Journey of developing a topic into a study

Abstract

The development of a topic and research question suitable for a PhD thesis can be demanding or at least time consuming. This paper presents the process that the researcher undertook to refine the topic into a project more appropriate and suitable for a thesis. The various research projects of the researcher are presented, eventually reaching three potential research topics. The potential research topics include a study matching sponsorship of sport organisations to businesses, followed with a proposed research topic into participation of yachting using questionnaires and participant observation, before another proposed evaluative study on youth yachting programs.