Fudan DBA Sept 2012 Dr Peter Hamilton

1. Conducting a Literature Review Fudan DBA Sept 2012 Dr Peter Hamilton

3. Focus of the session • Understand the importance and purpose of a literature review (LR) • Know what should be included in a literature review • Be aware of the range of sources which can be utilised for a literature review

4. An Overview • You will need to conduct a wide ranging and systematic review of literature which should inform all parts of your DBA • You need to ensure that you refer to the literature consistently in all or most chapters of your DBA • use literature to justify; • to explain; • to analyse the topic

5. “Reviewing the literature critically will provide the foundation on which your research is built… Its main purpose is to help you to develop a good understanding and insight into relevant previous research and the trends that have emerged”. “you should not expect to start your research without first reading what other researchers in your area have already found out” (Saunders et al 2007: 57)

6. What is the purpose of a LR? • To establish the context of the problem by reference to previous work • To show your awareness of the current state of knowledge • To show what has previously been written/researched

7. ..what is the purpose of a LR? • To identify theories/ideas to be tested using data • To demonstrate the limits to our current understanding • To show how your proposed research will add to our knowledge

8. What are the reasons for doing a LR..Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2011) • You need to know what is already known so that you do not reinvent the wheel • You can learn from the mistakes of others • You can learn about different theoretical and methodological approaches • It can help you develop an analytic framework

9. ..reasons for a LR • It may help you consider what variables need to be considered in your research • It may suggest further research questions • It will help interpret your findings • It provides pegs to hang your findings on • It is expected!

10. Explains the relevance of your research question • Critically reviews what theories or concepts have been applied within the area • Critically reviews what has been found out so far • Critically reviews how it was discovered - methodology and method(s) • Helps you choose and explain your data gathering and data analysis methods • Provides the basis for the analysis of your findings, • Supports and justifies your conclusions and recommendations.

11. Four basic questions • What has been written before? • Who has written it? • Where does it fit in with other work in the area? • So what? How does this research fit into the overall picture?

12. Critical LR needs(Saunders et al 2007) • To include the key academic theories within your chosen area of research • Demonstrates that your knowledge of your chosen area is up to date • Through clear referencing, enable those reading your work to find the original publications you cite

13. Read with understanding Read widely REMEMBER Be sceptical Question what you read By critical we mean the judgement you exercise

14. A ‘Good’ Literature Review

15. Possible Literature Sources.. • (Refereed) academic journal • Professional and trade journals • Books • Newspapers and public opinion journals • Conference proceedings/unpublished manuscripts • Reports • Theses/dissertations

16. ..Possible Literature Sources • Government publications • Company reports • Indexes • Catalogues • Encyclopaedias • Bibliographies

17. Criteria for Relevance and Values of Literature • Prominence of the work as documented by citations or the source • How recent is the work • Methodological quality of the work • Whether the work relates to the arguments you make, either in support or opposition • The originality of the work Blumberg (2005)

18. A good literature review • Evaluative, not descriptive • Purposeful • Clarifies the gaps and schools of thought • Paves the way and points to the rationale for the research • Clearly identifies the theoretical position • Well written and well structured

19. Mechanics of a lit review • Gather literature together • Sift/look for: • Relevance • Quality of scholarship • Accuracy of detail • Force of arguments • Status with other researchers

20. Evaluating Content of Literature Review • Have you ensured it covers literature clearly related to your research question and objectives? • Have you covered the most relevant and significant theories of recognised experts? • Have you covered the most relevant and significant literature or least a representative sample? • Have you included up-to-date literature? • Have you referenced all the literature in the appropriate manner? Saunders (2007: 59)

21. Conducting a literature review you need to consider the relevance and validity of the sources of information you use • Start your research by using academic databases (e.g. EBSCO, Ingenta, Science Direct etc.). • Differentiate between academic papers and practitioner oriented papers • Consider the author (reputation, interests)

22. Consider the validity and rigour of the sources of information you use • Remember that articles on private web-sites, even if they are academic working papers or conference manuscripts, usually have not gone through a rigorous review. • Remember what e.g. Wikipedia says about itself that it is a "free encyclopaedia that anyone can edit". This means that the information contained is not proof-read or peer reviewed.

23. References Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2007) “Business research methods”, Oxford,Oxford University Press Blumberg, B. et al (2005) “Business research methods”, London, McGraw Hill Saunders, M. et al (2009) “Research methods for business students”, London, Prentice Hall