Contracting Principles: A Conceptual Framework for Their Identification and Validation.

This thesis addresses the process by which scientific principles of contracting can be identified and validated. This process is developed within a conceptual framework which considers the morphology and functionality of laws and principles the conduct of inquiry in the context of a generally-accepted scientific approach and a number of a fruitful research design methodologies having the capacity to expose and facilitate analysis of elemental aspects of law-like propositions. The validation process, once developed, is demonstrated to be applicable to testing hypotheses dealing with contracting phenomena. The writer concludes that contracting principles can be articulated and scientifically validated. Research in this area will support establishing contracting as a science. Keywords Theses Contract administration.