Type of paperResearch Paper
SubjectBusiness and Entrepreneurship
Number of pages4
Format of citationHarvard
Number of cited resources1
Type of serviceWriting
BA5004 Business Research Methods Assessment 1: annotated literature map You are being asked to produce a (a) diagram or picture of the literature based on a research problem you are interested in and (b) an annotation/written analysis of what you produce. For the map, you may choose a visual format and suggestions may be a Venn diagram, mind-map or time chart. You might take particular ideas or concepts as units of analysis and map different aspects, or map the different authors or their contributions around these. For a business management dissertation, you are likely to be working at the intersection of various topics/concepts so this is NOT just a topic map but an opportunity for you to demonstrate the overlapping areas and build up to your niche. For example, you may study the barriers for women progressing into senior management jobs in the legal industry. This would not just study the barriers for women per se, but look more specifically about what it is about professional/managerial jobs that inhibits their progression, as well as the legal industry specifically One page should hold the diagram, but you can use two pages if needed. Bear in mind it should be legible and clear. There should then be some accompanying annotation/written analysis which provides an explanation of the map in relation to your chosen research topic/problem. This means that you will need to explain your research topic/problem initially in order for the reader to make sense of your diagram and analysis. You should then identify what you will treat more fully in the literature review chapter, and what you will treat more briefly. Also, you can explain if you choose to reject particular lines of literature e.g. from a methodological or philosophical standpoint, so you can comment on what is missing. Length of annotation: 2-3 pages should be sufficient. What the assessment should demonstrate: that you are on the way to a focussed topic for your dissertation and that you are able to show how you are positioning it within broader pieces of academic work. The key thing is that what makes an ACADEMIC research project is demonstrating how your research contributes to the literature more broadly what is similar and what is different (this will be the basis of your discussion and conclusion chapter) so it is imperative that your literature review covers the key areas of literature, and develops an analysis of where the gaps lie. This may be in relation to the specific context in which you are studying, but build up to this so it is clear for the reader where your gap lies. Maps and notes which show original thinking, good knowledge about what is relevant, and clear explanations of the map will get good marks.
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