Transcript leveraging the 3d internet for entrepreneurial practices

LEVERAGING THE 3D INTERNET FOR
ENTREPRENEURIAL PRACTICES:
OPPORTUNITIES FOR CO-CREATION
Lisbeth Frølunde, Roskilde University
Bjørn-Tore Flåten, University of Agder
Robin Teigland, Stockholm School of Economics
38th European International Business Academy (EIBA) Conference
held at the University of Sussex, December, 2012
Present
• Introduction to 3D Internet and approach
• Research questions
• Research methodology
– Overview of cases in 3 industries
• Results
• Implications
Social Media
Self-presentation/
Self-disclosure
Social Presence/ Media Richness
Low
Medium
High
High
Blogs
Social Networking
Sites
Virtual Social
Worlds
Low
Collaborative
Projects
Content
Communities
Virtual Game
Worlds
Kilde: Shneor (2011) / Kaplan & Haenlein (2011)
US$ 635,000 for a virtual asteroid!
•USD 500,000 profit in 5 years by
Jon “Neverdie” Jacobs
•Entropia Universe with GDP >USD
440 mln
Teigland 2011
http://blogs.forbes.com/oliverchiang/2010/11/13/meet-the-man-who-justmade-a-cool-half-million-from-the-sale-of-virtual-property/
3D Internet becoming mainstream?
Aim
• Address the lack of overview regarding 3D Internet
entrepreneurship practices
• Explore the value of enterprises and new technologies
• Gain insights into real challenges faced by
entrepreneurs in 3D internet
• Focus on entrepreneurs located in or stemming from
the Nordic countries, with global perspectives
Research Question (1)
• The diffusion of innovation (Rogers 2003)
• 3D Internet affordances
• Limited research investigating issues related
specifically to innovation and co-design processes
using the 3D Internet (Kohler et al., 2009)
RQ1) What affordances do 3D Internet technologies
offer as a “space” for entrepreneurial practices?
Research Question (2)
• Entrepreneurship is not a purely individualistic practice
but involves a dynamic of social interactions
(Drakopoulou Dodd & Anderson, 2007)
• Social networked economy (Benkler 2006)
– See entrepreneurship NOT as individualistic practice, but in
dynamics with social networks
RQ 2) How do entrepreneurs utilize their social networks
to learn to leverage 3D Internet technologies?
Research Methodology
Research Method
Qualitative (Cresswell 1994; Miles and Huberman 1994; Yin
2003)
Data Collection
Semi-structured interviews:
• 7 unique cases: eight in-depth interviews
• All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim
Virtual observation
• Virtual guided tours, participated in meetings, etc
Document analysis
• Online newsletters and news clipping
Data Analysis
Within-case analysis
• Coding scheme of key themes
• Grouped the content – aggregated dimensions
• Narrative strategy in writing up the data
Overview of Cases
Case
Entrepreneur and Nationality
Multimedia Industry
My Avatar and Film co-directed by Mikkel Stolt, Fenris Film & Multimedia ApS, and
Bente Milton, Milton Media ApS, DK
Me
Cross-media product under development by writer/co-director
Granny’s
Hanna Sköld, Tangram Film, SE
Dancing on the
Table
Film Writer/director Knutte Wester, SE
Gzim Rewind
Healthcare Industry
Researcher and co-developer Mette Terp Høybye, DK/US, leads
BE community
project within youth cancer treatment wards at University Hospital
Aarhus and University Hospital Copenhagen in connection with
partner Sirikata/Katalabs, DK/US
Researcher and co-developer Parvati Dev, IN/US in connection with
partners such as Unity Technologies, DK/US
Innovation in
Learning
High-tech and Consultancy Industry
Developer and CEO Henrik
Katalabs
Grönstedt
Group
Bennetsen, DK/US develops Sirikata
platform and is connected with Google’s network of entrepreneurial
developers working with new Chrome browser. (Katalabs cooperates
with Mette Terp Høybye, DK/US, on BE Community project.)
Developer and consultant Anders Grönstad, SE/US, and his company
use the latest information and communication technologies to train
professionals.
Results
RQ1) What affordances do 3D Internet technologies offer as a
“space” for entrepreneurial practices?
• Flexibility
– Open access and unrestricted development
– Concerns with respect to business models and control issues
• Simulation
– Simulate activities (e.g. training and education)
– Training in an engaging and immersive manner
– Concerns with respect to lack of sense of immersion
• Visualization
– Interactive visuals and models
– Multiple environments across media platforms
Results
RQ 2) How do entrepreneurs utilize their social
networks to learn to leverage 3D Internet
technologies?
• Social networks important for the acquisition
of knowledge and other resources, such as
human capital, reputation, access to
networks, and customers, necessary for value
creation by the entrepreneur.
Discussion and Implications
• 3D Internet affordances of flexibility, simulation, and
visualization enable the process of co-creation within an
entrepreneur’s social networks (Hoyer et al., 2010;
Jeppesen and Frederiksen 2006; Kohler et al., 2009)
• Web 2.0 influencing the boundaries of the firm (Haefliger
et al., 2011; von Krogh and Haefliger 2010)
• New business models
• Challenges with respect to legal issues, steep learning
curve, lack of common design elements, cross-cultural
communication, and instability of new technologies
Limitations
• Designers of the technology as the primary
source
• Need for further theoretical development
• Include issues related to motivation and
governance of new business models
THANK YOU
Lisbeth Frølunde, Roskilde University
Bjørn-Tore Flåten, University of Agder
Robin Teigland, Stockholm School of Economics
38th European International Business Academy (EIBA) Conference
held at the University of Sussex, December, 2012