Crowdsourcing: a social networking approach to outsourcing

[Excerpt] Crowdsourcing is the term used to describe a new Web-based business model that harnesses the creative solu-tions of a distributed network of individuals throughwhat amounts to an open call for proposals. Typically acompany posts a problem through an open call, and avast number of individuals offer solutions to the prob-lem. The winning ideas are awarded some form of areward, and the company mass produces the idea forits own gain. [...]- (undefined

Crowdsourcing innovation intermediaries Functions

Open innovation is a hot topic in innovation management. Its basic premise is open up the innovation process. The innovation process, in general sense, may be seen as the process of designing, developing and commercializing a novel product or service to improve the value added of a company. The development of Web 2.0 tools facilitates this kind of contributions, opening space to the emergence of crowdsourcing innovation initiatives. Crowdsourcing is a form of outsourcing not directed to other companies but to the crowd by means of an open call mostly through an Internet platform. Innovation intermediaries, in general sense, are organizations that work to enable innovation, that just act as brokers or agents between two or more parties. Usually, they are also engaged in other activities like inter-organizational networking and technology development and related activities. A crowdsourcing innovation intermediary is an organization that mediates the communication and relationship between the seekers – companies that aspire to solve some problem or to take advantage of any business opportunity – with a crowd that is prone to give ideas based on their knowledge, experience and wisdom. This paper identifies and analyses the functions to be performed by an intermediary of crowdsourcing innovation through grounded theory analyses from literature. The resulting model is presented and explained. The resulting model summarizes eight main functions that can be performed by a crowdsourcing process, namely, diagnoses, mediation, linking knowledge, community, evaluation, project management, intellectual property governance and marketing and support. These functions are associated with a learning cycle process which covers all the crowdsourcing activities that can be realized by the broker

The Development of the CSR Concept and Theories

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to study the origins and development of the concept and discuss the evolution of the views on the matter of CSR.Design/methodology/approach: The narrative literature review methodology is applied to achieve the aim of the study. The paper is divided into two main sections. In the first one, the development of the CSR concept is presented. In the second one, the variety of theories related to the issue of social responsibility of business organisations is discussed.Findings: The papers points out relations between development of the CSR concept and evolved theories referring to the matter of CSR.Research and practical limitations/implications: The article is theoretical and may be subject to further research. However, analysing the data basing only on the literature review may appear as the limitation of the study.Originality/value: A major concern of the article is the development of the CSR concept. The paper elaborates it in relation to the evolved theories on the matter of CSR. The value that it contains plays a significant role, especially in the occurrence of development of CSR policies in companies around the world.Paper type: literature review

Crowdsourcing Innovation Intermediaries Functions

Open innovation is a hot topic in innovation management. Its basic premise is open up the innovation process. The innovation process, in general sense, may be seen as the process of designing, developing and commercializing a novel product or service to improve the value added of a company. The development of Web 2.0 tools facilitates this kind of contributions, opening space to the emergence of crowdsourcing innovation initiatives. Crowdsourcing is a form of outsourcing not directed to other companies but to the crowd by means of an open call mostly through an Internet platform. Innovation intermediaries, in general sense, are organizations that work to enable innovation, that just act as brokers or agents between two or more parties. Usually, they are also engaged in other activities like inter-organizational networking and technology development and related activities. A crowdsourcing innovation intermediary is an organization that mediates the communication and relationship between the seekers – companies that aspire to solve some problem or to take advantage of any business opportunity – with a crowd that is prone to give ideas based on their knowledge, experience and wisdom. This paper identifies and analyses the functions to be performed by an intermediary of crowdsourcing innovation through grounded theory analyses from literature. The resulting model is presented and explained. The resulting model summarizes eight main functions that can be performed by a crowdsourcing process, namely, diagnoses, mediation, linking knowledge, community, evaluation, project management, intellectual property governance and marketing and support. These functions are associated with a learning cycle process which covers all the crowdsourcing activities that can be realized by the broker

Open Innovation in Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

This book unveils the importance of micro, small, medium, and large firms for fostering open innovation, using methodological designs based on both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Several dimensions of the inbound and outbound open innovation strategies and practices are explored, in the scope of University–University, University–Industry, and University–Society relations

Managing Intellectual Property to Foster Agricultural Development

Over the past decades, consideration of IPRs has become increasingly important in many areas of agricultural development, including foreign direct investment, technology transfer, trade, investment in innovation, access to genetic resources, and the protection of traditional knowledge. The widening role of IPRs in governing the ownership of—and access to—innovation, information, and knowledge makes them particularly critical in ensuring that developing countries benefit from the introduction of new technologies that could radically alter the welfare of the poor. Failing to improve IPR policies and practices to support the needs of developing countries will eliminate significant development opportunities. The discussion in this note moves away from policy prescriptions to focus on investments to improve how IPRs are used in practice in agricultural development. These investments must be seen as complementary to other investments in agricultural development. IPRs are woven into the context of innovation and R&D. They can enable entrepreneurship and allow the leveraging of private resources for resolving the problems of poverty. Conversely, IPRs issues can delay important scientific advancements, deter investment in products for the poor, and impose crippling transaction costs on organizations if the wrong tools are used or tools are badly applied. The central benefit of pursuing the investments outlined in this note is to build into the system a more robust capacity for strategic and flexible use of IPRs tailored to development goals

Knowledge metamodel for crowdsourcing innovation intermediaries

Open innovation is a hot topic in innovation management characterized by a new form of interacting and collaborating with the external environment of a company to innovate more successfully and with less costs. Chesbrough (2006) advocates that firms can and should use external ideas as well as those from their own R&D departments, and both internal and external paths to the market in order to advance their technology. Crowdsourcing innovation presents as a derivation of this new paradigm taking advantage of the Web 2.0 tools to generate new ideas through the heterogeneous knowledge available in the global network of individuals with easy access to information and technology. So, crowdsourcing innovation brokers facilitate the access to a vast open and global knowledge community, and provide support in integrating contributions, as well as managing and motivating the crowd participants. This paper presents a literature review of open innovation models and innovation intermediaries functions' and proposes a knowledge's metamodel for crowdsourcing innovation intermediaries.- (undefined)To the Foundation for Science and Technology and the Polytechnic Institute of Oporto for financial support (SFRH/BD/49263/2008) of this research project

Knowledge repository framework for crowdsourcing innovation intermediary: a proposal

A crowdsourcing innovation intermediary performs mediation activities between companies that have a problem to solve or that seek a business opportunity, and a group of people motivated to present ideas based on their knowledge. experience and wisdom, taking advantage of technology sharing and collaboration emerging from Web2.0. As far as we know, most of the present intermediaries don't have, yet. an integrated vision that combines the creation of value through community development, brokering and technology transfer. In this paper we present a proposal of a knowledge repository framework for crowdsourcing innovation that enables effective support and integration of the activities developed in the process of value creation (community building. brokering and technology transfer). modeled using ontology engineering methods.To the Foundation for Science and Technology and the Polytechnic Institute of Oporto for financial support (SFRH/BD/49263/2008) of this research project