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Business Research Methods

Lecture 3

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Accessing and reviewing literature as part of researchLecture Outline:•Why is it so important in research?What is a literature review?Identifying research questions/ objectivesHow to put a lit. review together

–Writing critically, building argument

Reading Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2007) Research Methods for Business studentsBryman, A. and Bell, E. (2003) Business Research MethodsHart, C. (1998) Doing a Literature Review

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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

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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

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

And!

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You need to read!

…. Start early and continue throughout the whole of the work ….

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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

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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?

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Strategies for literature searching

Trawling vs. Fishing (Easterby-Smith et al 1991)..

Exploratory RQ’S = trawlFinding directly = fish

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How to put a lit. review together -Writing critically, building an argumentOrganising and expressing ideas…..

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

synthesis

comprehension

knowledge

analysis

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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 ideaKnowledge - 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

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The critical literature review - structure

No single structure but!..

Start at a more general levelBefore 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!

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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 itDo•Review several timesAnd!

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Thinking time is important

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An alternative way of thinking about the literature

Physical analogies

Visual analogies

Personifications