are-the-impacts-of-plastic-paper-and-jute-bags-and-which-is-the-most-environmentally-friendly
NIAR XXXXXXXXXXPlastic, Paper and Cloth Bags
Providing research and information services to the Northern Ireland Assembly 2
Plastic Bags
It can take between 400 and 1000 years for plastic bags to decompose. A number of UK
etailers have recently introduced degradable ca
ier bags. These bags are made from
plastic which degrades under certain conditions or after a predetermined length of time.
There are two types of degradable plastic: bio-degradable plastics, which contain a small
percentage of non oil-based material, such as corn starch; and photodegradable plastics,
which will
eak down when exposed to sunlight.
There are a number of concerns over the use of degradable plastics. First, these plastics will
only degrade if disposed of in appropriate conditions. For example, a photodegradable
plastic product will not degrade if it is buried in a landfill site where there is no light. Second,
they may cause an increase in emissions of the greenhouse gas methane, as methane is
eleased when materials biodegrade anaerobically.2
2. Manufacturing Process
Paper Bags
It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to
manufacture a plastic bag. For paper bag production, forests must be cut down (trees are
abso
ers of greenhouse gases) and then the subsequent manufacturing of bags
produces greenhouse gases. The majority of paper bags are made by heating wood chips
under pressure at high temperatures in a chemical solution. The use of these toxic
chemicals contributes to both air pollution, such as acid rain, and water pollution. These
chemicals can pollute waterways; the toxicity of the chemicals is long-term and settles into
the sediments, working its way through the food chain. Further toxicity is generated as
oth plastic and paper bags degrade. Paper bags generate 70% more air and 50 times
more water pollutants than plastic bags.3
It would take approximately seven lo
ies to transport the same number of paper bags as
can be transported by a single lo
y full of plastic bags.4
Plastic Bags
Plastics are produced from the waste products of oil refining. An analysis of the life cycle
of plastic bags includes consideration of the environmental impacts associated with the
2 http:
www.wasteonline.org.uk
esources/informationsheets/plastics.htm
3 http:
www.reuseit.com/learn-more/myth-busting/why-paper-is-no-better-than-plastic
4 http:
www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1268.html
http:
www.wasteonline.org.uk
esources/informationsheets/plastics.htm
http:
www.reuseit.com/learn-more/myth-busting/why-paper-is-no-better-than-plastic
http:
www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1268.html
NIAR XXXXXXXXXXPlastic, Paper and Cloth Bags
Providing research and information services to the Northern Ireland Assembly 3
extraction of oil, the separation of products in the refining process, and the manufacturing
of plastics. The total environmental impact depends upon the efficiency of operations at
each stage and the effectiveness of their environmental protection measures.5
Their manufacture can add many tons of ca
on and other toxic chemicals into the
atmosphere6 It takes around 2 billion ba
els of oil to service the plastic bag industry
alone.7 However, plastics are cu
ently made from a by-product of oil or natural gas. It
could be argued that this by-product arises because the world needs fuels, and would
arise whether or not the by-product were used to make plastic goods. Until other fuels
have been developed, it makes good environmental sense to use the by-product, instead
of using scarce agricultural resources and water to make paper or cloth bags or vegetable-
ased plastic.8
Cloth Bags
Cloth Bags are much thicker and more expensive. 30,000 cotton bags can be packed into a
20-foot container, but the same container will accommodate 2.5 million plastic ca
ier-bags.
Therefore, to transport the same number of jute or cotton bags 80x more ships and lo
ies
would be required than for plastic bags, using 80x more fuel, using 80x more road space and
emitting 80x more CO2.9
3. Reusability
Plastic Bags
Plastic Bags can be made very thin, and are still strong enough to ca
y a full load of heavy
shopping. A plastic bag can ca
y 2,500 times its own weight and stay strong when wet.
The bags can also be re-used many times over for shopping, and are compact enough to be
put in a pocket or handbag. They are also put to many other uses in the home, and for other
uses such as clearing dog-waste from the streets, and most of them will eventually serve as
a bin-liner to safely collect and dispose of household waste.10
Reusable plastic bags (the so-called ‘bags for life’) are more sustainable than all types of
lightweight plastic ca
ier bags if used four times or more. They give the greatest
5 http:
www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1268.html
6 http:
www.davidkrohn.net/what-are-the-impacts-of-plastic-paper-and-jute-bags-and-which-is-the-most-
environmentally-friendly
7 http:
www.ecoca
ie
ag.co.uk/eco/faq.asp
8 http:
www.biodeg.org/position-papers/plastic-bag-bans/
9 http:
www.biodeg.org/position-papers/plastic-bag-bans/
10 http:
www.biodeg.org/position-papers/plastic-bag-bans
http:
www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1268.html
http:
www.davidkrohn.net/what-are-the-impacts-of-plastic-paper-and-jute-bags-and-which-is-the-most-environmentally-friendly
http:
www.davidkrohn.net/what-are-the-impacts-of-plastic-paper-and-jute-bags-and-which-is-the-most-environmentally-friendly
http:
www.ecoca
ie
ag.co.uk/eco/faq.asp
http:
www.biodeg.org/position-papers/plastic-bag-bans
http:
www.biodeg.org/position-papers/plastic-bag-bans
http:
www.biodeg.org/position-papers/plastic-bag-bans
NIAR XXXXXXXXXXPlastic, Paper and Cloth Bags
Providing research and information services to the Northern Ireland Assembly 4
environmental benefits over the full lifecycle.11 Tesco reward customers with one ‘Green’
Clubcard point for every bag re-used, even if it isn’t one of their bags.12
According to the Welsh Assembly Government, The Environment Agency completed a study
into the environmental impacts of types of ca
ier bags. The study concluded that for a paper
ag to have the same impact on the environment as a plastic bag it would need to be used at
least 4 times; however, most paper bags would not be durable enough to be used 4 times.13
Cloth Bags
Cloth Bags can be reused many times. However, cloth bags are not hygienic, like plastic
ags. Research by Guelph Chemical Laboratories in Canada in 2008 Microbiological Study
of Reusable Grocery Bags4 has shown that "re-usable grocery bags can become an active
microbial habitat and a
eeding-ground for bacteria, yeast, mould, and coli forms."14
4. Recyclability
Paper Bags
It takes 91% less energy to