Exploring the Business Impact of Social Media: A Research Journey for Nathan at Boston City Campus

1.1 Academic research is a systematic, rigorous process that involves critical analysis and evaluation of literature and empirical evidence in a particular field of study to aid in knowledge production. It typically involves a specific question, hypothesis, or problem defined and addressed with scholarly rigor. For Nathan, his academic research would require a comprehensive understanding of existing literature on the impact of social media on South African businesses and a careful investigation of the same. 1.2 The five steps of academic research include: a) Identifying the Research Problem: This is the first step where Nathan needs to clearly define and articulate the problem he wants to investigate - the impact of social media on businesses in South Africa. b) Conducting a Literature Review: Nathan should then review existing scholarly articles, books, studies etc., that address his research problem. This would give him ideas about how to address his essay and also identify gaps in the existing knowledge. c) Choosing a Research Methodology: Depending on his objective, Nathan can use either qualitative, quantitative, or a mix of both research methods. He will gather data, analyze and interpret them in this step. d) Data Analysis and Interpretation: After collecting data, Nathan should analyze and interpret it in the context of his research question. Nathan should be careful not to manipulate the data to fit his preconceived notions; instead, he should let the data guide his interpretation. e) Writing and Presenting the Research Findings: The last step involves presenting the research findings in a writing format, like an essay. Nathan should organize his findings in a logical sequence, clearly synthesizing and discussing his findings. 1.3 For creating a bibliographical citation, the format generally follows: Author(s). (Year). Title of the journal article. Journal Name, volume number(issue number), page numbers. If the journal article's information is not provided, I can't create a specific citation. However, if Nathan were to cite an article, it might look something like this: Smith, J. (2019). The impact of social media on South African businesses. Journal of Business Management, 12(3), 45-60. Remember to follow the referencing style preferred by his course or institution, which can slightly modify how the citation should look.