Actor participation and its impact on financial performance of organisations

Abstract

This dissertation explores the phenomenon of Actor Participation (AP), which involves outsourcing core business activities before, during or beyond creation and/or consumption of product/service offerings to multiple actors such as existing or prospective consumers, the public or crowd. Although AP is intended to create a competitive advantage for the firm, there is little understanding of the various forms AP can take, its strategic design and its effects on financial performance. The aim of this dissertation is to enhance the overall understanding of AP by answering four main research questions: 1) What are the core dimensions of AP that help classify its different forms? 2) What are the..