The provision of statistical data throughout the literature review underscores the author's understanding that social media is not an amorphous concept, but rather it must be categorically analyzed for its unique applications. Befitting a thesis on investment returns of social media the literature review provides a through basis of content examination. Theoretical Foundation

Grainger's use of literature extends beyond the broad questions of social media and encompasses specific academic scholarship pursuant to understanding the medium's usage and utility. The author expertly identifies "five distinct research themes" (Grainger, J. 2010) which connect back to the broad mission of the thesis. Analyzing areas of: consumer capacity, corporate capacity, word of mouth marketing, corporate resource allocation, and investment return analytics; the author provides substantive academic research on these matters. Indicative of a strong dissertation the author relies on both quantitative...

A quintessential example of this authorship is the elucidation of social media usage by Corporate America. In this section specific quantitative measures are provided in the form of statistical content on barriers to corporate usage. Yet the striking use of qualitative analysis is the defining point of the theoretical foundation; none more so then the concomitant section on blogging as a social media tool. The description of the working families Wal-Mart blog allows the author to connect practical applications to the larger questions of social media advancement.
Relevance of Literature to Research Question

Social media as a dissertation topic is particularly tricky because of its inherent nature as a dynamic change element. Succinctly, the constant evolution of social media is its defining characteristic, and attempting to explain its role is the academic equivalent of nailing Jell-O to the wall. Yet,