[Air-l] 9 new working papers + 1 thesis on freesoftware.mit.edu|opensource.mit.edu

[Karim R. Lakhani]

Hello All,
<sorry for any x-posting>

Please find below the following new papers on our website.  As usual the authors will appreciate your direct feedback.  Many thanks to all the authors that have submitted papers.  Keep em coming!

Best

Karim

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Paper 1
Authors:
Chan, Tzu-Ying & Jen-Fang Lee

Title
A Comparative Study of Online User Communities Involvement In Product Innovation and Development
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/chanlee.pdf

Abstract:
The literature lacks a conceptual understanding on how different types of online user communities can influence the product innovation and development. Therefore, this research attempts to understand this phenomenon by re-classifying the current online user communities from the perspective of product innovation and development and has resulted in five different models of user communities. We compare and discuss of the five models. Lastly, we will further discuss the deficiencies of the User Collaboration Innovation Communities, theoretically and practically, to suggest the feasibility of the research direction in the future.

Paper 2:
Author:
Dahlander, Linus

Title:
Appropriating Returns From Open Innovation Processes: A Multiple Case Study of Small Firms in Open Source Software
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/dahlander.pdf

Abstract:
This paper addresses a largely neglected area within the growing literature on open source software (OSS) namely how firms generate returns and how that changes over time. Firms exist and sell a variety of products and services related to OSS, even though the OSS community has used legal and normative mechanisms to avoid property right claims and commercial transactions. The paper draws upon an explorative multiple case study of six small firms in Sweden and Finland that try to commercialize OSS, with rich empirical evidence from various data sources. The cases illustrate how firms try a variety of approaches to generate adequate returns and that selling services seem to be the dominant trend. By being adaptive and change ways of generating returns over time, the firms tackle the rapidly changing environment and uncertainty of what works. Firm also balance the relative inefficiency of traditional means of intellectual property right such as patents by putting greater emphasi
s on first mover advantages and creating network externalities.
	
Paper 3
Author:
Hemetsberger, Andrea

Title:
When Consumers Produce on the Internet: The Relationship between Cognitive-affective, Socially-based, and Behavioral Involvement of Prosumers
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/hemetsberger1.pdf

Abstract:
This article advances our understanding of the motivational sources for consumer involvement in online joint innovation. The 'free' or 'open-source' software movement is the largest socio-technical network and most visible empirical evidence of this new phenomenon. The paper promotes a behavioral view of involvement and offers a conceptualization and empirical evidence of the relationship between cognitive-affective, socially-based and behavioral involvement in online joint production. An Internet survey with 1486 contributors to open-source software revealed that the extent of behavioral involvement is strongly related to the structure and strength of relationships between different motivations. The relationship between concern for self and concern for others especially distinguishes the level of contribution to online projects.


Paper 4
Author:
Hemetsberger, Andrea

Title: 
Fostering cooperation on the Internet: social exchange processes in innovative virtual consumer communities
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/hemetsberger2.pdf

Abstract:
Virtual communities of consumers increasingly engage in voluntary collaborative production of digital goods and services which became highly successful in recent years. This paper offers a theoretical conceptualization and empirical evidence of the key elements and processes of exchange in those communities. Within a culture of gift-giving and generalized social exchange, knowledge as the main resource of the community is multiplied by giving it away freely to others and thus, fosters contribution behavior. Friendship, peer reputation and external feed-back provided by a global user community represent highly motivating social rewards which, combined with individual gain of knowledge, constitute a self-sustaining system of exchange.
	
Paper 5:
Author:
Hemetsberger, Andrea

Title:
Understanding consumers' collective action on the Internet - a definition and discussion of relevant concepts for research
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/hemetsberger3.pdf

Abstract:
This paper offers a new approach for understanding online collaboration and collective action of 'prosumers'. It is proposed here that theories of collective action and social representations theory, in particular, provide a theoretical framework for studying the structural and social context of online collaboration of consumers, the social actors involved, and how public discourse contributes to shared meaning creation and dissemination in online communities. Processes of naming, classifying, personalizing and institutionalization give their actions ontological reality and contribute to the sustainability of the common effort. An overview and definition of these processes and relevant influencing factors is given and possible indicators of these concepts in open-source communities are highlighted.
	

Paper 6:
Authors:
Hemetsberger, Andrea & Christian Reinhardt

Title:
Sharing and Creating Knowledge in Open-Source Communities The case of KDE
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/hemreinh.pdf

Abstract:
Our research suggests that knowledge is shared and created in online communities of practice through the establishment of processes and 'technologies' that enable virtual re-experience for the learners at various levels. It demonstrates that online communities of practice overcome the problem of tacit knowledge transformation through the usage of technological tools, task-related features, analogies and usage scenarios. Three questions guided our research. The first one concentrates on how community members organize content with regard to their daily routines that potentially transforms into knowledge for other members. Secondly, as open-source communities depend on attracting and socializing new members, we inquired how new members are enabled to accumulate the knowledge necessary for becoming a valued member. Thirdly, we asked how members co-create and conceptualize new ideas - create new knowledge - in absence of physical proximity. Re-experience is enabled by modular tas
ks and transactive group memory, rigid guidance of new members, openness and legitimate peripheral participation, asynchronous communication, and virtual experimentation. Empirical evidence is based on an ethnographic investigation of the KDE project community.

Paper 7
Author:
Scherler, Thorsten

Title:
Open Source Software within organization - Critical factors for consulting
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/scherler1.pdf

Abstract:
The consultation of enterprises and organizations regarding the correct implementation of modern information technology is an important segment on the modern consulting market. The main focus of this work is to conduct the consultation in consideration of the topic “Introduction of Open Source e-Business Technologies”. Due to limited budget funds more and more enterprises are designing their value chain more cost-effective by using web based systems. Mostly all parts of the value chain can be supported by e-business technologies. To further reduce the costs this e-business technologies should be Open Source.


Paper 8
Author:
Prufer, Jens

Title:
Network Formation via Contests: The Production Process of Open Source Software
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/prufer.pdf

Abstract:
Why do both software developers and firms contribute to the production process of Open Source Software (OSS) despite not receiving direct monetary rewards for it? This papers extends results of the economic literature by modelling the OSS production process as an application contest to a "qualified network". The winners receive reputation and high investments. Investors searching for highly talented applicants profit from the selection mechanism of the OSS production process and finance it to receive inside information. We describe incentives for developers and firms and compare the mechanism with alternatives for its efficiency.


Paper 9

Author:
Masum, Hasan

Title:
TOOL: The Open Opinion Layer
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue7_7/masum/index.html

Abstract:
Shared opinions drive society: what we read, how we vote, and where we shop are all heavily influenced by the choices of others. However, the cost in time and money to systematically share opinions remains high, while the actual performance history of opinion generators is often not tracked. This article explores the development of a distributed open opinion layer, which is given the generic name of TOOL. Similar to the evolution of network protocols as an underlying layer for many computational tasks, we suggest that TOOL has the potential to become a common substrate upon which many scientific, commercial, and social activities will be based. 


Thesis:
Author
McLaughlin, David

Title:
Opening The Code: Software Excellence As A Function Of Its Development Environment
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/mclaughlin.pdf

Abstract:
Software is an increasingly important component of the modern world; indeed, software forms the architecture around which today’s digital society is built. Because of the complex interrelationship between computer code, liberty, and the distribution of power in society, the environment in which code is produced makes a tremendous difference in the resulting structure of the world. An "Open" foundation for software development provides a variety of economic and societal benefits, but there are a number of preconditions necessary for its full deployment. One of the primary stumbling blocks is the need for the Open development process to demonstrate its capacity for producing "excellent" software. This thesis tackles that obstacle by first defining excellence in software, and then examining the software ecosystems that surround proprietary and Open Source conceptions of digital property in terms of their incentive structures--incentives that either encourage or discourage quali
ty. Herein, this thesis demonstrates that not only can an Open Source development model produce quality software, but it also takes advantage of the complex adaptive systems model of diversity and adaptation to better meet the established criteria of an "ideal" software development system.
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Karim R. Lakhani
MIT Sloan School of Management
&
The Boston Consulting Group, Strategy Practice Initiative 
e-mail: karim.lakhani at sloan.mit.edu | lakhani.karim at bcg.com
mobile:  617-851-1224
http://spoudaiospaizen.net/ | http://web.mit.edu/lakhani/www
http://opensource.mit.edu | http://userinnovation.mit.edu