Identify a Conceptual or Theoretical Framework

NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY

ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

Student: Elton Norman

BTM7300	Dr. George Ackerman
Scholarly Literature Review	Assignment 1

Faculty Use Only

Hello Elton,

The use of reference software programs is an optional way of storing bibliographic entries in a database format. While annotated (and other) bibliographies can also be created in a word processing program, there are certain advantages to building and storing bibliographic entries in database software programs like EndNote, RefWorks, or StyleWriter.

Each of these programs allows the user to link complete reference information on a source to a list of keywords, an annotation, and/or notes fields in which you can enter specific and personalized information about the work and its relevance to your own area of inquiry

Over time, these programs can allow you to build a virtual “library” of references relevant to one or more research topics, and they can be recalled and accessed later as needed through specific keyword searches. When embarking on a lengthy research project like a dissertation, the ability to save annotated sources in a thematically retrievable way is invaluable in that it enables you to locate the sources most relevant to any aspect of the project you might be working on, as well as simultaneously recalling your own notes on the content of those sources.

Dr. George Ackerman 11/6/2018

Choose Potential Topics and Reference Management System

BTM-7300 Assignment # 1

Elton Norman

Dr. George Ackerman

1 November 2018

Introduction

Choosing a dissertation is one of the challenges in a doctoral program. After choosing a topic, organization will be paramount. The purpose of this assignment is to explore possible dissertation topics. This is a three-part assignment that will challenge me to work on narrowing down a topic related to my degree and specialization. In part one, based on my observations, and/or interests, I will look through journals in my field to choose two to three general potential topic areas to study. In part two, I will write a one-page response identifying several search terms/key words used to gather several scholarly resources for each potential topic area as well as potential resources and search engines used to obtain scholarly sources. Finally, in part three, I will compare the different reference and citation management tools that I can use for my searches by using this week’s readings as well as the NCU library resource, “Organizing Research” .

Part I

Based on my interests, I have decided to explore topics in the financial management specialization. One topic that I would like to explore is what are the effects of unethical behavior in the banking industry. When thinking of unethical practices, there a myriad of behavior patterns that influence the industry. Compliance managers have the task of using surveillance to track oversee policies and procedures. Unethical behavior exists whether it is terrorism financing, anti-money laundering, and/or unfair lending practices. Identifying prevention measures will also broaden the research of the unethical behaviors. Some articles/journals published on this topic address some of the lawsuits because of unethical banking behaviors. “Consumer Banking, Lending Violations, and Deceptive Practices” is an excellent piece of literature that addresses some of these issues.

A second topic that is of interest is what is the investing mindset in America amongst different races. In America, ethnicity and culture play a huge role in the mindset adopted by many investors. There are some trends that are notable amongst Caucasian Americans and certainly the same for African Americans. In some studies, Caucasian Americans are much more open with their finances and want solutions from financial advisors. In contrast, African Americans, are not as open and sometimes have a significant trust issue when it comes to investing or financial planning.

A third topic is a broad topic that asks how currency manipulation impacts the global economy. Several countries have a system that seems to manipulate their own currency in their favor. Undoubtedly, this practice affects the global economy as well. Focusing on what effect it has on a few countries will shed some light on this practice.

Part II

Part of conducting research includes using resources and search engines to obtain scholarly sources. Terms / keywords are used to gather these resources.

Topic I

In searching for articles that further research/explore the effects of unethical behavior in the banking industry, key words include: unethical banking industry behavior, compliance issues in the banking industry, and unfair lending practices in banking. Unethical banking industry behavior was placed into the NCU online library search engine and the article, “Do the Right Thing, Developing Ethical Behavior in Financial Institutions”, located in the Journal of Business Ethics Volume, Issue 151 was the result. Compliance issues in the banking industry was another keyword and the article “A best-practice model for bank compliance” emerges. Lastly , unfair lending practices in the banking industry was also placed into the NCU search engine and the article “Mandatory Arbitration Clauses in Payday Lending Loans: How the Federal Courts Protect Unfair Lending Practices in the Name of Anti-Protectionism” from Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution. 2009, Vol. 24 Issue 2.

Topic II

Keywords were identified to elaborate on the investment mindset of Americans of different ethnicities. The keyword African-American investment mindset was used in the google search engine and the article, “Middle-Class African Americans are Optimistic but Face also used and the article, “The Mindset of the Wealthy” was found.

Topic III

The final topic is examining what effect does currency manipulation have on the global economy. The NCU library Roadrunner search engine was used and the following literature was discovered: “The Myth of Currency Manipulation”, International Economy, Volume 29, Issue 3, Regulating Currency Manipulation: Political, Legal and Economic Barriers to Reform, Journal of World Trade, Vol. 51 Issue 4, and Can the United States Impose Trade Sanctions on China for Currency Manipulation? Washington University Global Studies Law Review, 2017, Vol. 16 Issue.

Part III

In researching potential topics, different reference and citation management tools can be used for searches. Each of them has some advantages and disadvantages associated. These tools allow you to quickly create a citation in the appropriate style that can then be cut and pasted into the paper. Some of these citation management tools include: RefWorks, Endnote, and Evernote. The NCU library data base is also a great source to use when organizing research.

RefWorks

RefWorks is the preferred citation management tool for Northcentral University. Some of its functions allow users to organize research, create APA reference lists and share citation and lists. RefWorks’ disadvantage is that perhaps the notion that an account must be created to use this tool.

EndNote

Endnote is a resource management tool that allows you to store your references, find full text and create annotated bibliographies (Ridley, 2012). Endnote also can work with Web of Knowledge database as well. Just like RefWorks, you must create an account to use this resource.

Evernote

Collect information from anywhere and save it in one single place: from notes, web clips, files, images and more, on any device. One disadvantage is that it may not integrate with Northcentral University’s Library databases.

Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing a research topic is a task within itself. However, once a topic is chosen, there are numerous resources available that will allow the researcher to organize research material into database folders and correctly cite the work. When deciding the best tool to use, weighing the advantages and disadvantages must be done first.

References

Ridley, D. (2012). The Literature Review (2nd ed.) Los Angeles, CA

�Is there any overlap between this source’s evidence and evidence from other sources?