The two studies chosen for this critical essay delve into fields of linguistics, drawn from different academic sources, each effectively deduces theories from areas of linguistics that have been neglected. The first piece is a cross-linguistic study that quantitatively measures speech onset time comparatively between Mandarin Chinese and English. The second piece aims to uncover the influence of language barriers on trust, particularly in multinational companies through qualitative methods. This essay argues for an appropriate choice of method for both studies, along with the idea that qualitative methods might be more ideal in exploring new fields, particularly in terms of linguistics, while quantitative measures are more effective and rigorous in testing the hypotheses. Chao K and Chen L (2008) sought to identify differences in voice onset time (VOT), “the time interval between the burst that marks the release of register closure and the onset of quasi-periodicity that reflects laryngeal vibration” (Lisker and Abramson 1964:422 ) in consonant productions between Mandarin Chinese and English. Using Wavesurfer software for acoustic VOT measurements, 11 Mandarin-speaking women with a mean age of 27 years and four British English-speaking women with a mean age of 32 years read aloud a world list five times. The global lists focused on Mandarin Chinese vocabulary, with disyllabic words due to the nature of Mandarin characters and the tendency for them to come in pairs. It was ensured that the words were similar in both vowel and consonant context so that they could be read at a comfortable speed. The first iteration of all participants was not used for the analysis so that participants could feel comfortable before....... middle of the paper...... udinal analysis since it was completed in 2011 and in 2012. So, to truly establish the effects of miscommunication on trust, the research should have extended to other countries and sectors of origin, and perhaps invested in a longitudinal study. Harzing's study helps fill some of the "many gaps in research on innovative evaluation methods such as portfolios" (Johnston 2004, p396) and informs the long-standing debate about the uncertain effects of team diversity on team performance. Both studies addressed their objective fields of interest in an appropriate methodological manner with regards to qualitative and quantitative means. Importantly, triangulation may have improved the authenticity of Harzing's study, but Chao and Chen's study was apparently only effective as a quantitative approach since it allowed the researchers to draw meaningful conclusions.