Introduction
The world has changed drastically over the last few decades. The Internet is the most significant factor that has altered the way of lives of many people. The rapid globalization and the development of the technologies promoted the electronic commerce and business. In the following paper, the role of research in business will be evaluated as well as the critical review of the literature and various referencing styles.
The Nature and Role of Research in Business
The research is essential for the efficient decision-making process. The business research includes planning, the gathering of the particular information, data evaluation and analysis. The nature of business research has changed rapidly. The primary reason for the change is the spread of the Internet. It gave rise to the e-commerce. The Internet made it possible to evaluate large amounts of data concerning users. Thus, managers faced new dimensions of business research. The online behavior of users is of great significance for the proper evaluation of their relation towards particular service of the phenomenon.
The process of research in business comprises of several stages. The first phase is the definition of the research questions. Research questions should identify the primary goals. The next task of the manager is to create the research proposal that predetermines the methods and approaches to the further investigation. When the proposal is ready, one has to proceed with the research design strategy (Cooper & Schindler, 2014). The available time, settings, and ways of collecting data are identified at this stage. When all these preparatory steps are finished, the manager has to collect data. Data collection can be a time-consuming process. On the basis of the gathered data, the research report is prepared. The research report is the primary source for the final decision-making.
Critical Review of Literature
The critical evaluation of literature is essential for any research. The critical review of literature will serve as the basis for the future research as far as it is necessary to know what has been already studied. A critical review of the literature presupposes the evaluation of the particular piece of writing. In most cases, people understand the critical analysis as the way of producing negative feedback about something. However, “critical” does not mean “negative”. Thus, the critical review should provide a fair judgment of the findings. One has to define the strengths and weaknesses of the piece of writing (Planning a Critical Review, n.d.).
There are two primary purposes for conducting a critical review of the literature. According to Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill (2009), “for some research projects you will use the literature to help you to identify theories and ideas that you will test using data. It is known as a deductive approach” (p. 61). The deductive approach will be based on relationships between the investigating phenomena. The other purpose of the business research may be the development of the particular theory on the basis of gathered data. In this case, the inductive approach takes place. Thus, the literature review is used for the gathering of necessary data.
Hewitt (2009) writes about the research process too and identifies other reasons for the literature review. Thus, the critical examination of the literature provides insight into the research area that gives the possibility to understand what has been already investigated. Critical evaluation of literature can also be used as a hint for choosing the methods of the upcoming research. One can also find the issues that have not been solved or examined yet. It is also useful for the understanding of current discrepancies between findings in the area. On the basis of the critical review, the researcher can introduce suggestions for the future research.
Saunders et al. (2009) also provide information about the fundamental structure of the critical examination. Although there is no universal scheme for the review, every researcher should conduct the same steps. First, it is necessary to provide an overview of the literature and write about key ideas and concepts. The next phase includes the summarization, comparing and contrasting surveys of writers. Then, it is advisable to go into details and present the previous work that is connected with the investigating topic. The researcher has to provide a detailed comparison of current and earlier works. The last step presupposes the highlighting of the fresh aspects of the issue that can be evaluated.
Referencing and its Different Styles
Collin (2010) defines referencing as “the practice of acknowledging in your own writing the intellectual work of others; work that has been presented in some way to the public domain” (p. 1). All researchers are expected to use referencing to support their ideas. It is a standard academic practice. However, many people, especially students, do not favor the necessity to reference all sources as far as it can be a time-consuming task. Several core principals of referencing define its necessity. First, referencing is the way of sharing knowledge. Second, the ability to use and provide references demonstrates that the person is ready to support his or her findings.
Finally, the referencing system should be understood as the way of communication. Thus, the knowledge of the referencing style makes the texts understandable for every person in the world who is also familiar with the style.
There are many referencing styles, but several of them are the most widely used and recognized throughout the world. APA is one of the most popular styles. The American Psychological Association developed it. APA is the author-date style, which means that in-text references should include the name of the author and the publication date. Pages are optional in APA style for paraphrasing and obligatory for direct quotations. In the reference list, the alphabetical order is used, and the date comes after the name of authors in brackets. The other famous referencing system is Harvard. It also employs the author-date system of referencing.
However, no comma is required in in-text referencing in Harvard system in comparison to APA. The Modern Language Association introduced one more style — MLA. Distinctive features of MLA include the author-page number system for in-text referencing and writing of the full first name of authors in works cited page (Navigating Information Literacy, 2008). There is also a variety of other referencing systems including Chicago/Tubarian, Vancouver, Oxford, Modern Humanities Research Association, and Council of Science Editors.
Conclusion
Research is a process of planning, gathering and evaluating of information that is used for the particular purposes. Research is necessary for all studies including business sphere. The critical review of literature is the starting point of every research. The evaluation of literature provides the understanding of the current condition of the area and assists in finding future suggestions for research. Referencing is an obligatory academic practice that presupposes the acknowledgment of the usage of somebody’s work and findings.
References
Collin, N. (2010). The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism. London, United Kingdom: McGraw Hill Education. Web.
Cooper, D., & Schindler, P. (2014). Business Research Methods. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Web.
Hewitt, M. (2009). How to Search and Critically Evaluate Research Literature. Web.
Navigating Information Literacy. (2008). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Web.
Planning a Critical Review. (n.d.). Web.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2009). Research Methods for Business Students. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Web.