BHMS4418 Applied Business Research Lecture 2a Notes PDF

BHMS4418 Applied Business Research Lecture 2a Literature Research, Reading Literatures, and Referencing I Literature Review  What is a Literature Review? A survey of published materials that are relevant to a particular issue, theory or area of research It prov...

BHMS4418 Applied Business Research Lecture 2a Literature Research, Reading Literatures, and Referencing I Literature Review  What is a Literature Review? A survey of published materials that are relevant to a particular issue, theory or area of research It provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work  What is a Literature Review? Materials surveyed may include: scholarly journals, books, dissertations, conference proceedings, etc. It may be completed en route to an essay, thesis or dissertation and included in the final project. Or, it may be conducted as its own entity  The Process 1. Problem formation What is the topic being examined? What are the associated issues? 2. Literature search Find related materials…how?  The Process  3. Evaluation, Analysis and Outline Which materials are especially significant to your particular topic? What do these materials propose about your topic?  4. Write and Revise A discussion of the findings and conclusions of significant literature Purpose of a Literature Review To place each individual work the the ‘grand scheme of things’: its contributions in the context of the understanding of this subject To identify new interpretations of previous work  Purpose of a Literature Review To resolve conflicts between contradictory previous studies To identify previous scholarship, in order to prevent duplication and repetition To determine the way forward for further research Elements of a Lit Review Overview of the subject, issue or theory being considered and the objective of the review Division of works into categories (eg. in support, against, alternative offerings) and an organized presentation Explanation of similarities and differences between works - identify areas of controversy Elements of a Lit Review Conclusions on which works are most successful in their arguments, most convincing, and contribute to the development and understanding of the topic A synthesis of results, summarizing what is and is not known Formulate questions that require further research Problem Formation Make a list and define major terms Make sure you understand them and can use them as keyword for library and Internet searches Define the purpose of your lit review - your audience, the scope of the review, the type of publications you are using (journals, qualitative research, etc.), and the time you have to complete it Problem Formation Determine how you will organize your sources (by trends, theories, chronology, authors, methods, themes, research questions, etc.) Determine what is most important to cover (for example theories, authors, or methods you must absolutely discuss) Try to relate the points to one another and order them logically (you can number them by order of importance, or organize What literature should be included? Before including works, be sure to assess their excellence and relevance Consider the author’s credentials (past work, education, authority) What evidence is provided? What literature should be included? How objective is the work? Is it prejudiced? Is contrary data considered? Is certain information ignored? Which of the arguments are most/least convincing? Does the work make a significant contribution to an understanding of the subject? Finding Literature Identify a few key papers from your current knowledge base Consult librarians and professors Search the library and online databases Look at the references listed by the texts you already have and locate them Finding Literature Forward citation: Through an online search, find papers that reference your key literature Make your selection based on relevance, date, breadth, depth, and requirements Evaluate the Literature Critical thinking: Discern the validity and authority of an argument through reason and logic Analysis: Take apart and understand ideas Synthesis: Bring together parts of different arguments to produce a cohesive, coherent and ideally original perspective Evaluate the Literature  Break down information into its component parts and separate important aspects of information from the less important  Analyze and critically appraise component parts of argument  Discuss the pros and cons of the components  Demonstrate understanding of theory Writing as Part of a Project  Explains how the work of others has led up to and contributes to your coming work  Displays your knowledge of the literature and field of scholarship – validates you as an author  Provides readers with background information and related studies necessary to understanding your work  Provides readers with an historical perspective as to the evolution of the ideas being considered  Leads readers to the problem that you undertake in your work and shows how it is a new perspective Summary of Purpose Give a clear presentation of related literature Give the history of the topic Show your knowledge of the relevant works and researchers Show agreements, contradictions, gaps Show weaknesses in other studies Summarize techniques and materials Show the originality of your own work. Difficulties Quantity of literature Lack of literature Getting started How broad or narrow? What should be discarded? Re-reading for improved understanding Researching and Writing Be systematic Go beyond books and articles Be selective. Don’t try to read everything As you research, improve your ability to be selective  BHMS4418 Applied Business Research Lecture 2b Literature Research, Reading Literatures, and Referencing II Searching e-resources / Journal Articles in CPCE Libraries E-Resources More than 40 databases from a range of major electronic resources covering all subject areas are being subscribed, including journals, dissertations and theses, abstracts and indexes, reference, and newspapers.  Electronic Electronic Journals Journals – Over 16,000 full-text electronic journals covering various subject areas – Searchable in Library Catalogue Electronic Newspapers WiseNews provide access to over 100 million full-text news articles from more than 1,600 Hong Kong and Greater China sources dating back to 1998 Electronic Reference − Access to nearly 600 reference publications − Give overview and introduction to various topics  Remote Access Electronic Resources is accessible at home or other places outside campus via a simple authentication… Remote Access Authentication Library ticket barcode PIN  Searching e-resources / Journal Articles – A Demo Click the hyperlink to access the e-resources in CPCE Libraries Click the e-database for Emerald Management Journals Search the journal articles related to “Business Strategy in Cosmetic Industry” Click and view the selected journal article  Searching Journal Articles in PolyU Pao Yue-kong Library Homepage [For incoming SPEED students, access to e-resources can only be through our desktop computers in the PolyU Library. ] Example of Reference List (2) Abel, A.B., Bernanke, B.S., Croushore, D. (2011). Macroeconomics (7th ed.). Boston, MA : Addison-Wesley. Newman, J. L., Fuqua, D. R., Gray, E. A., & Simpson, D. B. (2006). Gender differences in the relationship of customer relationship. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, 84 (2), 157-161. If you see volume, issue number and page number, most likely it’s a journal article, search by journal title in the library catalogue. 38  Accessing Databases in Library Homepage [For incoming SPEED students, access to e-resources can only be through our desktop computers in the PolyU Library. ] 46 47 Login Follow the prompts on screen to sign on remotely if you are not seated at the Pao Yue Kwong Library. 48 Referencing Referencing: APA Method The APA 7th edition referencing system  Referencing is a standard practice for acknowledging information sources in academic writing at university. Whenever you write an assignment that requires you to find and use information, you are expected to reference all the sources of information and ideas included in your writing.  Please refer to the “APA 7th edition Referencing Guide” from ELC, HK PolyU http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/referencing/APA.pdf Plagiarism & Turn-It-In Plagiarism Detection? A student who has worked according to the standards of academic integrity has no reason to fear charges of academic misconduct. Each of us has a unique writing style or signature. It is evident to an academic when a writing style changes in a document, perhaps from broken English to beautifully written prose (which the academic might even struggle to match). This in itself does not prove academic misconduct, however finding the source of this beautifully written material to be another author than you would. Plagiarism Detection? Proving academic misconduct requires the academic to turn detective. This is why your “foot print” is so important. Rather than using a magnifying glass however we use Turnitin (bespoke plagiarism detection software) Turnitin Plagiarism detection service - Turnitin works by turning a student’s projects and assignments into “digital chunks” then compares these chunks against electronic sources such as journal articles, theses (including other institutions), and student assignments already submitted to the Turnitin service. Turnitin If elements of “your” text is found to match other sources it is reported by being highlighted in a distinct colour with the “source” of the match also highlighted. Turnitin also gives the total percentage of “your” text matching all sources – the so called similarity statistic. A high similarity does not necessarily imply plagiarism since the use of many direct quotes will increase the similarity statistic. This is not an issue provided these direct quotes are fully acknowledge by quotation marks and a reference Turnitin Similarly a Low similarity does not necessarily imply plagiarism has not taken place since a low similarity statistic of 10% could mean that in a fifty page document five pages are copied and pasted directly from a source and no other matches were found. Even if a reference to the five page source was included this could not be seen as good academic although it would not be plagiarism. Turnitin It is expected that you have written your literature review with the highest academic integrity, fully acknowledging all sources using the APA system. Turnitin™ User Guides and Video Tutorials for Students and Staff (by CPCE, PolyU) http://it-training.cpce-polyu.edu.hk/ The Turnitin Originality Report http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq52OAEj1oM&f eature=related