Abstract
Theory plays a central role in research in management science, with theoretical contribution an essential measure for evaluating research. However, the many ambiguities regarding the use of the theory concept make judgments imprecise and, to an extent, arbitrary. The discussion of the concept of theory in management science has remarkably little anchoring in the findings of the philosophy of science. This article presents some of these findings and discusses the concepts of explanation and theory on this basis. In particular, Sutton and Staw's (1995, p. 385) notion that theory should provide a logical explanation of causal relationships formulated in hypotheses is critically questioned.
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