Title: Open source as a sourcing strategy for corporations

Authors: Stefan Koch

Addresses: Department of Management, Bogazici University, 34342 Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract: Open source software has opened up a new possibility for corporations that are currently developing software, namely developing with open source software. This can be done either using existing components and projects and build upon their results or release own projects in an early stage with free code and hope for a community to form around this project. These strategies complement the traditional options of developing the solution in-house or buying it from external sources. In this paper we put this decision regarding open source in the framework of sourcing analyses, detailing a resource-based view on the corporation, complemented with production economics, transaction cost economics and knowledge management. This rephrasing will shed new light on this decision and will enable corporations to more accurately arrive at appropriate strategies.

Keywords: open source software; software development; sourcing analyses; outsourcing; transaction costs; production economics; knowledge management; KM; free codes; in-house solutions; external sources; resource-based views; corporations; sourcing strategies; strategic management; business innovation; R&D; research and development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2011.037253

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2011 Vol.5 No.1, pp.1 - 16

Published online: 28 Feb 2015 *

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