Reply to student post
Theory contextualizes certain ideas into set scenarios in an attempt to explain why & how things they
are, which can be speculative & tentative as its development is constantly influenced by the evolution
of science and the new facts/data that come within (Stewart, 2010). Theory is connected with facts via
establishing hypothesis between concepts & principles, tested/verified via experiments and viewed in
various forms (casual relationship/pseudo science/IBE/etc), depends on the subjective view of users
who has limited access to the complete information. how concept is defined can be largely
individual/incompatible and it can be difficult for a theory to address multiple homogeneous concepts
defined in distinguished way (Onofri, 2016). Therefore Stewart (2010) considers theory�s algorithm,
applicability & validity remains contextual.
Reply to student post
REPLY TO STUDENT POST 2
In this post, in describing the meaning of theory in his own words, the student has
correctly stated that theory is linked to facts through establishing hypothesis between
principles and concepts, corroborated through experiments and viewed differently. To add on
what the student has noted, theory can be described as set of propositions, suppositions, or
accepted facts which try to offer a logical or reasonable explanation of causal relationships,
that is cause-and-effect relationships, amongst a group of observed phenomenon (Lynham
2013). Moreover, theory comprises an idea or a set of ideas aimed at explaining events or
facts (Weick 2014). This is what the student has indicated in the post, citing reputable
sources, which is for the most part correct.
The student intends to utilize the Theory of Constraint, Queuing Theory, and
Resource-Based View Theory to investigate the research problem. According to the student,
the Theory of Constraint can be used to identify the constraint of a business process and
resolve that constraint by means of restructuring organization process/resource. According to
Goldratt (2011), Theory of Constraint gives emphasis to a broad perspective of looking at the
whole end-to-end business process rather than looking at a specific section so as to ensure
maximum improvement. It is essentially a management paradigm which considers any
management system as being restricted or constrained in attaining more of its objectives by a
few constraints. This is what the student has noted in his post, which is actually true. The
Queuing Theory, as the student has rightly indicated in the post, is concerned with problems
that involve waiting or queuing (Adan 2015). The Resource-Based View Theory is basically
a model which considers the resources of an organization as vital to the organization’s
superior performance, (Adan 2015) a point which the student has also rightly noted in his
post. All in all, the student has provided a clear and convincing explanation of how the three
theories or theoretical frameworks would be used to examine the research problem and
complete the research study effectively. This is commendable.
REPLY TO STUDENT POST 3
References
Adan, I 2015, Queuing Theory. New York City, NY: North River Press.
REPLY TO STUDENT POST 4
Goldratt, EM 2011, Theory of Constraints. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press
Lynham, SA 2013, The General Method of Theory-Building Research in Applied
Disciplines. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 4(87): 221-241;
Weick, KE 2014, The Work of Theorizing. In Theorizing in Social Science: The Context of
Discovery. Richard Swedberg, editor. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
