180 research outputs found
On the real world practice of Behaviour Driven Development
Surveys of industry practice over the last decade suggest that Behaviour Driven Development is a popular Agile practice. For example, 19% of respondents to the 14th State of Agile annual survey reported using BDD, placing it in the top 13 practices reported. As well as potential benefits, the adoption of BDD necessarily involves an additional cost of writing and maintaining Gherkin features and scenarios, and (if used for acceptance testing,) the associated step functions. Yet there is a lack of published literature exploring how BDD is used in practice and the challenges experienced by real world software development efforts. This gap is significant because without understanding current real world practice, it is hard to identify opportunities to address and mitigate challenges. In order to address this research gap concerning the challenges of using BDD, this thesis reports on a research project which explored: (a) the challenges of applying agile and undertaking requirements engineering in a real world context; (b) the challenges of applying BDD specifically and (c) the application of BDD in open-source projects to understand challenges in this different context.
For this purpose, we progressively conducted two case studies, two series of interviews, four iterations of action research, and an empirical study. The first case study was conducted in an avionics company to discover the challenges of using an agile process in a large scale safety critical project environment. Since requirements management was found to be one of the biggest challenges during the case study, we decided to investigate BDD because of its reputation for requirements management. The second case study was conducted in the company with an aim to discover the challenges of using BDD in real life. The case study was complemented with an empirical study of the practice of BDD in open source projects, taking a study sample from the GitHub open source collaboration site.
As a result of this Ph.D research, we were able to discover: (i) challenges of using an agile process in a large scale safety-critical organisation, (ii) current state of BDD in practice, (iii) technical limitations of Gherkin (i.e., the language for writing requirements in BDD), (iv) challenges of using BDD in a real project, (v) bad smells in the Gherkin specifications of open source projects on GitHub. We also presented a brief comparison between the theoretical description of BDD and BDD in practice. This research, therefore, presents the results of lessons learned from BDD in practice, and serves as a guide for software practitioners planning on using BDD in their projects
Software Startups -- A Research Agenda
Software startup companies develop innovative, software-intensive products
within limited time frames and with few resources, searching for sustainable
and scalable business models. Software startups are quite distinct from
traditional mature software companies, but also from micro-, small-, and
medium-sized enterprises, introducing new challenges relevant for software
engineering research. This paper's research agenda focuses on software
engineering in startups, identifying, in particular, 70+ research questions in
the areas of supporting startup engineering activities, startup evolution
models and patterns, ecosystems and innovation hubs, human aspects in software
startups, applying startup concepts in non-startup environments, and
methodologies and theories for startup research. We connect and motivate this
research agenda with past studies in software startup research, while pointing
out possible future directions. While all authors of this research agenda have
their main background in Software Engineering or Computer Science, their
interest in software startups broadens the perspective to the challenges, but
also to the opportunities that emerge from multi-disciplinary research. Our
audience is therefore primarily software engineering researchers, even though
we aim at stimulating collaborations and research that crosses disciplinary
boundaries. We believe that with this research agenda we cover a wide spectrum
of the software startup industry current needs
Innovation of Tourism Mobility Systems in Historic City Centres: The Case of Austria
Fundamentally, tourism involves people on the move. Although controlled and well-managed tourism mobility can facilitate the sustainable touristic utilisation of places, uncontrolled touristic movement often creates significant challenges for host destinations. Developments in technology and digitalisation, such as the ubiquitous use of smartphones, are changing not only the way tourists move and behave while visiting historic cities, but also the evolution and management of tourism mobility systems in cities. Therefore, it is crucial to understand these changes and their effects on existing tourism mobility systems to benefit from digitalisation.
This thesis develops a detailed understanding of the configuration of existing tourism mobility systems to analyse and model digitally induced innovations in tourism mobility systems in tourist-historic cities in Europe.
This study employs the multi-level perspective (MLP) as an analytical tool. This approach enables a holistic analysis of innovation processes within tourism mobility by incorporating both internal and external factors that may influence system change.
A two-step empirical approach was adopted. First, a scoping study was employed to identify the current innovation status of tourism mobility systems in United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage City Centres in Europe. Based on these findings, in-depth expert interviews were then conducted for the Austrian case cities of Vienna, Salzburg and Graz to develop a detailed understanding of stepwise innovation within digitally penetrated tourism mobility systems.
The main contribution of this study is the development of an analytical five-phase innovation model of tourism mobility systems in tourist-historic cities. This model provides a detailed understanding of the general characteristics of each innovation phase of the tourism mobility system and the drivers and constraints of innovation. The five-phase model can be used as an assessment tool to establish the current innovation status of a local tourism mobility system and to evaluate the readiness of the system to innovate (further). In addition, for the tourism mobility systems investigated in the research, a detailed understanding of the actor configuration was revealed, including the roles and responsibilities of the actors. This thesis also contributes to the conceptual discussion of tourism mobility as a joint objective for research and will be of utility to practitioners in developing more sustainable tourism mobility systems
The Impact of Online Real Estate Listing Data on the Transparency of the Real Estate Market - Using the Example of Vacancy Rates
Despite the increasing digitization of the real estate market and the accompanying greater availability of data, as evidenced, for example, by the proliferation of online real estate listing platforms, there are still deficiencies in market transparency associated with a variety of negative aspects. This study aimed to investigate the impact of online real estate listing data on market transparency by examining the suitability of these data for scientific use in general and for the example of estimating vacancy rates in particular. Therefore, a comprehensive data set consisting of more than seven million listings was collected over one and a half years and analyzed with regard to all available features in terms of their quality and quantity. Furthermore, their explanatory power for estimating vacancy rates was tested by their application in different regression models.
The features specified in online real estate listings showed an average completeness of 85.97 % and, most widely, plausible feature specifications. Exceptions were information regarding energy demand, which were only available in 20.79 % of listings, and the specification of the building quality and condition, which showed indications of being positively biased. The estimation of vacancy rates on the district level, based on online real estate listing data, showed promising results, being able to explain vacancy rates with a goodness of fit of a pseudo R² of 0.81 and a mean absolute error of 0.84 percentage points. These results suggest that information contained in online real estate listing data are a good basis for scientific evaluation and are specifically well suited for estimating vacancy rates. The findings imply the utilization of online real estate listing data for a diverse range of purposes, extending beyond the current focus of price-related research
Operational Research: methods and applications
This is the final version. Available on open access from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recordThroughout its history, Operational Research has evolved to include methods, models and algorithms that have been applied to a wide range of contexts. This encyclopedic article consists of two main sections: methods and applications. The first summarises the up-to-date knowledge and provides an overview of the state-of-the-art methods and key developments in the various subdomains of the field. The second offers a wide-ranging list of areas where Operational Research has been applied. The article is meant to be read in a nonlinear fashion and used as a point of reference by a diverse pool of readers: academics, researchers, students, and practitioners. The entries within the methods and applications sections are presented in alphabetical order. The authors dedicate this paper to the 2023 Turkey/Syria earthquake victims. We sincerely hope that advances in OR will play a role towards minimising the pain and suffering caused by this and future catastrophes
Operational research:methods and applications
Throughout its history, Operational Research has evolved to include a variety of methods, models and algorithms that have been applied to a diverse and wide range of contexts. This encyclopedic article consists of two main sections: methods and applications. The first aims to summarise the up-to-date knowledge and provide an overview of the state-of-the-art methods and key developments in the various subdomains of the field. The second offers a wide-ranging list of areas where Operational Research has been applied. The article is meant to be read in a nonlinear fashion. It should be used as a point of reference or first-port-of-call for a diverse pool of readers: academics, researchers, students, and practitioners. The entries within the methods and applications sections are presented in alphabetical order
David versus Goliath: The Power of Weakness in Asymmetric Warfare—Lessons from History
Under what conditions do violent nonstate actors (VNA) succeed against states? Why does David sometimes beat Goliath? Since at least the time of Thucydides and the Peloponnesian Wars, the realist narrative in international relations measures power primarily in relative, coercive, and deterrent terms. Strong states should accordingly face fewer constraints and enjoy more options while pursuing their national interests. Unconventional warfare, and its subsets of terrorism and insurgency, should—given these circumstances, end in VNA failure. Sometimes, however, VNAs find success. By comparing the literature on historical and current case studies, I propose that a set of preconditions and two mechanisms help explain “the power of weakness.” After it decides to abandon peaceful conflict resolution, the weak side must cultivate the cause that inspires its members to kill and die, to torture and suffer. Next, it requires safe havens. If the VNA cannot avoid the state’s reach, its initial wave of attacks may likely constitute its final wave of attacks. Inspiration and sanctuary thus provide the weak side enough space and time for a stalemate. The state’s daunting power advantages, however, make space and time necessary but not sufficient conditions for weak side success. The first mechanism that can begin to transform the existing power balance combines state miscalculation and VNA competitive adaptation. The strong side’s blunders must border on the spectacular. For the weak side to survive the state’s initial onslaught, it must harden its organization, coerce and cajole its community, eliminate rivals, and generate a range of goals. Although the VNA may grow and even evolve into a proto-state, it may still not achieve its political goals until external pressures intervene. My second mechanism accordingly examines how other states, international institutions, diasporas, and international norms finalize VNA success. The paradox that power does not necessarily translate to success may help clarify why states that lose unconventional conflicts often retain vast reserves of soldiers and resources. The power of weakness implies that terrorism and insurgency are forms of politics, and hence not to be understood strictly, or even primarily in military terms. Finally, the potential power of weakness can explain asymmetric warfare’s persistence throughout history. Why do groups with guns and grievances, across successive generations, make the seemingly “futile” decision to fight states? A general theory of VNA success can inform analysis of when, and under what circumstances weak sides may, or may not prevail
Operational Research: Methods and Applications
Throughout its history, Operational Research has evolved to include a variety of methods, models and algorithms that have been applied to a diverse and wide range of contexts. This encyclopedic article consists of two main sections: methods and applications. The first aims to summarise the up-to-date knowledge and provide an overview of the state-of-the-art methods and key developments in the various subdomains of the field. The second offers a wide-ranging list of areas where Operational Research has been applied. The article is meant to be read in a nonlinear fashion. It should be used as a point of reference or first-port-of-call for a diverse pool of readers: academics, researchers, students, and practitioners. The entries within the methods and applications sections are presented in alphabetical order. The authors dedicate this paper to the 2023 Turkey/Syria earthquake victims. We sincerely hope that advances in OR will play a role towards minimising the pain and suffering caused by this and future catastrophes
Operational Research: Methods and Applications
Throughout its history, Operational Research has evolved to include a variety of methods, models and algorithms that have been applied to a diverse and wide range of contexts. This encyclopedic article consists of two main sections: methods and applications. The first aims to summarise the up-to-date knowledge and provide an overview of the state-of-the-art methods and key developments in the various subdomains of the field. The second offers a wide-ranging list of areas where Operational Research has been applied. The article is meant to be read in a nonlinear fashion. It should be used as a point of reference or first-port-of-call for a diverse pool of readers: academics, researchers, students, and practitioners. The entries within the methods and applications sections are presented in alphabetical order
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