Research Methods in Logistics and Supply

Chain Management

Chapter 3
Literature review, Conceptual framework and
Hypotheses formulation

By: Yirga B. (MA)

 3.1 Literature Review
• A literature review is an overview of the
previously published works on a topic.

• The term can refer to a full scholarly paper or a

section of a scholarly work such as a book, or
an article.

• A literature review is a compilation of the most

significant previously published research on
your topic.
 Cont.…
• It demonstrates that you can systematically explore the
research in your topic area, read and analyse the
literature on the topic, use it to inform your own work,
and gather enough knowledge about the topic to
conduct a research project.

• LR is critical component of the research process that

provides an in-depth analysis of recently published
research findings in specifically identified areas of
interest.
 Literature review basics
All literature reviews, whether they focus on
qualitative or quantitative data, will at some
point:
o Introduce the topic and define its key terms.
o Establish the importance of the topic.
o Provide an overview of the important literature.
o Identify gaps in the literature or controversies.
o Point out consistent finding across studies.
 Cont.…
The purpose of a literature review is to:
• Provide foundation of knowledge on topic
• Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication
and give credit to other researchers
• Identify inconstancies: gaps in research, conflicts in
previous studies, open questions left from other research.
• Identify need for additional research (justifying your
research).
• Identify the relationship of works in context of its
contribution to the topic and to other works
 3.1.1 The Importance of Literature Review

 To gain an understanding of the existing research

and debates relevant to a particular topic or area of
study, and to present that knowledge in the form of
a written report.

 Conducting a literature review helps you build your

knowledge in your field.

 Another great benefit of literature reviews is that as

you read, you’ll get a better understanding of how
research findings are presented and discussed.
 Cont.…
Why is it important to do a literature review in
research?
It adds value to the legitimacy of the research in many
ways:
• Provides the interpretation of existing literature in light
of updated developments in the field to help in
establishing the consistency in knowledge and
relevancy of existing materials
• It helps in calculating the impact of the latest
information in the field by mapping their progress of
knowledge.
 Cont.….
• It brings out the dialects of contradictions between
various thoughts within the field to establish facts.

• The research gaps scrutinized initially are further

explored to establish the latest facts of theories to add
value to the field.

• Indicates the current research place in the schema of a

particular field.

• Provides information for relevancy and coherency to

check the research.
 How to Write a Literature Review
• There are five key steps to writing a literature
review:
1. Search for relevant literature
2. Evaluate sources
3. Identify themes, debates, and gaps
4. Outline the structure
5. Write your literature review
 3.1.2 Obtaining Literature Sources
Following are a few acceptable sources for literature
reviews:
– Peer reviewed journal articles.
– Edited academic books.
– Articles in professional journals.
– Statistical data from government websites.
– Website material
3.2 Conceptual framework vs. Theoretical
framework
• The terms ‘conceptual framework’ and ‘theoretical
framework’ are commonly used in referring to the
overall structure that shapes a research project.

• However, there are subtle differences between the

two.

• Let’s begin by seeing the difference between a

concept and a theory.
 Cont.…
Concept vs. theory
• A concept is an idea that has been formally
developed and organised.

• A theory is a set of concepts, models, principles,

definitions etc. that make sense of a phenomenon
by determining relationships among variables.
 Cont.…

A conceptual framework is like a roadmap for your

study, helping you visualise your research project and put it
into action.
• It defines the relevant variables for your study and maps
out how they might relate to each other.

The theoretical framework is the structure that can hold

or support a theory of a research study.
• The theoretical framework introduces and describes the
theory which explains why the research problem under
study exists.
 Cont.….
• A theoretical framework consists of concepts,
together with their definitions, and existing
theory/theories that are used for your particular
study.

• The theoretical framework must demonstrate an

understanding of theories and concepts that are
relevant to the topic of your research paper and
that will relate it to the broader fields of
knowledge in the class you are taking.
 Cont.….
• Here’s a summary of the key differences between the
two frameworks.
Conceptual Framework Theoretical Framework
It is more about the approach that a
researcher takes in answering a researchIt is developed from existing theory/theories.
question.

It is derived from concepts. It is derived from theory.

A conceptual framework is composed of

several concepts. Further, a conceptual By itself, one theory alone can serve as a
framework may include a theoretical theoretical framework.
framework.

Conceptual frameworks identify factors

influencing a particular field, e.g.,
exploration of ‘masquerade’ mimicry in
animals based on phenomena such as
protective mimicry, crypsis and
aposematism.
A theoretical framework arises from outcomes
beyond a single study, based on one or more
theories, e.g. Darwin’s theory of evolution by
natural selection.
 3.3. Hypothesis Formulation
The meaning of Hypotheses
• The word Hypothesis is composed of two words,
‘hypo’ and ‘thesis’.
• Hypo means under or below and thesis means a
reasoned theory or rational view point. Thus
hypothesis would mean a theory which is not
fully reasoned.
• Hypothesis is a set of suggested tentative solution
of a research problem.
 Cont.….
• Hypothesis is a tentative statement about
something, the validity of which is usually
unknown.

• A hypothesis is a proposition, condition, or

principle which is assumed perhaps without belief.
 3.3.1 Importance of Hypotheses

a) It places clear and specific goals before the

researcher.

b) It provides direction to research.

c) It serves as a framework for drawing conclusions.

 3.3.2 Characteristics of Good Hypotheses
• There are a number of considerations to keep
in mind, as they are important, for valid
verification, when constructing hypotheses.
a) A hypothesis should be simple, specific, and
conceptual clear.
b) A hypothesis should be capable of
verification.
c) A hypothesis should be related to the body of
knowledge.
 Con…..
d) A hypothesis should be operationalisable.
• That is, it can be expressed in terms that can
be measured. If it can not be measured, it can
not be tested and hence no conclusions can
be drawn.
 3.3.3. Types of Hypotheses
• A hypothesis could be null or alternate
hypothesis.
• Null Hypothesis is a statement that there is no
actual relationship between variables. (Ho or HN)
A null hypothesis may read, “There is no
difference between………..”
Ho states the opposition of what the
experimenter would expect or predict
 Cont.…
The final conclusion of the investigator will either
retain a null hypothesis or reject a null hypothesis in
favor of an alternate hypothesis
Not rejecting Ho doesn’t really mean that Ho is true.
There might not be enough evidence against Ho
Example: “There is no statistically significant
difference in the anxiety level of children of high IQ
and those of low IQ”
• Alternate Hypothesis is a statement that suggests a
potential outcome that the researcher may expect. (H1
or HA)

 H1 may come from prior literature or studies.

 It is established when a null hypothesis is rejected.

 Often an alternate hypothesis is the desired
conclusion of the investigator.
 It is of two types directional and non-directional
• Directional alternate hypothesis is a type of
alternate hypothesis that specifies the direction of
expected findings.
 Example: “Children with high IQ will exhibit more
anxiety than children with low IQ”
• Non-directional alternate hypothesis is a type of
alternate hypothesis in which no definite direction of
the expected findings is specified.
 Example: There is a statistically significant
difference in the anxiety level of children of high IQ
and those of low IQ”.
 THE END
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