A sample of a synopsis form generated by AI: on supply chain management risk and ESG

A sample of a synopsis form generated by AI: on supply chain management risk and ESG

This synopsis form is based on the blog note on a preliminary dissertation proposal prototype on supply chain management riska nd ESG; the synopsis form is generated by AI.

Please highlight the following information elements from the dissertation proposal and related information to produce a proposal application form (a synopsis form) in less than 400 words (the dissertation title [item 1] and reference list [item 5] are not included in the word count): 1. Project title; 2. Project background: 2.1. A research theme statement, 2.2. Academic context: 2 main research issues, 2.3. Public and business context: 2 public media-related issues 2.4 The researcher's positionality; 3. Research objectives and questions; 4. The research methodology: 4.1 Research philosophy and research approach to use, 4.2 2 primary research methods to use; 4.3. 1 secondary research method to use;  5. Literature review: 2 academic theories to use; 6. A reference list.

 

The following is the synopsis document generated by AI (in about 370-390 words)

1.    Project title
How ESG performance shapes supply chain risk perceptions and decisions: A single case study of an Asian food‑service MNC’s Hong Kong regional office

2.    Project background

2.1 Research theme statement
This study explores how an Asian food‑service multinational’s ESG performance and disclosures shape managers’ perceptions of supply chain risks and their resulting risk‑management decisions at its Hong Kong regional office.

2.2 Academic context: 2 main research issues
First, prior research shows that ESG performance is increasingly linked to corporate and supply chain risk, yet the micro‑level mechanisms through which ESG influences managers’ subjective risk perceptions remain under‑explored. 

Second, existing work often treats ESG and supply chain risk management as separate domains, leaving a gap in understanding how ESG considerations are actually integrated into day‑to‑day supply chain risk decisions in Asian MNCs.

2.3 Public and business context: 2 public media‑related issues
Media reports highlight that the majority of listed Asian food buyers fail to recognise and disclose core ESG risks related to animal‑protein sourcing, despite widespread sustainability reporting.
High‑profile incidents such as the Taiwanese “gutter oil” scandal show how upstream ESG and food‑safety failures in supply chains can rapidly escalate into severe reputational and regulatory crises for food‑service brands in Hong Kong and the region.

2.4 Researcher’s positionality
The researcher is an employee of the case company’s Hong Kong regional office and a part‑time MBA student, adopting a pragmatist stance that emphasises practical, actionable insights while acknowledging insider access, potential bias, and the need for reflexivity and confidentiality.

3.    Research objectives and questions

3.1 Objectives
O1: To explore how ESG performance and stakeholder pressures influence managers’ perceptions of ESG‑related supply chain risks in the Hong Kong regional office.
O2: To examine how ESG considerations are incorporated into supply chain risk decisions (e.g. supplier selection, monitoring, mitigation investments).
O3: To identify organisational and institutional factors that enable or constrain the alignment between ESG performance and supply chain risk decisions.
O4: To develop practical recommendations for strengthening ESG‑linked supply chain risk management in Asian food‑service MNCs.

3.2 Research questions
RQ1: How do managers perceive and prioritise ESG‑related supply chain risks in light of the firm’s ESG performance and stakeholder expectations?
RQ2: In what ways does ESG performance influence actual supply chain risk management decisions at the Hong Kong regional office?
RQ3: What organisational and institutional factors facilitate or hinder alignment between ESG performance and supply chain risk decisions in the case firm?

4.    Research methodology

4.1 Research philosophy and approach
A pragmatist philosophy will guide an exploratory, qualitative single‑case study design, using an inductive–abductive approach to build context‑specific explanations.

4.2 One primary research method
Semi‑structured interviews with managers involved in ESG, risk, procurement and operations, and documentary analysis of ESG reports, risk policies and internal presentations.

4.3 One secondary research method
Targeted review of public media coverage and ESG‑related reports on the company and its sector to triangulate internal perspectives.

5.    Literature review: 2 academic theories to use
Stakeholder theory (Freeman et al., 2010) will be used to analyse how different stakeholder groups and their expectations shape the salience of ESG‑related supply chain risks and managerial responses.
Institutional theory (including institutional distance) (Gugerli and Habisch, 2012) will frame how regulatory, normative and cultural differences across countries influence perceived legitimacy and risk in cross‑border food‑service supply chains.

6.    Reference list

Freeman, R.E., Harrison, J.S., Wicks, A.C., Parmar, B.L. and de Colle, S. (2010) Stakeholder theory: Managing for the interests of stakeholders. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gugerli, D. and Habisch, A. (2012) ‘Sustainability and the false sense of legitimacy: How institutional distance augments risk in global supply chains’, Journal of Business Logistics, 35(4), pp. 312–324.

Suchman, M.C. (1995) ‘Managing legitimacy: Strategic and institutional approaches’, Academy of Management Review, 20(3), pp. 571–610.

*** also see synopsis form sample 1: on the joyconomy.

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