REQUIREMENTS FOR A NEW STUDY

As a business researcher with a keen research interest in entrepreneurial finance and sustainable investment, you have understood from the review of the extant literature that the environmental, social and governance $($ESG$)$ considerations that inform the investment decision$-$making of US$,$ UK and Europe$-$based venture capital and private equity firms are largely idiosyncratic, differing from firm to firm. Consequently, you are proposing an empirical investigation into how the ESG considerations of South African venture capital and private equity firms affect the performance of their investments. You have a privileged access to $30$ South African venture capital and private equity firms for purposes of data collection. With a quantitative approach in mind, you have formulated the following research questions:

$1.$ How idiosyncratic are the ESG considerations of South African venture capital and private equity firms?

$2.$ How do ESG considerations of South African venture capital and private equity firms affect the performance of the investments they select?

$3.$ What practical recommendations can be made to the management of South African venture capital and private equity firms on how best to leverage ESG considerations for improved investment performance?

QUESTION $2(20$ Marks$)$

$2\mathrm{.}1$ Discuss the concept of $$research design,$$ and propose and elaborate on a suitable research design for the proposed study $(6$ Marks$)$

$2\mathrm{.}2$ Based on the research design chosen for the proposed study, critically discuss the main considerations that would inform the sampling methodology for the proposed study. $(5$ Marks$)$

$2\mathrm{.}3$ Based on the research design chosen for the proposed study, comprehensively discuss the data collection considerations that would inform the proposed study. In your discussion, discuss the type of data required to answer your research questions, and define and elaborate on the method of data collection that you would use. $(5$ Marks$)$

$2\mathrm{.}4.$Based on the research design chosen for the proposed study, comprehensively discuss the data analysis considerations that would inform the proposed study. In your discussion, discuss the analytical framework that you would employ for the proposed study. $(4$ Marks$)$