One useful way to conduct literature literature - teaching note

The following is a useful way to conduct literature literature for doing MBA assignments and dissertation projects. It can be described as a funneling way {reference 1}:

The initial literature review (LR) effort [broad-based] covers the overall intellectual landscape of a topic area, e.g., innovation capability. Academic ideas {reference 2} gathered can be grouped into four categories:

1. Definitions

2. Research interests and gaps

3. Analytical concepts and viewpoints

4. Implementation barriers and approaches


[In one of my lectures, I mentioned that the technology curve is an example of an analytical academic idea in the subject of innovation management.]

The next literature review (LR) effort [narrow-based] is more specific research objective-directed. The specific research concern of a particular researcher might be related to a few academic ideas from the broad-based academic set dealt with in the initial LR effort. The concern could be related to a particular place, e.g. Hong Kong, and a particular business sector, e.g. hotel or banking sector. It can be associated to a particular management concern in specific setting, e.g. implementation barriers to strengthen innovation capability in a family business in Hong Kong.

I suggest that the content of the initial LR effort [broad-based] makes up 70-80% of the whole literature review content while the next LR effort [narrow-based] makes up 20-30%.

This funneling way to do literature review are mainly employed to  (i) do an assignment with literature review on a specific topic, e.g. innovation capability, and (ii) present literature review findings on a high-level research task (of a core-focused domain item) in a dissertation project using the ALRA.