Interesting and relevant business research topics are vital for students pursuing an MBA or an undergraduate degree in business. Aside from helping you get excellent grades in school, they can help you understand business problems and come up with solutions to vital business research questions.
Choosing a single business research paper topic can be daunting. There are tons of exciting topics to choose from. This article provides several examples of business research paper topics that can inspire your next paper or research project.
What Makes a Strong Business Research Topic?
A strong business research paper topic is clear, concise, well-phrased, and easy to understand. It is devoid of unnecessary jargon and may contain relevant business terms and widely known abbreviations. It also lays the foundation for the entire paper, summarizing the scope and aim of the business research project.
Tips for Choosing a Business Research Topic
- Brainstorm: When choosing a research topic, begin by brainstorming topics that strike your interest or that you have substantial knowledge about. Make a list of ideas as you go.
- Consider keywords and hot topics: Think about trends and hot topics in your field and academic network. Skimming the table of contents in a recently published business journal can be very helpful in this regard.
- Research: Next, read up on your keywords to help you form possible topics for your research paper. Conduct a literature review to see what other researchers have discovered and how your research can add to the existing body of knowledge.
- Sort your ideas: After your preliminary research, take your ideas and sort them into categories. For instance, keep topics on business law separate from international business topics.
- Narrow down: Finally, narrow down your options. At this stage, consider the cost of running the project, your level of expertise, your interest, and the availability of research materials. Eventually, you’ll arrive at a single ideal research topic.
What’s the Difference Between a Research Topic and a Research Question?
A research topic is a subject that forms the foundation of your research paper—for example, the impact of gender discrimination. Your topic scope here may be fairly broad.
By contrast, a research question articulates a specific problem that your research aims to solve. Answering research questions should be the objective of your study or thesis. One example of a strong research question is “How do cultural contexts affect the impact of gender discrimination in privately owned companies?”
How to Create Strong Business Research Questions
Creating strong business research questions follows the same rules as choosing strong business research topics. However, this time you have to ask the following questions: how, why, and who? Research questions should relate to your topic of study. They should be clear, straightforward, and answerable.
Top 10 Business Research Paper Topics
1. Frameworks for Better Customer Privacy Protection, Information Security, and Data Utilization
Privacy is a common issue for customers and businesses in this data-driven age. The World Bank’s Data Protection and Privacy Policy laws ensure that companies comply with business ethics and best practices when handling customer data. What are some strategies that businesses employ to ensure proper data handling?
2. Modern Methods of Increasing Employee Productivity
Monetary incentives, healthy work environments, and excellent work-life balance keep workers motivated and improve productivity. This research can explore the pros and cons of each method and its potential implications on employee motivation and morale. You can use data analytics methods to assess the effectiveness of these strategies.
3. Brand Influencing and Social Media Marketing Strategies
The International Chamber of Commerce formulated the international code of conduct on direct selling to guide local and international business marketing operations to ensure fairness in highly competitive business environments. Such online marketing operations include social media marketing and brand influencing.
4. Analyzing the Role of Copyrights and Trademarks in Business Transactions
Copyright, patent, and trademark policy are essential legal doctrines that prevent business people from unfairly profiting from others’ creations. When two businesses enter into a transaction, several potential issues could arise. One such issue is the protection of intellectual property. The purpose of this research is to explore the role copyrights and trademarks play in maintaining fair business transactions.
5. Analyzing the Structure of Transactions and the Role of a Director’s Guarantee in Business Law
Transactions, specifically in business law, play a significant role in the stability of companies. This paper on business law aims to analyze business laws and the structure of transactions. It will also recognize the role of a director’s guarantee in ensuring these aspects function to maintain the stability of companies in the American business sector.
6. Challenges to Transforming Small Local Businesses into Global Business Brands
Scaling a start-up or a small family business into a global brand involves several factors, including financing and financial management, technology, management, and the business environment. By studying international brands like Walmart and Spanx, you can identify core challenges that impede scaling and suggest solutions ranging from innovation management and technological innovation to a possible change in government policies.
7. Ethical Issues in Modern Business Management
Business ethics is a core aspect of business management. It defines the right and wrong ways of conducting business and guides business managers in the day-to-day running of their enterprises. With this research topic, you can explore ethical issues a business leader faces in the modern era, such as business corruption, harassment, and discrimination.
8. The Economic Development of Developing Economies in the Emerging Digital Economy
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s 2021 report revealed a fast-rising global data-driven digital economy. It also sparked several questions regarding the divide between developing economies and their developed counterparts. Some areas of focus were poor internet connection and lack of technological infrastructure.
9. The Role of Business Negotiation in Driving Sales Performance
With this topic, you can focus on the role of different negotiation tactics in achieving desired outcomes for both the organization and the customer. Managers can use these findings to help their team members negotiate more effectively and achieve better results.
10. The Role of Social Entrepreneurship in Societal Transformation
Social entrepreneurs are business start-ups formed with the primary aim of solving a societal problem and upholding moral principles, turning profit-making into a lower priority than it might be otherwise. You can study the business plans and business models of these kinds of ventures and highlight their roles in bringing about sustainable development and other forms of positive social change.
Other Examples of Business Research Topics & Questions
Business Research Topics
- Harnessing organizational structure as an antidote to corporate crime and a strategy for business survival
- Social intelligence and its roles in driving growth among women-owned start-ups
- Exploring links between employee diversity and corporate culture
- Legal risks for remote employees of marijuana-based businesses
- Environmental issues and their implications for business management
Business Research Questions
- Do employee diversity and internal business communication play an essential role in productivity?
- How can small companies impact global change?
- What are effective strategies for maintaining vastly diversified organizations?
- What role does human resource management play in ensuring proper crisis management in small businesses?
- What is the role of start-ups in global business?
Choosing the Right Business Research Topic
Choosing the right business topic can be challenging, but it is essential to writing a compelling paper. Make sure to pick a topic that interests you. Also, ensure that your topic meets your professor’s requirements for the assignment.
Having a good research topic is the first step to writing an excellent research paper because it lays the foundation for the entire piece. Conduct in-depth research and take advantage of any resources available to you to facilitate the process.
Business Research Topics FAQ
The difference between quantitative research and qualitative research is that quantitative research uses numerical data to analyze problems, and it relies on statistical sampling and mathematical models to arrive at conclusions. On the other hand, qualitative business research collects data through interviews, focus groups, and observations.
You can find strong business communication research paper topics on research websites like Google Scholar and ResearchGate. You can also check many other online resources for suggestions on dissertation topics in business communication.
When starting a business, you should research your industry, target market, and competitors. It is also necessary to study business law, organizational behavior, and financial management.
Some examples of business research questions on racial and gender discrimination in the workplace include:
- How does implicit bias impact employees and businesses?
- What can companies do to prevent or mitigate discrimination in the workplace?
- How can we create a more inclusive workplace for all employees?
- What are the best practices for handling discrimination complaints?
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