Critical realism and constructivism in strategy research: toward a synthesis

We agree with Kwan and Tsang (2001) that critical realism represents an important point of epistemological departure from mainstream realism, and that it has the potential to inform strategy research. To that end, Kwan and Tsang's argument for a critical realist perspective is valid. There however exist substantial nontrivial differences between constructivism and critical realism. While critical realism contests some of the default assumptions of empiricism and realism which treat social systems as closed systems, it is still predicated upon an inherent order of things that is graspable by research. Constructivism instead focuses on the manner in which researchers constitute theories in the act of describing them. This important distinction makes constructivism far more of a departure from empiricism than critical realism, and therefore it has a different set of implications for strategy research. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using participatory rural appraisal and participatory research and extension in a post-independence environment: a case from East Timor

A participatory rural appraisal (PRA) conducted in East Timor in 2004 as part of an agricultural development project provided the basis for a number of community-based participatory extension initiatives. The PRA involved several communities throughout a watershed and also served as a training exercise for local agriculture ministry staff. Despite the poverty of many of the communities involved, and in contrast to published literature on the local agricultural situation, farmers clearly expressed their need for more marketable crops and alternative sources of livelihoods. Their desires contrasted with the project's initial assumption that the major need was for increased production of staple crops to alleviate food scarcity. The project consequently branched out from concentrating on basic agronomy of staple crops into developing marketable crops, improving livestock production and facilitating development of a local business. Farmers' groups were set up to allow farmers to develop their own agricultural enterprises. Some ministry staff who participated in the project welcomed the opportunity to move from the traditional authoritarian extension system set up under Indonesian colonial rule to a more collegial and educational system. The breakdown of institutions and lines of authority following independence may create new opportunities for participatory development in newly independent states.     

An examination of performance evaluation decisions in CPA firm subunits

This study examined performance evaluation decisions made by members of the audit, tax, and management services subunits of a large CPA firm. Utilizing a methodology developed in the clinical judgement area of psychology, it was found that individuals differ significantly in terms of what they believe to be proper overall evaluations of performance. These differences appear to be due to evaluation policy differences rather than inconsistent application of individual evaluation policies.It was hypothesized that the evaluation processes in the three subunits would differ significantly. This follows from the unique task environment faced by each subunit. In comparing the members of the audit, tax, and management services subunits, no differences in terms of consistency or self-insight were found. However, there were differences in terms of agreement on overall evaluations and in terms of the importance attached to various performance evaluation categories.     

Transforming South Africa's cities: Prospects for the economic development of urban townships

This article identifies and evaluates the range of strategies being used to generate economic activity close to and within townships, focusing on the three metropolitan areas of Gauteng, the Durban Functional Region and metropolitan Cape Town. After placing townships in the context of the larger city and the overall strategy of local economic development, the article examines the various types of strategies that have been proposed to stimulate and support economic activity: the currently dominant spatial strategies, the provision of services infrastructure, the development of economic infrastructure, small business support services, and public works.     

The need for more appropriate forms of urban management: The case of land use controls and home businesses

The problems which confront urban management in South Africa are likely to change significantly in the near future, as we are faced with cities here which compare far more closely to Third World cities elsewhere. This article focuses on one aspect of urban management, that of land use control and the management of home businesses, to demonstrate the nature of the problems emerging in our cities and the demands which these will place on the urban administrative systems. Drawing on a survey of home businesses in six residential areas in Cape Town, the article argues that present systems of land use control have broken down in both wealthier and poorer areas. However, the widespread (and unexpected) support for home businesses in these areas suggests that a more flexible approach to land use control, and a higher degree of use mix, will gain public acceptance. Some basic principles are put forward to inform a different approach to land use control.     

An additional approach for interpretation of multiple discriminant analysis in business research

Several useful approaches for interpreting multiple discriminant analysis (MDA), including graph plots, have recently been illustrated for business researchers. This article proposes and illustrates an extension of the traditional plotting procedures in MDA that allows the depiction of both group overlaps and differences among groups. We also discuss several other interpretational approaches in MDA.     

Kalman filtering as an alternative to Ordinary Least Squares — Some theoretical considerations and empirical results

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the superiority of the Kalman filter over Ordinary Least Squares for estimating the unknown coefficients of the classical linear regression model. Both methods are analyzed with respect to their optimality properties and their usefulness in dealing with multicollinearity. Theoretical results are applied to two economic models.