Ongoing debate surrounds the relative importance of theory and practice within supply chain research. Some contend that strong theory is central to knowledge advancement and its application to practice should be a secondary concern. Others argue that emphasizing theory moves the field away from its applied roots and the concerns of managers. We transcend this debate by proposing that theory and practice are separate dimensions rather than opposing concerns. Research projects can thus be strong in terms of both theory and practice, weak on both, or strong on one and weak on the other. We propose that placement within the first category requires scholars to devise research that is AIM—actionable (i.e., it provides a basis for making changes), insightful (it provides new ideas on important issues), and measurable (its effects can be quantitatively assessed). The impact of such research is magnified or dampened by the degree to which scholars achieve theoretical contextualization (i.e., adjusting the theory to reflect the setting under investigation) and theoretical calibration (i.e., alignment between theory and methods). Because “AIMing high” can deliver strong value for both scholars and managers, we encourage scholars, editors, and reviewers to embrace it in the development and evaluation of research.

中文翻译：

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将AIM放在理论和务实的影响上：呼吁进行可行，有见地和可衡量的研究

持续的辩论围绕着理论和实践在供应链研究中的相对重要性。有人认为，强大的理论是知识发展的核心，其在实践中的应用应该是次要的。其他人则认为，强调理论会使该领域脱离其应用根源和管理者的关注。我们通过提出理论和实践是分开的维度而不是对立的关注来超越这场辩论。因此，研究项目无论是在理论上还是在实践上都可以是强项，两者都可以是弱项，或者两者都可以强项。我们建议，将第一类人员放置在位，要求学者们设计出针对AIM的研究-可行（即，它为做出改变提供了基础），有见地（它为重要问题提供了新的想法），并且是可衡量的（可以量化评估其影响）。学者实现理论语境化（即调整理论以反映所研究的背景）和理论标定（即理论与方法之间的一致性）的程度会放大或削弱这种研究的影响。因为“志存高远”可以为学者和管理者带来巨大的价值，所以我们鼓励学者，编辑和审稿人将其纳入研究的发展和评估中。