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Hi guys, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to help me with the following question: What are the signs of the research topics that are "dead," i.e., not interested by editors and thus very unlikely to publish papers on? And what are the signs of those topics that are hot and "sexy" for editors? I've heard that, for example, strategic processes are not a topic interested by scholars anymore. Also, various aspects of corporate strategy, like acquisitions, are very well-studied, meaning that it'd be potentially much harder to publish something meaningful on them. How could I know if a certain research topic is interested by editors/scholars in strategy and that there's a gap (and thus opening room for publishing papers)? I'm interested in, or even fascinated by, many topics in the field, like corporate strategy, corporate governance, organizational structure, organizational design, market structure, market entry, competitive dynamics, RBV/KBV/dynamic capabilities, institutional theory, network theory, and so on. But just don't know which ones of these research interests are worth exploring further or are more "worth studying" than the others, i.e., can lead to research papers on good journals. Thx for reading and time!

Now, please don't get me wrong, this is all out of curiosity. I get that agricultural economics had a different start point, in that it initially developed after a bunch of agronomists/agricultural scientists started using economic theories in their work. And, now, these departments in land-grant universities get huge government funding, so there are nice funding opportunities for students. But it seems that a lot of agricultural economics departments now deal more with research topics marginally related to agriculture, like environment, natural resources, and international development. I am curious that if I am interested in, let's say, international agricultural development and the related topics (smallholder farmer issues, technology transfer and adoption, agricultural cooperatives, gender in agriculture, etc.), why would it be better to do a PhD in an agricultural economics department, compared to an economics department or even a nice public policy department like at HKS? I think the same could be said to a certain extent for traditional agricultural topics (agricultural and commodity price analysis and forecasting, agricultural markets, agribusiness and farm management, etc.). Am I missing something?

Hi all, I graduated with a BSc in Econ and Finance degree a few years ago from one of the top 3 universities in HK, and is planning to apply for Operations Research/Computer Science Master's programs (mainly targeting top US schools, with UK schools as secondary options). A professor (associate professor grade) who taught me financial statistics (with topics in probability functions, regression models and time series models) has agreed to write LORs for me. I have also asked the head of the econ department who taught me intermediate micro econ theory to write me LORs (pending his confirmation). I'd like to know whom should I ask as the third person to write me LORs? Below is a summary of the relevant courses I took: 1. Elementary Calculus and Linear Algebra: Topics in matrices, differentiation and integration etc. Taught by an associate professor; the class size was too large so most likely he wouldn't recognize me. 2. Elementary Statistics: Topics in probability, sampling distribution, hypothesis testing, regression etc. Taught by a lecturer; again the class size was too large so most likely she wouldn't recognize me. 3. Math for economics: Topics in linear models, optimization and multivariable calculus. Taught by a visiting scholar; while the class size was small, I did not have much interaction with her so again most likely she wouldn't recognize me. 4. Econometrics: Topics in simple and multiple linear regression, instrumental variables, simultaneous equations models, limited dependent variables etc. Taught by an associate professor at UBC (during my exchange study); again the class size was too large so most likely he wouldn't recognize me. 5. VBA programming: Topics in excel formulas, VBA programming fundamental concepts (for loop, while loop, object-oriented programming etc.). Taught by a lecturer; again the class size was too large so most likely he wouldn't recognize me. I also contemplated asking lecturers who taught me finance courses in derivatives pricing, portfolio theory, and financial management, respectively, since these courses also involve certain level of math, but I am not sure as to whether LORs from finance professors weight much for OR/CS master's programs. For all of the courses mentioned above, I either got grades of A+ or A. Any help and advice would be much appreciated. Thanks you so much!

My analysis professor was pretty slow and didn't cover much of the tail end of a normal yearlong analysis sequence (Lebesgue integration and measure theory, Riemann integration in R^n, inverse and implicit function theorems). Are any of these topics particularly crucial to the first year econ sequence? I'm planning to take the first year sequence next year, so if there are deficiencies caused by this I want to remedy them.

Just wondering. Any topics that leads to jobs in private sector or biz schools? Something like how Government Business relations type of thing? If one were to write such topics will one be able to enter biz schools as faculty? Also, can a PhD public policy work in jobs like say, corporate planning?

I am now deciding between which 2 of the following 3 courses to take 1) Optimisation Theory: Unconstrained and equality optimization models, constrained problems, optimality conditions for constrained extrema, convex sets and functions, duality in nonlinear convex programming, descent methods, conjugate direction methods and quasi-Newton methods. Textbook: "S. Boyd and L. Vandenberghe, Convex Optimization, Cambridge University Press, 2004." 2) Real Analysis: This is an introductory course on the Lebesgue integration theory on real line. Topics include: measurable sets, measurable functions, Lebesgue integral, Fatou's lemma, monotone convergence theorem, Lebesgue dominated convergence theorem and differentiation. Textbook: Real Analysis by H.L. Royden 3) Mathematical Economics (offered by Econ Department, and the grading is more lenient): This course discusses basic tools in mathematical analysis and their applications to mathematical economics. Mathematical topics include sets, functions, sequences, continuity, open sets, closed sets, compact sets, maximum existence theorem, separating hyperplanes, and fixed points. Economic topics include preference, utility, demand, competitive equilibrium, and Pareto optimality Textbook: Lecture notes by professor I have taken Calculus I to III, Linear Algebra, ODE, Probability, Basic Real Analysis, Stochastic Processes, Stochastic Calculus. I am interested in doing macro/finance stuffs (probably theory). I am quite interested in (2) as I quite enjoy Basic Real Analysis and Measure seems necessary for theory. (3) is in fact a good choice since it covers lots of topics including optimisation and fixed points, but it may seem less sophisticated. That's why I am struggling between these courses, particularly (1) and (3). Does anybody have some thoughts on this. Thanks a lot!!!!!!

Hello everyone! I'm new here and I'm happy to be here in the forum.. I am planning to take fpgee by April '18.. And I'm gathering some inputs that might help me for the upcoming test. I'm a full time mom and a fulltime worker in a facility.. I would like to ask is 3 hours a day enough to cover all those topics in the blueprint? Can you pls help me on how to effectively study for the 3 hrs per day. I've been graduated 17 yrs ago and I know I'm very far behind and struggling to pass the Fpgee. Any inputs are very much appreciated. Thank you all!!!

Hello everyone, Let me first introduce myself. I did my BBA and MBA in marketing with a CGPA of 3.5 /4 (Mostly As). Now i want to continue my studies by applying for a PhD program in marketing. I scored 7.5 Bands in IELTS also. My thesis topic in MBA was "Consumer characteristics towards female endorsement in billboards: A moderation analysis". Now i am a bit confused as to how to apply for a fully funded scholarship (if there is any) and which topic is suitable for PhD research. Some of the topics that i searched over ae listed below. Kindly guide me through 1. Marketing automation 2. SERVQUAL 3. Effect of gender on family buying decision 4. Factors affecting positive and negative word of mouth in restaurant industry 5. Effect of brand image on consumer taste peference 6. Factors effecting level of impulse buying 7. Effect of awareness via mobile or social media news on brand image 8. Effect of deceptive advertising on customer loyalty of telecom industry

Hello everyone, Let me first introduce myself. I did my BBA and MBA in marketing with a CGPA of 3.5 /4 (Mostly As). Now i want to continue my studies by applying for a PhD program in marketing. I scored 7.5 Bands in IELTS also. My thesis topic in MBA was "Consumer characteristics towards female endorsement in billboards: A moderation analysis". Now i am a bit confused as to how to apply for a fully funded scholarship (if there is any) and which topic is suitable for PhD research. Some of the topics that i searched over ae listed below. Kindly guide me through 1. Marketing automation 2. SERVQUAL 3. Effect of gender on family buying decision 4. Factors affecting positive and negative word of mouth in restaurant industry 5. Effect of brand image on consumer taste peference 6. Factors effecting level of impulse buying 7. Effect of awareness via mobile or social media news on brand image 8. Effect of deceptive advertising on customer loyalty of telecom industry