The focus of existing open source software (OSS) research has been on how andwhy individuals and firms add to the commons of public OSS code—that is, on the“giving” side of this open innovation process. In contrast, research on thecorresponding “receiving” side of the innovation...

Programming is riddled with issues of ethical nature. However, while extant literature explains why individuals in IT would act unethically in many situations, we know surprisingly little about what causes them to do so during the creative act of programming. To address this issue, we look at...

Reusing code that is downloadable from the Internet - particularly open source software (OSS) code - in commercial software development is attractive for both firms and their software developers. However, to avoid serious economic and legal consequences for firms, the license obligations of the...

The reuse of existing code through their software developers is critical for firms to ensure efficient development of high-quality software. A recent facet of this topic is the increasing importance of reusing open source code which is often available free of charge via download from the...

Based on interviews, conjoint analyses, and patent databases, the role of patents in venture capital financing is empirically investigated. For practitioners and academics alike this dissertation provides many novel insights on how the importance of patents differs between regions, industries,...