Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.
To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser .
Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.
- We're Hiring!
- Help Center
Download Free PDF
Chapter III METHODOLOGY Research Locale
Related papers
Journal of Chemical Education, 2008
Measurement and Data Collection. Primary data, Secondary data, Design of questionnaire ; Sampling fundamentals and sample designs. Measurement and Scaling Techniques, Data Processing
International Journal of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, 2021
Questionnaire surveys dominate the methodological designs in educational and social studies, particularly in developing countries. It is conceived practically easy to adopt study protocols under the design, and off course most researchers would prefer using questionnaire survey studies designed in most simple ways. Such studies provide the most economical way of gathering information from representations giving data that apply to general populations. As such, the desire for cost management and redeeming time have caused many researchers to adapt, adopt and apply the designs, even where it doesn’t qualify for the study contexts. Consequently, they are confronted by managing consistent errors and mismatching study protocols and methodologies. However, the benefits of using the design are real and popular even to the novice researchers and the problems arising from the design are always easily address by experienced researchers
Annali dell'Istituto superiore di sanità, 2015
This article describes methodological issues of the "Sportello Salute Giovani" project ("Youth Health Information Desk"), a multicenter study aimed at assessing the health status and attitudes and behaviours of university students in Italy. The questionnaire used to carry out the study was adapted from the Italian health behaviours in school-aged children (HBSC) project and consisted of 93 items addressing: demographics; nutritional habits and status; physical activity; lifestyles; reproductive and preconception health; health and satisfaction of life; attitudes and behaviours toward academic study and new technologies. The questionnaire was administered to a pool of 12 000 students from 18 to 30 years of age who voluntary decided to participate during classes held at different Italian faculties or at the three "Sportello Salute Giovani" centers which were established in the three sites of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Catholic University of...
Τοπία της δραματικής γραφής. Δεκαπέντε μελετήματα για το ελληνικό θέατρο, Ίδρυμα Κώστα και Ελένης Ουράνη, Αθήνα, 2003
International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Scientific Research
The Enquiring Eye: Journal of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, 2020
casos, 2019
Book Reviews, 2020
Language Sciences, 1991
Ecdotica, 2019
Cercetări Arheologice, Vol. 31.1, pag. 61-82, 2024, 2024
Scientia Marina, 2004
Formación universitaria, 2012
International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, 2021
Acta Biologica Cracoviensia. Series Botanica. Supplement, 2015
Doboku Gakkai Ronbunshu, 1997
Research Square (Research Square), 2021
Revista do Instituto de Laticínios Cândido Tostes, 2012
Materials Letters, 2017
- We're Hiring!
- Help Center
- Find new research papers in:
- Health Sciences
- Earth Sciences
- Cognitive Science
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Academia ©2024
Selecting Research Area
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. Experienced researchers note that “a topic in which you are only vaguely interested at the start is likely to become a topic in which you have no interest and with which you will fail to produce your best work” [1] . Ideally, 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. However, even when there are only few weeks left before the deadline and you have not chosen a particular topic yet, there is no need to panic.
There are few areas in business studies that can offer interesting topics due to their relevance to business and dynamic nature. The following is the list of research areas and topics that can prove to be insightful in terms of assisting you to choose your own dissertation topic.
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.
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 labour 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
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 the expense of their primary objective of profit maximization.
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
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.
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 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
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 fuelling the formation of cross-cultural teams in organizations.
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
Leadership and leadership in organizations has been a popular topic among researchers for many decades by now. However, the importance of this topic may be greater now than ever before. This is because 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.
The following studies can be conducted in the area of leadership:
- Born or bred: revisiting The Great Man theory of leadership in the 21 st century
- A study of effectiveness of servant leadership style in public sector organizations in Hong Kong
- Creativity as the main trait 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
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.
The following are few examples for pandemic crisis-related topics:
- A study into potential implications of COVID-19 pandemic into foreign direct investment in 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 behaviour, human resources management, catering and hospitality, strategic management etc. depending on your professional and personal interests.
[1] Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2012) “Research Methods for Business Students” 6th edition, Pearson Education Limited.
John Dudovskiy