Combining in Theory Building

Abstract

The objectives of this article strive to describe the idea and rationale of combining i.e. why, when and how to develop theoretically new combined approaches. Then business administration, especially marketing is used as a theoretical and empirical illustrative area. Methodology is inductive and deductive logic and in the empirical examples surveys, case analysis and utilization of secondary data. This article introduce a new promising way, in the long run, to develop new comprehensive approaches and even paradigms for different disciplines, subdisciplines and branches of subdiciplines. Therefore, the ultimate message of the article is to challenge the researchers to put the idea and rationale for combing to the test in their own research field and to build new combined and comprehensive approaches if possible in the field. This message is rather multidisciplinary concerning for example economics, social sciences and political sciences in addition to business administration.