1 &2

Question 1

1) What are the steps of the Evidence-based Management process?

Answer 1

1) Collect evidence (Conduct studies) 2) Aggregate evidence (Meta analysis) 3) Translate (develop guidelines, principles for action) 4) Show efficiency (evaluate guidelines) Acts as circle

Question 2

1) How is data made into evidence?

Answer 2

collected, analyzed, interpreted

Question 3

1) What characterizes Theory?

Answer 3

• causal (explains why/how) - Aggregate of propositions - propositions tested through hypotheses - based on assumptions

Question 4

1) What is a proposition?

Answer 4

Causal statement linking two costructs

Question 5

1) What is a construct?

Answer 5

Usually not directly observable (eg. illness) but can be operationalized (eg. symptoms)

Question 6

1) What characterizes theory generation?

Answer 6

• relies on empiricism (things need to be observable) - data needs to be collected objectively (as objective & replicable as possible) - control = unbiased (correct selection & application of method)

Question 7

1) Why theory?

Answer 7

• gives meaning - can allow prediction, generalization, abstraction, intervention, causal learning, power, survival

Question 8

1) What is theory according to the scientific method (Popper)?

Answer 8

set of corroborated (reconfirmed) causal conjectures that have not been found incorrect

Question 9

1) What makes theory good according to the scientific method (Popper)?

Answer 9

• falsifiability - accuracy/generalizability (what theory explains more) - parsimony = if equally well, which theory has less assumptions

Question 10

1) What is the hypothetico-deductive method to develop theory?

Answer 10

Theory: theories -> deductive reasoning -> hypotheses (-> observations)

Empiricism: observations -> induction -> empirical generalization (-> theories)

• Usually combination of both methods (induction & deduction)
• issue: induction can not proven to be real

Question 11

1) What is the paper structure?

Answer 11

1) Abstract
2) Introduction
3) Theory
4) Data & Methods
5) Findings
6) Conclusion

Question 12

2) Making a contribution to an ongoing conversation, what characteristics?

Answer 12

• can only be as good as the actual question
• relevant
• novel/new
• interesting (eye catching, counter intuitive, bringing conflicting views together, current explanation not good enough)

Question 13

2) To what type of research work does the question word “do/is” refer?

Answer 13

often boring, exceptions: conflict in literature, novel effects, isolated variables

Question 14

2) To what type of research work does the question word “what/how” refer?

Answer 14

often new area, process, often qualitative

Question 15

2) To what type of research work does the question word “why” refer?

Answer 15

Causal relations, often needs additional specification

Question 16

2) To what type of research work does the question word “to what extent” refer?

Answer 16

influence of different inputs on outcomes, often quantitative

Question 17

2) How to get to an interesting question?

Answer 17

• precision
• research exists on different levels (first question will often be too broad)
• focus on studying one thing at a time

Question 18

2) What is the basic idea of qualitative work?

Answer 18

Discover relationships and/or explain why (only start can be defined)

Question 19

2) What is the basic idea of quantitative research?

Answer 19

corroborate relationships, measure effects (deduction of what is tested)

Question 20

2) How to achieve precision in research questions?

Answer 20

Thinking about levels of analysis:

• who are you observing?
• what are you observing?
• what are you not observing?
• which looking glasses are you using?