Public 'Beta' launches have become a preferred route of entry into themarkets for new software products and web site based services. Whilebeta testing of novel products is nothing new, typically such tests weredone by experts within firm boundaries. What makes public beta testingso attractive to...

As software ages, it is increasingly unable to leverage new technologies and fulfill the evolving user requirements. As a result, firms get an opportunity to introduce and sell upgrades that provide higher utility to consumers compared to an older and out-of-date software product. This is...

The introduction of product upgrades in a competitive environment is commonly observed in the software industry. When introducing a new product, a software vendor may employ behavior-based price discrimination (BBPD) by offering a discount over its market price to entice existing customers of...