The Economics of Software Quality

The Economics of Software Quality
Author: Capers Jones
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Total Pages: 623
Release: 2012
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0132582201

Poor quality continues to bedevil large-scale development projects, but few software leaders and practitioners know how to measure quality, select quality best practices, or cost-justify their usage. In The Economics of Software Quality, leading software quality experts Capers Jones and Jitendra Subramanyam show how to systematically measure the economic impact of quality and how to use this information to deliver far more business value. Using empirical data from hundreds of software organizations, Jones and Subramanyam show how integrated inspection, static analysis, and testing can achieve defect removal rates exceeding 95 percent. They offer innovative guidance for predicting and measuring defects and quality; choosing defect prevention, pre-test defect removal, and testing methods; and optimizing post-release defect reporting and repair. This book will help you Prove that improved software quality translates into strongly positive ROI and greatly reduced TCO Drive better results from current investments in debugging and prevention Use quality techniques to stay on schedule and on budget Avoid "hazardous" metrics that lead to poor decisions Important note: The audio and video content included with this enhanced eBook can be viewed only using iBooks on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

An Economic Analysis of the Financial Records of al-Qa'ida in Iraq

An Economic Analysis of the Financial Records of al-Qa'ida in Iraq
Author: Benjamin Bahney
Publisher: Rand Corporation
Total Pages: 116
Release: 2010-12-16
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0833051628

This monograph analyzes the finances of the militant group al-Qa'ida in Iraq in Anbar province during 2005 and 2006, at the peak of the group's power and influence. The authors draw on captured financial documents that give details on the daily financial transactions of one specific sector within Anbar province and of the financial transactions of the AQI provincial administration.

The Economics of Quality, Grades and Brands (Routledge Revivals)

The Economics of Quality, Grades and Brands (Routledge Revivals)
Author: Peter Bowbrick
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2014-08-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317645049

Virtually every decision to produce, buy or sell is influenced by quality, yet until this book was first published in 1992, there had been very little attempt to produce a comprehensive and practical theory for this. Here, Peter Bowbrick brings together different traditions of quality analysis from economics, marketing economics and marketing itself to identify the limitations of the different traditions of quality economics and some approaches to its analysis. Beginning with a definition of the subject and the concepts involved, this comprehensive title will be of particular value to students of Economics, Marketing and Business Studies.

The Economics of Vertically Differentiated Markets

The Economics of Vertically Differentiated Markets
Author: Luca Lambertini
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2006-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781781958315

'This is a high-quality book on an important and central topic in the theory of industrial organisation. It is a cohesive and extremely well written volume which is destined to become a standard work on the subject.' - Mark Casson, University of Reading, UK This original new book offers a comprehensive and engaging perspective on the theory of vertical differentiation. It enables the reader to grasp the key concepts and effects that product quality has both on firms' behaviour and market structure, and the ways in which this relationship has evolved. With contributions from prominent figures in the field, the book investigates a number of important topics, such as the choice of the optimal product range, profit sharing, the existence of equilibrium in duopoly games, positional effects attached to status goods, international trade, collusion, advertising and the dynamics of capital accumulation for quality improvement and product innovation. Using both static and dynamic approaches, these aspects are assessed in relation to the manifold issues of regulation, competition policy and trade policy. Product differentiation and its influence on consumer behaviour and the performance of firms is a core topic in the existing literature in the fields of industrial organization, international trade and economic growth. This book will be an essential read for researchers, students and professional scholars working in these areas, especially those with an interest in antitrust regulation.

The Economics of Software Quality, Video Enhanced Edition

The Economics of Software Quality, Video Enhanced Edition
Author: Capers Jones
Publisher: Pearson Education
Total Pages: 741
Release: 2011-12-31
Genre:
ISBN: 0133006530

This is the video enhanced eBook version of the printed book. It contains 55 minutes of video conversations & tips from the industry's leading software management consultant, Capers Jones. Important note: The audio and video content included with this enhanced eBook can be viewed only using iBooks on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. Due to the incredibly rich media included in your enhanced eBook, you may experience longer than usual download times. Please be patient while your product is delivered. “Whether consulting, working on projects, or teaching, whenever I need credible, detailed, relevant metrics and insights into the current capabilities and performance of the software engineering profession, I always turn first to Capers Jones’ work. In this important new book, he and Olivier Bonsignour make the hard-headed, bottom-line, economic case, with facts and data, about why software quality is so important. I know I’ll turn to this excellent reference again and again.” —Rex Black, President, RBCS Poor quality continues to bedevil large-scale development projects, but few software leaders and practitioners know how to measure quality, select quality best practices, or cost-justify their usage. In The Economics of Software Quality, leading software quality experts Capers Jones and Olivier Bonsignour show how to systematically measure the economic impact of quality and how to use this information to deliver far more business value. Using empirical data from hundreds of software organizations, Jones and Bonsignour show how integrated inspection, structural quality measurement, static analysis, and testing can achieve defect removal rates exceeding 95 percent. They offer innovative guidance for predicting and measuring defects and quality; choosing defect prevention, pre-test defect removal, and testing methods; and optimizing post-release defect reporting and repair. This book will help you Move beyond functional quality to quantify non-functional and structural quality Prove that improved software quality translates into strongly positive ROI and greatly reduced TCO Drive better results from current investments in Quality Assurance and Testing Use quality improvement techniques to stay on schedule and on budget Avoid “hazardous” metrics that lead to poor decisions

Ecological Economics

Ecological Economics
Author: Michael Common
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 600
Release: 2005-10-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780521816458

Taking as its starting point the interdependence of the economy and the natural environment, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to the emerging field of ecological economics. The authors, who have written extensively on the economics of sustainability, build on insights from both mainstream economics and ecological sciences. Part I explores the interdependence of the modern economy and its environment, while Part II focuses mainly on the economy and on economics. Part III looks at how national governments set policy targets and the instruments used to pursue those targets. Part IV examines international trade and institutions, and two major global threats to sustainability - climate change and biodiversity loss. Assuming no prior knowledge of economics, this textbook is well suited for use on interdisciplinary environmental science and management courses. It has extensive student-friendly features including discussion questions and exercises, keyword highlighting, real-world illustrations, further reading and website addresses.

Global Perspectives on Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education Institutions

Global Perspectives on Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education Institutions
Author: Magd, Hesham
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2021-09-17
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1799880877

Quality accreditation in higher education institutions (HEIs) is currently a buzzword. The need to maintain high-quality education standards is a critical requirement for HEIs to remain competitive in the market and for government and regulatory bodies to ensure the quality standards of programs offered. From being an implicit requirement that is internally addressed, quality assurance activities become an explicit requirement that is regularly audited and appraised by national and international accreditation agencies. HEIs are voluntarily integrating quality management systems (QMS), institutional and program-specific, in response to the political and competitive environment in which it exists. Through its higher education department or by creating non-profitable accreditation bodies, many governments have implemented a quality framework for licensing HEIs and invigilates its adherence based on which accreditation statuses are granted for HEIs. Global Perspectives on Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education Institutions provides a comprehensive framework for HEIs to address quality assurance and quality accreditation requirements and serves as a practical tool to develop and deploy well-defined quality management systems in higher education. The book focuses on the critical aspects of quality assurance; the need to develop a concise and agile vision, mission, values, and graduate attributes; and to develop a system that effectively aligns the various activities of the HEI to the attainment of the strategic priorities listed in the institutional plans. The chapters each cover the various facets of the quality assurance framework and accreditation agencies' requirements with practical examples of each. This book is useful for HEI administrators, quality assurance specialists in HEIs, heads of academic departments, internal auditors, external auditors, and other practitioners of quality, along with stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in quality assurance and accreditation in higher education.

Measuring and Valuing Health Benefits for Economic Evaluation

Measuring and Valuing Health Benefits for Economic Evaluation
Author: John Brazier
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 373
Release: 2017
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0198725922

There are not enough resources in health care systems around the world to fund all technically feasible and potentially beneficial health care interventions. Difficult choices have to be made, and economic evaluation offers a systematic and transparent process for informing such choices. A key component of economic evaluation is how to value the benefits of health care in a way that permits comparison between health care interventions, such as through costs per quality-adjusted life years (QALY). Measuring and Valuing Health Benefits for Economic Evaluation examines the measurement and valuation of health benefits, reviews the explosion of theoretical and empirical work in the field, and explores an area of research that continues to be a major source of debate. It addresses the key questions in the field including: the definition of health, the techniques of valuation, who should provide the values, techniques for modelling health state values, the appropriateness of tools in children and vulnerable groups, cross cultural issues, and the problem of choosing the right instrument. This new edition contains updated empirical examples and practical applications, which help to clarify the readers understanding of real world contexts. It features a glossary containing the common terms used by practitioners, and has been updated to cover new measures of health and wellbeing, such as ICECAP, ASCOT and AQOL. It takes into account new research into the social weighting of a QALY, the rising use of ordinal valuation techniques, use of the internet to collect data, and the use of health state utility values in cost effectiveness models. This is an ideal resource for anyone wishing to gain a specialised understanding of health benefit measurement in economic evaluation, especially those working in the fields of health economics, public sector economics, pharmacoeconomics, health services research, public health, and quality of life research.