Global Financial Crisis, Article Critique Example

1. What topic, question or problem is the researcher(s) addressing? Does the researcher give a description as to the importance of the problem or question? What is your assessment of the topic? Does it merit research? Why

The article looks at causes of the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. For example, the author traces some of the practices that inflated the asset bubble in the United States such as loos monetary policy, low standards for mortgage lending, and the failure of banks to understand securitized products that they were selling. After that description the author looks at the financial crisis’s impact on Africa and the airline industry.Overall, the research topic is certainly worth exploring; however, the author does so in a half-hazard way that is ultimately confusing. The author would be better served to spend more time exploring the impact on Africa and the airline industry- an interesting angle to be sure.

2. What methodology does the researcher use in exploring the topic? Is this an actual experiment? Is it survey?

The author has an extremely weak methodology. Overall, the author uses a narrative (survey approach) to detail potential causes in how the financial crisis happened. After historically covering the main events from a US-based perspective, focusing on the fall of Lehman Brothers , the author traces some global events and finishes off with a narrative analysis of how these events impacted Africa’s aviation industry.

3. How has the researcher selected the study’s sample? Has probability sampling been used, or is this an example of qualitative research. Do you feel the size of the sample is sufficient? Has the researcher stratified the sample, if so, is this appropriate? Please comment/ evaluate.

There is no formal sampling method chosen. I guess one could make the argument that the author makes qualitative decisions regarding which airlines and events are chosen in the narrative, but there is little use of statistics in any context, let alone a robust sampling methodology.

4. Is the study and example of cross-sectional, longitudinal, or case study design. Is the selected approach the best? Why?

The study adopts a longitudinal approach; that is, the study adopts a narrative approach that starts with events in 2007-2008 and it traces those events impact on the African airline industry.

5. How are the results being measured? Do you understand the measurement approach? (This is not a course in statistics, so I’m not interested if you understand all of the statistical techniques being used?

There are no formal measurement results used. The article is in narrative form and does not even address what statistical methodology should be used, let alone what that would look like for this study.

6. What are the paper’s overall conclusions? Do you agree with them? Do you feel that the paper has made an important contribution?

The paper’s conclusions were that: 1) The financial crisis had a substantial impact on the world. 2) The financial crisis did not have a substantive impact on Africa or countries on the continent; 3) The financial crisis had a limited impact on African airlines.

7. What is your general assessment of the study?

This is an extremely poor study from beginning to end. The study actually reads like a literature review that never turned into a formal study. There are narrative elements that make points, but there is no formal study methodology or structure. Overall, this is not a formal study- merely a description of events that occurred, tangentially tied to the financial crisis of 2007-2008.