Case studies on the effective use of crowdsourcing in web 2.0 environments.

• Main Author: Soe, Khin Mu Yar.
• Other Authors: Ravishankar Sharma
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Library and information science::Libraries::Information systems; DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Information systems::Models and principles
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/48175
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Crowdsourcing appears more promising with Web 2.0 functionality; and businesses have started using crowdsourcing for a wide range of activity that would be better completed by a crowd rather than any specific pool of knowledge workers. However, relatively little is known about how a business can leverage on collective intelligence and capture the user-generated value for the competitive advantage. This dissertation proposes an extended theoretical framework to identify the important considerations at strategic and functional levels for the effective use of crowdsourcing. The analytic framework uses five Business Strategy Components: Vision and Strategy, Human Capital, Infrastructure, Linkage and Trust, and External Environment. It also uses four Web 2.0 Functional Components: Social Networking, Interaction Orientation, Customization & Personalization, and User-added Value. By using these components as analytic lenses, the case research examines how successful ecommerce firms may deploy Web 2.0 functionalities for effective use of crowdsourcing. It is found that all analytic components are relevant considerations for crowdsourcing initiatives and their effective use. However, how firms approach for effective crowdsourcing usage is subject to their different objectives, and nature of the business. Prioritization of these considerations might be favorable in some cases for the best fir of situations and limitations. In any case, the alignment between strategy and functional components needs to be maintained. This dissertation also explores the principle for interpretive field research to validate the case findings with a descriptive multiple case study methodology.