| Pub. Date | : Dec' 2020 |
|---|---|
| Product Name | : The IUP Journal of Business Strategy |
| Product Type | : Article |
| Product Code | : IJBS41220 |
| Author Name | : Polycarpe Feussi, Emmanuel Innocents Edoun and Lawrence Kok |
| Availability | : YES |
| Subject/Domain | : Strategic Journals |
| Download Format | : PDF Format |
| No. of Pages | : 8 |
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the literature survey challenges encountered by graduates and postgraduates in their research report and offer a strategy to overcome these trials. Three groups of students constituting a total of 103 from three private South African institutions were used in the research proposal phase to conduct the survey. Although often used in qualitative but acceptable in quantitative research, convenient sampling was used to collect data from students in a form of cohort in a longitudinal experimental quantitative method by means of continuous assessments test during the research methodology classes with the main focus on the literature review. Suspecting the lack of variables, operationalization and poor translation of business research problem from anecdotal into scientific problem has led to the testing of the area. It was found that when the students are able to define the variables and conceptualize the research correctly, they are able to offer meaningful and appropriate literature.
Although many research methodologists agree that students face a great challenge in surveying their research literature, many have failed to provide concrete solutions to overcome this, which has impacted negatively on higher education in South Africa as reported by Jansen, that has poor PhD production of 26 PhD graduates per million annually. The poor production per million reported is in comparison with a country such as Portugal with 569 per million and Australia 264 per million annually, which is more than 20 times and 10 times that of South Africa, respectively. This paper after reviewing the literature and investigating the challenges faced by South African students offers a model to overcome these challenges with the assistance of supervisors.