A collection of blog notes on examples of literature review tasks in MBA dissertation report writing

A collection of blog notes on examples of literature review tasks in MBA dissertation report writing

1. Related to talent management

2. Related to customer engagement

An example of conducting literature review tasks on customer engagement strategies: for MBA students

An example of conducting literature review tasks on customer engagement strategies: for MBA students

A review of the academic article of: Lisa Lundin (2025) “Customer engagement strategies for digital offerings: An empirical study of
B2B suppliers” Industrial Marketing Management  131: 46-57

What are the main research objectives and research questions of this article?

The main research objectives of the article "Customer engagement strategies for digital offerings: An empirical study of B2B suppliers" are to explore and identify customer engagement strategies specifically for B2B suppliers of digital offerings, and to extend the current understanding of how these suppliers can increase customer engagement in digital contexts.

Specifically, the article aims to:

·        Address gaps in existing literature by focusing on digital offerings themselves as engagement objects, rather than just firms or brands.

·        Investigate how suppliers can stimulate customer engagement both directly and indirectly in digital B2B settings.

·        Provide a process-based understanding of customer engagement, incorporating both customer dispositions (willingness to engage) and engagement activities (resource contributions).

·        Develop practical guidance for suppliers on how to combine different engagement strategies considering firm-related and contextual factors.

The research questions implied by these objectives are:

1.    How can B2B suppliers of digital offerings increase customer engagement?

2.    What distinct customer engagement strategies do suppliers use to stimulate customer engagement dispositions and activities directly and indirectly?

3.    How does the nature of digital offerings as new engagement objects influence the customer engagement process?

4.    How can suppliers manage customer engagement in digital contexts, particularly post-purchase and through interactions with the offering itself?

These objectives and questions are reflected throughout the article's introduction and theoretical background sections, which emphasize the need to explore supplier-initiated activities that affect customer engagement in digital B2B markets

 

Does the literature review of the article involve the following review tasks:

1.    Defining, evaluating and extending the relevant academic ideas.

2.    Updating the readers on the latest academic development as related to the article's research theme.

3.    Examining the research issues as related to: (1) the relevant theories, perspectives and concepts and (2) the relevant research methods employed to study the related research topics and themes.

4.    Synthesize the relevant academic ideas to come up with a more comprehensive research framework or theories.

5.    Discuss how some of the relevant theories and concepts can be employed to inform the research methodology (and research methods) for this study.

Based on the content in the article's theoretical background and introduction sections, the literature review performs the following review tasks:

1.    Defining, evaluating and extending relevant academic ideas: Yes. The article defines digital offerings and customer engagement concepts clearly, including dispositions and activities as dimensions of engagement. It critically evaluates existing customer engagement literature, highlighting gaps such as the under-theorization of digital offerings as engagement objects and limited focus on process-based views. It extends these ideas by introducing new customer engagement strategies specific to digital B2B suppliers.

2.    Updating the readers on the latest academic developments related to the research theme: Yes. The article references recent studies (e.g., works from 2019 to 2024), showing awareness of current research on digital offerings, customer engagement in digital contexts, and supplier-initiated engagement strategies. It situates its contribution in the context of emerging academic interest in digital B2B marketing and engagement processes.

3.    Examining research issues related to theories, perspectives, concepts and research methods: Partially. The article primarily examines relevant theories and concepts including customer engagement dimensions (dispositions vs. activities), engagement objects, and supplier-initiated strategies. While it discusses these well, the discussion of research methods in the literature review is limited. The paper does mention different perspectives on customer engagement and highlights the need for process-based understandings, but less focus is placed on reviewing research methods from previous studies explicitly.

4.    Synthesizing relevant academic ideas into a more comprehensive research framework or theories: Yes. The literature review synthesizes existing concepts into a conceptual framing based on two dimensions (customer engagement dispositions vs. activities) and modes of stimulating engagement (direct vs. indirect). This synthesis leads to the identification of four distinct customer engagement strategies, thus providing a more comprehensive framework for understanding engagement in digital B2B contexts.

5.    Discussing how theories and concepts inform the research methodology and methods for this study: Not explicitly in the literature review. While the article’s broader methodology section references theoretical framing guiding data collection and analysis (e.g., abductive approach based on engagement theory), the literature review itself does not explicitly discuss how the reviewed theories inform the research methodology or methods. Instead, this is covered later in the methodology section.

In summary, the literature review fulfills tasks 1, 2, and 4 prominently, partially addresses task 3 regarding theoretical perspectives but less on methods, and does not explicitly fulfill task 5 within the literature review itself.

Overall, is the literature review of the study clearly research objectives-driven?

Yes, overall the literature review of the study is clearly research objectives-driven.

The review systematically identifies key gaps and limitations in the current customer engagement literature—such as the under-theorization of digital offerings as engagement objects, the limited focus on purely digital B2B contexts, and the need for a process-based understanding of engagement rather than just outcomes. These identified gaps directly motivate the study’s objective to explore customer engagement strategies for suppliers of digital offerings.

Moreover, the literature review frames key theoretical concepts (e.g., engagement dispositions vs. activities, direct vs. indirect stimulation) that underpin the study’s conceptual framework and guide the empirical investigation. This alignment demonstrates that the review is not merely descriptive but purposefully structured to inform and advance the specific research aims.

Therefore, the literature review effectively supports and drives the research objectives by defining the problem space, highlighting existing research shortcomings, and synthesizing concepts that lead to the study’s exploration of distinct engagement strategies in digital B2B settings.

** the exercise is supported by chatpdf.com

An example of conducting literature review tasks on talent management: for MBA students

An example of conducting literature review tasks on talent management: for MBA students

A review of the academic article of: Heike Schinnenburg  (2025) “Re-focusing talent management: Frontline and essential work as the contemporary challenge” Human Resource Management Review 35: 101090

What are the main research objectives and research questions of this article?

The main research objectives of the article are:

1.    To critically examine the mainstream Talent Management (TM) discourse, highlighting significant doubts about the traditional focus on top talent and knowledge workers, and to bring attention to the largely overlooked group of frontline and essential workers (FEWs), including many migrants, in TM research.

2.    To explore major societal phenomena and trends—such as demographic shifts, education policies, migration, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)—that impact HRM and TM in Western countries, with a focus on Germany as a case example. The authors aim to investigate how context-specific and company-specific TM programs are emerging for employees outside the typical exclusive TM target groups.

3.    To develop key research implications and propose a more future-oriented and inclusive TM framework that better reflects diverse workforce realities and guides future research in the area of TM involving FEWs.

These objectives implicitly address the following research questions:

• How adequate is the traditional focus of TM on high potentials and knowledge workers in light of emerging societal and labor market challenges?
• What role do frontline and essential workers play in organizational capability and talent pools, and how can TM practices better include this group?
• How do megatrends such as demographic changes, migration, and AI shape the future of TM, especially for FEWs?
• What are effective TM practices and frameworks to support a more inclusive and future-oriented approach to managing a diverse workforce?

 

Does the literature review of the article involve the following review tasks:

1.    Defining, evaluating and extending the relevant academic ideas.

2.    Updating the readers on the latest academic development as related to the article's research theme.

3.    Examining the research issues as related to: (1) the relevant theories, perspectives and concepts and (2) the relevant research methods employed to study the related research topics and themes.

4.    Synthesize the relevant academic ideas to come up with a more comprehensive research framework or theories.

5.    Discuss how some of the relevant theories and concepts can be employed to inform the research methodology (and research methods) for this study.

 

Yes, the literature review in this article includes several of these review tasks, as detailed below:

1.    Defining, evaluating and extending the relevant academic ideas: The article defines Talent Management (TM) concepts, such as strategic TM, workforce differentiation, and inclusive TM, quoting key definitions (e.g., Collings & Mellahi, 2009; Lepak & Snell, 2002). It evaluates mainstream TM research focused on knowledge workers and high potentials and critiques this exclusive approach. The authors extend the discussion by highlighting overlooked groups like frontline and essential workers (FEWs) and migrants in TM research, thereby broadening the traditional TM discourse.

2.    Updating the readers on the latest academic development related to the article's research theme: The review discusses recent developments such as the impact of COVID-19 on HR practices, the rise of digitalization and AI in TM, and contemporary calls for inclusive TM approaches. It also cites very recent studies on AI in HRM and the challenges associated with managing FEWs and migrants, showing awareness of current academic debates.

3.    Examining the research issues as related to: (1) relevant theories, perspectives, and concepts and (2) relevant research methods employed: The authors analyze relevant theories such as the Resource-Based View (RBV), workforce differentiation, and paradox perspectives in TM. They also consider cultural, institutional, and contextual influences on TM practices. While the literature review primarily focuses on theoretical and conceptual issues, it references empirical research methods like case studies and interview-based research as common approaches in studying TM and HRM practices.

4.    Synthesizing the relevant academic ideas to come up with a more comprehensive research framework or theories: A key contribution is the development of a future-oriented inclusive TM framework that integrates insights from RBV, workforce differentiation, and the analysis of megatrends such as migration and AI. This framework is proposed as a more holistic, inclusive approach to TM beyond traditional exclusive talent pools.

5.    Discussing how some of the relevant theories and concepts can be employed to inform the research methodology (and research methods) for this study: While the article discusses the importance of context-specific and case study research, including empirical studies involving HR experts and organizational observations, it does not deeply elaborate on how the theories specifically inform methodological choices. However, it does recommend case study designs and engaging with real-world organizational issues as fruitful research methods to explore TM for FEWs and to bridge theory and practice.

In summary, the literature review addresses tasks (1) through (4) explicitly and partially addresses (5) by suggesting methodological directions aligned with the theoretical framework.

Overall, is the literature review of the study clearly research objectives-driven?

Yes, overall, the literature review of the study is clearly research objectives-driven.

Evidence from the article shows that the review is systematically structured to support the study's aims of re-focusing Talent Management (TM) toward frontline and essential workers (FEWs) in the context of evolving labor markets influenced by demographic shifts, migration, digitalization, and AI. Specifically:

·        The review defines and evaluates existing TM concepts, highlighting the predominant focus on high potentials and knowledge workers and identifying gaps related to FEWs and migrants, which directly aligns with the objective to broaden the TM focus.

·        It critically assesses current exclusive TM paradigms and synthesizes calls for more inclusive approaches, paving the way for proposing a new framework, which corresponds with the authors’ objective of developing a future-oriented, inclusive TM model.

·        By integrating discussions on megatrends such as AI and migration, and foregrounding the limited state of research on FEWs within TM, the literature review sets the foundation for ensuing research directions that the article promotes, showing that the review is purposefully directed at guiding these objectives.

·        The literature review also connects theoretical underpinnings with practical and contextual challenges, thus driving the study’s goal of exploring TM in diverse national contexts with empirical case studies and suggesting research methods.

In sum, the literature review is not a generic summary but strategically focused to inform, justify, and frame the article’s research objectives of broadening TM beyond traditional elites, emphasizing inclusivity, and adapting to contemporary labor market realities.

** the exercise is supported by chatpdf.com