Business Research Methods

1. Business Research Methods Lecture 3

2. Accessing and reviewing literature as part of research • Lecture Outline: • Why is it so important in research? • What is a literature review? • Identifying research questions/ objectives • How to put a lit. review together • Writing critically, building argument • Reading • Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2007) Research Methods for Business students • Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2003) Business Research Methods • Hart, C. (1998) Doing a Literature Review

3. Why do you need a literature review ? (part 1) • You need to know what has been done before (by other writers and researchers) • Linked to what you are researching and why • Position the study • Using relevant theoretical concepts • Apply theory to practice • Demonstrate knowledge in subject(s) • Demonstrate (library)research skills • Why (part 2) • Learn from others mistakes • May help with your (practical) research • How can you add to what’s already there • Or what’s missing • It is expected

4. What is a literature review? • A critical discussion of existing knowledge – drawn from: • Books • Articles • Journals • Research publications • Chance to demonstrate your understanding! • You need to demonstrate that you know what others have said • You need to go beyond description • Make an argument for your research • ’reviewing’ the literature • The first attempt at looking to see what is ‘out there’ • and - The literature review • A more detailed (thoughtful) and crafted - review

5. What is a literature review? • It is not! • A descriptive account • A list • A summary • A book review / or library report • OR • Thinly disguised paraphrasing • Information ‘re’moval And!

6. You need to read! …. Start early and continue throughout the whole of the work ….

7. Research Questions • There is little point in carrying out a research project – if there is no aim / no problem / no issue to research • RQ’s are ‘Those that originate, shape and are to some extent answered by the study’ Clough and Nutbrown (2002:32) • Framing a research problem – the questions • Using what is already there and building on it • Finding out new ideas ! • Not • The questions you ask respondents

8. Reading • Research questions develop out of your reading…. • ….. Some reading has more ‘value’ than others! • Oldest appears in text –books • Cutting edge – in conference papers and then Journals • Internet and popular sources – be selective • You are looking to make an argument for your research – to do this look at what others have said on the same subject. • What is the writer trying to say? • What evidence does the writer have to substantiate the claim? • Do you accept this? • Does it ‘fit’ with what you know? • Why? who says? So what?

9. Strategies for literature searching Trawling vs. Fishing (Easterby-Smith et al 1991).. Exploratory RQ’S = trawl Finding directly = fish

11. How to put a lit. review together -Writing critically, building an argument • Organising and expressing ideas….. analysis knowledge synthesis comprehension • Analysis the job of systematically breaking down something into its constituent parts and describing how they relate to each other. • needs to by systematic • the data for analysis is information - the interpretations understandings and arguments that others have proposed • need to extract key ideas, theories, concepts and methodological assumptions from the literature

12. How to put a lit. review together -Writing critically, building argument • Synthesis - the act of making connections between the parts identified in the analysis • not simply a matter of reassembling the parts into the original order but looking for a new order • new or different connections and patterns • need to have a comprehensive knowledge of subject and think in broad terms • Comprehension -need to be able to describe discuss and explain the substance of an idea • Knowledge - the foundation for analysis is thinking in various ways about what you are reading • to enable you to dig beneath the surface of an argument and to be able to see the origins of research • to understand the typology of origins and assumptions

13. The critical literature review - structure No single structure but!.. • Start at a more general level • Before narrowing down to RQ’s • Provide a brief overview of ideas • Summarise, compare and contrast • Naroww down to highlight most relevant • Provide a detailed account of the findings • of this!

14. The critical literature review - structure Demonstrate competence by referring to prominent writings in the field • These are linked to authority • Eg Red Hot Chilli Peppers on Global Warming • BP on own oil reserves • Develop your version of literature to lead up to your research problem • Don’t • Put everything you have read into the review • Stop doing it • Do • Review several times • And!

15. Thinking time is important

16. An alternative way of thinking about the literature Physical analogies Visual analogies Personifications