Crowdsourcing and brand control

Crowdsourcing is the deliberate use of crowds to solve problems, create new products, and improve consumer experiences. When used by brands, crowdsourcing engages consumers by asking them to be part of a deliberate call to action. Crowdsourcing provides interesting and dynamic marketing opportunities for brands, given the consumer engagement it entails. This conceptual study examines the literature on crowdsourcing and brand community, and makes a series of propositions regarding this rich marketing arena. Herein, we discuss managerial implications of the relationship between crowdsourcing and brand community dynamics and propose a typology for brands to better assess customer bases and market realities.     

Crowdsourcing and open source software participation

Crowdsourcing is a phenomenon involving the use of volunteers to accomplish a goal or objective (often work). Individuals, businesses, and government agencies find it possible to harness the participation of volunteers to design products and complete project work. Simply stated, Open Source Software (OSS) is crowdsourcing applied to software development. OSS-based systems have become an important source of computing products, through operating systems such as Linux, Web services through Apache, or desktop environments such as Gnome. This study affords a through literature review developed within a discussion of the common motivations and relationships between crowdsourcing and OSS. It contributes to the literature by providing useful insights which researchers and organizations can utilize to leverage crowdsourcing and OSS concepts in addressing their efforts.     

众包模式中问题解决者参与动机机制研究

网络社区活动参与动机的研究发现,参与者的内部动机与外部动机之间存在挤出效应.然而众包作为解决企业实际经营问题为主的新型网络社区活动,其问题解决者的参与既可以满足内在兴趣爱好,同时也能得到外部的企业经济奖励.这为网络社区动机理论提供了新研究对象,文章对应经过探索性研究发现问题解决者的参与动机由内部、外部和内化的外部性动机构成.并且各类别动机之间呈现共生关系,可以相互强化.文章丰富了动机和众包的理论研究,并对企业众包活动的激励策略制订具有指导意义.     

Finding the future: Crowdsourcing versus the Delphi technique

When managers are unable to use quantifiable time series data to make forecasts or decide on uncertainties, they can either rely on their own intuition and judgment or resort to the insights of others. The Delphi technique is a well-known forecasting technique that relies on the pooled perspectives of experts to predict uncertain quantities or the outcomes of events. This relies on polling the opinions of experts, aggregating these opinions, feeding them back to the responding experts along with their own estimates, and having them repeat their judgment calls until some level of consensus is reached. More recently, however, the opinions of many others who are not experts have been sought on a range of topics in a loose assembly of similar techniques bundled under the title of crowdsourcing. This article compares Delphi and crowdsourcing as prediction and estimation tools for managers. It notes their differences and similarities, and provides a simple tool for executives to use in deciding whether or not to use these tools, and if so, which tool or combination of them will work best in a given situation.     

Crowdsourcing Last Mile Delivery: Strategic Implications and Future Research Directions

The rise of e‐commerce over the past 20 years has created an increased need for responsive omnichannel distribution to meet the last mile challenge. Some companies are experimenting with the use of the sharing economy business model to augment distribution strategies. The use of so‐called “Crowdsourced Logistics” (CSL) is becoming more prevalent in practice, but the role in logistics strategy of this new phenomenon has not been thoroughly investigated and understood. Using a contingency theory lens, this research contributes a nascent understanding of how CSL performs in terms of logistics effectiveness by simulating same‐day delivery services from a distribution center to 1,000 customer locations throughout New York City under dynamic market conditions and by comparing the results to those of a traditional dedicated fleet of delivery drivers. The findings are analyzed to suggest how firms may find strategic benefit using CSL. An agenda for future research is provided to explore these strategic implications and to deepen knowledge about the CSL phenomenon.     

众包社区创意领地行为影响机制研究

在共享经济对社会资源重新分配的背景下,现有研究较多从技术嵌入、平台监管、社会网络等客观方面揭示众包社区创意领地行为的产生机制,文章则聚焦创意资源供给者的主观方面因素,探究社会价值取向、内群体认同对创意领地行为的影响以及网络面子意识在以上关系中的调节作用。研究结果表明：（1）众包社区成员的社会价值取向对其创意领地行为具有重要影响,其中亲自我创客比亲社会创客更可能实施创意领地行为;（2）社会价值取向通过内群体认同对创意领地行为产生影响;（3）网络面子意识不仅调节社会价值取向与内群体认同的直接关系,而且进一步调节社会价值取向通过内群体认同与创意领地行为的间接关系;（4）与网络面子意识较低的亲自我者相比,网络面子意识较高的亲自我者实施创意领地行为的倾向得到了显著改善,甚至转而进行创意分享和贡献,而网络面子意识对亲社会者的创意领地行为的影响效果却并不显著。     

众包模式下顾客参与、顾客互动和新产品价值

将众包模式下顾客参与划分为合作众包模式下顾客参与和竞争众包模式下顾客参与两个关键维度,确定顾客互动之人际互动、人机互动的重要维度构成,构建众包模式下顾客参与直接影响新产品价值,以及通过顾客互动的中介效应间接影响新产品价值的理论模型。实证检验结果表明：合作众包模式下顾客参与、竞争众包模式下顾客参与对新产品价值的积极影响都显著;人际互动在合作众包模式下顾客参与影响新产品价值的关系中起完全中介效应,但在竞争众包模式下顾客参与影响新产品价值的关系中无中介效应;人机互动在竞争众包模式下顾客参与影响新产品价值关系中的部分中介效应显著,但在合作众包模式下顾客参与影响新产品价值关系中的中介效应不显著。     

Crowdsourcing in a time of empowered stakeholders: Lessons from crowdsourcing campaigns

Crowdsourcing can test a company's willingness to relinquish control to key stakeholders. Using past examples of four failed crowdsourcing initiatives, we explore the negative and unintended consequences of crowdsourcing in an age when stakeholders are empowered to speak their minds, make a mockery of organizational initiatives, and direct initiatives as it suits their own agenda. The concepts of crowdthink and crowd hijacking are introduced, and advice is given on how managers can avoid or anticipate some of the potential issues that arise during crowdsourcing endeavors. With these considerations, managers can harness the power of crowds effectively to achieve organizational goals with limited negative consequences.     

BargCrEx: A System for Bargaining Based Aggregation of Crowd and Expert Opinions in Crowdsourcing

Group Decision and Negotiation - Crowdsourcing and crowd voting systems are being increasingly used in societal, industry, and academic problems (labeling, recommendations, social choice, etc.) due...     

构建以环节为基础的差异化监管：众包速递平台安全管制革新

当前,我国众包速递平台大多注册为技术或信息服务公司,自认为是撮合用户与自由快递员的中介平台。结合对众包速递平台业务本质以及《中华人民共和国邮政法》第84条的法释义学分析,众包速递平台并非技术或信息服务公司,其从事的封装物品递送业务属于快递业务,不能以分拣环节的省略否认其快递性质。基于试错观察和管制均衡,有必要将众包速递平台纳入快递安全管制范畴,针对其寄递环节的非典型性配置管制工具,评估以备案制替代行政许可制的可行性,强化以自由快递员培训为重点的管理型管制,有针对性地设计实名收寄、收寄验视等技术标准管制,适度合理引入绩效管制,沿袭我国邮政业安全管制的路径依赖,以单独立法的方式构建针对我国众包速递平台的差异化监管模式。     

共享经济背景下生鲜电商“最后一公里”众包配送问题研究

生鲜电商作为电子商务领域的蓝海,具有广阔的市场前景,但目前生鲜电商“最后一公里”配送环节成本高、损耗大,严重制约了我国生鲜电商的发展.随着共享经济的兴起,以众包为主要特色的众包物流作为新兴的社会化配送模式.实现了O2O的无缝对接和深度融合,具有优化资源配置、成本低、效率高的特点,能够有效满足消费者多元化、定制化的即时配送需求,成为解决短程物流配送瓶颈的重要手段之一.主要基于共享经济背景,研究分析了众包物流模式对于解决生鲜电商“最后一公里”配送的优势和风险,进而提出了可行性建议与对策.     

众包接包者参与意愿影响因素研究：基于不可观测异质性的接包者类别探索

众包接包者参与意愿的影响因素包括参与动机、发包者因素和平台因素,但不同研究在因素影响强度上尚未达成共识。文章在验证众包参与意愿影响因素模型的基础上,结合有限混合偏最小二乘法和多群组分析方法,解析了不可观测异质性的调节作用,并探索性地识别了接包者细分群体。结果显示,对总体样本而言,外在动机、任务设计、平台环境和网站体验显著影响众包参与意愿;不可观测异质性显著调节参与动机与众包参与意愿的关系,对发包者因素及平台环境与众包参与意愿间关系的调节作用得到部分支持;三个细分群体方案是解释不可观测异质性的最优选择,包括：外在动机驱动型、外因驱动型及内在动机驱动型,不同类型接包者对因素影响强度程度的认知不同。研究结果为组织者清晰地认识接包者和制定更具效度的激励策略提供了启示。