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 note on brainstorming a few key words to work with a crude research theme to produce a preliminary concrete research theme: for MBA students

 

I am a part-time MBA student, learning to do a dissertation project. I want to formulate a proposal, using the following crude research theme: "top management succession planning for family business in Hong Kong". Could you tell me 6 main investigation topics under this crude research theme?

Yes — for a dissertation proposal on “top management succession planning for family business in Hong Kong”, you can break the crude theme into these 6 main investigation topics:

1.    Succession planning process
How family businesses in Hong Kong plan the transition of top management, including timing, stages, and formal planning practices.

2.    Successor selection criteria
What factors are used to choose the next top manager, such as family ties, competence, leadership potential, education, and experience.

3.    Preparation and development of successors
How potential successors are trained, mentored, exposed to the business, and gradually given responsibility before takeover.

4.    Family governance and decision-making
How family councils, boards, ownership structures, and family rules affect succession decisions and control of the business.

5.    Conflict and resistance in succession
What kinds of disputes arise among family members, how they affect succession, and how businesses manage rivalry, role ambiguity, and emotional tension.

6.    Succession outcomes and business continuity
Whether the succession leads to stable performance, continuity, innovation, preservation of family values, and long-term survival of the business.

Possible proposal angle

You could turn these into a focused research framework by asking questions such as:

·        How do Hong Kong family businesses plan top management succession?

·        What criteria do they use to select successors?

·        What challenges affect succession success or failure?

·        How does governance influence continuity after succession?

A practical structure

For an MBA dissertation, a workable proposal title could be:

“Top Management Succession Planning in Hong Kong Family Businesses: Processes, Challenges, and Continuity”

 

Now, I have a better idea of my research theme, which is based on the crude research theme of "top management succession planning for family business in Hong Kong", and the following key words: Preparation and development of successors, Family governance and decision-making, single case study research, pragmatism. Could you produce a concrete research theme to me and provide me with 4 main related research issues, 4 relevant public media-research issues, and 4 relevant academic theories? Also suggest 4 research objectives and 4 research questions as related to this concrete research theme.

Concrete Research Theme

“Preparation and Development of Successors in Hong Kong Family Businesses: The Role of Family Governance and Decision-Making – A Single Case Study Research under a Pragmatism Philosophy”

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4 Main Related Research Issues (Core Academic/Investigation Issues)

1.    How successors are prepared and developed
What training, mentoring, job rotation, and leadership development practices are used to ready successors for top management roles?

2.    How family governance shapes succession
How do family councils, boards, ownership structures, and family rules influence decisions about who becomes the next top manager and when?

3.    The interplay between family dynamics and business needs
How do family relationships, values, and conflicts interact with business strategy and performance requirements in shaping succession planning?

4.    Outcomes and effectiveness of succession preparation
How successful is the preparation process in ensuring smooth leadership transition, business continuity, and long-term performance?

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4 Relevant Public Media–Research Issues (Publicly Discussed / Newsworthy)

1.    High-profile succession failures in Hong Kong family businesses
Media reports on family disputes, court battles, or business decline after leadership transitions (e.g., well-known restaurant or property family cases).

2.    Generational turnover in Hong Kong’s family conglomerates
News coverage of older founders stepping down and next-generation leaders taking over large family groups.

3.    Public concerns about “family-only” vs merit-based succession
Debates in media about whether successors are chosen based on family ties or competence, and the impact on business competitiveness.

4.    Policy and regulatory environment for family business succession
Media discussion of tax, estate planning, inheritance laws, and government support (or lack thereof) for family business continuity in Hong Kong.

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4 Relevant Academic Theories

1.    Stakeholder Theory
Examines how multiple stakeholders (family members, non-family managers, shareholders, employees) influence and are affected by succession decisions.

2.    Agency Theory
Analyzes conflicts of interest between owners (family) and managers (successors or professional managers), and how governance structures mitigate these.

3.    Resource-Based View (RBV) of the Firm
Views successor development and family governance as strategic resources that can create sustainable competitive advantage if managed well.

4.    Socioemotional Wealth (SEW) Theory
Focuses on how family firms prioritize non-financial goals (family control, identity, legacy, emotional ties) in succession decisions, often at the expense of pure economic logic.

Optional philosophical anchor: Your pragmatism research philosophy aligns well with these theories, as it emphasizes practical problem-solving and using multiple perspectives to address real-world succession challenges.

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4 Research Objectives

1.    To examine how successors are prepared and developed for top management roles in Hong Kong family businesses.

2.    To investigate how family governance structures and decision-making processes influence succession planning and successor development.

3.    To explore the interplay between family dynamics, governance, and business needs in shaping succession outcomes.

4.    To assess the effectiveness of current succession preparation practices in ensuring leadership continuity and business sustainability.

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4 Research Questions

1.    How are successors prepared and developed for top management roles in Hong Kong family businesses?

2.    In what ways do family governance structures and decision-making processes influence succession planning and the development of successors?

3.    How do family dynamics and business needs interact to shape succession decisions and outcomes in Hong Kong family businesses?

4.    How effective are current succession preparation practices in ensuring smooth leadership transition and long-term business continuity?

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This structure gives you a clear, concrete theme, aligned issues, theories, objectives, and research questions suitable for an MBA dissertation using a single case study and pragmatism as your research philosophy.

*** the initial proposal prototype is quite adequate to fill in a synopsis form; do need to specify the research methods to use (2 primary research methods and 1 secondary research method) and some brief information about the researcher positionality.

** a useful related reading: a spiral model to formulate a proposal.

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

A note on how to formulate a crude research theme for MBA dissertation proposal formulation

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.

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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)

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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)

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.