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Appraisal of the Theoretical, Contextual and Methodological Elements of Operation Research Society for East Africa (ORSEA) Journal Articles (2011-2017)

Received: 12 August 2020     Accepted: 31 August 2020     Published: 4 November 2020
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Abstract

Indubitably, for operational research journals articles are meant to entail content to do with Operations research models, theories and fields. This provides organisations and companies with best optimization solutions so as to achieve a competitive age among other benefits. This article aimed appraising the content of the ORSEA Journal articles (2011-2017) to deduce the theoretical, philosophical, methodological, and contextual aspects used in operations research. Using a matrix designed specifically for the study, content analysis was applied and utilised in analysing fifty (50) articles. 21 used theories, 14 developed and used models that emanated from theoretical frameworks and 15 articles which had neither theories nor models. 38 articles used quantitative methods, 6 qualitative approach and 6 mixed methods. Findings revealed that the theoretical contributions of the articles in the context of OR in East Africa are questionable; implying that most of the theories derived in other context can be totally adopted in East Africa which is far from the truth. In addition to the above, the over reliance on positivism and deductive approaches dominant in the ORSEA Journal articles can be complimented with more Interpretivism and inductive approaches that might generate mid-range contextual theories and models.

Published in Social Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ss.20200906.11
Page(s) 212-216
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Theoretical, Contextual, Methodological Elements, Operations Research (OR), ORSEA

References
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[2] Barratt, M., Choi, T. Y., & Li, M. (2011). Qualitative case studies in operations management: trends, research outcomes, and future research implications. Journal of Operations Management, 29 (4), 329-342.
[3] Boer, H., Holweg, M., Kilduff, M., Pagell, M., Shmenner, R., & Voss, C. (2015). Making a meaningful contribution to theory. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 35 (9), 1231-1252.
[4] Durbach, I, Scott, L., Nyirenda, J., & Silal, S. (2013). Operational research(ers) in development: growing a new generation of operational researchers. ORiON, 29 (1), 87-102.
[5] Flynn, B. B., Sakakibara, S., Schroeder, R. G., Bates, K., & Flynn, E. J. (1990). Empirical Research Methods in Operations Management. Journal of Operations Management 9 (2), 250-284.
[6] Gioia, D. A. & Pitre, E. (1990). Multiparadigm perspective on theory building. Academy of Management Review, 15 (4), 584-602.
[7] Hitt, M., Xu, K., and Carnes, C. M. (2016). Resource based theory in operations management research. Journal of Operations Management, 41 (3), 77-94.
[8] Kaplan, A. (1964). The Conduct of Inquiry: Methodology for Behavioural Science. Chandler Publishing Company, San Francisco.
[9] Kemp, B. J., &Yousef, D. A. (1995). OR in practice: results of a survey in the United Arab Emirates. European Journal of Operational Research, 80, 25-33.
[10] Kemball-Cook, D., & Wright, D. J. (1981). The search for appropriate OR: a review of operational research in developing countries. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 32, 1024-1037.
[11] Karatas-Cetin, C., & Denktas-Sakar, G. (2013). Logistic research beyond 2000: theory, method and relevance. The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics, 29 (2), 125-144.
[12] Ravn, H. F., & Vidal, R. V. V. (1986). Operational research for developing countries-a case of transfer of technology. Journal of the Operational Society, 37, 205-210.
[13] Schemenner, R. W., Van Wassenhove, L., Ketikivi, M., Heyl, J., and Lusch, R. L. (2009). Too much theory, not enough understanding. Journal of Operations Management, 27 (3), 339-343.
[14] Shmenner, R. W. and Swink, M. L. (1998). On theory in operations management. Journal of Operations Management, 17 (2), 97-113.
[15] Smith, D. K. (2008). A bibliography applications of operational research in West Africa. International Transactions in Operational Research, 15, 121-150.
[16] Van De Ven, A. H. V. (1989). Nothing is quite so practical as a good theory. Academy of Management Review, 14 (4), 486-489.
[17] Walker, H., Chicksand, D., Radnor, Z., & Watson, G. (2015). Theoretical perspectives in operations management: an analysis of the literature. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 35 (8), 1182-1206.
[18] Wacker, J. G. (2004). A theory of formal conceptual definitions: developing theory-building measurement instruments. Journal of Operations Management, 22 (6), 629-650.
[19] White, L., Smith, H., & Currie, C. (2011). OR in developing countries: a review. European Journal of Operational Research, 208 (1), 1-11.
[20] Wu, D., Xie, Y., Dai, Q., & Li, J. (2016). A systematic overview of operations research/management science research in Mainland China: Bibliometric analysis of the period 2001-2013. Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research, 33 (6).
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  • APA Style

    Sumaya Kagoya, Dev Jani, Tinali Gerald Paga. (2020). Appraisal of the Theoretical, Contextual and Methodological Elements of Operation Research Society for East Africa (ORSEA) Journal Articles (2011-2017). Social Sciences, 9(6), 212-216. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20200906.11

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    ACS Style

    Sumaya Kagoya; Dev Jani; Tinali Gerald Paga. Appraisal of the Theoretical, Contextual and Methodological Elements of Operation Research Society for East Africa (ORSEA) Journal Articles (2011-2017). Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(6), 212-216. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20200906.11

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    AMA Style

    Sumaya Kagoya, Dev Jani, Tinali Gerald Paga. Appraisal of the Theoretical, Contextual and Methodological Elements of Operation Research Society for East Africa (ORSEA) Journal Articles (2011-2017). Soc Sci. 2020;9(6):212-216. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20200906.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ss.20200906.11,
      author = {Sumaya Kagoya and Dev Jani and Tinali Gerald Paga},
      title = {Appraisal of the Theoretical, Contextual and Methodological Elements of Operation Research Society for East Africa (ORSEA) Journal Articles (2011-2017)},
      journal = {Social Sciences},
      volume = {9},
      number = {6},
      pages = {212-216},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ss.20200906.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20200906.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ss.20200906.11},
      abstract = {Indubitably, for operational research journals articles are meant to entail content to do with Operations research models, theories and fields. This provides organisations and companies with best optimization solutions so as to achieve a competitive age among other benefits. This article aimed appraising the content of the ORSEA Journal articles (2011-2017) to deduce the theoretical, philosophical, methodological, and contextual aspects used in operations research. Using a matrix designed specifically for the study, content analysis was applied and utilised in analysing fifty (50) articles. 21 used theories, 14 developed and used models that emanated from theoretical frameworks and 15 articles which had neither theories nor models. 38 articles used quantitative methods, 6 qualitative approach and 6 mixed methods. Findings revealed that the theoretical contributions of the articles in the context of OR in East Africa are questionable; implying that most of the theories derived in other context can be totally adopted in East Africa which is far from the truth. In addition to the above, the over reliance on positivism and deductive approaches dominant in the ORSEA Journal articles can be complimented with more Interpretivism and inductive approaches that might generate mid-range contextual theories and models.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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    AU  - Sumaya Kagoya
    AU  - Dev Jani
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    AB  - Indubitably, for operational research journals articles are meant to entail content to do with Operations research models, theories and fields. This provides organisations and companies with best optimization solutions so as to achieve a competitive age among other benefits. This article aimed appraising the content of the ORSEA Journal articles (2011-2017) to deduce the theoretical, philosophical, methodological, and contextual aspects used in operations research. Using a matrix designed specifically for the study, content analysis was applied and utilised in analysing fifty (50) articles. 21 used theories, 14 developed and used models that emanated from theoretical frameworks and 15 articles which had neither theories nor models. 38 articles used quantitative methods, 6 qualitative approach and 6 mixed methods. Findings revealed that the theoretical contributions of the articles in the context of OR in East Africa are questionable; implying that most of the theories derived in other context can be totally adopted in East Africa which is far from the truth. In addition to the above, the over reliance on positivism and deductive approaches dominant in the ORSEA Journal articles can be complimented with more Interpretivism and inductive approaches that might generate mid-range contextual theories and models.
    VL  - 9
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Author Information
  • Department of Applied Computing and IT, Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda

  • Department of Marketing, Business School, University of Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Tanzania

  • Department of General Management, Business School, University of Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Tanzania

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