Research and research methods are extremely important tools in academic scholarship. At the core of every research method lies the hypothesis. Theory Building for Hypothesis Specification in Organizational Studies focuses on developing a cogent theory that leads to the specification of a hypothesis that can be taken up for subsequent empirical examination. Thus, it serves as a concise and holistic guide to such theory building. It breaks down the process of theory building into its component steps and explains each of them, starting with formative concepts of theory, units of theory, principles and processes of theory, to explaining theory building for hypothesis specification in organizational studies.
The key areas covered in the book are:
- Introduction to theory building.
- Theory in the context of reality, knowledge, science and research.
- Role of theory in research.
- Units of theory.
- Process and practice of theory building.
- Observations and examples from published research.
- Extensions of theory building for hypothesis specification.
The uniqueness of the book lies in its focus on theory building for the specific purpose of hypothesis creation, rather than for propounding any grand theory, idea or concept. It is enhanced with insightful thoughts and citations of other great thinkers and researchers of international repute.
The book will serve as essential reading material for research methods courses in various research degree programmes such as M Phil and PhD and Fellow programmes in Management. It will be useful for researchers in the areas of organizational behavior, human resource management, organization theory, strategy and policy and marketing.
