Week 6

1. MGM4105 Business Research Method Week 6 Reviewing the Literature

2. Literature Review “The literature review is a crucial part of an undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation.....It provides the basis on which you justify your research problem (or questions)and build your research design”

3. An Overview Review of literature : • Lengthiest section of a research proposal or dissertation. • Placed just after the introduction chapter. • Provides a context for the proposed study and demonstrate why it is important and timely. • This chapter needs to clarify the relationship between the proposed study and previous work conducted on the topic.

4. Outline • What is a “literature review”? • Why review the literature? • How to review the literature • Finding sources • Critical reading • Writing the review

5. What is a Literature Review? • a review of the most relevant, recent and scholarly work in the subject / topic area • a piece of writing that supports, compare, evaluates and critiques your research topic.

6. What a literature review is not • A literature review is not just a summary of articles, texts or journals. • A literature review is not an analytical, opinionative or argumentative essay

7. Why Review the Literature? • Ethridge (1995, 115) observed that before you can “advance the state of knowledge,” you need to know what the state of knowledge is. • So when you review the literature, you are trying to create your own sense of what is known and what is not known about the subject.

8. Example • A student wanted to explain what factors determine contributions to charities. • Understandably, he initially thought that little or no management research would have been done on this topic. • See what you can come up with in just a few minutes via a quick on line journal database search

9. Why Review the Literature? • Educate yourself • Educate your readers • Demonstrate that your knowledge is current. • Be able to show how your research fits in the broader scheme of knowledge

10. Why Review the Literature?… • You will use your literature review to familiarize yourself with : • common research questions in the subject (introduction) • management models used to answer related research questions, • empirical methodologies common in the field (empirical methodology), • Types of data you may use in your analysis (qualitative versus quantitative data description), • how to report your results (empirical analysis), and • how to identify your contribution relating to the research question/subject you are trying to address (conclusion/analysis).

11. The purpose of Literature Review • To know what is already known about your research area • to avoid repetition of research that have been done by other researchers. • A comprehensive and complete literature review will • help to identify important & relevant variables for the research • Help in the selection & evaluation of appropriate theories, hypotheses & methods. • literature review can provide guidance to the formation of new research, it may suggest further research questions • it may help you to develop an analytic framework • Gives you the idea on specific terms to be used in a research and how it is clearly defined.

12. If someone has done a similar analysis • If someone has done a similar analysis to yours, tell us, and then explain how yours is different. • Explain their findings, and then follow up with what you expect to find in your own research, and compare. • Highlight your contribution, in what way yours complement or close the gap on the existing ones

13. In short, the purpose of a literature review is to: • establish a theoretical framework for your topic / subject area • define key terms, definitions and terminology • identify studies, models, case studies etc that supporting your topic • define / establish your area of study, i.e your research topic.

14. Literature Search • An essential part of every research. • 2 areas to be searched: • The literature relevant to the topic; • The literature on research methodology and data collection techniques.

15. The literature and your research topic

16. Search preparation & planning • To undertake an effective search of resources and find sufficient literature relevant to topic  need to plan the search. 1. Define the topic 2. Think about the limits of the topic 3. Identify the main reference tools 4. Think about housekeeping 5. Plan the sources to be searched & start search

17. Sources of Literature Review • To scan and search the literature effectively, you need to know how to find “gold” among millions of books and journal articles. • The sources of literature search: • Papers published in refereed journals • Master’s & doctoral theses • books (academic) • government, industry or occasional reports • Non-refereed journals, conference papers and undergraduate project paper, working papers • Magazines, pamphlets and newspaper clippings (must be avoided)

18. Sources of Literature Review… • As the rule, peer-reviewed journal publications are of higher quality. • for the academic dissertation, the main source should be journal. • This is because the most up to date research & debates only found in the journals. • In an academic research, no newspaper cuttings or magazines citations are allowed in literature review chapter/section. • This is because, newspaper & magazines reports they are not subjected to rigorous peer review.

19. Student often ask: “How many books and journal articles should I cite in my thesis?” • Answer: depends on how many major studies have been completed on the topic. • If you only report one or two sources, readers may suspect that you haven’t put enough effort into searching the literature. • You don’t want to miss a major study, since you may look careless and may weaken the rationale for your research

20. Finding the Relevant Literature • In searching the literature, student have 2 options: • Physical Library (hardcopy) • Digital Library (softcopy). • As we are in digital age, most of the libraries in the universities in Malaysia are equipedwith online database.

21. Some of the electronic resources: • Electronic journal – most of universities do subscribe to journals which are published and /or are available online. • Full-text databases • They provide all the bibliographic details such as authors, title, journal title, date of publication, volume, issue and page numbers. • Also includes abstracts of the papers and do also have access to the full-text of the articles of an html or pdf copy.

22. Some examples of full-text databases • ABI/Inform • Blackwell Synergy • EBSCOhost business source premier • Ecolit • Emerald • Ingenta Journals • PROQUEST • Science Direct • Springer • ProQuest Digital Dissertations

23. Popular vs Scholar Publications Scholarly Publications: • are addressed to a specialized audience, namely, expertsin the field; • are often primary sources of information; • are original publications of research studies; • articles in the Academy of Management Review Popular publications: • are addressed to a general audience; • are almost always secondary sources of information; • articles in Time magazine summarizing articles in the Academy of Management Review

24. Examples of Scholarly Journals • Journal Of International Business Studies • Journal of World Business • International Journal of Intercultural Relation • Journal of Consumer Research • International Marketing Review • Journal of Retailing • Journal of Marketing Research • Academy of Management Review • Administrative Science Quarterly • Harvard Business Review • Journal of Management • Journal of Business • Journal of Management Studies • British Journal of Management • Tourism Management

25. How Scholarly Journals Work • A researcher submits the finished article to the editor of one journal. • The editor ultimately decides whether to publish or to reject the article. • In making a decision, the editor relies on two or more referees/reviewers– experts who review the manuscript and judge its suitability for publication.

26. Peer Review & Research Quality • One reason why articles in peer reviewed journals are best is the extensive screening involved in peer review. • Another reason is that you get the first-hand account, complete with all the limitations that are sometimes ignored in secondary or general sources.

27. Finding the Relevant Literature • Electronic search engines are a good start, especially Science Direct. • Search for keywords in title or elsewhere. • Link to article’s abstract to see if it is worth reading further. • In most cases you are able to download the full text.

28. From One Source to Many • Use the reference list of one of the articles you found to find earlier related research. • Use Google Scholar • Follow publications by one or more key researchers, do author search via google, find affiliation & visit web site.

29. Reading research articles • Your objectives: • To understand existing knowledge • To define your own contribution, • to identify gaps or next steps, • to gain knowledge to aid interpretations. • To understand methods used, strengths & weaknesses.

30. Reading research articles… • A first step is to skim the article to assess its relevance for your research • You may not need it at all, or need only a very basic or general understanding • If you need to understand the article in more detail, read it more carefully Steps of reading research article coming soon…

31. Types of Research Articles • Meta analysis articles – like literature reviews, e.g. it reviews 50 articles research done within a topic for past 10 years, e.g. CONSEQUENCES OF INDIVIDUALS' FIT AT WORK: A META-ANALYSIS OF PERSON-JOB, Amy L Kristof-Brown; Ryan D Zimmerman; Erin C Johnson Personnel Psychology; Summer 2005; 58, 2; ABI/INFORM Global • Conceptual Paper • Creates or extends a theory and derives implications • No test of model • Empirical • Testing or quantifying a model or theoretical analysis • Majority of papers

32. The Usual Set-up for Empirical Research Often 4 main parts • Introductory material • Problem statement, motivation, very brief lit review • Analysis of problem • Apply a model/theoretical framework to understand problem • Empirical analysis • Test the model/theoretical framework • Concluding discussion • Explain results, put in context, develop implications

33. Steps in Reading research articles • To produce a good literature review you must show that you have researched and read widely. • The key processes of researching your literature review: • Step 1 – reading research articles with & for a purpose • Step 2 – evaluating your readings • Step 3 – summarizing your reading • Step 4 – structuring & planning your writing

34. Step 1 - reading with & for a purpose • Reading with and for a purpose helps you to quickly locate, evaluate and read relevant research. • There are 2 stages in this process. • First stage • Look at the structure of the text, e.g the Table of Contents, the Abstract, headings and sub-headings, to see if the text is suitable for your purpose. • This will help you to locate relevant research quickly.

35. Step 1 - reading with & for a purpose… • Second stage • If the text appears to be relevant for your purposes, then you can read it in-depth to find specific research to support your literature review. • These techniques enable you to identify appropriate material by reading widely and to gain a broad understanding of the available literature on your topic.

36. Step 1 - reading with & for a purpose… • Objectivity • You must be objective in your research. • Remember the reason you are reading is to be able to give an evaluation and critique of the literature chosen. • Do not just select the parts of the literature that agree with what you think is right.

37. Step 2 - evaluating your readings • It is important to critically evaluate your readings to establish their relevance and credibility for your research topic. • you develop your theoretical framework and your literature review on what you have read.

38. Step 2 - evaluating your readings • Here is a check list of critical questions to keep in-mind when you evaluate your readings: • Authority • Validity • Accuracy • Objectivity • Currency • Coverage

39. Step 2 - evaluating your readings … • Authority • Who conducted the research? • Is the author an authority in their field of study? • What evidence is there to support this?

40. Step 2 - evaluating your readings … • Authority… • Researchers can find information from many sources, e.g from volume journals to company reports. • At all times, you must check the authority of who has written the research. • The Internet has given people access to huge amounts of information. Some of this is valid, other are not. • You cannot simply assume that all information / research available on the Internet (e.g. via google) is valid. • Many university libraries, such as the UPM library, subscribe to online, referenced journals which provide current academic writings. These are not always available through Google.

41. Step 2 - evaluating your readings … • Validity (of research & sources) • Where has this research come from? • Is it from a valid source, e.g an educational institution? • Is it peer reviewed or been passed by an editorial panel, e.g is it in a refereed journal? • If it is from a website, does it contain details of author, is it from a .edu site, does it have a publication date? • Many libraries, including the UPM library, have access to electronic journals and databases (A to Z Full text E-journal). These contain qualified, academic writings. • Be careful when doing a google search, may brings up unqualified sites.

42. Step 2 - evaluating your readings … • Accuracy • What is the literature about? • Is the literature accurate and how do you know? • One way to find out is to check if the same research is referred to in other sources, or is it inconsistent with other findings? • What makes the literature believable? • Is the literature from credible sources, see validity.

43. Step 2 - evaluating your readings … • Objectivity • Is there evidence of bias in the article? • For example, would you trust research from a cigarette manufacturer claiming that smoking does not damage your health? • Do the statistics match those in other publications? • If not, is the argument (method, research design etc) on which they are based convincing? • How do you know the data is true? • What other supporting data is there?

44. Step 2 - evaluating your readings … • Currency • What is the publication date of the material? • Is it likely that more current information is available? • Have you found any more recent research that casts doubt upon or refutes some findings? • Have you checked for more recent information / research? • It is advisable to have some references that are current (e.g. 2010 or later)

45. Step 2 - evaluating your readings … • Coverage • Is the information complete? • Based on your research so far, does the information appear to cover the area being studied? • What is the sample size? Is it adequate? • Is there any further research that has not been mentioned or deliberately omitted from the findings?

46. Step 3 - summarizing, analyzing & organizing your readings • It is important that you make notes as you read. • You should think about and include the following in your notes: • What are the main points / theories / key issues/key findings raised in the book or article? • Take details of any quotes, or page references that you think may be good to use in your literature review. • You can compile articles you read in a table (author, year, variables, country, findings) and present them in Literature Review chapter as “selected studies on…”

47. Step 3 - summarizing, analyzing & organizing your readings…. • Make sure you keep track of all bibliographic information, • e.g author, date, title of book, publisher / journal, page numbers etc. • Note the way the author has used the original material. • If you have copied the author's words directly, make sure you place them in quotation marks and cite the page number, BEWARE OF PLAGIARISM CHARGE • What is the author's stated or implied purpose? • What conclusions has the author made? • What points support the conclusions?

48. Step 3 - summarizing, analyzing & organizing your readings …. • It is also useful to write down your own thoughts on / about the readings. • These are useful when you revisit the notes and / or use them in your writings.

49. Step 4 - analyzing & organizing your summaries and notes • Use your summaries and notes to identify relationships and links in the research literature. • You should now be able to identify: • similarities & differences between various authors & their research • what research agrees & disagrees? • what major questions remain unanswered? • what are the possible directions for future research?

50. Step 4 - analyzing & organizing your summaries and notes….. • To organize your research, cluster similar research together, • e.g what information is similar or different. • A useful technique for doing this is to draw a mind map and organize the research into major points under each theme. • e.g. classify variables into individual characteristics (e.g. value priority, perceived capability), situational factors (co-worker support), organizational factors (reward systems, empowerment practices)