This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Software Business, ICSOB 2020, which was held during November 16-18, 2020. The conference was originally planned to take place in Karlskrona, Sweden, but changed to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 13 full papers and 5 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 39 submissions. They deal with a range of topics including practices for engineering and marketing software-intensive products, extracting business value from machine learning based software components, ethical considerations of the software business, software ecosystems, and pedagogy of teaching entrepreneurship and software business.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Software Business, ICSOB 2019, held in Jyvaskyla, Finland, in November 2019. On the occasion of its tenth anniversary the conference theme this year was "The First Decade and Beyond" and focused on the development during the past decade, addressing the future of software-intensive business as well as studies on new and emerging ideas. The 18 full papers and 10 short papers presented together with 3 invited talks, 6 emerging research papers and a tutorial were carefully reviewed and selected from 52 submissions. They are organized in the following topical sections: software ecosystems; management of software products; continual improvement and product development; impacts of digitalization; software business education; software startups and digital business.

This book constitutes revised selected papers from the 14th International Global Sourcing Workshop 2019, held in Obergurgl, Austria, in December 2019. The 10 contributions included were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 36 submissions.The book offers a review of the key topics in sourcing of services, populated with practical frameworks that serve as a tool kit to students and managers. The range of topics covered in this book is wide and diverse, offering various perspectives on the employment of digital technologies in the context of sourcing services. More specifically the book examines sourcing decisions and management practices around digital platforms, robotic process automation and blockchain, giving specific attention to digital aspects of innovation in sourcing.

Innovative as it is, the blockchain technology is getting more and more attention and an increasing number of applications have emerged. This book elaborates on both the design thinking ideas and technical details in blockchain and smart contracts to help readers delve into the conceptual framework and understand why blockchain is designed as such and how it makes the current system decentralised yet effective. Having this understanding lays the ground for further analysis of blockchain-based solutions and innovative fintech applications.Topics covered in this book include blockchain structure, blockchain ecosystem, design thinking for blockchain, smart contract, fintech and financial services, solution-based problem solving, fintech valuation, and current issues faced such as privacy protection and solution selection, with the aid of real-life examples and hands-on exercises.Blockchain and Smart Contracts serves as a valuable guide for researchers and practitioners who have interests in the blockchain, smart contract, fintech innovation and applications, design thinking, and technical details. This book is particularly written for anyone who has no technical background and is searching for an initiation into the deep end of blockchain. Those with business, finance and economic interests will find this interesting and easy to digest.

Innovative as it is, the blockchain technology is getting more and more attention and an increasing number of applications have emerged. This book elaborates on both the design thinking ideas and technical details in blockchain and smart contracts to help readers delve into the conceptual framework and understand why blockchain is designed as such and how it makes the current system decentralised yet effective. Having this understanding lays the ground for further analysis of blockchain-based solutions and innovative fintech applications.Topics covered in this book include blockchain structure, blockchain ecosystem, design thinking for blockchain, smart contract, fintech and financial services, solution-based problem solving, fintech valuation, and current issues faced such as privacy protection and solution selection, with the aid of real-life examples and hands-on exercises.Blockchain and Smart Contracts serves as a valuable guide for researchers and practitioners who have interests in the blockchain, smart contract, fintech innovation and applications, design thinking, and technical details. This book is particularly written for anyone who has no technical background and is searching for an initiation into the deep end of blockchain. Those with business, finance and economic interests will find this interesting and easy to digest.

Over the past 25 years, the field of innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization has reached a critical mass and maturity. It is not only possible but also essential to scale it so that an immense amount of untapped human innovative potential can be unleashed for the benefit of our people. Further, R&D centers and existing entrepreneurial ecosystems can be made more impactful. Firstly, this book succinctly identifies the entire field of innovation into one comprehensive and meaningful framework to help understand its evolution, incremental growth, super acceleration, and exponential explosion that has resulted in an innovation log jam. Secondly, it maps out common characteristics and approaches that make innovation, venture capital and investments into startups succeed much better. And, last, but not the least, it outlines measures to commercialize them in a massive way and "industrialize" innovation going forward including creating next generation 'Innovation Hubs'.

In Open Sources, leaders of Open Source come together in print for the first time to discuss the new vision of the software industry they have created, through essays that explain how the movement works, why it succeeds, and where it is going. A powerful vision from the movement's spiritual leaders, this book reveals the mysteries of how open development builds better software and how businesses can leverage freely available software for a competitive business advantage.

'This open access book addresses an urgent issue on which little organized information exists. It reflects experience in Africa but is highly relevant to other fragile states as well.' -Constantine Michalopoulos, John Hopkins University, USA and former Director of Economic Policy and Co-ordination at the World Bank Fragile countries face a triple data challenge. Up-to-date information is needed to deal with rapidly changing circumstances and to design adequate responses. Yet, fragile countries are among the most data deprived, while collecting new information in such circumstances is very challenging. This open access book presents innovations in data collection developed with decision makers in fragile countries in mind. Looking at innovations in Africa from mobile phone surveys monitoring the Ebola crisis, to tracking displaced people in Mali, this collection highlights the challenges in data collection researchers face and how they can be overcome.

This book addresses the question of how competition authorities assess mergers in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector so as to promote competition in innovation. A closer look at the question reveals that it is far more complex and difficult to answer for the ICT, telecommunications and multi-sided platform (MSP) economy than for more traditional sectors of the economy. This has led many scholars to re-think and question whether the current merger control framework is suitable for the ICT sector, which is often also referred to as the new economy. The book pursues an interdisciplinary approach combining insights from law, economics and corporate strategy. Further, it has a comparative dimension, as it discusses the practices of the US, the EU and, wherever relevant, of other competition authorities from around the globe. Considering that the research was conducted in the EU, the practices of the European Commission remain a key aspect of the content.Considering its normative dimension, the book concentrates on the substantive aspects of merger control. To facilitate a better understanding of the most important points, the book also offers a brief overview of the procedural aspects of merger control in the EU, the US and the UK, and discusses recent amendments to Austrian and German law regarding the notification threshold. Given its scope, the book offers an invaluable guide for competition law scholars, practitioners in the field, and competition authorities worldwide.

Currently, there are global endeavors to integrate network information into the natural world and human society. This process will lead to marked improvements in productivity and product quality, and to new production methods and lifestyles. Further, these advances will have significant impacts, similar to those of the agricultural and industrial revolutions. At the same time, it is profoundly changing competition around the globe. Security, economic, social, military and cultural trends generate new opportunities for national development, new living spaces for humans, new fields of social governance, and new momentum for industrial upgrading and international competition. Over the next 20 years, the development of network communication technologies will focus on three-domain human-network-thing interconnections and their systematic integration into various industries and regions. This will be made possible by digitalization, networking and intellectualization, and will result in the extended connection of human societies around the globe, and a continuously enriched and expanded network space.This book summarizes the development of network communication, both globally and in China, as well as its future prospects from the perspectives of academia, technology and industry. Further, in the context of technology and applications, it focuses on mobile communication, data communication, and optical fiber communication. Discussing application services related to the mobile Internet, Internet of Things, edge computing and quantum communication, it highlights the latest technological advances, future trends, technologies and industry development hotspots. Lastly, it explores 15 buzzwords in the field of network communication in technology and industrial development, providing definitions, and describing the state of development of related applications.

The report focuses on the contribution that STI practices make towards mitigating some of the most pressing sustainability challenges facing the urban socio-technical systems in a post-COVID-19 world. The report also assesses the urbanization trends and the impact of the pandemic on sustainable urban development. It identifies 12 key urban sustainability challenges: energy, circularity, water, mobility, economic prosperity and financial stability, housing, education, gender empowerment & equality, urban planning, healthcare, safety and security, and protection from natural disasters. For each category, a selection of practical STI solutions and innovative case studies worldwide are presented. Finally, the report calls for action at the national and international level to seize the innovation momentum from the COVID-19 pandemic and to use the transformative power of STI to deliver on the commitment to sustainable urban development. Governments should prioritize the STI solutions that ensure value for money and more efficient spending, focusing on activities that boost urban resilience. International cooperation efforts will be needed to further pool, formalize and transfer the available knowledge on effective STI solutions.

One of the greatest challenges in the ever-changing world of IT is to create and maintain an innovation culture and align innovation activities with company strategy. This book provides a fresh perspective on innovation management activities in an IT environment using examples from both start-ups and established companies such as Cisco, Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Lufthansa Systems, Worldline, Amdocs, Telefonica and Enea. This book addresses the following issues: The software development environment offers many possibilities for innovation, yet also places some constraints on the innovation process at the same time. It considers how this can be bypassed to bring success to the company. It is a challenge to create and maintain an innovation culture using an agile process in the area of software development with its short cycles. This book describes how to bring innovation challenges closer to developers and use their experience and vision to create new projects. It also shows how to inspire software engineers using incremental and often small but useful money-saving improvements. The fourth industrial revolution changes companies from the inside and brings changes to common agile product management processes in IT. This book examines the effects on innovation management and what mechanisms are used for success in this new environment.

Fortnite has re-emerged from the black hole for Chapter 2! The 100% Unofficial Fortnite Annual 2021 is the perfect Christmas gift for gamers. It includes the best skins, emotes and accessories, as well as a round-up of the most impressive vehicles, the best sports mini games, builds and escape rooms in Creative, plus tips for the best attack and defence strategies and much more.

The debut of a well-known and respected New York Times journalist: Noam Cohen has appeared on Talk of the Nation, MSNBC, and numerous commercial and public radio stations in conjunction with his work on technology for the New York Times. He appeared in the documentary "Page One." Former New York Times columnist: Cohen covered technology for the New York Times from 2007 to 2015 and continues to contribute op-ed pieces to its opinion pages. Relevant to post-election conversations: The election of Donald Trump was the occasion for Noam Cohen to write an op-ed essay in the New York Times where he excoriated the role Silicon Valley played. Cohen will continue to monitor the disruptive political, intellectual and cultural role the Valley plays when this book is published. Blurbs/endorsements: We will be pursuing the likes of Tim Wu, Cathy O'Neil, Kara Swisher, Steven Levy, and Cory Doctorow for blurbs.

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK 2022* *A TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEARS 2022* 'A fascinating study of the tech giant and its symbiotic relationship with the Chinese government' - Guardian 'Influence Empire by Lulu Yilun Chen is so much more than the long-awaited story of Tencent and its vital everything app, WeChat, the messaging tool used by 1.3 billion people. It's also the sobering account of an entire generation of high-flying Chinese tech entrepreneurs, whose wings were clipped by the omnipotent hand of their own government.' -- Brad Stone, author of Amazon Unbound and The Everything Store ORDER NOW: the first definitive look at Tencent, one of the world's largest tech companies. __________ In 2017, a company known as Tencent overtook Facebook to become the world's fifth largest company. It was a watershed moment, a wake-up call for those in the West accustomed to regarding the global tech industry through the prism of Silicon Valley: Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft. Yet to many of the two billion-plus people who live just across the Pacific Ocean, it came as no surprise at all. Founded by the enigmatic billionaire Pony Ma, the firm that began life as a simple text-message operator invested in and created some of China's most iconic games en route to dreaming up WeChat - the Swiss Army knife super-app that combines messaging, shopping and entertainment. Through billions of dollars of global investments in marquee names from Fortnite to Tesla and a horde of start-ups, Ma's company went on to build a near-unparalleled empire of influence. In this fascinating narrative - crammed with insider interviews and exclusive details - Lulu Chen tells the story of how Tencent created the golden era of Chinese technology, and delves into key battles involving Didi, Meituan and Alibaba. It's a chronicle of critical junctures and asks just what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in China. __________ 'There's so much fascinating detail here.' -- The Times 'Lulu Yilun Chen has written a sharply informed, smart and compelling account of the rise of some of the most powerful companies in China, which also stand among the biggest and richest tech giants in the world. Despite their enormous size and power, few outside of China know of or understand these companies. Now, thanks to Influence Empire: Inside the Story of Tencent and China's Tech Ambition, that will finally change.' -- Howard French, former NY Times Shanghai bureau chief and author of Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China's Push for Global Power 'A book that tells Tencent's story has been long overdue, and Lulu Chen's account is not only comprehensive, but also a gripping business narrative. The globally influential company finally has the account it deserves.' -- David Barboza, The Wire

This handbook will provide a comprehensive treatment of the gamut of issues and challenges that exist through the development of both cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. This will not be confined to simply the investment potential within these new technological areas. We will examine the challenges in the regulatory, legal, taxation, accounting, modelling, ethical, macroeconomic impact and internationalization issues. Research on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology has identified issues such as pricing abnormalities and bubble-like behavior, indicating that these new assets are highly speculative in nature, contain a growing number of legal abnormalities (such as the hacking of exchanges and broad theft of investor assets) and a growing number of significant regulatory issues. It is paramount that we investigate each of these issues in great detail to help to determine whether cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology merits consideration as a sustainable alternative investment asset. The handbook will be useful for specialist technical audiences such as legal, accounting and financial practices. It will also be beneficial for upper level masters and research students in economics, law, accounting, taxation, investment and portfolio management.

What do CERN, smartphones, the iridium satellite network, the most popular app stores in the world, the biggest online game in the world, Moscow drivers, Seniors golfer Tony Johnstone, sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis and anyone who has their DNA sequenced have in common? They all rely on innovations that have come out of the technology cluster known as the Cambridge Phenomenon. This book, a follow-up to The Cambridge Phenomenon: 50 Years of Innovation and Enterprise, showcases what the Cambridge technology cluster has done for the world. The Cambridge Phenomenon: Global Impact reveals just how many of us, all around the globe, rely on Cambridge technology every day. This book tells the important, hidden story of how academic excellence and entrepreneurial endeavour have improved people's lives the world over. It is crucial reading for anybody interested in the ways successful businesses work, and the fundamental role of our great educational institutions in fostering that success.

How to create a profitable, sustainable business developing and marketing iPhone apps

iPhone apps are hot; the average app is downloaded more than 30,000 times. If you have some great apps in mind, "Starting an iPhone Application Business For Dummies" will show you how to produce and market them effectively.

"Starting an iPhone Application Business For Dummies" provides clear, reliable business information to help developers and entrepreneurs create a profitable, sustainable business in this new and exciting market.Identifies what goes into a successful iPhone application businessHelps you find the market niche your applications can fill, market and promote your business, and build your brand Explains how to develop a pricing strategy, build your applications efficiently, and get them into the App StoreExplores finding a sustainable revenue model, including free trials, social media models, ad-based revenue models, and subscription modelsDemonstrates effective ways to provide service and support to customersWritten by a team that combines knowledge of iPhone app development with sound business experience

Starting an iPhone Application Business For Dummies can help you turn your ideas into income.

What does memory mean for learning in an age of smartphones and search engines?Human minds are made of memories, and today those memories have competition. Biological memory capacities are being supplanted, or at least supplemented, by digital ones, as we rely on recording-phone cameras, digital video, speech-to-text-to capture information we'll need in the future and then rely on those stored recordings to know what happened in the past. Search engines have taken over not only traditional reference materials but also the knowledge base that used to be encoded in our own brains. Google remembers, so we don't have to. And when we don't have to, we no longer can. Or can we? Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology offers concise, nontechnical explanations of major principles of memory and attention-concepts that all teachers should know and that can inform how technology is used in their classes. Teachers will come away with a new appreciation of the importance of memory for learning, useful ideas for handling and discussing technology with their students, and an understanding of how memory is changing in our technology-saturated world.

As a constantly evolving and developing industry, the music business environment continues to establish new standards in terms of operational efficiency, dynamics between the different parties involved in the professional cycles, and constructing and performing methodologies in the process of achieving the desired results that all the participants in the music world have to adapt to in order to establish a sustainable career. Hence, the main purpose of this book is to provide practical advice suitable to both aspiring music professionals and artists that need detailed guidance in the process of developing the basis of a fruitful, promising, and sustainable profile, not only in terms of business performance, but psychologically as well.