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A Primer in Theory Construction is for those who have already studied one or more of the social, behavioral, or natural sciences, but have no formal introduction to the way theories are constructed, stated, tested, and connected together to form a scientific body of knowledge. The author discusses scientific theories in general terms, but also addresses the special challenges of developing scientific knowledge about social and human phenomena.This Allyn and Bacon Classics Edition contains the complete text of the original copyright 1971 version, with new typography and page design

Explores entrepreneurial dynamics, providing an analysis of the trends in US entrepreneurial activity. Based on the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, this work examines participation in new firm creation and differences in regional firm creation activity. It also tracks the success or failure of entrepreneurs

Essential portions of a report prepared for UNESCO are presented. Reactions by social scientists to dilemmas related to the risks & benefits of research have resulted in 'the applied professional model' which consists of an explicit set of codes & penalties for noncompliance. A survey of over 300 national associations of anthropologists, economists, political scientists, psychiatrists, psychologists, & sociologists obtained from international associations was undertaken in 1973 & 1974. 24 responded with codes of ethics, & a composite code was developed by listing all unique statements relating to the conduct of research. The same was done for problems associated with the use of scientific findings, based on the 5 codes of the 24 which included such provisions. Both sets of principles are presented. Little attention was given to sanctions, which limits the use of the applied professional model as an appropriate control model. Some of the problems associated with the model stem from innate differences between applied professionals & scientific investigators. As an alternative, a research protocol-licensed investigator procedure is proposed, which concludes Part I of the report. Part II discusses 3 interrelated issues: (1) different ways in which mankind may not realize benefits from scientific knowledge or in some way be harmed by it, (2) the scientist's responsibility for benefits foregone or harm produced, & (3) the ability of scientists to apply control mechanisms to minimize benefits foregone or harm when scientific knowledge is applied to specific situations. Part III discusses the interrelationships between the scientific enterprise & societal decision-makers. Both structural relationships & values are included, with some emphasis on matters arising from incongruence between political values of scientific investigators & decision-makers. 1 Table, 1 Appendix. J. N. Mayer.

A modern liberal is accustomed to placing a high value on the rights of the individual & the advancement of knowledge. A major conflict between these values occurs when the advancement of knowledge may infringe upon the rights of the individual. This paper explores 2 important issues: (1) the impact on the individual of participating in res, & (2) the impact on sci'fic advancement of procedures for controlling res activities. A reasonable balance seems to be achieved when res'ers are allowed to study soc & human phenomena free from external control when their res procedures are considered "safe" for the participants. If the res procedure is expected to include the risk of "undesireable effects" (such as a permanent change in personality, extremely high levels of tensions or anxiety, or public embarrassment) for the participants, then the procedure should be subjected to some type of collegial review, whether sponsored by a res org, educ'al instit, or professional society. The greater the risk of "undesireable effects," the greater the importance of evaluating the benefits of the res, to sci & society, with regards to the potential "costs" to the participants. Such "cost/benefit" analysis should not be undertaken for routine, "safe" res procedure. Unless soc sci'ts are willing to govern themselves with respect to the treatment of human subjects, they will probably be controlled by society. Unfortunately, societies tend to handle the problem by outright prohibition, such as the current laws prohibiting the study of real juries. The professional societies can serve their members by (a) taking an active role in developing res & review procedures that will protect research participants & the sci'fic process, & (b) ensuring that members follow such procedures or risk expulsion from the society. AA.

Combining insights from organizational ecology and social network theory, we examine how the structure of relations among organizational populations affects differences in rates of foundings across geographic locales. We hypothesize that symbiotic and commensalistic interpopulation relations function as channels of information about entrepreneurial opportunities and that differing access to such information influences the founding rate. Empirical analyses of U.S. instruments manufacturers support this argument. The founding rate of instruments manufacturers rises with the densities of organizational populations that have symbiotic and commensalistic relationships with instruments manufacturers. These factors encourage the initial foundings of instruments manufacturers in areas where such organizations were not previously found. The dominance of organizational populations tied to instruments manufacturing by symbiotic or commensalistic relations increases the rate of foundings of instruments manufacturers, whereas the dominance of organizational populations that lack these relations decreases it. Finally, we find that interpopulation relationships that hinge on direct contact have less impact on initial foundings as geographic distance increases. These results have implications for research on organizational ecology, entrepreneurship, urban sociology, and economic geography.