Compiled by Celeste (March 2014)

The following slides are DIRECT QUOTE from source: R. Kelly Rainer, Jr. & Hugh Watson, (2012). Management Information Systems, John Wiley & Son, MA; p

Crowdsourcing One type of collaboration Refers to outsourcing a task to an undefined, Generally, large group of people in form of an open call.

Examples of crowdsourcing on college campuses (1) Crowdsourcing help desks : IT help desks are a necessary service on college campuses because students depend on their computers and Internet access to complete their school work and attend class online. At Indiana University at Bloomington, new IT help desks use crowdsourcing to alleviate the cost and pressure of having to answer so many calls. Students and professors post their IT problems on an online forum, where other students and amateur answer them.

Examples of crowdsourcing on college campuses (2) Recruitment : In 2010, Champlain college in Vermont instituted a Champlain For Reel program, inviting students to share via YouTube videos their experience at the school and how they benefited from their time there. The YouTube channel serves to recruit prospective students and even updates alumni on campus and community events. Scitable ( combines social networking and academic collaboration. Through crowdsourcing, students, professors, and scientists discuss problems, find solutions, and swap resources and journals. It is a free site that lets each individual user turn to crowdsourcing for answers even while helping others.

Examples of crowdsourcing on college campuses (3) The Great Sunflower Project : Gretchen LeBuhn, an associate biology professor at San Francisco State University, needed help with her studies of honeybees, but she had limited grant money, so she contacted gardening groups around the country. Through this crowdsourcing strategy, LeBuhn ultimately created a network of more than 25,000 gardeners and schools to assist with her reach. She then sent these participants seeds for plants that attract bees. In return, the participants recored honeybee visits and activity for her on her Web site

The following slides are DIRECT QUOTE from source: Hildreth, Sue, URL: boost-customer- experience?asrc=EM_NLN_ &utm_medium=EM&utm_source= NLN&utm_campaign= _AT&T,%20Kimberly- Clark%20use%20crowdsourcing%20to%20boost%20customer%20exper ience_mewebb&track=NL-1815&ad= Accessed date: 26 March 2014.

Crowdsourcing “Gartner Inc. estimates that by 2017, more than half of consumer goods manufacturers will get 75% of product development capabilities from crowdsourced methods by But it's also a powerful tool for boosting customer loyalty and brand image, said experts.”

Kimberly-Clark's MomInspired crowdsourcing program MomInspired crowdsourcing program “Kimberly-Clark Corp.'s Huggies invites parents to submit ideas for baby products and offers help developing them, such as guidance on writing a business plan, as well as cash grants to develop prototypes.”

AT&T efforts in crowdsourcing One Fortune 1,000 company, AT&T, has invested a lot of time and money in crowdsourcing and has developed programs for customers and employees. The Innovation Pipeline (TIP) is an online portal and community where employees submit concepts and assemble teams to develop them.