Seeking ChatGPT advice on some concerns of doing literature review: a note for part-time MBA students

Seeking ChatGPT advice on some concerns of doing literature review: a note for part-time MBA students

I have asked the assistant bot, powered by GPT-4o, (via poe.com) a few queries about doing literature review in an MBA dissertation project. The following is an account of the queries and replies from the assistant bot:

Query 1

Joseph Ho (student): "I am a part-time MBA student working for an airline company. My question is related to my upcoming task of doing a dissertation project. My dissertation supervisor told me that I need to read 50 textbooks for literature review; this supervisor also said that I need to examine and use academic theories in my dissertation project. As my company's staff read professional magazines in the airline field. Could I review professional magazines for my literature review task in this case?"

Assistant bot: "As an Assistant created by Anthropic, I would be happy to provide some guidance on your dissertation project.

Regarding the literature review, your supervisor's instruction to read 50 textbooks is a fairly standard expectation for a comprehensive literature review at the MBA level. The purpose of the literature review is to demonstrate your familiarity with the academic theories and research related to your dissertation topic.

While professional magazines can provide valuable industry-specific information, they may not fully meet the academic rigor required for a literature review at the graduate level. Academic journal articles, books, and other scholarly sources are typically the primary sources expected for a dissertation's literature review.

That said, the professional magazines your company's staff read could potentially be used to supplement your literature review, provided they contain relevant academic theories, models, or empirical research that is applicable to your dissertation topic. The key is to ensure that you are drawing upon high-quality, peer-reviewed academic sources as the foundation of your literature review.

My recommendation would be to have an open discussion with your dissertation supervisor about using the professional magazines as a complement to the required textbooks and journal articles. Explain how these industry-specific sources could provide valuable context and application of the academic theories you need to examine. Your supervisor may be willing to consider a blended approach, as long as the majority of your literature review is grounded in academic scholarship.

The most important thing is to ensure that you demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the relevant academic theories and research related to your dissertation topic. I'm happy to provide further guidance as you work through the literature review and other aspects of your dissertation project".

Query 2

Joseph Ho (the student): "I also told my dissertation supervisor that I am going to use the SWOT analysis as my main management theory for my dissertation project. But, this supervisor said that SWOT analysis, as a management theory, is too simple to rely on as the main management theory to use for my MBA dissertation project. I do not understand what is "too simple". How to define management theories that are sufficiently sophisticated to use for my dissertation project. Could you give me some advice?"

Assistant bot: "I understand your concern about your supervisor's feedback on using SWOT analysis as the primary management theory for your MBA dissertation. Let me provide some guidance on selecting appropriate management theories for a graduate-level dissertation project.

The key point your supervisor is making is that SWOT analysis, while a widely used strategic management tool, is generally considered a relatively simplistic or foundational framework. For a dissertation at the MBA level, the expectation is often for you to engage with more sophisticated, nuanced, and theoretically grounded management concepts and models.

Some examples of management theories that are typically considered more appropriate for an MBA dissertation include:

Resource-Based View (RBV) - Examines how a firm's internal resources and capabilities can provide a sustainable competitive advantage.

Organizational Ambidexterity - Explores how firms balance exploiting existing capabilities while exploring new innovations.

Dynamic Capabilities Framework - Analyzes how firms adapt their resource base to respond to changing market conditions.

Institutional Theory - Investigates how external sociopolitical factors shape organizational structures and behaviors.

Contingency Theory - Looks at how situational factors influence the most effective management practices.

These types of theories tend to have more depth, complexity, and academic rigor behind them compared to a simple SWOT analysis. They also allow you to engage with more advanced strategic management concepts.

My recommendation would be to have an open discussion with your supervisor about their specific concerns with SWOT and get their guidance on alternative management theories that would be a better fit for your dissertation. They may be able to provide more direct feedback on theories they feel would be appropriate given your topic and research questions.

The key is to demonstrate your ability to critically analyze and apply sophisticated management concepts within the context of your dissertation. I'm happy to discuss potential theory options further if that would be helpful".

Query 3a

Joseph Ho (student): "As a busy part-time MBA student, I do not have much time to read many textbooks and academic articles; I have largely forgot all the sophisticate management theories which I learned some years ago. Is there an easier and faster way to do literature review for my dissertation project? I just need to get a passing mark for my dissertation project?"

Assistant bot: "I understand your concern about the time constraints you're facing as a part-time MBA student working on your dissertation. However, I would caution against trying to take shortcuts when it comes to the literature review and theoretical foundations of your project.

The literature review is a critical component of the dissertation process, as it demonstrates your deep understanding of the relevant academic theories and research related to your topic. Cutting corners here could seriously undermine the quality and credibility of your overall work.

That said, I recognize that as a busy professional, you may need to be strategic in how you approach the literature review. Here are a few suggestions that could help streamline the process without compromising academic rigor:

Leverage your dissertation supervisor's expertise: Have an open discussion with them about your time constraints. They may be able to provide guidance on the most essential theories and seminal works you should focus on, rather than expecting you to review 50 textbooks cover-to-cover.

Utilize literature review synthesis techniques: Instead of reading every source in-depth, focus on reading abstracts, introductions, and conclusions first. This can help you quickly identify the key concepts, models, and findings relevant to your topic.

Prioritize high-impact academic sources: Concentrate your efforts on reviewing the most influential and widely cited journal articles, books, and theoretical frameworks in your field. These are likely to provide the strongest foundation for your dissertation.

Consider structured literature review methods: Techniques like systematic reviews or meta-analyses can help you efficiently identify, evaluate, and synthesize the most relevant academic literature.

The goal should be to demonstrate a nuanced understanding of appropriate management theories, not simply to "get a passing mark." Investing the time upfront to build a strong theoretical foundation will pay dividends in the quality and defensibility of your final dissertation.

I'm happy to discuss additional strategies to help you navigate this process effectively within your time constraints. The key is to find the right balance between efficiency and academic rigor".

Query 3b

Joseph Ho (student): "Tell me more".

Assistant bot: "Okay, let's dive deeper into some additional strategies you can consider to streamline your literature review while maintaining academic rigor for your MBA dissertation.

Leverage your supervisor's guidance:

Have an in-depth discussion with your supervisor to understand their specific expectations and the key theories/concepts they want you to focus on.

Ask them for a list of seminal works or "must-read" sources they feel are essential for your topic.

Inquire if they have any recommendations for condensed or curated literature review resources in your field.

Use targeted keyword searches:

Develop a focused set of keywords and search terms related to your dissertation topic and the management theories you need to cover.

Use these keywords to conduct targeted searches in academic databases like Google Scholar, Web of Science, or your university's library resources.

This can help you quickly identify the most relevant and high-impact journal articles and book chapters.

Leverage literature review syntheses:

Look for existing literature review articles or book chapters that provide overviews of the key theories, models, and empirical findings in your research area.

These types of syntheses can give you a robust foundation without having to read dozens of individual sources.

Pay attention to the citation networks - the most frequently cited works are likely the most influential.

Prioritize conceptual versus empirical sources:

For your theoretical framework, focus more on conceptual works that introduce, explain, and critically analyze the key management theories.

Use empirical studies primarily to understand how these theories have been applied and tested in real-world contexts.

Develop a structured note-taking system:

As you review sources, create a consistent note-taking template to capture the key elements (e.g., research questions, methodology, findings, theoretical implications).

This can help you efficiently synthesize the literature and identify connections between different theories and studies.

The key is to find the right balance between depth and breadth in your literature review. Work closely with your supervisor to ensure you are meeting the academic requirements while managing your time effectively. I'm happy to discuss any other strategies that could help streamline your process".

Some overall evaluation comments

For an intelligent virtual counsellor, the assistant bot is quite capable to offer useful and concrete advice to address the part-time MBA student's concerns on the topic of literature review. Such advice is much more preferable to taking a short-cut of intelligently copying the literature review content from another dissertation report sample. Nevertheless, following the assistant bot's advice still takes quite some time to do the required action learning. Over the last five years, I have also been developing and enhancing an approach called the agile literature review approach (ALRA) to guide my busy part-time MBA students to do their dissertation projects. In short, there are methods to carry out the literature review task in an accelerated speed, but learning these methods also take time.

Reference: a collection of blog notes on using ChatGPT.