Title :
Fostering a capacity for compromise: business, government, and the stages of innovation in American computing
Author :
Usselman, Steven W.
Author_Institution :
Georgia Inst. of Technol., Atlanta, GA, USA
Abstract :
Surveys firms´ behaviors and competitive structures in American computing during the past 50 years and places the industry within the context of American political economy. It argues that leading firms such as IBM, Apple and Microsoft have exhibited a capacity to strike compromises between innovation and stability. Through selective enforcement of the antitrust laws, government has tolerated and even encouraged such behavior. The computer industry has thus followed patterns established in other endeavors such as electric power and telephony
Keywords :
DP industry; economics; government policies; history; legislation; American computing; American political economy; Apple Computer; IBM; Microsoft; antitrust laws; business; competitive structures; compromise; computer industry; firm behaviors; government; history; innovation stages; selective enforcement; stability; Communication industry; Computer hacking; Computer industry; Costs; Defense industry; History; Space technology; Stability; Technological innovation; US Government;
Journal_Title :
Annals of the History of Computing, IEEE