3 Short Essay Questions (3 separate questions)

Modules 1 and 2 – What is Theory? What constitutes a theoretical contribution?

Required Readings

· Whetten, D. A. (1989). What Constitutes a Theoretical Contribution?. Academy Of

Management Review, 14(4), 490-495. doi:10.5465/AMR.1989.4308371

· Bacharach, S. B. (1989). Organizational Theories: Some Criteria for Evaluation. Academy Of

Management Review, 14(4), 496-515. doi:10.5465/AMR.1989.4308374

· Corley, K. & Gioia, D. (2011). Building theory about theory building: What constitutes a

theoretical contribution. Academy of Management Review, 36(1): 12 – 32.

· DiMaggio, P. (1995). Comments on “What theory is not.” Administrative Science Quarterly,

40(3): 391-397.

· Sutton, R., & Staw, B. (1995). What theory is not. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(3):

371-384.

· Byron, K., and Thatcher, S. (2016). Editors comments: “What I know now that I wish I knew

then” – Teaching theory and theory building. Academy of Management Review.

41(1):1-8.

1. Module-Based Content

Based upon this module’s readings as well as the NBC Learn videos, provide examples from early management practices related to authority, planning, leadership, ethics, and strategic direction. Which of these practices are applicable to managing today’s workforce? Why?

2. Landmark Article Research:

Early Thinking on Management

The idea here is to think about the early thought on management.  You can look back to eras like the early Egyptians (Flinders), the Hebrews (Hagerman; Durant), Greece (Plato and Aristotle), Roman Empire, the Middle Ages (Gimple, Marco Polo), The Protestant Ethic (Max Weber), The Liberty Ethic, or The Market Ethic (Smith).  Use one of these concepts to locate your landmark article for the week.

 

3. What is Theory:

The required readings for the first two weeks of this course revolved around good theory building.  For your discussion this week, there is no contemporary article research.  Instead, the question I pose is “What makes a good theory?”  Prepare a short paragraph explaining how you define a good theory and how you can ensure that your research work will make a good theoretical contribution.