eThesis - School of Business electronic theses

Objective of the Study:

The focus of this thesis is to identify consumer motivations to voluntarily engage in online communities and co-create value.

Theoretical Framework and Methodology:

This research is qualitative and interpretive in nature. The literature review shows five relevant motivational factors, which are mainly based on the Uses & Gratification theory by Katz et al (1974). A theoretical framework has been derived from the findings in the literature review, and the empirical research has been based on this model. A semi-structured interview guide was designed to examine various aspects of the research problem. The interview transcripts were analyzed using hermeneutic logic starting from categorizing emerging overall themes, and moving on to careful analysis of parts of the text. Through a series of part-to-whole iterations, a deep understanding of the text and it themes was sought.

Findings and Conclusions:

The results revealed two groups of co-creators, motivated members and non-motivated members. Moreover, the motivational factors recognized in the theoretical framework are in line with the interview findings. The main findings from the empirical part of this thesis show that most of the participants are motivated by three different intrinsic approaches, which are the social integrative, hedonic integrative and personal integrative. The findings also provide additional evidence that consumers are increasingly interested in actively engaging in value co-creation rather than being passive recipients.