A motivation and effort model for members of wireless communities

Maria Bina, George M. Giaglis

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

    Abstract

    The aim of this paper is to develop an analytical framework and model for understanding motivation and effort among members of Community-based WLANs. Wireless communities represent a stimulating area for research due to their organizational uniqueness as loosely-knit communities of wireless enthusiasts who cooperate to set up and operate a wireless communications infrastructure; in other words, they represent an example of collective action. Thus, two research issues are critical in understanding the mechanics behind the sustained existence of wireless communities: motivation - why individuals become community members - and coordination - how individuals within a community interact with each other. Focusing on the first issue, the paper provides a theoretical explanation of motivation which, in turn, informs the design of a conceptual model. According to this explanation, an individual decides to participate in a wireless community because of intrinsic as well as extrinsic motives. These motives are balanced against the perceived effort to join and participate in the community to jointly determine a suitable participation level for each community member. The resulting model adopts a cost-benefit (utility) perspective that is being empirically tested through a large-scale questionnaire survey.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationProceedings of the 14th European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS 2006
    Publication statusPublished - 2006
    Event14th European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS 2006 - Goteborg, Sweden
    Duration: 12 Jun 200614 Jun 2006

    Other

    Other14th European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS 2006
    Country/TerritorySweden
    CityGoteborg
    Period12/06/0614/06/06

    Keywords

    • Collective action
    • Community-based WLANs
    • Intrinsic and extrinsic motives
    • Self-determination theory

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