How to refine a business theme for a business sector for MBA project work: a note

How to refine a business theme for a business sector for MBA project work: a note with regard to the agile literature review approach (ALRA).

A common query from my MBA students doing dissertation projects is as follows:

Student A: my topic is "A study of the impact of covid-19 on the catering sector in Hong Kong". Is my topic too broad? Could you give me some advice?

My advice:

The theme, with the organizational unit of analysis for investigation at the business sector/ industry level, is quite acceptable for your dissertation project work. It is very likely that your project type is consulting/ management-concerns-oriented. It may also be feasible to work out an embryonic ALRA diagrams based on rough project ideas like yours. 

To further refine your ideas in terms of clearer project contextualization and management concerns, you need to conduct some preliminary investigation using exploratory desk research and and interview research. By doing so, you aim at producing a proper set of ALRA diagrams, initially on the management-concerns diagram and the theoretical framework level-0. Some preliminary ideas on academic ideas and research methods to use are also needed to produce a proper synopsis form and dissertation proposal document. The concern of the project idea being "too broad" is thus addressed in this way.

Even if a proper synopsis form is not able to be produced by the submission deadline, it is still not a serious problem; it just means that your appointed dissertation supervisor will ask you questions that are essentially useful to refine your proposal ideas.

My last question for you to consider: are you able to come up with 1 to 2 primary research methods to be employed at the core-focus-domain of your project at the business sector/ industry level?