Research critique

I need to make a research design critique. The aim of this task is improving the ability to determine the appropriateness of research design employed in a study in achieving the proposed research objectives.

Step 1: select topic and read the lead article
The topic is non-profit sponsorship.
The example article: Simmons, Carolyn J. & Karen L. Becker-Olsen (2006), ?Achieving Marketing Objectives Through Social Sponsorships,? Journal of Marketing, 70(4), 154?69.

Step 2: Select 2 Articles on the Chosen Topic Area and Read Them Thoroughly

? Published in 2008 or later.
? Note: If the journal articles selected for the review are published prior to 2008, the assignment will receive a mark of zero.
? You can not select the lead article as one of the articles critiqued.
? The selected journal articles should be from a particular topic area and have some common theme (country of origin, Brand extensions, consumer-based brand equity).
? Collect journal articles that involve primary data collection.
? Use journal articles that follow the scientific method.
? Some useful journals are included in briefing document. You may also use the UQBS journals ranking list (see .
? Electronic databases such as ABI/Inform, Business Source Premier, Emerald, Expanded Academic, Sage Full-text, Science Direct, and Wiley?s Interface are useful databases for collecting the journal articles.

Step 3: For Each Article: Apply the Relevant Concepts and Principles from the First Five Weeks
1. What is the main objective of the research in a given article?
2. What theories/frameworks have been used in support of the hypotheses advanced?
3. What variables have been studied, how are these defined?
4. What is the nature of these variables (e.g., dependent, independent, moderating, mediating)?
5. What basic hypotheses have been tested (e.g., relational/directional)?
6. What is the type of research design employed (e.g. exploratory/descriptive/causal)?
7. What is the time dimension (e.g., longitudinal/crosssectional)?
8. What is the research environment (e.g., field studies/laboratory research)?
9. What is the method of data collection (e.g., observation/communication)?
10. What are the main findings and are these consistent with researchers? predictions (e.g., Are there generalizations, anomalies?)?
11. What are the limitations (in terms of the research design)?