Asking AI to suggest an MBA research theme and dissertation proposal: on entrepreneurship (information from perplexity.ai)
My question 1: "Please suggest an MBA research theme, via the pragmatism lens, based on the following key words: Hong Kong housing market, entrepreneurship norm in society, and the entrepreneurial orientation and journey trajectory of gen z in Hong Kong."
The reply: "That’s an excellent combination of keywords — your focus blends pragmatism, entrepreneurship, and housing market behavior within Hong Kong’s unique social and economic context. Pragmatism, as a philosophical and methodological lens, emphasizes practical problem-solving, knowledge through action, and context-dependent inquiry. So the theme should connect theory with real-world entrepreneurial behaviors and market responses.
Here’s a structured suggestion:
Proposed MBA Research Theme
“Entrepreneurial Pragmatism in Transition: How Housing Market Constraints Shape the Entrepreneurial Orientation and Life-Planning Trajectories of Generation Z in Hong Kong”
Rationale
This topic addresses the interplay between pragmatic choice-making and entrepreneurial identity formation among Hong Kong’s Gen Z, who are navigating a high-cost, low-homeownership environment. It studies how housing affordability and social norms influence:
The feasibility and desirability of entrepreneurship.
The timing and trajectory of entrepreneurial journeys (e.g., delay, diversification, hybrid work models).
The adaptive behaviors and practical decisions entrepreneurs take to sustain ventures amid structural barriers.
From a pragmatist stance, this research could explore how Gen Z entrepreneurs continuously adjust beliefs and actions based on the consequences experienced in both the housing and entrepreneurial markets.
Potential Research Questions
How do housing affordability and societal norms surrounding property ownership influence Gen Z’s entrepreneurial motivations in Hong Kong?
In what ways do Gen Z entrepreneurs pragmatically adapt their venture goals and career paths amid financial and housing constraints?
What practical trade-offs and meaning-making processes define the entrepreneurial “journey” under these market conditions?
Pragmatist Methodological Angle
Design: Mixed-methods sequential approach (quantitative survey + qualitative interviews or narrative inquiry).
Focus: Practical consequences and experiential outcomes (what works and what doesn’t for Gen Z entrepreneurs).
Value: Contributes to both entrepreneurial orientation theory and housing policy debates by grounding theory in lived, context-driven behaviors."
My question 2: "Using the proposed research theme, and based on pragmatism, please suggest a 4-month, part-time MBA dissertation proposal with the following information:
The reply: "
- Dissertation report titleEntrepreneurial Pragmatism under Housing Pressure: How Hong Kong’s Housing Market Shapes the Entrepreneurial Orientation and Journey Trajectories of Generation Z
Research issues and Hong Kong public media–type issues
Research issues (with gaps):
- How severe and persistent housing unaffordability and rental pressure alter Gen Z’s perceived feasibility of entrepreneurship and timing of venture creation in Hong Kong (limited integration of housing-market constraints into EO studies).
- Inadequate understanding of how Gen Z entrepreneurs pragmatically “pivot” life and venture plans (e.g. portfolio careers, side hustles, delay of family formation) in response to high living costs and insecure tenure.
Limited empirical work linking entrepreneurial orientation dimensions (innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness) to the specific structural constraints of Hong Kong’s real-estate–dominated economy and industrial structure.
Hong Kong public media–reported type issues (you can frame these drawing on local media narratives):
- Persistent youth frustration and pessimism about future upward mobility due to extreme house-price-to-income ratios and long public housing queues.
- Young people and small entrepreneurs squeezed out by high commercial and residential rents, with viable small businesses forced to close when landlords sharply raise rents.
Public commentary on Hong Kong’s overreliance on property, finance and services, and concern that this constrains space for youth-led innovation and new ventures.
Research objectives and research questions
Research objectives:
To examine how Hong Kong Gen Z’s perceptions of housing affordability and tenure security influence their entrepreneurial motivation and career–life planning.
To assess the relationship between Gen Z’s entrepreneurial orientation (innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness) and their intended or actual entrepreneurial journeys under Hong Kong’s housing-market conditions.
To explore how Gen Z entrepreneurs pragmatically adapt (e.g. side hustles, co-living, delayed independence) to reconcile entrepreneurial ambitions with housing and cost-of-living constraints.
To generate practical recommendations for educators, incubators and policymakers on supporting Gen Z entrepreneurship in a high-cost housing environment, consistent with a pragmatist “what works” focus.
Research questions:
How do perceptions of housing affordability and security of tenure shape Hong Kong Gen Z’s intentions and decisions to pursue entrepreneurial careers?
What is the relationship between key entrepreneurial orientation dimensions (innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness) and the entrepreneurial journey trajectories of Hong Kong Gen Z under current housing conditions?
In what ways do Hong Kong Gen Z entrepreneurs pragmatically adjust their life plans and venture strategies to “make entrepreneurship workable” amid housing and cost-of-living pressures?
Primary and secondary research methods (under a pragmatist stance)
Primary methods (mixed methods, aligned with pragmatism):
Online quantitative survey of Hong Kong Gen Z (e.g. aged 18–29/34) capturing: perceived housing constraints, EO dimensions (standard EO scales), entrepreneurial intentions/behaviours, and key demographics.
Semi-structured qualitative interviews (or short life-history narratives) with a purposive sample of Gen Z who are entrepreneurs, side-hustlers, or serious nascent founders, focusing on their lived housing–entrepreneurship trade-offs and adaptive strategies.
Secondary method:
Documentary/media analysis of Hong Kong public media (news articles, opinion pieces, policy reports) on Gen Z, housing, and entrepreneurship to contextualise survey and interview findings and to triangulate perceived issues.
Theoretical lenses and indicative references
Entrepreneurship-related theories (you can position these explicitly in a conceptual framework):
Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) – innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness (plus autonomy and competitive aggressiveness in some formulations).
Effectuation theory – entrepreneurs start with existing means and co-create opportunities through iterative, “affordable loss” decisions (useful to explain pragmatic adaptation).
Planned behaviour / entrepreneurial intention models – linking attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms to entrepreneurial intention (adapted to include housing and “property norm” as contextualised subjective norms).
Gen Z–related theory:
- Generation cohort and values theory for Gen Z – characterising Gen Z by digital nativeness, desire for purpose, financial insecurity, and exposure to crises, influencing their risk perceptions, career choices, and resilience.
Indicative Harvard-style reference list (you would adapt and expand with full details from your database):
- Johnson, R.B. and Onwuegbuzie, A.J., 2004. Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come. Educational Researcher, 33(7), pp.14–26.
Morgan, D.L., 2007. Paradigms lost and pragmatism regained: Methodological implications of combining qualitative and quantitative methods. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(1), pp.48–76.
Tashakkori, A. and Teddlie, C., 2010. Sage Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social & Behavioral Research. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Miller, D., 1983. The correlates of entrepreneurship in three types of firms. Management Science, 29(7), pp.770–791.
Lumpkin, G.T. and Dess, G.G., 1996. Clarifying the entrepreneurial orientation construct and linking it to performance. Academy of Management Review, 21(1), pp.135–172.
- Lo, T.W., 2023. Young people’s perceptions of the challenges and opportunities in Hong Kong. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10, Article 123.
Ipsos, 2025. Hong Kong’s Gen Z: Bruised but Not Beaten. Ipsos Hong Kong.
. Brief justification: academic, practical, originality value
Academic value
The study integrates housing-market constraints with entrepreneurial orientation and Gen Z career literature, an underexplored intersection in Hong Kong and regional entrepreneurship research.
A pragmatist mixed-methods design allows you to link measurable EO constructs with rich, context-specific narratives, contributing to theory on how structure (housing) shapes entrepreneurial cognition and behaviour.
Practical value
Findings can inform universities, incubators and NGOs on how to design support (financial planning, co-working/co-living models, hybrid work pathways) that fits Gen Z’s real housing and cost-of-living constraints.
Insights can help policymakers and business chambers understand how housing and rental conditions affect youth start-ups, feeding into discussions on affordable spaces, startup subsidies, or targeted housing schemes.
Originality value
The dissertation focuses explicitly on the “entrepreneurial journey trajectory” of Hong Kong Gen Z under housing stress, rather than treating entrepreneurship and housing as separate policy domains.
By combining EO, effectuation, and Gen Z cohort theory within a pragmatist mixed-methods frame, the study produces practically actionable knowledge about “what works” for fostering youth entrepreneurship in a high-cost global city.
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