The Effect of Knowledge Sharing on Open Source Contribution: A Multi-platform Perspective

Open source software (OSS) community plays a key role in contemporary software development. However, there is a need to better understand the factors which influence individuals’ voluntary contribution on open source platforms. In this paper, we investigate how different types of knowledge sharing affect an individuals’ contribution towards open source projects. We further refine knowledge sharing taxonomy by classifying explicit knowledge sharing into two sub-types – strong explicit knowledge sharing and weak explicit knowledge sharing, depending on the extent of interpersonal interaction required for knowledge transfer. In this paper, we take a multi-platform perspective – we collect data from GitHub – the biggest online platform to host open source software development, and Gitter – an open source instant messaging and chat room application designed for developers. We map the user identities across these two platforms. We analyze monthly panel data for the year 2017 consisting of 3,695 individuals. The results demonstrate that both strong and weak explicit knowledge sharing have positive relationship with open source contribution. Moreover, the tacit knowledge sharing positively moderates these relationships. Our paper extends the theoretical understanding of different knowledge sharing types and their inter-relationship, and their respective impact on contribution. Our findings have important implications for the OSS community, and especially help OSS platform designers get a better understanding of the symbiosis between different OSS platforms

Generating Value Through Open Source: Software Service Market Regulation and Licensing Policy

In the software industry, commercial open-source software vendors have recognized that providing services to help businesses derive greater value in the implementation of open source–based systems can be a profitable business model. Moreover, society may greatly benefit when software originators choose an open-source development strategy as their products become widely available, readily customizable, and open to community contributions. In this study, we present an economic model to study how software licensing attributes affect a software originator’s decisions, aiming to provide policy makers with insights into how welfare-improving, open-source outcomes can be incentivized. We show that when a competing contributor is apt at reaping the benefits of software development investment, a less restrictive open source license (e.g., Berkeley Software Distribution, or BSD style) can improve welfare. On the other hand, when the originator is better at leveraging investment and service costs are high, a more restrictive license (e.g., General Public License, or GPL style) can be best for social welfare even when a contributor can cost-efficiently develop the software. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2017.0726

How Many Penguins Can Hide Under an Umbrella? An Examination of How Lay Conceptions Conceal the Contexts of Free/Open Source Software

This paper examines the attention put by IS researchers to the various contexts of the Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) phenomenon. Following a selective review of the IS literature on FOSS, we highlight some of the pitfalls that FOSS research encounter in its quest for theoretical progress. We raise awareness of these pitfalls\u27 consequences for how we propose, test, and falsify theories about the FOSS phenomenon. We conclude by proposing an agenda for future research

Decision-making Processes in Community-based Free/Libre Open Source Software-development Teams with Internal Governance: An Extension to Decision-making Theory

Community-based free/libre open source software (FLOSS) teams with internal governance constitute an extreme example of distributed teams, prominent in software development. At the core of distributed team success lies team decision making and execution. However, in FLOSS teams, one might expect the lack of formal organizational structures to guide practices and reliance on asynchronous communication to make decision making problematic. Despite these challenges, many effective FLOSS teams exist. We lack research on how organizations make IS development decisions in general and on FLOSS decision-making models in particular. The decision-making literature on FLOSS teams has focused on the distribution of decision-making power. Therefore, it remains unclear which decision-making theories fit the FLOSS context best or whether we require novel decision-making models. We adopted a process-based perspective to analyze decision making in five community-based FLOSS teams. We identified five different decision-making processes, which indicates that FLOSS teams use multiple processes when making decisions. Decision-making behaviors remained stable across projects even though they required different types of knowledge. We help fill the literature gap about which FLOSS decision mechanisms one can explain using classical decision-making theories. Practically, community and company leaders can use knowledge of these decision processes to develop infrastructure that fits FLOSS decision-making processes

The Third Design Space: A postcolonial perspective on corporate engagement with open source software communities

Corporations increasingly engage with open source software communities in the co‐creation of software. This collaboration between corporate professionals and open source software community members is strikingly different from the early days of software development where for‐profit firms attempted to dominate and control the industry while attempting to throttle the success of independent developers offering an alternative, open source option. While many metaphors like trading zones, common pool resources and ecosystems have helped understand the phenomenon, the metaphors do not portray what the industry was like before and after the transition. We adopt a postcolonial metaphor as an analytical lens to examine such collaboration based on qualitative data gathered over three years from executives, managers and developers within corporations that engage in open source software development. Drawing on these insights, we then theorize a “Third Design Space,” based on the concept of the third space proposed by Bhabha. This metaphor encourages the cultivation of a new design environment, creation of new design associations and circulation of shared design resources. Together these practices and behaviours make it possible to nurture innovative methods and new rituals for designing software with results and methods that represent a distinct departure from the competitive and proprietary past, even creating innovative artefacts that could not have been created without the Third Design Space

Frameworks Verticas vs Horizontais Gestão de Recursos Humanos com o OFBiz

Os sistemas de informação integrados contribuem para a gestão eficiente das empresas, seja na organização e funcionamento internos ou nas relações externas. O mercado deste software é dominado pelas empresas que criam e distribuem sistemas proprietários. Existe uma alternativa, software livre, que disponibiliza aplicações em código aberto e maioritariamente de licença gratuita, que pode ser adaptado às necessidades das empresas. O objetivo do presente trabalho é avaliar a viabilidade de plataformas livres, de natureza vertical – OFBiz – e horizontal – Spring – como opção na escolha de um sistema de informação nas Pequenas e Médias Empresas portuguesas. Das áreas de negócio principais das organizações, foi selecionada a área de Recursos Humanos para efeitos de adaptação na aplicação OFBiz, com incidência em dois casos de uso: uma opção essencial, mas que atualmente não está prevista – Processamento de vencimentos – e outra já existente e que é avaliada em termos de necessidades de adaptação – Recrutamento. Sendo o idioma um requisito indispensável à internacionalização da aplicação, foi também analisada a sua implementação. A metodologia de investigação utilizada foi o Design Science Research, tendo sido implementado um protótipo para efeitos de teste e avaliação do projeto, com a elaboração de dois modelos: configuração e desenvolvimento. Implementado o protótipo, verificou-se que a framework vertical apresenta-se como uma alternativa mais viável do que a horizontal, pelas funcionalidades já existentes e que facilitam a adequação às necessidades de informação das Pequenas e Médias Empresas. A sua base tecnológica e de estrutura permite que a aplicação possa ser adaptada por técnicos especialistas das próprias empresas.Integrated information systems contribute to the efficient management of companies, whether in their internal organization and functioning or in their external relations. This software's market is dominated by companies that create and distribute proprietary systems. There is an alternative, free software, offering applications on Open Source and mostly free license, which can be adapted to business needs, namely small and medium-sized enterprises. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of these free platforms, namely of vertical – OFBiz - and horizontal – Spring - natures, as an option for an information system in Small and Medium Portuguese companies. The Human Resources were chosen from the main areas of the business organizations, for adaptation in OFBiz software, focusing on two use cases: an essential option, but that is not currently scheduled - Salary Processing - and another already existing area, evaluated here in terms of adaptation needs - Recruitment. Being the language a prerequisite to the implementation of internationalization, it was also analyzed its implementation. The research methodology used in this work was the Design Science Research, and was implemented a prototype for testing and evaluating the project with the development of two models: configuration and development. Implemented the prototype, it was found that the vertical framework – OFBiz – presents itself as a more viable alternative than the horizontal one, due the existing features designed to facilitate the adaptation to the information needs of Small and Medium Enterprises. Its technological base and structure allows the adaptation by technical experts from the companies themselves

Human Capital Development for Programmers Using Open Source Software

A firm can upgrade relevant skills of its programmers by ensuring their participation in carefully chosen open source projects. Highly skilled programmers are more valuable for the firm but participating in open source projects reduces the time they spend doing the firm’s projects. This tradeoff determines the optimal extent of programmer participation in open source for the firm. The extent of open source participation may also be influenced by the minimum compensation that must be paid to hire a programmer in the labor market. This is because providing better skills is a way of compensating the programmers by improving their future market value. Hence the firm may want to increase open source participation to keep direct wage payments in check. We develop an analytical model based on optimal control theory to characterize the employment contract that features the best mix of open source participation and wage payments. We also find that the firm benefits more from the presence of open source in a tight labor market (i.e., when programmers have good options besides the employment offered by the firm). On the other hand, programmers are compensated better in the presence of open source opportunities when they have few outside options. This benefit is more for less skilled programmers

Teilen - und dann? Kostenlose Musikdistribution, Selbstmanagement und Urheberrecht

Auf der Grundlage einer historischen und theoretischen Perspektivierung des Selbstmanagements von Musikern untersucht der empirische Teil dieser Studie erstmals die momentane Praxis von Musikern in Deutschland und den USA. Dabei werden vor allem die Anwendung des Urheberrechts und die Nutzung von Creative Commons Lizenzen in den Blick genommen. Das Buch analysiert Theorien zu Open Source und freier Kultur, zu digitalen Märkten und Kreativwirtschaft im Hinblick auf die jeweils leitenden Handlungsmodelle und Zukunftsszenarien. Es rekonstruiert die Einrichtung des Lizenzierungsinstruments Creative Commons in genealogischer Perspektive und fragt nach den Erwerbsperspektiven von Nutzern einer Kreativ-Allmende am Musikmarkt. Im empirischen Teil untersucht die Studie das Selbstmanagement von Musikern im Hinblick auf das Urheberrecht und die Möglichkeiten der Monetarisierung von Musik und ordnet die entsprechenden Praktiken in ein allgemeines Modell popkulturellen Erfolgs am Musikmarkt ein. Dabei zeigt sich, dass unterschiedliche strukturelle Rahmenbedingungen andere Praktiken ermöglichen und dass viele Musiker auf der Basis von Halbwissen agieren. Insgesamt haben sich die Erwerbsperspektiven und die Möglichkeiten der Markterschließung unter den Bedingungen der digitalen Netzwerkkommunikation nicht notwendigerweise verbessert. Besonders in Bezug auf das Marketing bleiben alte Marktstrukturen oft erhalten und können nur teilweise durch virale Strategien unterlaufen oder modifiziert werden. In einer weiterhin von leichtfertiger Innovationseuphorie und medienutopistischen Leitgedanken geprägten Debatte leistet diese ebenso kritische wie substanzielle Studie einen unverzichtbaren Diskussionsbeitrag

Exploring characteristics of IT capability in enabling a customer-focused strategy

The customer-focused approach is a prominent trend pursued by organisations. Every part of an organisation that follows this approach has a role in the success of that organisation's customer-focused strategy. The role of information technology (IT) in enabling and facilitating customer focus is not fully recognised or appreciated by some managers. The motivation for this study is to develop a new way of thinking about customer-focused strategy and to illustrate that IT has a significant role in the success of the relationship between an organisation and its customers. This research study aims to explore strategies for focusing on the customer, the characteristics of IT capabilities (ITC) and the relationship between business and IT in delivering customer-focused strategies (CFS). A qualitative exploratory approach was conducted with three large organisations: Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and Arab National Bank (ANB) in Saudi Arabia, and Electricity Supply Board Networks (ESB Networks) in Ireland. Qualitative data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 35 business and IT managers. The data collected were analysed using coding and comparative techniques. These case studies reveal that the focus of these organisations is on knowing the customer and empowering the customer experience through multiple interaction channels, improving the fulfilment time for customers and transforming customer services to digital. This focus on the customer increases the importance of ITC in the fulfilment, continuity, automation, integration and availability of customer services. Both ITC and CFS are supported by a working relationship characterised by shared responsibility, mutual trust, partnership and agility between IT and business in handling customer services. A multi-site exploratory study reveals the emergence of self-service initiatives and customer usability. This highlights an organisation’s ability to predict customer needs proactively and enable customers to control their own services. Roles also emerged for ITC in implementing, enabling and initiating business strategies to focus on the customer. These initiatives and ITC roles support the formation of customer focus digitalisation in terms of provision, interactivity and information capabilities. This study illustrates a theoretical model of customer focus digitalisation. This model refocuses services and interactions between organisations and customers and places greater emphasis on the digital form. This could be one of the building blocks in supporting the processes managed between technology and business. This study also provides organisations with practical classifications for understanding and characterising the role of ITC in supporting organisational strategies towards customers. ITC roles are classified into those of implementer, enabler, autonomous, initiator, and generator of revenue