Participation of firms in Open Source Software (OSS) development is steadily increasing. In fact, a substantial part of OSS projects today are developed in informal collaboration between firms and a community of voluntary contributors. As more and more firms are active in OSS, acquisitions of firms active in OSS development occur increasingly often. Yet, despite the economic and practical importance of OSS, research has so far overlooked this phenomenon. This dissertation explores this phenomenon of acquisitions of firms active in OSS development. Michael Vetter examines the role of OSS in the pre-acquisition phase and the impact of acquisitions on OSS development in the post-acquisition phase. Using qualitative and quantitative research methods, the author examines acquisition motives, acquisition likelihood, timing of acquisitions, and outcomes of acquisitions and discuss mechanisms behind variations across acquisitions.The findings from the studies contribute to research on acquisitions and OSS development while also providing insights into how to leverage OSS in target search, selection and evaluation processes as well as how to effectively manage acquisitions of firms active in OSS and the communities around them.

Participation of firms in Open Source Software (OSS) development is steadily increasing. In fact, a substantial part of OSS projects today are developed in informal collaboration between firms and a community of voluntary contributors. As more and more firms are active in OSS, acquisitions of firms active in OSS development occur increasingly often. Yet, despite the economic and practical importance of OSS, research has so far overlooked this phenomenon. This dissertation explores this phenomenon of acquisitions of firms active in OSS development. Michael Vetter examines the role of OSS in the pre-acquisition phase and the impact of acquisitions on OSS development in the post-acquisition phase. Using qualitative and quantitative research methods, the author examines acquisition motives, acquisition likelihood, timing of acquisitions, and outcomes of acquisitions and discuss mechanisms behind variations across acquisitions.The findings from the studies contribute to research on acquisitions and OSS development while also providing insights into how to leverage OSS in target search, selection and evaluation processes as well as how to effectively manage acquisitions of firms active in OSS and the communities around them.

Firms with superior IT governance have more than 25% higher profits than firms with poor governance given the same strategic objectives. These top performers have custom designed IT governance for their strategies. Just as corporate governance aims to ensure quality decisions about all corporate assets, IT governance links IT decisions with company objectives and monitors performance and accountability. Based on a study of 250 enterprises worldwide, IT Governance shows how to design and implement a system of decision rights that will transform IT from an expense to a profitable investment.

This report analyzes the current state of affairs in defense acquisition by combining detailed policy and data analysis to provide a comprehensive overview of the current and future outlook for defense acquisition. This analysis will provide critical insights into what DoD is buying, how DoD is buying it, from whom is DoD buying, and what are the defense components buying using data from the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). This analysis provides critical insights into understanding the current trends in the defense industrial base and the implications of those trends on acquisition policy.

The United States is increasingly dependent on information and information technology for both civilian and military purposes, as are many other nations. Although there is a substantial literature on the potential impact of a cyberattack on the societal infrastructure of the United States, little has been written about the use of cyberattack as an instrument of U.S. policy. Cyberattacks-actions intended to damage adversary computer systems or networks-can be used for a variety of military purposes. But they also have application to certain missions of the intelligence community, such as covert action. They may be useful for certain domestic law enforcement purposes, and some analysts believe that they might be useful for certain private sector entities who are themselves under cyberattack. This report considers all of these applications from an integrated perspective that ties together technology, policy, legal, and ethical issues. Focusing on the use of cyberattack as an instrument of U.S. national policy, Technology, Policy, Law and Ethics Regarding U.S. Acquisition and Use of Cyberattack Capabilities explores important characteristics of cyberattack. It describes the current international and domestic legal structure as it might apply to cyberattack, and considers analogies to other domains of conflict to develop relevant insights. Of special interest to the military, intelligence, law enforcement, and homeland security communities, this report is also an essential point of departure for nongovernmental researchers interested in this rarely discussed topic.