Systematic and Critical Review in Business Research: Case Study

This case study delves into the research methodology employed by an MSc Management student, highlighting the importance of a focused research topic and thorough literature review. The student's initial attempt at a systematic review was criticized for being too descriptive and lacking critical analysis. The solution emphasizes the necessity of a clear research focus, well-formulated questions, and a balance between systematic data gathering and critical evaluation to develop original insights. It also addresses the advantages and disadvantages of both systematic and critical approaches, providing guidance on how to effectively integrate them. The case study further advises on using literature review findings to inform data collection, particularly in the context of a case study on the Deepwater Horizon Accident. Desklib provides access to this and other solved assignments for students.

Running head: BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Business research Methodology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s note

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Overview of the case study
The case study shows an insight regarding the research methodology followed by a
student who is enrolled in MSc in Management. The case study shows that his interest of a
particular idea led him to choose his topic in research. It is important to consult with the teacher
or professor before deciding on the topic. The first step that was asked to do by the tutor is a
literature review on the topic of research. The researcher wanted to carry out a systematic review
as he felt that it is a step by step process which will help him to understand the literature better.
The researcher had shared a plan of conducting the review was submitted and the tutor felt that
he had the technical understanding of the procedure, but when he had eventually sent a draft the
tutor commented it on being too descriptive and missing out on critical analysis of the literature.
Answers:
1a. it is essential to have a clear focus and well-formulated review questions to ensure that the
process proceeds as planned, as writing a research paper is a lengthy procedure the question will
help the researcher to align the findings with the question and no deviate from the actual topic of
research.
1b. when the focus is too broad it is difficult to keep track of the information as while
researching several other related ideas will be included which will again take away the
concentration from the topic. On the other hand if the topic is too narrow it is a possibility that
you may not find enough information regarding the topic in terms of facts and figures and
arguments to back up the statements that the researcher is going to conclude in the paper (Paiva
et al., 2014).

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1c. It is important to revise the review question as the question has a lot of layers, a review
question should be simple and straight forward so that it is easy to answer and easy to
comprehend by the readers. Moreover, the tutor pointed out that the draft was not critical in
nature it just had facts, figures and statements which should not be in the case of a research
paper; a research paper has to more of the researcher’s view aligned with the views of the other
authors who have previously worked in the field.
2a. it is important to adopt a systematic approach as that would ensure that no information or
data regarding the research is missed, if any important information is left out it might impact on
the findings and conclusion of the research. It helps in understanding the topic of research
insightfully with and helps in building a fundamental knowledge. One of the disadvantages of
the process is that sometimes information that is already published may be irrelevant at the time
of the review the researcher has to be cautious at every point to make sure that the procedure is
relevant (Paiva et al., 2014).
2b. Being critical in the approach helps the researcher build their own point of view, with the
help of arguments they can state facts and develop own findings. Alternate approaches, ideas,
insights are developed by critically analyzing literature. If some of the facts or assumptions are
incorrect then the effort that has been put is wasted as that will not be accepted, hence the
researcher has to be careful in placing any arguments with sufficient proof and reference.
2c. Emmanuel did not first understand the meaning of being critical, he thought being critical in
the approach would mean disrespect towards the authors whose work was being reviewed, he
gathered that being critical is more than just recognizing the gaps in the literature it is also about
incorporating own ideas and adding to the initial concepts that is available. Hence to balance the

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two approaches he made two sections one which had his original findings and the other was an
argumentative discussion. This has helped him to be systematic as well as develop a critical
approach (Fowkes et al., 2013).
3. Deepwater Horizon Accident is a popular oil spill accident that occurred, the information and
data that is available regarding the accident is large hence he should be careful regarding the
information that he will chose to use in his research, he should take information that is relevant
to the research questions. The findings of the literature review will help understand the process
better which will further guide him to form his own opinion. The literature will also help him
from a base from which he can begin his data collection process.

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Reference list:
Fowkes, F. G. R., Rudan, D., Rudan, I., Aboyans, V., Denenberg, J. O., McDermott, M. M., ... &
Criqui, M. H. (2013). Comparison of global estimates of prevalence and risk factors for
peripheral artery disease in 2000 and 2010: a systematic review and analysis. The
Lancet, 382(9901), 1329-1340.
Paiva, C. E., Barroso, E. M., Carneseca, E. C., de Pádua Souza, C., dos Santos, F. T., López, R.
V. M., & Paiva, S. B. R. (2014). A critical analysis of test-retest reliability in instrument
validation studies of cancer patients under palliative care: a systematic review. BMC
medical research methodology, 14(1), 8.