A note on research issues (including research gaps) in dissertation projects

A note on research issues (including research gaps) in dissertation projects (information from perplexity.ai)

My question: "In the context of MBA and Housing Studies dissertation projects, please suggest the main research issue types (including research gaps), and offer 2 illustrative examples on each of these research issue types.)

The reply: "The main research issue types for MBA and Housing Studies dissertations typically include: conceptual/theoretical issues, empirical/practical issues, methodological/design issues, contextual/locational issues, and policy/strategic issues. Research gaps often mirror these types: theoretical gaps, empirical gaps, methodological gaps, and contextual/policy gaps.

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Below, each issue type is defined with 2 brief illustrative examples: one leaning toward MBA/business management and one toward Housing Studies.

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Conceptual / Theoretical Issues

These arise when existing theories do not adequately explain a phenomenon, or concepts are under-defined or poorly integrated.

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• Example 1 (MBA): Existing leadership theories do not fully explain how AI-assisted decision-making affects middle managers’ autonomy and job satisfaction in large service firms.

• Example 2 (Housing Studies): Current frameworks on housing affordability do not integrate digital platform effects (e.g., short-term rentals) when explaining rent escalation in dense Asian cities.

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Empirical / Practical Issues

These occur when practice is changing quickly but there is limited systematic evidence, or when there are clear managerial or housing practice problems lacking investigation.

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• Example 1 (MBA): Many SMEs adopt hybrid work, but there is limited evidence on how different hybrid-work configurations affect team cohesion and innovation outcomes.

• Example 2 (Housing Studies): Urban governments introduce new inclusionary zoning schemes, but there is limited empirical evaluation of their impact on actual access to affordable units for lower-income renters.
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Methodological / Design Issues

These arise when prior studies use narrow, outdated, or weak methods, indicating a need for stronger or different designs.

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• Example 1 (MBA): Studies on ESG and firm performance mostly rely on cross-sectional correlations; few use quasi-experimental or longitudinal designs to infer causal impact of ESG initiatives on financial performance.

• Example 2 (Housing Studies): Research on housing satisfaction in public rental estates often uses only descriptive surveys; there is limited mixed-method work combining survey data with in-depth interviews and spatial analysis.

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Contextual / Locational Issues

These focus on under-studied contexts (country, city, segment, or time period) where existing knowledge may not transfer well.

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• Example 1 (MBA): Most digital transformation studies use Western multinationals; there is little research on how family-owned firms in Hong Kong or Southeast Asia manage digitalization and intergenerational power dynamics.

• Example 2 (Housing Studies): Many affordability studies are Western-centric; little work explores how housing affordability interacts with extended-family living norms in high-density Hong Kong public and private estates.
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Policy / Strategic Issues

These concern misalignment, ambiguity, or unintended consequences of policies or high-level strategies in organisations or housing systems.

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• Example 1 (MBA): Governments promote green financing policies, yet banks’ internal risk and incentive systems may not support lending to sustainable but less conventional projects, creating a gap between policy intention and bank strategy.

• Example 2 (Housing Studies): Rental control and tenant protection measures seek to stabilise housing, but there is limited research on their long-term effects on private rental supply quality and landlords’ investment behaviour in specific cities."

A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.