Asking perplexity to come up with an initial partial proposal draft: for MBA students.

Asking perplexity.ai to come up with an initial partial proposal draft: for MBA students

My question 1: "I am working on my MBA dissertation proposal formulation. What I have is a concrete research theme: Exploring the Impact of Service Innovation on Customer Service Quality and Customer Delight in Boutique Hotels in Hong Kong in 2025. Could you suggest 2 research gaps and 2 Hong Kong public media-reported issues related to this research theme?"

The reply: "Two research gaps in exploring the impact of service innovation on customer service quality and customer delight in boutique hotels in Hong Kong in 2025 are:

1. While there is research on service innovation in Hong Kong's service firms generally, there is limited recent empirical research specifically focusing on boutique hotels and how service innovation directly impacts customer service quality and customer delight in this niche segment. Most existing studies tend to focus on larger hotel chains or the broader hospitality sector without isolating boutique hotels as a unique context with distinct challenges and customer expectations.​

2. Another gap is the exploration of the role of digital and social media influencers in boutique hotel marketing and their influence on service innovation adoption and customer perceptions. The use of social media influencers is emerging in Hong Kong's boutique hotel marketing strategies, yet its connection to service innovation and customer delight outcomes has not been extensively studied.​

Two Hong Kong public media-reported issues related to this research theme are:

1. The highly competitive nature of the boutique hotel market in Hong Kong, where boutique hotels must rely on innovative service features, modern art, authentic local experiences, and global online reviews to differentiate themselves and attract customers in a market dominated by large chains and budget constraints.​

2. Hospitality sector challenges including reduced visitor spending, the impact of outbound travel trends, and fluctuating hotel occupancy rates impacting hotel revenues in Hong Kong in 2024-2025. These economic pressures may influence the capacity of boutique hotels to invest in service innovation and affect customer service quality and delight.​

These gaps and issues highlight the relevance of your research in understanding how service innovation can be strategically harnessed within the boutique hotel segment in Hong Kong to enhance customer experiences despite competitive and economic challenges."

My question 2: "Based on these 2 research gaps and 2 research issues, as well as my research preference to use pragmatism, mixed methods research, a semi-structured research interview method on 4 senior managers working in Hong Kong boutique hotels, a questionnaire survey with convenience sampling on my friends (customer experience in the Hong Kong boutique hotels), and a desk research, please produce a dissertation proposal title, 4 research objectives, 3 research questions, a brief research methodology for me."

The reply: "Based on the gathered information and your specified research preferences, here's a comprehensive outline for your dissertation proposal:

Title

"Exploring the Impact of Service Innovation on Customer Service Quality and Customer Delight in Hong Kong Boutique Hotels in 2025: A Pragmatic Mixed Methods Study"

Research Objectives

1. To examine how senior managers in Hong Kong boutique hotels perceive and implement service innovation strategies.

2. To identify the key factors influencing service innovation adoption and customer experience enhancement in Hong Kong boutique hotels.

3. To assess the relationship between service innovation initiatives and perceived customer service quality and delight.

4. To explore customer perceptions of service innovation and its impact on their overall experience and satisfaction with boutique hotels in Hong Kong.

Research Questions

1. How do senior managers in Hong Kong boutique hotels perceive the role of service innovation in shaping customer service quality and delight?

2. What are the key drivers and barriers to implementing service innovation in Hong Kong boutique hotels?

3. How do customers perceive service innovation activities in boutique hotels, and what effect do these activities have on their satisfaction and delight?

Brief Research Methodology

This study will employ a pragmatic mixed methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques aligned with the research objectives and philosophical stance.

• Qualitative Method: Semi-structured interviews with four senior managers from selected boutique hotels in Hong Kong. The interviews will explore their perceptions, strategies, and challenges related to service innovation and customer service enhancement. Data will be thematically analyzed to identify common themes and insights into innovation processes and managerial perspectives.

• Quantitative Method: A questionnaire survey conducted among friends and acquaintances who are customers of boutique hotels in Hong Kong, using convenience sampling. The survey will measure customer perceptions of service innovation, service quality, and customer delight. Descriptive and inferential analyses (e.g., correlation, regression) will examine relationships between service innovation activities and customer satisfaction outcomes.

• Desk Research: Secondary data collection from industry reports, media articles, and academic publications to contextualize findings, identify industry trends, and support the interpretation of primary data. This will include recent media reports on Hong Kong's hospitality industry, especially regarding innovation, market recovery, and customer experience trends in 2025.

This mixed methods design aligns with your pragmatic worldview by providing a comprehensive understanding through diverse data sources, combining managerial insights with customer perceptions, and triangulating findings for robust conclusions."

For your reference: a 3 step method to produce a dissertation proposal

** This note is an example on step 2 of the 3-step method.

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