Theory Building (theory + building)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


SO YOU ALREADY HAVE A SURVEY DATABASE?,A SEVEN-STEP METHODOLOGY FOR THEORY BUILDING FROM SURVEY DATABASES: AN ILLUSTRATION FROM INCREMENTAL INNOVATION GENERATION IN BUYER,SELLER RELATIONSHIPS

JOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2010
SUBROTO ROY
Across business disciplines, the importance of database research for theory testing continues to increase. The availability of data also has increased, though methods to analyze and interpret these data lag. This research proposes a method for extracting strong measures from survey databases by a progression from qualitative to quantitative techniques. To test the proposed method, this study uses the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) survey database, which includes data from firms in several European countries. The proposed method consists of two phases and seven steps, as illustrated in the context of the firm's incremental innovation generation for buyer,seller relationships. This systematic progression moves from a broad but valid empirical case study to the development of a narrow and reliable measure of incremental innovation generation in the IMP database. The proposed method can use supply chain survey databases for theory development without requiring primary data collection, assuming certain conditions. [source]


A CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THEORY-BUILDING RESEARCH: GUIDELINES FOR SCIENTIFIC THEORY BUILDING,

JOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008
JOHN G. WACKER
Business academics have focused their attention on empirical investigation of programs' effect on organizational competitive performance. These studies primarily emphasize theory building. With the many definitions of theory, academics are not certain whether their research papers meet the specific requirements for theory development required by the academic field of the philosophy of science. Certainly, supply chain academics generally believe that their academic articles fulfill the requirements of theory building. Although many of these articles do have elements of theory, more focus is needed on the specific requirements of theory to assure that academic research is "good" theory building. The primary purpose of this research paper is to logically develop a set of guidelines to assist empirical researchers to assure that their studies fulfill the requirements of good theory based upon traditional scientific theory building. By fulfilling the requirements of good theory, researchers will develop studies that will have a lasting impact on their academic field. To achieve a lasting impact on an academic field, it is necessary to follow a logical plan. This article provides a plan for logical guidelines for developing an understanding of how and why "good" theory building is achieved. This article logically develops a formal conceptual definition of theory along with its related properties to understand these guidelines. Next, it analyzes the requirements of theory, "good" theory, and their properties. These guidelines are included in the existing philosophy of science publications. However, this article consolidates these sources and logically explains why these guidelines are needed. In the conclusion, the guidelines are summarized to serve as a summary checklist for supply chain researchers to use for ensuring their articles will be recognized as a contribution to the academic field. So in that sense, this article does not develop a revolutionary new insight into theory-building empirical articles, but rather integrates diverse traditional philosophy of science requirements into a much simpler set of guidelines. Through logical development of these guidelines, researchers will understand the structure of theory and how to ensure their studies can be modified to have a lasting impact on the field of supply chain management. [source]


Reciprocal Theory Building Inside and Outside Museums

CURATOR THE MUSEUM JOURNAL, Issue 3 2000
Scott G. Paris
First page of article [source]


Measurement Equivalence Using Generalizability Theory: An Examination of Manufacturing Flexibility Dimensions

DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 4 2008
Manoj K. Malhotra
ABSTRACT As the field of decision sciences in general and operations management in particular has matured from theory building to theory testing over the past two decades, it has witnessed an explosion in empirical research. Much of this work is anchored in survey-based methodologies in which data are collected from the field in the form of scale items that are then analyzed to measure latent unobservable constructs. It is important to assess the invariance of scales across groups in order to reach valid, scientifically sound conclusions. Because studies have often been conducted in the field of decision sciences with small sample sizes, it further exacerbates the problem of reaching incorrect conclusions. Generalizability theory can more effectively test for measurement equivalence in the presence of small sample sizes than the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tests that have been conventionally used for assessing measurement equivalency across groups. Consequently, we introduce and explain the generalizability theory (G-theory) in this article to examine measurement equivalence of 24 manufacturing flexibility dimension scales that have been published in prior literature and also compare and contrast G-theory with CFA. We show that all the manufacturing flexibility scales tested in this study were invariant across the three industry SIC groups from which data were collected. We strongly recommend that G-theory should always be used for determining measurement equivalence in empirical survey-based studies. In addition, because using G-theory alone does not always reveal the complete picture, CFA techniques for establishing measurement equivalence should also be invoked when sample sizes are large enough to do so. Implications of G-theory for practice and its future use in operations management and decision sciences research are also presented. [source]


Four methods for completing the conceptual development phase of applied theory building research in HRD

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2007
Julia Storberg-Walker
The purpose of this article is to describe four methods for completing the conceptual development phase of theory building research for single or multiparadigm research. The four methods selected for this review are (1) Weick's method of "theorizing as disciplined imagination" (1989); (2) Whetten's method of "modeling as theorizing" (2002); (3) Chermack's method of "scenario planning as theorizing" (2006); and (4) Storberg- Walker's method of "five components of conceptual development" (2007b). Each method is described in detail with a goal of providing readers with four alternative ways of approaching and completing the conceptual development phase. We present the methods from more to less abstract, beginning with a method illuminating the imaginative aspects of conceptual development and ending with a method that illuminates specific and interdependent cognitive tasks involved with conceptual development. These four methods cover a broad spectrum of ideas on how to best complete this most challenging component of theory building. [source]


A Multi-Theoretical Model of Knowledge Transfer in Organizations: Determinants of Knowledge Contribution and Knowledge Reuse*

JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 2 2006
Sharon Watson
abstract Knowledge has become one of the most important sources of competitive advantage for firms in many industries, particularly those in which firms provide knowledge services to their clients. Many knowledge intensive firms have spent enormous amounts of time and money trying to find ways to better manage their knowledge resources. Effective leveraging of knowledge resources through the transfer and reuse of existing knowledge is an important aspect of most knowledge management systems. In this study we argue that the effectiveness of intrafirm knowledge transfer based on the reuse of existing knowledge depends on two key factors: (1) the willingness of individuals to contribute their knowledge to the system; and (2) the rate at which individuals access and reuse knowledge within the system. Here we use social exchange theory to develop a model of the factors that will impact the frequency with which individuals contribute their knowledge to the system. Additionally, we use expectancy theory to develop a model of the factors that lead to knowledge reuse. Results of hypothesis tests using data collected from a multinational services firm support our multi-theoretical model, and suggest ways in which the model might be refined. We discuss the implications of these findings for further theory building and for managers engaged in the development and improvement of knowledge management systems. [source]


A CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THEORY-BUILDING RESEARCH: GUIDELINES FOR SCIENTIFIC THEORY BUILDING,

JOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008
JOHN G. WACKER
Business academics have focused their attention on empirical investigation of programs' effect on organizational competitive performance. These studies primarily emphasize theory building. With the many definitions of theory, academics are not certain whether their research papers meet the specific requirements for theory development required by the academic field of the philosophy of science. Certainly, supply chain academics generally believe that their academic articles fulfill the requirements of theory building. Although many of these articles do have elements of theory, more focus is needed on the specific requirements of theory to assure that academic research is "good" theory building. The primary purpose of this research paper is to logically develop a set of guidelines to assist empirical researchers to assure that their studies fulfill the requirements of good theory based upon traditional scientific theory building. By fulfilling the requirements of good theory, researchers will develop studies that will have a lasting impact on their academic field. To achieve a lasting impact on an academic field, it is necessary to follow a logical plan. This article provides a plan for logical guidelines for developing an understanding of how and why "good" theory building is achieved. This article logically develops a formal conceptual definition of theory along with its related properties to understand these guidelines. Next, it analyzes the requirements of theory, "good" theory, and their properties. These guidelines are included in the existing philosophy of science publications. However, this article consolidates these sources and logically explains why these guidelines are needed. In the conclusion, the guidelines are summarized to serve as a summary checklist for supply chain researchers to use for ensuring their articles will be recognized as a contribution to the academic field. So in that sense, this article does not develop a revolutionary new insight into theory-building empirical articles, but rather integrates diverse traditional philosophy of science requirements into a much simpler set of guidelines. Through logical development of these guidelines, researchers will understand the structure of theory and how to ensure their studies can be modified to have a lasting impact on the field of supply chain management. [source]


Parsing the public domain

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2005
Terrence A. Maxwell
This article explores the use of the term public domain in the American context and finds that the symbol is subject to multiple meanings. Using historical and content analysis, the analysis explores the various uses of the term and provides a preliminary taxonomy for subsequent analysis and theory building. In conclusion, it suggests that more coherent information policies regarding national and international information access, creativity, governance, and private property rights will require a better understanding and delineation of the use of public domain in legislative and common practice. [source]


Defining a knowledge strategy framework for process aligned organizations: an IBM case

KNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 2 2008
Stephen McLaughlin
Many organizations struggling to capitalize on their knowledge assets tend to let their knowledge management systems emerge from existing IT systems and infrastructure. Within a complex business environment this can cause a mismatch between how knowledge assets are, and should be managed. In order to help organizations develop dynamic and effective KM systems, the authors' suggest that organizations need to re-think how knowledge is created and shared around their core business processes. To be more specific the author's contend that for organizations where inter/intra organizational collaboration is vital to overall end-to-end performance, such as in a supply chain, organizations need to consider first the relationship between what the authors see as four key components. These are knowledge strategy, core process optimization, core process performance and knowledge barriers. This paper will explain why these components are important, and the relationship between them. The findings put forward in this paper are based on research concerned with improving process performance through knowledge transfer. The research follows a critical theory approach to identify best knowledge transfer practice across complex organizations. The research is exploratory in nature and a case study methodology is used to support this line of inductive theory building. The findings presented are based on data collated within, and across IBM's integrated supply chain. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The Puzzle of China's Township,Village Enterprises: The Paradox of Local Corporatism in a Dual-Track Economic Transition

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION REVIEW, Issue 2 2005
Peter Ping LiArticle first published online: 6 JUL 200
abstract This paper seeks to reconcile and synthesize the diverse views about the township,village enterprises (TVEs) and local corporatism in the context of ongoing institutional changes in China as a transition economy. Specifically, I attempt to integrate the economic, political, cultural, and social explanations for TVEs, especially the two competing views of market competition and political corruption. I focus on the puzzle of TVE efficiency as well as the paradox of local corporatism as a government,business partnership with both a positive function of public alliance for wealth creation and a negative function of private collusion for wealth transfer. I argue that the key to both the puzzle of TVEs and the paradox of local corporatism lies in China's dual-track reform paradigm (i.e. a market-for-mass track and a state-for-élite track). Lastly, I discuss the critical implications for theory building and policymaking regarding economic transition in general. [source]


Government,nonprofit partnership: a defining framework

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2002
Jennifer M. Brinkerhoff
Partnership has emerged as an increasingly popular approach to privatization and government,nonprofit relations generally. While in principle it offers many advantages, there is no consensus on what it means and its practice varies. Following a review of partnership literature, the article refines the partnership concept, developing two definitional dimensions: mutuality and organization identity. Based on these dimensions, partnership is defined on a relative scale and is distinguished from other relationship types: contracting, extension, and co-optation or gradual absorption. Examples of each are provided. The model enables actors to assess their relative tolerance for partnership approaches, and provides a common language among potential partners. Linking its defining dimensions to partnership's value-added assists partners to advocate for partnership approaches from an instrumental as well as normative perspective. The model and inter-organizational relationship matrix can inform continuing theory building and practical experimentation both to refine defining dimensions and indicators of partnership practice, and to enhance responsiveness to partners' expectations of partnership. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


From Responsiveness to Collaboration: Governance, Citizens, and the Next Generation of Public Administration

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 5 2002
Eran Vigoda
The evolution of the New Public Management movement has increased pressure on state bureaucracies to become more responsive to citizens as clients. Without a doubt, this is an important advance in contemporary public administration, which finds itself struggling in an ultradynamic marketplace. However, together with such a welcome change in theory building and in practical culture reconstruction, modern societies still confront a growth in citizens' passivism; they tend to favor the easy chair of the customer over the sweat and turmoil of participatory involvement. This article has two primary goals: First to establish a theoretically and empirically grounded criticism of the current state of new managerialism, which obscures the significance of citizen action and participation through overstressing the (important) idea of responsiveness. Second, the article proposes some guidelines for the future development of the discipline. This progress is toward enhanced collaboration and partnership among governance and public administration agencies, citizens, and other social players such as the media, academia, and the private and third sectors. The article concludes that, despite the fact that citizens are formal "owners" of the state, ownership will remain a symbolic banner for the governance and public administration,citizen relationship in a representative democracy. The alternative interaction of movement between responsiveness and collaboration is more realistic for the years ahead. [source]


Critical Aspects of Organizational Learning Research and Proposals for Its Measurement

BRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2001
Satu Lähteenmäki
Based on an extensive literature review, this paper reveals several gaps in organizational learning (OL) research that need filling before we can really talk about a theory of organizational learning or verify the traits and very existence of learning organizations (LO) as a phenomenon. The critique, however, is not targeted at any single model or theory of organizational learning, but at theory building, which constantly drifts away with new definitions and approaches that break up rather than construct a theory. Despite the fact that numerous consultation tools for turning organizations into learning models have been developed and applied, the concept of organizational learning itself still remains vague and there is an urgent need for a holistic model of OL. Too much emphasis is put on studying the learning of individuals instead of concentrating on the learning of organizations. Since the theory is highly dispersed and does not really build on earlier findings, rich empirical studies are needed in order to validate measures of organizational learning. Modelling of the organizational learning process and clarification of how learning of individuals is turned into learning of organizations is needed. This paper introduces one set of OL measures developed to study whether organizational learning occurred during the operational and business culture change process of a single case company. Suggestions for further OL research are made on the basis of experiences gained when empirically testing this model. [source]


Civilization in Color: The Multicultural City in Three Millennia

CITY & COMMUNITY, Issue 4 2004
Xavier De Souza Briggs
How should democratic societies and the cities that propel them respond to increased social diversity? Surprisingly few studies compare cities on their capacity to manage social diversity or offer historical views of the bases for co-existence among identity groups. Studies of this crucial theme that do offer comparative reach are limited to higher-level analyses (e.g., of race and nation making in the modern global order) or partial views (e.g., of economic inequality by race or ethnic politics in contemporary cities). This study, an exercise in theory building, examines three large, history-making, and famously diverse cities that relied on distinct designs for society to accommodate diversity: ancient Rome, medieval Cordoba, and contemporary Los Angeles. Comparisons across such huge spans of time and major culture shifts yield lessons obscured in current debates over inequality, multiculturalism, or the need for tolerance. Three of the most important lessons relate to the power of integrative societal projects much larger than cities; the co-existence throughout history of separatism or cultural mosaic patterns alongside active cross-cultural exchange and hybridization; and the need to bound pluralistic ideals within a strong, locally viable public order. In earlier periods of history, autocracy provided such order for standout pluralist cities and the civilizations they led. Come, come whoever you are. Ours is not a caravan of despair. ,Rumi, 13th-century Persian poet [source]