IB 3094BEF

Research Methods for International

Business

(2026 Spring)

Assignment One

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Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Ho Man Tin, Kowloon

Hong Kong

IB 3094BEF Research Methods for International Business

Spring 2026

Assignment 1 – Written Assignment

Date due: 25 February 2026

Weighting: 30% of the total marks for this course

Word limit: 1,000 words (excluding references)

You are required to write a research proposal for an international business study. This

assignment focuses on the first part of the research proposal, including:

• A title for your research proposal

• Introduction: (30%)

- Introduce the research background in international business

- Identify a research question and justify why it is worth studying.

• Literature review: (50%)

- Locate that research within a theory (or theories) in international business

- Search and review 5-10 academic articles related to your research question

The remaining 20 marks are assessed based on writing and referencing. Please refer to

the assignment rubric file for details.

Guidelines

1. Your assignment should be around 1,000 words. Answers deviating significantly

from the expected lengths will lose marks.

2. Your answer should be in essay form.

3. MS Word format. Font style: Times New Roman; Font size: 12; Line spacing: 1.5.

4. With a cover page, add a page number, and use subtitles.

5. You can provide any statistics, tables, and graphs, if needed, in an appendix for

reference.

6. Your answer should show a clear understanding of the topic 1-5, including the

recommended readings. We will look for clear and logical ideas.

7. If you use any references, please indicate them in your answers and provide a

reference list at the end of your assignment.

Submission Procedure

1. Submission of soft copy: you should only upload a soft copy of the assignment

file in Microsoft Word format to the OLE of the course on the submission due

date. Please refer to the Quick Start Guide for instructions on submitting

assignments to Turnitin. No need to submit a hard copy of your assignment.

2. Late submission: 10% of the marks will be deducted from the assignment for each

calendar day overdue until the soft copy of the assignment is submitted to the OLE.

3. The submitted assignment should be covered with the Assignment Cover Sheet.

Plagiarism

The University takes academic honesty very seriously, and all assignments will undergo

a plagiarism check. Plagiarism involves copying from another source without

acknowledgement. You should make sure all the sources they used in the assignment

are properly referenced. Even if there is proper referencing, you should not make

excessive use of the works composed by other people. If plagiarism is confirmed, the

relevant students involved will be penalised.