Theory development in business research

Aims of the course

1. Understand what theoretical contribution is, and how to achieve relevance in scientific research.
2. Formulate a research problem, specify research goals and motivation.
3.Develop a constructive review of the literature to identify gaps.
4. Understand difference between building a theory and making a theoretical contribution.
5. Understand key elements of any theory.
6. Understand different types of variance and process models in relation to their research questions.
7. Develop logical arguments by including constructs, measures, functional form of relationships, assumptions, and boundary conditions.

Course syllabus

1. APPROACH TO SCHOLARSHIP
1.1 Scholarship as conversation
1.2 Role of the practical problem, theory, and
methods in generating scholarly contribution

2. WHAT IS THEORY?
2.1 What theory is and what theory is not?
2.2 Methodological approaches to science
2.3 Theoretical contribution

3. FORMULATING THE PROBLEM AND RESEARCH QUESTION
3.1 Business problem vs. scientific problem
3.2 Identifying gaps in knowledge
3.3. Assumptions
3.4 Motivating research question

4. STRATEGIES TO FORMULATE CONTRIBUTIONS
4.1 Synthesizing the literature
4.2 Overview of strategies to make contributions

5. BUILDING THEORY
5.3. Abduction, deduction, induction
5.4. Proposition and hypotheses
5.5. Defining the elements of the theory

6. PRINCIPLES OF VARIANCE MODELS
6.1 Construct clarity
6.2 Achieving correspondence of theoretical arguments and empirical models

7. DEVELOPING DIFFERENT TYPES OF THEORY
7.1 Multilevel theories
7.2 Typologies and multidimensional constructs as types of theories

8. THEORY WITHIN RESEARCH FIELDS
8.1 Selected seminars on developing theory in fields (marketing, management, informatics, finance, accounting).

Course director(s)