Since its inception, Audiology has been concerned with hearing aid selection and the interaction of the hearing impaired person and amplification . The classic work of Watson and Knudsen (1) and Lybarger (2) suggests a long clinical interest in prescribing parameters for hearing aids according to audiometric measurements . In the early days, prescriptive procedures were neglected due to technol...

Virtual communities are complex and evolving socio-technical systems. The design of community information systems requires much theoretical research to solve design problems. A design theory is a prescriptive theory which helps optimize design methods. Community IS design theory is still very young and fragmented, however. In the design theory development process, a mix of theory components is ...

In this paper, we examine the logic and methodology of engineering design from the perspective of the philosophy of science. The fundamental characteristics of design problems and design processes are discussed and analyzed. These characteristics establish the framework within which different design paradigms are examined. Following the discussions on descriptive properties of design, and the p...

The first problem encountered in discussions about the three closely linked purposes of decision research is a lack of agreement about the meanings of the three terms descriptive, normative, and prescriptive. The goal of these comments is to illustrate my understanding of the terms and suggest areas for future prescriptive research. Normative decision research identifies logically compelling pr...

In the macro education plan for Iran (2010-2025), twelve years of schooling has been characterized as “General” education. Such a characterization is prone to certain misconceptions. General education does not equal “Uniform,” or standardized, education and should refrain from identifying as such. Yet it is misinterpreted that there is a relationship between offering a G...