Ryerson University

About: Ryerson University is a education organization based out in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & Population. The organization has 7671 authors who have published 20164 publications receiving 394976 citations. The organization is also known as: Ryerson Polytechnical Institute & Ryerson Institute of Technology.

The Effects of Test-Driven Development on External Quality and Productivity: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract: This paper provides a systematic meta-analysis of 27 studies that investigate the impact of Test-Driven Development (TDD) on external code quality and productivity. The results indicate that, in general, TDD has a small positive effect on quality but little to no discernible effect on productivity. However, subgroup analysis has found both the quality improvement and the productivity drop to be much larger in industrial studies in comparison with academic studies. A larger drop of productivity was found in studies where the difference in test effort between the TDD and the control group's process was significant. A larger improvement in quality was also found in the academic studies when the difference in test effort is substantial; however, no conclusion could be derived regarding the industrial studies due to the lack of data. Finally, the influence of developer experience and task size as moderator variables was investigated, and a statistically significant positive correlation was found between task size and the magnitude of the improvement in quality.

Strategic ambidexterity and performance in international new ventures

Abstract: We drew on the literature on ambidextrous organizations to propose that international new ventures (INVs) that concurrently pursue paradoxical pairs of strategies—known as the capability of strategic ambidexterity—can achieve superior performance. These paradoxical strategies are: (a) few investments and many countries, and (b) standardization and innovation. Our hypotheses were tested using data from 70 Canadian INVs. This is the first study that attempts to theoretically and empirically link ambidexterity and INV performance. Our findings suggest that INVs that are capable of pursuing and implementing paradoxical strategies achieve superior performance over those lacking such capability. Copyright © 2008 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Dans cet article, nous utilisons les publications sur les entreprises ambidextres pour montrer que les nouvelles entreprises internationales (INVs) qui deploient simultanement des paires de strategies paradoxales—technique appelee la capacite de l'ambidextrie strategique—peuvent atteindre de meilleurs resultats. Ces strategies paradoxales sont a) peu d'investissements dans plusieurs pays, et b) la standardisation et l'innovation. Pour tester nos hypotheses, nous nous servons de 70 INVs canadiennes. Cette recherche est la premiere etude qui essaie de lier theoriquement et empiriquement l'ambidextrie a la performance des INVs. Les resultats indiquent que les INVs qui sont a meme de formuler et de deployer des strategies paradoxales ont des performances superieures a celles des entreprises qui manquent de telles capacites. Copyright © 2008 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tensile and fatigue properties of a cast aluminum alloy with Ti, Zr and V additions

Abstract: The development of aluminum alloys for automotive powertrain applications is in high demand due to the required weight reduction and fuel efficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microstructure and mechanical properties of a newly developed Al–7%Si–1%Cu–0.5%Mg cast alloy with further additions of Ti, Zr and V. The microstructure of the alloys consisted of Al dendrites surrounded by Al–Si eutectic structures with Mg/Cu/Fe-containing Si particles, and contained nano-sized trialuminide precipitates in the Ti/Zr/V added alloys. The alloys had a significantly (60–87%) higher yield strength but lower ductility than A356-T6 and 319-T6 alloys. With the addition of Ti/Zr/V both monotonic and cyclic yield strengths increased, but ductility and hardening capacity decreased due to reduced dislocation storage capacity caused by stronger interactions between dislocations and trialuminide precipitates. The Zr/V-modified alloy had a longer fatigue life, and all the alloys exhibited cyclic stabilization at low strain amplitudes and cyclic hardening at higher strain amplitudes. With increasing strain amplitude, the extent of cyclic hardening increased. Both cyclic yield strength and cyclic strain hardening exponent were higher than the corresponding monotonic yield strength and strain hardening exponent, indicating that a stronger cyclic hardening ability of the alloys developed. Fatigue cracks were observed to initiate at near-surface defects, and crack propagation was mainly characterized by the formation of fatigue striations together with secondary cracks.

CSR among Canadian mass tour operators: good awareness but little action

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploratory case study of mass mainstream tour operators in the Canadian market and evaluate their awareness level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The research aims to address the structure and ownership of mass Canadian tour operators, how it may influence the adoption of CSR practices, key issues and concerns and awareness level and participation of CSR practices. Although the Canadian outbound leisure mass market is relatively small compared with that of the UK, Canadian travelers are a significant source of tourism to Mexico and the Caribbean islands such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic.Design/methodology/approach – Canadian mass tour operators were contacted through interviews and questionnaires to assess the structure and ownership of mass Canadian tour operators, how it may influence the adoption of CSR practices, key issues and concerns and awareness level and participation of CSR practices. Existing responsible tourism p...