Answer

Research Gap and Justification of Dissertation Topic

The research gap identified after an expansive literature analysis is; impact on children as a result of married women working away from family in non-family duty stations and ways of addressing the issue. This topic forms the research gap since it has attracted insignificant research in the past. Based on information collected while putting together a literature review, it was noted that the impact on children as a result of married women working away from home and family, in non-family work environments subjected children to different experiences (Allen 2015). These experiences are often ignored or covered as a general topic such as counter transference of stress from their mothers and poor parenting. These authors fail to critically consider the challenges faced by children with parents working across different industries and sectors. Because of this, there exists a research gap that needs to be filled.

How Research Gap Informs Problem Statement and Theoretical Framework

The problem statement is that the lack of work life balance, family friendly and accommodative work environment have impacted negatively on the productivity of female employees. This statement reinforces the need for modern organizations to create an environment that is accommodative of women. Moen and DePasquale (2017) note that unlike in the past, the women are consistently being employed and considered for expatriate duties. However, unlike their male counterparts, their significant role in parenting and taking care of their families has been overlooked. This forces them to work away from home without being in contact with their families and children. This creates a conflict of interest thus reducing their concentration of their job. In turn, they underperform or even fail in their expatriate missions. This creates a need for motivational theories, cultural value orientation as well as management theories that enhance productivity of employees (Johanson, 2008). These theories therefore form the theoretical foundation for the dissertation. Dine et al (2015) second that problem statement and theoretical framework will collectively influence literature selected for the literature review.