“In Medicine one must pay attention not to plausible theorizing but to experience and reason together. . . . I agree that theorizing is to be approved, provided that it is based on facts, and systematically makes its deductions from what is observed. . . . But conclusions drawn from unaided reason can hardly be serviceable; only those drawn from observed fact.” Hippocrates: Precepts. (Short com...

This study explores the corporate university (CU) phenomenon based on human capital theory through a comprehensive review of literatures in economics and HRD. Different from existing CU literature, the study found that, as HRD operational entities, CUs and traditional universities are rooted in different skills contexts, and that theorizing the CU phenomenon is to theorizing HRD. The study expl...

This paper describes the emerging field of practice theory as it is practiced in relation to organizational phenomena. We identify three approaches — empirical, theoretical, and philosophical — that relate to the what, the how and the why of using a practice lens. We discuss three principles of the theoretical approach to practice, and offer examples of how practice theory has been used in the ...

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t The paper focuses on the challenge of generating theoretical support for software development, especially when human software developers are involved in the software development process. We outline a model, " Coat Hanger " , for theorizing about development practices. The model focuses on the intended rationale for the actual realization and resulting impac...

Community networks emerged in North America during the late 1970s and early 1980s. During the past three decades, paradigms for networked information, services, and collaboration as resources for community development have evolved in many respects. In this paper we revisit a theoretical analysis of broadband Internet community networks [Carroll, J.M., Rosson, M.B., 2003a. A trajectory for commu...

It is a pleasure to reply to Caplan’s (1999) critique of Austrian economics. Unlike other such recent reactions1 this one shows evidence of great familiarity with the Austrian (praxeological) literature, and a deep interest in its analytical foundations. Thus, Caplan correctly identifies the works of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard as the core of what sets Austrian economics apart from ...

Organizational accidents are increasingly being studied using system dynamics (SD) tools. However, as compared to social research of organizational accidents, most of the SD studies conducted so far lack grounding in actual data. Ironically, organizational accidents usually have available data in the form of inquiry reports and other public reports. This study reviews SD studies of organization...

Theory is critical to science. Group Support Systems (GSS), as a field of scientific inquiry is no exception. The important issue about theory in GSS is then not why theory, but where should theory come from (or how should theory be developed) and how to assess it (or evaluate its usefulness). This paper expounds on these issues by considering various approaches to theorizing about GSS, and del...