Asking AI to suggest an MBA research theme and a dissertation proposal: on business decline

Asking AI to suggest an MBA research theme and a dissertation proposal: on business decline (information from perplexity.ai)

My question 1: "Please suggest an MBA research theme, via the pragmatism lens, based on the following key words: business decline (with special reference to Tam Jai International Company Ltd.), the casual restaurant chain sector in Hong Kong, strategic management competence in the restaurant chain sector." [Tam Jai International Company Ltd. (譚仔國際有限公司)]

The reply: "A pragmatist MBA research theme can focus on actionable strategies to reverse business decline in Hong Kong's casual restaurant sector. Using Tam Jai International as a case study highlights practical interventions grounded in strategic management competence.

Proposed Theme

"Pragmatic Strategies for Rebuilding Competence: Addressing Decline in Hong Kong's Casual Restaurant Chains – A Case Study of Tam Jai International"

Pragmatism emphasizes what works in real-world contexts, blending mixed methods to test strategies empirically rather than debating ontological purity. This theme investigates how deficiencies in strategic management competences—like adaptive planning, resource allocation, and market responsiveness—contributed to Tam Jai's challenges amid post-pandemic shifts, rising costs, and shifting consumer preferences in Hong Kong's competitive casual dining scene. It proposes and evaluates hybrid interventions, such as digital integration and supply chain agility, prioritizing measurable outcomes like revenue recovery and customer retention.

Pragmatism Justification

Pragmatism suits this topic by focusing on practical problem-solving over rigid paradigms like positivism's quantification or interpretivism's subjectivity. It supports abductive reasoning to generate hypotheses from Tam Jai's decline (e.g., weak competitor analysis), then tests them via surveys of sector managers and financial data analysis. This yields context-specific insights applicable to chains like Tam Jai, which faced store closures and sales drops due to operational rigidities.

Key Research Components

·        Decline Analysis: Examine Tam Jai's business decline (e.g., 2023-2025 revenue dips from competition by fusion eateries and delivery platforms) against sector trends like labor shortages and high rents in Hong Kong.

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·        Competence Framework: Assess strategic competences using models like the Resource-Based View or McKinsey 7S, identifying gaps in execution and innovation.

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·        Sector Context: Map Hong Kong casual restaurant dynamics, including casual chains' vulnerability to economic volatility and tourism fluctuations.

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·        Pragmatic Interventions: Propose testable strategies, such as AI-driven menu optimization or partnerships for localized sourcing, validated through pilot simulations.

Methodology Outline

Employ a pragmatic sequential mixed-methods design: Start with qualitative interviews from Tam Jai stakeholders and rivals for theme generation, followed by quantitative surveys (n=100+ managers) and regression analysis on performance metrics. This ensures validity through triangulation, aligning with your expertise in research philosophies.

This theme offers academic rigor for your MBA dissertation while providing actionable value for Hong Kong's F&B sector."

 

My question 2: "Based on the proposed research theme , please offer a part-time MBA dissertation proposal with the following information: 

1. Dissertation report title

2. 3 research issues (including research gaps) and 3 Hong Kong public media reported issues.

3. 3 research objectives (notably 1 objective being on developing a business decline model for the fast casual restaurant business) and 3 research questions

4. 2 primary research methods and 1 secondary research method (notably to study other case studies related to the fast casual restaurant business in Hong Kong)

5. 4 academic theories related to business decline, strategic management competence and fast casual restaurant management, (with a reference list in Harvard reference format)

6. A brief justification of the dissertation proposal in terms of academic, practical and originality value."."

The reply: "

1.     Dissertation Report Title

Pragmatic Strategies for Rebuilding Competence: Addressing Decline in Hong Kong's Fast Casual Restaurant Chains – A Case Study of Tam Jai International.

2.     3 Research Issues (Including Research Gaps) and 3 Hong Kong Public Media Reported Issues

Research Issues and Gaps

·        Scarcity of pragmatic, mixed-methods studies on strategic management competences driving business decline in Hong Kong's fast casual restaurant sector, leaving a gap in actionable, context-specific frameworks.

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·        Lack of tailored business decline models for fast casual chains, which fail to integrate local factors like high rents, cross-border consumption, and post-pandemic shifts.

·        Insufficient exploration of competence rebuilding through pragmatic interventions, with limited empirical testing in Asian F&B amid economic volatility.

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Hong Kong Public Media Reported Issues

·        Tam Jai's interim profit plunged 55.81% to HK$36.07 million in FY2025 due to economic slowdown, weak consumer confidence, and cross-border spending in Hong Kong.

·        Aggressive store closures in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Singapore amid high costs, inflation, delivery fees, and competition from promotions.

·        Revenue growth stalled at 1.2% despite expansions, with operating profits dropping 14.7% in Hong Kong from outbound travel and intensified F&B rivalry.

3.     3 Research Objectives and 3 Research Questions

Research Objectives

·        To critically analyze strategic management competence deficiencies fueling Tam Jai's decline in Hong Kong's fast casual restaurant sector.

·        To develop a business decline model for the fast casual restaurant business, incorporating competence gaps, macroeconomic pressures, and predictive indicators.

·        To evaluate pragmatic strategies for competence restoration and decline reversal, validated through sector-specific metrics.

Research Questions

·        What strategic management competence gaps precipitated Tam Jai's business decline relative to Hong Kong fast casual peers?

·        How can a comprehensive business decline model be constructed for Hong Kong's fast casual restaurant chains?

·        Which pragmatic interventions best rebuild competences and mitigate decline risks in this sector?

4.     2 Primary Research Methods and 1 Secondary Research Method

·        Primary Method 1: Semi-structured interviews with 15-20 executives from Tam Jai and rival chains to uncover qualitative insights on competence failures.

·        Primary Method 2: Online survey of 100+ Hong Kong fast casual managers using validated scales for competences, analyzed via structural equation modeling for decline correlations.

·        Secondary Method: Case study analysis of other Hong Kong fast casual restaurant declines (e.g., chains with similar closures), sourced from HKEX reports, media, and financial statements.

5.     4 Academic Theories

·        Resource-Based View (RBV): Posits sustained advantage from inimitable resources; applied to dissect competence erosion in fast casual decline.

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·        Dynamic Capabilities Framework: Emphasizes adaptation via sensing and reconfiguration; key for modeling restaurant responses to market turbulence.

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·        Business Decline Prediction Model (e.g., Argenti's A Score): Identifies failure symptoms like eroding competences; adapted for fast casual sector vulnerabilities.

·        Strategic Competence Theory (e.g., Hambrick's Strategy Implementation): Links managerial cognition and execution to performance in competitive chains.

Harvard Reference List

Barney, J. (1991) 'Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage', Journal of Management, 17(1), pp. 99-120.

Eisenhardt, K.M. and Martin, J.A. (2000) 'Dynamic capabilities: what are they?', Strategic Management Journal, 21(10-11), pp. 1105-1121.

Hambrick, D.C. (2007) 'Upper echelons theory: An update', Academy of Management Review, 32(2), pp. 334-343.

Argenti, J. (1976) 'Corporate collapse: The causes and symptoms', McKinsey Quarterly, pp. 20-31.

6.     Brief Justification

Academic Value: Enriches pragmatism literature with a localized mixed-methods approach to competence and decline modeling in F&B, bridging theoretical gaps.

Practical Value: Provides Hong Kong chains like Tam Jai with a predictive decline model and strategies amid 2025 challenges like profit drops and closures.

 

Originality Value: Innovates a fast casual-specific decline model via Tam Jai, fusing HK media data with pragmatic theory for unprecedented sector insights."

 

 

 

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