Management of usage costs of a resource

A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage device storing computer readable program code which, upon being executed by a processor of a computer system, implements a method for managing a usage cost of a resource, said method comprising:

• said processor providing access of the resource to a user component of a first business entity after the asset has been developed by a development component of a second business entity, wherein the resource consists essentially of the asset or both the asset and a service, wherein the service supports usage of the asset and is provided by a service provider comprised by the second business entity, and wherein if the resource consists essentially of the asset and the service then said providing access comprises providing access to the service by the service provider;
• and
• said processor providing to the first business entity compensation from the second business entity in response to the user component having incurred a usage burden from using the resource, wherein the usage burden is an expense of using the resource in excess of an expense of using a predetermined reference resource, wherein the compensation has a magnitude that is a function of the usage burden, and wherein the expense of using the resource is an expense function of an amount of time spent in using the resource to accomplish a goal in excess of an amount of time that was spent or would be spent in using the reference resource to accomplish the goal.

A computer system comprising a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a computer readable storage device coupled to the processor, said storage device containing program code which, upon being executed by the processor via the memory, implements a method for managing a usage cost of a resource, said method comprising:

• said processor providing access of the resource to a user component of a first business entity after the asset has been developed by a development component of a second business entity, wherein the resource consists essentially of the asset or both the asset and a service, wherein the service supports usage of the asset and is provided by a service provider comprised by the second business entity, and wherein if the resource consists essentially of the asset and the service then said providing access comprises providing access to the service by the service provider;
• and
• said processor providing to the first business entity compensation from the second business entity in response to the user component having incurred a usage burden from using the resource, wherein the usage burden is an expense of using the resource in excess of an expense of using a predetermined reference resource, wherein the compensation has a magnitude that is a function of the usage burden, and wherein the expense of using the resource is an expense function of an amount of time spent in using the resource to accomplish a goal in excess of an amount of time that was spent or would be spent in using the reference resource to accomplish the goal.