Guest Editors' Introduction: Software as a Business

Software plays an increasingly important role in most aspects of business. Many new business models for software-intensive enterprises have arisen in the last decade, ranging from selling software as a service to off shoring and crowd sourcing. Governments and standards bodies have also intervened to influence business models for stimulating growth in the industry. The software business has also had ancillary effects including the creation of new sectors such as innovation management. The management of intellectual property rights has become a more critical issue as software is embedded in more and more products. The debate about whether the software business is fundamentally different from others will continue, even as the software business continues to transform itself.