21890 Chap.2 Choosing and Narrowing an Industry Issue
Choosing and Narrowing an Industry Issue
Where topics start
Topic areas come from the heads of the Events, Not-For-Profits, HRM, Management, Sports and Supply Chain programs, and they are deliberately broad.
Your own topic is possible after your tutor approves it.
Narrowing in four steps
The Week 2 tutorial moves from listing interests, to broadening with a classmate, to skimming the literature, to narrowing until the topic is neither too broad nor too narrow.
A one-sentence purpose statement then states what you want to achieve.
Scope decisions
Decide which aspect you study, how far back you look, what you rule out and which constraints apply, including the rule that only secondary data may be used.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Program topic areas
- 02
Tutorial steps for selecting a topic
- 03
Narrowing from topic to question
- 04
Scope and constraint decisions
- 05
Purpose statements
- 06
Building on earlier studies
Worked example · free
Take an events topic through the four narrowing stages
- 1Topic area: event authenticity in an online world, taken from the Events list.
- 1Specific issue: whether livestreamed versions of Sydney music festivals are described by attendees as authentic, using published reviews and festival reports.
- 1Purpose statement: this project aims to understand how online access changes perceived authenticity for festival audiences, using existing reviews and reports.
- 1Research question: how do published audience reviews describe the authenticity of livestreamed compared with in-person festival experiences since 2022?
Key terms
- Topic Area
- A broad subject nominated by a program head as the starting point for a project.
- Research Problem
- A specific area of inquiry within a topic that gives a study's design and method a clear basis.
Choosing and Narrowing an Industry Issue FAQ
Can I research a topic that is not on the program heads' list?
Yes, provided you discuss it with your tutor and receive approval before you start. The listed areas are deliberately broad, so many students find an angle inside them, but a topic linked to your own work or interests is acceptable once approved.
How narrow should my topic be?
Narrow enough that a question about it can add to what is known, but not so narrow that the findings cannot apply beyond a single instance. The tutorial suggests asking what new questions you have, whether there are controversies and what the purpose of the research is.
What if someone has already researched my topic?
That is normal and not a reason to switch. Earlier studies give you theories, methods and data sources to build on. Look for what they left open, such as a newer period, a different sector or a question the authors flagged for further research.
Which program streams provide the topic areas?
The Masters program heads nominate topics in six streams: Events, Not-For-Profits, HRM, Management, Sports and Supply Chain. Each stream lists several deliberately broad issues, such as volunteer burnout or supply chain disruption, which you narrow into a researchable focus.
What is a purpose statement and when do I write it?
It is one sentence saying what the research is meant to achieve or explain. The Week 3 tutorial asks you to write one, and it later becomes the basis for the research objective at the end of Section 1 of the proposal.
What should I send my tutor before Week 3?
The Week 2 tutorial asks everyone to send their tutor a brief email describing the planned research, thinking about why research on the topic matters, why it interests them and how it relates to their Masters study. Keep the reply, since the proposal can include such emails.
Why must my topic be answerable with secondary data?
Students cannot run surveys, focus groups or interviews because they hold no university ethics clearance for primary research. A topic is only workable if published data, reports or statistics are available to answer a question about it.
Assessment move
Do the four tutorial steps on paper for two candidate topics, then compare which one narrows more cleanly to questions with named data. Draft the purpose statement early and revise it as reading changes your view; keep each version, because the narrowing story is assessed in the proposal.
When you compare candidate topics, check three things for each: whether a named source of secondary data exists, whether recent industry or government material shows the issue matters in 2026, and whether the topic links to subjects you have already studied in your Masters. The topic that passes all three is usually the one to keep.
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