Game theory and open source contribution: Rationale behind corporate participation in open source software development

The rising participation of for-profit corporations in the development of open source software raises the question of why corporations are motivated toward this engagement. The increased participation is an observable phenomenon; many researchers and practitioners assume that the practice of community sharing does not improve the bottom line, but rather believe the practice is altruistic in nature. Our intuition is that participation offers tangible and intangible benefits to corporate participants. We show this by exploring a variety of models in game theory and use game theory as a methodological lens to explain the rationality of corporate participation in open source software development. Since game theory has evolved to include rational- and emotional-based reasons, we explore such lenses as cooperative games, metagames, coopetition, and Drama Theory. Our research question, “Why do for-profit corporations participate in the development of open source software?” was broad enough to adopt several useful perspectives to understand our data. One useful lens was game theory. In this article, we examine interview responses and field study data from corporate members of open source communities to determine how they justify devoting time and effort to community engagement. Our study makes a contribution to open source software literature by revealing that numerous rational and emotional reasons exist for corporate participation in open source software development.     

Determinants of Commitment in an Online Community: Assessing the Antecedents of Weak Ties and Their Impact

Research argues that participants contribute to online communities because they have developed commitment to that community. Even relatively light commitment—“weak ties”—can make an impact on community participation. We hypothesize and empirically verify that users’ reading activity is an important factor in creating commitment. In doing so, we support and contextualize the Theory of Weak Ties through the investigation of weak “readership ties.” Our research formulates both of these constructs, readership ties and commitment, as part of a larger model that identifies perceived site asset value as an important antecedent for readership ties and, thus, commitment. The empirical investigation draws on survey data from 144 members of the Slashdot community. We find all of our hypotheses confirmed, indicating that all types of site assets (community members, knowledge, and technology) increase perceived site value, and that, in turn, increased perceived site asset value leads to more active usage and higher commitment, thus demonstrating the impact of weak ties.     

Football – marketplace icon?

Football has always been an important part of consumer culture, in many countries producing a global audience for World Cups and millions of people celebrating annual football competitions. It was once described by iconic Liverpool Football Club (FC) football manager Bill Shankly as follows, “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.” This marketplace icon contribution puzzles over whether football truly represents a marketplace icon and if so how does this effect the world’s most popular sports game? The commentary explores the significance of the beautiful game asking the reader to consider that it is not only a marketplace icon but much more than that, likened here to a “supra socio-cultural phenomenon” which rises above market logic or as Foer argues Football explains the world.     

This We Remember: Consuming Representation via the Web Posting of War Photographs

Consumers are increasingly searching for beautiful memories. Memory is not solely the work of the mind retrieving a “true” past. People represent their unique past to (re)construct their identity and seek social links with others who share the remembered events. Through visual analysis of the web posting of war photographs by Vietnam veterans, this paper explores how people consume representations in remembering, reconstructing identities and building a mnemonic community. The analysis suggests that individual remembering is nested within collective remembering. A conceptual framework viewing remembering as mediated action helps to explain how consumers use representations in remembering. This process is carried out not only by individuals but also by cultural institutions. American Vietnam veterans use consumer products including private photographs, movies, books, travel trips and the Internet as tools to assist in the on‐going process of remembering. They add their own voice into the social representation system to create representations that further express who they are and to connect with their community. The constructed memory shapes consumers' present. This in turn modifies their representation of their pasts which become involved in changing the larger social representation system.     

Mitigating panic buying behavior in the epidemic: An evolutionary game perspective

The panic buying behavior under public health emergencies will lead to many adverse consequences, such as material waste, price fluctuation and uneven distribution of epidemic prevention materials, which will pose a threat to the social stability and economic development. In this paper, we construct a tripartite game model to explore the strategic choices of the public, merchants and the government in order to effectively respond to the panic buying behavior in the epidemic. The results demonstrate that: (1) Eight evolutionary stable strategies emerge in the panic buying events. The worst scenario can be improved by adjusting some relevant parameters. (2) The probability of the public choosing the strategy of “not involving in panic buying” depends on the potential benefits and losses of snapping up, rather than the extent of price rising. (3) The probability of merchants choosing the strategy of “not bid up price” depends on the intangible benefits. (4) The probability of the government choosing the strategy of “active supervision” depends on the supervision costs and government credibility, rather than the amount of fines. In addition, strategic suggestions to mitigate panic buying behavior are put forward from the perspective of each stakeholder.     

Intentional social action in virtual communities

There is growing evidence of the increasing participation in, and influence of, virtual communities in digital environments. To help explain this irresistible allure, the individual and social determinants of the member's intentions to participate are investigated. Conceptualizing virtual community participation as intentional social action, we explicate the concept of “we-intentions”, and use the Model of Goal-Directed Behavior to explain members’ we-intentions. Virtual community influences pertaining to compliance, internalization, and social identity are also elaborated on. An empirical study of regular virtual community participants (N = 157) finds that we-intentions to participate are functions of both individual determinants (positive anticipated emotions and desires), and community influences (social identity). Implications for marketing and future research opportunities are discussed.     

一体化市场制度与区域经济一体化

当前，在我国一体化市场制度的构建中，地方政府成为制度变迁的“中间抵制”力量。文章运用博弈论的分析方法，探寻突破地方政府“中间抵制”的可行途径，并对实现我国经济运行模式从“行政区经济”向“区域经济一体化”转变提出作者的见解。     

对我国灾害管理体系与能力建设现状、问题的思考与对策建议

防灾减灾救灾是人类社会生存发展的永恒课题。本文以安徽省为例，概述了其灾害、灾情及特点，并以习近平总书记关于防灾减灾的新理念、新思想、新战略为指导，重点分析了安徽省灾害管理体系与能力建设取得的进展、存在的问题及其原因，在此基础上提出加强全省各类灾害的风险评估及早期预防、理顺和完善各级灾害应急管理体制机制、强化基层、社区、公众应对灾害事故的意识与能力、加强防灾减灾的科技支撑体系建设。     

基于参与式发展理论的安新白洋淀湿地生态旅游研究

作为对湿地资源科学、合理的开发模式,湿地生态旅游有利于实现人与自然的和谐共生以及人与人之间的社会公平,具有广阔的推广、实施前景。基于参与式发展理论,主要利益相关群体积极发挥作用并产生良性互动,特别是当地社区居民的广泛参与,是实现湿地生态旅游可持续发展的根本前提和有力保障。     

Injury classification: balancing continuity and utility

The approach to classifying injury and its causes in the International Classification of Diseases changed radically between ICD5 and ICD6. It has changed relatively little in the subsequent four revisions and fifty years. ICD6 introduced separate chapters for “injury and poisoning” and “external causes”, and the main groups in each of those chapters. Injury research has emerged as a discipline in the period since ICD6 was developed. Major themes are conceptual frameworks of aetiology and prevention, the empirical measurement of injury severity, and population-based and community injury prevention techniques. ICD-10 (in common with ICD-9) reflects these developments to a very limited extent. A response to limitations of the ICD for purposes of injury prevention and control was the development, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, of special-purpose classifications of characteristics of events that result in injury. Recognition of strong commonality among several of these ‘multi-axial’ systems led to a view that an international system embodying shared characteristics was achievable and worthwhile. The draft ICECI is the latest outcome of this work. Compatibility with ICD-10 is a design criterion for ICECI because of the continuing central importance of the ICD for health classification. The precise meaning of “compatibility” in this context has not been resolved. At one extreme, “compatibility” could mean limiting ICECI simply to the ICD-10 external cause codes with subdivision of existing categories, and perhaps some additional data items that do not overlap conceptually with ICD-10. At other extremes, ICECI could be developed without specific reference to categories in ICD-10, or ICECI could replace the existing ICD external cause classification. It is not practicable to map every ICD-10 three-character external cause category to a unique equivalent combination of codes in a multi-axial system, mainly due to conceptual inconsistencies in the ICD-10 external cause classification. More limited mapping is possible and could be designed to ensure that data coded to ICECI could be grouped to be equivalent to important ICD external cause categories. The way chosen for classification of external causes should be one that recognises contemporary information requirements in the fields of injury prevention and control as well as the desirability of continuity in long-term monitoring of important categories of injury. Field-testing and consultation with data users will determine whether ICECI meets these criteria well enough to warrant its adoption as a member of the ICD family of classifications.     

Expanding the magic circle – gamification as a marketplace icon

ABSTRACT

This article explores the gamification trend sweeping the globe promising increased engagement and motivation, in practically any industry, context and culture, based on a stratagem of “game design elements in non-game contexts,” which is its most quoted definition [Deterding, Sebastian, Miguel Sicart, Lennart Nacke, Kenton O'Hara, and Dan Dixon. 2011. “Gamification – Using Game-Design Elements in Non-Gaming Contexts.” Paper presented at the CHI EA “11 proceedings of the 2011 annual conference extended abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Vancouver, BC, May 7–12.]. The rise of gamification as marketplace icon is examined and particularly claims that position gamification as the manifestation of a wider societal transformation into playful societies – a “ludic turn.” Many of these grandiose statements are the result of ahistoricity and ambiguity regarding the definition of gamification. Based on game philosophy, game studies and gamification research this article posits gamification as an emergent perspective, as distinct conceptualisation, on the rule-driven organisation of sociotechnical management systems that reference “games.” Of particular importance is the role of rules. Examples such as Frequent Flyer Programmes and Foursquare are analysed according to the player/consumer positions they bestow, which are explored from participatory, co-creational, critical and game philosophical perspectives. Conclusively, a “gameful” perspective of rule-generated goal-oriented behaviour, or “playful” perspective of instinctive and limitless fun, shed two challenging perspectives on the interpretation of gamification in the marketplace.     

公众防灾教育在灾害风险管理中的作用

高速发展的现代社会,面临着各种重大灾害风险的威胁,加强公众防灾教育,是有效应对灾害风险的重要手段,而我国公众的防灾意识相当薄弱.应以灾害风险管理为切入点,系统地分析我国公众防灾教育的现状、问题和原因,并借鉴国外的经验,就可以对我国公众防灾教育在灾害风险管理中作用的高效发挥,提出合理化的建议.     

Game‐park capitalism,globalization, and multinational companies: An overview and a research agenda

This article paints a broad‐brush picture of a modernizing and reglobalizing world, following a path that can metaphorically be described as leading from unfettered “savannah‐type capitalism” over an interwar state‐controlled “zoo mentality” to a system of managed “game‐park capitalism.” I propose an agenda for studying the effects of what is ironically both a more integrated and an increasingly multipolar world on the role, strategies, and practices of incumbent multinational companies and their challengers. International business is portrayed as a learning race where I especially direct scholarly attention to internationally active companies' abilities to handle and benefit from the periphery, understand and serve customers, manage knowledge and interfaces, tap the international factor markets, and project a contemporary image. ©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Changing Private Market System

Most marketing managers still function as if challenges such as scarcity of resources and “social responsibility” were simply temporary phenomena. But our “private” market system is evolving into a “public” system. Public policy and the goals of society play an expanding role in making strategy decisions.

Traditional efficiency is when a manager attempts to achieve the greatest output for a given combination of inputs. Under a contemporary definition of efficiency, each firm must produce and allocate goods and services in such a manner that the maximum possible societal utility is achieved. The marketing function is to be the “change agent.”

Marketing today is in a transition from a “passive” to an “active” phase of its ability to deal with the changes taking place. As traditionally, the marketing manager will make decisions within several areas: product offering, price, distribution and promotion efforts, including advertising and sales. The basic concept of the product will be changed to include not only physical goods, but also services, organizations, people, plans and ideas. Exchange will take place between two parties and will no longer be measured simply by a straightforward calculation of costs. Environmental quality, political considerations, consumer welfare, etc., must be evaluated along with profits in order to properly understand how well marketing is satisfying the needs of society.     

社群压力对无车承运平台实际承运人参与意愿的影响

文章以无车承运平台为研究对象,系统定义了竞争压力、潮流压力和强制压力三类社群压力变量、战略价值和功能价值感知两类中介变量,构建了“社群压力→用户感知→参与意愿”的研究模型,并采用Smart PLS 3.2.6软件进行了实证研究,系统揭示了社群压力对实际承运人参与意愿的影响及内在机理。研究结果表明,社群压力对无车承运平台的实际承运人参与意愿具有显著性影响。其中,潮流压力的影响最大,竞争压力的影响最小;潮流压力和竞争压力对实际承运人参与意愿的影响均为间接影响,而强制压力对实际承运人参与意愿的影响则不需中介变量传递。     

The (Negligible) Benefit of Moving First: Efficiency and Equity in Principal-Agent Negotiations

Like the first-mover in an ultimatum game, the principal is a first-mover with foreknowledge of the agent’s “rational” best response function. The solution to the “principal’s problem” is to choose a contract that maximizes the principal’s expected profit given the agent’s marginal efficacy and marginal effort cost. However, this paper reports experiments that show that principals make large concessions toward an equal division outcome. As in ultimatum games, agents are at times willing to punish principals who are perceived as being overly acquisitive. Variations in agent effort cost and effectiveness that should (theoretically) produce qualitatively different game-theoretic equilibria have little impact on outcomes.     

International Executives,Identity Strategies and Mobility in France and China

The strategies of multinational firms increasingly rely in Asia Pacific Region on processes of socialising their employees, who are seeking to develop and reinforce a “global” company culture, without endangering the cultures of local subsidiaries. Specialists have coined the term “cross-cultural management”. A role of “company ambassador” is allocated to a new generation of international executives in Asia whose mission will be to play an effective role as interface between head office its the subsidiaries – and between the subsidiaries themselves – once they have been suitably “impregnated” with the company culture and the particular features of different markets.

The repeated experience of international mobility that executives live through means that the individual may well be living in conflict with previous identities. It is true to say that nobody stays long in an internationally mobile situation without running the risk of there being strong divergence between the domestic and residential worlds, the life of the community and the world of the company. This article has been written as a result of in-depth research into the way executives of a large French oil company built up their identities and as a result of a study examines intercultural learning based on French expatriates' experience in China. We consider how French expatriates experience China and what imaginary underlies their perception. Analysis of daily socialization and interaction processes shows intercultural competence develops along distinct immersion stages: immersion–adjustment, immersion–comprehension, and immersion–integration. Individually, adjustment and comprehension support intercultural practice. The ultimate immersion stage leads to enlightened pragmatism stemming from “nomadic intelligence”. Where a researcher in the social sciences or a business man might have expected to have found an homogenous international elite, international executives building an “international system”, the heterogeneous nature of the identity strategies of international executives give the lie to the myth of the large company as a space for the irreversible assimilation of its members. At an individual level, being an international executive is a unique way of living the experience abroad, or rather, several different ways of experiencing identity strategies linked to the manipulation of one's ethnicity in a context of significant geographical and functional mobility.     

MNCs,Worker Identity and the Human Rights Gap for Local Managers

This paper documents the development and implementation of an ethically valid code of ethics in a newly formed national professional organization. It describes the experience and challenges faced by the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) and its leaders as they worked to establish ethics as an organizing framework early in its evolution. Designed by the investigators and supported by the NASMM Board, the process took place over a 2 year period and more than 130 people participated. It provides a model for code development that is both practical and grounded in theory. Although the content of a code of ethics (the “product”) provides guidance to organizational members in the conduct of everyday business, especially when they face ethically challenging situations, how the code is developed (the “process”) influences its ethical validity. Few published cases document an organization’s experience developing a code, and this is the first case, to our knowledge, that provides a first-hand longitudinal account of an effective code development process.