Research Methods

Session 2 – Selecting A Topic

Lecturers: Prof. Richard Boateng & Dr. Abeeku Sam Edu, UGBS
Contact Information: richboateng@ug.edu.gh/asedu@ug.edu.gh
 Session Overview

• Before starting any research, the researcher

needs to determine the topic or issue to
study.
• This session seeks to explain how to identify a
topic for a research and the factors which
influence that choice.

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 Session Outline

The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:

1. What Can Be Researched
2. What Can Influence the Choice of a Topic

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 Reading List

Chapter Two

Boateng, R. (2020)
Research Made Easy
https://amzn.to/39gMMXh

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Topic One

WHAT CAN BE RESEARCHED

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 What Can Be Researched
The right topic to be researched often depends on a number of factors. First,
let’s consider topics to avoid:

Common/over-used Topics related to General/ broad

topics religion/controversy topics

Controversial
Topics that are Too
Politics related
Narrow
topics

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Topic Two

WHAT CAN INFLUENCE CHOICE OF TOPIC

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 What can influence choice of topic

You Supervisor Data Source

Society/Trends/ Gaps in
Sponsor
News Literature

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 What can influence choice of topic
Find out the research interests of the
SUPERVISOR
potential supervisors; have a discussion with
them; read their publications

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 Selecting A Topic

What can influence choice of topic

Data Source researchers are sometimes restricted to particular
topics because of access to or lack of access to data in
the specific field of study or time availability

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 Selecting A Topic

What can influence choice of topic

Current Trends researchers can select a topic based on how important
a particular issue is perceived to be to society at that
point in time

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 Selecting A Topic

What can influence choice of topic

Sponsor researchers can also be restricted by the sponsor or
funding agency. Most funding agencies have specific
topics of interests which are based on their goals and
objectives.

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 Selecting A Topic

What can influence choice of topic

Discrepancies in existing research literature which need to be
Research addressed or areas of study where there are reasonable gaps
Gaps in the existing literature. The potential contribution to
literature lies in the research gap.

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 Research Problem – illustrating a research gap

Corporate governance and financing decisions of Ghanaian listed firms

Corporate governance has been identified in previous studies to influence firms'
financing or capital structure decisions which also affect performance
(see Berger et al., 1997; Friend and Lang, 1988). These empirical studies tended
to focus mainly on developed economies with inconclusive results. Very little,
however, has been done on corporate governance in Sub-Saharan Africa,
especially with respect to firms' financing decisions. In Ghana, for instance,
economic development and restructuring have introduced modern forms of
business activity and diverse financing structures like the Ghana Stock Exchange
(GSE) in the past two decades (Ghana Stock Exchange, 1993).
Thus firms are being exposed to more financing options than previously. It is crucial
to determine how current issues in corporate governance affect the financing
decisions of Ghanaian firms. This paper specifically examines the relationship
between various variables of corporate governance and the capital structure
decisions of firms listed on the GSE during the six-year period (1998-2003).
Abor, J. (2007) "Corporate governance and financing decisions of Ghanaian listed firms", Corporate Governance, Vol. 7 Iss: 1, pp.83 - 92
Ghana Stock Exchange. Ghana Stock Exchange Handbook 1993. Accra, Ghana: Marketing Department, Ghana Stock Exchange, 1993.
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 Research Problem – illustrating a research gap

complement

Extant literature has fairly covered studies on the mobile phone’s usage and mobiles
for development in sub-Saharan Africa. The studies include mobile phones and
fisherman and farmers in Ghana (Boadi et al., 2007); mobile phone sharing practices in
Ghana (Sey, 2009); mobile phones and development in Nigeria (Heeks and Jagun, 2007;
Jagun et al., 2008); mobile payments in Uganda (Duncombe, 2009) and mobile phone
ownership and social capital in Tanzania and South Africa (Goodman, 2005).

Despite these studies, there is a call for more studies to test earlier findings in different
contexts and in different micro-economic activities in order to contribute to better
understanding of the impact of mobile phones in developing economies.
Gap

Proposed by Swales (1981), quoted in Bruce (1995) as cited by Collins, E. (2000) Research Gaps, Academic Writer 2000, Retrieved from:
http://vlc.polyu.edu.hk/academicwriter/Evidence/Secondary%20Sources/researchgaps.htm, on June 25, 2012

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 Types of research gaps

• Issue gap: deals with an issue which is less discussed or represented in

the literature
• Theory gap: deals with a theory or a theoretical framework which is less
discussed or represented in the literature
• Method gap: deals with a research method which has which has been
less used or represented in the literature
• Context gap: deals with a sector, industry or geographic region which is
less discussed or represented in the literature with respect to an issue
• Level of analysis gap: deals with a level of analysis (meta, macro, meso,
micro) less discussed in the literature with respect to an issue
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 The good research topic must:

Research Research Research

Topic Gap Title

1. Be original;
2. Be of interest to both the researcher and the supervisor;
3. Be timely and relevant;
4. It must make a contribution to existing knowledge or respond to a research gap;
5. Be specific and distinct, not too broad;
6. Incorporate the main purpose of the research;
7. Be clever, captivating and unforgettable; and
8. The research questions that flow from it must be possible to address through a
research design.
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 6 Steps to Creating a Title for Research

Research Research Research

Topic Gap Title

1. Identify broad topic and academic discipline

2. Determine the scope
3. Conduct Preliminary Literature Review
4. Write Research Problem
5. Determine Research Purpose, Objectives and Questions
6. Revisit your Topic to create a Title which fits your purpose and
questions

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 Identify broad topic and academic discipline

Business Problem Research Problem

Decline in employee Employee productivity in

productivity organizations

How can our company improve What factors influence employee

the productivity of its productivity?
employees? What are the characteristics of
productive employees?

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 Determine the Scope

1. Studying one part of an organization

2. Comparing several parts or functions of an organization
3. Studying one organization
4. Comparing two or more organization
5. Studying a sector/industry

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 Creating a Title for Research

1. Identify broad topic and academic discipline

2. Determine the scope
3. Conduct Preliminary Literature Review
4. Write Research Problem
5. Determine Research Purpose, Objectives and Questions
6. Revisit your Topic to create a Title which fits your
purpose and questions

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 Examples of research topics

1. The effect of work experience on students’ attitude toward hospitality careers

2. Human capital development in the hospitality industry in Ghana
3. Human resource challenges in Canada’s hospitality and tourism industry: finding
innovative solutions
4. Education and talent management: implications for the hospitality industry
5. The hospitality business in Nigeria: issues, challenges and opportunities
6. Risk identification and analysis in the hospitality industry: practitioners’
perspectives from India.
7. The impact of CEO servant leadership on firm performance in the hospitality
industry
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 Examples of research problem

1. Research title
Exploring the impact of social media on customer relationship management
in retail business
1. Research problem
Social Customer Relationship Management is a relatively new concept which
has not been sufficiently explored in research. Little is known about why and
how firms adapt and make use of the component of social media in their
customer relationship management frameworks (Maertens, and Ringe-
Krause, 2016). The research will fill in the gap in relation to the use of social
media as a tool in managing customer relationships within retail operations.
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 Determine Research Purpose, Objectives and
Questions
1. Topic: Use of social media in customer relationship management
2. Title: Exploring the impact of social media on customer relationship management in retail business
3. Purpose of the study: To identify and understand the main factors that influence the adoption
of social media and its impact on customer retention in retail businesses.
4. Objectives of the study: (1) Establish the factors influencing the adoption of social media in
customer relationship management among retailers; (2) Assess the relationship between the
adoption of social media and customer retention in retail businesses; (3) Determine the challenges
faced by retail businesses in the adoption of social media in the retention of customers.
5. Research questions: (1) What are the factors influencing the adoption of social media by retail
businesses in customer relationship management? (2) What is the correlation between the adoption
of social media and customer relationship management in retail businesses? (3) What are the
challenges faced by the retail businesses in the usage of social media in managing their relationships
with the customers Slide 24
 Session Question
– Identify Research Gaps in the text
Cyber fraud has a potential to widen the digital divide, crumble the information infrastructure
and affect consumer confidence in online transactions (Salifu, 2008; Longe et al., 2009;
Oumarou, 2007). Literature is, however, sparse on nation-specific extent of these fraudulent
cyber activities as well as nation-specific measures put in place to address them. For instance,
Ghana, our country of interest, in this research ranked among the top ten for the source of
fraudulent cyber activities in the world with Nigeria ranking 3rd in the 2008 Internet Crime
Report (I3C, 2008). The Ghanaian government has made concerted efforts to create a
‘knowledge-based economy’ thereby making Ghana an ICT –driven economy. The use of the
Internet in Ghana has also seen a significant increase since the liberalization of the
telecommunication industry in the 1990s. The country had 43 Internet users per 1,000 people
in 2008 as compared to 1 Internet user in 1999 (ITU, 2009). The number of PC ownership
doubled to 52 owners per 1,000 people between 1999 and 2005 (ITU, 2007).
With these developments also come negative effects and unintended consequences of ICT,
particularly, cyber crime. Our effort in this paper is directed towards understanding the extent
of fraudulent cyber activities as well as measures put in place to address them in Ghana.

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 References
1. Boateng, R. (2020). Research Made Easy - Second Edition. Seattle,
USA: Kindle Independent Publishing (an Amazon Company). ISBN-13:
979-8611307182: Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39gMMXh
2. Photo Illustrations from Getty Images – www.gettyimages.com and
www.cartoonstock.com

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