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The purpose of this paper is to offer a reflection on the role that meta-analysis can play in theory building for service phenomena.

The paper illustrates the benefits of conducting meta-analysis, presents its basic steps, and then uses an example to illustrate how meta-analytic findings can be used to enrich and develop theory.

Meta-analytic findings allow identifying gaps in current theories, thereby offering the opportunity to develop new research. Theoretical advancement through meta-analysis can imply theory borrowing, mutual theoretical development with other disciplines, intradisciplinary and multidisciplinary theorizing.

Experienced researchers might use this essay to better understand how meta-analysis can be used to generate new relevant research. Young researchers and PhD students may benefit from a greater use of meta-analysis to gain a thorough knowledge of their research topic and about the areas that require further exploration.

Rather than thinking of meta-analysis mainly as the conclusion of a well-researched domain and a good summary of cites, this essay underlines to the service scholar community how meta-analysis can boost theoretical advancement in services.

Meta-analysis has been relied on relatively infrequently in strategic management studies, certainly as compared to other fields such as the medical sciences, psychology, and education. This may be unfortunate, as there are several aspects of the manner in which strategic management studies are typically conducted that make them especially appropriate for this approach. To this end, we provide a brief foundation for meta-analysis, an example of meta-analysis, and a discussion of those elements that strongly recommend the efficacy of meta-analysis for the synthesis of strategic management studies.

We argue that entrepreneurship research should use meta-analysis to integrate the findings of the field. A meta-analytical approach has several advantages as compared with narrative reviews: First, narrative reviews are likely to bias empirical evidence because they are limited by the information-processing capacities of the reviewers (Tett, Jackson, & Rothstein, 1991). This is often a downward bias leading to the conclusion of little positive knowledge in the field. For example, frequency counts of significant results ignore sampling errors of individual studies, reliability problems of instruments, range restrictions of samples, dichotomization of continuous variables, imperfect construct validity, and extraneous factors (Hunter & Schmidt, 2004). These issues usually result in a higher incidence of Type II errors (i.e., rejecting the hypothesis wrongly). Thus, narrative reviews are more likely to lead to the conclusion that there are no relationships between independent and dependent variables in entrepreneurship when in fact they are (Hunter & Schmidt, 1990; Tett et al., 1991). Second, meta-analysis accumulates studies based on a set of explicit decision rules and, therefore, is less biased by subjective perceptions of the reviewer than narrative reviews. Meta-analyses require judgments as well, e.g., when defining the area of the study or coding moderator variables. However, the decisions are public and open to criticism and replication by other scientists (Johnson & Eagly, 2000). Third, meta-analysis is based on many studies and, thus, avoids the influence of single studies. Fourth, meta-analysis controls for sampling error variance and, thus, controls for power deficits of individual studies (Hunter & Schmidt, 2004). For example, the Brockhaus and Nord (1979) study is frequently cited in the entrepreneurship literature for providing evidence that there is no relationship of personality characteristics with entrepreneurship. However, this study is based on a small sample of 31 business owners and therefore, has serious statistical power problems. Noteworthy, the effect sizes of small samples are less precise in estimating a population value than effect sizes of larger samples. Fifth, meta-analyses can correct many errors of individual studies (Hunter & Schmidt, 2004). Since meta-analyses estimate population correlations between given variables, it is important to correct for errors of studies (e.g., unreliability, range restriction, and sampling error) to achieve unbiased estimates. Sixth, meta-analysis allows an assessment of the magnitude of relationships and, thus, provides more precise and often comparable assessments of the validity of concepts. Thus, meta-analyses support the assessment of the practical significance of findings. Seventh, meta-analysis tests for variations in relationships across studies and, therefore, allows an assessment of the generalizeability of effects. If the size of reported relationships varies considerably between different studies, there will be context conditions that account for these variations. These context conditions are moderators that affect the size of relationships. The moderators may include study characteristics, method moderators, and theoretical moderators. Thus, meta-analyses also help to identify areas for new studies. Finally, meta-analysis techniques allow to test more than one independent and/or moderator variable by using methods based on regression analysis (Lipsey & Wilson, 2001). Using such procedures allows to estimate the independent contribution of variables on results, to control for methodological variables, and to test the interactions between moderator variables.

This chapter combines quantitative studies of the connections between stressors and performance in accounting settings and identifies the mediators and moderators of stressors–performance relationships. Using meta-analyses and path analyses, this research compiles 72 studies to investigate the relationships of stressors with accountant and auditor performance. As hypothesized, bivariate meta-analyses results indicate that work-related stressors negatively affect performance, and burnout and stress are negatively related to performance, whereas motivation is positively related to performance. Moreover, a meta-analytical structural equation modeling indicates that role stressors have significant direct and indirect effects (through burnout and stress) on job performance. Accumulation of multiple samples through meta-analysis bolsters statistical power compared to single-sample studies and thus reveals the sign of residual direct effects of role stressors on job performance in accounting settings.

Meta-analysis is one of a number of scientific approaches for accumulating knowledge in a research domain. It provides a quantitative synthesis of a literature using various statistical instruments. This chapter introduces the main points underlying meta-analytic methodology by discussing its merits when compared to a conventional literature review and covers the fundamental approaches used when conducting a meta-analysis. Criticism of meta-analysis is briefly discussed in the context of the major issues facing meta-analysis in international business.

No comprehensive statistical assessment of publication bias has been conducted in remdesivir-based intervention research for COVID-19 patients. This study aims to examine all meta-analyses of the efficacy of remdesivir interventions in COVID-19 patients and perform a statistical assessment of publication bias.

This is an analytic study conducted to assess the impact of publication bias on the results of meta-analyses of remdesivir-based interventions in patients infected with COVID-19. All English full-text meta-analyses published in peer-reviewed journals in 2019–2021 were included. A computerized search of PubMed and Web of Science electronic databases was performed on December 24, 2021. The trim-and-fill method calculated the number of missing studies and the adjusted cumulative effect sizes.

The final analysis comprised 21 studies with 88 outcomes. The investigation revealed missing studies in 46 outcomes (52%). Seventy-six missing studies were replaced in the outcomes using the trim-and-fill procedure. The adjusted recalculated effect sizes of the 27 outcomes increased by an average of 0.04. In comparison, the adjusted effect size of 18 outcomes fell by an average of 0.036. Only 14 out of 46 outcomes with publication bias were subjected to a gray literature search (30%). To discover related research, no gray literature search was conducted in most outcomes with publication bias (n = 32; 70%). In conclusion, the reported effect estimates regarding the effect of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients are only slightly affected by publication bias and can be considered authentic. Health-care decision-makers in COVID-19 should consider current research results when making clinical decisions.

Most health decisions are based on the effect sizes revealed in meta-analyses. When deciding on remdesivir-based treatment for COVID-19 patients, therefore, the outcomes of this investigation may be of paramount importance to health policymakers, leading to better treatment strategies.

According to the results, no major publication bias and missing studies were detected on average. Therefore, the calculated effect sizes of remdesivir-based interventions on meta-analyses can be used as authentic and unbiased benchmarks by health-care decision-makers in treating patients with COVID-19.

This is the first study to examine the effect of publication bias and gray literature searches on the results of meta-analyses of treatment with COVID-19 (remdesivir).

The use of meta-analysis in information systems (IS) research has increased. Because this research domain has matured and an increasing number of empirical studies have become available, meta-analysis is now perceived as a useful approach to synthesize an increasing body of empirical research. The present paper gives an overview of meta-analytical techniques, the evolution of meta-analysis in IS, the focus of these studies and method choices made by authors.

This overview is based on 100 meta-analysis studies published in IS journals. These meta-analytical studies synthesize data from 6,262 empirical studies, and the meta-analyses were published between 1989 and 2020. The studies were coded with regard to 16 major method choices that IS researchers made when conducting meta-analyses.

This overview describes the key areas of meta-analysis (e.g. strategy and firm performance) and the journals that publish the meta-analysis. This overview also identifies method issues where meta-analyses have improved in recent years as well as issues that require some attention. Scholars receive guidance about good practices in terms of 16 major method choices related to (1) problem formulation, (2) literature search, (3) coding information, (4) analyzing and integrating effect sizes and (5) interpreting results and reporting findings.

Addressing the identified method issues helps authors of future meta-analyses to increase the transparency of reporting and the likelihood of getting published. The substantive findings of a meta-analysis also often depend on researchers' method choices. Similar overviews exist for other disciplines, such as marketing and management.

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the key findings of meta-analyses in accounting, auditing and corporate governance research.

A structured literature review on 63 meta-analyses related to financial accounting, management accounting, auditing, and corporate governance is conducted.

Most of the previous meta-analyses have been focused on the topic of corporate governance with a clear focus on board composition as an independent variable and by integrating research- and country-specific moderating variables. Meta-analyses in management accounting are rare; furthermore, no meta-analysis in tax accounting has been published yet.

Meta-analyses on these topics are expected to become increasingly important in the following years because of the increased number of empirical quantitative research. This literature review gives useful insights for research, practice and regulation.

Numerous studies have examined factors influencing electronic word of mouth (eWOM) providing behaviour. The volume of extant research and inconsistency in some of the findings makes it useful to develop an all-encompassing model synthesising results. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to synthesise findings from existing studies on eWOM by using meta-analysis, which will help to reconcile conflicting findings of factors affecting consumers’ intention to engage in eWOM communications.

The findings from 51 studies were used for meta-analysis, which was undertaken using comprehensive meta-analysis software.

Factors affecting eWOM providing behaviour were divided into four groups: personal conditions, social conditions, perceptual conditions and consumption-based conditions. The results of the meta-analysis showed that out of 20 identified relationships, 16 were found to be significant (opinion seeking, information usefulness, trust in web eWOM services, economic incentive, customer satisfaction, loyalty, brand attitude, altruism, affective commitment, normative commitment, opinion leadership, self-enhancement, information influence, tie strength, homophily and community identity).

One of the limitations of this study is that the studies for this research were collected the only form from Web of Science, Scopus and Business Source such as databases, which result in a limited number of studies available for weight and meta-analysis. A wider range of databases should be used by future research. Also, this study only considered quantitative studies and excluded qualitative studies. Thus, future studies could include both types of studies in the meta-analysis.

By focussing on the best predictors of intention to provide eWOM communications (e.g. self-enhancement and trust in web eWOM services) managers can improve reader engagement and information assimilation. Knowing motivations to engage in eWOM helps platform operators design their service in a more customer-oriented way. By better understanding motivations to engage in eWOM communications marketers and researchers can influence individuals’ online information assimilation which can affect consumer purchase decisions, customer loyalty and consumer commitment to the community.

Applying meta-analysis helped the reconciliation of conflicting findings, enabled investigation of the strengths of the relationships between motivations and eWOM providing behaviour and offered a consolidated view. The results of this study facilitate the advancement of current knowledge of information dissemination on the internet, which can influence consumer purchase intention and loyalty.

This study reviews the use of meta-analysis in accounting research. We categorize the meta-analytic research into five topics: financial reporting, auditing, corporate governance and accounting quality, management accounting, and miscellaneous topics. Further, we classify the studies by the meta-analysis technique employed: Hunter et al. (1982), Hunter and Schmidt (2000), Lipsey and Wilson (2001), and Stouffer’s approach. We identify 27 meta-analytical studies over the period 1985–2014 with financial reporting (auditing) topics representing seven (six) of these studies. Our review highlights that meta-analytic methods are being applied and accepted, more frequently, to answer complex questions concerning the moderating effects of country-level variables, such as national culture, economic conditions, and institutional characteristics, on various associations of interest.