Week 7: Management as a Science

Question 1

Anderson (1983)

Answer 1

Science → Knowledge Development…. Management → Profit Maximisation. They differ in their ultimate goals → management will never be scientific

Question 2

Popper (1972)

Answer 2

Being empirically substantiated does not make something true → only true until falsified. If its not falsifiable that it is not scientific. Hard for mgmt. to fall into this since many theories exist in form of frameworks/mental structures – not laws

Question 2

Scientific revolutions/paradigm shifts make old theories antecedent (non-cumulative). In between the shifts, science progress normally (cumulative). Management mainly cumulative as hard to disprove something altogether (not really falsifiable) → so everything is cumulative, e.g. Sci. Man. is still relevant today in service sector

Answer 2

Kuhn (1962)

Question 3

Being empirically substantiated does not make something true → only true until falsified. If its not falsifiable that it is not scientific. Hard for mgmt. to fall into this since many theories exist in form of frameworks/mental structures – not laws

Answer 3

Popper (1972)

Question 4

Ackoff (1979):

Answer 4

‘The optimal solution of a model is not the optimal solution of a problem unless the model is a perfect representation of the problem, which it never is’ Management science cant work → cultural/social/political/cultural issues will always affect it!

Question 4

Kuhn (1962)

Answer 4

Scientific revolutions/paradigm shifts make old theories antecedent (non-cumulative). In between the shifts, science progress normally (cumulative). Management mainly cumulative as hard to disprove something altogether (not really falsifiable) → so everything is cumulative, e.g. Sci. Man. is still relevant today in service sector

Question 5

Theories limited by communities in which social scientists reside → sciences must be free of cultural/societal constraints. Not the case in management

Answer 5

Reed and Alexander (2009):

Question 6

Empirical base is fragmented → will always be disagreement – not subject to same rigorous testing in traditional sciences

Answer 6

Hubbard et al. (1998):

Question 8

Hubbard et al. (1998):

Answer 8

Empirical base is fragmented → will always be disagreement – not subject to same rigorous testing in traditional sciences

Question 10

‘The optimal solution of a model is not the optimal solution of a problem unless the model is a perfect representation of the problem, which it never is’ Management science cant work → cultural/social/political/cultural issues will always affect it!

Answer 10

Ackoff (1979):

Question 11

Science → Knowledge Development…. Management → Profit Maximisation. They differ in their ultimate goals → management will never be scientific

Answer 11

Anderson (1983)

Question 12

Reed and Alexander (2009):

Answer 12

Theories limited by communities in which social scientists reside → sciences must be free of cultural/societal constraints. Not the case in management

Question 13

Being quantitative does not make something scientific → no way of knowing if you’ve included all relevant information

Answer 13

Hayek (1989)

Question 14

Hayek (1989)

Answer 14

Being quantitative does not make something scientific → no way of knowing if you’ve included all relevant information