Abstract
Professional logic and market logic are identified as two competing institutional logics and the dynamics between them are examined at societal and organizational levels. Under explored in the literatures are situations when the two logics are experienced simultaneously by one professional group or even one individual. This study intends to shed some light on the issue by studying logic synthesis practices of independent app entrepreneurs. The opening of and infrastructure support from mobile software platforms creates ample entrepreneurial opportunities for independent third-party developers. Meanwhile, it also exposes developers to the challenges of logic tensions. How developers synthesize logic tensions not only depends on their own experience, it is contingent on platform-level influence as well. Through a qualitative study of independent iOS app entrepreneurs, we juxtapose mobile software developers’ professional logic with the market logic, and explicate ways in which logic synthesis practices are performed in this context.
Recommended Citation
Qiu, Yixin; Gopal, Anand; and Hann, Il-Horn, "Synthesizing Professional and Market Logics: A Study of Independent iOS App Entrepreneurs" (2011). ICIS 2011 Proceedings. 10.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2011/proceedings/breakthroughideas/10
Synthesizing Professional and Market Logics: A Study of Independent iOS App Entrepreneurs
Professional logic and market logic are identified as two competing institutional logics and the dynamics between them are examined at societal and organizational levels. Under explored in the literatures are situations when the two logics are experienced simultaneously by one professional group or even one individual. This study intends to shed some light on the issue by studying logic synthesis practices of independent app entrepreneurs. The opening of and infrastructure support from mobile software platforms creates ample entrepreneurial opportunities for independent third-party developers. Meanwhile, it also exposes developers to the challenges of logic tensions. How developers synthesize logic tensions not only depends on their own experience, it is contingent on platform-level influence as well. Through a qualitative study of independent iOS app entrepreneurs, we juxtapose mobile software developers’ professional logic with the market logic, and explicate ways in which logic synthesis practices are performed in this context.