Why Professional Development Matters to Business Enterprises
Assignment Description
You are required to write a 15-page (minimum), double-spaced Review of Literature (ROL) on an
instructor-approved topic related to the course. The ROL is an academic paper following APA writing and
citation guidelines. The paper includes a critical analysis of the relationship among different works
(articles). You must use at least 10 scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles to build your ROL. The final paper must adhere to APA 6th edition writing
style and format, including title page, abstract and
citation page (references). It must be a minimum of 15 pages, double-spaced, and reference at least 10
scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles
When selecting your topic, review those covered in the Corporate Communications textbook.
Review process
Similar to primary research, development of the literature review requires four stages:
· Problem formulation—which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues?
· Literature search—finding materials relevant to the subject being explored.
· Data evaluation—determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the
understanding of the topic.
· Analysis and interpretation—discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature.
Literature reviews should comprise the following elements:
· An overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the
literature review.
· Division of works under review into categories (e.g. those in support of a particular position, those
against, and those offering alternative theses entirely).
· Explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others.
· Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of
their opinions and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their
area of research.
In assessing each piece, consideration should be given to:
· Provenance—What are the author’s credentials? Are the author’s arguments supported by
evidence (e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific
findings)?
· Objectivity—Is the author’s perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered
or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author’s point?
· Persuasiveness—Which of the author’s theses are most/least convincing?
· Value—Are the author’s arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately
contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?