E-handel har de senaste åren ständigt ökat vilket har bidragit till ökande krav på hållbaratransporter vilket medverkat till forskning av alternativ till traditionella transportföretag.Crowdshipping är ett koncept där det med hjälp av teknologiska applikationer kan utnyttjaindividers resurser för att skapa transportnätverk inom urbana områden. Användandet avindivider som redan är på väg till en plats och tar med ett paket i farten kan innebära mindrefordon på vägarna. I denna studie samlade vi in empirisk data genom att skicka ut en enkät till olika facebook-grupper bestående av studenter i Sverige och utförde två fokusgrupper med totalt åtta deltagare. Syftet med enkäten och fokusgrupperna var att undersöka respondenternasinställning och uppfattade hinder/möjligheter till crowdshipping. Med kunskap samlat utifrånvetenskapliga artiklar kunde ett teoretiskt ramverk etableras. Genom att studerat väsentligafaktorer till crowdshipping (tillit och säkerhet, miljö och hållbarhet, tid ochkompensation/prissättning) kunde vi analysera vårt empiriska material. Analysen byggs uppefter de teoretiska faktorerna som har inverkan på crowdshipping. Det visade sig attrespondenterna hade bekymmer med flertal säkerhetsaspekter inom CS-initiativ sompåverkade deras inställning negativt. Dock ansåg många respondenter initiativet som positivtifall det gick att säkerställa miljömässiga fördelar och flertalet säkerhetsaspektertillhandahölls. / E-commerce has steadily increased in recent years, which has contributed to increaseddemands for sustainable transport, which contributes to research into alternatives totraditional transport companies. Crowdshipping is a concept where, with the help oftechnological applications, it can utilize individuals' resources to create transport networks inurban areas. The use of individuals who are already on their way to a place and taking apackage on the go can mean fewer vehicles on the roads. In this study, we collected empirical data by sending out a questionnaire to various Facebookgroups consisting of students in Sweden and conducted two focus groups with a total of eightparticipants. The purpose of the survey and focus groups was to examine the respondents'attitudes and perceived obstacles/opportunities for crowdshipping. With knowledge gatheredbased on scientific articles, a theoretical framework could be established. By studyingsignificant factors for crowdshipping (trust and security, environment and sustainability, timeand compensation/pricing), we were able to analyze our empirical material. The analysis isbased on the theoretical factors that have an impact on crowdshipping. It turned out that therespondents had concerns with several security aspects within CS initiatives that had anegative effect on their attitude. However, many respondents considered the initiative to bepositive if it was possible to ensure environmental benefits and most safety aspects wereprovided.

The present thesis aims to deduce tasks and characteristics of end users during the open innovation process on the social web. The social web with its communities, forums and blogs affords new prospects as well as unknown challenges for companies, and at the same has increasingly influenced academic research during the last few years. Especially research regarding communication behaviour on the social web as well as social web technologies has currently progressed well. However, in innovation research, social web technologies are currently primarily used to integrate users into the company’s innovation process, for example through company user toolkits or company innovation communities. In those cases users were excluded from their normal social web environment and integrated into a company’s environment, a sort of laboratory environment. Despite this, the present research project will use the natural behaviour, comments and discussions of users within their social web environment to develop and apply a new mixed-method approach with the aim to deduce tasks and characteristics of innovative end users on the social web. To apply the mixed-method approach within a longitudinal case study and to deduce statements and regularities regarding the innovation process on the social web, it was possible to analyse the end user developer online forum of one of the leading open source CRM software technologies. Based on this analysis, the assumptions from an extensive literature analysis could be verified and extended: it could be shown that the expected single innovative user does not exist. In fact, the process from the initial idea to an innovation requires different users with different characteristics and different points of view. They will be deduced, explained and presented within the present thesis.

Firms pursuing an open innovation strategy have increasingly turned to individuals as sources of new ideas. Two main approaches are often highlighted. First, firms can use online innovation contests, where individuals submit ideas in competition for a prize. Second, firms can use firm-hosted online communities, drawing from collaborative efforts of individuals with more intrinsic motivations to participate. A central challenge in both cases is that firms often struggle to sustain participation and effort of participants on an on-going basis. A third hybrid approach, where firms establish community-based innovation contests, has been largely ignored by research, but seems to help firms to engage participants on an on-going basis. This study focuses on community-based innovation contests to understand how firms engage communities to participate in contest over time. I conducted fieldwork at two firms that have successfully run them for many years, Chicago-based T-Shirt firm Threadless and Phoenix-based automotive firm Local Motors. Over ninety interviews with firm employees and community members, over six months of on-site observation at the two firms’ headquarters as well as internal documents and blog data have been collected and analysed. Based on this data the core of the thesis consists of three empirical chapters that examine how firms are able to engage the communities to participate in their contests on a regular basis. First, it shows that the addition of a community to contests increases contestants’ opportunities to learn. In experiential learning, contests provide experience whereas the community provides room for reflection and learning. These learning opportunities motivate contestants to come back and create contest entries on an on-going basis. Secondly, taking a social identity perspective, the research shows how the firms are able to engage the community members continuously by creating a joint firm-community identity. Lastly, it explains how these firms are able to influence community members’ perception of the tasks they are doing through the contest design. Firms are able to turn activities that have been traditionally regarded as work into a recreational activity.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / Crowdsourcing is a new phenomenon, giving companies the ability to tap into the wisdom of crowds in order to solve complex problems, often at a fraction of the cost. In this document, the viability of crowdsourcing from the supply side is investigated with a market research questionnaire at the core of the research. Firstly, an overview of the current online crowdsourcing landscape is given with a focus on the big players, followed by a literature study on the motivation of solvers and their associated compensation needs. Because of the nature of crowdsourcing, an assumption is made that knowledge workers will be the biggest contributors in the form of solvers; this presumption is demonstrated by analysing responses to the questionnaire. The following research question is answered: What are the needs and profile of the solvers (supply side) of an internet platform that uses the principle of crowdsourcing to solve complex problems? It also answers the questions of many online crowdsourcing enthusiasts with regards to the typical solver and what their needs are, specifically with regards to compensation structures on these platforms. The typical solver profile was found to be predominantly male between the ages of 19 and 37, with a tertiary education or busy earning a degree of some sort and a strong will to become wealthy through applying this knowledge. These typical solvers have a primary objective to earn money with 100 per cent of the incentive paid to one „winner‟. They will participate more than three times even if they do not „win‟ the challenge and expect to earn more that R1 000 but less than R10 000 per day for this type of work. Certain limitations of the study are also addressed, like the clear self-selection bias and difficulty to generalise the findings to a well-defined group of people, as became evident from analysing questionnaire findings.

Τα τελευταία χρόνια γίνεται ολοένα όλο και πιο έντονη η επιθυμία, τόσο από εκπαιδευτικούς ή μαθητές, αλλά και από άτομα μεγαλύτερης ηλικίας που θέλουν να αναπτύξουν την γνώση τους σε κάποιο αντικείμενο, για την δημιουργία εκπαιδευτικών μηχανών (λογισμικών) που θα μπορούν να αντικαταστήσουν σε μεγάλο βαθμό τον ρόλο του εκπαιδευτικού. Η προστιθέμενη αξία ενός εκπαιδευτικού λογισμικού θα μπορούσε να είναι η εύκολη πρόσβαση σε μεγάλο όγκο πληροφοριών, η πιο συστηματική εκμάθηση, καθώς και η εξοικονόμηση χρόνου και εκπαιδευτικών πηγών (εννοώντας τους εκπαιδευτικούς ως φυσικά πρόσωπα). Το ζητούμενο δεν είναι απλά η δημιουργία ενός εκπαιδευτικού λογισμικού αλλά ενός "σωστά" δομημένου εκπαιδευτικού συστήματος. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι ο εκπαιδευόμενος θα μπορεί να αντλεί σωστά και μεθοδικά πληροφορία από αυτό, όπως ακριβώς θα έκανε αν είχε στην διάθεσή του έναν καταρτισμένο εκπαιδευτικό. Στην παρούσα λοιπόν εργασία, μέσα από ένας συνδυασμό νέων τεχνολογιών όπως είναι αυτή των οντολογιών και του σημασιολογικού ιστού καθώς επίσης και θεωριών συσχετιζόμενων με την εκπαίδευση, παρουσιάζονται τα βήματα για δημιουργία ενός διαδραστικού crowdsoursing εκπαιδευτικού συστήματος. Παρουσιάζεται ένα σύστημα που με απλά λόγια θα είναι σε θέση να εξυπηρετεί μαθητές και εκπαιδευτικούς αλλά και οποιονδήποτε άλλο ενδιαφερόμενο, να προσφέρει μεθοδική εκμάθηση, να συλλέγει πληροφορία από τους χρήστες του την οποία να επεξεργάζεται και να την διαθέτει σε αυτούς σε ξανά βελτιωμένη και εμπλουτισμένη. / -

<p>Problem: Record companies are facing a downturn in sales of music. This is seen as consequence of the growth of distribution of music through Internet by file sharing networks such as BitTorrent networks. On one side there are record companies who feel threatened of the illegal file sharing, and on the other side file sharing BitTorrent networks has increased dramatically in number of users since they first approached. Some record companies have responded by taking hostile actions towards the BitTorrent networks and their users with lawsuits and penalties for illegal file sharing. Other record companies and artists have joined forces with BitTorrent networks and see them as an advantage. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze if, and how record companies can collaborate with the BitTorrent networks. Method: A hermeneutic inductive approach is used, in combination with qualitative interviews with both record companies and BitTorrent networks. Conclusions: It is argued that record companies can find a way in communicating and cooperating with BitTorrent networks. Instead of adopting hostile approaches and trying to restrict the technologies adopted by end users, companies should open themselves up and accept the current changes initiated and developed by BitTorrent networks. Thus, it was concluded that companies have to concentrate around collaborating with BitTorrent networks rather than fiercely protecting old business models. By opening up to the users, record companies will adopt open innovations approach that is characterized by combining external and internal ideas, as well internal and external paths to market, thus obtaining future technological developments. As for the BitTorrent networks, by going from outlaw to crowdsourcing mode, the networks’ creative solutions can be further harnessed by record companies. Finally, strengthening relationships between customers and music artists can be considered as beneficial for both record companies and BitTorrent networks. Thus, giving opportunities for customers to win special items, tickets for concerts, watch sound check, eat dinner backstage with the group, take pictures, get autographs, watch the show from the side of the stage, etc. can lead to valuable relationship in a long run.</p>

Introduction: Despite rapid developments across multiple areas of research and practice, an organizational-level theory of Crowdsourcing has yet to emerge. Objectives: Therefore, this thesis has two major objectives; 1) specify the boundaries, constructs, and relationships of an organizational-level theory of Crowdsourcing, and 2) begin the theoretical validation process by operationalizing the theory for new exploratory, explanatory, and conceptual research. Methods: In respect to the first objective, an organizational-level theory of Crowdsourcing is created through inductive processes based upon observations of the real-world, and the extant organizational literature. In respect to the second objective, a mixed-methods research design is implemented to present three separate studies that use the theoretical perspective as a lens to operationalize new exploratory, explanatory, and conceptual Crowdsourcing research. Results: The Crowd Capital perspective is introduced, and defines three new constructs for the Crowdsourcing research; Dispersed Knowledge, Crowd Capability, and Crowd Capital. Crowd Capital theory is shown to be a valid theoretical contribution in the management research by illustrating the perspective’s incremental originality and scientific utility. Conclusion: The thesis develops and validates an organizational-level theory explaining how and why organizations implement Crowdsourcing, and through the exploratory and explanatory operationalizations of the Crowd Capital perspective, this work contributes to the empirical knowledge-base in the Crowdsourcing research. Further, this thesis contributes methodologically by illustrating and implementing a mixed-methods research design for theory validation in the Crowdsourcing research, while also supplying managers and executives with detailed guidance on the trade-offs inherent to the different modalities of Crowdsourcing. Thesis Organization: This thesis is organized in a monograph format comprised of eight chapters; 1) Introduction, 2) Literature review, 3) Theoretical model, 4) Methodology, 5) Exploratory research, 6) Explanatory research, 7) Conceptual research, and 8) Conclusion. As an outcome of this thesis, three journal articles and five conference proceedings have been accepted in peer-reviewed outlets1, and the author has been awarded a mini-track about Crowdsourcing at one of the most prestigious conferences in the field. The articles and the conference mini-track details are listed in Appendix A &amp; B at the end of the dissertation.

The success of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) as an online research platform has come at a price: MTurk has suffered from slowing rates of population replenishment, and growing participant non-naivety. Recently, a number of alternative platforms have emerged, offering capabilities similar to MTurk but providing access to new and more naïve populations. After surveying several options, we empirically examined two such platforms, CrowdFlower (CF) and Prolific Academic (ProA). In two studies, we found that participants on both platforms were more naïve and less dishonest compared to MTurk participants. Across the three platforms, CF provided the best response rate, but CF participants failed more attention-check questions and did not reproduce known effects replicated on ProA and MTurk. Moreover, ProA participants produced data quality that was higher than CF's and comparable to MTurk's. ProA and CF participants were also much more diverse than participants from MTurk.

Since their discovery in the 1950's by Erdos and Renyi, network theory (the study of objects and their associations) has blossomed into a full-fledged branch of mathematics. Due to the network's flexibility, diverse scientific problems can be reformulated as networks and studied using a common set of tools. I define a network G = (V,E) composed of two parts: (i) the set of objects V, called nodes, and (ii) set of relationships (associations) E, called links, that connect objects in V. We can extend the classic network of nodes and links by describing the intensity of these associations with weights. More formally, weighted networks augment the classic network with a function f(e) from links to the real line, uncovering powerful ways to model real-world applications. This thesis studies new ways to construct robust micro powergrids, mine people's perceptions of causality on a social network, and proposes a new way to analyze crowdsourcing all in the context of the weighted network model. The current state of Earth's ecosystem and intensifying climate calls on scientists to find new ways to harvest clean affordable energy. A microgrid, or neighborhood-scale powergrid built using renewable energy sources attached to personal homes, suggest one way to ameliorate this energy crisis. We can study the stability (robustness) of such a small-scale system with weighted networks. A novel use of weighted networks and percolation theory guides the safe and efficient construction of power lines (links, E) connecting a small set of houses (nodes, V) to one another and weights each power line by the distance between houses. This new look at the robustness of microgrid structures calls into question the efficacy of the traditional utility. The next study uses the twitter social network to compare and contrast causal language from everyday conversation. Collecting a set of 1 million tweets, we find a set of words (unigrams), parts of speech, named entities, and sentiment signal the use of informal causal language. Breaking a problem difficult for a computer to solve into many parts and distributing these tasks to a group of humans to solve is called Crowdsourcing. My final project asks volunteers to 'reply' to questions asked of them and 'supply' novel questions for others to answer. I model this 'reply and supply' framework as a dynamic weighted network, proposing new theories about this network's behavior and how to steer it toward worthy goals. This thesis demonstrates novel uses of, enhances the current scientific literature on, and presents novel methodology for, weighted networks.

Research question: How can a regional centre of excellence develop new opportunities for digital collaboration? Purpose: The aim of the study is to explore new opportunities for collaboration through interviews of six member companies to the center of excellence Automation Region. The interest in the study is to investigate the value and possible obstacles and needs the members experience in the service / services provided. In turn, with the help of theoretical support, the aim is to counteract and improve the perceived weaknesses Automation Region has through digital solutions. Method: The research design of the study is a qualitative case study based on an inductive approach. The primary empirical data was derived from semi-structured interviews on six members to Automation Region. The remaining empirical data was collected with previously conducted surveys of AR and notes/comments from members. Conclusion: To promote innovative collaboration, it is proposed to build a community, benefit from crowdsourcing and implement a matchmaking-system to drive collaboration and innovation. The proposals are applied and made available as digital services that are delivered by Automation Region to the members. / Forskningsfråga: Hur kan ett regionalt kompetenscentrum utveckla nya möjligheter för digital samverkan? Syfte: Studiens syfte är att utforska nya möjligheter för samverkan genom att utgå från sex intervjuer från medlemsföretag till kompetenscentret Automation Region. Intresset i studien är att undersöka värdet samt möjliga hinder och behov medlemmarna upplever i tjänsten/tjänster som tillhandahålls. I sin tur, med hjälp av teoretiskt stöd, syftas att motverka och förbättra de svagheter Automation Region upplevs ha genom digitala lösningar. Metod: Studien har utgått ifrån en kvalitativ fallstudie med sex semistrukturerade intervjuer, sekundärdata från uppdragsgivare och erfarenhetsbaserad empiri från författarnas egna tid hos uppdragsgivaren. Slutsats: För att främja innovativ samverkan föreslås att bygga upp en community, dra nytta av crowdsourcing samt implementera ett matchmaking-system för att driva fram samverkan och innovation. Förslagen tillämpas och tillgängliggörs som digitala tjänster som levereras av Automation Region till medlemmarna.