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Article
Publication date: 11 April 2016

Arthur G. Bedeian

The purpose of this paper is to consider one inaccuracy in the written record of our discipline. That is, how the aphorism “There is nothing as practical as a good theory” came to…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider one inaccuracy in the written record of our discipline. That is, how the aphorism “There is nothing as practical as a good theory” came to be regarded as Kurt Lewin’s signature saying.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary and secondary sources were used in the research.

Findings

By tracing the history of the above-captioned aphorism back through its use by the General Electric Company in the 1920s to Friedrich W. Dörpfeld’s 1873 book Grundlinien einer Theorie des Lehrplans, zunächst der Volks- und Mittelschule, it can confidently be concluded that it did not originate with Lewin.

Practical Implications

Those who study history soon become aware that inaccuracies in the written record are commonplace. Indeed, assuring historical accuracy has been a challenge confronted by historians for centuries.

Originality/value

The widespread acceptance of Lewin as the originator of the referenced aphorism underscores the observation that received knowledge is often wrong. It also provides one more illustration that, whatever their origin, once errors of attribution appear in print, they become diffused and amplified, taking on a life of their own as they are transmitted from generation to generation.

Details

Journal of Management History, vol. 22 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1348

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 16 November 2009

Abstract

Details

Unexplored Dimensions: Karl Mengeron Economics and Philosophy (1923–1938)
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84855-998-1

Article
Publication date: 9 September 2013

Yap Wing Fen and W. Mahmood Mat Yunus

The purpose of this paper is to review the novel application of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in sensing heavy metal ions and the development of SPR to become an alternative…

1073

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the novel application of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in sensing heavy metal ions and the development of SPR to become an alternative heavy metal ions sensor.

Design/methodology/approach

The possible dangerous toxic effects of heavy metal ions are revealed in the short introduction. The existing conventional methods for sensing heavy metal ions and their drawbacks are also discussed. To overcome these drawbacks, SPR has been investigated from the basic principle to the potential alternative in sensing heavy metal ions.

Findings

Application of SPR in sensing heavy metal ions emerged a decade ago. A wide range of active layers or recognition elements (e.g. polymer, protein, nanoparticles) have been developed to combine with SPR. The detection limit, sensitivity and selectivity of SPR sensing in heavy metal ions have been improved from time to time, until the present.

Originality/value

This paper provides up-to-date and systematic information on SPR sensing for heavy metal ions. Different advancements on active layers or recognition molecules have been discussed in detail and arranged in the order of their chronological evolution. The present review may provide researchers with valuable information regarding novel heavy metal ions sensor using SPR and encourage them to take this area for further research and development.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2002

Wolfgang Drechsler

The essay narrates and analyzes Eugen Dühring’s remotion, i.e. the taking away of his status as Privatdozent, and thereby of his right to teach at a university, by the Prussian…

Abstract

The essay narrates and analyzes Eugen Dühring’s remotion, i.e. the taking away of his status as Privatdozent, and thereby of his right to teach at a university, by the Prussian Minister of Culture in 1877. After sketching out the background of the University of Berlin, the institution of Privatdozent, and Dühring himself, first, Dühring’s 1875 clash with Adolph Wagner is described, which put him on “probation”. Then, the 1877 scandal is looked at in detail, and the accusations against Dühring by the Faculty of Philosophy – mainly libel and insult – checked against the facts. It is argued that, while there might have been a point in Dühring’s charge of plagiarism against the physicist Helmholtz regarding the first law of thermodynamics, Dühring was generally guilty as charged, and that his remotion was certainly legal. As far as the legitimacy of this harsh measure is concerned, the case is less clear, but in the end, it is claimed that the remotion was legitimate as well.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 29 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

Keywords

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