25/10/2020

Hue University of Economics

& TU Dublin - Tallaght

Topic #2
Formulating and clarifying a
research topic

# Attributes of a good research topic

• Capability: is it feasible?
+ Expertise: necessary research skills/ experience
+ Resources: achievable within the time frame and sufficient
financial resources
+ Access to required data
• Appropriateness: is it worthwhile?
+ clear and complex research question(s) and objectives
+ having symmetry of potential outcomes: of similar value
whatever the outcome
+ meeting standards set by the examining institution
+ matching your career goals
+ a clear link to theory

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Steps

1. Identify a broad field or subject area of interest

2. Dissect the broad area into sub-areas
3. Select what is of most interest (to you)
4. Raise research question(s)
5. Formulate research objectives

# Where do I get my research topic?

Possible sources of ideas include:
+ Social concerns and popular issues (e.g:
management issues/ problems)
+ Existing literature related to the field or from other
fields (if any)
+ Your own experiences
+ Your tutors/ experts and others (brainstorming,
discussion)

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Example
• Step 1: Broad field: “consumer satisfaction”
• Step 2: Three sub-areas
1- Profile of satisfied customers
2- Antecedents of customers satisfaction
3- The effect of customer satisfaction on customer-
related outcomes (e.g: customer loyalty)
• Step 3: Select
E.g: Antecedents/ Determinants of customers
satisfaction

Step 4: Raise research question(s)

• A question that a research project/ study sets out to
answer
• Forming a research question:
+ Avoid “yes” or “no” questions
+ Use of a question word
A good research question should be: specific (clear),
focused and complex (enough)
Examples:

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Specific?

• What effect does social media have on people’s

minds?
• What effect does daily use of Facebook have on the
attention of under-16s?

Complex ?

• Has there been an increase in homelessness in San

Francisco in the past ten years?
• How have economic, political and social factors
affected patterns of homelessness in San Francisco
over the past ten years?

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Research question
• Examples:
- What is the effect of service quality on customer
satisfaction?
- What is the effect of word of mouth communication
on customer satisfaction?
- How do service quality and WOM communication
influence customer satisfaction?

Step 5: Formulate research objectives

- Definition of a research objective:
to describe outcomes that are intended to be
achieved by a study
- Directly link to research question(s)
- Using action-oriented words, such as: to determine,
identify, explore, measure, examine, evaluate …
- Characteristics: specific, measurable, achievable,
reasonable and time-bound

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Research objectives

Example:
- To determine the effect of customer satisfaction on
customer loyalty
- To find out the effect of service quality on customer
satisfaction
- To examine how word of mouth communication
impact on customer satisfaction
- To describe the types of incentives provides by five
star hotels in Hue to their employees.

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