Writing a Research proposal Part two Literature Review

Literature Review What is Literature review Functions of literature review Steps of literature review

Definition Literature review is a process of reviewing the work of others with in your field and using that as bases for your research Published and unpublished secondary sources

Functions of literature review Bring clarity and focus to your research problem Improve your methodology Broaden your knowledge base in your research area Contextualise your findings

Process of literature review There are five steps involved in conducting a literature review: Search for existing literature in your area of study; Review the literature selected; Develop a theoretical framework; Develop a conceptual framework; Writing up the literature reviewed

Search for existing literature Sources of Information for Literature Review Preliminary sources (general sources): these are the references that the researcher consults first to help him/her locate other sources related to the research problem Table of contents Indices Abstracts Primary sources: these are direct descriptions of an occurrence by an individual who actually experienced or witnessed the accident. They are publications in which persons who carried out the research report their findings. Journals Reports Dissertations Theses Conference papers Secondary sources: these refer to publications in which authors describe the works of others. Textbook

Notice Be aware that sometimes a title does not provide enough information to decide if a book/ journal is going to be of use. Start with the latest issue, examine its contents page to see if there is an article of relevance to your research topic. Start by reading the abstract. If it is relevant then download and read.

Review the literature selected Contents of Articles: Abstract Introduction Prior studies Research methods Results Further discussion, limitations and future research Reference page

Interview with seven largest chemical and pharmacetical industry, Cont… Tool for Article Review: Author’s Name, Year and Source Research Topic Main Objectives methods Results Limitations Future Adams (2002) Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 15(2), 223-250 Internal Organizational factors influencing CSER To identify any internal Contextual the nature & extent of reporting Interview with seven largest chemical and pharmacetical industry, Comparative study – German & UK The work highlights the lack of explanatory power of the existing social theories Interview method – which lacks large sample size to generalize the results Case study work examining the process of social & ethical & governance structures

Notice Notice where there are significant differences of opinion among researchers and give your opinion about the validity of these differences. Ascertain the areas in which little or nothing is known-the gaps that exist in the body of knowledge.

Develop theoretical framework As you start reading the literature, you will soon discover that the problem you wish to investigate has its roots in a number of theories that have been developed from different perspectives.

Develop conceptual framework The conceptual framework stems from the theoretical framework and concentrates, usually, on one section of that theoretical framework which becomes the basis of your study.

Conceptual Model Complaint Handling Strategies Satisfaction with Service Recovery

Complaint handling strategies compensation Problem solving Satisfaction with complaint handling facilitation Response speed apology Being courteous explanation effort

Examples of conceptual framework Customer satisfaction Customer Loyalty Service Quality

Writing up the literature reviewed Chapter II – Literature Review: May contain the following sections: Introduction Literature on the independent variable Literature on the dependent variable Summary and Conclusion