An example to refine a crude MBA research theme: on stagflation and marketing tactic
My question posted to Generative
AI: I am a part-time MBA student,
currently learning to do my dissertation project. My initial crude research
theme is: "an evaluation of the consumer marketing tactic of shrinkflation
on convenience products in Hong Kong"; in addition, I am interested in
considering the following key words for my concrete research theme formation:
consumer psychology, Product packaging design, pragmatism, multi-disciplinary
stance. Could you produce a more concrete research theme for me based on this
information?
You already have a
strong and relevant starting point—what you need now is to sharpen the scope,
clarify the variables, and align it with a coherent research philosophy and
method.
Here are a few
refined research theme options, each with a slightly different emphasis
depending on how you want to position your dissertation:
Option 1: Consumer perception and behaviour
focus
“Evaluating the
impact of shrinkflation and packaging design on consumer perception and
purchase behaviour in Hong Kong’s convenience product market: A pragmatist,
multi-method approach.”
·
Focus: How
consumers perceive and react
·
Key constructs:
perceived value, fairness, trust, purchase intention
·
Fits well with
surveys + experiments
Option 2: Consumer psychology + marketing
tactics
“An investigation
into the psychological effects of shrinkflation and packaging cues on consumer
decision-making in Hong Kong convenience products.”
·
Focus: Cognitive
biases and behavioural responses
·
Theoretical
anchors: behavioural economics (e.g., anchoring, loss aversion), signalling
theory
·
Stronger
academic/psychological angle
Option 3: Packaging as a mediating mechanism
“The role of
product packaging design in moderating consumer responses to shrinkflation:
Evidence from Hong Kong’s convenience goods sector.”
· Focus: Packaging as a mediator or moderator
· More analytical and model-driven
· Suitable if you want to run regression/SEM
Option 4: Ethical and managerial perspective
(MBA-friendly)
“Shrinkflation as
a marketing strategy: Consumer perception, ethical evaluation, and the role of
packaging design in Hong Kong’s convenience product industry.”
· Adds: business ethics + managerial implications
· Good fit for MBA grading criteria (practical relevance)
Option 5: Explicit pragmatist,
multi-disciplinary framing
“A pragmatist
evaluation of shrinkflation in Hong Kong convenience products: Integrating
consumer psychology and packaging design to assess marketing effectiveness.”
· Explicitly signals research philosophy
· Integrates disciplines (marketing + psychology + design)
Recommended direction (based on your
background)
Given your MBA
focus, interest in pragmatism, and preference for practical applicability, the
strongest version is likely a hybrid of Options 1 and 4:
Final suggested
research theme:
“Evaluating
shrinkflation as a marketing strategy: The effects of packaging design on
consumer perception, trust, and purchase behaviour in Hong Kong’s convenience
product market—A pragmatist, multi-disciplinary study.”
Why this works academically
· Clear independent variable: Shrinkflation (with/without packaging changes)
· Mediating/moderating variable: Packaging design
· Dependent variables: Consumer perception, trust, purchase intention
· Context: Hong Kong convenience products (nicely bounded)
· Philosophy: Pragmatism → justifies mixed methods (survey + experiment + maybe interviews)
· MBA relevance: Direct implications for pricing strategy, branding, and ethics
Example research question (to match the
theme)
You could align it
with something like:
·
“How does
shrinkflation, combined with packaging design changes, influence consumer trust
and purchase intention in Hong Kong convenience products?”
Or more
structured:
·
RQ1: How do
consumers perceive shrinkflation in convenience products?
·
RQ2: How does
packaging design influence detection and acceptance of shrinkflation?
·
RQ3: What is the
impact on trust and purchase intention?
My question posted to generative
AI: My choice is on option 4:
"Shrinkflation as a marketing strategy: Consumer perception, ethical
evaluation, and the role of packaging design in Hong Kong’s convenience product
industry.” Please suggest 4 related research issues and 4 Hong Kong
public-media reported issues on this research theme. Also suggest 2 relevant
academic theories to use (and references in Harvard reference format). It would
also be useful to suggest 4 research objectives and 4 research questions based
on this concrete research theme. I intend to use 2 primary research methods
(i.e. 5 semi-structured interviews with my friends and company colleagues) as
well as a questionnaire survey with my friends. There should also be a
secondary research method to employ in this case.
Yes — your theme is now concrete
enough to build a good MBA dissertation around. Below I frame it into research
issues, Hong Kong media-linked issues, theories, objectives, questions, and a
suitable method structure, all aligned with your chosen topic and pragmatist
stance.
Refined research theme
Shrinkflation as a marketing
strategy: Consumer perception, ethical evaluation, and the role of packaging
design in Hong Kong’s convenience product industry.
A
slightly more dissertation-ready wording would be:
“An investigation of
shrinkflation as a marketing strategy: consumer perceptions, ethical
evaluations, and the influence of packaging design in Hong Kong’s convenience
product market.”
Four research issues
· Consumer awareness issue. Many consumers may not notice that product size has been reduced while the shelf price remains similar, which makes shrinkflation hard to detect at the point of purchase.
· Consumer trust issue. Shrinkflation may be perceived as a hidden price increase, which can weaken trust in brands and retailers, especially when packaging cues do not clearly signal the change.
· Ethical issue. The practice raises questions about transparency, fairness, and whether consumers are fully informed when they buy convenience products.
· Packaging design issue. Packaging changes, such as altered size, shape, wording, or visual design, may either mask or reveal shrinkflation, influencing consumer interpretation and purchase response.
Hong Kong media issues
These
are the main Hong Kong public-media reported issues that fit your topic very
well:
· Widespread downsizing in supermarket goods. Hong Kong’s Consumer Council reported that over 90% of the 62 surveyed supermarket products had been reduced in volume or weight, in some cases by as much as 30%.
· Effective hidden price rises. The same report found that nearly 40% of products with available recommended retail prices had a de facto unit-price increase of over 10%, with the highest reaching 26.2%.
· Need for clearer packaging disclosure. The Consumer Council urged retailers to state volume or weight changes clearly on packaging and at the point of sale, and to display unit prices to improve transparency.
· Packaging clues and consumer vigilance. Hong Kong media reporting highlighted that wording such as “new formula” or “upgraded,” and changes in packaging design, may signal shrinkflation and make it harder for consumers to compare products fairly.
Two theories to use
1) Equity theory
This
theory is useful because shrinkflation can be interpreted by consumers as
unfair treatment when they feel they are paying the same price for less
product. It fits your ethical evaluation and trust dimension well.
Harvard reference:Adams, J.S. (1965) ‘Inequity in
social exchange’, in Berkowitz, L. (ed.) Advances in Experimental
Social Psychology. New York: Academic Press, pp. 267–299.
2) Signalling theory
This
theory is useful because packaging design sends signals to consumers about
product quality, value, and whether the brand is being transparent. It fits
your packaging-design focus and helps explain how consumers interpret
shrinkflation cues.
Harvard reference: Spence, M. (1973) ‘Job market
signaling’, Quarterly Journal of
Economics, 87(3), pp. 355–374.
Four research objectives
· To examine how consumers in Hong Kong perceive shrinkflation in convenience products.
· To assess consumers’ ethical evaluation of shrinkflation as a marketing strategy.
· To explore how packaging design influences consumers’ ability to detect and interpret shrinkflation.
· To evaluate the implications of shrinkflation for consumer trust and purchase intention in Hong Kong’s convenience product market.
Four research questions
· How do consumers in Hong Kong perceive shrinkflation in convenience products?
· How do consumers ethically evaluate shrinkflation as a marketing strategy?
· How does packaging design affect consumers’ awareness of shrinkflation?
· What is the effect of shrinkflation on consumer trust and purchase intention?
Method design
Your
proposed primary methods are workable for an MBA dissertation, but the sample
will be small, so the study should be positioned as exploratory rather than
statistically generalisable. Five semi-structured interviews with friends and
colleagues can give rich qualitative insights, and a questionnaire survey can
provide a broader but still convenience-sample view of attitudes and awareness.
A
suitable secondary research method would
be document and media analysis.
You can analyse the Consumer Council report, Hong Kong newspaper coverage,
retailer packaging examples, and selected academic literature to triangulate
your interview and survey findings. This is especially useful because
shrinkflation is a real-world market practice and your topic benefits from
comparing consumer perceptions with documented product changes.
Suggested
dissertation structure
A
practical structure would be:
1. Literature review on shrinkflation, consumer behaviour, ethics, and packaging cues.
2. Conceptual framework based on equity theory and signalling theory.
3. Methodology using interviews, questionnaire survey, and document/media analysis.
4. Findings and discussion focused on Hong Kong convenience products.
5. Implications for marketers, retailers, and consumer protection.
A
useful refinement for your survey is to ask about awareness, fairness, trust, purchase intention,
and packaging cue recognition.
For interviews, ask respondents to react to specific examples of product
downsizing and packaging changes, because that will generate more concrete
qualitative data.
You already have a
strong and relevant starting point—what you need now is to sharpen the scope,
clarify the variables, and align it with a coherent research philosophy and
method.
Here are a few
refined research theme options, each with a slightly different emphasis
depending on how you want to position your dissertation:
Option 1: Consumer perception and behaviour
focus
“Evaluating the
impact of shrinkflation and packaging design on consumer perception and
purchase behaviour in Hong Kong’s convenience product market: A pragmatist,
multi-method approach.”
· Focus: How consumers perceive and react
· Key constructs: perceived value, fairness, trust, purchase intention
· Fits well with surveys + experiments
Option 2: Consumer psychology + marketing
tactics
“An investigation
into the psychological effects of shrinkflation and packaging cues on consumer
decision-making in Hong Kong convenience products.”
· Focus: Cognitive biases and behavioural responses
· Theoretical anchors: behavioural economics (e.g., anchoring, loss aversion), signalling theory
· Stronger academic/psychological angle
Option 3: Packaging as a mediating mechanism
“The role of
product packaging design in moderating consumer responses to shrinkflation:
Evidence from Hong Kong’s convenience goods sector.”
· Focus: Packaging as a mediator or moderator
· More analytical and model-driven
· Suitable if you want to run regression/SEM
Option 4: Ethical and managerial perspective
(MBA-friendly)
“Shrinkflation as
a marketing strategy: Consumer perception, ethical evaluation, and the role of
packaging design in Hong Kong’s convenience product industry.”
· Adds: business ethics + managerial implications
· Good fit for MBA grading criteria (practical relevance)
Option 5: Explicit pragmatist,
multi-disciplinary framing
“A pragmatist
evaluation of shrinkflation in Hong Kong convenience products: Integrating
consumer psychology and packaging design to assess marketing effectiveness.”
· Explicitly signals research philosophy
· Integrates disciplines (marketing + psychology + design)
Recommended direction (based on your
background)
Given your MBA
focus, interest in pragmatism, and preference for practical applicability, the
strongest version is likely a hybrid of Options 1 and 4:
Final suggested
research theme:
“Evaluating
shrinkflation as a marketing strategy: The effects of packaging design on
consumer perception, trust, and purchase behaviour in Hong Kong’s convenience
product market—A pragmatist, multi-disciplinary study.”
Why this works academically
· Clear independent variable: Shrinkflation (with/without packaging changes)
· Mediating/moderating variable: Packaging design
· Dependent variables: Consumer perception, trust, purchase intention
· Context: Hong Kong convenience products (nicely bounded)
· Philosophy: Pragmatism → justifies mixed methods (survey + experiment + maybe interviews)
· MBA relevance: Direct implications for pricing strategy, branding, and ethics
Example research question (to match the
theme)
You could align it
with something like:
·
“How does
shrinkflation, combined with packaging design changes, influence consumer trust
and purchase intention in Hong Kong convenience products?”
Or more
structured:
· RQ1: How do consumers perceive shrinkflation in convenience products?
· RQ2: How does packaging design influence detection and acceptance of shrinkflation?
· RQ3: What is the impact on trust and purchase intention?
My question posted to generative
AI: My choice is on option 4:
"Shrinkflation as a marketing strategy: Consumer perception, ethical
evaluation, and the role of packaging design in Hong Kong’s convenience product
industry.” Please suggest 4 related research issues and 4 Hong Kong
public-media reported issues on this research theme. Also suggest 2 relevant
academic theories to use (and references in Harvard reference format). It would
also be useful to suggest 4 research objectives and 4 research questions based
on this concrete research theme. I intend to use 2 primary research methods
(i.e. 5 semi-structured interviews with my friends and company colleagues) as
well as a questionnaire survey with my friends. There should also be a
secondary research method to employ in this case.
Yes — your theme is now concrete
enough to build a good MBA dissertation around. Below I frame it into research
issues, Hong Kong media-linked issues, theories, objectives, questions, and a
suitable method structure, all aligned with your chosen topic and pragmatist
stance.
Refined research theme
Shrinkflation as a marketing
strategy: Consumer perception, ethical evaluation, and the role of packaging
design in Hong Kong’s convenience product industry.
A
slightly more dissertation-ready wording would be:
“An investigation of
shrinkflation as a marketing strategy: consumer perceptions, ethical
evaluations, and the influence of packaging design in Hong Kong’s convenience
product market.”
Four research issues
· Consumer awareness issue. Many consumers may not notice that product size has been reduced while the shelf price remains similar, which makes shrinkflation hard to detect at the point of purchase.
· Consumer trust issue. Shrinkflation may be perceived as a hidden price increase, which can weaken trust in brands and retailers, especially when packaging cues do not clearly signal the change.
· Ethical issue. The practice raises questions about transparency, fairness, and whether consumers are fully informed when they buy convenience products.
· Packaging design issue. Packaging changes, such as altered size, shape, wording, or visual design, may either mask or reveal shrinkflation, influencing consumer interpretation and purchase response.
Hong Kong media issues
These
are the main Hong Kong public-media reported issues that fit your topic very
well:
· Widespread downsizing in supermarket goods. Hong Kong’s Consumer Council reported that over 90% of the 62 surveyed supermarket products had been reduced in volume or weight, in some cases by as much as 30%.
· Effective hidden price rises. The same report found that nearly 40% of products with available recommended retail prices had a de facto unit-price increase of over 10%, with the highest reaching 26.2%.
· Need for clearer packaging disclosure. The Consumer Council urged retailers to state volume or weight changes clearly on packaging and at the point of sale, and to display unit prices to improve transparency.
· Packaging clues and consumer vigilance. Hong Kong media reporting highlighted that wording such as “new formula” or “upgraded,” and changes in packaging design, may signal shrinkflation and make it harder for consumers to compare products fairly.
Two theories to use
1) Equity theory
This
theory is useful because shrinkflation can be interpreted by consumers as
unfair treatment when they feel they are paying the same price for less
product. It fits your ethical evaluation and trust dimension well.
Harvard reference: Adams, J.S. (1965) ‘Inequity in
social exchange’, in Berkowitz, L. (ed.) Advances in Experimental
Social Psychology. New York: Academic Press, pp. 267–299.
2) Signalling theory
This
theory is useful because packaging design sends signals to consumers about
product quality, value, and whether the brand is being transparent. It fits
your packaging-design focus and helps explain how consumers interpret
shrinkflation cues.
Harvard reference: Spence, M. (1973) ‘Job market
signaling’, Quarterly Journal of
Economics, 87(3), pp. 355–374.
Four research objectives
· To examine how consumers in Hong Kong perceive shrinkflation in convenience products.
· To assess consumers’ ethical evaluation of shrinkflation as a marketing strategy.
· To explore how packaging design influences consumers’ ability to detect and interpret shrinkflation.
· To evaluate the implications of shrinkflation for consumer trust and purchase intention in Hong Kong’s convenience product market.
Four research questions
· How do consumers in Hong Kong perceive shrinkflation in convenience products?
· How do consumers ethically evaluate shrinkflation as a marketing strategy?
· How does packaging design affect consumers’ awareness of shrinkflation?
· What is the effect of shrinkflation on consumer trust and purchase intention?
Method design
Your
proposed primary methods are workable for an MBA dissertation, but the sample
will be small, so the study should be positioned as exploratory rather than
statistically generalisable. Five semi-structured interviews with friends and
colleagues can give rich qualitative insights, and a questionnaire survey can
provide a broader but still convenience-sample view of attitudes and awareness.
A
suitable secondary research method would
be document and media analysis.
You can analyse the Consumer Council report, Hong Kong newspaper coverage,
retailer packaging examples, and selected academic literature to triangulate
your interview and survey findings. This is especially useful because
shrinkflation is a real-world market practice and your topic benefits from
comparing consumer perceptions with documented product changes.
A
useful refinement for your survey is to ask about awareness, fairness, trust, purchase intention,
and packaging cue recognition.
For interviews, ask respondents to react to specific examples of product
downsizing and packaging changes, because that will generate more concrete
qualitative data.
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