A note on academic theory types in the context of doing MBA and Housing Studies dissertation projects

A note on academic theory types in the context of doing MBA and Housing Studies dissertation projects (information from perplexity.ai)

My question 1: "In the context of doing MBA and Housing Studies dissertation projects, what are the main types of academic theories? And which types of theories are favoured by positivism, which by interpretivism, which by pragmatism and which by critical realism? Please provide a few illustrative examples to clarify your ideas a bit."

The reply: "Social science theories used in MBA and Housing Studies dissertations can be grouped into a few main “types” (e.g. grand vs middle‑range vs substantive; explanatory vs interpretive vs normative vs design). Different research philosophies tend to favour different types and uses of theory, although in practice there is overlap and mixing, especially in applied fields like management and housing.

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Main types of theory

A useful way to think about “types” for dissertation work is along two intersecting dimensions: level of abstraction and primary purpose.

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• By level of abstraction.

  • Grand theories: very broad, abstract lenses that speak about society or human behaviour in general (e.g. conflict theory, functionalism, critical theory).
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  • Middle‑range theories: more specific, empirically usable theories focused on particular phenomena (e.g. contact theory, institutional theory, social capital theory).
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  • Substantive or micro‑level theories: tailored to a specific context or group, often generated in grounded theory or case study work for a particular setting (e.g. a grounded theory of “tenant coping strategies in subdivided flats in Hong Kong”).
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• By primary purpose/function.

  • Explanatory/predictive theories: specify variables and causal relations to explain and sometimes predict outcomes (e.g. Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour, Technology Acceptance Model, housing demand models).
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  • Interpretive/meaning‑centred theories: focus on understanding how actors make sense of their world (e.g. phenomenology, symbolic interactionism, sensemaking theories).
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  • Normative/critical theories: interrogate power, inequality and “what ought to be” (e.g. Marxist urban theory, Lefebvre’s right to the city, feminist housing critiques).
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  • Design/evaluative theories: used to design and assess interventions or programmes (e.g. Pawson & Tilley’s realist evaluation; programme theory in policy evaluation).
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For MBA and Housing Studies dissertations, middle‑range, explanatory, interpretive and design/evaluative theories are usually the most operationally useful, with occasional support from grand or critical theories for framing.

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Positivism and theory types

Positivism assumes an objective reality that can be observed, measured and modelled using law‑like generalisations.

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• Favoured theory types.

  • Explanatory/predictive theories with clearly specified variables and causal relationships (often tested using quantitative methods and hypothesis testing).
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  • Middle‑range theories that can be operationalised into measurable constructs (e.g. satisfaction, intention, affordability) and subjected to statistical testing or modelling.
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• Illustrative MBA/Housing examples.

  • MBA dissertation: Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) or Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to predict employees’ adoption of an AI‑based service tool, tested through regression or structural equation modelling.
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  • Housing Studies dissertation: Applying a housing affordability model that links income, rent‑to‑income ratio, and housing quality to predict tenure choice (public rental, subsidised ownership, private rental), analysed via logistic regression.
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In both cases, theory functions as a testable explanatory model, and success is judged by predictive and explanatory power (e.g. variance explained, goodness‑of‑fit).

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Interpretivism and theory types

Interpretivism emphasises multiple, socially constructed realities and seeks in‑depth understanding of meanings rather than law‑like prediction.

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• Favoured theory types.

  • Substantive/context‑specific theories generated from the field, such as grounded theories of a particular group’s experiences.
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  • Interpretive/phenomenological and symbolic‑interactionist theories that explore lived experience, identity, and meaning‑making.
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• Illustrative MBA/Housing examples.

  • MBA dissertation: Using interpretive phenomenology to explore how frontline staff in Hong Kong service firms experience digital surveillance in their daily work, generating a substantive theory of “being watched at work” and its impact on professional identity.
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  • Housing Studies dissertation: Employing constructivist grounded theory to build a theory of “home” among residents of subdivided units, focusing on how they narrate safety, dignity and belonging in a precarious housing environment.
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In interpretivism, theory is typically emergent, often more narrative and conceptual than variable‑based, and tightly bound to context and participants’ perspectives.

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Pragmatism and theory types

Pragmatism focuses on what works for addressing a practical problem, treating theories as tools rather than final truths.

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• Favoured theory types.

  • Middle‑range and design/evaluative theories that can guide action and decision‑making, especially in mixed methods designs.
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  • Hybrid explanatory‑interpretive frameworks that flexibly combine constructs and meanings to inform interventions (e.g. service innovation models plus customer experience theories).
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• Illustrative MBA/Housing examples.

  • MBA dissertation: Mixing Service‑Dominant Logic (to frame value co‑creation) with the Technology Acceptance Model (to model usage) and customer journey mapping, in order to improve AI‑enabled music streaming services in Hong Kong.
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  • Housing Studies dissertation: Combining behavioural insights (e.g. nudge theory) with stakeholder engagement concepts to design and evaluate a new communication strategy for a public housing redevelopment project, using both surveys and focus groups.
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For pragmatism, theories are chosen and adapted for their usefulness in solving the research problem and informing practical recommendations, rather than for strict alignment with a single ontological position.

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Critical realism and theory types

Critical realism posits a stratified reality (empirical experiences, actual events, real underlying mechanisms) and seeks to explain how deep structures and mechanisms generate observable patterns.

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• Favoured theory types.

  • Explanatory theories that focus on causal mechanisms rather than mere correlations (e.g. morphogenetic theory, realist evaluation frameworks).
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  • Middle‑range, mechanism‑based and design/evaluative theories like Pawson and Tilley’s realist evaluation, which explicitly link context, mechanism and outcome (CMO) configurations.
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• Illustrative MBA/Housing examples.

  • MBA dissertation: Using Archer’s morphogenetic cycle (structure–culture–agency) to explain how organisational culture and management structures condition employees’ responses to a new performance management system over time.
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  • Housing Studies dissertation: Applying realist evaluation to a rehousing policy, theorising how particular mechanisms (e.g. perceptions of fairness, trust in the housing authority) operate in specific contexts (e.g. long‑term estate communities) to produce outcomes such as acceptance, resistance or hidden non‑compliance.
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Under critical realism, theory is used retroducitvely to move from observed patterns back to hypothesised underlying mechanisms and then iteratively refined, often combining structural, agency and meaning‑focused elements in one laminated framework."

My question 2: "Recommend 3 useful literature review practices by part-time MBA and Housing Studies students on finding and evaluating academic theories."

The reply: "Part-time MBA and Housing Studies students benefit from targeted literature review practices that emphasise efficiency, relevance to applied topics like policy or strategy, and theory synthesis under tight timelines. These practices focus on finding theories via systematic searches and evaluating them for fit to research gaps.

Targeted database searches

Use field‑specific academic databases with keyword combinations tailored to MBA (e.g. business strategy, service innovation) or Housing Studies (e.g. urban redevelopment, affordability models) themes.

• Prioritise Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO Business Source Complete, and ProQuest for dissertations, filtering by recency (last 10–15 years) and citations (>50) to quickly identify seminal middle‑range theories.

• Employ Boolean searches like "institutional theory" AND "Hong Kong housing policy" OR "public rental", then snowball via reference lists and "cited by" links to uncover 3–5 core theories efficiently.

• Limit to 75–100 sources for a 4‑month part‑time project, applying inclusion criteria like peer‑reviewed journals and exclusion for non‑empirical pieces.

This practice suits part‑time constraints by yielding high‑quality theories fast without exhaustive coverage.

Thematic grouping and synthesis

Organise theories thematically (e.g. by explanatory, interpretive, or mechanism‑based functions) rather than chronologically or alphabetically to reveal connections and gaps.

• Group into themes like "structural factors in housing markets" or "stakeholder dynamics in MBA strategy", comparing how theories (e.g. resource‑based view vs. institutional theory) overlap or conflict.

• Synthesise by creating matrices or diagrams showing variables, assumptions, and empirical support, then critique for applicability to Asian/HK contexts.

• Highlight gaps where theories fail to address your problem (e.g. Western biases in housing regime typologies), justifying your tailored framework.

Thematic synthesis transforms description into critical argument, essential for dissertation chapters.

Critical evaluation of theory quality

Assess theories for methodological rigour, explanatory power, and contextual fit using structured checklists.

• Evaluate credibility: Check sample sizes, methods (e.g. quantitative testing vs. qualitative grounding), and generalisability, noting strengths/weaknesses.

• Test relevance: Ask if the theory's constructs map to your variables (e.g. does sensemaking theory explain tenant resistance in rehousing?) and supports mixed methods under pragmatism.

• Prioritise theories with empirical validation in similar settings, critiquing limitations like cultural transferability for HK housing or MBA applications.

This ensures selected theories strengthen your framework's originality and feasibility."

A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.