Some reflection on the nature of applied business research project using ALRA

On the nature of applied business research project using the agile literature review approach (ALRA), some comments are made based on some personal reflection:

1. The dissertation project very often involves mainly evaluation-type of research tasks (as depicted in the theoretical framework level-0 components (e.g. to evaluate ......). Since it is at the same time an applied research project, it comprises characteristics of both research and evaluation works (re: Evaluation as a research design PowerPoint).

2. In most cases, the dissertation project's overall research strategy comprises mixed methods research and case study research.

3. The ALRA encourages the researcher to construct the theoretical framework set (thus involving literature review effort early on) to guide the formulation of research design. And the research design, with a number of academic idea sets (re: theoretical framework level 1c), favours using the academic ideas to examine, explain and evaluate the research methods' findings. In this respect, the ALRA, tends to relies more on deductive, rather inductive reasoning, in the research investigation work.

4. By encouraging the construction of a set of relatively complex diagrams (i.e. management-concerns diagram and theoretical framework set), the ALRA endorses systems thinking, especially the soft systems and critical systems strands.

How to write recommendations in an applied business research dissertation report

The following advices are on how to write recommendations in an applied business research dissertation report:

Advice 1:

1. group the recommendations into three levels:

1.1 strategic level

1.2 tactical level

1.3 operational level

Advice 2:

2. specify recipients of the recommendations

E.g. Recommendation 1: it is recommended that the CEO of the company should do the following.....

Advice 3:

3. Label each recommendation clearly, even though it is related to other recommendations

E.g. Recommendation 1: ....

        Recommendation 2: ....

Advice 4: 

4. State the time-frame, resources, organizational support and justification for the recommendation:

E.g. Recommendation 3:.. The recommended 6-month action should be taken in two months' time, with sufficient financial support (estimated at $100,000) and sales staff support from the sales department. It is justified by the findings on business process re-engineering (re: section 3.4.2 of this report). {inserting pointers such as section 3.4.2, etc. is to a way to establishing a clear chain of evidence in your report analysis.}

Typical academic ideas employed in the agile literature review approach

The following are the typical academic ideas employed in the agile literature review approach (ALRA):

[Academic ideas are in bold]

Zone 1: environmental drivers:

1. Changing customer expectations on: service/ product quality, servicescape
2. Changing customer/ consumer preference on product quality
3. Changing customer characteristics, e.g., on brand loyalty
4. Environmental turbulence level
5. Intensity of competition
6. Global competition
7. More demanding regulation on environmental protections
8. Intensity of competition for talents in the labour market
9. Changing supply chain landscape
10. Impacts of trade war on the external environment

Zone 2: organizational capabilities ["existing"]

1. Human resource management capability/ competence/ ability
2. Strategic human resource management capability/ competence/ ability
3. Talent management capability/ competence/ ability
4. Managerial/ leadership/ managerial-leadership capability/ competence/ ability
5. Employee retention capability/ competence/ ability
6. Employee recruitment capability/ competence/ ability
7. Knowledge management capability/ competence/ ability
8. Business model innovation capability/ competence/ ability
9. Business process management capability/ competence/ ability
10. Team building capability/ competence/ ability
11. Branding capability/ competence/ ability
12. Marketing communication capability/ competence/ ability
13. Sales force management capability/ competence/ ability
14. Business intelligence capability/ competence/ ability
15. Supply chain management capability/ competence/ ability
16. Corporate turnaround capability/ competence/ ability
17. Diversification capability/ competence/ ability
18. Management accounting capability/ competence/ ability
19. Organizational innovation capability/ competence/ ability
20. Product/ service innovation capability/ competence/ ability
21. New product development capability/ competence/ ability
22. IT management capability/ competence/ ability
23. Corporate governance capability/ competence/ ability
24. Financial management capability/ competence/ ability
25. Strategic change management capability/ competence/ ability
26. Organizational restructuring capability/ competence/ ability
27. Strategic alliance/ collaboration capability/ competence/ ability
28. Quality management capability/ competence/ ability
29. Production management capability/ competence/ ability

Zone 3: outcomes and solutions

Zone 3a (outcomes-related)

(3a1) Financial performance-related

1. Business profit performance
2. Business sales turnover performance

(3a2) Non-financial performance-related

1. Employee morale
2. Employee commitment
3. Staff turnover
4. Job dissatisfaction due to job stress and poorer quality of work life/ work-life balance status
5. Corporate reputation
6. Speed of new product development

Zone 3b (solutions-related) ["ongoing"/ "intended"/"considered"]

1. A specific market entry initiative into the XXX market
2. A specific organizational restructuring initiative
3. A specific merger and acquisition initiative
4. A specific marketing communication initiative
5. A specific diversification initiative
6. A specific business process re-engineering initiative
7. A specific business model innovation initiative
8. A specific work-life balance policy
9. A specific staff development initiative
10. A specific leadership training initiative
11. A specific production automation initiative

These illustrative examples on academic ideas should help students to come up more easily with the own theoretical frameworks level-0 in the ALRA exercises. The academic ideas involved here are broad ones, thus primarily employed for the formulation of high-level research tasks for theoretical framework level-0. In the context of theoretical framework level-0 construction, these broad academic ideas very much of the nature of academic topics, themes and subjects. In turn, these broad academic ideas comprises a number of ingredient academic ideas in the theoretical frameworks at the lower level. Students should try to use these academic ideas as key words for doing literature search.

Using theoretical frameworks for geographical imagination assignment analysis

Using theoretical frameworks for geographical imagination assignment analysis:

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Notes on "divided city" analysis concepts in geographical imagination

Some notes on "divided city" analysis concepts in geographical imagination:


Note 1

Note 2

Note 3

Note 4

The value of non-focus-domain components in the agile literature review approach

The value of non-focus-domain components in the agile literature review approach:


Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Geographical imagination case study - Vatican City

Geographical imagination case study - Vatican City

1. Focus on Vatican City (video)
2. How powerful is the Vatican (video)
3. Top 5 surprising facts (video)
4. Top ten things to see (video)
5. A frontline documentary
6. Shocking documentary

Geographical imagination - case study: Tuen Mun

Geographical imagination - case study: Tuen Mun

1. Tuen Mun Park on Sunday (video)
2. Civilized culture - Singing 最後一夜 (video)
3. Tuen Mun Park Protest (July 6) (video)
4. 娜娜 & 與敏敏 (video)
5. A slide (a); slide b; slide c (old TM park photo); slide d (protest objective).
6. A piece of news on conflict