...Open Source and Business Model Innovation. The Funambol case Alberto Onetti Department of Economics - Insubria State University Varese, Italy aonetti@eco.uninsubria.it Abstract – A comprehensive theoretical framework about open source business models is still missing, notwithstanding a growing number of contributions. This lack of literature is mainly due to the relative newness of the phenomena. This paper aims at giving a contribution to the ongoing discussion about open source business implications. The research hypothesis is that open source represents a disruptive innovation for the software industry. The purpose is to understand, through case study research, how open source companies can develop successful business models. Funambol provides an interesting example of an optimized business model, able to leverage the open source advantage in an emerging market. The paper is structured in three main parts: the first one aims at outlining the research hypothesis and methodology. The second part identifies the unique competitive factors distinguishing open source business and the main business implications. The final part focuses on the analysis of the Funambol business case. Fabrizio Capobianco Funambol Inc Redwood City, CA, USA info@funambol.com Zend engine) and multiple commercial tools around it. - Dual licensing business model: the dual license approach is not based on one integrated license. It is rather a business policy that permits a customer to choose one of...
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...Skadurz Pro Firm Overview Skadurz Pro is a family owned and operated business, Joel St. Marseille is the owner and his mother Connie St. Marseille is the full time manager. Skadurz Pro sells skateboard and snowboard equipment as well as clothing, shoes, and accessories and is located in Sudbury, Ontario. The case issue with Skadurz Pro is the decision of which store to keep open, the South End location where the building is up for sale and the future of the building and store is unknown and dependant on the buyer of the building or the New Sudbury location where competitor West 49 would be opening a store right across the street. Internal Perspectives Keeping the South End location, leads to an unknown future for the company. Will the new building owner want to renew the stores lease? Keeping the New Sudbury location open where competitor West 49 is moving in will affect store sales. Is it worth the risk to keep that location open? This store has been open at this location for 10 years and is well known by customers. St Marseille worries about the success of the New Sudbury location once West 49 opens and estimates that in fiscal year 2004 annual store sales at this location would total $350,000 and all other expenses would remain comparatively stable. External Perspectives The skateboarding and snowboarding business in Ontario has really grown. Skateboarding became a popular sport and by 2004 there were nine city skateboard parks and plans to construct...
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...Open Business Models HOW TO THRIVE IN THE NEW INNOVATION LANDSCAPE Henry Chesbrough 1 Why Business Models Need to Open Up ormer baseball catcher Yogi Berra lik.ed to observe that "the fu ture isn't what it used to be." This same general pessimism has been voiced about innovation in the United States and Eu rope, even as the innovation opportunities globally in places such as China and India have greatly expanded. l And it is not hard to see why. The great research and development laboratories of the twentieth century have been downsized, broken up, or redirected to new purposes in the West, while new labs are springing up overseas in large countries such as India and China, as well as small countries such as Finland and Israel. Companies are shortening their time horizons for research and development ex and are shifting money from "R" to "D." Many great universi ties are putting up patent fences around new research discoveries that are funded by taxpayer dollars. Start-up companies once were the great hope that would fill the void in corporate innovation, but the bust in the Internet sector and the venture capital market has dampened these expectations. Fears of outsourcing high-wage jobs . . to low-cost centers around the world dominate many discussions of economic and trade policy. In many varied parts of the western inno vation system, the future of innovation has clearly changed. F 2 OPEN BUSINESS MODELS Even the rapid...
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...Business development is the formation of long-term value for an organisation from clients, markets, and connections. There is elegance, effortlessness; however, maybe this definition dumps you of needing more. A business development is tied in with making sense of how the connections of those powers join together to make open doors for development. It can also be interpreted that business development is a consistently evolving idea that can be drawn nearer from different perspective or points of view. At its fundamental level business development is characterized as growing a business by making it more aggressive, expanding products or services, as well as concentrating on particular markets. At the end of the day, business development is the...
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...Introduction Sherdon and Anissa Webb have been working parents for over 18 years. Both individuals understand the hardship of starting out and making yourself marketable in the corporate world. Now that their eldest son is in college, and they have seen how hard it was for him to get summer jobs and student work studies, they want to make the path a bit easier for their younger children. Their hope is to start a small business that will eventually become a family affair. This business will help the community as well as allow their children to have summer work growing up and instill in them the entrepreneurial spirit. As part of working class America, Sherdon and Anissa do not have a lot of income at their disposal. They will be investing all of their savings into this business, therefore, proper planning is a must. The business that they have decided to open is an employment agency. After researching the industry, both feel as though there is a market for this service and that the time it will take to open the business is reasonable. Additionally, they believe that if they can use a line of credit, their initial investment will be low and their risk a bit lower compared to other industries. To begin their journey to small business ownership, Sherdon and Anissa will approach their planning by way of using a project plan, especially focusing on managing their risks as they have a lot at stake. Statement of work...
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...Business Research RES/351 Business Research With looking to open a new Tattoo shop in the Plymouth area, we need to look at many things before we can open the doors. We must consider our research problem and purpose, our research design, sampling methods, the analysis of our research, and any ethical considerations we need to look at. With this information, we want to see if Plymouth is the right place for us to open our Tattoo shop and it being a profitable location. There are many questions to ask with opening a new tattoo shop, from what is a good location to what our profit margins would be. One-research question to ask is; do we have clientele in the same location as where we want to open our business? This is an important question because even though people are willing to travel to get a quality and personal tattoo, local clientele still account for profits. A second question to ask is; will we gain profit at this location? As in any business, we are in it to make profit, not debt. A third question to ask is; is there competition in the area? We as new business owners need to know if there are any other tattoo parlors in the area where we would like to open up, and if so, what kind of service and body artwork are they offering? Are they the same type of body art we are going to offer our clientele? A fourth question to ask is; what will it cost to open the doors for the first year? The last question is the most important question we need to ask ourselves...
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...1. How would you characterize the MySQL vs MariaDB problem? What were the key reasons for MariaDB's creation? Do you foresee this becoming the norm (corporate-community forks) or is this simply a set of really disagreeable personalities? Truly Open Source because all code in MariaDB is released under GPL, LPGL or BSD. MariaDB does not have closed source modules like the ones that can be found in MySQL Enterprise Edition. In fact, all the closed source features in MySQL 5.5 Enterprise Edition are found in the MariaDB open source version. MariaDB includes test cases for all fixed bugs. Oracle doesn't provide test cases for new bugs fixed in MySQL 5.5. All bugs and development plans are public. MariaDB is developed by the community in true open source spirit. MariaDB has a lot of new options, extension, storage engines and bug fixes that are not in MySQL. 2. How does GPL version 3 differ from GPL version 2? There are many differences between the two versions of the GNU Public License, but it’s important to note that GPLv3 serves as an alternative, rather than a replacement of GPLv2. The reason for this is that the two licenses are incompatible, and there is no legal way to combine any code that uses the GPLv2 with any code that will be used under the GPLv3. One of the common issues facing those who utilize GPLv2 software is the uncertainty as to whether other code that is used or distributed in conjunction with GPLv2 Code would be subject to the terms of the...
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...What Is Open Source? Technically, “open source” means software that issupplied with the original code in which it was written allowing others to view, modify, adapt, and improve this code. This can include software that cannot be redistributed without explicit permission (and often a payment) to the software owner. Most people now define “open source” more narrowly to as software with the following further characteristics: • It is protected by copyright, but not patents. • It has a “copy-left” license (GNU license or similar), which states that it can be redistributed for no charge, but the source code and modifications must be licensed out under the same terms that it was licensed in. Sample licenses are available at http://www.opensource.org. Please note, that it is acceptable to sell commercial software in a bundle with this “open source” software. Open source software is not the same as “shareware” or “freeware” which often does not come with source code and has zero cost as its defining characteristic. Open source software, may or may not be zero cost. The benefit of open source software is that when people are allowed to read, distribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves and gets better. Open Source in Brief In practice, a typical open-source project uses a web or other internet site as the repository for the source code, documentation, discussions, design documents, bug and issue lists, and other artifacts associated...
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...discuss the human resources practices that need to change to support the new strategy of the company implemented by CEO, Rhett Roberts of Redmond Minerals. This paper will identify three ways in which the internet could improve Redmond’s human resource management functions. It will also communicate how my ideas align with Robert’s principles for running his company. And, finally, this paper will evaluate how change, engagement and employee empowerment could have a positive impact of an organization including Redmond Minerals. In supporting the new strategy that Roberts implemented at Redmond, it would involve continuing to build on the foundation of the company that he put in place. In building on this concept, the company would need to continue value its employees, have a strategic goal in what direction the company would like to go and play an even more active role in the training of employees. In continuing to value employees there should be more outreach for programs that involve diversity and inclusion. In attracting more diverse employees, the company would continue to grow and have new ideas to aid in the process of growing. One example of this is in, Mining Excellence at Redmond Minerals, one employee thought that, “…schedules should go from a five day work week to four days based upon business needs.” (pg 53.) This idea was implemented and was successful in saving the company money, executing new practices and in return passing some of that income to the employees. In...
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...Introduction 2 I.I Background 2 I.II The founder of this idea 4 I.III Purpose of the project 5 I.IV Problem formulation 6 I.V Demarcations 7 I.VI Methodology 7 I.VII Definitions 12 Part II. 14 Analysis of external stakeholders 14 II.I Background 14 II.II Identification of all relevant stakeholders 16 II.II a Educational institutions teaching foreign students 16 I.II b Foreign potential students abroad, considering to enlist for study in Denmark 18 II.II c Foreign students in Denmark, already enlisted for a study in Denmark 21 II.II d Governmental bodies and institutions 22 II.II e Competitors 23 Conclusion to external stakeholders’ analysis 24 Part III 25 Business model 25 Conclusion 26 Part IV 27 Targeting, penetration and expansion 27 Part V 29 Design specification 29 V.I Development strategy 29 V.III. Design and content 30 V.IV. Technology 32 Conclusion 33 Budget 35 Potential upsides 37 Risks 37 Part VII 39 Advantages, disadvantages, challenges 39 Part IX 42 Conclusion 42 Bibliography 44 Part I Introduction I.I Background During the last years the situation at the Danish educational market has changed. Some of the educational institutions have experienced the growth in the quantity of foreigners having a wish to study in Denmark. Students coming from different parts of the world have become a significant part of Danish Educational...
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...Home Get Started Promotion Sales & Service Operations Finance Franchising Technology March 23, 2015 Resources for Entrepreneurs > Good Business Ideas > I Want to Start a Small Business Gaebler.com is a daily online magazine covering small business news. We help entrepreneurs transform ideas and innovations into greatness. Ask me a question Visit us on View our news feed Follow Ken Stop by for a bit Get our newsletter Resources for Entrepreneurs Good Business Ideas Opening a Vietnamese Restaurant Starting a Vietnamese restaurant is a rewarding experience if you have the creativity and tenacity necessary to be a successful entrepreneur. We offer nuts-and-bolts information on successfully operating a small business. Wondering how to start a Vietnamese restaurant? We take you step-by-step from start to success. How to Start a Vietnamese Restaurant Are you friend or pho? Sorry for the bad Vietnamese food pun! But, seriously, we are here to help you learn about opening a Vietnamese restaurant. What questions do you have? Consumer Expectations for Vietnamese Cuisine Vietnamese is one of a handful of ethnic cuisines that have gained traction in the U.S. restaurant industry. But like any other restaurant cuisine, consumers have certain expectations about the Vietnamese restaurants they patronize -- and those expectations may not always line up with typical cuisine in Vietnam. For startup...
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...restaurant business. One is the possibility of adding a delivery service or to open a new unit a few blocks away from the current restaurant (Rao, 2004). Wai-Ling has a variety of challenges with both of these options; marketing, operational issues, inventory, and financial concerns. I recommended that Wai-Ling starts a delivery service because he would have quicker return on his investment without much capital needed for start-up. Also Mongol BBQ can increase business without significantly increasing regular operation costs or require expansion of their facilities. Mongols BBQ Mongols BBQ was an Oriental stir-fry “buffet bar” located in California. Customers could choose combinations of food to be cooked as they watch the food being prepared. The owner of the restaurant, Wai-Ling Wang, wants to expand his business by either adding a delivery service or opening a new branch a few blocks away from the current establishment. Wai-Ling would like the delivery service to generate about 100 extra customers each day by only to deliver to nearby offices. The opportunity to open a new unit is extremely attractive because of the possible location of the new unit. The new location is in a food court that has a variety of other restaurants, but it needs some Oriental touch. Wai-Ling (Rao, 2004). Challenges Both of these business ventures comes with a variety of challenges. With the delivery service Wai-Ling has to consider the operational issues, how customers...
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...determining the people to interview, I will establish the interview objectives for the session. I will determine the main topics to be discussed and come up with a list of questions and concerns. I aim to obtain ideas, suggestions, and opinions during the interviews. There will general questions asked to every person in their field. By establishing the objectives I will create the guidelines that will help to determine what questions are needed to ask. These guidelines will also determine how the interview will flow. 3. Develop Interview Questions I will create a baseline for the list of question. This will ensure that the interview proceeds smoothly and that the people being interviewed stays on topic. The questions will be specific to the topic. I want to make sure that the questions are both open-ended and close-ended. The reason I will ask both open-ended and close-ended questions is to receive a variety of answers. The answers from the interview questions may lead to the creation of new questions for the interviews. 4. Prepare for the Interview The interview will be held on October 5th, 2013 at 8:00am in my office. I will send an email to all of the departments to set up the...
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...Kotler, Keller, Brady, Goodman and Hansen (2009: 105) suggest that ‘a strategy is a game plan for a business to achieve its objectives; a statement of long-range intent and direction than short-term actions.’ However, all organisations exist in dynamic markets therefore its strategy focus on its market, its customers and its value proposition, may have to be operationalised as short term activity, in response to external, industry, market, competitor and customer analysis; using tools such as portfolio analysis namely the Boston Matrix, Porter’s five forces, Grant’s key success factors, the Ansoff Matrix, a micro and macro-environment analysis, industry and segmentation analysis, market positioning analysis, innovation and new product development and the marketing mix. Presumably, every organisation would be responsible to its stakeholders and shareholders and formulate its strategy being informed by such business investigation/intelligence. In the absence of such information in the Capitec Bank: Low-Cost Banking for Joe Average case study (Townsend and Mosala: 2006), such is going to be assumed. The facts and figures from 2002 to 2006, point to the success in profit and volume growth of the Capitec strategy of ‘providing low-cost basic banking services to the lower to middle-income market, and to create a bank that offered everything to everybody.’ From public source information, the Fin24 and BusinessLive (2011) the focus on banking the unbanked remains a key national issue...
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...Web 407 Week 3 Database Paper In the business world, most people will find a need for a database software program to store or house data pertaining to their business. There are however, multiple things to consider before one makes their final choice on what software they will be using. A few things that should be addressed are the type of software desired, either open-source or propriety, and what characteristics of the database meets the company’s needs. There are two basic types of database programs people can choose from when deciding what they want for their small business, an open-source database or a propriety one. While both of these are similar, they still have their advantages and disadvantages. First, consider what an open-source program is. The term open-source means exactly what it sounds like; the source code for the software is completely open and free to the public. Some advantages that come with this are the fact there is no upfront costs when it comes to obtaining the database program. While this sounds great, one needs to consider the tools the business has at its disposal. If you do not have the people to manage the databases and run them, then more employees must be hired in order to support the system. This can lead to more cost in the long run. So the fact that it’s free can also be a disadvantage. Another advantage to open-source database systems is a lot of them have a huge following such as MYSQL. MYSQL is database that is designed to use Standard...
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