A note on how to formulate a crude research theme for MBA dissertation proposal formulation
In order to conduct a few preliminary brainstorming
exercises with perplexity to produce 1 to 2 more specific MBA research themes
to me, a part-time MBA student, learning to do a dissertation project, I offer
a crude research theme, plus a few relevant key words (of interested to me) to
perplexity to generate 2 to 3 more concrete research themes. My query is: how
to formulate a crude research theme so that there is a relative large space of
imagination for perplexity to come up with a few more concrete research
themes. Could you give me some advices with reference to the topic of "top
management succession planning for family business in Hong Kong".
To formulate
a crude research theme that gives Perplexity (or any AI)
enough “imaginary space” to generate concrete, useful MBA research themes, you
want to:
1.
Keep the core idea
broad but meaningful
2.
Add a small set of
focused keywords that reflect
your interests and context
3.
State your
constraints and goals (e.g.,
part-time MBA, Hong Kong, family business, succession)
4.
Invite multiple
angles (strategic,
HR, organizational behavior, governance, etc.)
Below is practical
advice tailored to your topic: top management succession planning for
family business in Hong Kong.
1. Start with a “crude” theme that is broad
but not vague
A good crude theme
should:
·
Name the phenomenon (succession
planning)
·
Specify the level (top
management / senior leadership)
·
Specify the context (family
business, Hong Kong)
·
Leave methodology,
theory, and exact focus open
Example of a
well-balanced crude theme:
“Top management
succession planning in Hong Kong family businesses”
This is:
·
Broad enough to
allow many sub-questions (e.g., governance, culture, performance, next-gen
readiness, non-family executives)
·
Specific enough to
stay within your interests and feasible data access in Hong Kong
Avoid being too narrow
at this stage, e.g.:
·
❌ “How
second-generation sons take over as CEO in Hong Kong family listed firms” (too
narrow for brainstorming)
·
✅ “Top management
succession planning in Hong Kong family businesses” (good crude theme)
2. Add 4–6 key words that reflect your
interests and MBA context
Your keywords
should:
·
Reflect your
personal interests (e.g., governance, strategy, leadership,
organizational culture)
·
Indicate theoretical
lenses you’re exploring (e.g., stewardship theory, agency theory,
resource-based view)
·
Hint at practical
angles you care about (e.g., performance, sustainability,
cross-generational conflict)
For your topic, a
good keyword set could be:
Keywords: family
business, succession planning, top management, Hong Kong, corporate governance,
leadership transition, next-generation, organizational performance
You can adjust
this set depending on whether you lean more toward:
·
Strategy (e.g., firm performance, competitive
advantage)
·
HR/leadership (e.g., leadership development, talent
management)
·
Governance (e.g., board composition, family
council, ownership structure)
·
Culture (e.g., filial piety, trust, family
dynamics)
3. Explicitly tell Perplexity what you want
it to produce
Instead of just
pasting the theme and keywords, frame a clear instruction that:
·
Specifies
the output: 2–3 concrete research themes
·
Specifies
the level of specificity: suitable for an MBA dissertation
·
Asks for variety:
different theoretical or practical angles
·
Mentions your
constraints: part-time MBA, Hong Kong context, feasible data access
Example prompt
structure:
“I am a part-time
MBA student in Hong Kong working on my dissertation.
Crude research
theme:
‘Top management succession planning in Hong Kong family businesses’
Key words:
family business, succession planning, top management, Hong Kong, corporate
governance, leadership transition, next-generation, organizational performance
Please generate
2–3 concrete MBA dissertation research themes based on this crude theme and
keywords. For each theme, provide:
1.
A clear, specific
research title
2.
A one-sentence
research focus
3.
Suggested
theoretical framework(s)
4.
Suggested
methodology (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed) and data sources feasible in
Hong Kong
Make sure the
themes are distinct from each other (e.g., one governance-focused, one leadership/HR-focused,
one strategy/performance-focused).”
This gives
Perplexity:
·
Enough breadth (via
the crude theme and keywords) to imagine different angles
·
Enough direction (via
your constraints and output format) to produce useful, concrete themes
4. Keep some “open slots” for imagination
To maximize
creative space, intentionally leave these unspecified in your
crude theme:
·
Exact theory: Don’t lock yourself into “agency theory
only”; let AI suggest theories.
·
Exact method: Don’t say “only case studies”; allow
qualitative, quantitative, or mixed.
·
Exact dependent
variable: Let AI propose
performance, sustainability, succession success, conflict, governance quality,
etc.
·
Exact family
business type: Listed vs.
unlisted, SME vs. large, traditional vs. modern sectors can all be proposed by
AI.
Your crude theme +
keywords should be a launchpad, not a contract.
5. Example: From crude theme to concrete
themes (illustrative)
Using your topic,
Perplexity might generate themes like:
1.
Governance-oriented
·
Title: “The Role
of Family Councils and Board Independence in Top Management Succession Planning
in Hong Kong Family Listed Firms”
·
Focus: How
governance mechanisms affect succession quality and firm performance.
·
Theory: Agency
theory, stewardship theory.
·
Method:
Quantitative (panel data from HKEX-listed family firms).
2.
Leadership/HR-oriented
·
Title: “Leadership
Development and Readiness of Next-Generation Successors in Hong Kong Family
SMEs”
·
Focus: How family
firms prepare next-gen leaders for top management roles.
·
Theory: Human
capital theory, leadership development frameworks.
·
Method:
Qualitative (multiple case studies of Hong Kong family SMEs).
3.
Strategy/Performance-oriented
·
Title: “Impact of
Top Management Succession Patterns on Organizational Performance in Hong Kong
Family Businesses”
·
Focus: Comparing
family-only vs. mixed family/non-family succession on performance.
·
Theory:
Resource-based view, socioemotional wealth (SEW).
·
Method: Mixed
methods (quantitative performance analysis + qualitative interviews).
You didn’t specify
these exact angles; the crude theme + keywords + instructions allowed
Perplexity to imagine them.
6. Practical checklist for your next
brainstorming session
When you go back
to Perplexity with your crude theme, check:
·
Crude theme
is broad but meaningful (succession + top management + family
business + Hong Kong)
·
4–6 keywords
reflect your interests and MBA-level concepts
·
Prompt explicitly
asks for 2–3 concrete research themes with titles, focus,
theory, method
·
Prompt asks
for distinct angles (e.g., governance, leadership, strategy)
·
You do not over-specify
theory, method, or exact variables at this stage.
A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.
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