IBA8010: Article Review (Session 1 & 2)
Peter Huang
ID:384341
Session 1
1. (Osigweh, 1989) Concept Fallibility in Organizational Science
Main spirit: This article offer a good way to think about the appropriate concept
suggested that a conceptual definition should be broad, yet clearly bounded and not
redundant with other concepts. Imprecise concepts make it difficult to produce
knowledge that is cumulative.
Osigweh states that a theoretical concept has breadth and travels well. Also, an empirical
definition (contextual connotation) maintains the concept precision. Overall, this article
provides a clear treatment of various conceptual abstraction levels, articulates and offers
the negation approach, and shows how to obtain the abstraction levels via the use of the
negation approach to concept formation.
2. (Eisenhardt,1989) Building Theories from Case Study Research
Main Spirit: The paper introduces different views about case study research and offers a
framework with eight steps (getting started, selecting cases, crafting instruments, entering
the fields, analyzing data, shaping hypotheses, enfolding literature, reaching closure).
Although, this method Increases the likelihood of creating new theory and theory is likely
to empirically valid, empirical evidence can lead to extremely complex theory. Hence,
building theories from case studies can be used, when little is known from the subject or
new view to phenomenon is need.
3. Kuhn Ch1-5
(Formulate the assumptions and clarify the paradigm with normal science)
Thomas Kuhn explains the science process using the terms of normal science, crisis, and
revolution. Normal science proceeds according to the unprecedented paradigm until it
faces a crisis, at this stage a revolution occurs and a new competing paradigm replace the
old one and the normal science proceeds once again. Chapter 1 to 5 state and analyze the
nature science that is just a puzzle-resolving and not for the new challenging theories.
Kuhn’s viewpoint is that the scientist in the stage of normal science does not seek
advanced theories and is a puzzle-solver.
4. (Pfeffer, 1993) Barriers to the Advance of Organizational Science
This article analyzed the implications for an academic field of having a paradigm,
comparing across a number of disciplines. Pfeffer argue that there is a need and
advantages for the development of a consensus around an academic paradigm.
Accordingly, a unified paradigm is desirable and achievable.
IBA8010: Article Review (Session 1 & 2)
Peter Huang
ID:384341
5. Reynolds Ch1-3 (Building blueprint of the processes of theory construction)
Book purpose: A useful guidance before doing research
"A scientific body of knowledge consists of those concepts and statements that scientists
consider useful for achieving the purposes of science". Chapter1~3 introduce not only the
main goals or purposes of scientific knowledge : typology (organizing and categorizing),
predictions of future events, explanations of past events or present situations,
understanding causality, and controlling events, bust also point out three
characteristics(abstract, intersubjective, and empirical relevance) of all theories.
6. (Ricks, 1985) International Business Research: Past, Present and Future
This short paper points out what are the valuable research directions in the international
business. Findings: Cross-countries, business functional area, theory-building, and
integrative. Today, more issues or topics can be explored than these findings.
7. (Van de Ven, 1989) Nothing is Quite so Practical as Good Theory
This article encourages theorists or researchers should create theories that can be used to
solve social or practical problems. It also proposes four ways (multiple independent
thought trials) to improve theories: accept contradictions, clarify contradictions,
exploring situations lead to contradiction and introduce new concept from contradictions.
Secession 2
1.(Shenkar, 2004) One more time: IB in a global economy
The article start with the point that economics has been the most influential in the past
two decades, yet other disciplines have also influence on the field, including political
science, history, psychology, sociology and anthropology. Shenhar states that there is
reason to believe that IB as a field can thrive by leveraging its comparative advantage.
Also, Shenhar states that IB fields have over-emphasized the strategic and financial
benefits of internationalization for the MNC, neglecting broader and potentially much
more important questions related to the essence of IB and its application in the broader
societal needs. In his view international business research should focus primarily on the
integration of knowledge created by anthropology and country-related studies.
2.(Jones and Khanna, 2006) Bring history(back) into IB
Main spirit: IB is ready for a shift from breadth to depth.
This article applies “historical investigation method”. It tells us the importance of careful
IBA8010: Article Review (Session 1 & 2)
Peter Huang
ID:384341
and comprehensive historical studies – they identify differences and similarities in the
paths of events across geography and time. These observations can create intellectual
puzzles which are the main purpose of the normal science mentioned by Kuhun.
3.(Buckley and Lessard, 2005) Brining the edge for IB research
Maine spirit: Research in international business to re-orient itself toward the big
questions, to begin with an explicit derivation from theory, and to conclude with a
contribution to theory.
IB research in recent years has moved away from its tradition of being
phenomenon-motivated to one that aims to test and extend existing theories from the
more established social science disciplines. This paper lists a set of more specific IB
tensions due to: outsourcing or offshoring; emerging markets; emergent economic powers
such as China and India; virtual firms;
4.(Hofstede, 1993) Cultural constrains in management theories
Main issue: There is something in all countries called 'management', but its meaning
differs to a larger or smaller extent from one country to another”. This paper helps us
understand how people from different countries may think, feel, and behave differently
when faced with problems.
5. (Sutton and Staw, 1995) What Theory is NOT
This article reminds us consider five features (references, data, lists of variables or
constructs, diagrams and hypotheses alone) of a scholarly article that, while important in
their own right, do not constitute theory. Models and propositions capture relationships
between variables, but do not, on their own, represent theory. Therefore, in order to craft
good theory, we cannot rely on surface regularities and correlations; we need to
understand the underlying processes. However, their indirect approach (``what theory is
not'') leaves their concept of theory implicit.
6. Reynolds ch4-6 (The forming of the theory, structure, development and test)
These chapters define and explore the statements, the heart of theory. The author valued
‘causal process’ over the other two ‘set of laws’ and ‘axiomatic’ forms, because the latter
two usually don’t work very well in social science. For the same reason, in the ‘Test of
theories’ chapter, the author emphasized statistical methods.
IBA8010: Article Review (Session 1 & 2)
Peter Huang
ID:384341
7.(Kelly, Athanassiou and Crittenden, 2000)
Founder Centrality and Strategic Behavior in the Family-Owned Firm
Family-owned businesses (FOBs) are the foundation of the economies of many nations.
Over 1/3 of the firms in Fortune 500 are Family-Owned Firm. This paper establishes a
concept, founder centrality, to explore the founder’s influence in the family business.
Adapted from the social network analysis to concrete the new construct, this paper
discusses the founder effects on the firm’s strategy and performances.
8.(Adobor,) Manage Social Change in complex system
This article applies chaos theory to offer a system method to the poor regions of the
world. Sensitivity to Initial Conditions, Strange Attractors, and Intervention strategy are
explored in this article and develop them to the theoretical propositions. This is not a
paper stress the complex of the chaos theory, but emphasize in the application of the
theory into the view of management.
9.(Leontiades, 1982) The Confusing Words of Business Policy
Strategy management started in 1960’s. It can imagine that this article, published in the
year of 1982 has to clarify the semantics of the Strategy, Planning, Strategy Planning, and
Strategy management. This article formulates 4 levels of organizational and applies
mission, strategy, and plans into this planning structure. It proves that business policy
should have different meanings for different organizations in the corporate. This
conclusion can also be applied into the organization or employee management
10. Kuhn Ch6~ (Answer why shift and bring the “revelation” concept into paradigm
change)
Kuhn argues that scientific “progress” is not linear. New theories and paradigms are not
continuations of old ones but replace the old ones and are discontinuous and
incommensurable with them. Kuhn believes normal science is cumulative, but not
science revolution. Kuhn emphasizes paradigm change is “revolution” and “gestalt
switch” When crisis happened, scientist will apply “thought experiments” to proceed the
extraordinary research. I agree that the “incommensurable” occur between new and old
paradigm however, the shifts process whether such intense, it is still both positively and
negatively.
IBA8010: Article Review (Session 1 & 2)
Peter Huang
ID:384341
11. Reynolds Ch7-8 (Developing theory strategy)
Introduce two basic strategies for constructing or developing theories: derive theory from
empirical research (a posteriori or "research- then-theory"), or invent a theory then test by
empirical research (a priori or "theory-then-research"). A third strategy (recommend one)
is a composite of the first two. It divides scientific activity into Exploratory, Descriptive
and Explanatory.
Article 7 & 8
Finding, Learning, and Application
Family-own firms need to have the founders involved to succeed. Thus, in the theory and
practice view, it is important to define a construct for the founder-effect in the business.
Article 7 is the pioneer to establish “founder centrality” as the research measurement.
This article convinces me by transcript real business phenomenon into the concrete
research tool to explore it. Also, this article applies three dimensions of social network
theory into the business strategy behavior and performance. It proved that the
“Centrality” measured by betweenness, closeness, and connectivity is a good theory
which can “travel” different research areas. The following research could go further in
the legacy of the founder, which is a abstract construct need to be more discussed. Here I
propose an idea: Whether there are the relationships between Founder Centrality and
Firm size and age.
Chaos theory began as a field of physics and mathematics dealing with the structures of
turbulence. Article 8 gives us a good start to using chaos theory to explain different areas
of “Normal Science” such as education and organization science. It is also a good
example of different areas of normal science can share the one paradigm or theory.
Environment, organization and business are all in the complex and dynamic systems. As
a researcher or knowledge worker, it is important to reveal the pattern of the order out of
unstable and complex behavior. Two articles are all good examples to give us a good
picture of the system thinking processes and applications.