Ghobadi, S orcid.org/0000-0003-1197-7004 (2023) Communication of Post-Release Plans in Crowdfunding Development Initiatives: A Signaling Perspective. International Journal of Information Management, 69. 102592. ISSN 0268-4012
Abstract
Significant research explores how developers leverage crowdfunding to attract finance for releasing digital goods. However, researchers seldom study “post-release activities” that are crucial for maintaining and advancing those goods. This article elaborates on the challenging nature of post-release activities for crowdfunding initiatives, asking how developers communicate their post-release plans to effectively prepare backers for possible changes. Using a grounded approach that connects the longitudinal history of fundraising to development to post-release, I examine initiatives that achieved impressive fundraising and development results yet varied significantly in their post-release outcomes. While they consistently signaled post-release plans, the differences are the signals’ costs, backers' reactions, and the post-release activities and outcomes. I present theoretical propositions that (1) developers benefit in the long run by combining high-cost signaling with engaging backers in follow-up conversations about post-release issues and (2) prospective backers can utilize developers' communication to identify their post-release signals. Unlike dominant research findings about signals’ impacts on mobilizing resources during fundraising, the findings emphasize signals’ post-release consequences for stakeholders. While different signaling approaches can enhance short-term performance, they also seed contrasting longer-term outcomes for developers, backers, and the industry. These findings advance knowledge on effective strategies for engaging society to build sustainable digital goods.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. This is an author produced version of an article published in International Journal of Information Management. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
Keywords: | Crowdfunding; Software; Post-release; Digital; Communication; Information sharing; Entrepreneurship; Case study; Grounded theory; sustainable development; Crowd |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Management Division (LUBS) (Leeds) > Logistics, Info, Ops and Networks (LION) (LUBS) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Oct 2022 10:08 |
Last Modified: | 19 Apr 2024 00:13 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102592 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:191872 |