TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 WHAT IS LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1.1 WHAT DO WE REVIEW 1.2 PURPOSE OF LITERATURE 1.3 THE SCOPE OF LITERATURE REVIEW 1.4 PROCEDURE FOR REVIEWING LITERATURE 1.4.1 STEPS INVOLVED IN CONDUCTING A LITERATURE REVIEW 1.5 SOURCES OF LITERATURE 1.5.1 PRIMARY SOURCES 1.5.2 SECONDARY SOURCES 1.5.3 TERTIARY SOURCES 1.5.4 AN ELABORATE LIST OF SOURCES OF LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 REVIEW THE LITERATURE SELECTED 2.1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.2 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 2.3 TIPS ON GOOD REVIEWING OF LITERATURE 2.4 CONCLUSION . . Pg 2 .. Pg 2 Pg 3 . Pg 3 . Pg 4 . Pg 4 . Pg 5 . Pg 6 .. Pg 6 .. Pg 6 . Pg 6 .. Pg 6 Pg 8 . Pg 8 Pg 9 .. Pg 9 .. Pg 10

LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION Literature review, which forms chapter 2 of a research project, is a critical summary of research on a topic of interest, generally prepared to put a research problem in context or to identify gaps and weaknesses in prior studies so as to justify a new investigation. This paper therefore aims at discussing what literature review is , what is reviewed and the sources, and steps followed in carrying out a literature review.

What is literature review?

Literature review involves the systematic identification, location and analysis of documents containing information related to research problem being investigated. It should be extensive and thorough because it is aimed at obtaining detailed knowledge of topic being studied. It acquaints one with the available body of knowledge in the area of study (Mugenda and Mugenda, 2003). According to Kumar (2005) literature review is an integral part of the entire research process and makes a valuable contribution to almost every operational step. In the initial stages of research, it helps you to establish the theoretical roots of your study, clarify your ideas and develop your methodology, but later on, literature review serves to enhance and consolidate your knowledge base and helps you to integrate your findings with the existing body of knowledge i.e. to support or contradict earlier knowledge. Literature review can be time consuming, daunting and frustrating but it can also be rewarding; According to Kothari (2004), literature review is done to find out what data and other matetrials if any are available for operational purposes. This would also help a researcher to know if there are certain gaps in the theories, or wherther the existing theories applicable to the problemand study are inconsistent with each other, or whether the findings of the different stud ies do not follow a parttern consistent with the theoritical expectations and so on. The literature review section examines recent ( or historically significant) research studies, company data , or industry reports that act as a basis for the proposed study. Begin your study from a comprehensive perspective, moving to more specific studies that are associated with your problem, ( Cooper & Schildler, 2006)

What do we review. 1. Empirical- past studies that are related to the topic; this is research done by others citing their findings on the same. 2. Theoretical literature; these are theories of others scholars showing how they contribute to the specific problem of study. xxxxxxxx

Purpose of literature review:

Mugenda and Mugenda (2003), outlines the following as the purposes of literature review. a) To determine what has been done already related to the research problem being studied. A detailed knowledge of what has been done helps the researcher to: i) Avoid unnecessary and unintentional duplication. ii) Form the framework within which the research findings are to be interpreted. iii) Demonstrate his or her familiarity within which the research findings are to be interpreted. A review of literature will reveal what strategies, procedures and measuring instruments have been found useful in investigating the problem in question. This information helps one to avoid mistakes that have been made by other researchers and helps one to benefit from other researchers experience. In most cases, literature review will suggest other procedures and approaches. This is very useful information because a researcher could try out suggested approaches, especially if they will improve the research study. To make the researcher familiar with previous studies and thus facilitate interpretation of the results of the study. E.g. results can be discussed in terms of whether they support or contrast previous findings. If there is contradiction, the literature review might provide rationale for the discrepancy. Literature review helps the researcher to limit the research problem and to define it better. The review of literature will give the researcher the knowledge needed to convert a tentative research problem into a detailed and concise plan of work. Literature review helps determine new approaches and stimulates new ideas. The researcher may also be alerted to research possibilities, which have been overlooked in the past. Approaches that have proved to be futile will be revealed through literature review. There is no point in repeating a certain approach in a study if that approach has been found to be consistently unproductive or unreliable.
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b)

c)

d)

e)

f)

g)

h) In most cases, authors of research articles include specific suggestions and recommendations for those planning further research. These should be considered very carefully. i) Literature reviews pulls together, integrates and summarizes what is known in an area. A review analyses and synthesizes different results revealing gaps in information and areas where major questions remain. According to Kumar (2006), the functions of literature review are:Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The important idea to covey is that you really understand what others in your field have accomplished and how your work differs from the works of others. In a literature review, you demonstrate your understanding of the relevant works of others and your ability to summarize this information for the convenience of your readers. This sets the stage for you to describe what your research contribution is going to be. The scope of literature review: The common questions asked by graduates How wide or narrow should the literature review be? In other words when should one stop reviewing? 1. If the area of study has been studied for a longtime and therefore there is a huge body of literature, one can read only those studies that are reasonably close to one`s research topic 2. In new or little researched areas, where little depth is available, a researcher would require to review any relevant material in order to develop a logical framework for the study and appropriate hypothesis for the study. 3. The researcher should avoid the temptation to include all the available material. A smaller well-organized review is preferable to review containing many studies that are only remotely related to the problem. 4. Another indicator to abandon literature review is to constantly re-encounter material already reviewed.(Mugenda and Mugenda 2003, pg 31)

Procedure for reviewing the literature

If you do not have a specific research problem, you should review the literature in your broad area of interest with the aim of gradually narrowing down to what you want to find out about. After that the literature review should be focused around your research problem. There is a danger, however of reviewing without a specific idea of what you want to study as the review can condition your thinking about your study and the methodology you might use, resulting in a less innovative choice of research problem and methodology. Hence, you should try and conceptualize your research problem before undertaking your major literature review (Kumar, 2005)

Steps involved in conducting a literature review: 1. 2. 3. 4. Search for existing literature Review the literature selected Develop a theoretical framework Develop a conceptual framework

1) Search for existing literature in your area of study (Kumar, 2005). 2) Be familiar with the library before the literature review , (Mugenda and Mugenda, 2003) 3) Make a list of keywords or phrases to guide your literature search. The framework can be considered as possible aid. E.g. Factors affecting staff mobility.

4) List the key word to guide your literature search. With the keywords and phrases related to the study, one should go to the sources of literature where you will find the library staff very helpful in offering guidance. 5) Summarize the references on cards for easy organization of the literature. 6) Once collected, the literature should be analyzed, organized and reported in an orderly manner. 7) Make an outline of the main topics in order of presentation. Decide on the number of headlines and sub-headlines required, depending on how detailed the review is. 8) Analyze each reference in terms of the outline made and establish where it will be most relevant. 9) Studies contrary to received wisdom should not be ignored when reviewing literature. Such studies should be analyzed and possible explanation for the difference given. They should be analyzed with a view to accounting for differences of opinion. 10) The literature should be organized in such a way that the more general is covered first before the researcher narrows down to that which is more specific to the research problem. Organizing the literature in this way leads to testable hypotheses. 11) Some researchers prefer to have a brief summary of the literature and its implications. This is however, optional depending on the length of the literature under review. (Mugenda and Mugenda 2003, pg 32).

Once collected, the literature should be analyzed, organized and reported in an orderly manner. Such organization, analysis and reporting represents the hardest part of literature review

SOURCES OF LITERATURE REVIEW

According to Cooper and Schindler (2006), the sources of Literature review are classified into 3 categories ie. primary, secondary and tertiary sources; whereas Mugenda and Mugenda have two broad categories, i.e. primary and secondary.  PRIMARY SOURCES This is original works of research, the description of the research by a person who actually carried out the research. The review of literature should be based on primary sources as much as possible because information from secondary sources may be altered by the writers. Examples of primary sources are computer search, data collected by the researcher, own note books, own observations and unusual occurrences that prompted further testing.

 SECONDARY SOURCES These are books and articles in which other researchers report the results of their research based on (their) primary data or sources. Examples of secondary sources include books , journals, papers presented in conferences, thesis and dissertations, government documents. Journals articles are often the most current sources of information on a topic of study that is new or subject to rapid change.  TERTIARY SOURCES Tertiary sources explain the work of other might be useful early in your research, but they are generally weak support for your own arguments. Examples of tertiary sources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, guides, handbooks, references quoted in books. (Wikipedia) According to cooper and Schildler, (xxx), tertiary sources maybe an interpretation of secondary data but generally are represented by indexes, bibliographies and other finding aids e.g. internet search engines. N.B: All information is not of same value. Primary sources have more value than secondary and secondary sources have more value than tertiary but each source has a special function. An elaborate list of sources of literature review i. Scholarly journal: Found in libraries owing access to internet nowadays many journals are on the web. ii. Thesis and dissertations: Works of all graduate students of masters degree and doctorate philosophy.
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iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x. xi.

xii. xiii. xiv. xv. xvi. xvii.

xviii.

xix. xx. xxi.

Government documents: This includes policy papers and research reports owned by governments. Papers presented at conferences: Research papers presented at conferences are a good source of literature whether published or not. Books: Found in libraries. References quoted in books: This references given at the back of a relevant book may reveal more relevant source e.g. books or journals. International indices: This lists theses and dissertations, which have been written, in a particular area of specialization. Abstracts: Gives a list of journal articles with summaries. Abstracts will give the name, volume and issue number of the journal where the full article can be found. Periodicals: these include journals, magazines or local newspapers, which are published periodically. The Africana section of the library: this is a special area in a library (libraries in Africa) where any material on Kenya by Kenyans is kept. The reference section of the library: this is another a special area in the libraries where all books classified as reference books are catalogued in the same way as books on open shelves, only that the inscription REF is added. Such books include encyclopedias, dictionaries, manuals, handbooks and biographies which are considered either rare or extremely expensive. Grey literature: this refers to anything written but not published e.g. notes from lectures, papers presented at conferences or any other useful information collected by the library. Inter-library loan: in Kenya, if a certain book is needed and is not in a particular library, the library staff can borrow that book from another library in Kenya. The British lending library: the British council in Kenya has a library that is open to members of the public. Computer search: These are computer facilities to get required information through a computer search. Microfilm: this is where information, especially old information, is stored on microfilm and retrieved only when needed. The Internet: With the access to the internet, its very easy to browse the web and get literature for the latest journal articles, conference papers and policy documents from various organizations.(Mugenda and Mugenda 2003 pg 32,33,34 and 35). Indexes and bibliographies: These are the main stay of any library because they help you identify and locate a single book or journal from among the millions published. One important bibliography on any library is its online catalogue. Dictionaries: We use them to verify spelling or grammar usage or define terms. Encyclopedias: Used to find background or historical information on a topic or to find names or terms that can enhance your results in other sources. Hand book: A collection of facts unique to a topic.
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2. Review the literature selected

After identifying the useful sources, the next step is to start reading them critically to pull together themes and issues that are associated. The review should include both theoretical and empirical works related to the topic of study. The theoretical study will show what kind of theories others say contribute to the problem under study.( kumar,2005) Develop a framework or a matrix where you slot the information where it logically belongs under the themes developed. Read critically with reference to the following aspects: Note where the knowledge relevant to your theoretical framework has been confirmed beyond doubt.  Note the theories put forward, the criticisms, the methodologies adopted (study design, sample size, and its characteristics, measurement procedures, etc) and the criticism of them.  Examine to what extent the findings can be generalized to other situations  Notice where there are significant differences of opinions among researchers and give your opinion about the validity of these differences  Ascertain xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 Develop a theoretical framework

 As you read, take note of the theories that have been developed from different perspectives.  Highlight agreement and disagreements among authors and identify the unanswered questions or gaps  Notice the aspects that have a bearing direct or indirect on your research topic and use these aspects to develop your theoretical framework  The theoretical framework consists of theories, principles, generalizations and research findings which are closely related to the present study under investigation.  Authors of these theories and principles should be cited. As much as possible research findings and theories should be correct. ][

 Develop a conceptual framework

 Conceptual framework stems from the theoretical framework and concentrates usually on one section of the theoretical frame which becomes the basis of your study.  A conceptual framework is a statement of relationship between independent and dependent variables; a dependent variable being one that is being investigated while the independent variable is the intervention put in place to alter the dependent variable.  It is a schematic diagram which shows the variables included in the study that the researcher wants to investigate.  Arrows or lines should be properly placed and connected between boxes to show the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.  All the independent and dependent variables should be clearly discussed and explained how these would influence the results of the study. Independent variables Staff welfare HRM Wages Low motivation Factors Dependent variable Staff mobility

Once the conceptual framework has been determined, the next step for the research is to determine what research method to employ to best answer the research problem through the proposed framework.

TIPS ON GOOD REVIEWING OF LITERATURE

 Do not conduct a limited review for fear of overlooking important studies  Its good to concentrate on findings from journals as well as methodology used and the measurement of variables  Daily newspapers contain very educative current information  Its important to copy references correctly so as to avoid frustration of trying to retrace a reference later  Organizing the body- Once you have the basic categories in place, then you must consider how you will present the sources themselves within the body of your paper. Create an organizational method to focus this section even further.  Be selective- Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of information you choose to mention should relate directly to the review's focus, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological.
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 Keep your own voice- While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice (the writer's) should remain front and center. by starting and ending the paragraph with their own ideas and their own words  Use caution when paraphrasing- When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be sure to represent the author's information or opinions accurately and in your own words. CONCLUSION  Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organizational pattern.  Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically, thematically, or methodologically  Conclusions/Recommendations: Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far in relation to your topic.

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