Development Of Integrated Theory Research Articles

Theories of Community Collaboration to Advance Age-Friendly Community Change.

The age-friendly communities movement has grown rapidly in global prominence over the past 2 decades. However, theories to guide multisectoral action toward age-friendly community change have been slower to develop. We demonstrate the value of drawing on theories of community collaboration to inform age-friendly community efforts across engagement, planning, implementation, and measurement. We introduce 3 theories-Asset-Based Community Development, Strategic Doing, and Collective Impact-each with principles and strategies for guiding multisectoral group processes toward long-term and systematic community change. While distinct from each other, these theories collectively suggest the importance of incorporating a more explicit community-building approach within the age-friendly communities movement. We describe the implications of this integrative theory development for bolstering sustainable and comprehensive practices and policies to improve environments for aging across diverse communities.

Constructing institutional performance: a multi-level framing perspective on performance measurement and management

Research on performance measurement and management (PMM) informed by institutional theory has proliferated over the past two decades. Much of this research has concentrated on the institutional effects on organisational PMM practices and their consequences for organisational behaviour and has only recently started to pay more focussed attention to the effects of such practices on the construction of the very conceptions of performance that come to dominate institutional fields. To further integrative theory development, I pull these strands of research together into an analytical framework pivoting on the concept of institutional performance. Institutional performance is defined as the socially constructed conceptions of organisational performance that become firmly institutionalised as legitimate aspects of achievement in institutional fields. Adopting a multi-level framing perspective, I develop a set of research propositions reflecting how contradictory PMM practices, emerging in response to the institutional complexity attributable to heterogeneous and competing constituency demands, shape such conceptions of performance and how this contributes to reducing or reinforcing institutional complexity over time. I discuss the implications of applying this framework in empirical research and the contributions to institutional research on PMM as well as institutional theory, more generally, that may emerge from such research.

The Tarpit – A general theory of software engineering

ContextRecent years have seen an increasing interest in general theories of software engineering. As in other academic fields, these theories aim to explain and predict the key phenomena of the discipline. ObjectiveThe present article proposes a general theory of software engineering that we have labeled the Tarpit theory, in reference to the 1982 epigram by Alan Perlis. MethodAn integrative theory development approach was employed to develop the Tarpit theory from four underlying theoretical fields: (i) languages and automata, (ii) cognitive architecture, (iii) problem solving, and (iv) organization structure. Its applicability was explored in three test cases. ResultsThe theory demonstrates an explanatory and predictive potential for a diverse set of software engineering phenomena. It demonstrates a capability of explaining Brooks’s law, of making predictions about domain-specific languages, and of evaluating the pros and cons of the practice of continuous integration. ConclusionThe presented theory appears capable of explaining and predicting a wide range of software engineering phenomena. Further refinement and application of the theory remains as future work.

Early history of infinite continuous groups, 1883–1898

This paper provides a detailed study of the historical development of the theory of infinite continuous groups from its dawn in 1883 up to the publication of Jules Drach's thesis in 1898. The aim is twofold. First, to describe the emergence of the notion in Lie's works and to treat the classification problem of all infinite continuous groups. Second, to emphasize the great importance which infinite continuous groups played in the historical development of integration theory of partial differential equations.

Adam Smith’s Contribution to Business Ethics, Then and Now

Smith defines the business enterprise primarily as the endeavor of an individual who remains fully embedded in the broader society and subject to its moral demands. For him, the conceptions of the local community and its normative framework, of the enterprise, and of the individuals within it need to be aligned with each other and developed together. Over time, four processes have, however, led to a widening gap between the business world and the local community. These are (1) the dissemination of the corporate model, (2) the transformation of the entrepreneurial role toward an agency role, (3) changes in the ownership structure, and (4) changes in the relation to the local community. This article presents Smith’s integrative conception of business and its contributions to the development of integrative theories of organizations and of business–society relations in the twenty-first century. Among others, it discusses the necessity to develop a normative-relational dimension of organizations that addresses the relations between the organization, its members (e.g., owners and managers), and the normative framework of the local community. This integrative approach of business–society relations challenges current business ethics research which often suggests that solutions to the current scandals lie either within the framework, the organization, or the individuals.

Taking stock of Institutional Theory using Topic Modeling

This paper uses topic modeling and network methods to review the recent institutional theory literature and reconcile the growing diversity of research streams. Through an analysis of vocabularies used in the abstracts of published articles since 2002, we identify 15 unique topics in the literature that correspond with different modes of theorization in institutional theory. Using network methods, we compare words and topics in terms of their centrality in recent research. Based on our findings, we advocate for (1) the development of integrative theory on agency in institutional processes, for (2) the use of mixed methods research, for (3) the use of the concepts of culture and rhetoric to bridge the paradigmatic ravines between structure vs. agency perspectives and change vs. stability perspectives, and for (4) the development of theory on under-researched phenomena, such as failed institutionalization.

How does OFDI affect trade development in developing countries?

Purpose – This paper aims to focus on the trade effects of outward direct investment in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – To illustrate the effects, the author analyses it from the efficiency of resource utilization, technological advancement and transaction costs, respectively. Findings – The author concludes that OFDI has a positive effect on trade development in developing countries. Originality/value – Studying the interactions between FDI and trade, the traditional perspective that the investment can only lead to changes in capital endowment in a country is not perfect. These theories were mainly created and founded in developed countries and aimed only to explain their direct investment behavior. If the perspective is shifted to developing countries, it is found that the effect of FDI not only changes the supply-demand relationship of monetary capital, but also significantly influences division of labor and trade through the change in knowledge-oriented factors. Therefore, incorporating international direct investment as a new variable into contemporary international trade theories will enrich the existing theories, and also be beneficial for the development of integration theory of investment and trade.

Getting diversity at work to work: What we know and what we still don't know

Diversity has the potential to significantly benefit organizations by leading to positive work outcomes when diversity ‘works’. Unfortunately, not only is our knowledge limited as to the necessary conditions and the mechanisms by which diversity affects individual, work performance and organizational outcomes, but we still know very little about which diversity management practices are most effective in promoting positive outcomes. We analyse the literature on diversity and its management, and describe how the seven papers included in this section advance our understanding of what organizations can do to get diversity at work to work. Our discussion points to the need for more research on how diversity at multiple levels affects work and organizational outcomes; the development of integrative theory which takes into account that diversity might not only engender separation and variety but also disparity; as well as to the need for more empirical attention to the climates or cultures that facilitate the positive effects of diversity on work and organizational outcomes. We suggest that future research should also identify those people management practices that are most powerful in the creation of a positive diversity climate, and the factors that moderate and underlie its effects on work and organizational outcomes. We conclude with proposals about how this might be achieved.

Reconciling Conceptual Complexity in Institutional Theory: A Topic Modeling Literature Review

This paper uses topic modeling and network methods to review the recent institutional theory literature and reconcile the growing diversity of research streams. Through an analysis of vocabularies used in the abstracts of published articles since 2002, we identify 15 unique topics in the literature that correspond with different modes of theorization in institutional theory. Using network methods, we compare words and topics in terms of their centrality in recent research. Based on our findings, we advocate for (1) the development of integrative theory on agency in institutional processes, for (2) the use of mixed methods research, for (3) the use of the concepts of culture and rhetoric to bridge the paradigmatic ravines between structure vs. agency perspectives and change vs. stability perspectives, and for (4) the development of theory on under- researched phenomena, such as failed institutionalization.

Using Ecological Frameworks to Advance a Field of Research, Practice, and Policy on Aging-in-Place Initiatives

Initiatives to promote aging in place have emerged rapidly in the United States across various health care settings (e.g., acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities) and broader community settings (e.g., public social service agencies). Moreover, recent federal policies include a growing number of provisions for local efforts to promote aging in place. Despite emerging bodies of research that have described singular initiatives in their own right, there has been very little scholarship that forges conceptual linkages across this increasingly vast domain of research, practice, and policy. Integrative theory development is critical to ensure that aging-in-place initiatives do not become fragmented from each other. This article uses insights from ecological frameworks-specifically Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory and M. Powell Lawton's general ecological model of aging-to conceptualize a range of programs as aging-in-place initiatives and for describing their similarities and differences, particularly in terms of the features through which they intend to promote aging in place. Theoretically derived dimensions along which to characterize aging-in-place initiatives include environment-focused aspects (e.g., the types of social systems and structures that the initiatives target for change) and person-focused aspects (e.g., the extent to which the initiatives target particular subgroups of older adults). The article concludes with a discussion on how these theoretically derived dimensions can be used to advance and integrate research, practice, and policy to systematically develop and expand aging-in-place initiatives.

Relapse and Relapse Prevention

Most psychological disorders and problem behaviors are characterized by very high rates of postremittance relapse. Thus, advances in the long-term efficacy of psychological interventions require understanding the causes and processes of relapse, with the ultimate goal of developing strategies that reduce the probability of relapse. Existing psychological theory and interventions relevant to relapse and relapse prevention (RP) are reviewed, with a focus on addictive behaviors. The past two decades have produced increased attention toward the relapse problem and important advances in the conceptualization of relapse (i.e., as a process rather than a discrete event). Further progress will require the translation of basic theory into applied theory, the development of integrative theories of relapse, and the design and testing of theory-based, multimodal RP interventions.

On non-absolutely convergent integrals

The influence of Jan Marik in the field of non absolute integration is described in the plane of Czech mathematics. A short historical account on the development of integration theory in the Czech region is presented in this connection together with the recent Riemann sum approach to the general Perron integral.

A Consideration of Epistemology in Systematic Biology, with Special Reference to Species

Abstract—Science progresses through the development of integrative theories that unify more and more subsidiary theories. Progress in phylogenetic theory comes from mutual reconciliation with the theoretical structure of other branches of evolutionary biology, such as developmental biology, population biology, and population genetics. The notions of species, individuality, and scalar hierarchy are keys to this reconciliation. Conflation of the results and simplifying assumptions of particular discovery operations with the nature of the entities that we search for is a continuing problem in inferential biology. Other problems extend from the fact that scientific discovery operations address sets of entities and sets of interactions, even when the definitions employed by the operations are not rigorous set-definers, but rather generalized descriptive approximations which summarize similarities among the parts of hierarchically more general entities. As an example, in the discovery methods of phylogenetic systematics, organisms (parts of species) are treated as if they are extensions of a set (the lineage considered as a set), rather than as indefinable parts of a particular (the lineage as a system). This simplifying assumption constitutes treating scalar hierarchies as if they are specification hierarchies and, although this may be necessary for scientific progress, it can lead to over-reductionism if applied uncritically. We expect all analytical techniques to fail at some frequency in part because the limits and reality of the entities that scientists attempt to discover do not extend from definitions used in discovery operations, For this reason, all operational definitions in systematics must be patched by theoretical (= process) claims to one degree or another to give us a more complete representation of evolutionary history. In our view, ontology is the result of reconciliation of theoretical expectations and lines of operational evidence (both of "direct" observation and logical techniques). This "consilience of inductions" provides a general picture of the world and illuminates the limitations of particular discovery operations. As our understanding of the lawful nature of the universe improves, we are able to refine the definitions used by our discovery operations. Against the backdrop of the payoffs to evolutionary biology, the various definitions of species are most starkly compared. In cases where tokogeny is not inherently hierarchical, the level of organization chosen as the basic unit that maximizes the explanatory power of phylogenetic hypotheses is the level of Evolutionary Species, which is that of largest integrating lineages, rather than the level of individual organisms. Nevertheless, we recognize that our discovery operations rest on observations of organismal characteristics. The Phylogenetic Species Concept is, at best, the operational equivalent of Evolutionary Species, but may identify parts of Evolutionary Species that are only temporarily isolated. The cost of this kind of error is judged to be small compared with the alternative of recognizing paraphyletic "species" on the basis of potential to recombine. Metaphyly, concerns about exclusiveness of lineages as something more than an analytical issue, and "an escape from species" through operationalism are judged to stem from errors of overreduction.

A CONSIDERATION OF EPISTEMOLOGY IN SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SPECIES

Abstract— Science progresses through the development of integrative theories that unify more and more subsidiary theories. Progress in phylogenetic theory comes from mutual reconciliation with the theoretical structure of other branches of evolutionary biology, such as developmental biology, population biology, and population genetics. The notions of species, individuality, and scalar hierarchy are keys to this reconciliation. Conflation of the results and simplifying assumptions of particular discovery operations with the nature of the entities that we search for is a continuing problem in inferential biology. Other problems extend from the fact that scientific discovery operations address sets of entities and sets of interactions, even when the definitions employed by the operations are not rigorous set‐definers, but rather generalized descriptive approximations which summarize similarities among the parts of hierarchically more general entities. As an example, in the discovery methods of phylogenetic systematics, organisms (parts of species) are treated as if they are extensions of a set (the lineage considered as a set), rather than as indefinable parts of a particular (the lineage as a system). This simplifying assumption constitutes treating scalar hierarchies as if they are specification hierarchies and, although this may be necessary for scientific progress, it can lead to over‐reductionism if applied uncritically. We expect all analytical techniques to fail at some frequency in part because the limits and reality of the entities that scientists attempt to discover do not extend from definitions used in discovery operations, For this reason, all operational definitions in systematics must be patched by theoretical (= process) claims to one degree or another to give us a more complete representation of evolutionary history. In our view, ontology is the result of reconciliation of theoretical expectations and lines of operational evidence (both of “direct” observation and logical techniques). This “consilience of inductions” provides a general picture of the world and illuminates the limitations of particular discovery operations. As our understanding of the lawful nature of the universe improves, we are able to refine the definitions used by our discovery operations. Against the backdrop of the payoffs to evolutionary biology, the various definitions of species are most starkly compared. In cases where tokogeny is not inherently hierarchical, the level of organization chosen as the basic unit that maximizes the explanatory power of phylogenetic hypotheses is the level of Evolutionary Species, which is that of largest integrating lineages, rather than the level of individual organisms. Nevertheless, we recognize that our discovery operations rest on observations of organismal characteristics. The Phylogenetic Species Concept is, at best, the operational equivalent of Evolutionary Species, but may identify parts of Evolutionary Species that are only temporarily isolated. The cost of this kind of error is judged to be small compared with the alternative of recognizing paraphyletic “species” on the basis of potential to recombine. Metaphyly, concerns about exclusiveness of lineages as something more than an analytical issue, and “an escape from species” through operationalism are judged to stem from errors of overreduction.

Psychosomatic medicine in the seventies: an overview

The author discusses the theoretical, investigative, clinical, and teaching aspects of psychosomatic medicine in the seventies. Major research and clinical developments are discussed in relation to key theoretical postulates and concepts. The rapidly expanding field of psychosomatic medicine is far more divant than ever before. Its hallmarks include a multifactorial approach to the study of health and disease, formulation of testable hypotheses and their careful validation, concern with the clinical applicability of research, and development of integrative theories. Current advances in the field have far-reaching inplications for medicine, psychiatry, and the behavioral sciences.

Internationale integratie als de vorming van een belangengemeenschap

Comparisons between international integration and integrative processes on lower social levels or in other social sectors have rather been neglected in the recent development of integration theory. However, they might have taught something more about the dynamics of integrative processes in general. International integration here, is compared with the creation and development of multi-purpose or all-purpose interest groups. Both are viewed as dynamic social processes of increasing interdependence and interaction, which start from the recognition that individual interests might better be served by turning them info group-interests, through a process of successive compromises. Such social processes are accompanied by the creation of proper structures and by a shift of loyalty to the group or community-level.