A note on formulating an MBA research theme that is multi-disciplinary in nature
I am a part-time MBA student, learning to do my
dissertation project. My understanding is that one of the MBA program
principles is to educate students to deal with managerial problems with a
multi-disciplinary perspective. As such, please offer 3 advices how to
formulate a dissertation research theme that considers 2 to 3 management
discipline stances (e.g. marketing, human resource management, innovation
management, etc.).
Yes — an MBA
dissertation theme is strongest when it solves one managerial problem while
drawing from multiple disciplines. A good way to frame it is to start with a
practical business issue, then connect it to 2–3 management lenses so your
topic stays both applied and academically defensible. The dissertation
component is also expected to be a major piece of original research that
identifies a management problem, reviews relevant literature, and evaluates
competing approaches.
1. Start with one real managerial problem
Pick one concrete
problem first, not a theory first. For example, instead of “marketing and HR in
retail,” choose “why staff turnover is hurting customer retention in a retail
chain.” That gives you a clear business issue, a measurable context, and a
reason to bring in more than one discipline. MBA project guidance emphasizes
defining a specific management problem and then evaluating approaches to
address it.
2. Combine disciplines that naturally connect
Choose disciplines
that logically overlap, rather than forcing unrelated areas together. Good
combinations include:
·
Marketing + human
resource management: employee service quality and customer experience.
·
Innovation
management + operations: process innovation and delivery performance.
·
Marketing +
innovation management: new product adoption and market acceptance.
·
HR + strategy:
talent capability and competitive advantage.
A
multi-disciplinary topic works best when each lens answers a different part of
the same problem. That makes your dissertation more coherent than simply
stacking topics together.
3. Turn the theme into a focused research
question
After selecting
the disciplines, narrow the theme into one main question and two or three
sub-questions. For example:
·
Main question: How
does employee training influence customer satisfaction in service firms?
·
Sub-questions:
What role does service marketing play? How does HR capability affect delivery
consistency? Does innovation in service design improve outcomes?
This structure
helps you keep the study manageable and supports literature synthesis,
methodology, and analysis in a more disciplined way. MBA dissertation guidance
also expects you to critically review literature and use research methods
suited to the problem.
Example themes
Here are three
possible dissertation themes that combine 2–3 management disciplines:
·
Marketing + HRM:
The impact of employee engagement on customer loyalty in service businesses.
·
Innovation
management + operations: How process innovation improves efficiency and service
quality in SMEs.
·
Strategy + HRM +
marketing: How talent management supports brand performance in competitive
consumer markets.
Each of these is
practical, researchable, and broad enough for an MBA, but still narrow enough
for a dissertation.
A simple template
Use this formula:
·
Business problem +
industry + 2–3 disciplines + outcome.
For example:
·
“How employee
capability and service innovation affect customer retention in Hong Kong retail
SMEs.”
That wording keeps
the topic managerial, interdisciplinary, and measurable. It also aligns well
with the MBA expectation of addressing real management problems through
critical analysis.
A brainstorming exercise with generative AI
My question posted to generative AI: Currently, I try to refine my crude research theme with
four key words. They are [the crude research theme] "top management
succession planning for family business in Hong Kong", and the key words
are: Preparation and development of successors, Family governance and
decision-making, single case study research, pragmatism, multidisciplinary
stance. Please provide 2 versions of enhanced research themes based on the
crude theme and the four key words. [For the key word of multidisciplinary
stance, to consider two management disciplines in a related way is adequate].
The reply: Here are two
enhanced research-theme versions that integrate your four key words and keep a
clear multidisciplinary focus (two management disciplines in a related way):
Version 1: HRM + Strategic Management focus
Enhanced Research
Theme: “Preparation and
Development of Successors in Hong Kong Family Businesses: A Pragmatic
Single-Case Study of Family Governance, Decision-Making, and Top Management
Succession Planning from an HRM–Strategic Management Perspective”
How it connects
your key words:
·
Preparation and
development of successors → central
focus on successor readiness.
·
Family governance
and decision-making → examined
as the mechanism shaping succession outcomes.
·
Single case study
research →
methodology explicitly stated.
·
Pragmatism → research philosophy guiding
problem-solving and practical recommendations.
·
Multidisciplinary
stance →
integrates Human Resource Management (successor development,
talent pipeline) and Strategic Management (long-term business
continuity, governance strategy).
Version 2: Family Business Governance +
Organizational Leadership focus
Enhanced Research
Theme: “Family
Governance, Decision-Making, and Successor Development in Hong Kong Family
Businesses: A Pragmatic Single-Case Study of Top Management Succession Planning
through an Integrated Family Governance–Organizational Leadership Lens”
How it connects
your key words:
·
Preparation and
development of successors → core focus
on how successors are prepared.
·
Family governance
and decision-making → treated as
the governing structure influencing succession.
·
Single case study
research →
methodology clearly specified.
·
Pragmatism → philosophical stance emphasizing
practical solutions for real managerial problems.
·
Multidisciplinary
stance →
integrates Family Business Governance (decision structures,
ownership dynamics) and Organizational Leadership (leadership
transition, successor capability building).
Both versions are:
·
Specific to Hong
Kong family businesses,
·
Focused on top
management succession planning,
·
Grounded in
pragmatism,
·
Designed for a
single-case study,
·
And explicitly
multidisciplinary (two management disciplines in a logically connected way).
My question posted to generative AI: For each of these two refined research themes, also
suggest 4 research objectives to each of these two refined themes.
The reply: Here are 4
research objectives for each of the two refined research themes:
Version 1: HRM + Strategic Management focus
Enhanced Research
Theme: “Preparation and
Development of Successors in Hong Kong Family Businesses: A Pragmatic
Single-Case Study of Family Governance, Decision-Making, and Top Management
Succession Planning from an HRM–Strategic Management Perspective”
Research Objectives:
1.
To examine how successors are prepared and
developed in Hong Kong family businesses, focusing on the HRM practices (e.g.,
mentoring, training, talent management) that build successor capability.
2.
To analyze the role of family governance
structures and decision-making processes in shaping top management succession
planning and outcomes.
3.
To explore how strategic management considerations
(e.g., long-term business continuity, competitive positioning, strategic
alignment) influence succession decisions and successor readiness.
4.
To develop practical recommendations for improving
top management succession planning in Hong Kong family businesses by
integrating HRM and strategic management perspectives within a family
governance context.
Version 2: Family Business Governance +
Organizational Leadership focus
Enhanced Research
Theme: “Family
Governance, Decision-Making, and Successor Development in Hong Kong Family
Businesses: A Pragmatic Single-Case Study of Top Management Succession Planning
through an Integrated Family Governance–Organizational Leadership Lens”
Research Objectives:
1.
To investigate how family governance structures and
decision-making mechanisms affect the preparation and development of successors
in Hong Kong family businesses.
2.
To understand the organizational leadership
challenges and opportunities involved in transitioning top management from one
generation to the next.
3.
To identify the key factors that facilitate or
hinder effective successor development and leadership transition within the
family business context.
4.
To propose actionable guidelines for family
business owners and leaders to enhance succession planning by integrating family
governance principles with organizational leadership practices.
Both sets of
objectives are:
·
Specific and measurable,
·
Aligned with the research theme and
multidisciplinary stance,
·
Grounded in pragmatism (practical,
problem-solving orientation),
·
Suitable for a single-case study design,
·
And focused
on Hong Kong family businesses as the context.
A related note: A note on brainstorming a few key words to work with a crude research theme to produce a preliminary concrete research theme: for MBA students
A related note on how to convert a preliminary concrete research theme into a full-fledge dissertation proposal prototype.
A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.
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