ABSTRACT
This chapter provides thorough explanations of the basic paradigms in the field—positivist, interpretivist, and critical. Detailed explanations of the fundamental branches of metatheory—ontology, epistemology, axiology, and praxeology—are provided by examining simple questions raised by each. Ample diagrams and examples aid the explanation. The chapter also provides analysis of how scholars from each paradigm approach the basic communication-organization relationship in theory and research.
