How to choose a research topic?

Select a topic

Choosing an interesting research topic is your first challenge. Here are some tips:

 Choose a topic that you are interested in. The research process is more relevant if you

care about your topic.

 Narrow your topic to something manageable.

o If your topic is too broad, you will find too much information and not be able to

focus.

o Background reading can help you choose and limit the scope of your topic. 

 Review the guidelines on topic selection outlined in your assignment.  Ask your

professor or TA for suggestions.

 Refer to lecture notes and required texts to refresh your knowledge of the course and

assignment.

 Talk about research ideas with a friend.  S/he may be able to help focus your topic

by discussing issues that didn't occur to you at first.

 Think of the who, what, when, where and why questions:

o WHY did you choose the topic?  What interests you about it?  Do you have an

opinion about the issues involved?

o WHO are the information providers on this topic?  Who might publish information

about it?  Who is affected by the topic?  Do you know of organizations or

institutions affiliated with the topic?

o WHAT are the major questions for this topic?  Is there a debate about the topic? 

Are there a range of issues and viewpoints to consider?

o WHERE is your topic important: at the local, national or international level?  Are

there specific places affected by the topic?

o WHEN is/was your topic important?  Is it a current event or an historical issue? 

Do you want to compare your topic by time periods?

Some tips to select research topic

1, Choose a topic out of many that you think about.

2, narrow down the topic to a manageable size.

3, Be prepared to answer the questions as follows

- How did you first think about this topic?

-Who suggested you this topic and why?

-Did someone else inspire you about this topic?

-Have you collected and reviewed some literature related to this topic?

- Do you have any plan to request someone for helping you as a research guide,

supervisor or expert on this topic?

- What will be the direct benefit after completing research on this topic to your career or

your society?

Pay attention before deciding your research topic

1, Availability of sufficient materials (for data and literatures to review, consult)

2, Background of the researcher and basic knowledge/working experiences on the

proposed research topic.

3, Resource persons or respondents for primary data collection.

4, Accessibility and limitation part of the research (time, resource/money and

manpower).

5, Relevance of the research topic.

6, Virgin topic/ without already biased mind.

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Selection of research areas

Selecting a research area is the very first step in writing your dissertation. It is important for you to

choose a research area that is interesting to you professionally, as well as, personally.

Your research area should relate to your future career path and have a potential to contribute

to the achievement of your career objectives

The importance of selecting a relevant research area that is appropriate for dissertation is often

underestimated by many students. This decision cannot be made in haste. Ideally, you should start

considering different options at the beginning of the term. .

examples

The following is the list of research areas and topics that can prove to be helpful in terms of assisting

you to choose your own dissertation topic.

Area Globalization

can be a relevant topic for many business and economics dissertations. Forces of globalization are

nowadays greater than ever before and dissertations can address the implications of these forces on

various aspects of business.

Topic Following are few examples of research areas in globalization:

A study of implications of COVID-19 pandemic on economic globalization

 Impacts of globalization on marketing strategies of beverage manufacturing companies: a

case study of The Coca-Cola Company

 Effects of labor migration within EU on the formation of multicultural teams in UK

organizations

 A study into advantages and disadvantages of various entry strategies to Chinese market

 A critical analysis of the effects of globalization on US-based businesses

Area Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is also one of the most popular topics at present and it

is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. CSR refers to additional responsibilities of business

organizations towards society apart from profit maximization. There is a high level of controversy

involved in CSR. This is because businesses can be socially responsible only at their expense

primary objective of profit maximization.

Topic Perspective researches in the area of CSR may include the following:

 The impacts of CSR programs and initiatives on brand image: a case study of McDonald's

India

 A critical analysis of argument of mandatory CSR for private sector organizations in Australia

 A study into contradictions between CSR programs and initiatives and business practices: a

case study of Philip Morris Philippines

 A critical analysis into the role of CSR as an effective marketing tool

 A study into the role of workplace ethics for improving brand image

Area Social Media and viral marketing relate to increasing numbers of various social networking

sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube etc. Increasing levels of popularity of social

media among various age groups create tremendous potential for businesses in terms of attracting

new customers.

Topic The following can be listed as potential studies in the area of social media:

 A critical analysis of the use of social media as a marketing strategy: a case study of Burger

King Malaysia

 An assessment of the role of Instagram as an effective platform for viral marketing

campaigns

 A study into the sustainability of TikTok as a marketing tool in the future

 An investigation into the new ways of customer relationship management in mobile

marketing environment: a case study of the catering industry in South Africa

 A study into integration of Twitter social networking website within integrated marketing

communication strategy: a case study of Microsoft Corporation

Area culture and cultural differences in organizations offer many research opportunities as well.

Increasing importance of culture is directly related to intensifying forces of globalization in a way that

Globalization forces are fueling the formation of cross-cultural teams in organizations.

Topic Perspective researches in the area of culture and cultural differences in organizations may

include the following:

 The impact of cross-cultural differences on organizational communication: a case study of

BP plc

 A study into skills and competencies needed to manage multicultural teams in Singapore

 The role of cross-cultural differences on perception of marketing communication messages

in the global marketplace: a case study of Apple Inc.

 Effects of organizational culture on achieving its aims and objectives: a case study of Virgin

Atlantic

 A critical analysis into the emergence of global culture and its implications in local automobile

manufacturers in Germany

Area Leadership and leadership in organizations has been a popular topic among researchers

many decades by now. However, the importance of this topic may be greater now than ever before.

This is because of rapid technological developments, forces of globalization and a set of other factors

have caused markets to become highly competitive. Accordingly, leadership is important in order to

enhance competitive advantages of organizations in many ways.

Topic The following studies can be conducted in the area of leadership:

 Born or bred: revisiting The Great Man theory of leadership in the 21st century

 A study of effectiveness of servant leadership style in public sector organizations in Hong Kong

Kong

 Creativity as the main characteristic for modern leaders: a critical analysis

 A study into the importance of role models in contributing to long-term growth of private

sector organizations: a case study of Tata Group, India

 A critical analysis of leadership skills and competencies for E-Commerce organizations

Area COVID-19 pandemic and its macro and micro-economic implications can also make for a good

dissertation topic. Pandemic-related crisis has been like nothing the world has seen before and it is

changing international business immensely and perhaps, irreversibly as well.

Topic The following are few examples for pandemic crisis-related topics:

 A study into potential implications of COVID-19 pandemic into foreign direct investment

China

 A critical assessment of effects of COVID-19 pandemic into sharing economy: a case study

of AirBnb.

 The role of COVID-19 pandemic in causing shifts in working patterns: a critical analysis

Moreover, dissertations can be written in a wide range of additional areas such as customer

services, supply-chain management, consumer behavior, human resources management, catering

and hospitality, strategic management etc. depending on your professional and personal interests

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Scopes of Social Research

The fields of social science research are unlimited and the materials of research are endless. Every group of

social phenomena, every phase of human life and every stage of past and present development are

materials for the social scientist. The area of research in various social sciences provides vast scope for

research in social sciences.

The main contributing scopes of social research are: Principles of procedure and suggested new

concepts. Challenge existing theories and revise them in the light of new evidence. Basic understanding of

social life and control of its problems.

1. Demographic and Social Statistics, Methods and Calculations

Demography is the study of changes and population trends using resources such as birth data,

death and disease and others.

Social Statistics, Methods and Computational (calculation) involve the collection and analysis of

quantitative and qualitative data.

2. Developmental Studies, Human Geography and Environmental Planning

Developmental study is a multidisciplinary branch of social sciences that discusses about various

social and economic issues related to the development or study of poor countries.

Human geography studies people, society and culture, especially regarding the impact on the

environmental changes.

Environmental planning explores decision-making process in managing the system of human and

nature relationship.

3. Economics, Management and Business Studies

Economics tries to understand how individuals interact in the social structure to answer key

questions about the production and exchange of goods and services.

Management and Business Study explore various aspects related to business management such as

strategic and operational, organizational psychology, work relationship, marketing, accounting,

finance and logistics.

4. Education, Social Anthropology and Linguistics

Education is one of the most important social sciences that explores how people learn and develop.

Social anthropology is the study of how society and human social structures are organized and

understandable.

Linguistics focuses on language and how people communicate through the spoken voice and words.

5. Legal, Economic and Social History

Legal focuses on the rule made by the government and people to make sure the society becomes

more orderly.

Economic and Social History see the past events to learn from history and to understand more

process of contemporary society.

6. Politics and International Relations

Politics focuses on democracy and the relationship between humans and politics at all levels from the

individual to the national and international levels.

International Relation is the study of relationship between countries, including the role of others

organizations.

7. Psychology and Sociology

Psychology studies the human mind and tries to understand how people and groups experience a

variety of emotions, ideas, and awareness.

Sociology involves a group of people, not individuals, and tries to understand how people relate to

each other and function as a society or a social sub-group.

8. Technology Study

Technology Study relates to the role of technology in society, the policy and debates that form

modern technology.

9. Social Policy

Social policy is interdisciplinary and subject concerned on community responses analysis to social

needs with focus on the aspects of society, economy and the implementation of policies to improve

social justice