Theory, Constructs and Variables

Dr. Sasmita Mishra

Constructs
A concept/construct is a generalized idea about a
class of objects, attributes, occurrences, or
processes that has been given a name.
Supervisory behaviour, risk aversion
(Phenomena), leadership, productivity, morale.
Constructs are mental abstractions that we use to
express the ideas, people, organizations, events,
or objects that we are interested in.

Constructs
Types of constructs Examples
Ideas

Ageism, sexism, racism, self-esteem, poverty, social capital, trust,

philanthropy, affluence, morality, tolerance, air pollution, genetic
engineering, euthanasia, marriage, taboos

People

Age, gender, ethnicity, height, obesity, morbidity, energy, muscle

soreness, fatigue

Organisations

Financial performance, corporate social responsibility, firm survival,

organisational culture, service quality, corporate governance,
outsourcing, alliances

Events

Famine, urban regeneration, Jihad, secularism

Objects/Things

Sun, hurricanes, tsunamis, trees, flowers, amino acids, stem cells

Meanings of construct
The meaning we are trying to convey

Construct

Prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of a person's age

Ageism

The problem of obesity - the state of being grossly fat or overweight - among
Child obesity
children
The formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by
which they become husband and wife

Marriage

Extreme scarcity of food

Famine

The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful

disease or in an irreversible coma

Euthanasia

A long, high sea wave caused by an earthquake or other disturbance

Tsunami

Variables
Anything that changes from one instance to another, can exist
differences in values, usually in magnitude or strength or in
direction
We use variables to operationalize (i.e., measure)
the constructs we are interested in
Constructs can be represented by a wide range of variables.
For example, happiness could be associated with love,
financial security, cigarettes, puppies, a song, ice cream, and
so on

Propositions & Hypotheses

Propositions are statements concerned with the
relationship among concepts.
Ex: treating employees better will make them
more loyal employees
Hypothesis is a formal statement explaining some
outcome.
Ex: Employees getting appreciation will be more
loyal than the control group.
Ex: Increasing retirement benefits will reduce
intention to leave the organisation.

Empirical testing
Examining a research hypothesis against
reality using data.
Variables: Anything that may assume different
numerical values; the empirical assessment of
the concept.

Operationalising variables
The
process
of
identifying
actual
measurement scales to assess the variables.
Employee retention/turnover intention
SA
I am proud of the work that I do
I get carried away when I am working
I think a lot about leaving this organization
I am actively searching for an acceptable
alternative to this organization
When I can, I will leave the organization

SD

Find out the constructs and variables

An investigation of the consumer decision-making
process for organic food products and to segment
the market according to the market size
A study on leadership and employee
empowerment
Do generation gap exists in employee
motivation?
Pygmalion effect: An issue for business education
and ethics
Effect of advertising on consumer buying
behaviour of cosmetic products

Reading Assignment
Text book-ps. 73-82