i am so lost as i have to balance up study & taking care of family... plus could some one help on how to specify a scope of study?

I'm sorry you're feeling lost - it must be hard balancing your different responsibilities. Could you give a bit more information about what you're having problems with so people can help you? It's a bit vague at the moment.

well, i have just started my study 6months ago, and getting no way... i'm doing an area of integrated marketing communication in halal industry (sort of korsher food).. at this moment i'm having a very difficult time in getting articles/reading materials in this topic. i've been trying to subscribe/buy certain articles/journals, yet eventually it costing me due to high currency in my country. so, should i abandon this topic and change to another, because few told me if limited references available, would trap me at the end of the process... is it true? on the other hand, if i start fresh, then i'm wasting the 6 months.... yet get me no way... or did i do the wrong ways? any advice?

I think you need to have a serious conversation with your supervisor to plan a course of action regarding a project which is achievable in the conditions you describe. Can your university subscribe to inter-country library loans/articles through a library network?

I think it depends why you're having trouble getting access to literature. If it's due to your university not having adequate facilities for you to get access existing articles or books, then it's an institutional problem that you should discuss with your supervisor, as Aloha suggested. Your uni should provide facilities for this, whether online or in university libraries, if you're doing a PhD with them.

However, if the problem is that you can't find anything because it doesn't exist, because no-one has written about it, that's different. In fact, that could be quite useful for you, as it means you've picked a really good subject to research. If you've picked a new area for academic research, then you can define your project to a large extent. You might have to look at your topic from different angles or read related literature and then try to apply it to your subject. eg if it's halal meat you're interested in, read sociology of food literature even if it's not meat, plus stuff about the meat industry, production and marketing, are there different influences in different countries, are there historical differences compared to now that you can find, how do religious, moral, legal or ethical issues affect it or not, etc. Maybe do a mind map to see how many ideas and different bodies of literature relate to it, and see if they throw a different perspective on your original ideas. I wouldn't give up at this early stage if it's something you're interested in, maybe you just need to adjust the focus of the topic or something. Good luck!

yeah, thanx for the ideas. i did find few things based on your ideas. i did discuss with my supervisor, but he has not given any feedback. but i wasn't worry though as few told me he will be quite helpful when i am really stuck. my library (where i do my study at) does have inter-libabry loan, but it really taking a long time, as i am in Malaysia. but, thank you anyway, i'm getting my speed & motivation again! thanx alot guys.