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MN1105
Quantitative Methods
Resit Coursework: Essay (60%)
Deadline date: Monday 20th August 2018 - 12.00 midday (London Local Time)
Assignment task (1500 words):
A critical essay entitled ‘Critique of Quantitative Methods Journal Paper’. This assignment builds on your weekly seminar papers for discussion and is concerned with critically evaluating and interpreting a business and management journal article that adopts quantitative methodology.
You are asked to interpret and evaluate the following journal paper (attached) published this year:
Gerrard, B., and Lockett, A., (2018), Team-specific Human Capital and Performance, British Journal of Management, Vol. 29, pp.10-25.
Guidance:
•
Introduction:
Key research gaps that the paper is trying to fill (~50 words)
•
Critique
of current theory illustrating incoherencies, inconsistencies and uncertainties
and demonstrating alternative theories and conflicting empirical evidence. You
will need to look at recent journal papers to support your arguments. Please
place any citations under your References. I will look favourably at citations
that are not part of the original paper. References are not part of your word
count. (~250 words).
•
The
nature of sample used in the study and an appraisal of its fit for the research
question as well as its shortcomings (~200 words).
•
The
major part of your paper (~800 words) is to describe the most significant
statistics in the paper and what they mean. Be discerning about the critical
statistics and don’t try to put everything in. Also, don’t regurgitate material
directly from the paper!
Quantitative Methods (Article analysis following a guideline)
Candidate Number
Course Unit Title
Course Unit Code
Introduction
This
paper examines how performance is affected by team-specific human capital
(TSHC) (Gerrard & Lockett, 2018, p.10). This objective is achieved through
the delineation of the two dimensions of TSHC regarding the team manager and
members while focusing on the interaction between these dimensions and the
effect on influencing performance.
Critique
of the current theory
According to Li et al.
(2017, p.26), proponents of the resource-based view (RBV) theory argue that
firms outdo each other because of human capital (HC). Nonetheless, empirical
evidence from recent meta-analyses points out that the relationship between
performance and resources remain inconclusive (Gerrard &Lockett, 2018,
p.10). Besides, the existing evidence on the same from various meta-analyses is
ambiguous. The authors indicate that this ambiguity can be linked to
pre-existing studies that use variables that are logically appropriate but less
suitable from an HC perspective. The inconsistencies of the RBV theory also
arise from the control of cross-sectional study designs that fail to result in
performance enhancements as a result of resource-accumulation processes.
To
overcome the RBV incoherencies the authors of this article focused on an
isolation mechanism by differentiating the general and specific HC. To
effectively explain the relationship between resources and performance of a
firm the authors could also have utilized Porter's Five Forces. Smith (2018,
p.73) opine that Porter's five-force framework utilizes a specific area of a
firm most especially the resources as the unit of analysis to determine the
achievement of profit maximization through enhanced performance. Investigations
on this framework reveal that there is a notable relationship between
performance and resources in a firm (Anna, 2017, p.94). This framework
comprises of different parties: buyers, suppliers, substitutes, rivalry, and
entry barriers. The basic assumption is that to enhance performance levels the
different parties have to compete with each other with much focus on the
external environment.
Nature
of sampling
To
determine how HC influences team performance the authors of this article focus
on data collected from between ten seasons in England’s top flight football.
The EPL was formulated in 1995 and ever since it has consisted of 20 teams
(Gerrard & Lockett, 2018, p.14). Thus, only 200 observations are included
in the study with a total of 380-games included considering teams play home and
away matches featuring over 35 different teams. The EPL due to promotion and relegation
of teams provides maximization of effort and innovation incentives hence
proving a better research site that supports the investigation of the influence
of HC on team performance.
Gerrard and Lockett (2018, p.14) assert that this nature sampling fits the research question because it is compiled from published sources thus being a useful dataset. The sampling results in the provision of data that is clear and objective hence painting a clear picture of team performance. Across the time periods, the measures used in the study...
