Find Your Research Question
This is where most students get stuck. Four activities to help you find and test your RQ.
A good research question is the foundation of a good IA. Too broad and you cannot go deep enough. Too narrow and you cannot find enough evidence. Too vague and you cannot reach a real conclusion. This stage is about finding something specific, genuinely interesting, and actually researchable.
Your research question must be about a real, named business. It must connect clearly to one of the four key concepts (Change, Creativity, Ethics, Sustainability). And it must be something you can actually investigate - meaning you can get hold of real supporting documents.
What makes a good RQ?
A good BM IA research question:
- Names a specific business (not "a company" or "businesses in general")
- Focuses on a real decision, change, problem, or challenge that business has faced
- Connects naturally to one of the four key concepts (and ideally contains the concept word in the question itself)
- Is genuinely open - you do not already know the answer
- Can be investigated using 3-5 real documents
Some examples
"Should company Y change its manufacturing to outsourcing?"
Operations management and human resource management through a change lens.
"How can airline X successfully target segment Y?"
Market segmentation, promotion, and financial measures through a creativity lens.
"Should H&M implement a more stringent Code of Conduct for its third-party manufacturers to ensure long-term environmental viability?"
Operations management (global supply chains) and marketing (brand image and greenwashing).
"Should Nintendo change its focus from making Rated M games to exclusively kid-friendly content to maintain its brand image?"
Marketing (branding, product positioning), corporate strategy (Ansoff Matrix), and stakeholder impact.
"Should The Coca-Cola Company modify its global bottling processes to meet its 2030 sustainability targets?"
Operations management (resource management, waste reduction) and stakeholder analysis.
Good RQs name a specific business, embed a concept, and are phrased as questions that require real thinking to answer. Notice that several of the examples above contain the concept word directly in the question.
What kind of business should you choose?
The type of business you choose has a direct impact on what evidence you can find. In practice, prioritise the availability of secondary sources - especially financial accounts, annual reports, and reliable news coverage. A large international public company is often the strongest choice precisely because this data exists and is credible.
| Private | Public | |
|---|---|---|
| Local | Primary access possible. Interviews and visits are achievable. But secondary data is very limited - private local companies rarely appear in the news and publish no financial accounts. Proceed with caution and only after investigating it carefully with Sam. | Can work. Public local companies exist and primary access may be possible. Make sure there are enough documents beyond what the company itself has released - independent news coverage, analyst commentary, or sector reports - to give your analysis real depth. |
| International | Secondary data is scarce. No published financial accounts. Likely doable only where financial information is not required - for example, an RQ focused on marketing strategy or brand ethics where news coverage and company communications are sufficient. | Strongest choice. Annual reports, financial statements, and news coverage are usually abundant. The secondary data advantage almost always outweighs the lack of primary access. |
Finding your RQ: pick a route
There is no single right way to arrive at a research question. Choose the route that fits where you are right now.
A business you interact with regularly
The best starting point is often a business you already interact with, have worked for, or have a genuine interest in. Complete the table below - on paper or in a document - before you start searching the news.
| Business name | What you know about it | A decision or change it has made recently | Which concept might apply? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Print this table, or copy it into your planning document. Fill in at least three rows before moving on.
Once you have your list, ask yourself: which of these businesses has made a decision I genuinely want to understand better? That curiosity matters - you will spend weeks on this project.
News Hunt: finding a researchable business
1Pick a sector you find interesting. Retail, tech, food and beverage, sport, fashion, healthcare - anything. Write it down.
2Search for recent news in that sector. Use Google News, BBC Business, or a business newspaper. Search terms like: "[sector] company decision 2023", "[sector] ethics controversy", "[sector] sustainability strategy". You are looking for a story about a specific named business that has actually done something - not just a trend article.
3Check whether documents exist. Before you commit to a business, spend 10 minutes checking: Is there a company annual report or sustainability report? Are there two or three news articles about this specific decision? If the answer to at least two of these is yes, it is worth pursuing.
4Draft a rough RQ. Write it in the format: "To what extent has [business] [done something specific] in order to [achieve what]?" or "How effective has [business]'s [strategy/decision] been in [achieving what]?" It does not need to be perfect yet. You will refine it as you gather your documents.
Two routes to a topic
1Start with a concept. Which of the four concepts are you most interested in? Once you have one, find examples of it happening in the business world: a company changing direction, a brand being accused of greenwashing, an ethical controversy, a creative business model. That example becomes your company and your RQ.
2Start with a company. Which company are you interested in? Once you have one, look for ways it connects to the four concepts:
- Changing strategy, structure, or market
- Reviewing or reporting on sustainability
- Doing something creative or unconventional
- Being ethically challenged or scrutinised
One of those threads becomes your concept, and the specific question you want to answer becomes your RQ.
Before you lock in your RQ
Before committing, run two quick checks.
Pass 1: Common problems to rule out
- Too descriptive: "What did Nike do about sweatshops?" is a research topic, not a research question. It leads to a report, not an analysis.
- Too broad: "How has Apple been innovative?" gives you no way to scope the project - Apple has been innovative in too many ways.
- No concept angle: If you cannot immediately see which of the four concepts fits, the question might not be right for BM IA.
- No evidence available: If you cannot find at least three relevant documents within 20 minutes, you will struggle to build the analysis.
Pass 2: Test it positively
- What might an answer look like?
- What information would you need to arrive at that answer?
- What business management tools could you draw on?
- How will the concept provide a thread through your analysis?
Do a quick 20-minute search for available evidence. If you cannot find anything useful, reconsider the RQ.