A note on study
materials to use for the literature review task: for MBA students
I am a part-time MBA student, and I have a query about
references used in the literature review task of doing dissertation projects.
Am I correct to say that the priority for article review is to study peer
reviewed articles from academic journals, rather than articles published in
professional magazines. Secondly, it is preferable to study books published by
famous business (e.g. Harvard Business Review press) than books written by
celebrity CEOs on their thinking on management, marketing and people
management, etc. Could clarify these queries to me?
You’re thinking
about this in exactly the right way. Let’s separate your two questions and
tighten the principles so you can justify your choices to a supervisor or
examiner.
1. Journals vs professional magazines
For an MBA
dissertation literature review, peer‑reviewed academic journal articles
should be your primary sources.
Key reasons:
·
Peer review and
scholarly purpose
Peer‑reviewed journals use external expert reviewers to evaluate methods,
theory, and contribution before publication, so they are treated as higher‑quality
evidence than material in magazines or non‑reviewed outlets.
Scholarly journals are written for researchers and advanced students, include
detailed methods and references, and aim to build theory and evidence.
·
Magazines and
trade/professional outlets
Trade or professional magazines (including many “industry” or practitioner
magazines) are aimed at practitioners and tend to focus on trends, cases, and
opinions, often without full data, methods, or references.
They are useful for context, examples, and understanding current
practice, but they normally sit as secondary sources in a
dissertation, not the core of the literature review.
So your first
claim is basically right, with a nuance:
·
In your literature
review, prioritize peer‑reviewed journal articles and academic books as
the backbone of your argument.
·
You can still cite
high‑quality professional or trade sources (e.g., McKinsey, industry reports,
practitioner magazines) sparingly to show practice relevance,
market context, or current issues, but not as the main theoretical or empirical
foundation.
A supervisor
reading your dissertation expects the review to show mastery of the academic
scholarship, not just what practitioners are saying this year.
2. Academic business books vs “celebrity CEO”
books
For books, it’s
helpful to think in terms of purpose and publisher:
·
Academic and
research‑based business books
Books from university presses or serious business presses (including Harvard
Business Review Press) are usually grounded in systematic research, clear
conceptual frameworks, and extensive referencing.
These are generally appropriate to treat almost like long journal articles: you
can use them to support theory, definitions, and well‑established frameworks
(e.g., strategy, leadership theories, organizational behavior).
·
Popular/celebrity
CEO books
Books written by famous CEOs or entrepreneurs are often memoirs,
narratives, or advice grounded mainly in personal experience rather
than rigorous empirical research.
They can be valuable as illustrative case material or to show
how a concept plays out in practice, but they are not usually accepted as
strong evidence for theory testing or building your conceptual framework in an
academic dissertation.
So your second
intuition is also broadly correct, again with nuance:
·
Yes, it is
preferable to lean on reputable, research‑based business books (including
those from respected academic/business presses) over purely anecdotal “CEO
wisdom” books when constructing your literature review.
·
But you do not
have to avoid CEO books entirely. They can be cited in small doses for:
·
Concrete examples
or quotes illustrating a phenomenon
·
A contrast between
“what practice assumes” and “what research finds”
·
Case‑style
discussion in your background or discussion chapter
In grading terms,
examiners tend to reward dissertations whose references are dominated by
peer‑reviewed articles and academic books, with only a limited number of
practitioner or anecdotal sources.
3. A simple prioritization rule you can use
When deciding what
to read and cite, a practical priority ranking for an MBA dissertation is:
1.
Peer‑reviewed
journal articles in reputable
scholarly journals in your field (top priority for theory, models, empirical
evidence).
2.
Academic or
research‑based books (university
presses, strong business presses like HBR Press, etc.).
3.
High‑quality
practitioner and professional sources (e.g.,
industry reports, consulting firm white papers, central bank/IMF/OECD reports,
serious trade journals) mainly for context and current practice.
4.
Popular press and
celebrity CEO books for
anecdotal insight and illustrative cases, used sparingly and clearly labelled
as practitioner perspective rather than academic evidence.
A good rule of
thumb: if someone looked only at your reference list, it should clearly look
like an academic project, not an airport‑bookstore business
book.
I come across some easy to read books on management
subjects, but I am not sure they should be used for the literature review task
of my MBA dissertation work, as the book names ends with words such as
"marketing for dummies", "marketing for idiots" and "marketing
for beginners".
Those “for dummies
/ for idiots / for beginners” books are very useful for learning, but they are
usually not appropriate as core sources in an MBA dissertation
literature review.
What those books are good at
Beginner‑oriented
series (like “For Dummies”) are designed to give a broad, simplified
overview of a subject for non‑experts. They focus on accessibility,
plain language, and quick orientation, and often avoid technical depth,
detailed theory, and formal referencing.
They are excellent
as a starting point for your own understanding, especially if you
are new to a topic and want to get comfortable with basic terms and ideas
before you read journal articles.
Why they are weak as dissertation references
For an MBA
dissertation, examiners and supervisors expect your literature review to be
grounded primarily in peer‑reviewed journal articles and academic books.
Compared with
those, beginner books usually:
·
Do not present
original research, detailed methods, or formal evidence.
·
Offer limited
depth and nuance, which is essential for postgraduate‑level critical
discussion.
·
Are written for a
general audience, not for scholarly debate or theory building.
Guides for MBA
students consistently stress prioritizing peer‑reviewed journals and scholarly
books found via academic databases and university libraries to ensure
rigor and credibility.
So, for your reference
list, these “for beginners” books are usually either:
·
Not included at
all, or
·
Included at
most once or twice as background reading, not as key support
for your arguments.
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