College of Business

Master of Business Administration Program

Master of Human Resource Management Program

MGT524 Research Methods in Business

Section 2
Spring Semester, Term B, AY2017-2018

Course Instructor: Dr. Avraam Papastathopoulos

GROUP BUSINESS RESEARCH REPORT (GBRR) DESCRIPTION

TITLE OF GBRR

The role of rewards in helping service employees manage problem-

dysfunctional-difficult customers

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................... 3

B. SECONDARY & PRIMARY DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................ 3

C. LEARNING OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................... 4

D. PROPOSED STRUCTURE OF THE WRITTEN PROPOSAL ....................................................... 5

F. THEORIES - FRAMEWORK ..................................................................................................... 12

G. RESEARCH QUESTIONS ..................................................................................................... 13

H. RELATED REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... 13

E. NOTES ON WRITTEN REPORTS ......................................................................................... 16

I. MY GRADING CRITERIA ....................................................................................................... 17

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 A. OVERVIEW

This is a ‘Group Assessment’ requiring you to produce one written Group Business Research
Report (GBRR). Each group will consist of 2 to 3 students (no more than 3), depending on the
total number of students enrolled for the course at one time.

The GBRR involves students developing and conducting scientific research with the main focus
of this project being on the role of different rewards in dysfunctional service encounters and
especially their intervention when dysfunctional customer behaviors are displayed against service
employees.

B. SECONDARY & PRIMARY DATA ANALYSIS

Literature should be NOT less than 25 peer-reviewed papers (20 articles from 2010 and above- the
rest articles form any time). ALL peer-reviewed papers must be listed in SCOPUS List:
(https://www.scopus.com/sources.uri?zone=TopNavBar&origin=searchbasic)

You must have a minimum of 15 sources, using a variety of types, such as books and scientific
articles. Literature should be NOT less than 13 peer-reviewed papers (10 papers from 2010 and
above- the rest articles form any time). ALL peer-reviewed papers must be listed in SCOPUS
List: (https://www.scopus.com/sources.uri?zone=TopNavBar&origin=searchbasic) and/or peer-
reviewed papers in ABS 2018 indexed journals-the ABS list is provided below).

ABS 2018.xlsx

Resources may also mean films, interviews, artwork, as well as other things I may not have thought
of. This whole sequence of assignments and activities is designed to encourage you to use writing
as part of your research process, to use writing to help you learn.

You must have at least:

 2 books (scholarly or trade (popular))

 13 peer reviewed articles (all being a scientific articles in SCOPUS and/or ABS indexed
journals)

Each Group should collect primary data of at least 60 frontline service employees (25 min to
30 max frontline employees for Scenario A & 25 min to 30 max frontline employees for
scenario B) and the data must be analyzed using SPSS statistical software.

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 C. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The GBRR of this assessment is designed to assess your ability to:

 Demonstrate a competent understanding of research methods, and methodological and

philosophical underpinnings, applicable to researching within the broad field of business
and management;

 Undertake a critical review of recent and relevant research appropriate to the

development of the field of business and management understanding;

 Plan and produce an organised and logically planned and executed research approach
to contributing to business and management theory and, where appropriate, practice;

 Write a final report that presents an authoritative account of your research;

 Plan and design an oral presentation of your report.

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 D. PROPOSED STRUCTURE OF THE WRITTEN PROPOSAL

The GBRR must contain the following components:

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Literature review
4. Theoretical Framework
5. Research Methodology
6. Results
7. Discussion
8. Conclusions
9. References
10. Appendices

An outline of the purpose and content of each section is provided below:

1. Abstract: The abstract is probably the most important part of your report because it may
be the only part that some will read. It is a short summary of the complete content of the
project report. This enables those who are not sure whether they wish to read the complete
report to make an informed decision. For those who intend to read the whole report the
abstract prepares them for what is to come. It should contain four short paragraphs with the
answers to the following questions:
a. What were my research questions, and why were these important?
b. How did I go about answering the research questions?
c. What did I find out in response to my research questions?
d. What conclusions do I draw regarding my research questions?

The academic publisher, Emerald, gives below advice to potential academic authors on
how to compile an abstract. This is shown

 Advice on the preparation of an abstract for publication

Abstracts should contain no more than 250 words. Write concisely and clearly. The abstract
should reflect only what appears in the original paper.

 Purpose of this paper

What are the reason(s) for writing the paper or the aims of the research?

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  Design/methodology/approach

How are the objectives achieved? Include the main method(s) used for the research. What
is the approach to the topic and what is the theoretical or subject scope of the paper?

 Findings

What was found in the course of the work? This will refer to analysis, discussion, or results.

 Research limitations/implications

If research is reported on in the paper, this section must be completed and should include
suggestions for future research and any identified limitations in the research process.

 Practical implications (if applicable)

What outcomes and implications for practice, applications and consequences are
identified? Not all papers will have practical implications but most will. What changes to
practice should be made as a result of this research/paper?

 What is original/value of paper

What is new in the paper? State the value of the paper and to whom.

Source: From Emerald Group Publishing (2008) ‘How to . . . write an abstract’. From The
Emerald website, http://info.emeraldinsight.com/ authors/guides/abstracts.htm.

2. Introduction: The introduction should give the reader a clear idea about the central issue
of concern in your research and why you thought that this was worth studying. It should
also include:

2.1 A statement of the problem: This is a general introduction to the topic.

2.2 The significance of the problem: Comment on why this question merits
investigation.

2.3 A statement of the research questions or hypothesis: What specific research

questions are being addressed in this study?

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3. Literature Review, Conceptual Framework, Hypotheses: The main purposes of your
literature review are to summarize the major published literature in the field of your study
and to set your study within its wider context and to show the reader how your study
supplements the work that has already been done on your topic. A theoretical framework
is a collection of interrelated concepts, like a theory but not necessarily so well worked-
out. A theoretical framework guides your research, determining what things you will
measure, and what statistical relationships you will look for.
This section should extend (but not repeat) the background to the article already dealt with
in the Introduction and lay the foundation for the work being reported. It should identify
the most relevant previous literature on the topic (but not in excessive detail) in order to
position the paper and demonstrate how it will make a significant contribution. It (or a
separate section) should set out (and justify) the theoretical or conceptual framework
adopted in the paper. It may identify a number of hypotheses to be tested or research
questions to be explored. In short, this section (or sections) should explain what is the
motivation for the paper and why its contribution is original and significant.
The literature review, therefore, may inform directly your research questions and any
specific hypotheses that your research is designed to test.

4. Research Methodology: This should be a detailed chapter giving the reader sufficient
information to make an estimate of the reliability and validity of your methods. The table
below provides a useful checklist of the points that you should include in the method
chapter.

Points to be Include in your Method Chapter

Setting
 What was the research setting?
 Why did you choose that particular setting?
 What ethical issues were raised by the study, and how were these addressed?
Participants
 How many?
 How were they selected?
 What were their characteristics?
 How were refusals/non-returns handled?
Materials
 What tests/scales/interview or observation schedules/questionnaires were
used?
 How were purpose-made instruments developed?
 How were the resulting data analyzed?
Procedures
 What were the characteristics of the interviewers and observers, and how
were they trained?
 How valid and reliable do you think the procedures were?

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  What instructions were given to participants?
 How many interviews/observations/questionnaires were there; how long did
they last; where did they take place?
 When was the research carried out?
Source: developed from Robson (2002) Real World Research (2nd edn).

There are five important points to bear in mind when outlining the research process carried out
and writing your results.

i. You have to describe the research design and procedures used: completely explain step-
by-step what was done.
ii. You should to refer the sources of data: give complete information about who, what,
when, where, and how the data was collected.
iii. You have to explain the sampling procedures: explain how the data was limited to the
amount which was gathered. If all of the available data were not utilized, how was a
representative sample achieved?
iv. You have to present the methods and instruments of data gathering: explain the
procedures for obtaining the data, also describe the manner in which data was recorded.
v. Last but not least, you should describe the statistical treatment: explain the complete
mathematical/statistical procedures used in analyzing the data and determining the
significance of the results.
Proposed Methodology

 Research Philosophy
 Research Design and Approach
 Population
 Sampling Technique
 Data Collection and Analysis
 Limitations and Ethical Considerations

5. Results: The results chapter or chapters are probably the most straightforward to write. It
is your opportunity to report the major findings that your research discovered. This is where
you will include such tables and graphs that will illustrate your findings (do not put these
in the appendices). The chapter may also contain verbatim quotes from interviewees, or
sections of narrative account that illustrate periods of unstructured observation. This is a

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 particularly powerful way in which you can convey the richness of your data. It is the
qualitative equivalent of tables and graphs. This section should highlight significant or
interesting findings along with P-values for statistical tests. Be sure to include negative
results too. Often, a short verbatim quote can convey with penetrating simplicity a
particularly difficult concept that you are trying to explain.

6. Discussion and Study Implications (managerial and research implications): According

to Saunders, M. et al (2009) “findings presented without reflective thought run the risk of
your reader asking ‘so what?’: what meaning do these findings have for me?; for my
organization?; for professional practice?; for the development of theory? So the main focus
of the discussion chapter is on the interpretation of the results that you presented in the
previous chapter. You should state the relation of the findings to the goals, questions and
hypotheses that you stated in the introductory chapter. In addition, the discussion chapter
will benefit from a consideration of the implications (managerial and research
implications) of your research for the relevant theories which you detailed in your literature
review.

The discussion chapter is where you have the opportunity to shine. It will show the degree
of insight that you exhibit in reaching your conclusions. However, it is the part of the report
that most of us find difficult. It is the second major opportunity in the research process to
demonstrate real originality of thought (the first time being at the stage where you choose
the research topic). Because of that, we urge you to pay due attention to the discussion
chapter. In our view it should normally be at least as long as your results chapter(s).
Crucially, here you are making judgements rather than reporting facts, so this is where your
maturity of understanding can shine through.

7. Conclusion, Limitations & Future Research Suggestions: A research should end with a
well-constructed conclusion. The conclusion is somewhat similar to the introduction. You
restate your aims and objectives and summarize your main findings and evidence for the
reader. You can usually do this in one paragraph with three main key points, and one strong
take-home message. You should not present any new arguments in your conclusion. You
can raise some open questions and set the scene for the next study. This is a good place to
register your thoughts about possible future work. Try to explain to your readers what more
could be done? What do you think are the next steps to take? What other questions warrant
further investigation? Remember, the conclusion is the last part of the essay that your
reader will see, so spend some time writing the conclusion so that you can end on a high
note.

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 It is usual to discuss the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of your study (explain the
limitations that may invalidate the study or make it less than accurate). However, it is not
a good idea to be too modest here and draw attention to aspects of your research which you
may consider to be a limitation but that the reader has not noticed! Be sure to highlight
potential limitations of the paper. You will be criticized if you don’t discuss the
shortcomings of your research. This often makes up for a great discussion section, so do
not be afraid to highlight them.
The Future Research section is often combined with the Research Limitations section of
your final, Conclusions section. This is because your future research suggestions generally
arise out of the research limitations you have identified in your own research.
This should be a conclusion to the whole project (and not just the research findings). Check
that your work answers the questions in following table:

Do your Conclusions Answer These Questions?

 Did the research project meet your research objectives?
 Did the research project answer your research questions?
 What are the main findings of the research?
 Are there any recommendations for future action based on the conclusions
you have drawn?
 Do you have any overall conclusions on the research process itself?
 Where should further research be focused? (Typically this will consider two
points: firstly, new areas of investigation implied by developments in your
project, and secondly parts of your work which were not completed due to
time constraints and/or problems encountered.)
Source: Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A (2009). Research Methods for Business Students (5th edn), FT:
Prentice Hall

8. References – You should cite all external sources in your text by using APA format (see
instructions on page. It is a good idea to start your references section at the beginning of
the writing process and add to it as you go along. It will be a tedious and time-consuming
task if left until you have completed the main body of the text. If you do leave it until the
end, the time spent on compiling the reference section is time that would have been better
spent on checking and amending your report.
The types of references you choose will depend on the research subject and topic question
you are addressing. Use the following format:

IMPORTANT NOTE-ADU’s Referencing Style:

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 According to the Office of Academic Integrity, the acceptable citation style for Abu
Dhabi University is only the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style
(for any questions about how to use APA, please contact CoB’s teaching assistants and/or
ADU’s Library).

Sources should be listed in alphabetical order following the APA referencing. You have
to create a fully automatic bibliography list. ONLY a fully automatic bibliography list is
acceptable. The references should be in APA citation style using Microsoft Word (for more
details see attached file) or Mendeley (https://www.mendeley.com/).

9. Appendices - Supplementary material at the end of a book, article, document, or other

text, usually of an explanatory, statistical, or bibliographic nature. In general, appendices
should be kept to the minimum. If they are so important that your reader’s understanding
of the points you are making in the text makes their inclusion in the report necessary, then
they should be in the main body of the text. If, on the other hand, the material is ‘interesting
to know’ rather than ‘essential to know’ then it should be in the appendices.

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 F. THEORIES - FRAMEWORK
Conservation of resources (COR) theory

COR begins with the tenet that individuals strive to obtain, retain, foster, and protect those things
they centrally value (Hobfoll, 1988, 1998a). This means that people employ key resources in order
to conduct the regulation of the self, their operation of social relations, and how they organize,
behave, and fit in to the greater context of organizations and culture itself. COR posits further that
what is centrally valued is universal and includes health, well-being, peace, family, self-
preservation, and a positive sense of self, even if the core elements of sense of self differ culturally.
This also means that organizational settings have no choice but to operate in coordination with this
motivation, and to do otherwise may work in the short term, but cannot be sustained without
individuals breaking down or exiting. COR theory next states several key principles that have been
supported in literally hundreds of studies of stress and trauma (Hobfoll, 1989; Hobfoll, 1998, 2001;
Hobfoll, Jackson, Lavin, Britton, & Shepherd, 1993).

Principle 1: The primacy of resource loss. The first principle of COR theory is that resource loss
is disproportionately more salient than resource gain. Resources include object resources (e.g.,
tools for work, car), condition resources (e.g., supportive work relationships, seniority at work),
personal resources (e.g., key skills and personal traits such as self-efficacy and self-esteem), and
energy resources (e.g., knowledge, credit). Resource loss is disproportionate in terms of not only
degree, but also speed. One only needs to look at the speed of losses in the market and workplace
when the current ‘great recession’ hit to see how quickly seemingly intact organizational structures
tumbled. It might appear paradoxical to still emphasize resource loss when this article focuses on
resiliency and engagement. However, because loss is primary in human systems, especially in
instances where objective circumstances or ‘common thinking’ signal loss, loss’s domination of
both the self and systems means that if loss is evidenced in the organizational ecology, then
resource gain cycles will be difficult to create or maintain.

Principle 2: Resource Investment. The second principle of COR theory is that people must
invest resources in order to protect against resource loss, recover from losses, and gain
resources. A related corollary of this (Corollary 1) is that those with greater resources are
less vulnerable to resource loss and more capable of orchestrating resource gain. Conversely,
those with fewer resources are more vulnerable to resource loss and less capable of resource gain.
Principles 3 and 4 make the point that resource gain and loss cycles, respectively, occur in
chronically stressful conditions, or where individuals or organizations are resource poor and any
major stressor occurs. These spirals move with increased strength and speed as individuals, groups,
and organizations either lose the resources they need to meet challenges or acquire resources so
they can risk looking for new challenges to meet. Gain spirals have received considerably less
attention than loss spirals, because psychologists have often been interested in deviancy and
psychopathology. Gain cycles are critical not only to workplaces, but also to work–family
interactions. Work and family are both jealous demanders of individuals’ resources, and to the
extent that resources are built in one domain that facilitates the other domain, this ‘battle for
resources’ can become a common agenda. This is especially the case as individuals are motivated
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for gain in its own right, as well as to prevent resource loss (Hakanen, Peeters, & Perhoniemi,
2011, pp. 8–30). Moreover, such shared resource gains may extend to employee–customer
relationships as well (Zimmerman, Dormann, & Dollard, 2011, pp. 31–57).

For work and organizational settings, resource investment rests in large part on the collective pool
of resources available within that organizational ecology, and individuals’ and groups’ ability to
access those resources. This ties in to the concept within COR theory of resource caravans
(Hobfoll, 1988, 1998a). Successful organizations offer a ‘members marketplace’ of shared
resources, imbue their departments, sections, managers, and employees with resources, and
facilitate the internal transaction of resources to meet the organization’s mission. Organizational
support, stability, safety (ranging from safety from violence to safety to express ideas openly) are
all aspects of resource caravan-creating and sustaining organizational ecologies. These ecologies
can be seen to be creating passageways in which resources are supplied, protected, shared, fostered,
and pooled.

G. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The main research questions explored in this study are the following ones:

1. Under which circumstances are rewards beneficial for service employees in their
encounters with dysfunctional customers?

2. Do different types of rewards have a differential impact on service employees’ outcomes

from an encounter with problem customers?

H. RELATED REFERENCES

1. Michael T. Sliter & Elizabeth M. Boyd (2015) But we’re here to help! Positive buffers of
the relationship between outsider incivility and employee outcomes, European Journal of
Work and Organizational Psychology, 24:2, 225-238, DOI:
10.1080/1359432X.2014.903240
2. Edwin N. Torres, Mathilda van Niekerk & Marissa Orlowski (2017) Customer and
Employee Incivility and Its Causal Effects in the Hospitality Industry, Journal of
Hospitality Marketing & Management, 26:1, 48-66, DOI:
10.1080/19368623.2016.1178620
3. Kara A. Arnold & Megan M. Walsh (2015) Customer incivility and employee well-being:
testing the moderating effects of meaning, perspective taking and transformational
leadership, Work & Stress, 29:4, 362-378, DOI: 10.1080/02678373.2015.1075234

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4. Cho, M., Bonn, M. A., Han, S. J., & Lee, K. H. (2016). Workplace incivility and its effect
upon restaurant frontline service employee emotions and service
performance. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(12).
5. Aguinis, H., Joo, H., & Gottfredson, R. K. (2013). What monetary rewards can and cannot
do: How to show employees the money. Business Horizons, 56(2), 241-249.
6. Walker, D. D., van Jaarsveld, D. D., & Skarlicki, D. P. (2014). Exploring the effects of
individual customer incivility encounters on employee incivility: The moderating roles of
entity (in) civility and negative affectivity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(1), 151.
7. Han, S. J., Bonn, M. A., & Cho, M. (2016). The relationship between customer incivility,
restaurant frontline service employee burnout and turnover intention. International Journal
of Hospitality Management, 52, 97-106.
8. Fisk, Ray, Grove, Stephen, Harris, Lloyd, Keeffe, Dominique A., Daunt, Kate, Russell-
Bennett, Rebekah, & Wirtz, Jochen (2010) Customers behaving badly : a state of the art
review, research agenda and implications for practitioners. Journal of Services Marketing,
24(6), pp. 417-429.
9. Wang, M., Liao, H., Zhan, Y., & Shi, J. (2011). Daily customer mistreatment and employee
sabotage against customers: Examining emotion and resource perspectives. Academy of
Management Journal, 54(2), 312-334.
10. Deng, H., Walter, F., Lam, C. K., & Zhao, H. H. (2016). Spillover Effects of Emotional
Labor in Customer Service Encounters Toward Coworker Harming: A Resource Depletion
Perspective. Personnel Psychology.
11. Reynolds, K. L., & Harris, L. C. (2006). Deviant customer behavior: An exploration of
frontline employee tactics. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 14(2), 95-111.
12. Gillison, S. T., Northington, W. M., & Beatty, S. E. (2016). Employees’ Emotional
Reactions to Customer Deal Requests. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 24(2),
147-165.
13. Daunt, K. L., & Harris, L. C. (2012). Exploring the forms of dysfunctional customer
behaviour: A study of differences in servicescape and customer disaffection with service.
Journal of Marketing Management, 28(1-2), 129-153.
14. Walker, D. D., van Jaarsveld, D. D., & Skarlicki, D. P. (2014). Exploring the effects of
individual customer incivility encounters on employee incivility: The moderating roles of
entity (in) civility and negative affectivity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(1), 151.
15. Shao, R., & Skarlicki, D. P. (2014). Service employees’ reactions to mistreatment by
customers: A comparison between North America and East Asia. Personnel Psychology,
67(1), 23-59.
16. Reynolds, K. L., & Harris, L. C. (2005). When service failure is not service failure: an
exploration of the forms and motives of “illegitimate” customer complaining. Journal of
services marketing, 19(5), 321-335.
17. Lloyd C. Harris, (2013),"Service employees and customer phone rage: an empirical
analysis", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 47 Iss 3/4 pp. 463 – 484.

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18. Holman, D. (2016). How does customer affiliative behaviour shape the outcomes of
employee emotion regulation? A daily diary study of supermarket checkout operators.
human relations, 69(5), 1139-1162.
19. Won-Moo Hur Taewon Moon Jea-Kyoon Jun , (2016),"The effect of workplace incivility
on service employee creativity: the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and intrinsic
motivation ", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 30 Iss 3 pp. 302 – 315.
20. Skarlicki, D. P., van Jaarsveld, D. D., Shao, R., Song, Y. H., & Wang, M. (2016). Extending
the multifoci perspective: The role of supervisor justice and moral identity in the
relationship between customer justice and customer-directed sabotage. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 101(1), 108.
21. Wang, M., Liao, H., Zhan, Y., & Shi, J. (2011). Daily customer mistreatment and employee
sabotage against customers: Examining emotion and resource perspectives. Academy of
Management Journal, 54(2), 312-334.
22. Wang, M., Liu, S., Liao, H., Gong, Y., Kammeyer-Mueller, J., & Shi, J. (2013). Can’t get
it out of my mind: Employee rumination after customer mistreatment and negative mood
in the next morning. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(6), 989.
23. Zhan, Y., Wang, M., & Shi, J. (2013). Lagged influences of customer mistreatment on
employee mood: Moderating roles of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. Research
on Emotion in Organizations, 9, 203224.
24. Mickel, A. E., & Barron, L. A. (2008). Getting “more bang for the buck” symbolic value
of monetary rewards in organizations. Journal of Management Inquiry, 17(4), 329-338.
25. Aktar, S., Sachu, M. K., & Ali, M. E. (2012). The impact of rewards on employee
performance in commercial banks of Bangladesh: an empirical study. IOSR Journal of
Business and Management, 6(2), 9-15.

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 E. NOTES ON WRITTEN REPORTS

Always remember that you will be evaluated by the quality of your written work. Sloppy, dis-
organized, poor quality work will say more about you than you probably want said! To ensure the
quality of your written work, keep the following in mind when writing your report:

1. Proofread your work! Not just on the screen while you write it, but the hard copy after it
is printed. Fix the errors before submitting. Have someone else read it too! (particularly
if English is not your first language). This second pair of eyes will give you an objective
opinion of how well your report holds together. ALL works MUST be TYPED and hard
copy MUST be professionally presented – NO exceptions.
2. Use spell checker to eliminate spelling errors
3. Use grammar checking to avoid common grammatical errors such as run on sentences.
4. You are highly encouraged to use tools, framework and theories covered in this course
to conduct analysis and synthesis and develop arguments. Clearly identifying and correctly
matching theoretical basis while building arguments will help in securing good grades.
5. If you are going to include exhibits (particularly numbers) in your report, you will need
to refer to them within the body of your report, not just tack them on at the end! This
reference should be in the form of supporting conclusions that you are making in your
analysis. The reader should not have to guess why particular exhibits have been included,
nor what they mean. If you do not plan to refer to them, then leave them out.
6. Write in a formal manner suitable for scholarly work, rather than a letter to a friend.
7. Common sense and logical thinking can do wonders for your evaluation!
8. You should expect that the computer lab’s printer or your printer will not be functioning in
the twelve hours prior to your deadline for submission. Plan for it!

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 I. MY GRADING CRITERIA

The instructors will use the following two criteria when assigning a grade to a GBRR:
1. CoB’s Critical Thinking Rubric:

Rubric Critical
Thinking.xlsx

2. Personal Criteria:
I. The overall quality of a response’s content
a. Does your response actually address a question?
b. How effective is your solution?
c. How original is your response?
d. Does your response contain sufficient details?

II. The degree to which a response shows understanding of concepts, frameworks and
theories covered in the course
a. Does your response actually use a concept, framework, or theory covered
in this class?
b. Does your response get into specifics of a concept, framework, or theory?
III. The degree to which a response is logically coherent
a. Is there a line of thought that flows through your response?
b. Are you claims supported/illustrated with facts, examples, or illustrations?
c. Is your response well-structured?

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