Assignment 1 Literature Review of Relevant Research (on the chosen and approved research topic)
Guidelines
What is a literature review?
A literature review is a compilation of previous research and writing on a particular topic. It provides a critical analysis of this research and writing through summary, classification, comparison
and evaluation. In a literature review you are required to present:
established findings
conflicting evidence
gaps
Steps for preparing to write a literature review
There are a number of steps to undertake before you write the literature review. You need to:
formulate a problem in your field of study
familiarise yourself with a broad range of texts that deal with that problem
decide on the texts you wish to include in your review
decide on the most appropriate way to classify the texts
identify the key issues in each of the texts included
critically analyse what you have read
identify important issues that are still unresolved including the reasons for the gaps
write a draft of the review
read and think about what you have written and then rewrite.
Structure of a literature review
A literature review has an introduction, a body and a conclusion like most other writing you do at university.
Introduction In the introduction you should:
define or identify the general topic, issue or area of concern
point out overall trends in what has already been published
establish your point of view for reviewing the literature
indicate the organisation of texts in the review
Body In the body you should:
group research studies and other relevant literature according to a common theme
summarise each item of the literature appropriately according to its significance
compare and evaluate each item of the literature
provide topic sentences at the beginning of paragraphs and summary sentences at he end of sections to help the reader understand what the main issues are.
Conclusion In the conclusion you should:
summarise the literature maintaining the focus presented in the introduction
evaluate the current state of the art, pointing out gaps in the literature, inconsistencies and issues that are important for future study
conclude by giving some insight into the relationship between your topic and a larger area of study or area of professional practice.
What makes a good literature review?
A good literature review:
clearly delimits the subject matter to be reviewed
covers all important relevant literature
is up-to-date
provides an insightful analysis of the ideas and conclusions in the literature
points out similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses in the literature
identifies gaps in the literature for future research
identifies the context for which the literature is important.
https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/Students-Site/Documents/writingaliteraturereview.pdf
Choosing a Topic
To choose a general topic, follow the following steps:
1) Choose a topic area.
2) Take your topic area and describe it more specifically.
3) Name a specific aspect of the specific topic.
To narrow down the focus of your topic, follow the following three steps:
4) Write down additional specifics about your topic.
5) Turn your topic into a sentence that is a statement.
6) Now add fine focus to your statement by making a statement that can (although it does not necessarily need to) refer back to your research.
https://www.sophia.org/tutorials/choosing-and-narrowing-a-topic-to-write-about-for

Research methodology
Order Description
Research methodology can help to define the activities of research, how to proceed with the research, how to measure progress and how to determine success. In this paper you will evaluate existing methodologies and explore the methodology that you will use for your dissertation.
Your dissertation topic is:

“Maximizing local procurement to promote peace with communities in a remote area and create a new economic zone in a third world country”

Thus, identify two or three journal articles that address research problems similar to the problem you have chosen, and evaluate the methodology used to conduct the research. With these thoughts in mind:
• How has your problem or question been studied in the past?
• What methodology would be most useful in addressing your research problem or question?
• Defend your choice of methodology. Discuss whether you would use a research design and approach similar to those you reviewed, or approach your problem differently and why.
Compulsory reference
Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R. & Jackson, P. (2012) Management research. 4th ed. London: SAGE Publications.