TDD Dynamics: Understanding the Impact of Test-Driven Development on Software Quality and Productivity

Test-Driven Development (TDD) is one of the cornerstone practices of the Extreme Programming agile methodology. Today, despite the large scale adoption of TDD in industry, including large software firms such as Microsoft and IBM, its usefulness with regard to the quality and productivity constructs it still under question. Empirical Research has failed to produce conclusive results; all possible results have been reported for both constructs. This research adopts non-empirical measures to gain a deeper understanding of TDD. A two-phased approach has been undertaken towards the goal. The first phase involves conducting a meta-analysis of past empirical research. The meta-analysis quantitatively combines the results of individual empirical studies and identifies moderator variables that could potentially govern the performance of TDD. The second phase of the approach involves the construction of a simulation model of a TDD-based development process. The presented model further analyzes the impact of changes in moderator variables.

Research on capital structure determinants: a review and future directions

International Journal of Managerial Finance ◽

10.1108/ijmf-09-2014-0135 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 106-132 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Satish Kumar ◽

Sisira Colombage ◽

Purnima Rao

Keyword(s):

Capital Structure ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Theoretical Models ◽

Order Theory ◽

Organizational Level ◽

Future Research ◽

Content Type ◽

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the status of studies on capital structure determinants in the past 40 years. This paper highlights the major gaps in the literature on determinants of capital structure and also aims to raise specific questions for future research. Design/methodology/approach The prominence of research is assessed by studying the year of publication and region, level of economic development, firm size, data collection methods, data analysis techniques and theoretical models of capital structure from the selected papers. The review is based on 167 papers published from 1972 to 2013 in various peer-reviewed journals. The relationship of determinants of capital structure is analyzed with the help of meta-analysis. Findings Major findings show an increase of interest in research on determinants of capital structure of the firms located in emerging markets. However, it is observed that these regions are still under-examined which provides more scope for research both empirical and survey-based studies. Majority of research studies are conducted on large-sized firms by using secondary data and regression-based models for the analysis, whereas studies on small-sized firms are very meager. As majority of the research papers are written only at the organizational level, the impact of leverage on various industries is yet to be examined. The review highlights the major determinants of capital structure and their relationship with leverage. It also reveals the dominance of pecking order theory in explaining capital structure of firms theoretically as well as statistically. Originality/value The paper covers a considerable period of time (1972-2013). Among very few review papers on capital structure research, to the best of authors’ knowledge; this is the first review to identify what is missing in the literature on the determinants of capital structure while offering recommendations for future studies. It also synthesize the findings of empirical studies on determinants of capital structure statistically.

Corporate social responsibility and SME performance: a meta-analysis

Marketing Intelligence & Planning ◽

10.1108/mip-05-2021-0145 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Stephen Oduro ◽

Kot David Adhal Nguar ◽

Alessandro De Nisco ◽

Rami Hashem E. Alharthi ◽

Guglielmo Maccario ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Corporate Social Responsibility ◽

Social Responsibility ◽

Financial Performance ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Content Type ◽

Analytic Review ◽

Managerial Implications ◽

Corporate Social ◽

PurposeThis study aims to draw on instrumental and ethical theories to offer a quantitative review of the extant literature on the corporate social responsibility (CSR)–small-medium enterprises (SMEs) performance relationship through a meta-analysis.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical studies from 57 independent peer-reviewed articles, including 66,741 firms, were sampled and analysed. Both subgroup and meta-regression analyses (MARA) were used to test the hypotheses of the study.FindingsThe authors' results demonstrated that social-oriented, economic-oriented and environment-oriented CSR activities have a positive, significant influence on overall, financial and non-financial performance of SMEs; however, the effect of social-oriented CSR activities is the strongest. Moreover, the impact CSR dimensions have on non-financial performance is stronger than on financial performance. Additionally, findings showed that the association between CSR and SME performance is positively and significantly influenced by contextual factors (i.e. sector and region of study) and methodological factors (i.e. performance measurement, study type, theory usage, sampling size and operationalisation of constructs).Originality/valueThe study is the pioneering meta-analytic review on the CSR–SME performance relationship, thereby clarifying the anecdotal results, synthesising the fragmented empirical studies and exploring the contextual and methodological factors that may account for between-study variance. Following the study's findings, the authors delineate insightful suggestions for future scholarship and fine-grained managerial implications for practitioners.

The Association between COMT Val158Met Polymorphism and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Risk: A Meta-Analysis

Neuropsychobiology ◽

10.1159/000514076 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Mi Su ◽

Yongyan Song

Keyword(s):

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Stress ◽

Large Scale ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Val158met Polymorphism ◽

Post Traumatic ◽

Background: Genetic factors were suggested to have influence on the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The possible association between catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism and PTSD has been evaluated in several studies. But the results were still controversial. Therefore, we conduct this meta-analysis to address these issues. Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched for eligible studies. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to estimate the association between COMT Val158Met polymorphism and PTSD. Results: Five articles including 6 studies with 893 cases and 968 controls were finally included in the present meta-analysis. The pooled analyses did not demonstrate a significant association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and PTSD in any of the selected genetic models: allele model (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.97–1.31), dominant model (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.93–1.46), recessive model (OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 0.78–2.66), and additive model (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 0.85–2.80). Subgroup analyses suggested that the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium status of genotype distributions could influence the relationship of COMT Val158Met polymorphism and PTSD. Conclusions: The present meta-analysis suggested that the COMT Val158Met polymorphism may not be associated with the PTSD risk. Further large-scale and population-representative studies are warranted to evaluate the impact of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism on the risk of PTSD.

Visions and Directions

10.4018/978-1-59904-549-8.ch022 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 297-312

Author(s):

Meliha Handzic

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Management ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Systematic Approach ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Complete Picture ◽

Research And Practice ◽

Management Concepts ◽

The Impact ◽

The book starts with an introduction to theoretical foundations of knowledge management concepts, proceeds with a series of empirical studies on the role of technology in knowledge management, followed by studies of socially orientated knowledge management solutions. The book ends with the discussion of major issues and challenges for knowledge management research and practice. With its integrated and systematic approach, the book makes a small but important step in helping individuals and organisations to get an objective and complete picture of the role of social and technical initiatives in knowledge management based on formal and sound empirical research. More importantly, the book shows that the impact of various initiatives is highly contingent upon the context in which the knowledge is generated, transferred, and used. This may help managers to choose more suitable solutions to turn their intangible assets into tangible outcomes.

Incentives and Rewards

10.4018/978-1-59904-549-8.ch018 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 233-244

Author(s):

Meliha Handzic

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Management ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Systematic Approach ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Complete Picture ◽

Research And Practice ◽

Management Concepts ◽

The Impact ◽

The book starts with an introduction to theoretical foundations of knowledge management concepts, proceeds with a series of empirical studies on the role of technology in knowledge management, followed by studies of socially orientated knowledge management solutions. The book ends with the discussion of major issues and challenges for knowledge management research and practice. With its integrated and systematic approach, the book makes a small but important step in helping individuals and organisations to get an objective and complete picture of the role of social and technical initiatives in knowledge management based on formal and sound empirical research. More importantly, the book shows that the impact of various initiatives is highly contingent upon the context in which the knowledge is generated, transferred, and used. This may help managers to choose more suitable solutions to turn their intangible assets into tangible outcomes.

Mode of Socialisation

10.4018/978-1-59904-549-8.ch016 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 208-220

Author(s):

Meliha Handzic

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Management ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Systematic Approach ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Complete Picture ◽

Research And Practice ◽

Management Concepts ◽

The Impact ◽

The book starts with an introduction to theoretical foundations of knowledge management concepts, proceeds with a series of empirical studies on the role of technology in knowledge management, followed by studies of socially orientated knowledge management solutions. The book ends with the discussion of major issues and challenges for knowledge management research and practice. With its integrated and systematic approach, the book makes a small but important step in helping individuals and organisations to get an objective and complete picture of the role of social and technical initiatives in knowledge management based on formal and sound empirical research. More importantly, the book shows that the impact of various initiatives is highly contingent upon the context in which the knowledge is generated, transferred, and used. This may help managers to choose more suitable solutions to turn their intangible assets into tangible outcomes.

E-Learning Portal

10.4018/978-1-59904-549-8.ch009 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 107-118

Author(s):

Meliha Handzic

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Management ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Complete Picture ◽

Research And Practice ◽

Management Concepts ◽

E Learning ◽

The Impact ◽

The book starts with an introduction to theoretical foundations of knowledge management concepts, proceeds with a series of empirical studies on the role of technology in knowledge management, followed by studies of socially orientated knowledge management solutions. The book ends with the discussion of major issues and challenges for knowledge management research and practice. With its integrated and systematic approach, the book makes a small but important step in helping individuals and organisations to get an objective and complete picture of the role of social and technical initiatives in knowledge management based on formal and sound empirical research. More importantly, the book shows that the impact of various initiatives is highly contingent upon the context in which the knowledge is generated, transferred, and used. This may help managers to choose more suitable solutions to turn their intangible assets into tangible outcomes.

Electronic Brainstorming

10.4018/978-1-59904-549-8.ch004 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 47-57

Author(s):

Meliha Handzic

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Management ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Systematic Approach ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Complete Picture ◽

Research And Practice ◽

Management Concepts ◽

The Impact ◽

The book starts with an introduction to theoretical foundations of knowledge management concepts, proceeds with a series of empirical studies on the role of technology in knowledge management, followed by studies of socially orientated knowledge management solutions. The book ends with the discussion of major issues and challenges for knowledge management research and practice. With its integrated and systematic approach, the book makes a small but important step in helping individuals and organisations to get an objective and complete picture of the role of social and technical initiatives in knowledge management based on formal and sound empirical research. More importantly, the book shows that the impact of various initiatives is highly contingent upon the context in which the knowledge is generated, transferred, and used. This may help managers to choose more suitable solutions to turn their intangible assets into tangible outcomes.

Enhancing Occupational Performance through Occupationally Embedded Exercise: A Meta-Analytic Review

The Occupational Therapy Journal of Research ◽

10.1177/153944929701700102 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 25-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Keh-Chung Lin ◽

Ching-Yi Wu ◽

Linda Tickle-Degnen ◽

Wendy Coster

Keyword(s):

Occupational Therapy ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Occupational Performance ◽

Nelson Model ◽

Theoretical Inquiry ◽

Analytic Review ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Occupation or purposeful activity is the unique historical root of occupational therapy and is thought to enhance health and prevent disability. Nelson's (1988) recent conceptual framework of occupation consolidates the beliefs of occupational therapy. One focus for empirical research and theoretical inquiry is the relationship between occupational form and occupational performance. This article critically analyzes this important part of the Nelson model and meta-analytically summarizes findings of the empirical studies that have examined this relationship. Results of the meta-analysis showed a substantial relationship of occupational form to occupational performance (weighted mean effect size r=0.50) in support of the proposition of the Nelson model that occupation can be analyzed in terms of the relationship between occupational form and occupational performance. The impact of potential moderators on the study findings is explored. Implications for occupational therapy theory and practice are discussed.