Chapter 3 Methodology
3.3 Data Collection
國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
user groups to meet and match, and exchanges delivery labor.
honestbee
Established in 2014, honestbee is a young startup that provides a same-day online grocery delivery service. Services are already available in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Niseko, Japan. Taipei, Taiwan is the fourth launched city thus far. Using both website and smartphone apps, honestbee claims that they ensure delivery within an hour of ordering. According to TECHINASIA, “Most people in Asia are time-starved due to the demands of their job and a large proportion of the populations do not possess their own vehicles.” Co-founder Isaac Tay says in a statement. “With our on-demand delivery service, time-crunched customers can enjoy the widest choices from their favorite stores, even at the last minute.” (Tegos, 2015). Thus, honestbee is a
crowdsourcing platform using the power of crowds to offer purchasing and delivering services for others who can meet and match on their website or using their app.
3.3 Data Collection
In the first step, multiple case study, we aggregated few prior researches and studied In the first step of our multiple case study, we aggregated a few prior studies and studied multiple business cases collected from abundant online resources, including newspapers, magazines, and so on to obtain a complete view of both sides of participants’ motivations of service participation on crowdsourcing platforms. In addition, this process helped us provide some useful insights that researchers and organizations can utilize when leveraging crowdsourcing platforms for their own ends.
On the basis of the four types of crowdsourcing platforms that we have built, we examined over twelve cases from the directory of crowdsourcing platform sites listed on Crowdsourcing.org in 2015 (Retrieved 12 February 2016, from
http://www.crowdsourcing.org/directory). This organization is the leading source of crowdsourcing information, insights, and research and offers the largest online repository of news, articles, videos, and site information on the topic of
crowdsourcing and is also supported by many experts in the crowdsourcing domain
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
such as Daren C. Brabham and Jeff Howe, who helped us explore the motivations of service participation on both user groups in the crowdsourcing context in terms of the current purposes of the interviewer.
In the second step, the expert interview, we created a semi-structured questionnaire (see Appendix I), based on our previous study, to interview experts in the domain of managing Labor crowdsourcing platforms to verify the results. This process revealed three parts: motivation, management, and future. Furthermore, to obtain a complete understanding of the motivations and the CF list of managing a crowdsourcing
platform among participating experts, the subjects were asked to think retrospectively regarding the details of the topics and to supply supporting evidence during their interviews.
Subjects were asked to describe the possible sources of benefits and problems and to think prospectively about the future development of their businesses. The results that we found in our previous studies served as a guide for the issues to be considered.
However, the questions asked were not limited to the planned set. Open-ended questions were repeatedly asked during the interviews to determine other possible areas to investigate. Additional questions may be required to explore research
questions. The nature of the questions and the discussion dictated that the data would be recorded by audio recording and note-taking.
3.4 Data Analysis
In the first step, in the multiple case study, we first aggregated and headlined
requestors’ and providers’ motivations regarding each type of crowdsourcing platform after collecting data from selected prior studies and abundant online resources
including newspapers, magazines, and so on to. The preliminary results of each type are shown in Table 2 to Table 5 respectively in chapter 2. However, Table 2 to Table 5 demonstrated only motivations that drive both user groups to become willing to join
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
the providers’ aspects, and the remaining tables show requestors’. Notably, we found that motivations for each type of crowdsourcing platform are not exactly the same.
Furthermore, we then simply distinguished extrinsic and intrinsic motivations of them, and conducted thematic comparison among headlined motivations and the contents belong to its headline to revise and refine the category system. The results are shown in Table 8 to Table 11 in chapter 4.
In the second step, expert interview, we first transcribed the data collected from audio-recording the expert interviews. Throughout the building transcriptions of each interview, we supplemented them with our note-taking during the interviews to reduce information bias and to construct a comprehensive view of all the interviews, by understanding respondents’ thoughts. After transcription, we commenced our data analysis. We combined content analysis and editing analysis to proceed to
paraphrasing and headlining, thematic comparisons, and then to constructing scientific conceptualizations and theoretical generalizations.
In the process of data analysis, we first read the contexts closely to distinguish relatedness and differences between the content of the interviews and our research topics and then to define the relevance of the content and the research based on preliminary conceptualizations. In the second place, paraphrasing and headlining means being familiar with respondents’ answers throughout to correspond to our results from preliminary studies that we had categorized, while simultaneously writing down the respondents’ main points and key words to dispatch in three segments: motivations of service participation, management of the crowdsourcing platform, and the future of crowdsourcing platforms.
Third, we conducted a thematic comparison and solicited the reflections of the experts we interviewed regarding our responses to compare our research topics and to support our preliminary findings (motivations and CFs). Finally, as part of conclusion
building in the third step, we constructed scientific conceptualization and theoretical generalizations regarding our findings. The analytic processes above are referenced in Strauss and Corbin (1990) and Lin et al. (2005).
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Chapter 4 Results
There are three sections in our research findings. In the first section, by aggregating gathered information throughout regarding the motivations of service participation on crowdsourcing platforms, we found importantly that the motivations on each type of crowdsourcing platform are not exactly the same. To be clear, we further simply distinguished extrinsic and intrinsic motivations in this regard. We had also received experts’ verified responses regarding the motivations for crowdsourcing platforms and other reasons that may drive people to come to the platforms from the four Labor types. The results are displayed in Table 12 and Table 13.
In the second section, to understand how to manage the balance of a crowdsourcing platform, we also solicited experts’ verified responses of CFs for crowdsourcing platforms along with their experiences and suggestions on management. In addition, virtuous cycles are important to a business, so we concluded the prior two parts; then, with the information regarding what drives people to come to the platform to deliver and capture values by providing and requesting products or services while creating values on both sides of the transaction, we solicit experts’ opinions with a view of building up the virtuous cycle on crowdsourcing platforms.
4.1 Motivations for Crowdsourcing
Findings from Literature Reviews
Interestingly, we found that the motivations for each type of crowdsourcing platform are not exactly the same after we aggregated and headlined requestors’ and providers’
motivations on each type of crowdsourcing platform. For further clarity, participants’
motivations for service participation on crowdsourcing platforms are distinguished by extrinsic and intrinsic motivations with the requestor and provider sides displayed in Table 8 to Table 11.
‧
Table 8.Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivations on Information Crowdsourcing Platform
*found by this research
INFORMATION Requestor Provider
Extrinsic
Practical (Alternative) Solution Reputation
Monetary Useful Tool*
Quality*
Practical (Alternative) Solution Reputation
Monetary Useful Tool*
Reciprocity
Intrinsic
Learning& Improving Abilities Entertainment
Learning & Improving Abilities Entertainment
Table 9.Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivations on Labor Crowdsourcing Platform
*found by this research
LABOR Requestor Provider
Extrinsic
Practical (Alternative) Solution Monetary
Useful Tool*
Diversity*
Fast*
Product Testing*
Practical (Alternative) Solution Reputation
Learning & Improving Abilities Entertainment
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Table 10.Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivations on OplusO Crowdsourcing Platform
*found by this research
OPLUSO Requestor Provider
Extrinsic
Practical (Alternative) Solution Monetary
Ease of Use Reciprocity Fast*
Practical (Alternative) Solution Monetary
Useful Tool*
Intrinsic
Consent &Satisfaction Trust
Self-expression Social Needs
Consent &Satisfaction Autonomy
Safety Trust
Table 11.Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivations on Creation Crowdsourcing Platform
*found by this research
CREATION Requestor Provider
Extrinsic
Practical (Alternative) Solution Reputation
Monetary Ease of Use Product Testing*
Reputation Monetary Reciprocity Diversity*
Intrinsic
Self-expression Social Needs Autonomy
Altruism
Consent &Satisfaction Autonomy
Safety Trust
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
intrinsic motivations. It is apparent that providers are encouraged more by intrinsic motivations than requestors, and requestors are encouraged more by extrinsic motivations than providers. On one hand, the most influential motivations are monetary in nature and safety to the provider in each types of crowdsourcing
platform, encouraging them to provide products or services on the platforms. Practical (alternative) solution, reputation, altruism, social needs, consent & satisfaction,
reciprocity, autonomy, and trust are secondary influential motivations for providers.
Conversely, practical (alternative) solution and monetary are the most influential motivations for requestors to ask for products or services on the platforms, while consent & satisfaction and trust are secondary influential motivations for requestors.
Monetary, practical (alternative) solution, reputation, and reciprocity are the primary aspects of providers’ extrinsic motivations regarding service participation. Providers of all types are encouraged by money because they can earn extra money by providing products or services on the platforms. In addition, they can solve their problems, although Creation-type providers do not express that it is important to them to solve their problems. For examples, iStockphoto offers a place for artists to stock their inventory and sell their photographs at a good price, merchants on Groupon have another channel through which to reach new target customers and increase their earnings, and AMT offers a workplace for those are unemployed or have only part-time jobs to earn more money by performing tasks. Except for OplusO providers, the other types of providers come to a platform because of its reputation and to build their reputation by providing products or services on the platform, whereas reciprocity to some degrees catalyzes those providers who intend to receive benefits other than money. Motivation research first identified that Information- and OplusO-type
providers are encouraged when the platform offers a useful tool that can play a useful assistance role in their work. However, Labor- and Creation-type providers are concerned about the diversity of choices on the platform.
In comparison to providers’ extrinsic motivations regarding service participation, monetary and practical (alternative) solution also motivated all types of requestors in crowdsourcing platforms to request products or services on the platform for variety of purposes. Providers would like to earn money from the platforms by providing
products or services, whereas requestors of all types aim to reduce their expenses by
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
obtaining products or services on crowdsourcing platforms. Requestors in Information type and Creation type come to the platform because of its famous comparing to providers come to the platform not only because it is well-known but also because they would like to build up their own reputations. Due to that requestors are
encouraged more by extrinsic motivations, following are other reasons that requestors are willing to join onto the platform to request. They are catalyzed by the high value of products or services at all times such as the diversity, high quality, and fast delivery of products and services. Moreover, they are motivated when they believe that their requests can be smoothly proposed and responded to; for examples, the platform might offers a useful tool to be used during or after transactions, the platform might be easy to use such as having a low threshold to participate, ease of exposing requests, and convenient processing of transactions, and sometimes product testing has a
particular effect on Labor- and Creation-type requestors.
Altruism, social needs, consent & satisfaction, autonomy, and trust are secondarily intrinsic motivations for providers in service participation. However, what is most important to the provider in all types of crowdsourcing platforms is a safe transaction environment; providers must feel that they have privacy, including backing and support, which encourages them to provide products or services. Apart from the OplusO type, altruism drives providers in all types of crowdsourcing platforms to participate in the platform because they feel that they are unsung heroes doing a good thing or merely that they make it their mission to help others. For example, taskers on TaskRabbit believe that helping others makes them happy and that maybe someday others might help them also. With the exception of the Creation type, requestors in all types of crowdsourcing platforms typically have a social need to interact with others with common interests in particular and to make new friends to build up their social networks. For instance, editors on Wikipedia have their communities to discuss certain topics with others. Moreover, because providers are driven more by intrinsic motivations, consent &satisfaction is another motivation that catalyzes Information-, OplusO-, and Creation-type providers to offer products or services; in addition, it helps when the philosophy of the platform or the requests made thereon are also in
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
learning &improving one’s abilities or skills also motivate providers to offer products or services on crowdsourcing platforms.
In comparison with providers’ intrinsic motivations for service participation, consent
& satisfaction and trust have a substantial impact in motivating requestors – other than Creation-type requestors – to request products or services on the platform. For requestors, consent & satisfaction and trust are related to the high value of products or services as part of their extrinsic motivations. They have feelings of received products or services with great experiences, and a review system also plays an important role in the process. Other motivations that drive requestors to participate are communicating and build up friendships in Information type and Creation type. Expressing one's feelings, thoughts, ideas, or problems and questions particularly from Information- and Creation-type requestors; and, for Information- and Labor-type requestors, they are concerned with safety such as license issues related to the products or services.
Results from Expert Interview
Furthermore, users’ motivations for service participation on crowdsourcing platform are the answer to our first and second research questions. We asked experts to verify participants’ motivations related to service participation on the Labor crowdsourcing platforms (see Table 9 in p.49) and other possible reasons that drive people to their platforms. The responses received from the experts are simply displayed in Table 12 and Table 13.
As Table 12 showed, all the experts verified that providers come to their platform to provide products or services because they can earn money and enjoy autonomy on the platform. “It is merely to make money and to have flexibility of their time [for
providers]. As for others, I must to say it is not perfect in reality,” said the community
manager of honestbee. “Many of them become a purchasing agents because they canearn money. Some of them are students studying abroad and some of them are women
who have married foreigners. Besides, they care about whether they have flexibility of
their time because they still might have a day job,” said the marketing manager of
Go1Buy1. The 104 group general manager said, “People come to our platformbecause it offers a marketplace of workforce and people come to it to satisfy their
needs, so making money through the platform is doubtlessly necessary.” Autonomy is
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
also important, such as in the following from said the 104 Job Bank group general manager, “We provide flexibility regarding the publishing scope and the duration of
the CV for job seekers, and recruiters on our platform provide flexible working times for job seekers (providers who provide their labor to them).” However, all of the
experts stated that reciprocity does not encouraged provider to use platforms, although the experts at Go1Buy1 and GoGoVan both added, “Providers on [their] platformsfeel that they are working partners and that benefits are shared.” The experts all
stated that people may introduce others to using the platform to a degree, such that reciprocity may catalyze providers if there is an incentive.Table 12.Verified and Revised Providers’ Motivations for Crowdsourcing Platform
104 Job Bank = Company A, Go1Buy1 = Company B, GoGoVan = Company C, honestbee = Company D
*found by this research
PROVIDERS’ MOTIVATIONS EXPERTS’ ANSWER
A B C D
EXTRINSIC
Practical (Alternative) Solution v x v x
Reputation v x x x
Monetary v v v v
Reciprocity x x x x
Diversity* v x v x
INTRINSIC
Learning & Improving Abilities - v x x
Entertainment x v v v
Altruism x v v v
Social Needs x v v x
Autonomy v v v v
Safety - v v x
Trust - v v x
ADD-ON
Ease of Use (extrinsic) - v v x
Useful Tool* (extrinsic) v v - x
Consent & Satisfaction (intrinsic) - v v x
Mobility (extrinsic) v v v v
Volume (extrinsic) v - - -
Self-efficacy (intrinsic) v v v v
Self-expression (intrinsic) v v - -
Three-quarters of experts supported the notion that entertainment and altruism encouraged providers, but only as a small part of being motivated by social needs.
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
practical (alternative) solution, diversity, and social needs drive providers to their platforms. The marketing manager of Go1Buy1said, “Purchasing agents largely hold
that they actually do not need such services, although the platform actually provides a good environment to help them engage in their transactions more conveniently and smoothly.” Comparing purchasing agents on Go1Buy1 to drivers on GoGoVan. The
Taiwan country manager of GoGoVan said,“They feel that GoGoVan provides anopportunity for them to earn extra money in a flexible manner.” Diversity is another
motivation that drive the crowds come to the platforms; for example, 104 Job Bank has a diversity of job vacancies to satisfy different types of job seekers. For another instance, there are various types of cases for drivers to take on other platforms. The Taiwan country manager of GoGoVan said, “[We provide] diversity of deliveryservice as long as it is legal. In fact, you can ask us for help as long as you want it.”
In addition, half of the experts verified that safety and trust motivate providers to provide products or services on their platform. For example, providers on both Go1Buy1 and GoGoVan indicated that they trust the platform and that the platform gave them solutions immediately when they encounter problems. “We will not ask you
to hand in money in the gift card for separating earned money. We give you one hundred dollars to let you try and run this business. … Once he or she is willing to be our driver, he or she will go save money in his or her gift card for handling cases on our platform, which also means that they trust us. I let you have income and then ask you to hand in money to us.” As a result of the actions that Go1Buy1 and GoGoVan
perform, providers will feel safe and trust them as their working partners.It is worth mentioning that although only 104 Job Bank, which has been in business for 20 years, supported the notion that reputation affects providers, other experts all believe that the reputation or the brand helps distinguish a company from competitors and creates a lasting impression in the minds of users. Key chairs of Go1Buy1, GoGoVan, and honestbee honestly stated that they are start-ups at present and that they are still growing and working to build their brands. “The brand is currently a
disadvantage, but it will be our greatest advantage in the future. Service cannot be
reproduced in a short time. Once we have established our brand and reputation,
competitors cannot reproduce it although they can reproduce the know-how,” said the
honestbee community manager. In our prior study, we showed that the providers are motivated more by intrinsic motivations, which is shown in Table 12 as well except‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
for the case of 104 Job Bank. This result might be related to 104 Job Bank failing to stress on intrinsic motivations clearly during the interview.
Table 13 showed that all the experts verified that practical (alternative) solution and diversity motivated requestors to come to their platforms to requesting products or services. 104 Job Bank has a large database of curricula vitae to satisfy all types of enterprises across sectors. Go1Buy1 helps customers who desire foreign products to find a suitable and great purchasing agents around the world. GoGoVan fulfills delivery needs for anyone. honestbee helps people buying and delivering groceries and/or fresh foods in the same day, and people merely wait for their things at the door.
Table 13.Verified and Revised Requestors’ Motivations for Crowdsourcing Platform
104 Job Bank = Company A, Go1Buy1 = Company B, GoGoVan = Company C, honestbee = Company D
*found by this research, **stated by expert
REQUESTORS’ MOTIVATIONS EXPERTS’ ANSWER
A B C D
EXTRINSIC
Practical (Alternative) Solution v v v v
Monetary x v x x
Useful Tool* v v v x
Diversity* v v v v
Fast* x x v v
Product Testing* v x v x
INTRINSIC
Consent &Satisfaction - v v v
Autonomy v - v v
Safety - v v x
Trust - v v x
ADD-ON
Quality* (extrinsic) - v - v
Volume (extrinsic) v - v -
Ease of Use (extrinsic) - v v x
Self –expression (intrinsic) v v - -
Reciprocity (extrinsic) - v - -
Three-quarters of the experts supported the notion that useful tool and autonomy drove requestors to come to their platforms. As discussed above regarding providers’
motivations, 104 Job Bank optimizes the query and provides a recommendation