Why Theory?

1. A theory is a deep, principled explanation of phenomena (March & Smith, 1995, p. 253). Theories aim to describe, explain, and enhance understanding of the world and, in some cases, to provide predictions of what will happen in the future and to give a basis for intervention and action (Gregor, 2006, p. 616).
2. Gregor (2002) observes, in the IS field many researchers who use the word ‘theory’ in their work fail to give any explicit definition of their own view of theory.