Business research topics
Marketers worried about pricing strategy, purchasing managers worried about supply chain risks, and family business managers about to take over the business all seek different topics. Take a look at the 20 management research topics covered by Korea Research Institute of Business & Branding and find the topic that touches your concerns.
Korea Research Institute of Business & Branding's content is divided into 20 categories, ranging from management strategy and business portfolio to governance, corporate ethics, and risk management. Each category has key topics and content examples covered by institute.
institute analyzes problems in the relationship between customer, market, organization, finance, and operation. If you group the 20 topics into these five areas and overall management, it becomes easier to guess which area your concerns start from and spread to.
What management research topics does Korea Research Institute of Business & Branding cover?
The breadth of topics is equal to the breadth of problems companies actually face. It includes understanding customers and competing in the market, leading organizations and people, managing and investing money, improving daily operations, and setting the company's direction and responsibilities. Topics are grouped by area to make them easier to find, and in actual research, one assignment often covers multiple topics.
- customerMarketing/Brand, Sales/B2B Business, Customer Experience/Service, Product/Product Planning
- marketIndustry/market/competition analysis, business model/new business, global management/overseas expansion
- organizationOrganization·Leadership, Human Resources·Talent·Organizational Culture
- financeFinance, accounting, management, investment, financing, M&A
- operationOperations/productivity/quality, purchasing/supply chain/logistics, digital transformation/AI utilization, data/performance management
- Overall managementManagement strategy/business portfolio, start-up/venture/corporate growth, small and medium-sized businesses/family businesses, sustainable management/social value, governance/corporate ethics/risk management
What are the management research topics related to customers and markets?
It's about who your customers are, what they want, and who you're competing with for those customers. From new product planning to overseas expansion, most decisions outside the company start here.
| Category | main topic | Content examples |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing·Brand | Market segmentation, positioning, brand, communication | Brand strategy, marketing effectiveness, customer perception research |
| Sales/B2B business | Customer discovery, proposals, business relationships, sales management | Improve sales processes, analyze enterprise customers, and retain business |
| Customer Experience/Service | Customer journey, user experience, satisfaction, retention, service design | Customer inconvenience analysis, service improvement, reuse factors |
| Product/Product Planning | Customer needs, product development, pricing, configuration, launch | Product planning, pricing strategy, launch and improvement process |
| Industry/Market/Competition Analysis | Industry structure, market demand, competitors, substitutes | Market changes, competitive structure, business environment by industry |
| Business model/new business | Customer value, profit model, business opportunity, market verification | New business development, profit structure analysis, business hypothesis review |
| Global management/overseas expansion | Overseas markets, localization, international partners, overseas organizations | Market entry, local operations, business environment by country |
What are the topics of management research in organizations and finance?
This is a topic aimed at the inside of the company. It deals with how to gather, raise, and work with people, how to manage money, and where to invest. The two areas are intertwined: reorganization changes cost structures and investment decisions change the talent landscape.
| Category | main topic | Content examples |
|---|---|---|
| Organization/Leadership | Organizational structure, decision-making, authority, leadership, change management | Examples of organizational reorganization, manager roles, and change promotion |
| Human Resources, Talent, Organizational Culture | Recruitment, training, evaluation, compensation, member experience | Talent acquisition, education system, evaluation and collaboration culture |
| Finance/Accounting/Management | Profit and loss, cash flow, cost, budget, financial indicators | Profitability analysis, cost structure, and management's financial understanding |
| Investment, financing, M&A | Investment review, funding needs, mergers and acquisitions, integration | Terms of investment judgment, growth capital, post-acquisition integration |
What are the management research topics for operations and digital transformation?
This topic deals with how well your daily work runs. These include production and quality, procurement and inventory, introduction of new technology, and performance indicators. Just as the Oslo Manual (OECD/Eurostat, 2018), an international guideline for measuring a company's innovation activities, addresses business process innovation along with product innovation, improvement in operations is also a form of innovation.
| Category | main topic | Content examples |
|---|---|---|
| Operations/Productivity/Quality | Business processes, production, quality, efficiency, continuous improvement | Examples of operational bottlenecks, quality issues, and productivity improvements |
| Purchasing, supply chain, logistics | Procurement, partner, inventory, delivery and supply risks | Supply chain operations, inventory management, partner relations |
| Digital transformation and AI utilization | Work automation, digital services, AI adoption, technology acceptance | Economics of technology adoption, business changes, implementation conditions |
| Data/Performance Management | Management indicators, data analysis, goals, measurement, feedback | Indicator design, performance interpretation, data-based decision making |
What are the topics of strategy, growth, and sustainable management/governance?
This topic covers the direction and responsibility of the entire company. We ask what business to focus on, what to prepare for each stage of growth, what responsibilities we will have to society and stakeholders, who will make decisions and how to check for risks. The international standards on governance, the G20/OECD Corporate Governance Principles (2023) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Corporate Conduct (2023) are reference points when reading topics in this area.
| Category | main topic | Content examples |
|---|---|---|
| Management Strategy/Business Portfolio | Competitive strategy, mid- to long-term planning, resource allocation, business reorganization | Strategy establishment examples, business priorities, implementation tasks |
| Startup/Venture/Corporate Growth | Start-up, early market, growth stage, business expansion | Early customer acquisition, growth bottlenecks, expansion strategy |
| Small and medium-sized businesses/family businesses | Management foundation, resource constraints, professional management, business succession | Small business operations, growth challenges, succession and organizational change |
| Sustainable management and social value | Environmental impact, stakeholders, responsible business, sustainability | Business and social impact, supply chain responsibility, long-term value |
| Governance, corporate ethics, risk management | Governance structure, internal control, ethics, crisis response, business continuity | Cases of decision-making responsibility, risk inspection, and crisis response |
Where can I read articles and materials by management research topic?
Articles by topic Business InsightsIt continues from . Each article has a question in the title about what kind of decision it will help with, making it easy to choose the article that touches your current concerns. If you want to read a topic in depth, check out institute's Management publications and reportsIf you want to bring it directly to our company's problem, Business research and advisory servicesFind out.
Management Research Topics Frequently asked questions
When studying management issues, what topics should I look at first?
Start with a decision that is relevant to your current job. If you need to set a price, product/product planning, or if you are about to reorganize, the starting point is organization/leadership. Korea Research Institute of Business & Branding provides content examples for each topic to make it easier to choose your first question.
Which topics cover digital transformation and the use of AI?
The digital transformation/AI utilization category covers work automation, digital services, AI introduction, and technology acceptance. institute began digital transformation research in 2018 and strengthened AI utilization and organizational productivity research in 2026.
Is business succession in family businesses also a research topic?
In the small and medium-sized business/family business category, it covers management foundations, resource constraints, professional management, and business succession.
From what perspective is sustainable management addressed?
Environmental impact, stakeholders, responsible business and sustainability are key topics, along with business and social impact, supply chain responsibility and long-term value. Looking at both short-term performance and long-term competitiveness and trust is also a core value of the research institute.
Is the topic bundle an official classification of institute?
The twenty categories are the content classification of institute, and the bundles divided into customer, market, organization, finance, operations and overall management are arranged to make it easier to find topics.
Your publication's hub and related pages
Primary sources
- international organization OECD (2023). G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance 2023
- international organization OECD (2023). OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct
- international organization OECD/Eurostat (2018). Oslo Manual 2018: Guidelines for Collecting, Reporting and Using Data on Innovation, 4th Edition