Step 2: Defining the Propositions of the Theory

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D.I.K. Sjøberg et al.
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Defining new propositions among existing or new constructs in a theory to better account for the phenomena that are the focus of the theory.
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Deleting propositions among the constructs of an existing theory to provide a more parsimonious account of the phenomena that are the focus of the theory.
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Adding and deleting propositions among the constructs of an existing theory to provide a different, and hopefully better, account of the phenomena that are the focus of the theory.
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Define the propositions in an existing theory more precisely or conceptualize them in somewhat different ways, for example, by specifying the functional form of a proposition previously conceived as a simple association between two constructs.
4.1.3. Step 3: Providing Explanations to Justify the Theory
The third step of the theory-building process, providing explanations – the why
– of the theory, is probably the most challenging. The core issue of this step is to provide explicit assumptions and logical justifications for the constructs and propositions of the theory. In the context of this third step, there are five ways in which we might seek to make a theoretical contribution:
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Explicitly stating the assumptions of the conceptual underpinnings of the constructs and propositions of the theory.
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Challenging or extending existing knowledge of the constructs and propositions of the theory.
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Borrowing perspectives from other disciplines to explain the constructs and propositions of the theory.
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Providing logical justifications based on interpretations of an empirical study.
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Providing logical justifications based on interpretations of a synthesis of all prior empirical evidence within the scope of the theory. Such synthesis, which possibly includes replicated studies, might also expand the scope of a theory:
Methodological authorities generally regard replication, or what is also referred to as repeating a study to be a crucial aspect of the scientific method. … Heavily differentiated replication leads to extensions of the scope of the result and hence its subsequent practical applicability, that is, to other firms, other industries, different types of executives, other years, or whatever. … Varying the conditions between different replications not only extends the scope of the generalization and determines its limits, but also tells us about some of the factors that door do not, affect the result causally.
(Lindsay and Ehrenberg, 1993)

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