Management and Marketing - Theses
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ItemActor participation and its impact on financial performance of organisations( 2019)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 organisational capabilities fundamental to successful AP and do they vary based on the core dimensions? 3) How does AP affect the financial performance of organisations and are particular forms superior to others in this respect? 4) How do different organisational capabilities facilitate the financial success of AP? This dissertation includes two papers. In the first paper, a conceptual model to address research questions 1 and 2 is developed. In this conceptual model, three core dimensions are proposed that help in the classification of AP: Transactional Intensity, Tangibility of Contributions, and Interaction Intensity. Recognition of these dimensions not only reflects the different ways organisations can practice AP but also provides a foundation for determining the organisational capabilities necessary for exercising AP. In the second-half of the paper, the organisational capabilities associated with the core dimensions of AP are explored and a second classification model is proposed, which relates organisational capabilities to different forms of AP. The second paper is an empirical research that investigates the final two research questions. The impact of AP on the financial performance of organisations across multiple industries is examined based on its core dimensions. Findings across two studies using primary and secondary data suggest that those forms of AP that rely on the integration of the intellectual contributions of actors have a positive impact on financial performance. Further, an analysis of the role of organisational capabilities on the financial success of AP finds that three organisational capabilities – R&D, technology and strategic flexibility – mediate the transformation of intellectual contributions into financially superior outcomes. Additionally, results suggest that investment in capabilities such as strategic flexibility and ethical interaction capability increase when organisations focus on specific dimensions of AP. Overall, this dissertation suggests that AP can take place in various forms, for which organisations need to invest in certain organisational capabilities to ensure effective performance. It adds to the emerging marketing concepts of customer participation and value co-creation by facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the AP phenomenon. A thorough investigation of AP provides a useful blueprint for its strategic design and for predicting potential challenges for the implementation of the strategy. The theoretical and practical implications of this dissertation, as well as future research directions, will be discussed in detail.