Meta-analysis: integrating accumulated knowledge (original) (raw)
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Meta-analysis is a method that seeks to aggregate, integrate, and adjust results from previous studies, while considering the different conditions in which the original studies were investigated. The expected benefit is demonstration of the association between one or more variables, and generation of a systematic review and integration of studies. Hence, in the meta-analysis, the researcher can present broad evidence for or against a given theory. This study discusses the methodological and structural aspects of the organization of meta-analytical investigations in marketing. In addition, this paper suggests eight steps to organize the data and interpret the results. Lastly, we discuss the implications of the formulas and the corrections of the effects, as well as proposing paths for investigations that use meta-analysis in marketing.
Meta-analysis for marketing research
The aim of this paper is to present and illustrate the procedure to follow when a researcher wants to use meta-analysis in marketing research. Meta-analysis is the statistical analysis of a large collection of results from individual studies for the purpose of integrating the findings. Meta-analysis offers new opportunities for integrating and combining the contradictory outcomes of studies and for analyzing variance in effect sizes across findings.
THE ROLE OF META-ANALYSIS IN MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT
The role of meta-analysis in marketing and management The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the growing interest in meta-analysis in marketing and management literature and to present the methodological approach for researchers who are planning to use meta-analysis in their marketing or management research. The research also highlights limitations and problems to deal with during the study. Today when researchers must face with a growing number of empirical studies in different areas, the importance of empirical generalizations grow up. Meta-analysis is the statistical analysis of a large collection of results from individual studies for the purpose of integrating and combining the findings. It is one of the dominant methods with a purpose to develop an empirical generalization. The increasing interest about meta-analysis is recognized in marketing and management literature where researchers using meta-analysis have examined the influence of advertising on sales, the determinants of sales staff performance, consumer behavior patterns etc. The author of the research provides the methodological description of the method as well as bibliographical study of journals in marketing and management studies, describing examples of meta-analysis usage in marketing and management. Kopsavilkums Meta-analīzes loma mārketingā un vadībzinībās Atslēgvārdi: meta-analīze, mārketings, menedžments, statiskā analīze Raksta mērķis ir ilustrēt pieaugošo interesi par meta-analīzes lietošanu mārketinga un vadības literatūrā, kā arī piedāvāt metodoloģisku skatījumu uz meta analīzi pētniekiem, kas plāno izmantot meta analīzi savos mārketinga vai vadības pētījumos. Rakstā ir apkopoti arī meta-analīzes pielietošanas ierobežojumi un problēmas, ar kurām jāsastopas pētniekiem. Empīriska vispārināuma nozīme dažādās nozarēs pieaug, jo, pateicoties datu bāzēm, ir pieejams ļoti liels skaits empīrisko pētījumu. Meta-analīze ir daudzu empīrisku pētījumu statistiska analīze ar mērķi tos integrēt un apvienot atsevišķo pētījumu rezultātus. Tā ir viena no galvenām metodēm literatūras empīriskam vispārinājumam. Pieaugošā interese par meta-analīzes izmantošanu ir vērojama arī mārketinga un menedžmenta literature, piemēram, pētnieki to izmanto, lai novērtētu reklāmas ietekmi uz pārdošanu, pētītu patērētāja uzvedības modeļus, analizētu pārdošanā iesaistītā personāla darbību u.c. Raksta autore piedāvā gan metodoloģisku metodes rakstorojumu, gan mārketinga un menedžmenta pētījumu pārskatu, kuru pamatā ir meta analīzes lietošana.
A Review and Evaluation of Meta-Analysis Practices in Management Research
Journal of Management, 2008
Meta-analysis has become increasingly popular in management research to quantitatively integrate research findings across a large number of studies. In an effort to help shape future applications of meta-analysis in management, this study chronicles and evaluates the decisions that management researchers made in 69 meta-analytic studies published between 1980 and 2007 in 14 management journals. It performs four meta-analyses of relationships that have been studied with varying frequency in management research, to provide empirical evidence that meta-analytical decisions influence results. The implications of the findings are discussed with a focus on the changes that seem appropriate.
Recommendations for Reviewing Meta-Analyses in Organizational Research
Organizational Research Methods, 2020
This article encourages transparency in the reporting of meta-analytic procedures. Specifically, we highlight aspects of meta-analytic search, coding, data presentation, and data analysis where published meta-analyses often fall short in presenting sufficient information to allow replication. We identify opportunities where reviewers can request additional information or analyses that will enhance transparent reporting practices and facilitate the evaluation of quality in meta-analytic reporting. We focus on concerns specific to (or prevalent in) meta-analyses conducted in organizational research. In doing so, we reference a number of existing and emerging techniques, highlighting their contribution to meta-analysis while emphasizing key information reviewers may request. Our focus is primarily on meta-analyses, but secondary uses of meta-analytic data are also considered. We conclude by providing a checklist for reviewers in an effort to facilitate the review process as it pertains...
Meta-Analysis in Marketing when Studies Contain Multiple Measurements
2001
Most meta-analyses in marketing contain studies which themselves contain multiple measurements of the focal effect. This paper compares alternative procedures to deal with multiple measurements through the analysis of synthetic data sets in a Monte Carlo study and a re-analysis of a published marketing data set. We show that the choice of procedure to deal with multiple measurements is by no means trivial and that it has implications for the results and for the validity of the generalizations derived from meta-analyses. Procedures that use the complete set of measurements outperform procedures that represent each study by a single value. The commonly used method of treating all measurements as independent performs reasonably well but is not preferable. We show that the optimal procedure to account for multiple measurements in meta-analysis explicitly deals with the nested error structure, i.e., at the measurement level and at the study level, which has not been practiced before in marketing meta-analyses.
Journal of Management, 2011
The authors content analyzed 196 meta-analyses including 5,581 effect-size estimates published in assess the presumed effects of each of 21 methodological choices and judgment calls on substantive conclusions. Results indicate that, overall, the various meta-analytic methodological choices available and judgment calls involved in the conduct of a meta-analysis have little impact on the resulting magnitude of the meta-analytically derived effect sizes. Thus, the present study, based on actual meta-analyses, casts doubt on previous warnings, primarily based on selective case studies, that judgment calls have an important impact on substantive conclusions. The authors also tested the fit of a multivariate model that includes relationships among Downloaded from 6 Journal of Management / January 2011 theory-building and theory-testing goals, obtained effect sizes, year of publication of the metaanalysis, and scholarly impact (i.e., citations per year). Results indicate that the more a meta-analysis attempts to test an existing theory, the larger the number of citations, whereas the more a meta-analysis attempts to build new theory, the lower the number of citations. Also, in support of scientific particularism, as opposed to scientific universalism, the magnitude of the derived effects is not related to the extent to which a meta-analysis is cited. Taken together, the results provide a comprehensive data-based understanding of how meta-analytic reviews are conducted and the implications of these practices for theory building and testing, obtained effect sizes, and scholarly impact.
Journal of Business and Psychology, 2013
Purpose The purpose of this study was to review the Meta-Analysis Reporting Standards (MARS) of the American Psychological Association (APA) and highlight opportunities for improvement of meta-analytic reviews in the organizational sciences. Design/Methodology/Approach The paper reviews MARS, describes ''best'' meta-analytic practices across two schools of meta-analysis, and shows how implementing such practices helps achieve the aims set forth in MARS. Examples of best practices are provided to aid readers in finding models for their own research. Implications/Value Meta-analytic reviews are a primary avenue for the accumulation of knowledge in the organizational sciences as well as many other areas of science. Unfortunately, many meta-analytic reviews in the organizational sciences do not fully follow professional guidelines and standards as closely as they should. Such deviations from best practice undermine the transparency and replicability of the reviews and thus their usefulness for the generation of cumulative knowledge and evidence-based practice. This study shows how implementing ''best'' meta-analytic practices helps to achieve the aims set forth in MARS. Although the paper is written primarily for organizational scientists, the paper's recommendations are not limited to any particular scientific domain. Keywords Systematic review Á Psychometric metaanalysis Á Hedges and Olkin tradition of meta-analysis Á Organizational sciences Á Medical sciences Systematic reviews using meta-analysis are a primary avenue for the development of cumulative knowledge in the organizational sciences. They affect new theoretical developments (Viswesvaran and Sanchez 1998), direct research agendas (Cooper and Hedges 2009; Hunter and Schmidt 2004), and provide organizations with evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions and people management practices (Briner and Rousseau 2011; Le et al. 2007). Thus, such reviews guide the organizational sciences toward evidence-based practice (Briner and Denyer 2012; Briner and Rousseau 2011). However, meta-analytic reviews in the organizational sciences often fall short of their potential, which can undermine their usefulness (e.g., Aytug et al. 2011; Briner and Denyer 2012; Geyskens et al. 2009). Recently, the American Psychological Association (APA 2008, 2010) issued their Meta-Analysis Reporting Standards (MARS). These standards facilitate two objectives. First, MARS is a vehicle by which psychology-related disciplines, including the organizational sciences, can share common meta-analytic practices across disciplines. Second, MARS allows for discipline-specific priorities. Some methodological aspects of a meta-analytic review may be more critical to one discipline than another. Thus, MARS calls for a common structure while allowing for some flexibility.
Understanding Meta-Analysis: A Review of the Methodological Literature
Leisure Sciences, 2008
Meta-analysis is a quantitative technique that uses specific measures (e.g., an effect size) to indicate the strength of variable relationships for the studies included in the analysis. The technique emphasizes results across multiple studies as opposed to results from a single investigation. This article provides an introduction to the meta-analysis literature and discusses the challenges of applying meta-analysis to human dimensions research. Specifically, we review the definitions of meta-analysis techniques, the steps in conducting a meta-analysis, and the advantages and disadvantages of meta-analysis.