Research Of Multi-Agent Simulation On Network Effects Software Pricing

The software industry is the crucial industry for information industry. It plays an increasingly important role on adjusting the industrial structure, changing the mode of development, enhancing the comprehensive national strength and national security. Price is the bridge to contact between producers and consumers. Research on software pricing not only has academic value, but also has great practical significance for software companies to improve product pricing levels and promote vigorous development of software industry.Software products, in particularly, communication and community software products usually have strong network effects. This research has analyzed the influence of network effects on software products value pricing, elaborated the purchasing behaviors and interactive rules of consumers, proposed three different pricing strategies of network effects software products, used multi-agent modeling and simulation method to establish a multi-agent simulation model of software pricing, designed different simulation experiments and did sensitivity analysis of simulation results. This research has studied the influence of spreading network topology on the pricing strategies, the influence of initial price on the pricing strategies. Finally, the research has designed parameter optimization experiment to find the optimal initial price of pricing strategies.With popularizing of the Internet and developing of the piracy technology, piracy has become a major threat to many software companies. This research has analyzed the influence of piracy on software companies pricing strategies and consumers buying behaviors, used multi-agent modeling and simulation method to establish a multi-agent simulation model of network effects software pricing under piracy, designed relevant simulation experiments. This research has studied the impact of piracy on software company profits and social welfare, the impact of initial price on profits, sales and piracy of software. Finally, this research designed parameter optimization experiment to find the optimal initial price of software products pricing strategies under piracy and study the impact of piracy on optimal initial price of pricing strategies.